#( au verse ; skull island ) let me list all the ways you’re gonna die

[storiesofwildfire]

“ Don’t die on me– Please!!! ”

          { @weightofmyshield }

♔—- “I’m not–not going to die…” he tried his best to assure the Super Soldier, but he couldn’t really make it a convincing promise considering blood dribbled endlessly from his lips and down his chin. The Skullcrawler’s bite had been pretty horrific, nearly chomping him in half. Had he been an average human instead of an Asgardian, he would have been severed at the hip and killed instantly. To the humans gathered around–Steve included–it was probably a miracle that he was still hanging on. “Just get me somewhere safe so I can rest, please.” 

     Although it didn’t look like it from the exterior of his wounds, Loki was already beginning to heal. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet the captain’s gaze, holding it steady. There was no fear and no doubt in his eyes, only honesty. He was going to make it, he had no doubt. 

     “Please, just get me up. I can’t walk. I’ll need you to carry me.”

[storiesofwildfire]

new au verse tag drop

( au verse ; destiny ) a warlock game to make your blood boil ( au verse ; mortal ) being human ( au verse ; witch ) burn him ( au verse ; dead by daylight ) death is not an escape  ( au verse ; drag queen ) emerald shores ( au verse ; iron man role reversal ) father of iron ( au verse ; vampire ) first blood ( au verse ; harry potter ) hogwarts is my home ( au verse ; jotun prince ) next in line ; the runt of the litter ( au verse ; the evil within ) krimson city ( au verse ; skull island ) let me list all the ways you’re gonna die ( au verse ; cyberpunk ) metamorphosis 2.0 ( au verse ; crimson peak ) no one warned me of crimson peak  ( au verse ; myth ragnarok ) ragnarok was death but it was also rebirth ( au verse ; aliens ) sharp sticks ( au verse ; siren ) songs of a siren ( au verse ; star wars i ) a prince or a jedi ( au verse ; star wars ii ) mother of the force ( au verse ; star wars iii ) there’s been an awakening  ( au verse ; egyptian pantheon ) walk like an egyptian ( au verse ; pacific rim ) we created monsters of our own ( au verse ; game of thrones ) you are all southerners to me ( au verse ; jurassic world ) you’re looking at him

[storiesofwildfire]

📖 📷 💋 🔪 💌 📫 📨 💬 💀 👪 👊💒 (From Fandral, feel free to mix and match verses)

{ @fandralxthexstabulous } || send me a symbol to see what my muse would say about yours – status; accepting

📖 for what my muse would write about yours in their diary. (from the POV of Loki and Fandral mending their friendship)

     I’m not entirely sure what to make of Fandral anymore. After he chose to openly support Thor, I didn’t think there was anything left between us, but… He was so quick to realize that he’d hurt me and immediately jumped on wanting to make amends for it. He’s been honest with me in ways I didn’t even think he was capable of, but I’m afraid, too. That sounds stupid, doesn’t it? He’s bending over backwards to make things right between us because he cares and yet I’m afraid of getting too attached again? 

     Can I be blamed for that, though? My feelings for Fandral became so intense so quickly that it startled me. Those feelings are still there, really, but should they be? Yes, Fandral’s doing his best to make amends and yes, he’s explained to me why he made the decisions that he made, but… I’m not really sure what to make of what he feels for me, I suppose. There’s enough uncertainty to make me wary because there was a point in time where I thought he might feel the same way about me that I felt about him. Now I’m not so sure. It’s very obvious that he cares about me. He wouldn’t have gone so far out of his way to make me happy again if he didn’t, but is that a result of valuing our friendship and nothing more?

     It’s relatively easy to convince myself that I’m the one with feelings above and beyond that of friendship. Fandral’s able to have literally anyone he wants. Why would he want to be with me? It makes perfect sense as to why how I’m feeling would be one-sided. And yet, every once in a while, I catch Fandral starring at me with a sort of longing in his eyes. Maybe I’m just imagining it, but it’s happened more than once, usually when we’re alone and he doesn’t think that I’m paying any attention to what he’s doing. Hel, a time or two, I even caught him watching me in the bath house after hours of training… 

     Gods, I sound like a lovesick teenager right now. This is actually pathetic… I shouldn’t be sitting in my bed, writing about my feelings for some boy that’s far too pretty to ever climb into my bed. Sometimes it still amazes me that I still harbor such strong feelings for him after everything that happened, but his efforts to make things up to me have only proven to make me want him that much more. I think even Sigyn might approve of him. I’ve been so unwilling to explore romance since she died, but when I’m around Fandral, it almost feels like she’s offering me her blessings, in a way.

