[COLOR=SLATEGRAY][CENTER][sup][h1][center][img]Header/Banner[/img][/center][b][center][color=black] L O K I[/color]
[color=009e2d]L O K I[/color][/center]
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[color=silver][sup][i]"Can't keep a good god down."[/i][/sup][/color][/CENTER][table][row][/row][row][cell][center][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] C H A R A C T E R   P O R T R A I T[/color]
[color=lightgray]C H A R A C T E R   P O R T R A I T[/color] [/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][sup]_________________________________________________________[/sup][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/be1473eac62690bf5380381cdc9c7251/483cae8825e5fe06-0e/s640x960/7a4395fec701fdd8f862f3794a7f40bc1cca8ce6.jpg[/img]
[sup]_________________________________________________________[/sup][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] C H A R A C T E R   S U M M A R Y[/color]
[color=lightgray]C H A R A C T E R   S U M M A R Y[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][sup]_________________________________________________________[/sup]
[sub][COLOR=darkgray]Loki[/COLOR]   [b]|[/b]   [COLOR=darkgray]Loki Laufeyson[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=darkgray]Asgardian[/COLOR]   [b]|[/b]   [COLOR=darkgray]Frost Giant[/COLOR]   [b]|[/b]   [COLOR=darkgray]God of Mischief, Professional Agitator[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=darkgray]Salem[/COLOR]   [b]|[/b]   [COLOR=darkgray]Oregon[/COLOR]   [b]|[/b]   [COLOR=darkgray]USA[/COLOR][/sub][/center]
[indent][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] C H A R A C T E R   N O T E S[/color]
[color=lightgray]C H A R A C T E R   N O T E S[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][/INDENT][sup]_________________________________________________________[/sup]
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[indent][sub][b][color=lightgray]   M I S C E L L A N E O U S[/color][/b][/sub]
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[COLOR=darkgray][color=lightgray][b]►[/b][/color] As Loki is a) genderfluid and b) a shapeshifter, their appearance and pronouns are subject to change. By default, they will use they/them.

[color=lightgray][b]►[/b][/color]Loki's powers are primarily based in illusions. Innately, however, they possess a superhuman status due to their Frost Giant genetics. They are still notably physically weaker than the likes of Thor. 

[color=lightgray][b]►[/b][/color] Beyond illusions, Loki's magic also affords them cryokinesis, telekinesis, teleportation, touch-based telepathy, and energy blasts. Anything beyond illusions is generally weak without use of the scepter, however. 

[color=lightgray][b]►[/b][/color]Loki's scepter does NOT contain the Mind Stone. It has no unique abilities by itself, instead serving to amplify and concentrate Loki's innate magic. 
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[color=#2e2c2c]-[/color][/indent][/hider][/INDENT][indent][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] K E Y   E V E N T S[/color]
[color=lightgray]K E Y   E V E N T S[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][/INDENT][sup]_________________________________________________________[/sup]
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[indent][sub][b][color=lightgray]   K E Y   E V E N T S[/color][/b][/sub]
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	[COLOR=darkgray]◼   Loki is born to the Frost Giant Laufey. A scrawny and premature baby, they are considered an embarrassment and left to die. The warring Asgardians discover the baby, and the king Odin later adopts them. Their Frost Giant physiology is concealed with an enchantment and they are raised as an Asgardian. (701)

◼ On an adventure with their brother, Thor, Loki learns the truth of their heritage from Laufey. Angered by the lies, this mixed with Loki's jealousy for their older brother to create a disdain for the Asgardians. (1063) 

◼ Loki stages a coup with the help of the Frost Giants and attempts to seize control of Asgard. It fails, and Loki is defeated by their brother, Thor. They are imprisoned for their crimes. (1066) 

◼ Loki escapes prison. The Asgardians fail to locate them, assuming them to having fled to another realm. (1070)

◼ Loki causes problems across the Nine Realms, occasionally clashing with their brother as a result. They undertake a variety of aliases for their meddling purposes: Some of these include Giacomo Casanova, Diogenes of Sinope, Grigori Rasputin, D.B. Cooper, and Count St. Germain. Their exploits throughout history are numerous and dubiously documented. At some point, Loki attracts the attention of a cult devoted to them. Their membership has shifted throughout the years, but historically sheltered the marginalised and disillusioned. (1070-1980)

◼ Loki begins a campaign of agitation against the Storm Giants and Frost Giants. (1980s) 

◼ Loki is caught by a coalition of Frost and Storm Giants, their trickery revealed. They are summarily executed for their crimes. Fortunately, Loki came prepared, and tricked Hel out of their soul. In exchange, they would be banished to Midgard. (1990)

◼ Loki spends a year battling their way out of Helheim, as Hel refused them safe passage out of the realm in her indignation. (1991) 

◼ Loki's new body is cared for by their cult while they age and adjust. (1991-2015) 

