#the timekeeper's gambit

[bakersstreetirregulars]

Returning Registry Event Report: 1/9/2023

As written by New Hire Coffee Candy Cookie ☕️🍬

Operation: Time Fixers

Crystal Delivery (-> 1/14)

500 Crystals given daily for twelve days, 1,000 for logging in five consecutive days, 2,000 for ten consecutive days.

This is a PERMANENT CHANGE in which the Guild Daily Check-In Bingo Bonus Crystals (up to 500/day) are being moved to the Cookies’ Daily Gifts tab in the Events menu. Up to 9,000 Crystals can be received over two weeks if every day’s gift is collected sequentially.

Daily Dice Battles - Round 1 (-> 1/12)

Roll dice against randomly-selected opponents, opting between rolling odd or even to win. Certain opponents may have special rules and side gambits. Extra winnings for a win against Licorice Cookie, Poison Mushroom Cookie, Cherry Cookie, or ME?!?!*

*Addendum I: Coffee Candy Cookie panicked as she ran through this report.

Addendum II: As Printed- Win against her and Licorice for 300 Crystals. Win against Poison Mushroom for 100 Crystals. Cherry Cookie is not recognizable by her base silhouette, as she is wearing her costume. Win against her for 300 Rainbow Cubes.

New opponents appear every several hours, but a sponsored ad can be viewed to meet the next opponent immediately.

Meet Coffee Candy Cookie: Missions (-> 1/12)

An array of missions in Breakout and Trophy Race to complete to accumulate the following rewards. Some of these rewards have been relocated from the Cookies’ Daily Gifts to this repeating event.

100,000 Coins

Ten (10) Bronze/ Four (4) Silver Sugar Crystals

Regular/Special Blessing Tickets

Magic Powder

Three (3) Spirit Potions

Five (5) Quick-Run Tickets

Fifteen (15) Classified Task Records…?!*

One (1) Treasure Incantation

Fifteen (15) Copies of Coffee Candy Cookie & Welling Inkwell each

Meet Automatic Typewriter (-> 1/12)

Similar to the above event, except the reward list changes to the one below. Tasks are centered around guild activity, so membership with a guild is mandatory.

Coins

One (1) Treasure Incantation

Three (3) copies of Automatic Typewriter

Enhancement Tickets

Five (5) Quick-Run Tickets

Six (6) Bronze Sugar Crystals

Magic Powder

Treasure Mastery: Automatic Typewriter (-> 1/12)

Use the Automatic Typewriter to score points for rewards on a progressive track. You must own the Automatic Typewriter to access this.

Cookie of the Year 2022 Results

Blue Lily Cookie has received the most votes and will receive a Valentine’s Day Costume. Timekeeper Cookie will receive a costume for White Day as the runner-up despite her lead for earlier rounds of the competition. View the victory speech to receive 100 Crystals.

Custom Run (-> 2/5)

Run with custom rules in private rooms. Featuring the Warm Midwinter Campsite for 1,500 Sugar Snowflakes, which can be earned for running in these races.

Operation: Time Fixers (-> 1/29)

To be disclosed in a future post.

Cosmetic Gacha Banners: “Operation: Timeguard”, “Save the Future”, and “Operation: Time Fixers” (12/31 - 2/28)

Prior TBD Costumes for Walnut (Search for Lost Time), Roguefort (Pursuit of Lost Time), Croissant (Director of the TBD), and Timekeeper (Ruler of the Ephemeral Flow) will be grouped into one “legacy” event banner.

The new costumes for Cherry (Time Demolitionist) and String Gummy (Timeline Lawbringer) will be grouped into a “new” event banner.

The TBD Search Unit Jelly Shape Set will be grouped into a third jelly shape banner with increased odds.

Miscellaneous Patch Notes

“Save the Future” added to Story Mode with storylines from January 2022.

Operation: Timeguard (November 2020, 4th Anniversary) has possibly been ignored because it bases itself on the retconned version of GingerBrave’s Tale that follows him through the lands outlined in Trophy Race and would progress as the player unlocked new lands.

Added Impeccable Snake Fruit Minister Jelly Set to the Jelly Shape Gacha

Raid Run Changes

Number of Bosses in rotation reduced (4 -> 3, Poison Jelly Toad removed from rotation)

Rank and Leaderboard Scoring has changed as follows (Team’s Total Raid Score -> Time Spent Defeating the Boss). If you take too long to defeat the boss, it will escape and you will get minimal rewards and a rank of E- if you stayed in until the end.

Accumulating enough points as a team will now activate a “Team Ultimate” attack which deals (10M x 20 hits) for a total of 200,000,000 damage. Upon launching this attack, a review of the top 3 contributors will flash across the screen.

Leaderboard Placement Requirements have changed as follows

Higher Score gained between Normal/Hard -> Best Score obtained on “Hard”

Combined Scores of each Boss -> Combined Shortest Time to defeat each Boss

Bosses’ respective Raid Chests now contain more Skill Gems of the color corresponding to their weakness

Giant Sugar Mantis: (Even Mix -> Yellow)

Soboro Queen Bee (Yellow -> Red)

Bamkuchen/Thorncap Treant (Red -> Blue)

Matchmaker will now match based on similar skill levels. You cannot see the levels of your teammates’ combis until a match has been established.

