#just forget the part with Mobius disappearing

[ibenology]

I actually really really liked the scene with Loki going back to his first conversation with Mobius (in addition to the fact that faced with the question to kill Sylvie, his first thought was to ask Mobius about it)

Going back to the time and place where Mobius knew everything about Loki’s past, present and future, but this time the playing field is level, Loki also knowing everything about Mobius’ past, present and future. I really liked it

[holdmytesseract]

Dream or Nightmare?

°☆• Part 2 of Illusions •☆°

Loki Laufeyson x fem!Reader

Summary: Time passes - and Loki just can't forget you. What if he meets you again, but it doesn't turn out how he wished it would? Is there still hope for a happy end?

Warnings: angst - still quite a lot, but also fluff!

Word Count: 5,1k

a/n: I actually didn't plan to write a part 2, but well... Here we are - and I absolutely love it! 😊 Huge thanks to @hadesbabygurl and @smolvenger , who gave me the groundbreaking idea(s)! 😁

I hope this part makes y'all happy! 🧡

Tags:

@lady-rose-moon @huntress-artemiss @muddyorbsblr @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @chennqingg @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @theaudacitytowrite @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @asgards-princess-of-mischief @eleniblue @vanilla-daydreaming @valencia-rou @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @loz-3 @fictive-sl0th @bunny24sstuff @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @lovingchoices14 @linaax @mochie85 @goblingirlsarah @glitchquake (continuing in the comments)

Masterlist °☆• Loki Masterlist

Time was passing fast - as fast as it could tick by while being 'stuck' at the TVA.

A lot had happened.

Mobius and Loki became best friends, first and foremost. They learned to trust each other and how to work together. Ravonna Renslayer disappeared - only the Norns knew where to, and the 'Time Keepers' had been overthrown and were now replaced by a council - for which everybody who wanted could vote. All of the workers knew now, that they were variants. It was chaotic and messy at first, but Loki and Mobius offered them to get their memories back - which took an awful lot of time, but it was worth it. Friends found each other again, just like family members, couples, classmates - hel, even neighbours.

It was part of the compromise.

For the safety of the time line everybody must stay at the TVA. Time lines still had to be reset, because everybody realised that there were only two ways... Strict order or complete chaos. Sure, it was cruel and unfair, but life just wasn't.

Unlike before, though, variants didn't get pruned as before. They got a thoroughly detailed explanation what was happening and how thinks worked here. They got offered a job. A home to stay. A chance to reunite with other variants they might know. A new life.

And the concept worked.

"Are you still thinking about her?" Mobius' voice urged to Loki's ears, as they sat across from each other in their lunch break; eating a slice of cake for dessert. Well... Mobius ate it. Loki was more or less absent-mindedly poking around with a fork in the poor deliciousness. At Mobius' words, though, he stopped and looked up; being snapped out of his thoughts.

The god sighed; "I think about her every day, Mobius." shaking his head. "I can't forget. Neither the memories, nor what could've been. And especially not Y/N." Like so often, when Loki's brain put him through the torturous memories of what had happend quite a while ago, here, in the TVA, as Mobius threw him inside his very own sweet, cruel dream, tears started to form in his eyes.

Mobius' eyes softened. He felt for his friend and was truly sorry about this tragedy. "I know you can't - and I'm so sorry. I was the one who put you through this." Once again, Loki shook his head. "You couldn't know. Stop blaming yourself." "Says you."

That caused the faintest of smiles to dart over the god's face. It didn't last, though.

"Sometimes I wish I could forget, you know. Get rid of all the heartache and pain. Stop getting tortured, but..." He swallowed hard; trying to hold back the tears. "All I have left of her are my memories." In vain. A single tear was running down his cheek and dripping onto the wooden surface of the table. "But I'd rather die than losing my memories of Y/N. It's a curse. A doom loop."

Mobius sighed. "I wish I could help you... Bring her somehow to you, but... I can't." "I know, Mobius... I know..." Silence spread between the two men, but before Loki could fall deeper into the dark hole which was his own mind, the agent decided to get him - like so often out of it.

"Come on," he said; standing up. "Let's keep on working. Still got a lot to do." Loki agreed and stood up as well. They both cleaned up their place and left the cafeteria, in order to keep on working.

"I see you tomorrow." Loki nodded; giving his friend a faint smile and turned to walk away. "And hey!" The god stopped in his tracks; facing Mobius once more. "Don't think too much. I know it's hard, but... Try it, okay?" "Yeah..." "Good."

Loki's and Mobius' shift had actually ended over an hour ago, but the two worked a bit overtime; keeping Loki distracted and to get some more work done. Now, the god was on his way home, when suddenly B-15 appeared beside Loki.

"Loki."

He stopped; turning to talk to his friend. "Oh, hey B. You good?" She smiled; giving him a nod. "Sure. You, too?" The god faked a smile and nodded. "How's work going?" "Good, but, uh, I'm in a bit of a hurry and... Can you do me a favour?" Anything to distract myself. "Of course, sure. I've got time." Loki shrugged his shoulders and buried his hands in his brown work trousers. "What do you want me to do?"

B-15 held up her TemPad. "Can you bring this to the Repairs & Advancements department?" The god took the TemPad. "Sure. Um, where do I find the department? I think I've never been there."

After B-15 described Loki how he'd get to his next destination, she thanked her friend and left.

Loki headed down several hallways, before he stepped into the elevator; pressing the lowest button. It took the machine a whole while to get him on this very floor. It felt like an eternity for him - but ultimately, the familiar 'ding' tone echoed through the small space and the doors slid open. They revealed a long, high hallway with mint green cabinets lining the right side of the hallway. A lot of different things were stacked on said cabinets.

Loki gazed around; scanning his surroundings. It looked kind of... messy. Chaotic.

Hesitatingly, he stepped out of the elevator and walked cautiously down the hallway. Am I right here? He saw nobody else. Not a single soul. Sure, the lights were on; actually creating a bright and somehow cosy atmosphere, but... Nevertheless was this all a bit creepy. The god kept on walking, until he reached a room. That must be it. Hunter said the first room on the left.

He stepped inside. The room was big, high, utterly chaotic and yet organised. Big kind of racks lined the sidewalls; every shelf filled to the brim. In the middle was a huge oval-shaped counter with several things and stuff laying around on it. Most of them Loki even couldn't name. And whatever it was that hung from the ceiling, Loki had never seen something similar before.

Nobody was to be seen - or well... That's how it seemed. He stepped forward, until he reached the counter - on which stood written in big, black letters: Repairs & Advancements. Must be right, then.

"Hello?"

No answer.

"Hellooo?! Somebody here?!"

Again, Loki received no answer. He waited a few moments; let a few minutes pass - but nothing.

"Why would Hunter send me to this place, if nobody is even here?" Loki said out loud - more to himself; frowning. Shrugging his shoulders, he just placed the TemPad on the counter in front of him and turned to leave - only to completely freeze in motion mere seconds later.

"Wait, wait! I'm here, I'm here! Hello! Don't leave!" A female voice suddenly echoed through the big room; followed by some loud noises. Loki froze in place. He knew that voice. It was all too familiar to him. He didn't hear it in a painfully long time - only in his head; and he thought he'd never hear it again... You. It was your voice.

Loki felt like he was struck by lightning and hit by a truck at the same time. His mind and emotions were running wild. Was this... reality? Could this be true? Or was it again just a cruel illusion? Or by the Norns, did he go mad? Was it all just in his head?

He didn't dare to turn around. Too afraid to be disappointed and heartbroken again, but also curious at the same time; his heart already screaming at him to run to you.

"Apologies! I didn't have a visitor in, uhhh, was it 200 or 300 years... Anyways, please don't go! How can I help you?" There was your voice again. But closer. And Loki couldn't help himself, but to turn around. His head fighting a battle against his heart, which was already lost the moment he heard you call out for the first time.

So, he turned around, slowly; facing the counter once again. His breath hitched in his throat; eyes widening and jaw slacking. Every muscle in his body tensed, but also lost control at the same time.

There you stood, behind the counter with that beautiful kind smile on your face. Your hair was bound together in a messy bun with a few loose strands framing your face. You wore some kind of brown, beige and green overall and looked like a... mechanic?

Tears started to pool in the god's eyes.

"Y-Y/N?" He halfway sobbed; voice hoarse. "A-Are you... Are you real? I-Is this... r-real?"

You frowned; scrunched your nose in the cutest way possible. "I, uh, I think you confuse me with somebody else. My name is Ouroborus, not Y/N - but you can call me O.B."

Loki's facial expression derailed. It felt like getting Hulk-smashed full force - until realisation hit him. She doesn't remember... Of course, she doesn't remember! She's been brainwashed, just like the others.

Loki shook his head frantically, before making quick steps towards you. "No... Your name isn't Ouroborus - and you'll remember me in a few seconds, my love."

You frowned even more and absolutely didn't understand why that strange TVA worker suddenly touched your arm gently. He was gazing into your eyes like you meant the world to him - and you didn't know why. What is wrong with him and why is he so... desperate and shaken?

Shaking your head softly, you pulled your arm away; out of his gentle grasp. "I'm sorry, but, um... Do... Do we know each other?"

Loki's heart fell and shattered into a million pieces at the impact. She can't remember me... Why can't she remember me?! Still!

"W-What?" He breathed out; the tears starting to fall once again. "It can't be..." You could practically feel the desperation radiating off of him. "I-I don't understand, I... W-Why is it not working?"

You watched the strange man pace up and down; ruffling his wild raven curls. What a weird thing to happen... There you were, living your peaceful life, repairing several things the TVA workers send you, with nobody actually visiting you for hundreds of years and suddenly - out of the blue, there was this man and did... that? You honestly couldn't quite believe what was happening in front of your eyes, and yet you felt a wave of... sympathy for him. Compassion.

You got ripped from your thoughts, as you felt two warm, strong hands softly gripping the sides of your upper arms. You blinked, only to realise that the man was leaning over the counter; oceanic blue eyes seemingly staring straight into your soul.

"Y/N, please... Please tell me you can remember...."

He was so close that you were able to actually smell him. Leather; something fresh and fruity you couldn’t point out and a mix of sultry musk and charred wood.

You blinked; softly shaking your head.

"I-I don't, I-"

Loki dropped his hands abruptly with a frustrated, sad sigh and stepped back. His eyebrows slanted, as he lifted his hands to gesture at himself; fingertips literally digging themselves into the clothed flesh of his chest. "It's me, Y/N..."

So slowly, he was frightening you a bit. His sheer maniac frustration. He seemed to be obsessed... with you?

"Sir, I'm really sorry. I-I don't know what happened to you, or the person you are looking for, but I'm asking you to leave now. I'll take a look at that TemPad and send it back as soon as I repaired it."

Loki's body slumped; all hope leaving his body.

Days, weeks, months, years ago, you were so far and unreachable. Now you were so close suddenly, and yet still out of his reach. It wasn't fair.

Loki stumbled backwards, overwhelmed by the whole situation and your request for him to leave.

"I-I'm so sorry... So sorry..." The god mumbled, before literally turning on his heels and running; trying to escape the nightmare he had fallen into. Or was it a dream?

He ran to the elevator, pressing the button quickly; repeatedly - almost as if something was hunting him down. As soon as the doors shut close and the machinery started to move him upwards, Loki pressed himself against the brown wall; breathing heavily. He was completely beside himself; on the verge of losing his mind.

Did that just really happen?

Not knowing what to do, he absent-mindedly stumbled down the hallways of the TVA, until he landed on the doorstep of the little house of his best friend...

His fist hit the wooden door; begging for entrance. "Mobius..." And again. "Mobius, please... Open the door." No minute later, the grey-haired man with the moustache answered the god's pleas and opened up the door.

"Loki?" Mobius asked with a frown; still dressed in the familiar TVA shirt and trousers. His eyes settled on Loki. He saw the tears in his eyes... How puffy and red they were. He could tell that Loki was devastated and... traumatised? It alarmed the agent. He had never seen his friend like that before.

"What happened?!"

A single tear was running down the god's cheek. "She can't remember, Mobius. I-I tried to give her all the memories back, b-but she can't remember... It's not working!"

Loki's words confused Mobius. He hadn't a single clue what this was all about.

"Who, Loki? Who? What are you talking about?"

Loki stared aimlessly into distance; swallowing hard.

"Y/N..."

This confused the agent even more. And he was highly concerned; given the fact that his best friend seemed... disorientated and not quite himself...

Gently grabbing Loki by his shoulder, he urged him to step inside his house. "Come in." The god let himself get 'dragged' inside wordlessly; without any resistance. Mobius guided him to the kitchen; stopping in front of the small dining table and pulling back a chair. "Sit down, take a breath and tell me exactly what happend, okay?" Loki nodded; did what Mobius told him to do and sat down.

Loki needed a moment to sort his thoughts and process what he had just experienced - which wasn't quite easy...

"B-15... She- I met her on my way home after our shift. She asked me if I could bring her TemPad down to the Repairs & Advancements department a-and-" "The Repairs & Advancements department?" "Y-Yes?" Mobius shook his head; visibly trying to think. "I honestly don't know if I was ever down there... Perhaps... Perhaps not... And you went there?" Loki nodded; feeling his emotions get stuck in his throat again. "Yes. I-I found her, Mobius. She's there. S-She-" "Who? Who did you find?" The agent interrupted his friend.

Another tear rolled down the god's cheek; his heart rate picking up at the thought of you. "Y/N... My Y/N..." Mobius' eyes widened. "What?! Y/N? She's there? Here? In the TVA?" Loki nodded; a black curl falling into his face. "Yes, but... She... She can't remember, Mobius. I tried to give her back all the memories, but... It didn't work."

The agent frowned. "What do you mean it didn't work? It worked with everybody here. With every variant. And now you're telling me that Y/N is... immune to it?"

"Yes."

Mobius went silent; answered nothing, and strained Loki's patience with it.

"What am I going to do now, Mobius? I-I can't pretend this never happened. I can't just ignore her! This is the woman I love! My heart, body and soul are yearning for her! I-" "I know, I know," the agent interrupted his friend. "Take a deep breath. We're going to find a way, okay?" Loki nodded; followed his order.

"What if..." Mobius started; thinking. "What if it has something to do with your feelings for her? Could this change something in your magic? I mean... You don't have a past with every other variant here and barely know them, but Y/N is different." Loki shrugged his shoulders; still a bit overwhelmed. "I-I don't know... It shouldn't. After all, it worked with you and Hunter, too - and you are my friends. We do have a past."

Mobius sighed. "Point taken." Loki was right.

"Well, in that case... I currently can't think of another solution than making her fall in love with you again. Perhaps she remembers then."

Loki blinked. "Make her fall in love with me again? You mean... Woo her, take her out on dates and court her properly?" "Exactly."

The god swallowed hard. This was not how he hoped this would go, but what other choice did he have right now?

Loki needed a few days, until he set foot in the Repairs & Advancements department once again. His brain, but especially his heart had a hard time catching up with what was happening... You were constantly on his mind. All day long - and at night, he saw you in his dreams. It was even worse than before.

Now, he stepped cautiously down the lonely hallway towards you again, taking deep breaths. He decided to best start with an apology - and that was exactly what he wanted to do now.

"H-Hello?" Loki entered the big room. "O...Ouroborus?" It felt so wrong to call you by that name and not your real one. "I, uh, I came here to apologise! I didn't mean to scare you. It's just... I lost somebody who was very important to me and you reminded me of her." You suddenly appeared from behind the counter, smiling softly. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry you lost her. Sounds very hard to lose someone important..." The god swallowed again; noticing how hard it was to keep his feelings at bay and under control.

"It truly is. Again... My apologies." "You're forgiven-, uh... What's your name, actually?" You asked with a bubbly giggle. "Loki." "Well, then... You're forgiven, Loki." His name leaving your lips caused a shiver to run down his spine; butterflies running wild inside his belly.

"Thank you."

From that day on, Loki tried to spent as much time with you as possible, in order to test out Mobius' theory and hoping to make you fall in love with him again. He tried to be his funny, charming, mischievous self - but after a while he had the feeling, that he was not making any progress. He took you on 'date' after 'date' after 'date', but that was it. You'd always talk about work, colleagues and the TVA in general. It was not very often, that the conversations became a lot more personal. Loki really tried everything possible to woo you; always stayed positive and didn't give up hope, but the feeling he had was anything but good - and he should be proven right...

