#Loki will be stuck and what? is Sylvie going to be the new hero?

[thedrunkenreadersreviews]

A thought on the Loki series finale.

Oh, we are gonna need something strong for this one. Excuse me while I pass on the Scandinavian mead and just reach for my old pal Jack for this one.

*long sip*

One of my biggest regrets in life is not going to the theater to watch the first Thor film upon its release and, instead, waiting to eventually pirate the movie online. The reason for this is that Loki was my favorite Marvel character and I had no idea who the hell Tom Hiddleston was. So afraid was I that he would not portray Loki properly or that the writers would botch his story had me hesitant.

And then I saw it. And I was blown away by Tom's performance, as most people were.

*Sip, sip*

So I stuck around, enjoyed the MCU, watching it expand, following my favorite character around, and adored how the comics were realizing just how much of a tragic, triumphant story Loki could be and putting him through an incredible arc throughout the pages (Kieron Gillen & Al Ewing were exceptional Loki comic book writers!).

*Long sip, sip*

And then ... there was Infinity War.

*Long sip, sip*

I knew it was coming. That's what every writer does when they have a character they can take no further. Just kill them. Marvel was no different. They killed Loki, albeit, giving him a hero's death and that was that.

Like Thor, I mourned. I grieved, I cried, I sat in pain. I returned to the comics to feel comfort, to know that at least there he was still going and his story was getting better and better. It brought me peace.

And then I am informed of the Loki series and I celebrate. I had never been so excited for a TV show my entire life.

There is a chance, I thought, that he could come back! That he will return! After all, Loki is his most powerful in the comics. The God of Stories, can alter realities, step through the multiverse. He is incredible! He is also able to call on variants of himself, they being a part of him, like it is amazing and I was hoping they would give Loki a similar power in the MCU.

*Sip, sip*

And they did!

Loki became the God of Stories ... but at what price?

*Long sip, sip*

You see, for me, it is something much more heartbreaking than what happened in Infinity War. It is something far more tragic than that.

Sacred timeline Loki has the peace of death. He can walk to the gates of Valhalla, be reunited with his mother, his father, and one day even Thor. There is a comfort in that, knowing that yes, he is dead but he is at peace.

Variant Loki ... Variant Loki ...

*Downs the glass, pours another*

There is a finality in forever. There is, as Mobius says, no comfort in it. It is a burden. A glorious purpose, but a burden.

What hurts the most is this:

Since Thor 1, Loki has said that he never wanted a throne.

Only Mobius, B15 (Verity), OB, Casey, and Sylvie know. They know what he gave.

Since season 1, Loki has said that the thing that frightens him the most is him being alone.

Since Infinity War, Loki promised Thor that the sun would shine on them again.

What hurts the most is that Variant Loki, God of Stories Loki, is now burdened with a throne. That he made a sacrifice much larger than death. And only his friends know. That he is now entirely, truly, forever alone and does not even have the promise of death to give him comfort. There is no death for him. There is no peace, there is no end. It is eternity. It is forever and there is such a finality to forever.

And the sun shines down on Thor in every universe, it shines on other Lokis too. It shines on the people of Asgard, on Mobius, on New York, on everyone in every universe.

Loki kept his promise to Thor, and no one will know.

And while I know Mobius is mourning as we all are---feels like the TVA isn't home anymore, wanting to look because of what Loki did just so he could have the choice to look---I hope he takes the chance that Loki gave him and lives. I hope he buys the jet ski, rides it down the Hudson River. I hope that when he feels the wind in his hair, the water splashing his face, and the warmth of the sun shining down on him, when he is at his happiest and living, that in those moments, he thinks of Loki and smiles. Because I know that Loki would not want Mobius to take the chance he gave him to mourn Loki forever. I know that Loki will watch those moments of Mobius smiling and living, and he'll smile too, and in seeing Mobius taking the chance Loki gave him, making it mean something, that is the peace that Loki can receive. That is the comfort.

*Downs glass*

This ending ... it hurt so much more than Infinity War. I have never felt this way about a character's story. Am I happy with it? No.

Would I change it?

No.

This ending, this sense of grief unlike before, this mixture of elation and bereavement is drowning but incredible. It is the ending that Loki does not deserve but accepts, and that is why I wouldn't change it.

Loki finally became what he has been to me and to several fans of the MCU and Marvel as a whole. What he was always meant to be.

Loki finally became the heart of the MCU. And though we may never see him again---which now I find I oddly prefer---we will know that he is there, between the branches, watching, protecting, beating, and making sure that each and every story gets told.

[themculibrary]

Magic Themes Masterlist 2

part one

a marvelous gift (ao3) - biblionerd07 steve/bucky T, 74k

Summary: Bucky Barnes has a curse: he has to obey any orders he receives. It gets more complicated when he becomes best friends with Steve Rogers–the prince who will one day be king.

A Traitor in the House of Odin (ao3) - Meltha T, 27k

Summary: As a Christmas present, Peter received an invitation from Frigga to visit Asgard. However, nothing in Peter's life ever goes quite according to plan.

bedtime stories and nightmares (ao3) - scifigrl47 steve/tony T, 29k

Summary: Tony Stark was comfortable with his life. And why shouldn’t he be? He’s brilliant, rich, powerful, a super hero. He’s got a team he trusts, a job he enjoys, his work and his creations, and he’s sleeping with Captain America. Tony’s life is just fine, thank you very much. He knew that it would change, life always changes, but he wasn’t in any way prepared for how it was about to change.

Tony never intended to be a parent, and even if he had, he could never have anticipated this particular change.

cabin in the snow (ao3) - navaan steve/tony T, 3k

Summary: After a mission goes wrong, Steve and Tony get stuck in a strange cabin out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but snow and trees in any direction.

Consequences (ao3) - kcscribbler loki/mobius T, 4k

Summary: In which a mission goes wrong, and Mobius has to make a snap judgment call in the field.

Factory Regress (ao3) - SucculentHyena steve/bucky T, 54k

Summary: A crashed ship, a mysterious device, and some unfortunate circumstances.

Fade to Darkness (ao3) - Bookwormgal T, 9k

Summary: An encounter with a Variant results in Loki coming in contact with a dangerous magical artifact. One that is guaranteed to extinguish the life out of anyone who is unfortunate enough to be affected by it. He knows that he is doomed the moment it happens.

His friends are not likely to let that happen.

never odd or even (ao3) - memoriaeterna T, 80k

Summary: Time. Space. Reality. It’s more than a linear path. When faced with the impossible, magic does the unthinkable. Now bearing the words of their worst enemies and greatest allies as the markers in pursuit of three different ends, the question is whether they can accomplish what they came back for without jeopardizing each other?

Or: A group of time travelers unintentionally ending up in the same past to fix three separate future problems is a recipe for disaster.

One Precise Point (ao3) - AttractiveAfternoon tony/stephen E, 167k

Summary: Just as Stephen Strange is settling into his new life as Master of the Mystic Arts and Sorcerer Supreme, he starts having unusual dreams. Snippets of a world-ending event he’s never witnessed begin to haunt him even in his waking hours, and he eventually looks to the time stone for answers.

Vowing to find a way to defeat the alien Thanos from killing half of all living things, Stephen’s humanity rears its ugly head when he falls in love with the one man meant to die saving the universe. It’s a cruel twist of fate that he will not accept.

Refusing to leave the time stone until he’s figured out a way to save Tony Stark, Stephen finds himself in a desperate, hellish loop. He's going up against all of his training and destiny itself, but he'd rather die trying than watch the death of his beloved happen in real life, no matter the consequences.