Story Mode

Added Combi Recommendations to get 3 Stars

Lowered Maximum Levels by stage

Relays have been removed

Adjusted Energy Drain, added Energy Potions to select stages to match changes

Escape Level Bonus

Added rewards for Escape Levels 301-325

Level 255 Bonus: +150 points for Pink Bear Jellies

The above bonus will be applied retroactively for anyone who has achieved level 255+

Champions League

Strange Winded Grove -> Legendary Sacred Forest

Added settings to toggle real-time event notifications and the live scoreboards

Balance Changes

🍒 Cherry

Giant Cherry Points added to points for regular Cherry Jellies

+2 Cherry Bombs thrown per skill activation

Increased Cherry Jelly Points (-> 120,000)

Decreased Giant Cherry Jelly Points (40,000 -> 80,000 -> 120,000 -> 160,000 -> 200,000)

Combi Bonus changed to +88,000 Points for Cherry Jellies

Rocket Firecracker: Rescue charges now stack (maximum 3), Increased range for Magnetic Aura during Rescue and Blast, Increased Rescue & Blast points (600,000 + 100,000 per level -> 2,000,000 max)

⏰ String Gummy - TRIAL RANK REQUIREMENTS ADJUSTED

Increased Clockbot Jelly Points (173,000 + 20,500 per level -> 460,000 max)

Increased Jump Shot Points (1,120,000 -> 1,540,000 -> 1,960,000 -> 2,380,000 -> 2,800,000)

Combi Bonus: Increased points for Clockbot Jellies (+410,000 points for Clockbot Jellies)

Smile Detector: Increased points for Metal Jellies (880,000 + 80,000 per level -> 2,000,000 max)

Time Rend Scissors - Increased points for Time Reversal Jellies (938,000 + 77,000 per level -> 1,785,000 max)

[wataredis]

So I finally got around to getting the next chapter of The Timekeeper's Gambit posted for those who are still interested in it. It's a lighter chapter to try and get the bad taste of the last one outta your mouth.

I have found that trying to write following the canon events is hard. And then I realized that because I already changed so much, why follow canon events exactly as they happened? This is an AU/canon divergence, I don't have to follow canon's shit if I don't wanna. So going forward, I'll use in-game events as a reference, but won't agonize if things don't match up. Because they don't have to, and it shouldn't have taken me this long to realize that.

[mauserfrau]

Not Rhack Wednesdays! On Whatever [3]

Not that there’s anything wrong with Rhack, but variety is the spice of life!

This week are are, despite the delay, super happy to introduce MichellesPenScratchz to our ongoing update list.  Have you checked out “Priority Call?” it’s come cute and sweet Rhysha (and NSFW).  Not in the mood for romance? How about “I Thought We Were Friends” for some tasty friendship and drama? I also really like “My Strong Right Arm” for a little something dark and sweet (and more Rhysha; that’s really growing on me).

Also new this week, or last rather: Chapter 20 of The Timekeeper’s Gambit! You’ll never guess who’s back... well, actually you totally will.  And did Tyreen finally come up again? I think she did! Hmm, I wonder where that’s going? Erm, commentary withheld because I know too much.

And what the hell~ I had a long week.  Maybe I’ll put this up a little early.  Who wants to hear me waxing poetic about Troy’s prosthetic? This one does eventually have some Troyreen, but is currently SFW and well, read the tags or give me a jingle if you need specific info.

[wataredis]

He's so perfect and I couldn't be happier! Thank you again @kingcharon 💗

Whose got a bab? @wataredis does! Commissioned to draw her ADORABLE Borderlands OC Vael, and its the first time I've drawn a baby too?? HELL YEAH!

Commission slots are still quite full, but if ya'll would like to be put on a waitlist or inquire, feel free to message me!

My commission prices are pinned to my profile page for convenience.

THANK YOU MYSTI!

Instagram | Twitter

[mimisempai]

I will always find you

Summary:

End, continuation and fixing of the episode 6, Loki is facing Mobius who does not know who he is and Mobius does not know where to look for Loki. Will they manage to find each other?

Notes:

I had to fix it, it's done. End of The story of Loki and Mobius - Season 1 series on AO3 I'll begin soon a whole rewriting of the season 1. Follow my other series for more Lokius oneshot post-canon.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32584870

3008 words - rating G

He was back at the TVA.

Mobius!

He was about to rush to find him when he stopped abruptly.

Sylvie... the kiss...

Now that the adrenaline from the fight had worn off, thinking about the kiss gave him such a weird feeling.

He didn't know what had made her kiss him, if it was a desperate attempt to change his mind or if it had been to betray him.

He had not even answered the kiss, too shocked to react, and she had taken advantage of it to send him here, at the TVA through a Timedoor.

Mobius, he had to find Mobius. That was his only thought.

He ran through the hallways in a desperate manner. Everywhere there was turmoil.

He came to the archives, between the familiar shelves, and there he saw him, next to Hunter B-15, finally.

It was like coming home, the sight of the familiar face and stance giving him an unimaginable feeling of comfort, the impression that everything was going to be alright, that anything was possible despite the disaster.

Mobius seemed flustered and as Loki went on, he heard their conversation.

"That's, what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?"

"Does he want us to just let them all branch?"

"At this point, how are we gonna stop it?"

Loki shouted, "We can't!"

Mobius looked at him surprised, "What? What'd you say?"

Loki shouted back, "It's done, Mobius. We made a terrible mistake."

Loki wondered why Mobius didn't react, why he seemed so distant, as he asked him, "What's done?"