Being the gentleman Loki was, he always accompanied you home after each 'date' and made sure that you arrived safely - just like today.

You stopped in front of the small door, fishing out the keys of your handbag and turned the lock, before turning to face the man again. "Thank you, Loki," you said; giving him a soft smile; which he returned. "No need to thank me, dar- O.B. It's a privilege to accompany your date home." Your smile faltered a bit; almost impossible to see, but Loki caught it anyway. Did I say something wrong?

"Good night, Loki. Thanks for paying dinner." He gave you a court nod, "As I said... Privilege." and paused for a moment.

"Would you... Would you like to come over sometime next week? After work? I-I could cook something for us and we could enjoy the rest of the evening with a glass of wine on the sofa." Loki had never invited you to stay at his - until now, and therefore was he slightly nervous. He couldn't help himself. His heart forced him to make the next move; suffering already way too long. The vital organ felt like a decaying rose since you had re-entered the god's life...

Flowers need water to live - and your love was the water Loki's heart needed.

You swallowed hard; body tensing up visibly. Something shifted within your demeanour. He noticed.

"Loki, that... That's really very kind of you and a sweet idea..." Your words send his heart and hope skyrocketing. Could this be finally the moment I waited such a long time for? Like a fool blinded by love, he didn't notice the hesitant undertone in your voice.

"But, uhm... I'm really sorry to say that, 'cause you've been very generous and kind to me... Uhm... I know you try to impress me. And maybe you feel more than just friendship, but... I don't feel quite the same." You took a deep breath; your words felt like a painfully tight grip around the god's heart.

"You are very nice, but absolutely not the type of men I'm into. I, uh, don't want something romantically with you. Sorry..."

And his heart crumbled to dust underneath your hand; all hope came crashing down. Loki wanted to cry and scream from the agonising pain within his chest - but he didn't. Instead, he just nodded wordlessly. "I-I understand. Thank you for your honesty. Good night," he more or less rushed out, before he turned to quickly walk away, since the tears started to already form in his eyes. He had absolute no intention to break down right in front of you. He'd rather do that at home - and he did.

That night and the few nights which followed, the god more or less cried himself to sleep. The small spark of hope he had carried within his body was gone. Extinguished. Non-existent. Nothing was able to cheer him up. Neither his best friend, nor B-15 - who was shocked to learn that she had send her friend unknowingly back to the love of his life. The Norns knew they tried, but... In vain. Just like Hunter and Mobius had no solution for the memory problem...

Loki stopped visiting you. Took his distance; knowing very well that he couldn't just treat you like a friend.

Days turned into weeks, but it was the same like before... Loki couldn't forget you and especially his feelings for you. You seemed to follow him everywhere. He often dreamed of you. Almost every night. A thin line between torture and bliss - until one dream changed everything...

A young Loki came to stand beside his mother; the cape of his ceremonial armour gently billowing in the wind. "I can sense your happiness, son," Frigga started; turning her head to look at him. "I take it your attempts to woo Lady Y/N have been successful?"

Loki blushed in the deepest shades of red at his mother's words. "M-Mother, I, um, w-we..." The young prince stumbled over his own words, trying to explain himself, but the Queen only shook her head softly.

"No chance in denying, Loki. I saw the kiss you shared. And besides, I'm neither blind nor stupid. It was only a matter of time. But finally, we got that kiss." She winked - and Loki literally jumped up in his bed; wide awake. The dream triggered another memory, which had been locked deep down somewhere in his brain. His eyes widened.

A kiss...

Perhaps that was what it would take... A kiss.

Loki had remembered a bedtime story which his mother would tell him and Thor, back when they were small kids. Toddlers, perhaps even. The story was called 'Sleeping Beauty' - a Midgardian fairytale, in which a beautiful princess falls into a deep slumber due to an evil magic spell, and the only way to save her is, of course, true love. So, the handsome prince kisses her - and she awakes.

Isn't the TVA exactly the same somehow?

As stupid as it might sounded, Loki had to try. He'd try anything to get you back.

He jumped out of his bed; quickly slipping into his TVA clothes. A look on the watch told him, that he'd have to get up for work soon anyway, so he had some time to get to you, before his shift started. With a snap of his fingers was he ready to leave his small home; teeth brushed, raven locks tamed and body clean. Usually, he didn't use his seidr for this, but today...

Loki was almost running down the seemingly endless corridors of the TVA, before he reached the elevator and only a few moments later the Repairs & Advancements department. Confident and trusting in the brainwave he just had, the god strutted down the last hallway, separating him from you.

Entering the big, familiar room, he looked around; eyes searching you - and to his luck, he indeed found you. You were standing on the left, in front of the huge shelf, inspecting some... device. Not beating around the bush - and not losing any more precious time, he quickly stepped over to you.

You were deep in thoughts; focused on your work and task ahead. Once the approaching steps had gotten from your ears to your brain, it was already too late.

Being suddenly yanked into someone's arms caused a yelp to escape your lips. "Loki?!" You squeaked with eyes wide open; caught like a deer in the headlights. "What by the Timekeepers are you doing?! Let go of me! I told you I am not-"

The god had heard enough. Before you were able to protest more, he leaned in and captured your lips with his; pouring all his love for you in the kiss.

While Loki relished in the feeling of your soft lips after such a long time, you were shocked. Appalled. You told him he wasn't your type and yet he makes a move on you? How rude... You wanted to push him away and ask him what the fuck he thought he is doing.

You had already lifted your hands; ready to shove him away, when it happened... Your brain felt suddenly like it was about to explode; a dam on the verge of breaking - and it did. Memories exploded within your head like fireworks... Asgard. Your childhood. Your parents. The first time you saw Loki. The first words you exchanged. The beautiful friendship you had shared with him, which melted into your first kiss. You remembered. How he had made love to you for the first time. Every dance and laugh you shared. His proposal. Everything.

You felt relieved; free. It was like the fog in your brain had finally lifted and you could think clear again. You could finally see him.

Your heart threatened to burst from the sudden rush of happiness and love you felt. You had lost Loki, landed in the TVA, were forced to forget him - and suddenly... He was right in front of you.

But then you felt how Loki wanted to break the kiss again - something you couldn't allow him to do. Before he could part his lips from yours, you pulled him quickly back in; literally throwing yourself into his arms. Unbeknownst to you, flew the god's eyes open and widened to the size of plates at your movement. Surprised and shocked, he gave into the kiss; just enjoying the moment - until he had to take a breath.

Deep Y/E/C eyes gazed into his; a teary smile on your face. You slowly lifted your hands to cup his chiselled cheeks; feeling his skin underneath your fingertips after such a long time, sending shivers down your spine. "Loki..."

His name leaving your lips caused his heart to skip a beat, as realisation hit him.

"You remember me?"

You nodded quickly; running a hand gently through his raven curls.

Tears spilled from Loki's eyes like waterfalls as he lifted you up into his arms; spinning you in a circle. You yelped up in surprise, but giggled almost deliriously; wrapping your arms around his neck.

"At last, I finally have you back, my love. I'm so sorry it took me so long to find a way back to you, I should have-" You shook your head; shushing him. "Shhh, my prince. Not now. Don't blame yourself." You pressed your forehead against his. "We have a lot to catch up to, but... Let us enjoy this moment, please. Just... hold me. Let me feel your touch. I've been starving for way too long."

How could Loki possibly refuse your request? He smiled through his tears and wrapped you up securely in his arms; kissing you slow and tender.

"Hey, C-4, have you seen Lo- Oh my goodness. Am I dreaming?" Both, Mobius and the other TVA worker were staring at the end of the hallway. C-4 in confusion and Mobius in shock. "I, uh, don't know? What do you mean exactly, Mobi-" Clapping his fellow co-worker absent-mindedly on the shoulder; eyes fixated on what was happening in front of him, he moved on. "Thanks, C-4. I got this."

You and Loki walked towards Mobius; smiling brightly. Loki had slipped his fingers through yours, holding your hand tightly. Stopping halfway to wait for for his friend, the god couldn't help but to pull you into a gentle kiss, causing you to giggle.

"Loki?" Mobius asked; still not quite believing what his eyes saw. "Am I dreaming this? Is that..." He gestures towards you. Loki chuckled, nodding. "Y/N, yes... My Y/N." His friend smiled. "So... She can finally remember? She has her memories back?" He nodded again; feeling how a lump formed in his throat once more. Happy tears were ready to fall.

"Yes... Finally, she remembers." Loki turned to you. "Darling, this is Mobius. He's my best friend." You smiled at the man opposite of you, stretching out your hand. "Very happy to meet you, Mobius. I'd introduce myself, but I guess my man here did that already, so..." Mobius returned the smile; shaking your hand. "In all those years, the one thing he loved to talk about, was you. It was really sweet." You giggled at his words; seeing Loki blush.

"How did you get her to remember? I thought you couldn't?" Mobius asked, after swallowing the piece of cake. He had invited you to eat a slice of cake together, catching up a bit.

Both, you and Loki smiled lovingly at each other; hands still intertwined. You just couldn't leave your hands off of him - just like Loki couldn't leave his hands off of you. "Well..." You started. "He's my prince. And just like a prince, he kissed me awake." "Because I am your true love." "Just like I am yours."

Mobius' eyes widened. "What? Like in that fairytale? What was its name again?" "Sleeping Beauty," said Loki with a smile. "Yes! That's the one." His friend nodded.

"Exactly like that, Mobius. I kissed her awake - and now she's mine again."

[alterchaos]

REGROUP

Hiding away on a planet of fortune tellers, Eve and Cream decide to make small talk to pass the time. Soon, the others return, sharing what they learned in their battle against Zelkova. Can that which is broken be mended before it's too late...

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: A POINTLESS WAR

NEXT CHAPTER: UNSPOKEN TRUTHS

“...”

tap tap taptaptaptap

“Um…Miss Eve?”

“...”

taptaptaptaptap

“Chao chaoo?”

The teenager ruffled her hair in frustration.

“Rrrrrrgh! I give up!” She flopped the right side of her head down on the card table before her, groaning loudly as the heel of her foot finally ceased its endless tapping against the stony road, “You win again, Cream…”

The rabbit smiled menacingly as she took a few rings in some fake exchange of payment, “Hehehe! Thank you, Miss Eve!” 

“Chao chaooo!”

“Uuuuugh…”

The girl with the golden, disheveled hair stared out into the busy street from the café at which she sat with the small rabbit. Beings of varying sizes and colors loosely resembling the chaos on Sonic’s world milled about, conducting business from stall to stall throughout the market, mostly that of fortune telling. The hero in question had brought them all to a planet far removed from any territory the Metarex now occupied, one his younger brother had discovered by mistake through an advertisement he’d received while the rest of them had been sleeping. A couple of calls later and the fox had secured both lodging and supplies in case of emergency, something no one was to know about unless that time came. 

Well…Eve certainly knew how that turned out…

She was worried about them. Heck, they all were, Sonic especially. He’d been silent the entire ship ride, refusing to acknowledge his obvious fears despite everyone’s best efforts to offer support. Once they’d landed and got settled in, he’d simply disappeared into his room, only emerging occasionally to check on the rest of them, which anyone could tell by the swift gusts of wind every so often. Cosmo made it her mission to check in with him too despite his protests. Given how deeply she cared for Tails, looking after his brother was the least she could do in such a crazy and uncertain time. 

As for Eve, she’d found herself before his doorway more than a few times in the past week since they landed, but not once could she bring herself to knock. How could she? After the way she’d hurt him…

Just why did she have to flinch like that?

Eve frowned, releasing a small sigh.

“Miss Eve?” Cream leaned sideways into her friend’s view, “Are you okay?”

“...” The bandaged girl glanced to the side. She inhaled, raising her head with a frustrated, but ultimately defeated, glance, “Yeah…”

The small rabbit frowned, “I’m sure Mr. Chris and the others are alright. Mr. Tails knows what he’s doing.”

“...Yeah.” Eve looked back out towards the bustling marketplace, “Say, Cream?”

“Hm?”

“Your world…it’s called Mobius, right?”

Cream’s eyes widened in surprise, “Yes, though the part of Mobius we’re all from is called South Island. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just…I’ve been wondering lately…What’s it like? I know we spent peaceful times together back on Earth but…what do all of you usually do when there aren’t any bad guys to fight?”

Cream closed her eyes in deep thought, “Hmm…well…” She followed her friend’s gaze towards the marketplace, “It’s actually a lot like this. That’s probably why Mr. Tails sent us here to keep us safe.”

Eve’s eye sparkled slightly, “Woah…really?”

The rabbit smiled cheerfully at her friend’s more enthusiastic demeanor, “Yes. We even have a marketplace of our own where everyone shops for fresh food and materials, and where the occasional festival is held. Miss Amy always does the shopping before visiting Mama and I, and together we bake super delicious food like cake and pie and-oh!! I can’t forget the healthy foods like vegetable soup or baked fish! Mama would be disappointed if I only thought about sweets! Hehehe!”

“Chaooo!”

“...” The teen stared at her friend in awe. Nothing quite like that existed back on Earth, at least not in her life. She leaned in slightly, “What else is Mobius like? Do you have any large cities? What about South Island?”

“Well, our world lives in peace with the nature around us, all except the mean Dr. Eggman. He wants to hurt that in any way he can, which is why he and Mr. Sonic are always fighting. Even our cities are built to honor nature, but South Island doesn’t have any major ones. We just have lots of green hills and oceans and flower fields! Hehehe! That’s where I like to go to make flower crowns like Mama taught me!”

“Chao chao chao!”

“Really?” Though she tried to hide it somewhat, the human’s interests were piqued, “You mean kids aren’t expected to stay inside all day?”

“Not at all. As long as I’m home by supper, Mama lets me go outside to explore and play with the other kids!”

“And what about the adults? Don’t they have to work all day?”

Cream shook her head, “Mm mn…I mean, everyone gives a little something to help everyone. My Mama gives away her baked goods for rings and other things she needs while someone like Mr. Tails gives the town bridges and houses and other neat inventions.”

Eve stared at the smiling rabbit with wide eyes.

A life where her parents lived off of goodwill and favors only…

A life where they didn’t have to travel all the time for work…

Where she…didn’t have to be alone…

Where she…could be happy…

Could someone as flawed as her…

In a world like that…

“...belong?”

“Hm?”

Eve jolted, not realizing she’d muttered that last part out loud, “N-Nothing!!” She blinked a few times while looking back out towards the street in a panic. After a moment, she softened, thinking back to the moment all those years ago that this idea of life had opened up to her, “...What about Sonic? What does he do when he’s not saving the world?”

Cream’s eyes softened, happy to see that the teen was still thinking of the distressed hedgehog, “Well, he’s so much of a hero that everyone just gives him what he needs.”

Eve frowned slightly, having wanted to learn more about her friend outside of his heroic acts, “Really? Just like that?”

“Yes. Although, you can often find him giving what he gets to those less fortunate on his daily runs around the island. Mr. Tails already gets enough from his services to support the two of them and Mr. Knuckles up on Angel Island.”

Eve smiled, looking back towards the direction of their shelter, “Always the hero, huh?” 

“Yes, he is.”

“It’s just that maybe you shouldn’t rely on me to be the hero all the time!!!”

The human’s eyes turned regretful as she remembered his words. Her gaze fell on one of her bandaged hands, her heart aching as it did.

Why?

Why did she have to flinch?

All she wanted was to talk to him, to clear things up between them, but what if she just made things worse than she already had? 

She didn’t deserve him.

He deserved better.

So, so much bette-

“-!!!”

The girl with the golden hair jolted as she felt the rabbit’s gentle touch against her hand, “Cream…”

She smiled, “Miss Eve…Why don’t you just go and talk to him?”

“Huh?” She jolted once more before pulling her gaze away shamefully, “N-No…I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“You saw how he was that day on the ship! Cream…” A few tears sprung into her eyes, “He may blame himself for what happened but the truth is��i-it’s…it’s all my fault!” She couldn’t hold them back anymore, “I’m the one who made him feel that way! H-He…He wouldn’t be hurting so much right now if I hadn’t-”

“Miss Eve…” The teen froze, falling silent as she watched the kind rabbit, “Mama says that when we don’t talk to each other, we don’t really understand each other. Yes, our actions matter, but so do our words. If you told Mr. Sonic how you feel, I’m sure he’d listen just as much as you would. You two are friends after all!” She smiled sweetly.

