bakerstreet | feeling inspired?

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(vampire, manipulator, canon and crosscanon welcome, assumed cr great. history on journal)

[ This bot. IDEK. One. Two. Three. Four. ]

The truth is that the belief of mortals makes Nico's life easier than anything else. Even beyond the ability of compulsion, the speed and strength that lets him do nearly anything he wants to. The fact that mortals have faith makes his life easier.

When he's stood before a congregation wearing a collar and they came to him begging for his forgiveness, he had gladly used that faith to keep himself happy and fed. He had used their belief in their fellow man to get access to their homes, their families, their money, and their lives.

And now with the rise of spiritualism, he has found an entirely new way of using their belief and faith against them, to benefit himself.

New Orleans had been the perfect place for him after years spent in New York, toying with the minds of city bound wives who came in from small towns, who didn't understand the big city, and whose husbands believed they had run off home to mom and dad rather than realizing their bodies were deep in the water of the Hudson River.

Louisiana though was another story. It was a city of spiritualists and magic, of ghosts and voodoo queens. And it was where Nico found the perfect place for his newest scam. Tourists and locals alike came to a man with a rich Italian accent in a small villa in a Parrish on the edge of the water. They came to him with smiles and money, begging for him to help them connect with their loved ones, with the family member that hid the money, with their lost children, and Nico told them all they wanted to know, all they needed to hear.

And when they vanished, no one thought anything of it in a day and age when illness and expansion meant the faces around a large city changed often.

That night it was the dark of the moon, just past the summer solstice. The air was heavy, humid and heavy with the scent of people and flowers. The woman he followed had been to see him only a few hours before, desperate to speak to her deceased husband. Nico found delight in the idea of sending her to meet up with her husband so soon after telling her that he regretted the time he'd betrayed her. She had been hurting about the affair, and Nico had given her peace of mind.

Now he would merely give her peace.

Staying to the shadows, waiting for her to wander farther from the tavern where she'd stayed for supper, seen friends, and now instead of paying for a carriage, she walked home. It was perfect.

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(Bonus points for cycling through a few and/or adding new ones)

"This has to be Crowley's doing."

Loki sits on Aziraphale's couch, mortified as an autotuned video of his speech in Germany plays on his phone for Aziraphale to watch. He looked ridiculous, and will admit to very few that only part of it was the sound and video editing. What was he thinking seven years ago? ~~Oh, right, he hadn't been thinking.~~

"I don't think anyone was even filming, where did this footage even come from?"

Aside from the mortifying reminder of how horrible he'd looked and sounded in 2012 the video going viral also reminded everyone else on the planet what he looked like. Not much footage of him during the invasion survived, likely thanks to SHIELD, so though no one liked him it took only minimal style changes to go largely unnoticed on the planet. He could use illusions to make himself look like someone else, but that carried it's own risks, so he'd taken to wearing his alternate forms when he was out. Thor and a few other Aesir would recognize him, but they weren't who he was worried about.

"Crowley wouldn't do this."

Aziraphale sighed, disappointed. He knew what Loki had done in New York, everyone knew. It was impossible to ignore. Still, the senseless, poorly thought out massive military invasion now seemed even more senseless. The angel didn't think that was possible.

"Only a human could be this creative." He shook his head. "And only a human could be this shamelessly callous about one of the most devastating series of events in the history of Midgard."

Does Loki have any remorse for all the lives lost, all the fear that still afflicts humanity? Unlikely, but that's only because Loki is a flawed corporeal being like any other. They were never meant to be perfect.

"As for no one filming it? With an audience that size it's inevitable that some of them will pull out their mobile phones to record something that... interesting."

Loki regrets many things about the attack, chief among them being that he had not acted under his own power. Oh yes, on paper he pulled the metaphorical trigger, but Thanos had played him and his insecurities like a fiddle. Saying he was a puppet erased too much of the agency he had during the attack, but the Mad Titan had manipulated him into thinking it was a good idea.

If he really thinks about it he would say the loss of life had been a downside of the attack, but honestly it is rather low on his list of regrets.

"I didn't even know they had video recording technology at the time."

He scrubs a hand over his face as the end of the tune plays out, swiftly closing the app so it doesn't restart.

"This is precisely why I told Thor I didn't want to come back to Earth."

"Yes, well. Humans don't have any magic to speak of. They rely quite heavily upon technological innovation to compensate."

Aziraphale miracles a cup of chamomile tea into being and holds it out to Loki.

"And putting embarrassing things into the internet, about themselves and each other, is perhaps their single most popular hobby. All seven or eight billion of them. I know it seems absurd, but they don't mean any harm by it. It's all in jest. You should see some of the ones that poke fun at your brother..."

"They're quite far behind when it comes to technology as well..."

Loki takes the tea, summoning several cubes of sugar to drop in before he starts stirring.

"The difference is they still love him, his idiocy only endears him to them. Me, they hate. Obviously and rightly so."

He's in a weird spot when it comes to public approval. On the one hand he really doesn't care about humans or their opinions. On the other he does actually enjoy living in the limelight, being publicly adored. Why else would he create a play about his own tragic 'death' for all of Asgard to watch and cry over? But Asgard is no more, now they have made their home here, a place he has no hope of ever being accepted.

He sighs and takes a sip of tea, sorely wishing it was something with kick.

Aziraphale didn't really want to tell Loki this, but maybe it will help. "You have a 'fan club.'"

Loki's face scrunches together. "That's a cruel joke, Aziraphale."

Aziraphale sighs and pulls out his own mobile. "I could not have made this up. I promise you."

A few taps later, he turns it around to show a few to Loki. "There are thousands of this sort of thing."

Loki flips through the pictures, a strange mix of amusement and confusion playing on his face.