Something Crawled Out of Your Grave (ao3) - JacarandaBanyan tony/stephen G, 2k 

Summary: When Stephen got back from Tony’s funeral, Tony was waiting for him in the kitchen.

“Hey there, Stranger,” the robot grinned. “Miss me?”

The Girl in the Dream (ao3) - Surajtare loki/sylvie, loki/sif E, 28k

Summary: Loki had always felt different. He’s not sure why, but he never quite belonged. The other boys tease him and say he’s a girl, and every night, Loki dreams that he is a girl. The girl is happy whereas the boy is not. The girl fits in. The girl belongs. Little by little, Loki gets convinced that he was supposed to be born a girl. But something goes wrong with the girl in his dreams. Overnight the dreams turn into nightmares, and Loki has no idea why. As both he and his Dream Girl are growing up they search for identity, love, and what it means to become who you are.

the moon and the sea (ao3) - dirigibleplumbing steve/tony E, 81k

Summary: Steve has lived his whole life in the coastal California town of Nublado. He’s spent the last few years trying to move on from a traumatic event in his past, and he finds new joy when he befriends—and quickly falls for—reclusive local billionaire Tony Stark. Then Tony abruptly breaks things off and won’t reply when Steve reaches out. Steve’s friends Clint and Nat have his back, at least. But… is someone following him everywhere? What’s with the human teeth Steve and his friends found while they were out fishing? How did the Scarlet Witch know so much about him? And why are there so many crows around?

The Princess & I (ao3) - br_er shuri/riri M, 9k

Summary: At night, there was no difference between them.

Only love.

the seventh stone (ao3) - Elenduen tony/bruce wayne, one sided steve/tony E, 147k

Summary: The fight in Siberia leaves Tony in a persistent vegetive state from which he is not expected to recover. His remaining friends watch over his bedside praying for a miracle to bring him back to them while the Rogue Avenger’s remain in hiding.

Across the Galaxy Thanos, the Mad Titan destroys Xandar to claim the Power Stone, his next stop will be Asgard, or rather the refugee ship for the Tesseract and the Space Stone.

As the Power Stone is placed into the infinity gauntlet, Tony Stark awakens from his coma with no brain damage at all, but he isn’t celebrating. Something is coming, something bad, he knows it, he can feel it, and somewhere something that is somehow his is calling out to him, it’s what woke him up in the first place, but what is it and why is it so important?

After all there are only six infinity stones, Right?

this time, unchained (ao3) - Anonymous frank/jason M, 3k

Summary: “Well, shit,” Natasha says, voice deep and gravelly, and holy shit tall, Jason tilts his neck back to look up at her. Him.

Himself?

twelve days (ao3) - elysianprince steve/tony T, 22k

Summary: In which Tony finds himself in a town that looks like it crawled out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, trying to sell an inn he didn’t know he owned, all while dealing with Steve Rogers, the resident ghost who has returned to haunt the inn each December during the twelve days of Christmas for the past seventy years. Tony has only one logical solution that benefits them both: break the curse that binds him - but falling for a man almost a century old wasn’t among his plans.

What Is Love, Anyways? (ao3) - airas_story stephen/wong, tony/stephen, tony/wong T, 6k

Summary: They all know how to break the curse, but none of them can.

Wong has an idea.

Witchdoctor (ao3) - hayanwulf tony/stephen T, 6k

Summary: Being hunted by a coven of witches sent after him by his own godfather, Tony doesn’t know who to trust or where to ask for help. But perhaps, there is one man whom Tony could trust to not be on Obadiah’s side...

The only question is, will the witchdoctor help him, or will he watch Tony burn in the stake of his own foolishness?

[fleabagreact]

Sucks life, sucks McDonald's.

Sylvie runs and gets into the car. It tries a few times but the car insists on not starting. She gets up and slams the door shut.

Loki comes towards her and she knows she won't be able to run away anymore.

⎯

Loki could swear that in his entire life, he had never been as desperate as he was at that moment, standing in front of a McDonald's in the busy center of London in the 70s. And he had been in several situations like that. Not at McDonald's, but in desperate situations. Like when he messed up with magic and his father scolded him harshly, urging Loki to do it again, just to provoke Odin, however much further punishment was certain. Or when Thanos threatened him not to give him an army to take New York, and even take his life, if he didn't follow his part of the agreement and deceive him. Cornered, thinking about how to evade the situation and start cheating all over again. But this was different. Sylvie was not Odin. Sylvie was not Thanos. It was a part of you. Their souls were made of the same stuff and had been brought into alignment to burn together for eons and universes alike. Or just to sit on the grass in a park on Earth, enjoying wine and a cold cuts board.

His mind wandered to unnecessary things, words stuck in him throat. Loki was sweating cold as the night. The eyes met Sylvie's blue ones as well as his. He could get lost in them, he could get lost in her. But at that moment those tired old eyes gave him calm. Sylvie just needed to listen.

"Sylvie-" He started, approaching her. She was standing in front of the truck, her hands covering her face.

“Speak up, Loki. You know how much I hate speeches.” Sylvie tried to be rude. She hated his speeches, or at least the way Loki stalled to achieve his goal. However, she couldn't say he wasn't good with words. Sylvie already knew that little talk so well. She had abandoned speeches after realizing that her life worked better alone. And if she was alone, why talk when she could punch faces and just exchange glances to get what she wanted?

“I love you” Loki yells. Tears are already streaming down his face and making him look crazy. Maybe he is.

“I don't want to,” Sylvie whispers, closing her eyes to keep from bursting into tears. “I can't want. I don't deserve-”

“No, please. I am here. Give a chance.” It's your last try, your last chance. It's a desperate request.

Loki loves her. It is undeniably without discussion. After all, there he has been, giving her hell for weeks. Spending all of her shifts sitting at table 17. Eddie is starting to get irritated.

Sylvie doesn't deserve that pity. She gave up everything for a meaningless, boring life which constantly reminds her of all the souls she has reaped. All in vain. All instruments. That life was never yours. Sylvie thought it wasn't a doll but she was wrong. And she hated it even more.

Loki's weren't born to be heroes after all. It was what she had always heard from the TVA.

She didn't save even one person.

Not herself.

“You know what my answer is.” She says. The voice sounds like Judas in Gethsemane. It is a betrayal of the flesh. “They don't want you, they want me. I wish I never met you Loki. Why the fuck did you steal that damn tesseract? Better they cut you down and left you to live with those variants of yours than they got you involved in this mess.”

Sylvie never wanted to admit that her Glorious Purpose had been in vain. She had the life she dreamed of. Waking up every day with the certainty that tomorrow she would be alive. Living futilely and bucolically, like everyone else in every tiny fold of time and space she opened up. Sylvie had no friends, no loves, no nemesis, never enough time. Now she was about to let go of the only person who understood her chronic loneliness. That could bring fun to her. Eddie didn't matter, neither did Gary.

“Do not say that.” Loki shivered.

“If I never met you, I wouldn't have the chance to lose you. I don't want you to be hurt.”

Loki, you can't care about me, was what she should have said, and explained every situation in her life where she was forced to leave, as if she had never really existed.

It's the chance to.

“I'm already hurt”

And he doesn't give up.

To prove his words, Loki looks at her pleadingly and lowers his head slightly, finding her sweet, familiar lips.

It's a different kiss than that night in the Citadel. She doesn't stop him from exploring her mouth. On the contrary, she brings him to her and pulls his dark hair between her fingers. Kiss him like he deserves to be kissed, as if to promise not to push him away when this is over.