Eve looked back at the shelter, “I’m scared, Cream…What if I just make things worse?”

“Well…” She winked, “How can you ever know if you never try?”

“...”

In that moment, the human’s world grew just a little bit brighter, the memory of the two of them sitting atop that hill near Station Square playing in her mind. They’d been through so much since then. Even if it was too late, for her to give up so easily now…

She smiled, courage filling her heart, “You know what? You’re right, Cream!” She pushed back her chair, standing up confidently, “I’ll go talk to him right now and set things right!”

Cheese pumped a triumphant fist in the air, “Chao chaooo!”

Cream joined in, “That’s the spirit, Miss Eve!”

Even if it didn’t do much…

Even if she’d have to leave him for Earth soon after…

To say goodbye to the idea of Mobius…

Of…everyone…

Forever…

…

No.

She couldn’t think about that right now.

She had a mission to fulfill.

She had to make sure he was okay before that time came to pas-

“Yo.”

Eve jolted at the familiar, deep voice. She, Cream, and Cheese turned in surprise, joy and relief flooding their hearts as their eyes fell upon the voice’s owner.

“KNUCKLES!!!”

The echidna raised his hand in a small wave, stumbling a bit though as the bandaged human rushed him for a hug, not caring about the sensitive state her arms were in, “Whoa! E-Easy there! You’re going to knock me over!”

“YOU’RE ALIVE!!!”

Cream jumped up, flapping her ears and floating cheerfully, “I knew Mr. Tails would keep everyone safe!”

“CHAO CHAO CHAOCHAOCHAOCHAO!!!!” Cheese raced in for a hug as well.

“Oof!” Knuckles squirmed a bit in his struggle against the human’s grip, “Okay okay!” He chuckled slightly, “I missed you guys too…”

“We all did.”

Eve’s unbandaged eye widened, tears flying as she raced towards the new voice.

“CHRIS!!!”

She hugged him.

Her older brother hugged back, “We’re all safe. Tails did great leading us through the battle.”

“I’m so happy…”

“Where is Mr. Tails now?”

A new voice entered the scene, “He’s with Sonic.”

Cosmo approached alongside the pink hedgehog, “They’ll join us once they’ve had the chance to catch up.”

Eve frowned as she recalled her mission, “You mean…we can’t see them right now?”

Amy frowned slightly as she recalled her fellow hedgehog’s frantic, distressed demeanor just before seeing his brother, “After everything that happened…” The image of the Blue Blur tackling the fox in a swift, tearful hug replayed as well, “Let’s just give them a moment to breathe.”

“Oh…” 

The disappointment in the girl’s voice was palpable, causing everyone to go silent for a moment as they figured out what to talk about next. 

Chris started, “I guess we should get the most important thing out of the way first.”

“Right.” Knuckles nodded before closing his eyes in remembrance, “Zelkova is dead.”

Everyone jolted in shock.

Eve began to sweat slightly as she recalled the horrors she witnessed aboard Narcissus’s base, “H-How…H-He’s a Metarex lord…or…was…H-How did you-?”

“He sacrificed himself in order to save me.”

“What?”

“That isn’t all.” Chris pulled up a map on his wrist communicator, “He gave us these coordinates. There, we should hopefully find the answers we’ve been looking for, including a way to stop them once and for all.”

Cosmo folded her arms, “And how do we know we can trust him?”

Knuckles’s head remained low in respect, “Believe me…We can trust him…” He opened his eyes, “When we were battling, we came to a deeper understanding of one another. I didn’t want to believe it at first either, but then the two of us fell into a fiery chasm. I tried to save him but…”

Everyone fell silent.

Knuckles continued, “That was when he decided to give me the coordinates and help me to safety. He…asked me to ensure personally that we stop the other Metarex…to help put an end to this war once and for all…I know I haven’t always been the greatest judge of character, but I know without a doubt he was being sincere. That I can promise each and every one of you.”

Cosmo continued to fold her arms, “...”

Eve closed her eyes, “I believe you, Knuckles.”

Cream pumped her fists, “So do I!”

“Chao chaooo!”

“Knuckles is right…” The fox approached the group with his older brother in tow, “We can’t let Zelkova’s sacrifice go to waste.”

“Mr. Tails!” 

“Chao chaochaochao!”

“...” Eve stared at the pair of brothers with wide eyes, her heart breaking at the sight of the blue hedgehog in particular. His messy quills were sticking out in multiple places, his disheveled and sweat-soaked bangs only adding to the chaos of his thinner-than-average figure. Dark shadows lined the pale, peachy fuzz underneath his tired emerald eyes, and his lips had settled comfortably into a small, despondent frown. He stared ahead, not focusing on anything in particular.

That is…until his gaze happened to lock with hers.

They stared at one another for a moment, speechless as their minds attempted to find the words. This was it. This was her chance to set things right. It was now or never. 

She began to reach out.

However…

BA-BUMP!

Seeing him like this now…

BA-BUMP!

What if…

BA-BUMP!

What if she said the wrong thing?

BA-BUMP!

Could she ever come back from such a mistake?

BA-BUMP!

Could he?

BA-BUMP!

BA-BUMP!

She…

She needed to plan her words carefully before addressing him…

That was why…despite how badly she wanted to say something in that fleeting moment…

Anything…

BA-BUMP!

Eve…was afraid…

Too afraid to ever hurt him like that again…

To destroy him…

BA-Bump…

The girl with the bandages lowered her hand, pulling her gaze sharply from his as her prior confidence slipped away. As she did, Sonic’s heart sank. 

Why?

Why did he ever dare to hope she’d say something?

She could never forgive him…

How could she?

After what he did to her…

The disheveled hedgehog’s ears pinned back against his head as he looked away in shame.

He could never forgive himself either…

“...”

“...”

Tails sighed. The rift between the two friends was still more than evident despite what he’d hoped would come of their trip away from the Blue Typhoon together. He debated whether he should call it out and do something more, but then he remembered Sonic’s panic when Knuckles had tried the same.

They all did.

That was why, even if it didn’t help, he had to give them the space until they were ready. More than that, he had to keep them all moving forward together as a team. It was his duty as their captain…

And as Sonic’s brother…

“We should prepare to head to the coordinates Zelkova gave us. I have a feeling there will be information there that will help give us an edge in the coming battle. Everyone good with that?”

Everyone nodded.

They could all feel it…

This was the final battle…

Either they succeeded in taking down the Metarex once and for all…

Or they died trying…

There was no turning back.

“Good. Then let’s do this.”

CHAPTER END

[dewdropreader]

10, 15, 29, 30, for AO3 wrapped- take your time 😂🍿

Okay, two weeks later! 😂

10. What work was the quickest to write?

As a whole it was my two under 1k words works Warm Fuzzies and Loki Friggason because I fought my urge to overthink them and wrote each of them in under a day (the latter being on a plane when none of my reading material saved properly so I needed to entertain myself, and my google docs didn’t work even offline so I started a new WIP in my notes based on a brief idea I remembered!)

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

The Cat Fic (Aka With You Through the Storms!) I mean it’s an ongoing fic but I’m still writing chapter 6 and planning the rest so it will very much be continuing on for the new year!

I have plenty of outlined ideas and documents (and the poor Boastful Loki fic that I’ve got so many bits for but not a complete fic!) that will also be coming with!

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Ahhh oh god that’s hard, I have a few faves but I’m also prone to forgetting things, so this answer may change if I remembered something else, but without combing through every single fic, when I just thought of one that was memorable that I loved, it would be one of two from Every Part of You, I think.

- “You,” Loki presses a long kiss to Mobius’ forehead, “are so much more,” a kiss against his nose, “beautiful, and vibrant” a kiss is pressed to his lips, almost reverent, “than you believe yourself to be,” a kiss against the edge of his jaw.

- “Every inch of you deserves to be worshiped, my love,” Loki whispers. He presses another long, drawn-out kiss to the top of Mobius’ chest, and then another, and another, continuing to press gentle kisses across the expanse of exposed skin, his nose nuzzling slightly into the minimal silvery hairs that have sprouted on his chest. “You are a work of art, so ethereally beautiful that I often wonder which deity created you so that I can visit them myself and thank them.

Like I said I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting or that I also enjoy, but when I just thought instinctively this section of that fic came to mind!

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

The fact that I was even able to do so much! I didn’t even start writing fics until February and now I have 28 one/two shots and an ongoing chapter fic, which is not as much as some but that’s like double the amount of fics I did in many years as a teenager and also falls in the year where I graduated college, moved (sort of twice with a temporary midpoint), and started a new job! So lots of other stuff going on, and I expected that maybe I’d lose interest in writing or the Loki series to the point where I’d stop entirely but my interest never even dimmed let alone disappeared! I’m very excited to see how my next full year will go, especially with season 2! So much potential!

Thank you for the ask and for all of your lovely support and chats this year!! 💕

[undiscovered-horizon]

Imagine being Loki's past lover. While he's captured by TVA and put into the Time Cell, they don't replay his memory with Sif: they make him watch you die over and over again.

Before Loki could protest or attempt to explain himself, Mobius used his tempad and the hunters pushed him through the just-opened orange portal.

The world around him changed. It was no longer the TVA facility, no, it was something he could recognize even in the most feverish of dreams. Truthfully, he always wished he could just forget that place, push those memories out of existence.

Loki stood in the middle of a burning, trashed market. He remembered well the reason: Odin promised to help a small kingdom under a siege, and so he sent both his sons and their friends into the battlefield. The distant sounds of fighting and screaming were ringing in his ears. Smoke and ash limited his vision.

"Are you okay?" A voice spoke behind him.

At that moment, his heart froze. If this was all just a well-fabricated illusion used to torture him, how did they get her voice so right? The little higher intonation each time she asked a question, the warmth and kindness that spilled from each word that left her mouth? What cursed sorcery could reconstruct her so perfectly?

"(Y/N)?" He asked sheepishly as he turned around.

She looked exactly as he remembered her: dirt and blood stuck to her face, hair wet from sweat. The angle of the scar on her cheek was too perfectly measured for all of this to be a simple illusion, a fabricated vision. Her golden armor and the spear in her hand reflected afternoon sunlight. He didn't remember that day to be as warm as it was now.

"Loki, is everything alright?" She asked.

It was cruel. There was nothing humane about making her speak his name. Searching for a demon that wouldn't shiver at such malice could be in vain. If he was wrong, and all that he was seeing and hearing now was but a mere illusion, the TVA was more cruel than should be possible.

"The west gate was freed. Not much until we win." She said with a hint of hope in her voice. But he knew, and perhaps this was the cruelest torture of all, that she will not win that battle. (Y/N) never knew the outcome of this pitiful war.

"You have to hide," he said suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's not safe, you have to hide."

"What's gotten into you, Loki? We're at war, of course we're not safe."

He wanted to tell her but he hesitated. If it's just an illusion, his words do not matter. They never did. And if that's how things were, the only thing left for him to do, was enjoy the little time he had left with you, even if it wasn't real. A mere pathetic fantasy was unequivocally better than the reality you were not a part of. He knew the worst moment was approaching, threatening to happen at any second.

"You were always the best," Loki whispered more to himself than to you.

And just then a loud whistle broke the silence around you and before either of you could even look around for its source, a spear pierced your chest, its head buried deep in the soil beneath your feet.

Your mouth was agape, threatening to spill a sound, a scream of agony, but none of it came: silent, with watery eyes, you looked at Loki one last time in your life.

Trails of red blood looked absolutely beautiful running down the golden armor.

Loki remembered that someone once said the world will not end with a bang but instead with a whimper. At that moment, staring at your pale face, did he finally understand what it meant: the world does not end abruptly, suddenly, but rather, it fades away, like the light in your eyes.

He clenched his fists and wanted to scream. You were dead, again. Loki knew it was a cruel torture when your impaled corpse disappeared but the barren market remained. He was stuck in a time loop, there was no doubt about that.

And although the world burned like Hell's lakes of fire, and although his rage knew no limit nor mercy, the flames will be quickly extinguished with the beginning of a new loop when he hears your soft voice call out to him again.

[mimisempai]

An eternity with you

Summary:

It's Mobius' birthday, and everyone seems to have forgotten him.  Mobius hides his pain.  Will Loki be able to save the day? Prompt request : In the fic, could it be like Mobius was hurt and angry with everyone and Loki because no one remembered his birthday, forgetting that Loki doesn't even know his birthday?

Notes:

Hoping that the result will be up to your expectations ^^ @koushiki-das ! Happy birthday !

On AO3

Rating G - 1396 words

This day had always been special for Mobius. 

But today, it wasn't just the fact that it was his birthday that made it special, but the fact that he would be celebrating it with the person who loved him, for the first time. All of his other birthdays he had spent alone, counting down the seconds at midnight until he was a year older, a year older in this universe.

"Mobius?" Loki's voice was still doused with sleep, but Mobius knew he had been awake for a long time.

"Mmm?" Mobius didn't open his eyes, preferring to snuggle closer to the warmth of Loki's body. "You should get up, or we'll be late at the TVA."

Mobius opened his eyes. Was Loki serious? At least he seemed to be. Could it be that he had forgotten? 

Mobius felt a wave of sadness wash over him and immediately looked away, biting his lip. He closed his eyes and counted to ten in silence before standing up and heading to the bathroom, forcing a smile on his face.

"Oh and Mobius?" Mobius turned, hopefully, when Loki said with a wink, "Don't take all the warm water."

It didn't take long for him to disappear into the shower and get lost in the hot water jet where he could pretend that it wasn't tears running down his face but the hot water of the shower because really, who would cry just because their lover had forgotten their birthday?

Two hours later, Mobius' mood had completely deteriorated, not a single person had wished him his birthday! Not a single person! C-90, B-15, Sylvie, all his former colleagues, nobody!

The only one who could have still done it was Casey, but he wasn't there today.

Every time he had crossed paths with Loki during the day, he had done everything he could to make sure that he didn't notice anything, hiding his pain behind his smiles, but tonight, as he was going home, alone, all he wanted to do was to go hide under his comforter and sleep to forget this day.

For his part Loki whistled as he put his things away in his locker, the day was finally over and he was looking forward to spending the evening with Mobius.

"Is it Mobius' birthday that makes you so happy? Did you plan a surprise for him? By the way, tell him I was sorry I wasn't there today to wish him."

"What?!" Loki turned to Casey who had just entered the locker room, "My Mobius has his birthday today?!"

"Oh no Loki, don't tell me you forgot."

Loki protested vehemently, "No, no I didn't forget, I just didn't know. You know how unusual our relationship is, we never really exchanged that kind of detail, especially since on Asgard we didn't really care about our birthdays because we are so long-lived. But back to Mobius. What am I going to do? I know my Mobius, something like that must have hurt him and he probably did everything to hide it."

Loki circled around in a panic.

Casey looked at him fondly and stopped him, "Loki, you still have some time to think about something, and then Mobius, when he finds out you didn't know, he'll forgive you. I'm sure he will."

Loki thought silently for a few moments and then exclaimed, "I've got it!" and pulling out his tempad, he opened a time door.

As he walked through it, he turned and looked affectionately at Casey, "I never told you this Casey, but I consider you one of my closest friends here. You've always treated me like a normal person and I never thanked you for that. A mistake I want to make good on today. Thank you... my friend." Loki bowed to a stunned Casey before walking through the time door.

At the same time, Frigga was surprised to see her son arrive through a timedoor while she was having dinner. 

Loki rushed to her and exclaimed, " Mother! I need you!"

A few moments later, Loki looked up to see what time it was before he entered the house, and sighed with relief that he was still right on time. When he walked through the door he thought Mobius had not come home because everything was dark. But he saw Mobius' things and was reassured. It was late, so Mobius must have gone to bed alone. 

Loki felt even more sorry. His poor love must have gone to bed thinking that Loki had forgotten his birthday.

He put down his jacket, took off his shoes and went straight to their bedroom. 

"Mobius?" he said softly in case his lover was asleep.

"Mmm." replied the voice muffled by the comforter.

Loki walked over and knelt down near where he thought Mobius' head was. He turned on the light from the bedside lamp and asked softly, "Would you get your head out from under there?"

After a few seconds, Mobius' head popped out from under the comforter and seeing his face Loki took him in his hands and said in an apologetic tone, "Oh my sweet love, I'm so sorry." and he kissed his reddened eyes.