"...humans are so strange," he says, starting to grin a little wider.

"PLEASE do not let it go to your head!" Which was, of course, the exact reason that Aziraphale had not told him before this.

"This is all because you are rumored to have become non-lethal with your antics since, ah, you introduced yourself to Midgard. Public opinion can, and will, change very quickly if you get carried away again!"

Loki's grin turns wicked.

"So what you're telling me is not to use this knowledge to my advantage and raise an army of followers to try to take over the planet again?"

He won't, ruling Asgard was hard and that place was much smaller with far less internal tension than this hot mess of a planet, but he does very much enjoy messing with Aziraphale.

Aziraphale gives Loki a pained look.

"You get so over-excited when you're the center of attention, and you're so fond of showing off. And causing trouble. Put those all together and you might just overdo it because you're having too much fun."

Loki cackles, full on head thrown back, slightly unhinged cackling. ~~Its a wonder no one pegged him as a villain earlier in life~~

"You know me too well!" He claps a hand on Aziraphale's shoulder, bad mood officially banished.

"It does sound fun, though. Perhaps after we return from lunch I'll create one of these Twitter accounts and see how many followers I really have."

"You should really talk to Crowley before you try going to the internet."

Aziraphale thinks he should have played it safe after all, and cheered Loki up some other way.

"Excellent idea, he is far more knowledgeable about the internet than I." He opens a new message to Crowley.

"Where did you want to lunch today?"

"If we go out in public, will you at least try to behave yourself?"

If Loki pulls out the helmet with the big curved horns just so everyone will recognize him, Aziraphale... doesn't know what he would do, but it would involve a lot of asking Loki to stop.

"I will be the epitome of subtly." He stands and stretches...

The shift is subtle, a few edges smooth out but even when Loki's presenting as a woman he's still mostly sharp edges.

"Hows this? Humans don't know me in this form, no chance I'll be recognized."

((Did I want an excuse to dust off this journal? Maybe.))

Edited 2019-09-25 02:33 (UTC)

Aziraphale breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, good! Yes, nice strategy. What do you think about Thai?"

"Well, I've never had Thai before," Loki summons a mirror and a tube of deep red lipstick, applying it in one smooth motion.

"But I'm always open to new things."

"There's a place not far from here that makes a lovely tom yum, and their panang curry is particularly good."

Loki will definitely not be recognized like this. How fortunate? Well, unless... she makes herself notorious in this form, too.

"Shall we, then?"

Sealing the color with magic Loki smiles.

"Lets!"

[ Assumed CR is fine! ]

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[ There are few things as frustrating as knowing that the lousy situation you're in is your own damn fault.

Looking at it rationally, it's not the end of the world, and it's even a learning experience - but the combination of self-directed frustration and cabin fever are really starting to get to Yukimura.

His whole right arm is busted. Wrapped up in bandages he'd like to tear off and utterly useless. He got careless in battle -- a familiar flaw that's getting less and less forgivable as time goes on -- and was punished for it. Rightly so, he supposes.

It's just one arm, not even a leg or anything, and he can still wield a spear, but none of that means anything when he's still a liability.

Fantastic. Just the kind of person the Takeda need. Just when he was finally starting to prove he deserves to be Lord Shingen's successor.

Maybe he's taking it too hard and nobody's looking at him the way he's looking at himself. He doesn't really know. But if they aren't judging him for this... they should be.

It is under these circumstances that, one way or another, Yukimura encounters his rival again. ]

Lord Masamune. I apologize that I am not in better condition.

[ You must be so proud of your esteemed rival. ]

[Grievous injuries are just part and parcel of the warrior lifestyle. Death, too. And one isn't always necessarily more merciful than the other.

In this case, there's no doubt in Masamune's mind that Yukimura will recover. In the meantime, he's the one who rely has to suffer, knowing their usual bouts won't be any fun until then. This isn't rival edging, this is outright denial.]

What's with the glum face? If you're that sorry, hurry up and get better.

[ Look, Masamune, he didn't mean to rival cockblock you. He's not happy about it, either!

Really, really not happy. ]

I am trying! But I know not of a way to heal my bones any faster, and it vexes me.

[ He just has to wait, and he's never been good at that. ]

...I brought this frustration upon myself, so I have no right to complain. Furthermore, I've caused problems for everyone else...

[He could probably commiserate with Yukimura, being an expert at getting injured himself, but... Nah. That's not going to do either of them any good right now.]

Being down just the one side is that much of a burden on everybody else, huh... [He'll give that a second to BURROW IN NICE AND DEEP.] But you've still made it all the way out here.

[ Ohh, that stings, and Yukimura has no retort. It really is inexcusable how much of an impact his injury has had on the others. ]

That is the least I should be capable of.

[ Nope, Yukimura can't find it in himself to be heartened at all. ]

What I cannot do in this state far exceeds that which I can. I am useless.

Hah. [Not a laugh, but a sharp hiss. No point in masking his disdain.]

Not even gonna try to work around it? If that's all it takes for you to give up, you really are worthless. Had me fooled.

[If he can't raise his spirits, he'll just have to try to get a rise out of Yukimura's temper instead. It's a tough love.]

I...!

[ That gets a reaction. It feels a like a slap to the face, or maybe the burn of a dragon's claw swiping across his skin. ]

No, I am not...!

[ Yukimura grimaces. ]

Aaagh! I am foolish most of all! To wallow like this is disgraceful! I cannot stomach the thought of giving up, least of all doing so in front of you!

[ It got a rise out of his temper, if at himself rather than Masamune. Why get angry with him? He's right. ]

feeling inspired?

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Loki | MCU | OTA

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Starting with 1 for now!

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1/2

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It's cute! X3

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this set gives me big gay feelings already

awwww hell yeahhhhh

a million years later

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