Loki bites her lips trying to find out if it's real. Desire surges through them, a calm, warm flame deep in their mouths.

The futile and bucolic life is not yours. It should be with him, drinking wine, running away from anything that looks like the police, and fucking madly with aliens and gods. Fucking madly with him.

The world is ending. They belong to each other like it or not. Loki and Sylvie face each other with a sad smile. They can't work out. There's something comforting about that.

Sucks life, sucks McDonald's.

[bushs-world]

This is one of the very first topic I wanted to write about. Yet I put it off for so long 😂. One thing I love about the show's writing is how it manages to be so many different things together. Like it is a deconstruction of Loki, while also giving him a heroic arc.

LOKI'S HERO ARC

Ok, so I will be using the hero's journey template by Christopher Vogler for the main analysis

• Ordinary World (this is the hero's day to day life before the journey) :

I think this can be applied to two situations. First, this is Loki in the 2012 timeline as a person with a place within the sacred timeline. Secondly, this is Loki as a prisoner of the TVA.

• Call to adventure (an event that kickstarts the journey and pushes the hero into the adventure) :

Again, I feel there are two scenarios that fit into this stage. First, Loki grabbing the tesseract and second, Sylvie killing the minutemen because of which Mobius wants Loki's expertise.

• Refusal of the call (hero refuses to join the adventure. Most of the times, the hero suffers a loss which changes their mind) :

Loki refuses to co operate with Mobius and tries to flee the TVA. But the tesseract doesn't work in the TVA and Loki sees his entire life (including his death) on the tape. In addition to being subjected to a gruelling interrogation by Mobius.

• Meeting the mentor (after agreeing to go on the adventure, the hero meets a mentor or gains some knowledge to guide them) :

As soon as Loki admits that he doesn't enjoy hurting people, Mobius offers him a second chance. He asks Loki to help them capture the variant and enlists him in the TVA (though I am sceptical to call Mobius a mentor, since he is essentially Loki's handler)

• Crossing the threshold (the hero is ready and finally begins their adventure) :

Loki crosses the first threshold in episode 2. He is inducted as a member of the TVA and he evens dresses up in their uniform. And he follows the unit to Wisconsin to catch his variant. He crosses the second threshold when he runs away after Sylvie at the end of the episode. Another interesting detail is that the time doors can be literally thought of as thresholds Loki passes as he advances through his journey.

• Tests, Allies and Enemies (the hero faces different obstacles and finds out their allies and enemies as they learn the rule of this new world) :

Loki spends a majority of episode 2 in this stage. He tries to deceive the TVA and see how much he could manipulate them. He quickly learns that he can't fool Mobius and instead becomes his ally. He also tries to bond with B-15 and meets his enemy, his variant. Some parts of ep 3 are also spent in this stage, though Loki and Sylvie become allies quite early on.

• Approach (also called the innermost cave, the hero moves towards the goal of meeting their enemy/goal) :

This stage is portrayed in episode 4 as Loki and Sylvie are captured by the TVA and they are brought before the timekeepers for pruning. What's even better is that the time keepers chamber itself resembles a dark, isolated cave.

• Ordeal, Death and Rebirth (Joseph Campbell called it the belly of the whale. The hero hits rock bottom and they have to face their deepest fear or flaw. Most times the hero dies a metaphorical death, where their fear/flaw dies and they emerge on the other side a changed person. At the end of this stage, the hero undergoes character development) :

This stage happens twice in episode 4. First, Loki hits rock bottom when he is stuck in the time loop with Sif hitting and reminding him over and over that he will be alone. He undergoes a metaphorical death and rebirth when he decides to confront his fear of attachment and accepts his feelings for Sylvie and befriends Mobius.

This stage is repeated in the end of the episode again when Loki and Sylvie learn the time keepers are fake, but Loki is pruned and he wakes up in the void.

• Reward, Seizing the Sword (the hero has overcome every obstacle and has changed into a better person. Now they receive a gift before they go to slay the monster) :

In episode 5, Kid Loki gives our Loki Laevaetinn to help him on his journey forward. Remember, before this Loki has to survive in the void and he is shown to have become a better person from all his other variants.

• The Road Back (starting of Act III. The hero makes their way towards their final confrontation with the villian, so that they can go home) :

Loki and Sylvie enter the citadel to search for the man behind the curtain and kill him.

• Resurrection (the climax. The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all. Emotional catharsis is key in this stage. At this stage, the hero has completely transformed from the person they were in the ordinary world) :

Often at this stage, the hero also has a near death encounter but they survive. This part is portrayed in ep 6 when Loki jumps in front of Sylvie's sword.

Loki at the end of ep 6. He no longer wants a throne and can see the consequences of his actions. He also has emotional catharsis as he tries to calm Sylvie down when he says "I have been where you are, I felt what you feel".

• Return With Elixir (the hero returns to the ordinary world with a new knowledge or skill which they use to help others) :

Loki returns to the TVA with the knowledge of Kang variants and the multiversal war.

I used Christopher Vogler's hero arc for the main analysis because it fitted better with Loki's arc. (and it is less complicated 😁). But series also has certain elements from Joseph Campbell's monomyth in 'Hero with a thousand faces'. Mind you, since this book was published in the 1940s, some terms are very outdated. I will do my best to translate these terms in a neutral language.

• The Meeting with the Goddess (a very outdated term. The hero meets a person who is their equal yet opposite. Most often, this is a love interest. Said person not only even outs their flaws but also challenges the hero's world view and thinking. Together they join forces to take down an enemy) :

Loki meeting Sylvie in episode 3. What is interesting is that Sylvie is an actual goddess. She is Loki's equal yet she is so different from him. She also challenges his views, not only about the TVA but also about himself and being a Loki.

• The Woman as a Temptress (another sexist term. The hero is offered a temptation, which they have to resist or they will fail in accomplishing their journey) :

In ep 6, Miss Minutes tempts Loki and Sylvie by offering them a place back on the timeline along with the life they wanted, that too together.

• Atonement with the Father (dated term again. The hero must face their biggest flaw and confront or make peace with it. In classical myths, this was usually done via atoning oneself with a father figure) :

This plays out in ep 4 in the time loop scene both literally and metaphorically.

Metaphorically, Loki must confront his fear of intimacy and self sabotaging habits as well as his fear of being alone.

He confronts this fear by apologizing to Sif and finally admitting his fears out aloud. Later, he overcomes them and bonds with both Mobius and Sylvie.

• Apotheosis (the term means ascend into godhood. In classical myths, this was when the hero achieved the status or power of God. In modern stories, it is usually the hero accepting their role or finally acknowledging they need to step up and fight for something) :

In ep 5, Loki tells his variants he needs to get back to the TVA and help Sylvie take it down. This finally became his glorious purpose.

This post took so long to put together because I had to do so much back and forth for information. If there is any mistake, do let me know. I will correct it

[alwida10]

Overview of Storytelling problems in the Loki series

Characters are suddenly acting entirely different in comparison with events that were in-universe just moments ago without giving any explanation at all: Loki climbs on a stone to talk down to the Mongolians (= acts pathetic and ridiculous) in comparison to him facing real threads like iron man being calm and with the thread-appropriate posturing (= acts badass and in-control).

Changing the characterization and/or the character’s motives retrospectively: in Avengers Loki’s motive was that Thanos pressured him into invading earth (torture signs, the other threatening and hurting Loki on-screen). In the Loki series it suddenly was because of his glorious purpose which never even had that much weight before. As far as I remember it was mentioned once in the Avengers, but neither in Thor 1, 2 or 3.