◼ After regaining full control of their magic and body, Loki sets off to explore the modern world. (2015-2023)
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[color=lightgray]C H A R A C T E R   C O N C E P T[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][/INDENT][sup]________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup]
[COLOR=DARKGRAY][indent]A principal agitator in the annals of human history, Loki has always stirred the pot and heralded chaos. With their powers of sorcery and illusion, they change their shape and distort reality to confuse and disguise the truth. Across the Nine Realms, Loki was a name that roused fear and spite in the hearts of the mightiest.
 The god's legacy of deceit came with an inevitable comeuppance, however, as after attempting to spark a civil war, they were executed by the Storm Giants for their incessant meddling. Not content to die like any normal person, however, Loki tricked Hel into letting their soul go free—with the necessary caveat that they would be banished from Asgard forever. Should they step foot again in their homeland, their body would immediately wither, and their soul would be taken into the underworld.

Now reincarnated trapped on Earth, Loki is forced to face their actions through a human lens of morality. Having been on the side of chaos for so long, Loki is forced to ponder if mischief is truly inseparable from evil. To experiment, they have elected to, as they see it, join the side of "good": Protecting humanity from the forces they once gleefully catalysed. After all, if this planet is destroyed, where are they going to live? 
Despite being known primarily as a villain, this incarnation draws from their appearances in Young Avengers and Agent of Asgard, in which they're considerably more heroically inclined. Loki's presence in the story will hopefully serve as a catalyst for introspection, both on their end and the end of other characters. I want them to be a sort of devil's advocate, second-guessing motives and actions. 
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[INDENT][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] P L O T ( S )   &   G O A L ( S )[/color]
[color=lightgray]P L O T ( S )   &   G O A L ( S )[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/sub][/INDENT]
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Loki appeals to me primarily because of their distinctly non-human element: I've always found a character "on the outside looking in", so to speak, interesting. I think one of those outsider characters—someone who's only interaction with the human world has been like an ant farm, staring at it through a thick pane of glass and occasionally giving it a shake—would be a fascinating perspective to introduce into the world. They're learning its conventions and rules in real time, and thus can call into question the objectionable aspects most people have grown numb to. Their propensity for shapeshifting and trickery also allows them to take on a variety of identities and aliases through which they can further inhabit the world, in their own crafty way.

On a personal level, the character is also forced to confront themselves within this frighteningly mortal framework. Loki is no longer above this world: They have to learn how they fit into it, what their purpose is now, if human morality is truly worth upholding. In the words of [i]Loki[/i] comic writer Kieron Gillen, [i]"Can people change? Can bad people get better?"[/i] 
They need others not just for the sake of connections and relationships, but also to inform their own view of this new society and to illuminate the parts of the world often unseen. They have a proactive, overruling drive to explore the world and to meet new people, which I think is a boon to have in any living world, especially one with so much to see.

Ultimately, Loki's arc is one of learning and discovery, catalysing self-reflection in others and in themselves. Despite being a godly being, I hope to introduce a distinctly human element into the world with them. OOC, they will hopefully encourage collaboration and multi-player stories.[/INDENT][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black] S A M P L E   P O S T[/color]
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[color=009e2d]“Darren?”[/color] 
“Yes, my lord?”
[color=009e2d]“What did I—”[/color] Loki swung their sceptre through the air, the trail of blue it left behind catching Darren’s attention before the cold metal against his chest. Darren grimaced, nervously slicking back his combover and pushing up his bifocals. [color=009e2d]“What did I tell you about “my lord”?”[/color]
“It’s…Stuffy and overzealous?”
[color=009e2d]“Yes!”[/color] The Sceptre swung back, Loki catching the end in their other palm. [color=009e2d]“Do I look old enough to be a lord to you?"[/color] Loki turned the staff over in their hands, peering at their warped reflection in its crowning jewel. [color=009e2d]"I’d like to think I have a few centuries left.” [/color]

Darren, in his defence, was trying his best.
[i][color=009e2d]He had always tried his best. He was an excellent dad—allegedly. I don’t know, I wasn’t there. His only proof is a “World’s Best Dad” mug, and the rim is chipped, so obviously the title doesn’t mean very much to him. But all it took was the beguiling of one Ms Sandra, 27, local single in your area, and suddenly his wife was serving him a petition for divorce, and his kids start beggingg to go to Wendy’s every Friday after school, since mom always lets them do what they want.
Don’t ask me who Wendy is. He’s never elaborated. 