Mobius shook his head, "No, no, I understand that my birthday is not important. I'm not important."

Loki put a finger over his mouth and said in a firm tone, "Don't ever say that again! You are important! You are the most important person in the entire universe for me and you need to know Mobius, I swear I didn't know it was your birthday! Casey told me that very night. How can you think I would forget the day the universe was graced with your presence? The day the love of my life was born."

He hadn't forgotten, he just didn't know.

Mobius let the wave of relief pass through him and his throat tightened, he couldn't stop a tear from flowing. Loki quickly gathered it with his lips before holding him tightly, whispering a litany of words of love and comfort. 

After a few moments, Loki stepped back a little and said, "Mobius...love, I only have a few minutes left before this day ends, so with all my heart, I wish you a happy birthday my love." 

Then he captured Mobius' lips and kissed him tenderly, before moving back again. Looking emotional, he resumed, "Mobius, while realizing that it was your birthday, I became acutely aware of the passage of time and I would like to offer you something special for your first birthday with me."

Mobius, touched that in such a short time, Loki had gone to the trouble of finding him a gift, kissed him on the forehead and said softly, "Thank you."

Loki smiled and said, "Don't thank me until you know what it is."

He took Mobius' hand and slipped something round into it, which felt like an... apple?

Not daring to hope, Mobius looked at what was in his hand and it was indeed an apple, but what struck him was its color, golden. He only knew of one sort of apple which has such a color, and looked up at Loki and asked, "Is this... what I think it is?"

Loki nodded and said with a voice full of emotion, "Mobius, for your birthday, I want to give you an eternity, an eternity with me. An eternity of birthdays together. An eternity of love?"

His eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke and Mobius made no attempt to hide his emotion either. When they kissed, their kiss tasted like their tears. When they caught their breath, Mobius moved back and said playfully, "You know that this sounded like a proposal?"

Loki swallowed then replied, a challenging look on his face, "So what?"

But Mobius knew that behind the challenge, the fear of rejection was there and this time it was he who took Loki's face in his hands and said softly but firmly, « So what? So, I say yes, as long as it is to be with you forever."

They both laughed, joy radiating from their faces.

Then Loki leaned towards Mobius again and whispered against his lips, "Happy birthday my love..." then kissed him tenderly.

Before Mobius was completely swept away by the happiness of this moment, he thought that even if he had started badly, it was probably the best birthday of his life.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Lokius masterlist : here

[oswildin]

In Time || Loki x F!Reader (Part 3)

A/N: I’m so glad you guys are enjoying this so far! It’s kinda a write as a go process with this one as obviously the whole series isn’t out yet! But thank you for your kind words!

Warning: Spoilers for Loki Series & Mentions/depictions of PTSD.

“Oh, my goodness. Don't tell me the Variant ambushed and killed another team of Minutemen.”

Loki faked gasped, sighing to himself as he looked at the files Mobius had left him with. He knew it was a shoddy attempt on his part to try and deceive the agent, but anything to cause some chaos.

“Shh.”

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the noise. He furrowed his brows, slowly turning to see a woman scowling at him. He briefly paused, before deciding to do the same back.

“Shh.” He put his finger over his lips, his tone harsher than the woman’s as he glared at her, winning the battle. Pleased with himself, he turned back round to face the files, but was taken back seeing you stood with your arms folded on the other side of the desk, a displeased expression on your face.

“Let me guess. You’ve been sent to keep me in check?” Loki questioned, sneering slightly at you as you narrowed your eyes.

“Well, if you hadn’t have been up to your usual tricks, Mobius wouldn’t have had to get me to babysit you.” You told him, pulling out a chair from the desk as you threw yourself down in it.

“I don’t need to be ‘babysat’.” He spat. “You can’t blame a God for trying.” He shrugged, continuing to sift through the paperwork.

“Do you ever learn?” You wondered aloud. “Like, seriously? How many times do you have to pull the same stunts before you realise… Maybe you’re just not that good?” You questioned him, with a slight playful undertone, but you also knew it would irate the God to no ends.

“I’m ignoring you.” He muttered, but you could tell you had in fact irritated him as he angrily flipped through files.

“Good luck with that.” You laughed lightly. “You seem to forget I know how to push your buttons.” You reached out, snatching the file from his hands. He clenched his jaw as you smirked. “Besides, charm can only get you so far.” Standing up suddenly, Loki left you at the desk as he approached the same woman he had ‘shhh’d mere minutes ago. You watched him curiously. After being ignored, he finally hit the bell, causing the woman to finally look at him, a stoic look on her face.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

“Yes. I'm on some important TVA business. Follow-up to a field mission. You know how it goes.” He explained to the woman, as he wore his classic ‘I’m gonna get my own way’ smile. “We red lined near the apex, and... Well, it's never good.” He chuckled as the woman didn’t even blink, clearing his throat he continued. “Um, I'd like all files pertaining to the creation of the TVA, please.”

Watching from the sidelines you folded your arms, as you couldn’t pull your eyes away from the interaction. You could tell where this was heading.

“Those are classified.”

“Okay. I'd like all files pertaining to the beginning of time then.”

“Those are classified.”

Loki could hear your snickering from behind him as he closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure.

“Okay, the end of time.”

“Those are classified.”

Exasperated he sighed.

“Okay, what files can I have?”

The pair disappeared behind a book shelf as you awaited his return. Finally, he came back holding a single file in his hand as you lost it. You chuckled. You properly chuckled for the first time since being in the TVA. Maybe even since… It didn’t matter.

Focus on the moment now.

“Even the librarian is immune to your godly charm.” You commented, as Loki glared at you. “Oh come on! It’s funny.” You tried to convince him, his eyes bearing into your soul. Shaking your head, you leant back in your chair, watching the man. He finally opened the file, as he began to read the information. That’s when you noticed it was his file. You decided to stay quiet, allowing him to process it all.

A few minutes passed and you saw his expression sadden, as you peered down at the file on the table in front of him as you saw ‘Ragnorok’. You felt for him. You knew it must be hard to take in. But as quickly as the sadness appeared, it had vanished, replaced with realisation.

“I’ve got it…” He muttered, quickly standing from his seat.

“Loki?” You asked, confused as he ran off, leaving you alone with the mess he had made on the table. The librarian glared at you as you rolled your eyes.

“Yes, I’ll clean it up.” You mumbled, begrudgingly starting to sort the files.

After cleaning up Loki’s mess, which seemed to be a common occurrence in your life, you finally found Mobius and the God himself.

“Hey! Where are you two going?” You called to them as they appeared to be sneaking off somewhere.

“Pompeii!” Loki grinned, clapping his hands as you wondered why he was so thrilled about going to that point in time.

“And may I ask, why?” You raised a brow, as the men looked at each other briefly before Mobius spoke.

“Loki has a theory-“ But Loki cut him off, too excited to let Mobius explain his genius.

“The variant is hiding in apocalypses, genius move but I wouldn’t expect anything less from another version of me-“ He smirked as you rolled your eyes. “Anyway- Nexus events happen when someone does something they're not supposed to do, right? Then that thing they're not supposed to do, cascades into a whole range of other things that aren't supposed to happen.” He explains as you nodded slowly. “So I could go to Asgard, during Ragnorok and do whatever I want, without it creating a new timeline.”

“So, what you’re saying is, because of these apocalypses, the other you is hiding in very dangerous points in time because they can get away with doing whatever they want, unnoticed by the TVA?” You summed up as Loki grinned at you. It was almost childlike. You couldn’t help but feel your heart race at his expression as it reminded you of your Loki, and the grins he would give you.

“Exactly!” He exclaimed.

“Yeah well, it’s not proven yet big guy.” Mobius sighed. “Let’s just explore this theory first-“

“Yeah, but I’m right.” Loki put his hands in his pockets as he held his head high. “So, you coming to see me prove you all right?” He asked you as you were slightly taken back by his offer.

“Erm, sure.” You shrugged. “Got nothing better to do than watch a Volcano erupt.”

The three of you stood, a perfect view of the volcano, as those around carried on their daily business, blissfully unaware of the impending doom they were soon to face. You couldn’t help but feel strange about it.

“Here we go.” Loki said giddily.

“Shh, any minute now.” Mobius also appeared to have a glint in his eye.

“Until this entire town is wiped off the face of this planet. Imagine. All that volcanic ash...” Loki smiled as he was basically jumping up and down with excitement.

“Loki, these people are going to burn to death, please have some dignity.” You said to him lowly, slightly embarrassed at how excited he was to watch it.

“Oh, come on! It's cool.” Loki whines as you raised your brows. “They're all gonna die anyway.” He shrugged as you elbowed him in the side, causing him to snap his head round to you.

“I’ll remember that next time you decide to cark it then shall I?” You spat, deciding enough was enough as you walked away from the pair, leaving Loki looking a bit deflated as Mobius sending him a ‘you’ve done it now�� stare.

“I'm gonna watch the TemPad for any variance energy.” Mobius announced. “Okay, because we gotta be careful. If you're wrong, and there's a good chance you are, anything we do can create a huge branch.” He explained.

“Oh, Mobius! You make even the end of the world sound boring.” Loki groaned.

“Listen! Okay, we're not meant to be here. Anything we do can impact the course of history.”

“Don’t tell him that, it will only encourage him.” You called back over your shoulder, as you watched all the people going about their lives.

“Human life is fleeting.” You jumped at the sudden voice beside you, peering over to see Loki staring at what you were looking at also.

“Don’t make it meaningless though.” You told him, a hint of sadness in your tone. Loki looked over at a cart of goats, and instantly lit up.

“Okay, let’s test my theory, shall we?” He smirked, approaching the cart. Mobius was already shouting for the God, but of course to no avail.

“Go!” Loki cried, opening the carts gate as you watched in shock. “Be free, my horned-friends, be free!” He shouted, waving his arms around as people started to look. You shook your head at him as Mobius began to look at TemPad for any signs of disturbances. Suddenly there was a deep rumble as the ground shook. “Right on cue!” He chuckled as you saw everyone begin to panic around you.

The world started to seem disoriented, like nothing was real. You looked at Loki, as you felt your own panic start to creep up on you. The rumbling, the chaos… Loki…

“How'd we do?”

“I don't believe it. Zero variance energy. No branching in the timeline. The TVA would never even know we were here.”

Your breathing started to become shallow as ash began to fall from the sky. The scene around you began melding into another… A familiar scene from the Asgardian ship. All those people crying, screaming and running. The men both looked over at you, as they realised you hadn’t moved from your spot. Loki furrowed his brows as he approached you.

“Y/N?” You didn’t respond, as you looked up at him, but it wasn’t him… It was HIM.

“What do we do?” You asked, voice shaking. “Loki, what do we do now?” You asked, waiting for guidance. Loki seemed confused at your words.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“It’s happening again!” You cried, looking round at everything. “We can’t leave them.” Mobius eventually approached.

“We need to go now.” He told you both.

“We have to save them.” You began to turn away from the men. “Hey! You need to go to the mountains!” You shouted at the people. “Make your way up hill!” But no one listened, all too busy panicking.

“What’s wrong with her?!” Loki asked Mobius as he sent Loki a look, before stepping towards you. Mobius grabbed you by your arms, turning you to face him.

“Y/N, this isn’t Asgard, this isn’t that ship, we need to go. This is Pompeii, a fixed point in the timeline. We need to leave.” His words snapped you out of your daze slightly as you nodded hesitantly, allowing him to pull you with him as he headed back to the doorway. Loki followed, still confused by what had happened.

You were stood in one of the hallways, overlooking the city that was outside. You had calmed down, and mostly felt embarrassed by your outburst. You didn’t realise how much it still affected you. You were only human you supposed.

“Hey.”

You turned to see Loki behind you, keeping a safe distance.

“Hi.” You said meekly, turning to look back out at the city. He slowly approached, standing beside you as you both looked out.

“I apologise if I overstepped the line.” Loki muttered quietly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” You gave him a small smile.

“It’s not your fault.” You shrugged, both staying in silence for a few moments. “On Earth, we call it PTSD.” You spoke, a weak laugh coming from your lips. “When something traumatic happens to an individual, sometimes the brain can’t recover, and certain situations or people can trigger certain emotions.” You tried to explain the best you could. “It just reminded me of…” You trailed off, swallowing the lump in your throat.

“Thanos.” Loki finished for you as you nodded.

“I’ll be fine.” You waved your hand in a dismissive manner. “It’s only happened twice.” You told him. “All that fire, destruction, death…” You paused. “It just took me back.” Loki narrowed his lips, unsure on what to say.

“You know, falling from Asgard through the void wasn’t exactly a fun trip.” He admitted. “Sometimes I get the sensation I’m still falling, with no idea where I’m going to end up.” He said quietly, not looking at you. “I suppose you would say it was quite traumatic.” He narrowed his eyes. “But you start to get past it. And slowly it becomes a distant memory.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re like thousands of years old.” You teased as he smirked.

“True.” He paused. “Come on. I suppose you are hungry. After all, you’ve had quite the day.” He began to walk away, nodding for you to follow. You bit your lip, sighing as you followed the man.

Perhaps this Loki could still become the one you knew.

Taglist:

@mischiefmanaged71 @lazycherri @rottenstyx @starkdanverss @pan-ini @myusernamewastolong @ajeff855 @acrabbybish @nappinggecko @pedrosmustache

[monicashipslokius]

(part two of this bar au)

Mobius avoids Joe’s bar for a full week, partially out of embarrassment for drinking more than he has since college but mostly because he’s afraid to get confirmation that his night drinking with Loki had only been a dream.

Still, he wants to be sure he’s settled up; he can’t remember if he paid his tab. Instead his memory is filled to the brim with broken snapshots of Loki’s smile, Loki’s laugh, and the warmth of their hand on his waist. It could have been a dream.

Sighing, Mobius pushes through the front door of the bar. It’s early afternoon, Joe’s just setting up, bringing down the stools from where they sat upside down atop the bar. When Joe sees Mobius, he drops the stool on his foot.

“Out! Out! Out!” 

Mobius brings up his hands. “Now wait a minute.”

“Do you have any idea what your little friendship has done to my place?” Joe points an accusatory finger in Mobius’s direction. “All of my regulars are afraid to come back.”

Hope grips at Mobius’s heart, though he tries and fails not to jump the gun. “My... ‘friendship?’”

“You and that Loki made quite the show the other night. What were you thinking? If they thought no one was here, they might have just left!”

“Huh.” So it was real. It... And... He rubbed a hand down his face and around the back of his neck, remembering that he told Loki he wanted to kiss them. 

Embarrassing, a bit. But not a lie.

“I... uh...” There’s no graceful way to ask, so Mobius trudges forward. “I don’t suppose they’ve shown up again? Maybe... looking for me?”

Never breaking his glare from Mobius, Joe bends down, picks up the stool, and rights it with a loud thud.

“I take it that’s a ‘no,’“ Mobius says.

Joe points at the door. 

“Okay, okay.” Mobius backs away. He’s almost gone when he remembers, “Oh, hey, did I pay my tab?”

“Out!”

Outside, Mobius tucks his hands in his pockets. That night wasn’t a dream, which is great, but Loki hasn’t exactly been seeking Mobius out, which isn’t so ideal. Loki knows where Mobius lives, and where he hung out (before being kicked out). They haven’t visited.

Maybe that night wasn’t as memorable for Loki as it was for Mobius.

Well, at least it was real. He’d made Loki smile, even if it was only for that one night. No one could take that away.

Mobius kicks a broken piece of concrete down the sidewalk as he starts the walk home.

At fifty-two, Mobius is too worn down to be hung up on anyone, even a demi-god. He’s had great nights before. Great moments with great people, who’ve all disappeared. They came and went like passing ships in the night. It hurts at first, but the world keeps turning. Eventually the pain eases and the good memories remain.

That’s just life, sometimes.

He decides he’ll let himself sulk for the fifteen minutes it takes him to walk back to his apartment, then he’ll brush it off and do what he always does: move on.

At his apartment door, he finds his key easily in his pocket and opens the lock. He takes off his jacket, hangs it on a hook on the back of the door.

He inhales deep. Holds the breath. Then lets it go.

“Mobius?”

Turning in a rush, Mobius finds Loki standing in his living room. 

The next breath comes much easier.