Major events not getting any further attention as soon they fulfilled their purpose for the plot: Sylvie bombing the sacred timeline and causing all those branches never gets talked about again, after it was supposed to be a major fallout. Also, we never get the explanation what exactly caused the nexus event on Lamentis.

Telling the audience what they have to believe instead of showing the character’s actions and let the audience come to their own conclusions: in episode 1, Loki pushes his (newly redconned) motivation in the audiences faces to make sure nobody can question it. This includes all those little things we are only being told and are supposed to accept without question, like the fact people supposedly stop aging in the pruniverse since kid loki was there longest.

The main character feels passive and only gets dragged along by other characters and/or the plot: up to episode 4, Loki does not show any motivation that goes beyond survival. After episode 4, he supports Sylvie‘s motivation, which still doesn’t give much flavor on his part.

The main character has no effect on the plot: the TVA!Loki has in fact that little impact on the plot that Sylvie would have gone through the same storyline without him being there. The only difference would be that she would have been there one episode earlier, because she wouldn’t have gotten stuck on Lamentis.

Writing a redemption arc without addressing why the character fell from grace in the first place: A redemption arc needs the audience sympathize with the character to forgive their actions. Without giving the characters motivations for the evil deeds the new behavior can only cover the former misdeeds but never erase them. Oh, also this bears the very real change that you never understood what the character has to be redeemed for and end up redeeming something that never even happened or mattered in the first place: Loki being mistreated by his family or tortured by Thanos never gets mentioned.

Failing to show well-defined characterization, subsequently causing pale, muddy characters: until the end of the series it‘s still not clear if the TVA is ‚good‘ or ‚bad‘. Mobius regretting what he was done in episode 5 feels empty because we never realized he did something ambivalent. Characterizations need to be shown clearly and make an impact. If someone does bad things those should be shown as bad. But Sif kicking Loki where it hurts most isn’t even shown as something bad. Neither is Mobius treatment of Loki shown as bad. The only scenes where it was entirely clear who‘s the bad guy where Sylvie‘s (her kidnapping in childhood, her killing the Minute men).

Double standards - heroes are forgiven the same actions the villain gets condemned for: Loki wanting to take away people‘s choices is baaad, but when Kang does it, it’s a good thing. Arguably, this point could also be attributed to failure No. 8.

Deus Villain ex machina - the villain should be introduced early on the show without being revealed to be the villain. Otherwise it‘s simply boring. Kang suddenly appearing and telling everyone it has been him all along? Please. That’s just an cheating those who are trying to keep to think along.

Forcing aspects that aren’t plot relevant for the sake of including them: this is true for the bi-representation and the genderfluidity representation that seemed to be included only to allure the part of the audience that wished for them. The problem is - people will notice if your heart isn’t in a part and likely feel worse than they would have entirely without those parts. In the end none of those parts felt important or even sincere. But representation has to come on top of well characterization and not instead of it. Otherwise it remains empty lip service, like mentioning once there had been partners of both genders but never even looking at a man. And don’t get me started on the genderfluid representation. I’ll excuse the alligator, though.

Being boring: what even were the stakes in the series? I remember Loki being threatened with getting pruned once, but the rest was more or less left for us to fill out? Yeah, so entire time lines got pruned? I won’t develop much empathy if we never get to forge an emotional connection to one before it gets blown away. You don’t have to go all George R.R. Martin, but a little investment wouldn’t have hurt. Also, this would have prevented point No. 8 and parts of No.9.

[alexjcrowley]

Warning: Loki Spoilers and Ranting

I know Loki is a complex character, he is this loner with a painful backstory, that's just how he is and yada yada yada, but Marvel, you can't do this.

I liked this episode, I overall liked it, it was not perfect, I have my critics, but it's not bad. However, there is something that went completely out of the line and that's how Marvel is treating Loki.

In the first episode, Loki is stripped of everything: regal robes (regal status), powers, magic, his future, his free will, hope.

It's pretty bad, right? But then the serie goes on promising you, promising Loki he will gain new things on his journey.

And then Marvel stripped him of everything again, of the only two things he had gained: a friend, Mobius, and a love interest, Sylvie.

Now, I don't like Loki x Sylvie, at all, so I am kind of happy at least second season is not them two being a couple and fighting evil (I felt discomfort during their kiss, I couldn't handle an entire second season like this).

So yeah, I saw Loki destroyed emotionally, but it was kind of a relief I didn't have to watch them interact as a "couple" (putting quotes because Loki loved her, Sylvie couldn't give half a fuck about Loki, let's be honest).

But taking away Mobius was too much, because now Loki doesn't have anything.

Like before, no hope, no magic, no future, but now he also lost the two things he received "in exchange" of what he previously had.

As much as I hate Loki x Sylvie, I would have almost felt better if the stuck together, because at least Loki would have had someone, but you can't simply take everything from Loki and expect him to go on. Why? Because when they took everything from Thor he became depressed AND HE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO BE, EVEN IF MARVEL ONLY MADE FUN OF HIM FOR HIS WEIGHT. (You lost your family and your people and half of the universe in gone because you made a mistake? That's no excuse not to work out, fatso, right? Thanks, Marvel, I hope whoever wrote that gained some weight during quarantine and they are coming to terms being fat doesn't make them any more bad writers than they were before).

SO LOKI DESERVES TIME AND COMPREHENSION TOO AFTER ALL HE LIVED THROUGH, BUT I HAVE A FEELING MARVEL WON'T GIVE HIM ANY OF THE TWO, RIGHT?

Because you can't simply put a character, a person, through that amount of suffering and expect them to keep going, keep going.

I want a Loki that is actually destroyed, I want to see him explode, have a breakdown, because I am sick of just "letting him suffer, because we'll milk the cow of his hurt expressions until he dies again".

Stop it, please. You can't break him again and again and expect me to believe he stands up just like that and the progresses he made are untouched. The progresses he made in trusting people should be shattered by now, in an almost irreparable way.

And if you think I am being dramatic over just a character, I am protesting for representation of growth and what betrayal does to it. Of human psyche. Humans sometimes break, they are frail objects, you can't expect them to simply erase what bad things happened to them, you can't write a character like this. And I am sick, so sick of seeing Loki suffering because that's how you engage the viewers, hurting their feelings.

I hope we can all get a Loki who ended up with something good in his life, something happy, because he deserves it, otherwise they are just enforcing the idea a complex character in a bad place can never get better, that they are doomed because hurting them again and again is easier than trying to heal them. Hope and happiness are only for the heroes, right? The rest can suffer, it's not like pain will have a consequences anyway.

[pla-teau]

LOKI EPISODE FOUR : THE NEXUS EVENT

GIF CREDIT TO: @luke-skywalker SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

SYLVIE | there's a lot to process in the short time we get of young sylvie. it didn't seem like she was doing anything that caused a nexus event. when we see her, she's simply playing with her toys on asgard. sylvie asks about what her crime was later on with renslayer but it's never clear cut as to what she did. the only thing we know is that she escaped from renslayer which is why she's so hell bent on capturing and pruning sylvie. i have a certain thought on this later.

WE SURVIVE | the words loki tells sylvie just when she’s given up and accepted that she’ll die on lamentis. that’s what makes loki a loki - yes, he fails over and over again but each and every time we’ve witnessed his ‘death’ he comes back or when things seem to possibly end for his story, loki still manages to survive.