Loki answered hastily, "We freed the Timeline. We found him beyond the storm. A Citadel at the End of Time. He's terrifying. He planned everything. He's seen everything. He knows everything. It's complicated. Okay?"

Mobius replied, bewilderment on his face, "Right."

Loki continued, "But someone is coming. Countless different versions of a very dangerous person. And they're all set on war. We need to prepare."

Mobius tried to soothe him, but something wasn't right, "Take it easy. You're an analyst, right? What division are you from?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

It was Loki's turn not to understand as Mobius asked him, pressing, "Who are you?What's your name?" and that Hunter B-15 was calling for reinforcements, "Boots on the ground now. Archives."

To Loki's dismay, Mobius asked again, "Who are you?"

Loki felt the same pain break his heart as when Mobius had been disintegrated before his eyes. Panting, he slowly turned around and his eyes fell on the spot where the three timekeeper statues normally stood. Instead, there was a statue of the man, the demon, he didn't know what to call it, the one who was in the Void.

Loki understood.

It was not his TVA, it was not his Mobius. It wasn't him!

As the guards came towards him, he felt hope returning and the wheels of his brain turning at full speed, he had to find a way to get back to the TVA from the main timeline.

———————

Meanwhile, Mobius and Hunter B-15 watched the main timeline split into hundreds of timelines.

Mobius, more than a little worried, said aloud, "No turning back now."

Hunter B-15 replied, "Who said anything about turning back?"

"For all time."

"Always."

One sentence remained while the uncertainty was complete.

"Mobius! Mobius!"

Mobius turned at the call of his name. Casey was beckoning him over. He quickly rushed toward him.

"What?"

"You told me to tell you as soon as I had access to data about Loki! I found it! Because of the multiplication of timelines, we now have access to the Void's timeline. We can see what's going on there! Look at it! There he is! Loki is here!"

Mobius pulled up a chair and sat down next to Casey, his eyes focused on the screen, deaf to everything going on around him.

Sylvie and Loki seemed to be in a castle or building and across from them stood an unknown man who spoke, "Better hurry. Timeline's already branching."

Sylvie seemed to look surprisingly aggressive as she addressed him, "So, what are you suggesting? That we think about it. And what precisely is there to think about?"

Loki turned to her, looking almost imploring, "Weren't you listening to what he was saying? That's the gambit. Remove the dictator and what fills the void?"

The way the screen reflected the image, he couldn't see Sylvie's face, but he heard the animosity in her voice when she said, "Ah. You want the throne?"

Oh no...After all that Loki had done to become better, how could she say something like that?

Loki replied in an urging tone, "No, that's not it. No."

"I don't believe you." Sylvie's tone was unmistakable. Mobius, who knew Loki perfectly could read all the distress on his face as he tried to convince Sylvie.

"Sylvie, the universe is in the balance, everything we know to be true. Everything. I know the TVA has hurt us both. But what if by taking him out, we risk unleashing something even worse? All I'm suggesting is we just take a minute to think about it. I promise you from my heart this isn't about a throne."

Of course not! I always knew it. Only you didn't know it Loki, you thought that's all you could be, that that was your glorious purpose. I always knew you were capable of much greater things.

Sylvie insisted, " What was I thinking trusting you? Has this whole thing been a con?"

Mobius' heart broke for Loki who answered her, his voice clearly strained, "Really? That's what you think of me... after all this time? Sure. Why not? Evil Loki's master plan comes together. Well, you never trusted me, did you? What was the point? Can't you see? This is bigger than our experience."

Sylvie, completely unmoved by Loki's argument, answered him, "Why aren't we seeing this the same way?"

Loki replied, looking defeated, "Because you can't trust... and I can't be trusted."

Oh yes Loki. You can be trusted. I trust you with my life, without hesitation, without even thinking for a second. Don't you see that you are not the same as you were?

"Then I guess we're in a pickle."

After these words, Sylvie attacked him. On the screen it was impossible to follow the whole fight, but it was clear that Loki was only defending himself and refused to go on the offensive, until he magically placed himself between Sylvie and his target. Mobius saw with horror Sylvie's blade on Loki's throat. a.

"Stop. "I've been where you are. I've felt what you feel. Don't ask me how I know. All I know... is I don't wanna hurt you. I don't want a throne. I just…" Loki sighed deeply before continuing, "I just want you to be okay."

Sylvie lowered her arms and suddenly kissed him. Mobius' heart sank as the kiss dragged on and suddenly Sylvie stepped aside and said, softly, "But I'm not you." before pushing Loki through a Timedoor.

"Where is he? Casey, where is Loki now?"

Casey didn't have time to answer, as the screen blurred and Loki was back on the screen. This time the surroundings were much more familiar.

"It's the Time Theater!" shouted Hunter B-15.

Mobius started to run, arriving at the door, he opened it and called, "Loki!"

Nothing. The room was empty.

"Mobius! Mobius!" Hunter B-15 was coming running in, "You need to come back and see this! Right now!"

"What?!"

"Hurry up! Come on!"

He rushed up behind her and they reached Casey's office area again. Hunter B-15 showed him the screen.

Loki was walking the hallways of what appeared to be the TVA, the ones past the time theater, but Mobius knew that couldn't be the case, they had just passed through.

"Casey, are you sure this is happening now?"

"Yes, we're in real time!"

Loki was now in the archives, and seemed to be looking for someone, maybe him, Mobius, between the shelves.