“Loki, you’re here.” Mobius can’t hide his smile.

Neither can Loki, apparently, though they try to hide it, dipping their head. “You remember.”

“I would never forget you.” Mobius starts forward, eager to see Loki’s smile again. He’s rewarded almost instantly, when Loki lifts their head to watch him. “Everything okay?”

“Well enough.” Loki steps forward, closer to Mobius, well within reach. “I haven’t been drinking.”

“Oh?” Mobius licks his lips. “Me, either.”

“Good.” Loki watches Mobius mouth. “So it wouldn’t be in bad form to do this...”

Loki moves in, and Mobius pounces, wrapping his arms around Loki’s shoulders as Loki finds his mouth. They kiss and kiss, and it’s better than drinking, better than breathing. Mobius holds on as tight as he can, not wanting this to be like two ships in the night. But Loki holds on too, just as tightly -- as desperately.

When they break for breath, it’s Loki who says, “I’d like to see you again. All the time, preferably.”

And Mobius laughs, joyful and light, because at fifty-two, he thought he was too old for this whirlwind romance, too chill for his heart to race so wildly, when really, he’d just been waiting for Loki.

“I’d like that, too.”

[magicmanias]

The Wanderer

Episode 2 of Polaris

[per - uh - jee] (n). Astronomy. the point in the orbit of a heavenly body at which it is nearest to the earth

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: A fugitive out of time + interdimensional space travel + a love story. Always on the run, and while Loki might be able to escape the TVA, he always gravitates towards you. Not even bending the fabric of space and time itself can cut his heartstrings.

Occurs after the events of Endgame. Replaces Loki mini-series timeline.

Warnings: You know it’s gonna be angst. You just know. Come on now.

Word Count: 3.0k

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I have exams coming up, so I’ve been having to study for those a lot. Once exams are over at the end of May, you know I’ll be writing like a maniac. Also, the word count will definitely increase as the chapters go along. It's been a bit short, but right now, we're just building traction! And yes… You will come across a part that is vague and opens up more questions about the reader who I have named Goddess Divine.

<- Previous | Next -> (Coming soon)

“Thank you.” Loki rubs his wrists as the chains fall to the ground. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“You—My husband taught me,” you said. Loki nodded but offered nothing in response. “We need to leave here. I know a way.”

“Hey, hold on.” Loki reached out to grab her wrist, but lowered his hand once he got her attention instead. “We don’t have the Tesseract.”

“There are other ways to leave this planet.”

Loki scoffed. “I don’t think you understand how powerful that thing is.”

You turned fully to face him, craning your neck to meet his eyes. “I know more than you. Trust me. It’s better if you forget about it.”

The children are constantly at the forefront of your thoughts even as you searched for an escape in the caverns under Asgard. Memories of posies in hand and your old, favorite pink dress drew all your attention from the damp halls illuminated by enchanted flame. This place… this time that you’re in was all-too-well ingrained in the core of everything you remembered of your home.

Your calves started to strain and it took you some time until you realized that you’ve been trying to sync your steps with Loki’s, an unconscious effort you would always put in walking alongside your husband. The difference was that his doppleganger didn’t take care to shorten his strides to allow for you to keep up.

“We’ve fallen into a past timeline of yours.” Loki glanced at you over his shoulder. “Those children were you and… your husband.”

“Yes.” You give up on trying to keep up and let him take the lead. “I remember why we were up there. Today was the Perigee.”

Loki was curious. He’d never heard of such a thing. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

You made a confused look on your face, but then immediately understood. “I suppose you don’t observe that in your world.”

“No, I can’t say that we do. Is it a celestial celebration? We only commemorate the coming of the seasons.”

At the end of the hall, you finally arrived at the center of the caverns, a chamber of nine interconnected murals telling the story of creation. You and Loki used to play under these paintings, waiting until Thor would find you at last.

“The Perigee is not of Asgard. It exists on Midgard, the mortal planet, when the moon is at its closest point in orbit to the earth. It happens so often there, but we hold the festival when Asgard, too, is at its closest point with Midgard.”

“That seems a bit arbitrary,” he commented, now gazing at the murals of his father above him. Odin was painted in a beautiful light as he constructed the world. Ymir simply seemed to disappear from the artwork, but the muralist failed to convey that Odin slew the giant and used his body to form the cosmos.

“There is a story behind it, like all great Norse holidays have. It tells the story of Gaea and Máni. A tale of forbidden love. Lofn loves to tell the story for all the children at each festival. She claims that without her, they would never have ended up together,” you laughed, “I remember pulling Loki from his books so we could make it on time.” You giggled at the memory.

“Máni? I haven’t ever heard of him retiring from pulling the moon. And Gaea has been sleeping for eons.”

“Our history is different, perhaps. I do not exist in your Asgard, yes?” You continued to walk, choosing the fourth passage from the left that led to the waterfall beneath the palace.

“No. No, I’m afraid not.” Loki paused in thought as he contemplated your assumption. Surely you must have existed somewhere in his world. “So what was so forbidden of their love?”

“Where I come from, Gaea was truly the first realm to exist, made of the blood and dust from a time even beyond her. In an empty universe, she was lonely, though she was a goddess of life itself. So she collected more dust in the reaches of space and breathed life into Máni. He was born, bright like the stars and light in his heart. He was grateful for life, and in return, he gave her his love… and her children. The mortals. But when they came close to embrace one another, he came too close and scorched the earth, burning her children. Gaea mourned, crying until Midgard flooded with her tears. From the water, the plants regrew and the animals emerged, but still, she missed her children. Máni couldn’t bear to see his love so saddened, so he sacrificed almost all of his power to breathe new life in the mortals. He grew dim and small, no longer so mighty without Gaea’s magic. Now in a realm of eternal darkness, Sol had finally caught up to Máni. She was born with the duty to bring light to the mortals, but Odin also tasked her with the job to separate Gaea and Máni when they became too close. Every day, she shines her light on the earth, but when she goes to rest, Máni returns to see Gaea before Sol wakes up once again to warn Máni. Yet sometimes, Máni can’t help but to come a little bit closer to Gaea—the rising tides his only warning. We call it the Perigee.”

“And what of Lofn? How did she contribute her skills in this forbidden love?”

“Oh yes. Lofn told us that she was the only being to give her consent to their love. The rest of Aesir vehemently rejected the bond. She used to try and match all the children up in the village and she would host all the play weddings. We must have been married by her hundreds of times. She could never resist the idea of the God of Mischief with a maiden Vanir.”

The sound of water crashing down into the abyss grew louder and louder as natural light started to creep into the passage.

“What is your role?”

“My role?”

“Yes, what do you do? What do you reign over?”

“Oh, I’m really no one. I don’t even think the Midgardians are aware of me. My role is quite insignificant compared to the likes of your brother or even the infamous trickster.”

“What is your role, Goddess?” he pushed once more.

“Seidr,” you shrugged, racing your finger along the stone wall.

“I would hardly call that insignificant. The power of prophecy is a force to be reckoned with.”

“I was born with a divine title, but I can’t even perform a healing spell,” you admitted.

“Your husband never taught you?” Loki smirked, the tease hanging loose from his lips.

You frowned. “No, he couldn’t.”

A rumble of footsteps approached and neither you nor Loki hesitated to make a final run towards the end of the tunnel. As you started to gain some speed, you suddenly froze, completely still as a hazy orange light encased you. Loki’s hand glowed green, battling against the force that trapped you, but just as quickly as he tried to free you, he was captured.

The TVA launched you through the exact same process as the first time. Long lines, an infinite number of signatures on documents you didn’t understand, and a maze of doorways. You didn’t see Loki again for a long time. It felt like days, but in a place as distorted as this, you couldn’t keep track of the hours.

Another agent guided you into a holding cell. It looked strange—more like an inn room more than a jail. There was a bed, a tiny washroom, and a square box that showed what looked like a play for children. The characters chattered silently while their simple dialogue was scrawled in the glass. The door opened.

“It appears we’re roommates this time.” Loki strolled into the room and the agent closed the door behind him, the lock clicking in place.

The box flashed and the program changed to the man you had just become acquainted with before your escape. “Well that was fun, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, we will have to keep you here since you didn’t seem to enjoy the more open kind of hospitality we offered you last time. Just until everything is processed. You know how bureaucracy is. I’ll see you in a few.” Mobius winks and the moving picture contraption clicks off with a warm hum.

“Tell me about myself.” You looked up from the book provided by your captors. Loki leaned back in the desk chair with his legs on the table. He fiddled with a glass cup, tossing it in the air and catching it.

You dropped the book in your lap, still open. “I’m sorry?”

“Well you were married to an alternate version of me. He’s lived more life than me. Surely you must have something to tell me that would be of use.” He shrugged, not bothering to drag any more of his attention away from the glass.

You were sure you looked surprised as he followed his answer with, “Am I so different from him? Come on now, he must have been at least half as charming.”

“Oh… He was charming.” You closed the book and placed it on the table next to the bed. The edge of the sheet rubbed between your fingers while you considered what to tell him. “He was my best friend in childhood.”

“Tell me about the children. The younger versions of yourselves on that day. What were you doing?” Loki placed the cup on the desk and crossed one leg over the other.

It was so easy to answer. In all the years, you never forgot that particular celebration. “It was my idea to climb the hill. To pick flowers before we watched the Perigee. Lofn had paired us up for her little wedding ceremony to host in front of the children and I wanted a bouquet… for the morning gift. I didn’t know what they were at the time, but I figured it could be anything.”

“Aren’t morning gifts usually given to the bride? And… in the morning?”

You tossed your head back in calm, tired laughter. “Yes, but that wouldn’t have stopped me anyway. I think I gave them to you after we said ‘I do.’ We were… eight at the time.”

“Goddess Divine…” He kissed her hands. The red skyline fades into purple as the water at the dock darkens below. “Never doubt my love for you. Will you miss me?” said he.

“As much as there are stars in the sky.”

“Always the poet’s tongue,” said he.

“Well, I had some inspiration,” said she.

He looks wearily past the Goddess, but smiles warmly once more. “I’m afraid our time has come to an end, Goddess. I love you.”

“No resurrections this time...” No. It was supposed to happen like this. Thanos. He wasn’t supposed to be here. It’s happening all over again.

“LOKI—”

Warm water tickled your cheeks and then you were enveloped in a pool of water. Your husband’s arms wrapped around your waist as the water climbed the walls of the tub. No, this wasn’t him… It wasn’t him. It wouldn’t ever be him. “Goddess…”

“Let me go! Let me go… I want to go.” You grasp desperately at the edge of the tub, wringing yourself from Loki’s grasp. You fell onto the tile floor of the washroom, your wet clothes heavy on your back.

“Wait, just—” Loki cuts himself short when you stumble into the bathroom doorway and pull the knob to the bedroom.

“Shit—Loki…”

“You need—”

“Don’t tell me what I need! You don’t kn—know.” Your body felt weak. The walls felt like they were closing in on you. No matter how hard you tried, it seemed like you could never get enough air.

“I know being alive is certainly better than suffocating in space.”

“Is it!? I can’t even grieve for him! Be-Be… Be—cause I… Becau—se I ke-keep…” You choked, breaking out into a violent sob. Your legs buckle underneath you, but you managed to catch the ground under your hand. Tears stained the fabric covering your lap as you struggled to breathe in between your bawling, forcing you to hiccup only further fueling your frustration. “Why am I here?”

Loki knelt down and watched as you pulled your knees up to your chest and buried your head in the space between. “Heartbreak is… a sorrow that I am all too familiar with. The feeling of your chest burning and freezing and being crushed all at once. But I didn’t give you a moment to simply… catch your breath after I, admittedly, forced you to escape with me. And I will never understand what it’s like to have to look at the face of your husband every minute of every day, but I do know this…” Loki let out a steady breath. “I will never leave you behind. Ever. Until I am able to fix this mess that I have brought upon you.” Loki lowered himself onto his knees. “That is my vow to you, goddess.”

He placed a hand over yours. It was a small gesture, leaving you wanting more. You tugged on his hand, manually tucking his arm underneath yours. He leaned into your motion, sitting on the floor behind you and pulling you close between his legs. Your eyes pierced him like venom, toxic but more addictive than the sweetest wine. A Goddess Divine.

Loki grew older in recent years, but his eyes had never changed. A sea of chaos and calm. He was there, your husband. Right in front of you, holding you.

“I always liked your eyes,” you murmured. You dragged your finger across the top of his cheek, tracing a line under his eye.

And I, yours.

You slid your finger up and cupped his face in your palm. Your husband. “I love you.”

Your lips swept gently along his; hesitant, yet your hand dragged through his hair, pulling him closer. Loki held still, but made no move to stop you. Your breaths grew harder as you grew more persistent. Even though you knew you would never be able to utter a word about this after, the need for him overcame you. In the sickest of ways, he was your only chance at truly saying goodbye to your husband.

Never doubt my love for you.

Your lips were soft. As irrational as the better part of him knew it was, he couldn’t help but think this felt almost habitual. He knew he should have pushed you away or reminded you of who he was. But when your fingers glided through his hair, Loki lost all sense of what was proper. He leaned into your touch, letting you relax in his lap as you continued to kiss him… eyes clenched shut. Loki wished he could look at your eyes and pretend he was the man you were pretending he was.

“Thank you.”

The agents dragged Loki to a door labeled “INTERROGATION ROOM #603521.”

An agent walked into the room, reviewing several documents attached to a clipboard.. “Do you know why you’re here, Mr. Laufeyson?” She didn’t bother to look up from the papers as she sat down in the seat on the other side of the table.

“Where is she?”

“I’m afraid your questions will have to be saved for the end of this, Mr. Laufeyson. Please comply.”

Loki lifted his head lazily, shifting his legs wide in the metal chair. A grin curled at his lips. He didn’t know how they were going to escape this hell. Running from an infinitely powerful force existing beyond time. It would never end… Was he ready to drag you through eternal hell with him?

Yes.

He would rot in hell for all he cared, but the TVA was no more than a joke—a circus of clowns playing their parts… and he would find you.

“I’m going to burn this place to the ground.”

“Never teleport me again. This is worse than the Bifrost.” You placed a clenched hand to your forehead and winced. The pounding in your head was ceaseless, though you were too cold to be completely tortured by it. The TVA was left in shambles, subjected to Loki’s wrath after he found you freezing in the depths of space. He hadn’t said a word to you since he discovered you, nearly lifeless. The ice burned your skin and your vision was useless for the time being. You could hear the crackles of flame and stone beneath your feet. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know, but we need to heal these burns before they scar.” Loki carefully lifted your hand, examining your wounds. “Are you in pain?”

“I can’t feel anything. Just cold.” You inched your feet closer to the heat of the fire. It wasn’t as painful as you had expected it to be. Dying in space wasn’t such a bad way to go… You only wished Loki had anything else less painful.

He hummed in response. The burns begin to warm. A peculiar feeling tickles your skin and makes its way down your torso.

“Seidr?”

“My mother taught me. I can teach you.”

“What?” Loki placed more wood on the fire. Perhaps Thor’s boyish interests were good for something…

“You need to learn how to use your powers. A seidr goddess is no goddess without seidr.”

“I told you. I don’t have it. I’ve tried. You’ve tried.” Loki didn’t answer, but footsteps fell away from you.

Loki watched the asteroids floating in the foggy atmosphere. Odin once told him stories of how he acquired all his wisdom. Life itself is knowledge, he would say. War, politics, distant planets. They all have something to offer, but there is a place where wisdom flows like water in the roots of the Tree of Life. “The Allfather once traveled to the roots of Yggdrasil to attain knowledge and guide his reign. Perhaps we can go there.”

[transformersmr-hq]

TFMR Random Facts - day 16

Random Worldbuilding/Character facts about Transformers: mobius run universe

Random facts about minister [REDACTED]

Minister [REDACTED], former head of Minisyry of Science and Technology.

This one was probably the smartest person ever to have existed in this universe. From scraplet repellent spray to multi-phase resonance scanner, Almost every single machineries and gadgets that enriches a Cybertronian's daily life had been invented by him or at least been imfluenced by his works.

They say he was a humble junkyard inventor. He alaays shared his inventions with his neighbors, and even after he became famous enough to be designated as the minister he still didn't forget where he had started. He had a firm belief that knowledge and its benefits are to be shared equally by all, and throughout the time he dedicated himself as a minister he tried to solve issues such as poverty or starvation through technological advancement.