LAMENTIS | based on the namesake of the episode, this is the nexus event that caused them to be found but what was it? personally, from watching the episode and keeping in mind that this is 2012!loki, i think that the nexus event was hope and acceptance between them. i think there’s genuine hope despite being stuck on a doomed planet about to become smaller flying rocks in space. in every apocalypse so far, we’ve seen that basically anticipating and accepting the end of the world doesn’t cause a breach in the timeline because what is there to hope for? it’s all going to be destroyed anyway no matter the little fake hope you have inside yourself telling you that everything is going to be alright. loki and sylvie up to this point haven’t had that kind of hope before ever in their lives. with the acceptance part, i think it's self-acceptance and acceptance of their roles in the universe. roll with me here, loki throughout the mcu has never accepted his fate or what's supposed to happen; he's always fighting it and trying to come out on top as a ruler of people whether it's earth, asgard and sakaar. he doesn't accept to not be a ruler or on the losing side of a battle against earth's mightiest heroes and at odds with the other marvel characters. he doesn't fully accept himself either because he didn't know he was adopted until at least one thousand years later and he couldn't accept that he wasn't destined for something other than a shadow or simply his title as the god of mischief. it made a lot more sense in my head tbh. a lot of people freaking out about this moment being loki falling in love with sylvie/himself but i don't think that's it. loki for once genuinely cares about someone else and i think it's platonic cause while i have little faith in the mouse house giving us more than confirmation that loki is bisexual, i don't think they'd make loki fall in love with himself.

LOKI'S TIME CELL | a nostalgic reveal we get is sif in this looped time cell plucked from loki's memory. apparently, he cut off a chunk of her hair because he thought it would be funny. in typical sif fashion, she proceeds to beat him up in retaliation as well of sharing some biting words. it's interesting how after a few loops and knees to the nuts, loki apologizes to sif about the prank and admits that he's afraid of being alone and acts narcissistic and like a pompous asshole if you will because of this fear. i think this is a bigger break through of his character than the one we saw in the first episode because he's admitting it to someone from his life that he highly respected but acted like a child to her to get her attention even if it was negative. i wish for more vulnerable loki moments because it continues to prove that loki isn't just the god of mischief, he can be more (as thor said in ragnarok).

MOBIUS VS LOKI | honestly, this whole interrogation scene screamed mobius being jealous of loki making pals with sylvie and i loved it. what i like is that mobius does air the sentiment that we all have in our heads after realizing that loki and sylvie did somehow click to create the nexus event. it's narcissism to the max. again, i think loki truly cares for sylvie in a platonic or even a familial sense since they both don't make connections too often with others (romantic or platonic).

HUNTER B-15 | i was wondering what happened with her after her run in with sylvie at the roxxcart supermarket. clearly, sylvie unlocked a memory within her subconscious as well and is starting to doubt herself. we don't see what memory of hers it was but it's enough to make her break protocol and go against the TVA later on in the episode. in conclusion, we have no choice but to stan this queen. also seems like she wasn't reset in that final battle so we'll hopefully see her in the next episode.

RAVONNA & MOBIUS | their friendship is put to the test in this episode. while being of a higher position than mobius, ravonna does seem to care deeply for mobius. she said so herself, she wants to protect mobius...but from the truth instead of the false danger about sylvie that she's filling his head with. ravonna clearly knows a lot more than she's letting on and that the TVA is an elaborate lie. i think she wants to protect mobius from the truth because she doesn't seem to have other close friendships like the one with him. it's also clear she cares for him when he's pruned (supposedly!) by another hunter. also, there's this other analyst/field agent mobius always brings up when we see them in her office so i wonder if it's someone who also knows about the grand lie the TVA is or is even some alternate variant of kang the conqueror who we know is supposed to be introduced in the third ant-man movie. it'd be interesting to see if kang is teased one way or another in the final two episodes.

DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU DESERVE TO BE ALONE? | the question mobius poses to loki when he starts to believe that they may be telling the truth. it's an interesting question to pose because we've been hearing it and have seen it throughout the mcu with loki. the time loop loki's stuck in, sif tells him that he'll always be alone. throughout the mcu, loki has been alone in his plans and mischief despite being surrounded by his family, his future enemies, and his people. loki has known nothing but being on his own, being his own island of chaos. as sylvie put it earlier, they're a product of the universe trying to break free, chaos. mobius knows that this nexus event has something to do with the two of them, for once, accepting that they're not alone or that they're not just a cosmic mistake, there's hope for them to be whatever they want and not just confined to their mischievous roles.

RAVONNA & SYLVIE | in the elevator, sylvie confronts ravonna about her crime as a child. it's something everyone wants to know, what does a young loki have to do to be charged and reset by the TVA? ravonna seems to know that this something she can leverage and torture sylvie with so she claims to not remember. sylvie says that it must've been important and severe enough to mess up the sacred timeline. maybe she wasn't supposed to know that she was adopted until later in her life like our loki. she's supposed to be causing trouble and be this terrible villain but what if with sylvie knowing her true parentage at such an early age, she learned to accept herself/identity and made peace with it. that's another thing that could've caused the nexus event between the two, they had found self-acceptance even at just the brink of death. maybe they're supposed to do so but later in their lives in their own timelines so that's why it's enough to destroy the TVA as mobius hinted at earlier. happy that sylvie decided to keep ravonna for information so i expect the next episode to have them in ravonna's office or still in the timekeeper chambers as ravonna tells us what is going on.

THE TIMEKEEPERS | when sylvie beheads the central timekeeper, we learn that they're mindless androids. it never ends, there's no throne to sit upon after killing them so it seems. it was all just a giant hoax but this further feeds into my personal theory that kang, one way or another, is behind all of this. what i find really interesting is how the other two timekeepers laugh when sylvie beheads one. whoever is behind controlling the fake androids, they have a way to see what is happening and communicate in real time with the TVA agents and variants. hopefully in the final two episodes we see what the hell is going on and how the TVA came to be and why.

LOKI POST CREDIT SCENE | so apparently, loki isn't reset or something of the sorts. he's actually sent to another world. i believe this is an alternate new york where we'll see president loki as you can see the remains of the old avengers tower. this makes me think about mobius' fate to be similar to loki's; possibly sent to either the same place or a similar world. we see three human new lokis here. from the credits, we have classic loki (richard e. grant), kid loki (jack veal), and boastful loki (deobia oparei). apparently there's also a crocodile!loki and i'm here for it. can't wait to see how our favorite variant gets out of it next week!

oh god, this was so rusty and unorganized but hope if whoever reads this can somewhat understand the points i'm trying to get across.

[discoscoob]

"What Loki got wrong – and Doctor Who got right Redeeming a villainous character isn’t easy but the Disney Plus series could pick up a few tips from the BBC’s flagship series.