     Sooner or later, I guess I’ll have to tell him how I feel. If I ever work up the courage to do so, that is.

📷 for what my muse would say to the paparazzi about yours. (from the POV of Loki being questioned by other court members about his choice in lover once he and Fandral have finally become public, because… does Asgard even have real paparazzi?)

     “Yes, I think Fandral is a perfectly fine suitor. If I one day have to retake the throne hardly matters in my affairs with the person I’ve chosen to spend my life with, does it? So long as we are able to have children–and I can assure you that we can. I’m sure none of you have forgotten that I’m able to carry children. You usually never let me forget about all of the times you believe I’ve stumbled or faltered, after all. Regardless, my point remains the same.

     “With Thor refusing to take the throne and no other suitable heirs, it’s likely that I will probably have to become king once again when Odin decides it’s his time to step down.” Fortunately, Loki was able to hide the shiver that ran down his spine at the prospect of becoming king again. “I realize that puts a heavy load of responsibility upon my shoulders. I was acting king for months after the Dark Elves invasion, after all, but I still fail to see what any of that has to do with Fandral. He’s a strong, loyal warrior who would die for Asgard should he be asked to lay down his life. He’s a member of a respected noble house. He’s extremely intelligent, adaptable, and given a position of power, he’ll do right by his realm and by me. We’ve long since had this discussion. Fandral understands what it means to be with me and how that will impact his life and responsibilities.

     “What I fail to understand is what any of this has to do with the rest of you? Does my decision on who to love offend you so greatly that you feel the need to question me about it? I’m not going to marry for political reasons. Odin didn’t. Thor wouldn’t. I shouldn’t be expected to, either. If your worry stems from how it’ll be viewed by the realm, then it’s about time we stop acting like Midgardians and start showing acceptance, isn’t it?” That last comment seemed to shut everyone up. No Aesir liked to be compared to a human. It was an insult above most things because Asgard thought so highly of itself.

💋 for what my muse would say to the person trying to woo your muse. (from the POV of a jealous Loki who is still keeping his relationship with Fandral a secret)

     “You know… It’s not exactly attractive or desirable to drool over someone you’re lusting after,” Loki murmured as he leaned against the bar next to the redhead who spent most of the night attempting to lure Fandral over to her. In truth, the woman was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was so vibrant, it almost didn’t look real, and she was taller than most women, with curves in places that every man would want them to be. Perhaps that’s why he found so much displeasure in her attempts to woo Fandral because she was absolutely stunning?

     “You look desperate. Don’t throw away your self-respect just for the chance to be with someone for a night or two. No man is really worth that.” And while his words might have sounded a bit harsh, he actually did mean them in a way that didn’t entirely stem from jealousy. He’d been around Fandral long enough to know that plenty of women–and some men–forgot what dignity was when they were around him. Even Loki had fallen victim to that once or twice. “You ought to invest your efforts in someone who will take real, lasting interest in you.”

🔪 for the eulogy my muse would give for yours. (from the POV of Loki watching Fandral die during Thanos’ invasion of Asgard, right before Loki ignited Ragnarök)

     Fandral was one of the few warriors left on Asgard who hadn’t been killed or crippled by Thanos’ invasion. The realm crumbled around them as the Titan made one final push to crush those who stood in his way while obtaining the rest of the Infinity Stones. Sif had fallen. Volstagg and Hogun were gone. Fródi, Inka, Inge, and Alvida were dead. Even Thor had perished in the face of the Mad Titan, but Loki endured and Fandral was always right at his side.

     Until he wasn’t.

     Asmund and Sigurd were a couple of the only friends Loki had left aside from Fandral and when they heard Loki’s screams of anguish, they both came running. A void of darkness opened behind where Loki hit his knees in a pool of his lover’s blood. The dark-haired trickster carefully pulled Fandral into his arms, pleading with him not to leave, but Fandral was already gone. Life left him long before Loki could ever reach him and there was nothing he could do to bring him back.

     “Loki…” Asmund murmured as he stepped free from Sigurd’s shadows. The shadowmancer’s voids seemed to be one of the only safe places that they could go where Thanos could not follow them, but even they were only temporary solutions. The healer placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder as silent tears streaked through the blood and grime on Loki’s cheeks. Even Asmund had a difficult time bearing the sight of the dead warrior in Loki’s arms. “We need to go. Thanos will kill us to if we don’t.”