"Mobius!"

Mobius gasped, in front of Loki a few shelves over were himself and Hunter B-15.

"What? How?!"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

On the screen, Loki continued to advance toward their duplicates, and they heard Mobius say, "That's, what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?"

Hunter B-15 answered, "Does he want us to just let them all branch?"

"At this point, how are we gonna stop it?"

Loki intervened, shouting, "We can't!"

Their two doubles looked at him in surprise.

As he watched Loki try to explain what was going on to the two stunned doubles, Mobius' brain began to race, trying to pick up clues from what he was hearing.

63 branches in this unit alone. 63 branches in this unit alone.

This unit alone. That means there are several. Think Mobius. Think!

He began to speak aloud, "The main timeline branched, that means there are a lot of timelines now, what if each timeline has now a TVA? Could it be that..."

On the screen he looked at Loki and asked, "Who are you?"

Loki, looking shocked, slowly turned around and began to breathe heavily before releasing a gasp, which Mobius and those around him in front of the screen repeated in echo.

Where the statues of the three timekeepers should be, there was a single statue, that of the man Loki and Sylvie were with before.

"Casey! keep looking, cross-reference the data, try to figure out what date it is, I need my Tempad!" Mobius ran to his office.

_____

Loki looked back at the one who was not his Mobius and did not answer, quickly assessing the danger, he had to find a way to find the TVA he knew, but first he had to escape since Hunter B-15 seemed to have called a squad to stop him. He concentrated, closed his eyes, and saw the room he wanted to teleport to, the one he had arrived in. He felt the suction, then reopened his eyes, he was there, the relief short lived, because it would not take them long to find him. Still, he summoned a spear to put across the door, to at least delay their arrival in the room.

Think about it Loki, you're not supposed to be here, but now that the timeline is branching, how can they find you? Everything is chaos...

Spinning around in the room, he sighed, wondering how the situation could have slipped away from them like that. In fact, he knew, they had never been in control of the situation, their enemy was ahead of them.

Sylvie... who had not hesitated to betray him while he for the first time had found a "glorious purpose" that was greater than him, in fact it had nothing more glorious, because he no longer needed glory, he had discovered that it was much more rewarding to fight for a cause greater than himself. But now...

Mobius... His Mobius, where was he? How to find him? Did he get through it? Had he been able to warn all the other agents? He missed him so much, his reassuring presence that had the power to calm him down. How he had developed such a strong bond in such a short time was something that still amazed Loki. In Mobius, he had found someone who had believed in him when he had only seen the worst Loki was capable of, who had seen beyond what Loki was showing the world.

He had told Sylvie that love was not real, but in the end...love had a name.

Mobius…

"Mobius...", lost in thought, he didn't realize he was saying his name out loud.

When suddenly the now familiar sound of a Timedoor opening made him turn around. Summoning his sword, he braced himself ready to attack.

The Timedoor was just forming, when he heard the door to the room trying to be forced open, as voices shouted at him to open it from the other side.

Suddenly a figure he knew well stepped through the time door, "Loki! It's me Mobius!"

Loki, suspicious, did not dare to let his guard down. What if it wasn't his Mobius? How could he be sure?

The man in front of him looked uncertain and did not move forward. He lowered his hands in surrender as the banging on the door grew louder and louder.

"Loki, it's me, Mobius, the real one."

"How can I be sure?"

"Ask me a question. Something only the two of us would know."

Loki began to think quickly, what question to ask? Then suddenly he knew.

Cheeks slightly flushed, he asked, "Where did our first kiss take place?"

Mobius shook his head and smiled fondly, "The elevator."

Refusing to give in to the relief that washed over him, Loki asked another question to be sure, "Why?"

Mobius sneered, "To shut you up."

"It is really you, my Mobius!" shouted Loki before rushing into his arms. Mobius closed them on him. In an instant they reconnected with the emotions and sensations of their last embrace. Once again Loki felt like he was home.

"Yes, it's me." The door rattled, interrupting them. Mobius let go of him, took his hand and pulling him behind him, he led him to the Timedoor saying, "Quick, let's get out of here first, the explanations will come later."

They rushed through the Time Door, which closed on them as the door to the room gave way to the guards.

It was odd because they ended up in the same room, but in the TVA that Loki knew, there was the table and chairs from the last interrogation before Mobius went to join Loki in the Timecell. It seemed like only yesterday that Mobius had refused to believe him, blinded by jealousy as he himself had said."

"You-"

" How-"

"You first," Loki told him.

"Come on, let's go sit down," Mobius told him. They did, but instead of being face to face, separated by the table as they had been every time they were in this room, Mobius slid his chair next to him.

After an awkward silence, Mobius began to speak, "So, you and Sylvie..." then he stopped, aware of what he had just said.

Loki raised his head, shocked. "You... you saw?" he didn't even give him time to answer, "Mobius! I swear I didn't mean to kiss her, I didn't even respond to the kiss, I don't even know why she kissed me, I've never felt that way about her, never, you know that, Mobius, it's you I love, I know we haven't really had time to talk about our relationship and I'm not the kind of person who can be trusted and I've lied in the past, but please, you have to believe me, I would never- Hmph"

Mobius had not let him finish and had crashed his lips against those of Loki. He kissed him in the same way as their first kiss in the elevator, the difference was that it was no longer their first kiss, it was a kiss of reunion, of familiar sensations, of shared intimacy.