We all love Loki – the God of Mischief, Lord of Chaos, a wannabe tyrant and murderer with a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step. So where on Earth (or rather, in the multiverse) did he go during his eponymous Disney Plus series? When Loki was first proposed, I was intrigued to see a Marvel spin-off that focused on an amoral, self-serving character. But over the course of its six episodes, we saw Tom Hiddleston abruptly deliver a reverse heel-turn, transforming a character that had always skirted in grey areas of villainy into a fairly bland, heroic type who just wanted to save the universe.In the final episode, Loki was offered the chance at universal war and chaos, a throne or a quiet home life in the background. The mind boggles that someone who tried to rule the planet just a few weeks before and apparently revelled in disorder would so quickly plump for the third option, no matter how nice his new friends were. .Maybe Loki needs more ‘good’ characters to bounce off for him to play the fun bad boy, as he had in the Thor movies. Maybe creating a Marvel series with a morally ambiguous lead, à la Rick and Morty, was never on the cards. But there was a way that Loki could have redeemed its central character without completely compromising what made him interesting in the first place. In fact, it’s been done before in a different series.A few times over the course of Loki, viewers had compared it to Doctor Who, mainly because of its general time-travel premise (what are the officious TVA except Time Lords with a dental plan?) and especially after episode three saw Loki and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) trapped on a dying world. In fact, many commented that Loki did ‘Doctor Who’ better than Doctor Who itself, thanks to a higher budget and bigger stars. (Though did Loki have a sonic screwdriver? I think not. Case closed.)And I actually think Loki could learn something from Doctor Who, more specifically, from a storyline that saw an iconic villain try to change their ways with Cast your mind back to 2017 and Peter Capaldi’s final series as the Twelfth Doctor. A major throughline of those episodes was the Doctor’s attempt to redeem his old nemesis The Master, then played by Michelle Gomez as Missy. Initially reluctant (and not before a few final backstabs), Missy did end up playing the hero, only to be cut down by an alternate version of herself (AKA her predecessor in the regenerating role, John Simm) before she could reveal to the Doctor that she’d finally come over to his side.Crucially, during this process Missy was often as unpleasant, irascible and darkly funny as she’d ever been at her most villainous, regularly still insulting and belittling the Doctor and his friends even as she did gain more empathy and something of a moral code. She didn’t just completely gain a new personality, in other words, and the story was more moving and believable as a result.Of course, Loki is changed by what happens to him over the course of his series – the “journey” he goes on, as Jonathan Majors’ He Who Remains puts it, is needed to put him in the position where he’s willing to take over the TVA himself. But what we see him go through on screen doesn’t feel like enough to justify such a change in the character – or why the show would choose to make him so much less entertaining.If Loki had always been how he appeared in the finale, he wouldn’t have lasted as long as he has in the MCU, let alone get his own spin-off. Make Loki fun again! It probably doesn’t help that we’ve seen an onscreen version of Loki’s journey already which did a better job, with the ‘older’/original Loki’s arc in 2017 Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok making a much better case for his gradual turn from self-interest to semi-heroism, though still with a trademark blend of arrogance and style (including bellowing “Your saviour is here!” as he rescued the people of Asgard).Maybe it helps that, in that film, he plays second fiddle to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Maybe Missy’s story only worked in Doctor Who because she wasn’t the main character, and similarly had the good

Doctor to bounce off (though if someone does want to make a Missy TV show, I’m in).Whatever the reasoning, something still feels a little off about this newly heroic Loki variant. Time for, if not a pruning, then at least a bit of a redirection if season two is going to find its glorious purpose"

reading this article rolling my eyes first off Missy went by a different name, also was not really a redemption of the master but that version of the master e.g missy which still don't know where this version is suppose to happen cause imo missy was the master but unlike the master had more redemptive qualities, wanting to be the doctors friend again/wanting to change but never getting the chance/past version didn't want to change, while this version feels like always on a path of redemption to the be killed off and the master comes back still evil, most likely missy version of the master will never be mentioned again/ never see this version again. also have they watched the Loki show, he literally learns he dies in the future, his stuck in a unfamiliar place by a very powerful organisation, also his self serving persona has always been a façade mostly, people can suddenly want to change which imo Loki hasn't really wanted to as Thor as pointed out about him going round in circles and him never seem to want to change in Ragnarok he was still not really change even though he shown he can be a better person, he also betrayed thor show still self serving. but Loki in the series makes sense his perception would change, his lost him home, his free will, Thor, learns he died/dies, and can't back to his timeline, but find it unbelieveable that Loki whole attitude would change... i think people need to pay more attention/don't really understand Loki, also he is still fun 3 episodes in just because his not acting like a clown and shown to be vulnerable and shown be more genuine and wanting be a hero doesn't mean they completely stripped his personality, hopefully we see his fun personality back next series. the reason he lasted in MCU so long is not just because his fun etc but because his a complex character, if i remember correct his fun personality didn't really come out until the dark world and then ragonorak in Thor he was angry and bitter and avengers was angry and bitter and wanting to rule earth. also we saw his fun personality up until episode 3 as slowly began to stop clowning around and become more genuine through Sylvie, also good friends didn't just change Loki, it was already in there it was a journey he always destined to go down as saw in the films which now some what reset in the series for another journey but thing is Mobius and Sylvie not just better Loki but his also bettered Mobius and Sylvie, also makes sense he change his self serving behaviour as learns even gets the throne or what he thought was his glory purpose he still not be truly happy, just like Sylvie and just like Mobius at The TVA. i feel some just don't really go into who Loki character is or just like his boring now if his not there being smug or clown or him finally actually being genuine = bad telling of redemption ok *rolls eyes*

I 100% agree! Reading that made me roll my eyes too, until I got to your part of the anon, that was a relief to read.

[lifeofroos]

Masterlist of retellings/fanworks:

This list is seperated by category, with a short summary of each story beneath the title. The older the story, the higher it is listed in the category. So for the newest, probably best stories, look at the very end! 

Greek Mythology:

Much too lovely a night for commitment: 

Apollo got himself drunk (Or, as he calls it, ‘a little tipsy’). Dionysus decides its time for him to take a break and they end up talking.  

I am not necesserialy asking for your blessing (But I'd love to get it):

Artemis' afternoon rest is disrupted by Ariadne, who has something to say. Artemis doesn't necessarily disagree, but...

The Night:

Ariadne wandered far into the forest at night. It makes Dionysus nervous, but she can't help but feel calm and in love.

Vultures:

Vultures, Athena called them. Enyo and Ares take a break from battle in the encampment. They have to kindly disagree with their sister.

Ghost Story:

Ariadne is awoken one night by a ghost girl named Cora. They keep meeting again and again, through different stages in their lives.

The girl who likes dogs: 

Hades needs someone to walk his dog a few days per week. He asks Persephone to do it, as she walks more people's dogs. Yet, that might not be the only reason he asked her...

Back: 

Dionysus thought it would be impossible to get his beloved Ariadne back. When she is there again, in front of him, he thinks it can't be real. There is no way he can just hold her now, and love her again...

The Queenly Ghost:

Ariadne raises the spirit of Pasiphae, her mother. Although she isn't sure exactly what to say, she knows she has to say something.

I Hope For The Future:

Hades comes to the surface for a moment to have a chat with Demeter. They are still new to their domains and it is unsure who their allies will be. They hope it'll be each other.

The Story Of Tonight:

They should have held back Artemis, Apollo and Hermes before they climbed onto the buffet table. Now that they are already drunkenly singing, it is a little too late, don't you think?

I’ve Got A Proposal:

Usually, Dionysus tends to be quite smooth. Not when asking the woman he finds the best if she wants to marry him, though.

Test Of Courage: 

Dionysus and Hephaestus are nearing Olympus, meaning the end of their quest is in sight. Hephaestus wonders whether he'll dare to complete the mission when the time is there. Dionysus tries to show him he probably will.

I Told Him To Try A Little Harder:

Zeus wants Hera as his queen. Hera wants Zeus to prove he really thinks she is worth his efforts, with something big. Something unexpected.

Hide (Just a little longer):

Hera will be the queen of the universe, with her husband Zeus as the king. There is no denying it. Yet, she would like to keep it under the covers for a little longer - until she knows she finds the courage to tell her mother.

Give Me Anything But The Giraffes:

During his meanderings, Dionysus came to Africa, too. Without his army, he trecks further south into the country. A guide helps him over the savanah, where they meet some creatures Dionysus hopes he'll never encounter again.

The Walk: 

Aglaia loves Hephaestus and the other way around. Yet, so shortly after Aphrodite left, they don't know what to do about it. Maybe it's better that way. It means they can slowly discover their love instead of crashing into it.