     “Thanos is going to kill everyone,” Loki murmured, though he didn’t fight his friend. Instead of kneeling in Fandral’s blood, Loki picked himself up and carried Fandral’s lifeless corpse with him to Sigurd’s void. Once Asmund and Loki were inside the darkness, Sigurd shut the open end and sealed them inside of it. Loki sat down and held Fandral against his chest, silent for a long time. So many people were dying so rapidly that there was no time for funerals. Fandral’s death was no different, but his death finally put things into perspective for him.

     “Fandral’s taught me a lot of things over the years,” Loki began. Sigurd and Asmund stood before him, watching as he grieved for his fallen lover. “He taught me that things are not always what they appear to be. He taught me that being a good person didn’t have to be difficult. He taught me the importance of loyalty and passion and he showed me how to love again. He even showed me how to love myself, which was something I never thought I’d ever be able to have. He was the one person I thought would always be by my side. When everyone else was gone, I thought he’d be there, but even he couldn’t endure this. With all of his strength and all of his wit and all of his charm… The world has been dimming since this war broke out, but now it feels truly cold.” He paused for a moment. Miraculously, the tears that fell from his eyes didn’t choke him up. His words were calm and eerily concise for someone who felt like he’d lost everything in the matter of a few moments. 

     “I feel cold.” That was the first time he’d ever uttered those words and truly knew what it felt like to experience the sensation of chill seeping into his bones. 

     “If losing Fandral has shown me anything, it’s that we aren’t going to win this war. He was the strongest person we had left and now he’s gone… But hope didn’t die with him. There is one thing left that we can do, that I can do to make all of this stop. I don’t know what will happen, but I have to try. I can’t let his sacrifice be for nothing. His death has to mean something. It has to count and I’ll make sure that it does.”

💌 for a letter my muse would write to yours. (from the POV of Loki contacting Fandral sometimes after Otherworldly Monsters)

Dearest Fandral,

     It hasn’t been more than a couple of weeks since I left Asgard. At the time of my departure, you were rather busy. I didn’t think it would be fair of me to ask you to come alone when your attention was already so divided amongst your responsibilities. You do take your role much more seriously than I can ever comprehend, but…

     I miss you a great deal. 

     Normally, when I leave Asgard, I don’t think about it at all. Occasionally, I might linger on what my friends are doing or how much I miss them if I’ve been gone for a particularly long period of time, but otherwise, Asgard doesn’t intrude my thought often. But since my last trip to Midgard and having you come in search of me, I feel like something’s missing. Normally, I work better alone and I get so much more accomplished than if I have someone with me, but that wasn’t the case with you. While you were with me, I had a sense that we worked so well together, it would be better if you accompanied me every time I left Asgard.

     Since I left, I’ve been kicking myself in the arse for not asking you to come along. I’m finding that I miss you a great deal more than I could have anticipated and I’d really like you to come and join me if you can spare the time.

                                                                                                             -Loki

📫 for a letter my muse would write about yours to a third party. (from the POV of a message delivered to Snoke sometime after Loki begins training Fandral and Loki’s decided he’d like to keep Fandral safe from his superiors)

     I wish to keep this brief, as I do not trust that this message will be left untampered before it reaches you, Master. I’m sending this to update you on the status of the Force-sensitive boy I made contact with months and months ago. I know your hope for him is high, but I’ve decided that he is no longer worth pursuing. His connection to the Force is weak and he can barely comprehend even the most basic teachings. I’ve made very little improvement with him since the day I first made contact with him and I’m not willing to waste any more of my time with him. I will dispose of him in the most discreet manner and move on. I’m not ready to return yet. I believe there is still potential elsewhere, I just need to locate it. Sadly, my first attempt has failed and I am unwilling to return until I can bring success along with me.

📨 for a text my muse would send to yours. (from the POV of Loki and Fandral meeting Loki’s kids for the first time in Resetting the Odds)

[ text; Fan ]; I’m really nervous about this. I know Eydis thinks it’s a great idea for me to meet my children. I know she thinks it’ll help bring back some memories, but… [ text; Fan ]; I don’t even know why I’m scared? These are my kids, right? I’m their… mother, right? I love them. I know I do. I can feel it even if I can’t really remember them, but I’m still terrified.[ text; Fan ]; Please come home soon. I really don’t want to do this alone. 