Of course, this was what caused his forced retirement in the early days of Zeta Prime's regime.

They say he built an institution for 'gifted peope'. He knew that, for a long time, Outliers had been shunned from society out of fears that they would use their destructive powers to disturb social order. He wanted to study their power, so that the newsparks could learn how to use their power properly and responsibly. If the mysteries behind their power is solved, then people would no longer be afraid of them and acknowledge them as equal part of society.

Zeta allowed this, but with different purpose for the institution in mind. He wanted to put leashes on outliers, so he could use them as his private force. There's no way a genius like [REDACTED] didn't expect this, but he thought it was the kind of risk he could take in order to do what he must do.

From the moment the Institute accepted its first batch of students, silent war between Zeta and [REDACTED] started. Day by day, Zeta sought every possible chance to drag [REDACTED] away from the Institute. [REDACTED] didn't go down as easily as Zeta would have liked. He was the smartest person in the planet, you know. Besides, If the rumors are true, Megatron the underground revolutionary is providing every possible aid to [REDACTED].

However, [REDACTED] was a scientist, not a politician. Not long after, he suddenly found himself being cornered after one unfortunate incident that happened in Institute. Zeta accused him of treason, and promptly removed him from minister's position.

Shortly after the incident, [REDACTED] disappeared. No one ever actually saw what has happened to him, but everyone just knew that something worse than death had happened to him. Rumours has it that Megatron himself had attempted at rescuing the former minister from wherever, but it is not known wether he was successful otr not.

Many many years later, [REDACTED] appears once again in the middle of Cybertronian civil war. As the head of Decepticon Weapons Engineering Department, he now wields his knowledge and intelligence to destroy the old society.

[pinktwingirl]

Loki Series Rewrite (AKA Loki Series But With Squirrel Girl) Ep 3

INT. TVA - DAY

Loki is attacking Sylvie. Suddenly, Doreen enters and rushes up to them.

DOREEN

Loki, catch!

She tosses him a prune stick. Loki takes it and he starts fighting Sylvie with her. During the battle, Doreen manages to overpower Sylvie and tackle her to the ground. Doreen holds her knuckle spikes to Sylvie's throat, but Sylvie twists her arm and kicks Loki's prune stick away. Sylvie then kicks Doreen's face and grabs Loki. Doreen freezes when she sees Sylvie is holding a dagger to Loki's throat. Just then, Ravonna and several other agents enter.

SYLVIE

Come any closer, and I'll kill him.

RAVONNA

Go for it.

Doreen glares at her. Before she can attack, Loki whips out his tem-pad, causing himself and Sylvie to disappear.

We cut to later, when Mobius, Ravonna, and Doreen are standing where Loki and Sylvie vanished.

DOREEN

(to Ravonna)

Thanks for nothing.

RAVONNA

I called her bluff. I knew she wasn't going to do it.

DOREEN

Yeah. Sure.

MOBIUS

Where the hell did they go?

DOREEN

You don't know?

MOBIUS

Loki took the tem-pad with him. We can't find his location if we don't have it.

(He groans in frustration.)

That bastard! He directly disobeyed me! I knew I shouldn't have trusted him!

DOREEN

He probably just wanted to know what was going on! Look, I can find him with-

(She takes out her Loki locket, only to see that it is broken.)

Shit...

MOBIUS

What?

DOREEN

This thing must've gotten damaged in the fight.

MOBIUS

Can't you just fix it?

DOREEN

It's not that simple. Thor let me borrow parts of rare Asgardian technology to build this. They were some of the last parts they had, so I would have to go back in time to Asgard to get more. And... I have no idea where I would even begin to start looking there.

Mobius sighs.

MOBIUS

Alright, look, I'll search through our files on Asgard to see what I can find. In the meantime, just try to salvage what you can, and don't dilly-dally. Every moment those variants are on the loose, we're all in danger.

INT. TVA OFFICE - DAY

Doreen is trying to work on the locket to no avail. She slams it down and sighs. Just then, her squirrel Monkey Joe hops up on the table, carrying spare parts. He sets them down and squeaks at her.

DOREEN

No... Those won't work, Monkey Joe. We need gear that can navigate through both space and time.

Looking dejected, Monkey Joe lets out a few sad squeaks. Doreen pets him and gives him an almond as consolation.

DOREEN

I know, buddy, you tried your best...

Doreen's other squirrels, Tippy-Toe and Mr. Lieberman join Monkey Joe to eat pieces of the almond. Just then, CASEY turns around and peers at the squirrels in horror.

CASEY

What are those?

(Beat)

DOREEN

Um, almonds? Want some?

CASEY

No, the... things eating them...

Doreen raises an eyebrow.

DOREEN

They're squirrels.

CASEY

"Squirrels?"

DOREEN

What, you've never seen a squirrel before?

CASEY

No... I've spent my whole life here, so I've never seen any animals at all.

Doreen looks mortified.

DOREEN

That's the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life...

INT. TVA LIBRARY - DAY

Mobius is looking through various old books on shelves. He pauses when he flips through a book that has Asgardian writing and a map of Asgard.

INT. TVA OFFICE - DAY

Doreen is showing Casey pictures of different types of squirrels on her phone as Casey looks on in wonder.

DOREEN

So, this here is a red squirrel. I just love their little pointy ears! Ooh, and these ones are extra rare: The Japanese flying squirrel! Look at their beady little eyes! And their fluffy tail! You can only find these in one island on all of Earth!

CASEY

Wow... That's amazing!

Just then, Mobius walks in.

MOBIUS

Doreen!

Doreen quickly slams her phone down.

DOREEN

Uhhh, yes, sir, we are hard at work!

She does an awkward salute. Mobius frowns at her.

MOBIUS

I found this book in our library.

(He flips to a page that has a drawing of Odin's treasure room with a description written in Asgardian.)

This look familiar?

Doreen frowns as she peers at the book.

DOREEN

This is all in Asgardian. I can't read it.

MOBIUS

Forget the text; look at the picture.

He points to a section of the drawing where several golden parts are stored in the treasure room. Doreen's eyes widen.

DOREEN

Oh my God... I think that's it!

Mobius grins.

MOBIUS

Yeah? You think you could go get it if I sent you to Asgard, say, a couple decades in the past?

DOREEN

Sure, I mean... All I would have to do is find Odin's treasure room... wherever that is, somehow break in, get the parts, and then, by some miracle, get out undetected, and then we're home free!

MOBIUS

Easy!

DOREEN

Easy!

(She pats him on the back.)

Good job, Moby! I might need a change of clothes, though.

MOBIUS

What's wrong with your clothes?

DOREEN

I mean, I can't just walk into Asgard like this; I'd stick out like a sore thumb!

Mobius sighs.

MOBIUS

Alright, I'll see if we have any old stuff from the Asgardian variants we've taken in. But study that book and maybe try to come up with a halfway coherent plan for sneaking in. I'll set the portal to send you back to the same moment in time once you're done, so you can take however long you need to look for the parts. But don't use that as an excuse to sight-see!

He chuckles under his breath as he walks away.

MOBIUS

"Moby"...

INT. LAMENTIS-1 TRAIN - NIGHT

Loki and Sylvie are chatting on the train.

SYLVIE

How about you? You're a prince! Must've been... would-be princesses. Or, perhaps, another prince?

LOKI

A bit of both. I suspect, the same as you. But nothing ever...

SYLVIE

Real.

LOKI

Hmm.

(Beat)

SYLVIE

What about your mortal girl? What was her name? Doreen?

Loki raises an eyebrow.

SYLVIE

She seems nice.

LOKI

Oh, I'm sure she'd appreciate that, coming from the person who practically kicked her face in.

SYLVIE

Hey, when she's on the run, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

LOKI

And, no, she's... just an acquaintance. 

Sylvie raises an eyebrow and smirks.

INT. ASGARD PALACE, 1960 - NIGHT

Doreen enters the palace through a portal in a pretty, albeit slightly ill-fitting blue Asgardian dress, with her hair done up like all the other noble ladies. As she wanders around, she spots a crowd of noble ladies in ballgowns chatting and laughing while they walk. She tries to inconspicuously join the group, when a MAID calls out to her.

MAID

Um, pardon me, my lady?

Doreen freezes to see if the maid is talking to her.

MAID

Do you not have something to wear for tonight?

DOREEN

I... Um... Well, I was just going to wear this... very Asgardian dress...

MAID

Do you... have anything a little more formal? I trust you haven't forgotten that the ball is tonight?

DOREEN

Uh... Right... Yes... Of course... Um...

MAID

We have some spare dresses if you'd like to borrow one. I'm sure the queen wouldn't mind.

Doreen hesitates for a moment.

DOREEN

A-alright... Thank you.

She follows the maid into a corridor.

INT. CHANGING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Doreen sits in front of a mirror while the maid styles her hair. She has a layer of light, pretty makeup on her face.

MAID

Have you decided which dress you'd like, my lady?

DOREEN

Oh... I liked the green one.

The maid raises an eyebrow.

MAID

Are we... hoping for something?

DOREEN

Wh-what do you mean?

MAID

Well, if you're wearing the colors of Prince Loki, some might think you were... trying to get his attention.

(Beat)

DOREEN

W-will he be there?

MAID

He should. I must warn you that he detests these types of social events, though. At last winter's ball, he projected an illusion of himself in the ballroom to make it seem like he was present when he was really in his room reading books the whole night.

Doreen grins.

MAID

Shall I help you put on your dress?

DOREEN

(Lost in thought)

Yeah...

(Her head shoots up as she comes back to her senses.)

U-uh, I mean, no! No, no, no! I... I can do it myself...

INT. ASGARDIAN BALLROOM, 1960 - NIGHT

Loki is standing off to the side while Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three talk and drink. They are all dressed in their outfits from 2011 Thor. Thor downs a mug of ale.

THOR

Another!

He smashes his drink on the ground and Loki rolls his eyes. Thor approaches him and claps him on the back - a little too hard. Loki grunts and gives him an irritated look.

THOR

Come on, brother... You could at least try to have a little fun!

Loki scoffs.

LOKI

Watching every maiden in the palace fawn over you and Fandral is not my idea of fun.

Thor laughs.

THOR

Loki... Must you be so down? You can't spend all your time shut up in your room reading all those books and doing your little magic spells.

LOKI

Why not? I'd infinitely prefer it to this.

Before Thor can say another word, Loki walks off. A SERVANT approaches him, carrying a tray with a goblet of wine on it.

SERVANT

Some wine, your highness?

Loki eagerly takes the goblet and drinks it, nearly downing the entire thing in one swig. He freezes when he sees something in the distance.

We pan up the staircase as we see Doreen descending down it, wearing an elegant green and gold dress. Her hair is done up in an intricate braid, with golden ornaments adorning it. She looks around the ballroom nervously, peering at different corridors in an attempt to find the treasure room. Never taking his eyes off her, Loki sets the goblet down on a table nearby and walks off-screen.

As Doreen makes her way across the ballroom, Tippy-Toe suddenly scurries off to a table where grapes and nuts are laid out.

DOREEN

Tippy!

(She rushes after her.)

We're supposed to be keeping a low profile!

Tippy-Toe gives her a pleading look and a few squeaks. Doreen sighs.

DOREEN

Alright, fine. But just one.

She hands Tippy-Toe a macadamia nut. As the squirrel eats her treat, we suddenly hear Loki's voice behind them. Startled, Doreen whirls around.

LOKI

As much as I'm sure your friend is pleasant company, the kitchen staff might not take kindly to seeing a rodent on the refreshment table.

Tippy-Toe cocks her head and gives him an inquisitive squeak. Loki smiles at her.

LOKI

No offense.

DOREEN

Ah... Y-You're right, um... Tippy, why don't you go eat that outside? I'll catch up with you later.

Tippy-Toe squeaks and runs off with her nut. Nervously wringing her hands, Doreen glances back at Loki, who smiles at her.

DOREEN

So, um... Are you... actually here this time, or is this just another one of your creepy illusions?

Loki smiles and extends his hand to her.

LOKI

Perhaps you should find out for yourself.

After hesitating for a moment, Doreen gingerly places her hand in his. Loki kisses the back of her hand, causing her to blush.

LOKI

I'm terribly sorry; I don't believe I caught your name?

DOREEN

U-um... Doreen.

LOKI

Well, Lady Doreen... Would you care for a dance?

DOREEN

Huh? O-oh, I, um... I-I don't... really know how...

LOKI

It's easy! I'll teach you! Here...

(He leads her into the center of the ballroom, where other couples are dancing.)

Just step forward like this... Then back... Right... Left...

Doreen glances nervously around the room as he leads her into a waltz.

LOKI

You don't have to watch what everyone else is doing; just follow my lead...

(Beat)

You're, um... You're stepping on my foot.

DOREEN

Oh, sorry!

They continue to chat as they dance.

LOKI

You know, I'm surprised a noble lady like yourself never learned to dance.

DOREEN

Oh, well, um... I don't... really like going to parties very much.

LOKI

Ah. I don't either, to be honest.

DOREEN

Then how'd you get to be so good at dancing? Are all the girls lining up to dance with the youngest prince of Asgard?

Loki laughs, embarrassed.

LOKI

Ah.... N-no, not exactly... That's... more Thor's forte. I... mostly learned from dancing with my mother.

Doreen grins.

DOREEN

Aww...

Loki laughs.

(Beat)

LOKI

You're stepping on my foot again.

DOREEN

Ack!

She takes her foot off of his.

LOKI

You know, I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose.

DOREEN

I'm not!

After a pause, she grins devilishly and stomps on his foot, causing him to yelp in surprise.

DOREEN

Okay, maybe that was on purpose.

They both laugh. Doreen glances at his helmet.

DOREEN

That helmet looks... comfortable.

LOKI

Oh, it is.

DOREEN

Yeah, I don't believe you.

LOKI

Well, it only weighs about 30 pounds, give or take. It's like wearing a feather.

They both snicker.

DOREEN

Doesn't it ever throw you off balance?

LOKI

Not once you get used to it. You should try wearing it sometime. I'm sure you'd love it.

Doreen grins, laughing to herself.

DOREEN

Yeah, I'm sure...

LOKI

I, um... I must ask... Did you... wear green tonight deliberately? It is my favorite color, after all.

DOREEN

Oh, really? I never would've been able to tell!

They both laugh.

DOREEN

No, it, um... It's actually my favorite color, too, so...

LOKI

Ah.

DOREEN

Is that, like, something people actually do? I mean... wearing certain colors to get people to notice them?

LOKI

Well, sometimes, yes. I... admit, I... actually tried it once myself.

DOREEN

Oh yeah?

LOKI

A few years ago, there was a prince visiting from Vanaheim that I was... rather taken with. It was known that he loved silver, so I thought if I wore silver armor, I might... endear myself to him.

DOREEN

Did it work?

LOKI

(laughing)

No.

DOREEN

Well... I think you look better in green, anyway.

We cut to Thor standing with ODIN and FRIGGA on the far side of the ballroom, watching Loki and Doreen.

THOR

Mother, who is that Loki is dancing with?

FRIGGA

I'm not sure... I don't believe I've ever seen her around the palace before...

ODIN

Neither have I. I would wager she's merely the daughter of a poor social climber trying to pass himself off as a noble. Nothing to concern yourself with.

Thor grins as Odin walks off-screen.

THOR

Well, Loki seems to be finally enjoying himself...

They watch Loki twirl Doreen around as she giggles, her face flushed red. Frigga laughs.

FRIGGA

That's the first time I've seen him smile all day...

As they continue to dance, Doreen grows more nervous, suddenly unable to meet Loki's gaze, which never leaves her face. At one point, Loki places his hands around her waist and pulls her closer to him, causing her to tremble slightly. After hesitating, she gently places her hands on his shoulders. He smiles as the orchestra finishes playing.

DOREEN

How did I do?

LOKI

You're a fast learner. I'm impressed.

They smile at each other.

EXT. ASGARDIAN COURTYARD - NIGHT

Loki and Doreen chat as they walk through the garden in the palace courtyard, with Doreen drinking a cocktail in an elegant glass.

LOKI

I apologize if I come off as um... well, stiff... I have to admit this sort of thing is... well, it's rather new for me. I was never really very social growing up... Everyone always admired Thor for his physical strength, and, well... My own talents of magic and intellect are far less revered. The only friends I ever had, I met through Thor.