When they separated to catch their breath, Mobius murmured, his lips against his, "This is really the best way to shut you up..." and laughed softly.

"Hey!" Loki pushed him gently. Then he got serious again, because he wanted to make sure Mobius believed him, "Mobius, I'm serious."

Mobius took his hand and replied, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I didn't feel jealousy, I'm human after all, and seeing the man I love kiss another woman was pretty hard to watch. But I also chose to trust you, that means all the time and not just when it suits me. So if you tell me that kiss meant nothing to you, then I believe you."

This time it was Loki who barely let Mobius finish his sentence and who put his lips on his, settling astride Mobius' knees and putting his arms around his neck. This time, they took their time, the kiss was soft and slow, then they caught their breaths, their foreheads pressed one against the other, neither of them wanting to be separated more than by a few centimeters.

Suddenly Loki kissed Mobius again, this time forcefully, he was shaking, his hands clutching Mobius' back, holding him tightly. Mobius, feeling a wetness on his cheek, pushed him gently.

"Hey, hey easy Loki, it's okay, it's okay now."

Loki " I-I, I really thought I had lost you, when your double asked me who I was, I thought you had completely forgotten about me."

Mobius wiped away the tears with his thumbs, letting his hands linger on Loki's cheeks before kissing him gently. Then he cradled Loki's head on his chest, resting his chin on his head as he hugged him tightly, Loki's arms wrapping around him again.

"Never, you hear me, never will I forget you. And even if I did forget you, I'm sure you'd find a way to get my memory back."

They stayed like that for a few more moments, tasting the relief of having found each other again and of having once again overcome an obstacle. Together.

Then Loki came down from Mobius's lap and held out his hand to help him stand up.

"I guess there's a lot to do now that the timeline is branching out."

"Thanks for the reality check... but yes you're right, as nice as this interlude has been." replied Mobius, keeping Loki's hand in his.  Then he continued, walking towards the door, "Come on, it's time to introduce you as a member of the team."

At those words, Loki had a strange feeling, something like belonging, and asked with a smile, "What's the TVA's motto again, For all time...?"

"For all time. Always." answered Mobius.

Loki squeezed Mobius' hand as he continued to walk forward. When Mobius opened the door, he repeated softly, "For all time. Always. Together."

They didn't know what was going to happen, but one thing was certain now, they would face it. Together.

_____

Whole series : The story of Loki and Mobius

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[twh-news]

‘Loki’ Gives Tom Hiddleston’s Antihero the Spotlight, but Sticks to Marvel’s Superhero Basics: TV Review

It should only take a few minutes before “Loki” viewers know whether they’re down for what the show is serving up or too tired of the Marvel Cinematic Universe machine to follow this chapter of its increasingly complex saga.

[NOTE: Maybe read further after you've seen the first ep 😁]

The new Disney Plus show — the third under Marvel’s burgeoning TV offshoot — opens with dashing villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in the Avengers’ custody circa the 2012 movie that first brought the team together. In this version of those events, however, Loki manages to escape — thus upending the reality in which the character eventually dies at the hands of Thanos and freeing him up to anchor a show all his own.

Unfortunately for this Loki, his spontaneous getaway gambit sends him straight into the path of an armored guard (Wunmi Mosaku) who stares him down and declares that, “on behalf of the Time Variants Authority, I hereby arrest you for crimes against The Sacred Timeline.” Imbuing such a wholeheartedly cheesy line with hyperbolic gravitas is a superhero story staple, and yet this one’s grim righteousness still made me laugh in a way it was probably not supposed to.

For a new Marvel production, introducing a powerful league of militaristic cops is practically a prerequisite for whatever story is yet to come. But it’s nevertheless a bit of a letdown when you realize halfway through the dense first episode that one of the MCU’s ostensibly most unpredictable lead characters has somehow landed in the most predictable of setups.

To be fair, some of this irony is by design. As written by Michael Waldron, Loki very purposefully couldn’t be a worse fit for the monochromatic, bureaucratic order of the Time Variants Authority (or “TVA”), nor more offended when he understands exactly what it represents. As a chipper cartoon clock (“Miss Minutes”) informs him in an explanatory animated video, the TVA is an organization tasked with keeping every multiverse moving forward on the same “sacred timeline” as prescribed by three almighty  “Timekeepers,” which sometimes means snuffing out “Variants” like Loki who might mess it up.

The implication, Loki quickly grasps with real horror, is that there’s almost nothing anyone can do to change their fate; even his tricks are preordained parts of the greater whole. That emphasis on fate, paired with Kasra Farahani’s deliberately drab and vaguely midcentury production design, is what sets the TVA apart from something like SHIELD, though both share the same affection for unilateral authority and quips without punchlines.

I’ll leave it to bigger Marvel fans than me who can unravel exactly what the TVA’s level of authority means for the MCU at large. At first glance, though, it does seem as though the mere existence of the TVA should have huge implications, especially as upcoming big screen installments are set to explore the multiverse in more depth (including “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” also written by Waldron). For now, Loki has found himself outsmarted by this seemingly omniscient organization, forcing him to reluctantly team up with Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson), who’s convinced Loki can help them sift through an infinite number of timelines to track down one particularly pernicious Variant.

Only two episodes of “Loki” were screened for critics, making it hard to know exactly how successful the 6-episode season might be in shaping its own identity within the onscreen Marvel universe. Of these first two episodes, however, the second was far more engaging. The pilot has such an extraordinary amount of ground to cover that director Kate Herron only gets a couple opportunities to find humor in between the exposition, and Hiddleston can barely get into the pithy groove that made Loki such a standout in the first place. The second, at least, can have a bit more fun.