💬 for a text my muse would send about yours to a third party. (from the POV of Loki contacting Thor while he and Fandral are on Midgard searching for the Mind Gem)

[ text; Thor ]; All of Asgard–your father included–is angry with you for leaving when they needed you most. My concerns were about letting my idiot brother who ran off know that I was alive. My concerns were with Asgard.[ text; Thor ]; And truth be told, Fandral really doesn’t want to see you. As angry as most of the people of Asgard are, Fandral might be even more upset with you.[ text; Thor ]; Rightfully so, considering you convinced him to commit treason for you and then left him to clean up the aftermath.[ text; Thor ]; What if he’d been imprisoned for what he did? Or executed? Did you even stop to think about how your decisions impacted his life? Or any of your friends, for that matter?[ text; Thor ]; We’re just here for the Mind Gem. If you can’t help us get it, there’s no reason to stay in contact with you.

💀 for what my muse would say upon hearing about your muse’s death. (from the POV of an AU we’ve never roleplayed or even talked about where Fandral goes undercover and all of his friends are left to believe he’s dead)

     He shouldn’t have been upset, really. So many years passed since Loki and Fandral were anything close to friends. After Fandral decided that he would throw his support behind Thor and his future rule, Loki couldn’t bring himself to be happy around Fandral. He tried. Truly, he did try to keep hold of the friendship that they built together, but being around the warrior only made his heart ache with bitterness and that same sense of not being good enough that he felt with just about everyone. 

     And yet, being told that Fandral had been struck down in battle left him feeling… numb. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Thor after his brother relayed the news to him.

     “Look,” Thor murmured. “I know you and Fandral weren’t the best of friends, but you two seemed to get along rather well. Fandral liked you a great deal, you know. He used to stick up for you all the time. He never really liked when any of us picked on you or assumed you were up to no good. The least you could do is say something.” Thor couldn’t even bring himself to sound demanding. His heart ached for his lost friend.

     “I don’t expect you to understand what went on between Fandral and me, Thor,” Loki finally said as his eyes fell shut. “But don’t mistake my silence for indifference. I care more than I can express with words. I just don’t know what to say…”

     “That’s a first,” Thor said, doing his best to offer his brother jesting smile, but it faltered as Loki finally looked up at him. Even Thor, a man who usually paid very little attention to the feelings of others, could see the agony swimming in Loki’s eyes. “You weren’t kidding when you said you cared more than you could say, were you?”

     “No, Thor, I–” He brought his hands up to his face to wipe his eyes before the tears that stung his eyes had a chance to fall. “–I loved him.”

     Thor didn’t need Loki to elaborate on what he meant. Whether or not Fandral ever had a relationship with his little brother, he didn’t know, but Loki developed deep feelings for him somewhere along the way and hearing that he was dead must have been devastating… The elder prince couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he opted for sitting down beside his brother and pulling his lean frame into his arms, hugging him tightly.

👪 for what my muse would say to your muse’s child about them. (from the POV of sometime in the future when Fan and Loki finally have those twin girls we were talking about)

     Loki took the twins into their room once they were in their pajamas and ready for bed. Because of their young age, Loki and Fandral decided it was best to keep them together. One day, they would want their own rooms and space from one another, but for now, they were attached at the hip. In a way, the beautiful little girls reminded him a lot of how the triplets were with one another when they were young. The only significant difference was that Asgard took such a warm liking to the twins that had honestly shocked Loki after their birth.

     “Is Papa going to come read us a bedtime story?” Marian–the twin to be born first (something she loved to hold over her sister’s head)–asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “He always acts out the different parts. It’s funny.”

     “No, darling,” Loki murmured as he picked her up and set her on her bed. “Papa’s not here, remember? He’ll be gone for a few more weeks.” This produced a pout from both of his girls.

     “Why does he always go away?” the younger girl, Frija, asked. Loki decided to name the second child after his mother, though he’d given her a variant of his mother’s name rather than literally name her ‘Frigga’. “He always seems so happy when he’s here with us, so why does he leave?” She climbed up onto the edge of the bed next to her sister despite the fact that her bed was on the other side of the room.

     “Your father is very happy,” Loki reassured them both. “But as all adults do, he has responsibilities that he needs to attend to for work.” Loki’s responsibilities also pulled him away from his girls from time to time but he’d been extremely insistent that he never be kept away from them for more than a few days at a time. As much as he loved off-realm work, his daughters were far more important. Perhaps once they were older, he’d feel more comfortable leaving them, but for now… Well, he’d lost children already and perhaps he was a bit too overprotective. “Sometimes that means that he has to leave us for a few weeks at a time. Trust me, darlings, I don’t like it any more than you two.”

     “Are you ever going to tell us what he does when he’s away? Aside from the obvious sword work?” Marian asked.