DOREEN

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't have any friends as a kid.

Loki raises an eyebrow.

LOKI

Not any?

Doreen shakes her head.

LOKI

Well, I... certainly wish we'd met sooner, then.

(Beat)

DOREEN

Yeah, me too.

LOKI

It's certainly never easy being an outcast... I've spent my whole life living in Thor's shadow... I know my father wishes I were more like him and his friends, but... All the brawn and muscle... It's just not who I am. I'm not like them.

DOREEN

Yeah, and, I mean, I'm sure being a frost giant and all must make you feel different, too...

Loki frowns.

LOKI

I beg your pardon?

Doreen's eyes widen, and she almost chokes on her drink.

DOREEN

U-Uh... I-I mean, um... Hypothetically speaking, if someone were... secretly a frost giant living in Asgard, that would... make them feel different, but, you know, that... wouldn't happen... ever...

She lets out a nervous laugh and sets her drink down on a nearby table as Loki blinks in confusion.

DOREEN

Anyways... What are you plans for the future if you're not first in line for the throne?

LOKI

I'm... not sure, to be honest. My parents thought I could gain some title of power by marrying me off to some other royal family, but I... don't think that's going to happen.

DOREEN

I guess it's too bad things didn't work out with that Vanaheim prince, then.

LOKI

Well, actually, I'm... rather glad they didn't now.

DOREEN

Why?

(Beat)

LOKI

Because now I've met you.

Doreen freezes and glances at him in surprise. He gives her a gentle smile in return. For a moment, she looks inexplicably happy, but once her senses return to her, her face falls and she backs away from him. Loki frowns.

LOKI

Is... something wrong?

DOREEN

I... I have to go...

LOKI

If... If I've said something wrong, I-

DOREEN

N-no! No, it's not... I... I'm sorry...

Before he can say another word, she runs away.

EXT. ASGARDIAN FOUNTAIN - MOMENTS LATER

Doreen splashes her face with water from a fountain on the other side of the courtyard, trying to pull herself together. Suddenly, Tippy-Toe runs up to her and squeaks at her.

DOREEN

Right... Parts...

INT. ODIN'S TREASURE ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Sneaking around corridors, Doreen finally finds the entrance to Odin's treasure room, which is protected by two guards.

DOREEN

(Whispering)

Okay, Tippy, you distract them while I sneak up on them from behind.

Tippy-Toe salutes, runs up to the guards, and starts playing with their armor while squeaking at them.

GUARD #1

What the-?! What is that?!

GUARD #2

It appears to be some type of squirrel...

Guard #1 tries flicking Tippy-Toe off his armor.

GUARD #1

Shoo! Begone, creature!

(He turns to the other guard.)

Do you think it's Ratatoskr?

GUARD #2

No, you fool! Ratatoskr has a horn!

Before they can say another word, Doreen strikes them both from behind. They try to attack her, but she expertly knocks them both out in one punch.

DOREEN

(to Tippy-Toe)

Let's go.

She and Tippy-Toe enter the treasure room, scanning the area for the parts. Doreen frowns in confusion when she sees Odin's fake infinity gauntlet, but is quickly distracted by the golden parts in a chest in the far end of the room.

DOREEN

Got it!

She tries picking up the parts, but as soon as she does, a shield of magic blocks the exit.

DOREEN

Oh, that's not good...

She hears footsteps and guards' voices rushing towards the treasure room. Moving quickly, she jumps up to the ceiling and kicks down the mechanism creating the shield.

DOREEN

Tippy, we gotta run!

Hiding in corridors, they slip past the guards and escape to the outside of the palace. Doreen grabs her tem-pad and opens a portal. Before she returns to the TVA, she catches a glimpse of Loki's silhouette in the distance walking around. For a moment, he seems to be looking for something, but he soon sits down on a bench, defeated, and looks at the other party guests in the distance. Squeezing her eyes shut, Doreen turns away and places a reset charge on the ground. As she and Tippy go through the portal, the reset charge disintegrates the area.

INT. TVA - DAY

Doreen and Tippy-Toe rush through the portal, causing Doreen to nearly run into Mobius, who raises an eyebrow.

DOREEN

I got the parts.

MOBIUS

I... can see that. Are you okay? What's with the getup?

DOREEN

I'm fine - There was a ball going on, so I just had to change to blend in...

(Beat)

I should... get started on fixing the locket.

Before Mobius can stop her, she rushes to another room.

INT. TVA OFFICE - DAY

Still in her ballgown, Doreen is busying inserting the parts into the locket. Mobius enters.

MOBIUS

I, uh... saw the footage of Asgard...

Doreen grits her teeth and says nothing.

MOBIUS

So... you... like Loki, huh? Gotta say, I wasn't expecting that...

DOREEN

I really don't want to talk about this.

MOBIUS

Does he know?

DOREEN

Uh, no, he doesn't, and I'd like to keep it that way.

MOBIUS

Well, I mean... I'd be lying if I said I thought you weren't an odd pair, but I guess I can see it...

Doreen clenches her jaw and ignores him.

MOBIUS

I just don't see why you're all upset over it...

Doreen slams the locket down.

DOREEN

Because! I'm gonna live, what? 80, 90 years max? Maybe a hundred if I'm lucky? That's a fraction of Loki's life! Why would he ever pay any attention to me?! If that Loki from the past knew I was just a human, he wouldn't have taken a second glance at me!

Realizing she is losing her composure, she tries to focus back on fixing the locket. 

After a moment, Mobius sits down next to her.

MOBIUS

You know, I've studied Loki's entire life. I thought I understood everything there was to know about him. But you... you stumped me. If Loki knew he was going to die at the hands of Thanos, why did he trust you to be the one to bring him back to life? And then, it hit me... It's because he knows you're different. He knows that you know what it's like to be an outcast. He could sense it, just from meeting you, that you would be the first stranger he ever met that wouldn't see him as an enemy.

After a pause, Doreen shakes her head.

DOREEN

Even if I could believe that... it wouldn't matter. I'm never going to live long enough to be a part of his life.

(Beat)

MOBIUS

You know, when you've worked at the TVA for as long as I have, you tend to get a bit of a perspective on these types of things. Doreen... It's not about how much time we have... It's what we do with our time while we have it that matters. And you may not believe me, but I know you've made a difference in his life. You never doubted him, even when you had every right to. And that's always going to stick with him, even long after you're gone.

Doreen looks down and says nothing. After a moment, Mobius stands up.

MOBIUS

Well... make of it what you will. I'm gonna go ask the other agents if they've found any leads-

Suddenly, the locket clicks open.

DOREEN

It's fixed!

(She hands it to Mobius.)

Here, let that charge at a good power source for a little bit. Once it's at 100%, you should be able to see where Loki is.

MOBIUS

Okay, great. We'll get a task force ready to go get him.

DOREEN

Can I come?

MOBIUS

Ravonna would rather you stay here. She doesn't want a non-variant being put at an unnecessary risk.

Doreen's face falls, but she nods. Mobius exits. Doreen sits back at a computer and starts to look through files. She comes across a tab that reads "AGENT PROFILES", but when she tries to access it, she gets a message that reads "ERROR: RESTRICTED". Glancing over her shoulder, she checks to make sure no one else is in the room and begins typing.

INT. RAVONNA'S OFFICE - DAY

As Ravonna sits at her desk, she receives a holographic message that reads "WARNING: DATA BREACH DETECTED". She clenches her jaw.

INT. TVA OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Doreen is reading files on her computer. As she continues to read, her eyes widen, with her expression growing more and more horrified. Suddenly, she turns back to the door.

DOREEN

Mobius?!

When there is no response, she tries to exit the room and follow after Mobius, but a gate of lasers suddenly blocks her path. As she glances at it, confused, Ravonna opens a portal into the room and strikes her from behind, knocking her out.

SYLVIE SMIRKS ‘CAUSE SHE KNOWS HE LYIN

So yeah, I took a lot of inspiration for the ballroom scene from the Laendler scene from The Sound of Music. I imagined Loki and Doreen’s relationship being a lot like The Captain and Maria, ‘cause I’m a huge sucker for the hardened grouch going soft for the innocent, lighthearted dreamer trope lol :P

I also listened to the song “When the Night is Over” by Lord Huron a lot when writing that scene. It’s very sad and haunting if you think of it as Loki’s POV after Doreen runs away.

Finally, I am officially dubbing the Doreen x Loki pairing “Dorki”, and I shall henceforth be tagging these posts as such!

@drawntothedarkside

[9worldstales]

MCU Loki Ep 2 “The Variant” intensive analysis

So, the 2nd “Loki” episode come out and, again, I couldn’t stop myself from talking about it.

Beware about spoilers!

After a brief summary that’s basically made by showing us the most relevant scenes of Episode 1 we’ve the Marvel opening, this time with its usual music… though the Marvel studios logo is still in green and gold.

We start this episode in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1985, the year of “Back of the future”, only there’s no Martin or Doc or the DeLorean, but just some sort of medieval fair.

Pity.

Anyway Minutemen get on the place and didn’t care at all about how they’re attracting the general attention with their look. We know why, because they think to reset the timeline before leaving so it’s not like their magical apparition might change something.

They believe they’ve detected the Variant so they enter in a tent thinking they can capture them… only to fall straight in a trap, as the Variant was waiting for them, starting a registration as soon as they are where the Variant wants them to be.

Yeah, the registration was meant to be for the show that should have taken place there but the Minutemen are smart enough to get it’s a trap.

After a recorded message that seem to imply in that tent there was meant to happen some sort of contest or show about saving a princess…

My lords, my ladies, welcome and thank you for joining us, here at the castle. Please, settle into your seats for a great battle is about to commence. The prize? Our princess. Will evil prevail, or are we holding out for a hero?

…the song by Bonnie Tyler “Holding Out For A Hero” starts and, as it does Hunter C-20 gets possessed by the Variant (we can see a hand touching her head, green magic on the tip of its finger, and then Hunter C-20’s eyes take an odd green colouring for a moment, a sign she’s possessed) and starts murdering out her own men in a joint effort with the Loki Variant. However while she fights she suddenly drops unconscious and a figure in a cape, clearly our Variant, stabs with her sword the last minuteman. Then, as usual, the Variant steals from the Minuteman what she needs and, this time, also kidnaps Hunter C-20 before disappearing.

Many have seen in the scene a reference to the Shrek 2 scene in which Shrek and his friends storm the castle in order to stop Fiona from kissing Charming, disguised as Shrek.

Me, I would just want to know if the princess is meant to be Hunter C-20 or this Loki Variant.

We’ll see.

Well, anyway we get the Loki title and them we find ourselves with Loki reading a jet ski magazine when Miss Minute would want him to review what he had learnt instead. She tries to quiz him but, although Loki seems to know the answers, he’s not interested in being quizzed, defining it boring.

His attention focuses on Miss Minute, asking her if she’s a recording or alive. She explains she’s both.

Loki looks around then tries to test it, rolling the magazine and attempting to use it to hit Miss Minute, who jumps around in an effort to avoid his blows. He seems to have fun. If this is idea of venting for the mistreatment he suffered at the hands of the TVA or he’s just being playful that’s up to speculation.

Miss Minute escapes inside the pc, complaining he’s being a jerk.

Mobius joins him and from his dialogue we discover the magazine is actually Mobius’ not Loki’s. The guy gives him a package, telling him they’ve to go and that he has to wear what’s inside it, which is actually a jacket, which Loki wears.

They join the others and Hunter B-15 explains how C-20 and her team disappeared in 1885 and they expect it to be an ambush by a Loki Variant, although they don’t know which kind of Loki Variant it can be. Loki suggests they’re the lesser kind, lesser than him, of course.

Hunter B-15 demands to see the back of his jacket on which we can see the writing Variant. She laughs seeing the writing, mockingly, the way one would when he has managed to put an insulting sign on someone’s back without them realizing.

Loki points out she was very subtle in it and she explains she doesn’t want anyone to forget who he is… which, I guess, means Hunter B-15 found yellow, star shaped badges too subtle or maybe not fitting to everyone they deemed a less human to prune away.

Still Loki asks her back if she means they shouldn’t forger he’s their only hope of capturing a murderer.

B-15, who never believed him to be capable of something, correct him saying they should never forget he’s ‘a cosmic mistake’. In short the writing is there to make him recognizable, to ostracize and to humiliate him. He’s not like them, he’s a Variant.

She’s not doing this because he’s dangerous and they should be wary of him, just because he shouldn’t exist.

Mobius states that this is enough… which hints he’s not enjoying this, but he allowed it to happen and didn’t even warn or prepare Loki about it.

Long story short he’s clearly different from B-15 who relishes in all this (and mind you, this is not a critic to Wunmi Mosaku, who’s awesome in the part, just to her character) but he still doesn’t really take a big stance against it as he stopped it only when it dragged on too long.

Mobius brings them back to business, telling everyone they’re looking for a Loki, a variation of the guy with them. He reminds them they should be familiar with Loki because they had pruned more Loki Variants than any other Variant and they’re all different, in appearances.

As Mobius speak we’re shown some Loki Variations with their numbers. Our Loki is the Variant L1130.

I wanted to check the numbers near the Lokis but it seems there had been a mistake in the handling of the numbers

Jotun Loki appears to have first the number L1247 but in the close up it switches to L6792

Cyclist Loki is L1247 and the hulking one is L6792 while the green dressed one is L8914 and the last one with the big helmet is L7803.

Long story short Jotun Loki has probably 2 wrong numbers pasted on himself as they belong to other variations but all the Lokis’ numbers has in common the letter L at the beginning which I guess, stands for Loki.

The visual makes something interesting, projecting the various variants on Loki, which makes us immediately aware of the differences but also reminds us they’re all still Loki.

What leaves me perplex is how those Variants became so different from the original Loki. I mean, our Loki was caught few minutes after he escaped. Unless those Loki managed to escape to the TVA for a while (which would risk the timeline to reach a red line so it seems unlikely it happened) how did they manage to deviate so much from how they were meant to be in the Sacred Timeline?

I mean cyclist Loki would have needed the time to take part to a race to in that cup!

It’s true that in this episode it will turn out the TVA worries only of deviations that impact the timeline, so maybe the TVA started worrying late in their case but it’s still weird.

Anyway Mobius starts digging into the powers they’ve in common which are shape-shifting, illusion-projection, duplication-casting and Mobius’ favourite, which we don’t get to hear as Loki interrupts Mobius saying he got one of the names of his power wrong, it’s Duplication-casting, not Illusion-projection and explains the differences between the two, finishing with:

“But you already knew that.”

… which they didn’t. In short it’s Loki’s turn to point out they act as if they know him when they don’t know him and his powers as well as they think and that he’s actually of some use.

On a sidenote there’s to wonder which one is Mobius’ Loki’s favourite power and if it’s meant to be relevant. This Variant showed it could posses people, and I wonder if what happened to Selvig at the end of “Thor” is a hint our Loki can as well. Our Loki could travel through the secret paths… in “Thor” he could spell his knives, which we know he can make appear out of nowhere. In deleted scenes we learn he could cause mist to appear. “Thor: Ragnarok” said Loki turned Thor into a frog. I wouldn’t mind if he were to start turn people of the TVA into frogs.

Anyway Mobius accepts his explanation and tells the others they’re gonna break in two teams, one of which will include himself and ‘professor Loki’.

B-15’s words about Loki being a cosmic failure clearly made an impression as one of the minutemen question the idea and Mobius is forced to admit since they can’t find this Loki Variant they need an ‘expert’.

Loki takes his chance to remind everyone that by expert Mobius means him. He’s there because he has a use, an importance, a role and they shouldn’t look down on him.

The scene switches.

Loki and Mobius are walking toward the door that will bring them in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1985.

Loki, repeating a pattern seen in “Thor: The Dark World” asks for a weapon…

Loki (Thor: The Dark World): “You could at least furnish me with a weapon. My dagger, something!”

Loki (Loki): “Do I get a weapon?”

…which Mobius refuses to give him. Loki though points out once out of the TVA he’ll have his magic back and asks Mobius if no one is worried he’ll betray them.

Loki: “Well, I'll have my magic back. Is no one concerned about that?”

Mobius: “Of what?”

Loki: “Me betraying you.”

This also is something we saw in “Thor: The Dark World”.

Loki: “You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?”