Right Hand Men:

In order to create a destructive power the world has never seen before, Ares and Enyo decide to get married. Right now, at this very moment.

Kiss Me Not (Yet):

Ariadne wants to kiss Dionysus, she really does. Yet when she tries, all she can do is recoil. All Dionysus wants is for her to feel comfortable.

Mind and Matter:

Hephaestus never expected Athena to show up to his forge ever again. When she is there anyway, it takes little for the tears to come out.

For I Am Not A Weapon To Be Wielded:

Phaedra can hardly accept the feelings she got for Hippolytus. She starts to wonder why she has them and soon enough, she decides she doesn't want to be a weapon of the gods anymore. A retelling of Phaedra's story. Because I stuck to the source material, I can only advise viewer discression. Contains themes of suicide.

Mom Isn’t That Angry:

After Dionysus hasn't been seen on Olympus for a long time, Athena is send out to find him. She does, in a sleeping bag somewhere in the middle of nowhere, healing from injury. She decides to sit by and hold his hand until he feels better. Sometimes, it's the wisest thing a person can do.

I wish I could keep him:

Due to the danger on Olympus, Zeus gives Dionysus to Persephone, so she can raise him in secret for some time. When spring comes, he needs to come with her. She can't help but hope that she can keep him, just slightly longer, even though she knows the danger makes her hope idle.

Egyptian Mythology:

Two-faced:

Set killed Osiris. When Isis left to search for him, she left her son Horus drifting down the Nile. How big is the chance that Sets' wife Nephthys finds him? She takes him in, but whenever Sets' with her, she can't tell: Does he know, or not? And what does this mean for the baby, or more importantly, for them?

Riordanverse:

Hotel Walhalla’s weird activities to the death:

We all know of sword-fighting, spear-throwing, and yoga to the death. Yet, what other weird, totally peaceful activities have they managed to make dangerous in hotel Valhalla?

Percy Jackson one-shots: 

In this book, I write Percy Jackson one-shots. Most of them were previously uploaded on my FanFiction and Wattpad account, but I decided to transfer them here as well! ! I write romance, random headcannons and ideas, cute stuff and funny ideas (No angst, very bloody stuff or anything like that). The One-shots get better in quality further in the book. The first ones are not amazing, but I added them to be complete. Update: I have decided to stop writig one-shots, but all of these stay right where they are!

At Least He Got The Minotaur:

Percy has just arrived in camp. A camper runs to Chiron and Dionysus to tell them. The camp directors are more than a little surprised at the news that a new, young camper could defeat a minotaur. It couldn't be the prophecy, could it?

There are always reasons: 

Percy is in camp to meet with some friends. He seizes a chance to ask Dionysus about why the god released him from the Chrysler building, all those years ago. He gets a more profound answer than expected.

This Might Be Crazy:

Nico has some issues and needs help - even he agrees. He is just not really sure if Dionysus of all people will be able to help him. Or: A fic in which Nico gets therapy from Dionysus, learns to live again and regains control of his life, inspired by what was said in Tower of Nero. Updates every three days! This fic was nominated for the Solangelo awards 2021.

Elevators and Boys keep me awake:

Nico is going through a tough time. Luckily, he has his upstairs neighbour Dionysus to help him. Or: A Nico-gets-therapy-from-Dionysus-story, but in a mortal AU.

The Biters:

Short stories about Clarisse, told via those around her, ranging from when she was a little girl to getting claimed to getting a boyfriend and becoming a hero.

A Question:

Nico figures out Will went to Dionysus a couple of times, with questions about how to make his boyfriend feel more comfortable. Nico finds it adorable, really.

 Loki (2021):

Maltesers: 

Loki notices Mobius carrying a bag with a sweet scent coming off of it. Perhaps he would like to try some of that, too.

See You later, Alligator: 

Loki is bored on Asgard. On a wim, he decided to transform a few things in his room into animals. After all, what can come from that except for some harmless fun?

Bohemian Rhapsody, or: Misschief on ice

Finding out that Loki can figure skate is one. Finding out that he has qualified himself for a world championship is in a whole other ballpark. Still, Mobius and Sylvie support him to the best of their abilities. Even when Loki decides to skate by his own rules.

Whoever you are:

Loki is gender fluid. Before they knew Mobius, they casually slipped in and out of different looks, whatever felt right at the moment. When they began dating, it suddenly felt so weird. Mobius tells them he'll love them, no matter who they are.

Rangers’ Apprentice:

High school could go many ways:  

 For a group of five orphans, the time for high school has come. Will is determined to get onto a sports team. Yet, is that truly what he wants, or has he been putting up an act for himself?

During all of this I have one question: 

Crowley has an idea and plays a prank on Gilan and Halt. They handle the situation quite well, I would say.

KoFi - AO3 

[aliypop]

And So It Starts Chap 5

Wordcount: 1,365

Warning SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 6

A/N : Welp guys this is the last chapter so tell me how you like it! I plan to do more with Astrid! as well as more stuff with her sister as well! 

"We... did it? You did it. That was amazing!" Loki kissed Astrid, "Where has that magic been!" "Hidden... like this house..." Sylvie mumbled, watching Astrid 2.0. look back to where the void was, "Anyone wants to kick the door down..." Astrid asked as they all stood there, "Because we're all just standing, and it's a bit anticlimactic." she mumbled as Sylvie looked back,

"I got pruned before you existed. I have been waiting for this moment my entire life. I  need a second to get my head straight..." She smiled at Loki, who shrugged, "Sure, of course..." As the doors opened up, Astrid, Loki, Sylvie, and Astrid 2.0. stepped into the secluded mansion that stood at the end of time. "You know this is how people die... in movies..." Astrid turned to look back at the door as it abruptly shut.

"Congratulations, Y'all had a long journey to get here," Miss Minute popped up, "He's impressed." "Who's impressed?" "He who remains." she smiled. "And who is he." "He created all. He controls all. In the end, it is only he who remains, And he offers you a deal. " "A deal?

"He's been making a few creative adjustments, and he's worked it out so we can  reinsert you all back into the timeline without disrupting things."   Miss Minute smiled, "That sounds absurd..." Astrid said, her hands on her hips as Miss Minute sighed, "The TVA can keep doing its vital work, and Y'all can live the lives you've always wanted..." she leaned in as Loki and Astrid stepped back, "And what have we always wanted?" Loki asked, curious as to what she'd say."Now don't play coy with me, mister. You know how you got into this mess." she laughed, "What..." Loki looked a bit offended. "The battle of New York, silly you versus those self-righteous Avengers," she grinned as Astrid giggled at him, "Oh, and don't get me started on you, little Ms. ended up in a sitcom." Astrid looked at her as she grumbled, "Now, how would you like to win? But not just there. You can kill Thanos. Do you want the infinity gauntlet? Yours. Throne of Asgard. No problem. And you dear, The throne of Vanaheim, or the love of your mother, perhaps even that big Asgardian wedding you wanted," Astrid leaned into Loki as she almost took the offer, "And you Missy? Just a lifetime of happy memories..." "Together in the same timeline..." "It's crazy, but he could make it work. All of it everything the way you've always wanted it together. She smiled. "It's fiction." Sylvie laughed, "We write our destiny." Loki said, "Good luck with that..."  Miss Minute laughed as she vanished, Astrid was still stuck on having the life she had always wanted, the admiration and the throne, but it wasn't the time to dwell on it. "He who remains..." Loki questioned. "Not for very much longer..." "Are we sure he's still alive..." Asked Astrid as they kept walking. "I mean, he could be dead..." she laughed until a shadowy figure appeared,