     “One day, when you’re older, your father and I will tell you all about the things we’ve accomplished separately and together. For now, settle for knowing that he’s doing what he’s doing to protect Asgard and, more importantly, to keep his beautiful little girls safe. He loves you two more than anything else in all the Nine Realms. You know that, don’t you?”

     “That’s not true, Mum,” Frija murmured with a yawn large enough to put even Thor to shame. “He loves you more than everything,” she pointed out with a matter-of-fact tone that left little room to argue. “That’s why you guys are so gross whenever Papa does come home from his long trips.”

     Marian wrinkled her nose at the thought. Their parents were rather icky, weren’t they? “She’s right about that.”

     Chuckling softly, Loki placed a kiss on each of their foreheads. “Do you two want a story or not? Continue to insult me and I won’t give you one.”

     “Will you tell us a story about one of your adventures with Papa, then?”

     “You really do miss him, don’t you?” Both girls gave Loki a very signature expression that Loki usually gave most people when he thought they were being dumb. He laughed and stroked their hair. “I miss him too. All right then.” He climbed into bed with them so each girl could snuggle up beside him. “Let me tell you about the time I took your father to Midgard to search for a few Infinity Stones, then. Pretty sure you haven’t heard that one yet.” 

👊 for what my muse would say upon hearing yours has been arrested. (from the POV of Loki ordering anyone who left Asgard in hopes of bringing Thor home to be arrested)

     “Who all attempted to leave?” Loki asked as a guard came into the throne room to inform him that several arrests had been made at the edge of the Bifrost. 

     “Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, your highness,” the guard replied. “Each is outside, awaiting your judgment. If you would prefer me to escort them all to the dungeons instead…”

     Loki sighed and rubbed his temple. “No, I will deal with them individually,” Loki said. “Send Fandral in first.” The guard bowed and excused himself so he could return to the prisoners. Each had been chained appropriately so they would not so easily be able to make an escape, even with their expert skills in combat. The guard too Fandral by the upper arm first and led the warrior into the throne room. The doors closed behind him, ensuring that Sif, Hogun, and Volstagg would be unable to hear what went on inside.

     Loki stood from the throne, leaving the spear that his father usually wielded to rest against the uncomfortable chair. He approached them and looked directly at the guard. “Leave us.”

     “With all due respect, your highness, this man is a criminal. I don’t think it’s wise for you to be alone with him without any sort of protection.” Loki raised a brow at the guard and after a moment of discomfort, he bowed his head and excused himself. Only then did Loki actually look Fandral in the eyes. Disappointment shone brightly in those emerald pits. 

     “After all this time, I truly did hold onto the hope that you were better than this, Fandral,” Loki said. “I’d like to say that I’ve never been so disappointed in you in all my life, but that’s not entirely true. I can think of one instance where I was more disappointed. I gave you and your friends a direct order as your King and you still went behind my back to liberate a man who was banished by the All-father. Do you think I enjoyed seeing Thor cast out any more than you did? No. I didn’t. Thor is my brother, but he was cast out for a reason. A reason that I truly hoped you, of all people, would understand. Or did you so easily forget that it was his temper that almost got you killed back on Jotunheim?” He fell silent for a moment as he clenched his jaw. “Why couldn’t you just listen to me? Why did you have to commit treason, Fandral? Do you respect me so very little that it’s truly come to this? To me having to send you and your friends to the dungeons before you finally get it?”

💒 for the toast my muse would give at your muse’s wedding. (from the POV of Loki and Fandral finally getting their arses in gear and getting married)

     “I know it’s usually friends and family who give the toasts and speeches at events like this,” Loki said as he stood up from his chair and placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder. The wedding happened less than an hour ago and it was still somewhat surreal. All those years of pretending they weren’t together and all of the days spent sneaking around finally gave way to a real and solid future for them and it was just… a lot to take in.

     “But I have something I wanted to say, not just to you, but to everyone.” He squeezed Fandral’s shoulder for a moment. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know that I would have kept myself together during the time I acted as king after the Dark Elves invaded Asgard. No one knew how close we became back then, but you were an entire support system for me and, therefore, a support system for Asgard. You still play those roles very well, Fandral, and I think it’s important for everyone to know that. I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but so long as we’re together, we’ll do what we can for one another and for Asgard. You made me believe in second chances and I think you’ve helped most of Asgard believe in them too.”

     People cheered at that last comment. Fandral had a much larger impact on Asgard than even the warrior could probably comprehend.