Waldron’s scripts do their best throughout to layer in moments of pathos for its central antihero to make clear exactly where his head is at in this point of his life. (To make it even clearer: this version of Loki has only lived through the events of the first “Thor” movie and “The Avengers.”) By the time Wilson’s Mobius extracts Loki from the TVA’s courtroom, presided over by an annoyed judge (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Loki is so exhausted and annoyed that he can barely muster the energy to resist too many of Mobius’ probing questions about his end goals. “Why does someone with so much range just want to rule?” Mobius asks, voice thick with pity and admiration. Loki has no good answer besides the one he’s resisted ever since arriving at the TVA: he wants to rule because harboring that burning desire is just his fate.

After establishing all the wheres and whys, the series is then free to move on to the second episode, which gives Loki a bit more room to explore his surroundings and make some calculations of his own. (Emphasis on “a bit”; Hiddleston never quite gets enough time to play around with his character given the show’s pressing need to get to the next timeline and/or twist.) From there, the show establishes a new rhythm as Loki, Mobius and Time Monitor B-15 (Mosaku) ricochet throughout time. Given his experience on “Rick and Morty,” Waldron is comfortable with this dynamic of an odd couple traveling through time and space to potentially disastrous results, but still constrained by the ever-complicating Marvel narrative web surrounding Loki and Mobius. The end of the second episode teases an intriguing new direction for the series to take, but without knowing what happens next, it’s hard to say how much it might deviate from the usual script.

The most fun “Loki” has is when Hiddleston and Wilson get to banter — a distinction from when Mobius playacts as Loki’s placid therapist, a dynamic neither the character nor actor can fully sell. But Wilson’s singular comedic delivery, which somehow combines both a dry deadpan and puppy dog enthusiasm still strikes an amusing balance against Hiddleston, especially when he gets to drop Loki’s existential angst for genuine curiosity about the strange new world around him. And yet: when Loki sighs in frustration about the TVA’s tedious overreach dictating his story when he could be doing something much more dangerous and strange, it’s hard not to agree.

“Loki” premieres Wednesday, June 9, on Disney Plus.

[thevibraniumveterans]

Did Hydra foreshadow Kang?

Okay, lemme explain.

Loki Episode 6, right? He Who Remains basically tells Loki and Sylvie a long-winded story, and offers them both two choices…

“You came to kill the devil, right? Well, guess what? I keep you safe. And if you think I’m evil, well, just wait till you meet my variants. … And that’s the gambit! Stifling order or cataclysmic chaos. You may hate the dictator, but something…far worse is gonna fill that void if you depose of him.”

“There’s two options! One… you kill me and destroy all this, so you don’t just have one devil, you have an infinite amount. Or… you two. You two run the thing.”

“What’s the worst that can happen? You either… take over and my life’s work continues or you plunge a blade in my chest and an infinite amount of me… start another Multiversal War. And I just… end up right back here anyways. Reincarnation, baby.”

He Who Remains basically said, “If you kill me, more of me will be back to wreak havoc.”

Now, where have we heard this before?

In CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (yes, I’m going all the way back there), there’s a scene somewhere in Act 2 where Steve chases down a Hydra operative, and they both end up at the docks, where Steve pins the operative down.

Rogers : “Who the hell are you?” 

Operative Kruger : “The first of many. Cut off one head… and two more shall take its place.”

It’s really cool because while Kruger said before he died that he was “the first of many”, He Who Remains is, well, he who remains. Err, was and remained, since, y’know, Sylvie kills him. He was the last of many who came before and with him. 

It’s also really creepy because Sylvie technically did cut off one head (not literally (unless you count the lead Timekeeper…), but just the act of killing itself), and cause many more to take its place, just like how it took ages for Hydra to be more or less eradicated in the Sacred Timeline because there were so many Hydra loyalists, even SHIELD was infiltrated from the very beginning. Y’all know how well that went down.

Kruger and HWR alike warned Steve, Loki, and Sylvie (respectively) that even if one was eradicated, there would always be someone (or many someones) to take over. And that is actually very, very scary.

Kruger was rather point-blank about this, but it takes HWR like, 3-4 times to get the message across to Loki and Sylvie. HWR tried to warn them that if he was disposed of, many more versions of him would just appear everywhere.

SYLVIE FIGURATIVELY CUT OFF THE HEAD OF HE WHO REMAINS, AND JUST LIKE HYDRA, MORE WILL TAKE HIS PLACE.

And that’s kinda why we’re gonna get What If…?, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, for instance.

[maumess]

Two Troy Calypsos.  The one on the right told a dirty joke and the one on the left is not sure how to react.

Left Troy is how @wataredis sees him [re: The Timekeeper’s Gambit ~ NSFW] and the one on the right is how I see him.

[jabbers-written-world]

Jabber’s List of Novels

For all who may be interested

Note: All novels listed here are free and open to comments, criticisms, and suggestions. Do not hold back, I want to know your thoughts. Thank you.