"This is wild two Loki's same person... I mean, it's a little unnatural, but wow! Wild an Astrid too. I haven't seen one of those in like years..." "He who remains ..." "She still calls me that, Creepy? Right, but I like it." he smiled, going into his elevator, "What am I not what you were expecting, hmm?" he turned to look at Loki as Astrid just sat, "You're just a man..." he said a bit confused, "Flesh and blood don't tell me I'm a disappointment I know Astrid knows a lot about that." he smiled a sword now in her hands, "Just a bit easier to kill," Sylvie smirked, trying to stab him as he phased around the room. The Three eventually making it to his office space. "Been a long journey for you, hasn't it?  A lot running lots of pain,"  Kang asked, pouring cups of tea, "And you a flea on the back of a dragon on one hell of a ride, but you managed to hang on. I guess that counts for something." He shrugged, "And Astrid, a fine worker who'd do anything to betray the sacred timeline and for what... " he sighed, "Look, we found you, and you lose."Loki smiled, "It's simple as that." "Duh, of course, you did." He took a bite of his apple." See, you can't kill me because I already know what's going to happen..."  Kang smiled, "It's a parlor trick..."Loki snarled, "I beg to differ..." Astrid mumbled, "I'd listen to her. She's seen things you two can't even comprehend!" Kang sat on top of his desk as both Sylvie and Loki looked at him confused,

"You see, I know it all, seen it all, even everything on Lamentis, all the stuff the TVA doesn't even know about, I know! The scheming and the talking." He then looked at Astrid, "The little look by the lake, sentimental, touching stuff." he smiled, "We broke out your little game." Sylvie "Oh no, you see, every step you took, I paved the road Lamentis, the void, you all walked down it." he shrugged. "So it's a game..." Astrid asked, her legs crossed,  "This all needs to happen..." he shrugged, "Tell you what, Sylvie do you think you could trust these two..." Kang asked as Sylvie looked between the two. As Astrid's curls begun to get frizzy from the humidity of the end of time, "Don't listen to him..." Loki snapped, "Do you think you could trust anyone at all..." Kang looked at Astrid, giving her a hair tie. "You're gonna need this." he winked, handing them cups of tea, Astrid blushing at the gesture. What seemed like hours had passed as the three sat looking at the holder of time.

 "We're all villains here. We've done horrible, terrible, horrific things. But now we, you have the chance to do good."

Astrid scoffed at his remark, "I prefer the word anti-hero..." "Yeah, anti-heroes don't try to stab their older sisters because mommy loves them more..." he took another bite of his apple as Astrid tried to lunge at him, "You know I just love all this honesty..." He laughed, watching as Loki held her back. Sylvie had her blade ready to kill Kang. In an instant, Loki sighed as he stood up to stop her, "What are you doing..." She growled "Sylvie hang on, let's just talk about it..." "How about we finish what we started." "And kill him no..." Astrid turned to face them. "You think he's telling the truth..." Sylvie asked. While Kang just sat and watched, "Boogeymen popping up because we gave people free will!" she lunged at him, "He's a liar!" "So am I." Astrid caught the blade, a sword reappearing,

"You took Excalibur for yourself..." Kang asked, "Beautiful..."  he gasped as Astrid swung at Sylvie, her blade clashing onto the Loki variants. "Why are you not seeing this the same way..." she asked, getting closer to Astrid. Loki pulled her back as he used his powers as Sylvie took his dagger, "Because you can't trust me, and I can't be trusted." he tried shooting a green orb from his hand. "Then I guess we're in a pickle !" Astrid growled her blade's now at both their necks, "Maybe he's lying!" Loki shouted his blade near Sylvie's stomach, "Maybe he's not... " Astrid shrugged, "The cost of getting this wrong, however, is too great! " Loki sighed, "Fine, do it kill me. Take your throne!" Sylvie laughed as she turned to face Astrid, her head held back, ready to die, "No." Astrid sighed, "I've been where you are. I've felt what you feel, like you weren't good enough or that you don't belong, but..." she sighed, "Loki and I don't want to hurt you," Astrid sighed, "I just want you to be okay..." she held her face. Their foreheads pressed together, lips in a kiss, pain twinging in her stomach, Sylvie sent both Loki and Astrid away as she killed Kang.

"Astrid, what are you wearing..." "Astrid, it's absurd ..." "Darling... You're going to be late..." "Late for what..." "Our wedding." Loki smirked, "Damn you, Sylvie..."

[peachypaddys]

denis villeneuve is right btw. about marvel - an mcu stan.

i have been an mcu stan for ten years now, i joined after watching ca:tfa, and i 100% agree with what denis villeneuve said about the series.

don't kid yourself, don't lie to yourself. when these movies first came, the novelty they brought was different. an entire universe of comic book characters interacting with each other, with a storyline and character arcs spanning years and films. but now, they've kind of gotten stuck in a rut. producing formulaic films repeatedly. half the blame falls on the execs, and half of it falls on the fans.

okay the first part. recently, scott derrickson, the director of the first doctor strange film (which was one of the few ones that strayed away slightly from the formula, with an inventive conclusion) was replaced as the director of the multiverse of madness by sam raimi, citing 'creative differences'. this difference can be deduced, since derrickson had a vision to make a 'truly terrifying horror film' but feige insisted to fans that it would be family friendly. it's possible that derrickson had a novel plan for the franchise to bring in cosmic horror elements (which would have been SO GOOD done by him) and imagery that might have proven to be perhaps too scary for their child audiences.

that's my first point. disney, to keep its image of being kid-friendly, sacrifices new concepts and ideas and prefers sticking to it's formula to not alarm its younger demographic and/or get criticism from the pearl-clutching karen moms of many of these kids who would be scandalised to see their children watch 'unsuitable content' (queer rep included). "hero (preferably white het male) gains powers, clashes against evil, makes a few quips and fights against a villain in an epic cgi final battle" almost EVERY marvel film/series has followed this structure. no seriously, pause and think. the only ones that come to my mind that haven't is doctor strange (it's cgi, but instead of fighting, strange tricks the evil) and civil war (which ends with a small scale battle of ideologies between heroes).

BUT! here is where the second point comes in. the fans. the fans won't let them change.

when i watched the finale of loki, i went in expecting loki and sylvie to have a huge magic showdown with whoever the big bad was. but my expectations were subverted. and instead of a huge battle, we had a conversation. now i do have some qualms with how it did seem like an exposition dump but still. something else, instead of a fight. and then with that cliffhanger, i was bowled over and i felt genuinely fulfilled by the show (keeping aside the horrible representation). so what do i see when i go online? people saying the finale was 'anti-climactic' 'boring' 'snoozefest' and wishing they'd seen the lokis fight against kang...

when they TRY to do something different. the fans still won't let them! i read about everyone thinking black widow was amazing, and while i certainly didn't dislike it, i didn't feel fulfilled you know? because now, after TEN years of watching these films, i can predict every single move (i even predicted the ralph bohner thing in wandavision!)

the audience is lulled into a formula and just want to see the same things over and over again, and so disney doesn't even try new things in cinema (they have more liberty in the streaming platform). so all we get is the same cookie cutter film, just now with a different person in the lead role. and that's what denis villeneuve was talking about. and he's right.

i love these movies, they do give me comfort and have given me for ten years but i'm getting bored too. i do believe that eternals will have some unique charm to it, and can't wait to see how no way home can change the mcu; but story-wise, they've GOT TO serve more than just 'this hero from the comic now on screen'.