     “So while people should be toasting us, I’d just like to take a moment to propose a toast to you, my love.” He handed Fandral a goblet of wine and then held his up. “There isn’t a single person I could think of that would be more deserving of it.” The guests all put their glasses up in the air, cheering for Fandral and shouting encouragements as well as congratulations.

[storiesofwildfire]

Otherworldly Monsters

     { @fandralxthexstabulous }

♔—- Life on Asgard was often too difficult for Loki to maintain without developing some cracks in the mask that he wore for the benefit of those around him. He faced constantly uphill battles with his father, his peers, his mentors, and the people who looked to him for answers. Whether someone liked him or not became irrelevant because of the stigma that hung around his shoulders. 

Forever cast in the shadows of his brother and forever the one that was too weird, too mischievous, too immature, and too likely to break his loyalties, Loki lived in a state of teetering over the edge. His entire life became one giant balancing act to stay as true to himself and his happiness as he could while also proving his worth and his loyalty to the people of Asgard. Their expectations constantly knocked him from side to side, attempting to push him off of that high wire that he always walked and sometimes...

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes he didn’t just teeter, he fell to the side and couldn’t drag himself back up before someone noticed. 

These were the moments when he decided he needed to get away from Asgard for a while. Not just to go out on some sort of quest or expedition that was assigned to him by his father. No, these were moments when he needed to get as far away from Asgard and anything to do with the realm as possible. If he didn’t separate himself for a few weeks or months, he’d surely lose the calm that he worked so hard to maintain. His control would slip and in a fit of true emotional turmoil, he might even do some serious damage that he didn’t mean.

Magic was such a fickle thing. It constantly wanted to be in motion. It needed to be used and sometimes even the most skilled sorcerers could lose their handle on their own power. Emotional breakdowns weren’t just humiliating in the face of his peers, they were actually dangerous for himself and anyone unfortunate enough to get close.

And it seemed like the older he got, the more his “home” beat against his stamina and resolve. He wanted to be away from Asgard more and more as the years went on and he inched closer and closer to that line of truly breaking and cracking apart under the pressure that constantly rested upon his shoulders.

Needless to say, his trips off-realm were normal and no one was surprised when Loki decided to leave for a few weeks or months.

This particular trip led him to Midgard, where he took up the persona of a man by the name of James Conard, a decommissioned British Air Service captain. The persona he created gained a reputation quickly for being a phenomenal tracker and survivalist. Numerous people came to him during his time on Midgard, asking him for his employment for various missions, search parties, and rescue assignments. He accepted the ones that he thought would interest him and the jobs kept him busy during his time away from Asgard.

More importantly, they fueled something that he’d love to do ever since he was a small child; explore and uncover secrets left behind by ancient creatures.

Everything was fun and games until the Skull Island assignment came up. He, along with numerous soldiers and civils pursued an unexplored island that was, quite literally, in the shape of a giant skull. Massive creatures roamed the surface of the island and the most dangerous ones inhabited the hollow innards of the island. These creatures... 

They were like nothing that Loki had ever seen, even in other worlds and planets. He certainly couldn’t logically fashion how these massive and deadly beasts could thrive on a planet like Midgard where humans dominated everything. The horrors he saw there were enough to keep him interested in exploring more areas of the globe that human hands had never touched. 

And the people who hired him weren’t likely to let him go after his performance on Skull Island. Had it not been for Loki, every single person sent in would have probably been killed. Not many escaped, but they came back with a story to tell and the scars to prove it. The military and the government weren’t keen on letting the story of Skull Island get out to the masses of the planet, but they were more concerned with other islands and territories that exhibited similar symptoms to Skull Island. 

Needing to know more, Loki was the first to volunteer for expeditions to these new locations. What other sorts of creatures and ancient histories existed there? He had to know.

But in his pursuit of adventure and knowledge, Loki didn’t realize how much time passed since he’d actually been home. His trips usually lasted no more than two or three months at most, but now? He’s been gone for nearly 18. 

Enraptured with the secrets of a planet that he thought he’d figured out centuries ago, Loki had no way of knowing that other threats slipped into Midgard during his absence. Beings from other realms that somehow managed to break into this foreign world brought havoc and chaos but the Asgardian Prince knew nothing of it.

He’d enlisted to explore a second island after Skull Island. Preparations were being made and intelligence was gathered. Loki grew antsy as precautions and detailed plans were set in place. Reverting to some of James’ old habits, he began frequenting local bars and clubs that offered billiards, beautiful women (and men), drinking, and socialization. It allowed him to unwind a bit in the anticipation of the upcoming trip, but his focus was always split.