A

Ascension

B

Between Gods and Men (working title, may change)

Beyond the Rainbow

Black Knight Saga

Dragonmist (Book One)

Blade Sworn

C

Casting Shadows series (working title, may change)

Catching Smoke (Book One)

D

Down the Rabbit Hole

E

Edge of Dawn

Edovin Trilogy

Edge in the Game (Book One)

Rules of the Game (Book Two)

Bound by the Game (Book Three)

Entangled Fates Trilogy

Evermore (Book One)

F

Faded Legends Saga

The Fallen Light (Book One)

G

Gearworks Trilogy

Brightwire (Book One)

Goetic

H

Hallowed Bones Saga

Plague (Book One)

Cursed (Book Four)

Heroes’ Gambit Series

The White Game (Book One)

I

Immortals Saga

The Altar of Heaven (Book One)

J

Journey’s Fortune series

Beast in the Bottle (Book One)

K

Kingship Quartet

Rivaren: A Thief’s Tale; Winds of the North (Book One)

L

Legends of Haldimar series

The Stormfront Chronicles (Book One)

M

Micah’s Guidebooks series

Micah’s Guide to the Monster World (Book One)

Micah’s Guide to Zombies (Book Two)

N

Nothing currently

O

Omens series

Shadow of Night (Book One)

P

Phantom Thief series (working title, may change)

The Mysterious Cases of Arsene Lupin (Book One)

Q

Questfall series

The Seas of Stormfall (Book One)

R

Regent Trilogy

Faith in the Game (Book One)

Ringmaster series

The Moonlight Ring (Book One)

Rogue Whispers series

Silence Lost (Book One)

S

Solomon’s Key series

The Hellborn Kings (Book One)

Songborn Trilogy (working title, may change)

Second Moon (Book One)

Stargazers Saga

Starlight Voyage (Book One)

T

Timekeeper series

Endless (Book One)

Timeworn Souls series

The Wishmaker (Book One)

U

Untamed Wilds series

Dust Fire (Book One)

V

Nothing currently

W

Nothing currently

X

Nothing currently

Y

Nothing currently

Z

Nothing currently

[the-real-slim-shady]

I’d like to share the list I have of over 50 books I’m going to get from the library once they open

Spoiler alert: (they’re all gay) 

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry

Fanart by Sarah Tregay

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

Dreadnought by April Daniels

We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Bi-Normal by MG Higgins

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Just Girls by Rachel Gold

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Beautiful Music For Ugly Children by Kirsitn Cronn-Mills

I am J by Cris Beam

The Spy With The Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

Fire’s Stone by Tanya Huff

The Black Tides of Heaven by Jy Yang

Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone

Nine Fox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

The True Queen by Zen Cho

Ship of Smoke and Steel by Djanjo Wexler

A Choir of Lies by Alexandra Rowland

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

The Weight of the Stars by K Ancrum

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Timekeeper, Chainbreaker, and Firestarter by Tara Sim

It’s Not Like it’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

Some Assembly Required by Arin Andrews

Rethinking Normal by Katie Rain Hill

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

Marriage of Unconvincience by Chelsea M Cameron

Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

Red, White and Royal Blue

The Little Mermaid by SL Huang

Cinderella by Malinda Lo

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

The True Queen by Zen Cho

The Devourers by Indra Das

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Menjia

The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee

Her Body and Other Powers by Carmen Maria Machado

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Witchmark by CL Polk

The Prey of Gods by Ricky Drayden

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

All out by Saundra Mitchell

[border-spam]

Quick little edit for @wataredis of some of their redesign ideas for the AU they are working on.. Check out "The Timekeeper's Gambit" on Ao3! Great stuff so far.

[wataredis]

A content update

Firstly, a small apology to those who may be waiting for an update to The Timekeeper’s Gambit, but life has gotten in the way recently with regards to that. On top of having a new, and very demanding, full-time job at an animal hospital, I recently had a tragedy in the family. And considering this upcoming chapter is darker than many of my other ones, it’s been difficult to be in a proper headspace to write the chapter out. I assure you, I am working on it, but it’s gonna be quite some time before I get around to finishing it. This is why I’ve been working on chapters for the companion piece Gambit Drabble Diaries so that I have something going out. I will hopefully be updating that one again soonish with an Ava centric chapter about how she came to Athenas and shook things up for Wyn and Troy.

Also planned for Diaries soon:

A visit to Athenas from Rhys and Zane

A party for Wyn that is secretly set up by Ava and her partner in crime Vael

Troy finishing his training with his master and getting not one, but two new weapons!

And Maya starting a serious hunt for the rest of her family from Bl2

So thank you for those who support my content, and thank you for your patience. Things have been super rough here, but are bit by bit getting better.

[mauserfrau]

Not Rhack Wednesdays! On Thursday [8]

Not that there’s anything wrong with Rhack, but variety is the spice of life!

OK, so my fic project is on FIRE and also I have to run it all at once... you’ll see why when I get there.  In the meantime, I drew two Troys together because I hate myself.  I’m kidding! It was actually really fun.  And yes, I have a side blog for arts & crafts because I am that person.

New this week: The Gambit Drabble Diaries has updated with some very spicy [read: NSFW; Troy x Wynter Dova] content and cheese.  @wataredis​ really knocked it out of the park with this one.  Bring a fan.  Whew!

Also, The New Normal by @raidbossmadi is up to four chapters.  Her Dr. Malcom? Still the best.  Prepare to be punched in the feels when you get introduced to his family! Gosh, I love them.

If you’d like your fic featured on Not Rhack Wednesdays On Thursday, the only requirement is that it not be Rhack.  Calypso Twins angst is not required, but a plus.  Give me a jingle or @ me or whatever works for you.