In any case, human lives are frightfully short, and Darren had already lived half of it. All that he had amassed in that half had disappeared in a few years. Really, you’d forgive him for just curling into a ball and staying there. But, instead, he managed to find glorious purpose serving me, or the made up version of me these people have in their heads, as leader of my cult. 
He’s not very good at it. Ordinarily, I’d atomise him, but I’m trying to do better. [/color][/i]


[color=009e2d]“Well, regardless. I want you to gather the others. There’s something I would like to tell them.”[/color] Loki shuffled up to their altar, kicking up into the air. They swung their sceptre around, leaning back on it and stopping midair. [color=009e2d]“Chop chop, now. It’s urgent.”[/color]
With a hasty nod, Darren scurried away, towards the nearby log cabin. They looked quite pleased with themselves, lazily reclining back on thin air. And they [i]were[/i] quite pleased with themselves. Today was the beginning of a new chapter of Loki’s reign of chaos and terror, sans the chaos and terror. 

It wasn’t long before their cult had gathered around the altar in a circle—all nine of them.
[color=009e2d]“Hang on,”[/color] Loki mused, doing a quick headcount. [color=009e2d]“Where’s Mairead?”[/color]

“She has to pick her kids up from softball,” a shrill voiced, portly man in brown khakis and a red polo shirt explained. 
 
[color=009e2d]“Ah, right. Well…Someone fill her in. Text her, or whatever it is you people do.”[/color]

The portly man nodded, already taking out his phone in preparation to transcribe.

[color=009e2d]“People of the cult of Loki!”[/color] Loki called out, arms raised. [color=009e2d]“Aren’t you just the greatest? Your service over these past years has not gone unappreciated. I truly will never forget the sacrifices, metaphorical and literal, you have made for me while I’ve recovered my strength.”[/color]

[b]“I LOVE YOU, LOKI!”[/b] a woman with frizzy orange hair and thick framed black glasses shrieked from the back.

[color=009e2d]“And I love you…!”[/color] Loki bit their lip, casting a glance towards Darren. He mouthed a name, silently, and Loki’s eyes darted back up. [color=009e2d]“Rachel! Which is why I am filled with remorse to announce to you that the cult of Loki…”[/color] Dramatic pause. Ever the showperson. [color=009e2d]“...Is officially disbanding.”[/color]

Shock, gasps. Someone fainting. That was what Loki was expecting.
Mostly, though, it was just a collection of sighs and shrugs. A groan of disappointment from Rachel. 

[color=009e2d]“...You seem remarkably well composed.”[/color]
This was definitely not the reaction they were hoping for. 

Darren rolled his shoulders. “I dunno. Was something fun to do on the weekends, I guess.” 

[color=009e2d]“Don’t you want an explanation?”[/color]

“I mean, I don’t really mind. You gotta do what you gotta do, y’know?” 

Loki furrowed their brow, casting a glance throughout the crowd. 

[color=009e2d]“...Really? No one is going to throw themselves at my feet, or…?”[/color] Pursing their lips, Loki clambered down from the sceptre, heels touching off the altar. [color=009e2d]“Gods, alright,”[/color] They muttered, lazily hopping down onto the dirt below. They had said this as a joke before, several centuries ago, and the head shaman died from a shock-induced heart attack. 
Esoteric cults had really lost their oomph. 

In retrospect, it was only fair. This was probably how they would have reacted if the cult had disbanded of its own accord. Some of them were definitely just here to kill time. 

[color=009e2d]“Well, you can go, I suppose,”[/color] Loki halfheartedly waved the group off with their sceptre. Several of them, save for Darren, were gripped by a shimmering blue light, responding to a pulsating glow from the sceptre’s gem. They were dragged backwards, leaving behind a starlight trail as each cult member flew backwards through the air and over towards the edge of the woods.  [color=009e2d]“I need the cabin, though. The lease is still under your name, isn’t it?”[/color]

Darren nodded, hastily. 

[color=009e2d]“Excellent. The landlady is still enchanted, but if you get anything about overdue rent, just let me know, and I’ll…”[/color] Loki poked the side of their head, hissing with their tongue. [color=009e2d]“...You know.”[/color]

Loki waved their sceptre, and that blue light overtook Darren. 
They paused, jaw clenched.
[color=009e2d]“...Goodbye, Darren. Good luck out there. Thank you.”[/color]

“No sweat, boss. Hey, can I put you down on my resume? Just as a reference, cuz y’know…”

Loki smiled, sadly. [color=009e2d]“But of course. Just give me a good alias.”[/color]

Darren nodded, more carefully this time. “Max Power.”

[color=009e2d]"That will do, Darren. That will do.”[/color] 

And with a wave of Loki’s sceptre, Darren was gone. 

Now began the next chapter. 
With a whirl of their cape, Loki was enveloped in a pulsating, feathery blackness. There was a dismal cawing, and out from the mass flew a mighty raven, the wind on its wings and mischief on its mind. 

Maybe they would stop a bank robbery. Maybe they would uncover a political conspiracy to take control of the world. Maybe they would peck at a housecat’s window and irritate the living daylights out of it.
The possibilities were endless for the new God of Mischief.
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