On that particular night, he sat in the back of a club with a sixth round of scotch on the rocks and a cigarette. As always, the alcohol did nothing to help him feel even the slightest buzz. Midgardian alcohol never did, but he drank for the taste. Cigarettes had a calming effect when he smoked them but again, they did nothing to alter or affect his body. Nicotine was neither addictive nor hazardous to his health. It was about the taste, the appearance it gave to those around him, and the attempt to relax.

“You looking for some company?” A scantily-clad woman asked from off to the side. Loki ignored her for a moment. There were so many people in the rundown joint that she could have been talking to any number of people if she thought she stood a chance of making some money off of spending a few hours with one of them.

When she received no answer, she sat across from the chair Loki planted himself in. The position she chose was nothing short of provocative, as it left very little to the imagination, but as Loki’s eyes feel on her, he looked... unimpressed and uninterested. This irritated the beautiful women. Men went weak in the knees for a chance to be with her. “I saw you playing pool earlier. You were quite good,” she said. “Looks like you made quite a bit off of just a few games. Is that how you make a living for yourself?”

“No, that’s how I pay for my drinks,” Loki replied, frowning softly at her as he took another long drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke through his nose. “I’d advise you find someone a few degrees drunker than I am and try to talk him out of his money. You’re not really much my type. I’d be more than happy to buy you a shot, though, if that’ll tickle your fancy.”

“Surely, you don’t wish to sit back here all by your lonesome?” she murmured, staring up at him through her lashes.

Well, he had to give her one thing, she was certainly persistent. She didn’t like to take no for an answer. They shared at least one trait, then, but it only served to kill his interest that much more. 

“If I wanted companionship, I would have searched for it myself, wouldn’t I?” Loki asked.

The woman’s presence kept him preoccupied despite his lack of enthusiasm. She kept him distracted enough in her very forward advances that he didn’t even notice another man approaching him.

[storiesofwildfire]

Treasure Hunting

     { @existiism }

♔—- Loki had been on Midgard for several months, passing himself off as a tracker who went by the name of James Conard. Tricking Midgardians into believing his story despite the amazing things that he could pull off in the field proved to be a simple task. Then again, tricking just about anyone proved to be a simple task for Loki. There was a strong reasoning behind the nickname that was often more popular than his actual name, after all.

     The Trickster.

     For the time being, however, he wasn’t in the process of working. No field work had proven to be interesting enough for him to consider taking. Most people just expected him to bend over backward for a handsome amount of money, but none of them realized that money didn’t actually matter to him. He could produce as much or as little as he needed and his work really only went to the highest bidder in terms of adventure and challenge.

     No one understood how he could down tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he did so all the time. Yet, he would take a job that paid him next to nothing. If something could prove to be interesting enough, he’d do it just for the experience.

     Those who paid close attention to his behavior had deduced this by now. Many people came at him from an angle of how exciting an expedition or voyage would be. Sometimes they even succeeded in drawing him in, but not this particular night. A man approached him about an excavation in Egypt, and while he did find Egypt and its history extremely entertaining, he had little desire to work on a site that had already been thoroughly explored and excavated. 

     After trying to get rid of the man for an hour, he finally stood and left the man in a back room of the shady bar he happened to plant himself in that night. Midgardian alcohol did nothing for him, but the men and the women were plenty of entertainment and he found it easy to amuse himself in rundown joints just like this one.

     Especially when so many of them were eager to find a companion to share a night with.

     On his way to the bar, he bumped shoulders with a strange woman that he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t even seen her until it was too late. 

     “Oh gods,” he hissed. “I’m so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going.” Though, he had to admit, the woman looked a bit out of place. She was too put together to belong in an atmosphere like this one...

[storiesofwildfire]

Stranded

     { @weightofmyshield }

♔—- Loki sat beside the self-proclaimed “anti-war photographer” as she hung out the side of the helicopter and snapped her photos of the island as they approached. As a decommissioned pilot, Loki was completely at ease in the sense of being in the air, but there was something about the island that was not right. The weather around the island wasn’t natural and it acted as a barrier, protecting the land from any creature that attempted to penetrate it from the sky or the surface of the ocean.

He never suspected that anyone would actually be able to pilot through the violent storms, especially in such small helicopters. Each one made it through the thick wall of grey storm clouds and lightning, though. Not a single casualty. Sure, some of them were a little shaken from nearly being blasted out of the sky by unholy strikes of electricity. 

And as soon as they were over the island, the helicopters split off into separate directions to cover their specified areas. 