My fantastic splash image is brought to you by @kingcharon whose commissions are open right now if you want one of your own.

[pridebooks]

so uh.... here I am

Books in the picture:

Looking For Alaska by John Green (needed a new copy)

Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Chainbreaker by Tara Sim

Beyond The Black Door by A. M. Strickland

The Magician King by Lev Grossman

White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Crier’s War by Nina Varela

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender

The Outside by Ada Hoffmann

Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows

[rewoundcircuit]

PROLOGUE | ” HE BITES MY MOVES. ” | AKI | 🐯 | ATTN: IKUKO.

This 'day' just kept getting better and better.

(Of course, there was no way to tell just what time it was -- or if it was even daytime -- because they were ten miles underground and without any sort of timekeeping device--) (They said prisoners went mad much more quickly when deprived of stimuli that kept them in the loop of the passage of time -- hours turned into days, minutes into weeks -- it was considered, by some governments, a human rights violation--) (But... they weren't prisoners... were they...?)

(Or, once again: this was purgatory, the devil is just one big 'human rights violation,' and her funeral was... likely pretty lackluster).

(...Aki Ishii, you really have to stop thinking like this.)

.... Still, she's stuck pondering against a wall here -- having probably embarrassed herself in front of half the class by now, wanting to do anything but think about this place-- Maybe she should go to her room and... see what was in her luggage. It was kind of a mystery. And not really the fun kind....

(Knowing her mother....)

.... Still, all things considered -- as terrible as the circumstances really, truthfully were.... All her classmates had been... surprisingly nice. Really nice, honestly. And non-judgmental. It was... really refreshing. And not at all what she'd expected from the sorts of warnings her friends had given her -- something something, 'rich talented kids are probably all stuck-up! not like us, aki -- we're rich untalented kids! we have no leg to stand on!' ...Still, the memory makes her smile.

...And it's a warmth she can't deny, even if she knows she's probably gotten off on the wrong foot with literally everyone she's talked to today. (But, um... she'd never claimed to be... good at making friends... or a first impression off the field.)

...But, erm. Speaking of her friends.... ....

There was that... Yu-Gi-Oh champion again.... Of course, pegged to be a stuck-up nerd by about four boys, but much more envied than most of the others on their roster of talents. Mostly because each of her boys were... really... bad... at card games.... ...Their minds just... didn't handle possibilities very well.... ...Or tactics....

...Of course, with envy... came the inevitable.... 'Aki-kun! If you loved me, you'd get her autograph for me.' 'Then I'm lucky I don't love you, Tai-kun.' 'Come ON....'

(But of course she loved him, and of course she was going....) (To try....)

(Even if it felt a little scummy at its core... talking to a girl with the hopes she'd eventually relent and give her something....) (...Of course, it wasn't all nefarious--! She... also was... really interested in meeting her....)

(...But that was another thing.)

Aki shifts her position so her foot is resting on the wall -- kicked up a little cooly. Leaning and looking all the world like a nonchalant, private school jock. Potentially a popular one.

(...This poor girl... had looked really out of it from the start of it -- hadn't she helped her up...?) (...Mmm....)

(Maybe it was a bad idea to talk to her still... but....)

(...Well... actually....)

(...If... she had even a tenth of the things she'd packed, she'd had aspirin and pain medicine in her room....) (Heating pads... icy hots....) (She had no idea what was troubling the other girl, but if it could be solved by a school nurse, she could handle it...!)

(...She would be being helpful...! Potentially... um... barely....)

(Still felt a bit like a gambit, but maybe she'd just... not bring up... the autograph thing... until like....) (...half a year from now....)

(...yeah, that sounded good.)

With a new sense of resolve, Aki locks eyes with Ikuko, raising her eyebrows in a bit of a greeting. Before easily clearing the distance between them, raising her hand in a bit of a wave.

"...Oh, I remember you. Are you feeling any better from earlier...?"

"...I'd say 'from this morning,' but it's... impossible to know when we got up... or even how long ago that was. It's sort of disconcerting, but I suppose that that's not interesting to talk about...."

There's a bit of a pause, but then Aki shakes her head before going into a little bow.

"But where are my manners. Aki Ishii, coach. And if I remember correctly... you're the Yu-Gi-Oh champion... aren't you...?"

... A blink. Ugh... that sounded... a little weirder than... she wanted it to.... So, um....

"...Ah... not to play my own hand... but I should probably confess... I knew that immediately by looking at you... my boys are all into... things like that.... Even if they're pretty bad at playing... they were all so excited to hear that I'd be in a class with you...! Pretty embarrassing, but...."

.... She was really just. Making this worse.

"...I'm sorry. It must be really dreadful to hear all that from a stranger. Forget it if you prefer...! But um, know you have fans all around you, haha...."

.... Amazing. Good job. Really stuck the landing on that one, Aki! She's so. So sure. This is hell.

[itmakesyoulooklikealoser]

July, August & September reads

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Proxy by Alex London

Coffee Boy by Austin Chant

Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Guardian by Alex London

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

They Both Die At the End by Adam Silvera

Release by Patrick Ness

Less by Andrew Greer

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Feral Youth by Shaun David Hutchinson

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Tattoo Atlas by Tim Floreen

The Summer Palace (A Captive Prince Short Story) by C.S. Pacat

Green but For a Season (A Captive Prince Short Story) by C.S. Pacat