Everything seemed normal until they started dropping those explosives. 

“What the Hel are those?” Loki demanded, but the pilot wouldn’t answer him. He didn’t have any sort of rank to pull over them. They didn’t answer to him and they wouldn’t hand out classified information without being told to do so from their higher-ups. 

“What do you think they’re doing?” Weaver asked. She, clearly, looked disturbed by the display of explosives going off as they flew overhead. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was under the impression that we were coming as explorers but explorers don’t set off explosives in unknown territories.”

This almost seemed like an act of war but against what, exactly? As far as he knew, this island was unexplored and no one knew what was on it. That’s what intrigued him about the assignment in the first place but he knew that had been a lie. The individual who hired him wasn’t interested in exploring. He was looking for something specific and, apparently, they were going to flush it out with explosives...

“We need to be careful,” he added. “This just went from being serious to deadly. We’re not just knocking on doors, we’re destroying them all and forcing ourselves in.”

Just as he spoke, a blur of red and blue whizzed by the helicopter and collided directly with the blades of the chopper to the right of where they hung suspended in the air. He couldn’t identify what the object was, but it destroyed the blades on contact and sent the chopper spiraling down towards the island’s surface. He was so enraptured by whatever just struck the helicopter out of the air, he didn’t even notice that on the opposite side where Weaver sat, a massive ape emerged, throwing an equally massive boulder towards another chopper.

[storiesofwildfire]

v; let me list all the ways you’re gonna die

tracktag ( CURRENT )

status; OPEN ships; MULTI

it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Loki needed constant and fresh mental stimulation to keep from growing bored. While there were plenty of people on Asgard who could entertain him and keep up with his quick-paced mind, he didn’t actually enjoy much of his time on Asgard.

Forget how poorly most of the realm treated him, the land of the Gods was damned boring.

Asgard stood as a test against time, never changing and always at the top of everything. They stood so far above every other realm that they looked down upon those who were “beneath them” and they were so used to their way of life that they became trapped in it. Even their leader and chief, the All-father, wasn’t exchanged for a new one but once every few thousand years and when that change was made? It was like nothing changed at all, really, because each son turned out to be some sort of carbon copy of his father.

Despite all of its advancements and all of its technology and power and knowledge, Asgard was nothing short of dull. Unless Loki found ways to humor himself with his friends, magic, or books, he often grew tired of the endless power struggles within the realm and the symptoms of being cooped up for too long always started to set in.

How did the young prince solve this problem?

Simple. He did whatever he could do to get off of Asgard and stay off of Asgard for as long as he possibly could. Sometimes this meant traveling with a small group of warriors or sorcerers on off-realm quests or missions that would occupy his time and put his very cunning skillset into play. Other times, he would simply sneak out of the realm for an extended vacation. Being a prince in a place that didn’t particularly like or understand you, while simultaneously being dryer than any dessert he’d ever visited was a difficult life to live. 

Sometimes it was nice to step away from his place as the Second Prince of Asgard and as the young God of Mischief and just walk around in someone else’s shoes for a while.

Midgard became one of his favorite places to travel. Unlike Asgard and many other realms, Midgard always changed and progressed. The sentient species of the planet weren’t very advanced in comparison to what he was used to but they were constantly learning, adapting, and making changes. Every few decades, the entire planet looked completely different from the last time that he’d visited and he loved that. It made exploring the familiar unfamiliar and that, to him, was the most unique experience he’d ever come across. 

This time around, Loki took to a job of tracking and locating missing people, priceless artifacts, and rare animals. Why? Because it was interesting, it put his skills to good use, and it helped him see as much of the world in what little amount of time he had to spend there before Asgard really started to miss him. Sure, that often meant nothing to a Midgardian. Years could pass for him before he’d really be missed, but years were like days to immortals.

He told most people that his names was James Conard, a pretty average name of British decent--which his accent suggested was his place of origin. Only a rare few actually managed to get his real name, which he told them was a nickname due to his mischievous and rebellious streak as a child.

Even still, he made the most of his time on Midgard. Nothing he’d done compared to his venture to Skull Island, however. What better adventure for someone like Loki than to face the unearthly creatures that inhabited such an island? He was more in his element than any of his colleagues. 

[storiesofwildfire]

“ I didn’t do it! ”

          { @weightofmyshield }

♔—- “Saying that you didn’t do it is basically a blatant confession that you did, in fact, do something that you know you shouldn’t have done.” Loki was, after all, an expert in doing things he wasn’t supposed to do. “So, spill it, Captain, what did you do?”