Mobius can’t say Frigga did trust him or that he promises him vengeance in exchange of loyalty so he tries to go for something he knew Loki wanted, a meeting with the Time-Keepers. Considering Renslayer, who’s above Mobius, couldn’t grant Loki that, if I were in Loki I would genuinely doubt Mobius can. He just tries to dangle in front of his eyes something Loki might want to win him over.

Loki pauses as Mobius mentions he could meet the Time-Keepers and asks if that’s what’s on the table. Mobius doesn’t really give him a straight answer, just a ‘Keep that focus’.

I wonder if Loki really wants to meet the three space lizards or he just let Mobius believe so because, by acting that way, he made clear he’s interested.

Oh, now that I look at it behind the helmets of the minutemen there are codes which could be their identification codes or names, since they don’t seem to use names.

B-15 has obviously written B-15 while other minutemen had much longer codes.

The group arrives in 1985 and Loki makes a relevant question:

“Let me ask you this, why don't we just travel back to before the attack, when the Variant first arrives?”

It’s something many viewers have been wondering and it turns out that the answer is:

“Nexus events destabilize the time flow. This branch is still changing and growing, so you gotta show up in real time.”

In short the authors knew this could feel like a dumb plot hole so they made a rule to explain why this couldn’t be done. It’s still not perfert… I mean, what it means to show up in real time? They aren’t in the same time as 1985, when itìs real time for them? But whatever, it’s nice they tried to fix this problem.

Mobius asks Loki if he watched all the explicative videos he was supposed to watch and Loki replied only as many as he could stand because he find that their ‘TVA propaganda is exhausting’.

I’m glad Loki and I see things in the same way. Most of the TVA babbling is propaganda meant to brainwash people’s mind.

A Minuteman then asks Loki what ‘these’ (these being the Time Charges) do.

Loki knows perfectly and gives us the confirmation to the thing I, and many others, suspected in the past episode.

Time Charges…

“Reset charges prune the affected radius of a branched timeline, allowing time to heal all its wounds. Which sounds like a nice way of saying disintegrate everything in its vicinity.”

So yeah, it’s genocide or total destruction of that timeline and all the people in it.

But also yeah, Loki studied all he was supposed to study although he insists he watched only some of the videos. I’m not surprised though, a wizard had to be good at studying things and Loki clearly wanted to know how that world worked so of course he would have watched the video even if he’s downplaying it.

They reach the place in which the TVA fought Loki and discover the Loki Variant kidnapped C-20. It turns out that it’s the first time that Variant kidnapped someone. A minuteman suggests the Variant might have pruned (aka killed but the TVA doesn’t use that word) C-20.

B-15 acts defensively, saying a Loki couldn’t have beaten C-20. She clearly views the Lokis, the whole of them as this time she’s not even saying Variants, as inferior. She should probably remember she got collared by one Loki.

Loki tries to warn her saying she’s underestimating the Variant… which she’s doing as the Variant could have very well ‘pruned’ C-20 had the Variant wanted to.

B-15 isn’t interested in hearing him out as she interrupt him and tells the other to fan out and starts searching for C-20 fast as they’re approaching the red line.

Loki stops them, telling them if they’ll leave the tent they’ll end up killed. B-15 thinks it’s a waste of time but Mobius is willing to hear him out.

Loki launches himself in a long explanation, the gist of it being he thinks there’s a scheme behind the Variant’s actions, that they should be aware of their surrounding, listen more (like he does) and less prone to underestimate him or the ‘lesser Loki’.

Now… he’s not completely wrong, the TVA underestimates him, and they has underestimated the other Loki Variant, which we saw lead to some of their losses.

Loki claims the Variant wants him because they know he’s the stronger Loki and so wants to join forces with him to overthrown and rule the TVA. I’m not sure how the Variant would have known there’s a Loki working with the TVA but let’s assume they do and that Loki’s reasoning could make sense… or could be explained with him trying to paint himself as more important than he is.

But then he goes saying that this isn’t what he wants as he’s now a servant of the Sacred Timeline… which is patently untrue and hard to believe… who can hand them the Variant but what assurances he won’t be disintegrated once the job is done.

And okay, his own is a legitimate worry and a legitimate request.

It’s actually clever to ask for reassurances the TVA won’t dispose of him once the job is done… though it’s not like there’s an actual bargaining ground because, if Loki isn’t cooperative and therefore is useless, the TVA will dispose of him anyway.

It’s not so clever he would try to pass himself for a servant of the timeline when he clearly didn’t play the part well. Of course since he said Asgardians were fundamentally naïve, maybe that’s the kind of people he’s used to deal with… but he has experienced distrust in Asgard in “Thor”, proof his own people isn’t so naïve… and he should have figured out Mobius isn’t either.

And then he presses for urgently meeting the Time-Keepers saying they’re in grave danger… and this jump isn’t smooth.

Mobius knows Loki wants to meet the Time-Keepers, so of course if Loki pushes the issue in this way he’s going to be prone to assume it’s a trick. The speech doesn’t even keep a logical flow because Loki first presented himself as better than the Variant and capable to handle it but reluctant to do so for fear of being erased… but now he’s presenting the Variant as a grave threat that requires them to urgently talk with the Time-Keepers.

So from one side it’s pushing for too much when he hadn’t even shown himself to be useful yet and for another it makes for a weak argument if he’s really as superior as he claims to be.

So… hum… the speech seems to tumble down in an unsatisfactory manner, ‘seems’ being the operative word because, if there’s a goal behind its weak points, then they still have a reason to exist.

I’m actually not quite sure which game Loki is playing with the TVA.

He’s for sure trying to survive but then what else does he want to get? I don’t believe he aims to control the universe but I’m pretty sure he’s not swallowing the TVA propaganda and he doesn’t enjoy to be there.

His timeline was pruned so he can’t go back there. Does he want to save Frigga? Is that what he aims to do? Does he want to go into the timeline after… let’s call it ‘canon Loki’ died so as to replace him?

Prior to it?

I don’t know.

Is he saying all those things for the Loki Variant’s benefit? He hopes the Variant is out there hearing him and his speech would make the Variant interested in joining forces?

I don’t know. We’ll see.

Anyway as expected Mobius figures it’s a trick and, since there’s no more time to do anything else, they just reset the timeline and leave.

On another note I like how Loki uses an Asgardian way to say. Way too often in movies even aliens feel compelled to use English ways to say instead than way to say from the world they belong to.

We also see how a time charge works. Loki hurries to move away as soon as he sees them starting it.

They… do something with the top part of it, I’m not sure if they push a button or pulled some sort of safety pin. We see something yellowish being released in the fluid inside the time charge which then turns purplish. The purple colour expands to the whole glass of the time charge until from below it something like a coloured expanding pool comes out. Everything that gets touched by that pool ends up being disintegrated.

At the TVA the monitors show that the ‘reset’ (read ‘disintegration’) of the timeline is done and that C-20 ended up MIA.

A music that’s half sad half… disquieting, start being played and we move into Renslayer’s office.

Mobius is complimenting for her office, pointing out how there’s a new snow globe in it and how he doesn’t remember bringing it to her.

She replies he’s not the only analyst working for her, which seems to imply analysts working for her are meant to bring her souvenirs from their missions. Or better… not quite. Mobius asks her why she gets to keep all the trophies from his cases, which seems to imply they weren’t given willingly.

Still, he tries to get her to admit he’s her favourite analyst.

I’m not really sure what’s going on between these two. They don’t seem to be in a relationship and I’m not sure if Mobius’ attempts at flattering her are because he’d like to be in a relationship with her but doesn’t dare to push the issue or because he’s currying her favours.

We’ll see.

Renslayer moves the discussion to the mission Mobius just botched and I don’t know if I would define it as such. Okay, so they didn’t find C-20 nor the other Loki Variant but chances here are two:

- the Loki Variant was out there using C-20 as bait as Loki said, setting a trap for them, and they successfully avoided it

- the Loki Variant wasn’t out there and so wasn’t C-20 and therefore was nothing for them to find.

Either way the mission wasn’t botched as they came back and successfully disintegrated… pardon, the TVA doesn’t like that word, they prefer ‘purged’ the branched timeline and any living being inside it.

Renslayer, referring to Loki as just ‘this Variant’ complains he’s insubordinate, stubborn and unpredictable like Mobius.

Honestly I think the whole series is trying to draw parallels between Loki and Mobius, where Mobius is however the one who chose to submit to the system where Loki just can’t stand it and wants to break it down.

So, although Mobius should be ‘all lawful’ we can see there’s a bit of ��chaotic’ inside him.

It’s probably worth to remember that ‘lawful’ and ‘chaotic’ are nothing else but the two opposite extreme on the Ethical axis used for RPG alignment where Lawful represents obedience to the law and Chaotic leans toward personal freedom, without regards to the law.

There’s another sign Mobius isn’t fully lawful, the fact he has the bad habit to leave the glass rest on Renslayer’s furniture, leaving rings, and then insisting he’s not who caused them as they were already there… when Renslayer points out they’re all there due to him.

I know a part of the fandom loves Mobius but I wonder if he’s in the story not only to interact with Loki but also to work in contraposition to him. There are two paths for him, either he chooses the same path as Loki or the opposite. We’ll see.

Mobius tries to blame the ring on Renslayer’s other favourite analyst. I wonder if such person exists and is meant to have a relevance in the story. It’ll be interesting if it’s the other Loki Variant in disguise.

I mean… the other Loki Variant knows plenty of things about the TVA which hints at how they should have a previous and prolonged contact with them because the TVA explains nearly nothing about how their things work to their captives but the other Loki Variant knows what Reset charges are and how they work or how to use a TemPad to open Timedoors.

Yet Mobius doesn’t seem to have info on when they captured that Variant, carried it to the TVA and then let them escape, so again, how did the Variant learnt so much about the TVA?

From another escaping Variant?

Hard to say?

Did they saw the TVA and tailed them till the TVA unnoticed?

I can’t really tell, we’ll see.

Anyway, back to their conversation, Renslayer points out the issue isn’t Mobius’ methods with Loki, but the fact he towed a dangerous Variant into the field… meaning they consider Loki dangerous.

Mobius claims that from that they had learnt ‘the Variant’ likes to stall for time, so the other Variant might end up doing the same, because, to Mobius, understanding one Loki leads to understand the other.

And I’m:

- actually you didn’t need to bring Loki to the field to learn this, didn’t you notice that’s what he did in other circumstances?

- if the two Lokis are different, no, understanding one doesn’t mean understand the other. I mean you had a Loki who was fine living as a Jotun while this one was traumatized by the idea he was a Jotun, Loki can be pretty different about them, enough to be complete opposite so no, nobody said they’ll surely share that particular trait.

Whatever, let’s go on.

Renslayer says Mobius has a soft spot for broken things (which Mobius denies because he’s a bit like Loki and doesn’t want to show weakness), which acknowledges this Loki is broken… but gains him no sympathy from Renslayer as she said that ‘Loki is an evil, lying scourge’. Because he attacked New York? Nope, just because this is the part he plays on the sacred timeline and he can change only if the Time-Keepers decree so, not because he wants to.

Renslayer is big on the predeterminism when it’s about Loki (who’s a Variant by the way and therefore already out of the Sacred Timeline) but why doesn’t she apply it to the TVA as well? They’ll take the Variant only if the Time-Keepers will so.

I think the TVA’s faith in the Time-Keepers has plenty of weak points and is hypocritical. I wonder if the show will explore this.

Mobius switches topic asking how the Time-Keepers are and it turns out he NEVER met them. So he basically can’t even be sure they exist or not, yet he’s pouring all his faith in those three space lizard.

Mobius seems kind of glad he hadn’t met them, which seems to hit they’re either dangerous to meet or he doesn’t have a good opinion of them.

Renslayer says:

“The Time-Keepers are monitoring every aspect of this case. I've never seen them so involved. They want that Variant caught.”

…which seems a way to put Mobius under pressure but really, if they decide the flow of time, shouldn’t the decide if Mobius will catch the Variant or not? They can decide if a Variant Loki can change or not but they can’t control the other?

Anyway Mobius signs the event report Renslayer already signed. We can see Renslayer signs R Slayer while Mobius signs M. M. M.

Mobius notices the pen he used for signing has the writing ‘Franklyn D. Roosvelt High School’ on it and complains that pen too should be from the other analyst Renslayer favoured. And I wonder again, who they are? They’re meant to be relevant? Or they’re only a plot device to make Mobius jealous?

Renslayer only tells him to stay focused. As he’s about to leave though, she stops him asking him if he believes in that Variant. Mobius doesn’t confirm this, saying Loki believes in himself enough for the both of them, complaining Loki is really arrogant and that he will delete him himself if this doesn’t work.

Of course these might be just words he tells to Renslayer but we saw him taking part to erasing timelines and even if he showed sympathy and kindness to the French boy he met in the cathedral in the very first episode, he let him be reset.

“Don't worry, that devil's afraid of us. We're gonna take care of him. And we're gonna put you back where you belong.”

This apparently kind sentence meant they disintegrate him and his timeline so the place the boy belong is basically oblivion.

But I’ll dig on Mobius and Loki in a moment.

For now let me pause a moment on the pen, another gift of Renslayer’s mysterious over analyst, with written on it ‘Franklyn D. Roosvelt High School’.

Franklyn D. Roosvelt, ex-president of the united state is also relevant for the MCU.

In 1940 Roosevelt ordered the formation of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) to fight the Nazi Party, even though the United States was still at peace with Germany. To ensure that only the greatest scientists work for the SSR, Roosevelt ordered Chester Phillips to recruit Howard Stark into the agency. SSR works in the creation of the Super Soldier Sierum, which ‘gives birth’ to Captain America then it is the re-tasked to fight Hydra. Later it will become part of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So yeah, maybe it’s a coincidence but it’s interesting.

Back to the story.

Mobius leaves Renslayer and we discover Loki has been left outside Renslayer’s office to wait.

Mobius whistles and also motions to Loki to follow him.

Some has compared this with how one would act to a dog. It’s possible they’re not so off track.

The TVA is a world that discriminates Variants and find them worth only being erased. They shouldn’t exist, they’re cosmic jokes, no one should forget someone is a Variant.

Mobius too in his discussion with Renslayer referred to Loki as just “the Variant”. Yet Mobius also feels some sympathy for Loki. Renslayer says he has a soft spot for broken things, if can mean she acknowledges Loki was broken by his experience… but she might also refer to the mere fact he’s a Variant and Variants, in a way, can be seen as ‘broken’ as they didn’t function properly but followed their own path instead than the one the Time-Keepers traced for them.

So the idea Mobius sees Loki as some sort of pet can be fitting. Mobius is growing fond of Loki… but he’s still imbued in all the TVA’s beliefs and teachings about predeterminism and how Variants are bad.

He doesn’t want to be needlessly mean to Loki, but the latter isn’t equal to him, he’s a tool, as everyone reminds him and as he has to remind to everyone else.

Variants has no rights in the TVA, they just exist to be pruned, reset, or, in less pretty but more realistic words, disintegrated.

And Mobius is a guy in the middle.

While he doesn’t want to be a jerk to Variants… or to people in the Sacred Timeline who’re going to die, he’s not really willing to fully fight against the system because he has faith in the system and a side of him he thinks Loki should just accept his place.

We see it in their discussion.

Loki is somewhat nervous… which, I’ll be honest, feels a little weird to me because he’s being openly nervous when usually Loki can keep controlled and hide this sort of things.

He had played a high risk bet during the mission and lost, he had time to think at what to say to Mobius while Mobius was discussing with Renslayer yet what he comes up isn’t really worth of someone who’s supposed to have a silver-tongue.

Okay, so it’s not like we were shown him using his silver-tongue in the movies, as people tended to do the opposite of what Loki asked them or not listen him at all, with the exception of Malekith and the Grandmaster… but we don’t get to see how Loki won the Grandmaster over.

Whatever, maybe there’s a reason, maybe not, we’ll see.

When facing the Variant later, Loki will say he kept the TVA vulnerable at the Renaissance Fair for some time and also that he has been working on gaining their trust. Presenting himself as openly insecure to Mobius, instead than hiding it as he would usually do, might be part of winning him over. As I said in the past commentary for ep 1, sometimes there are more benefits in being honest than in lying, so it can be that it’s not that Loki isn’t nervous, it can be he sees more benefits in showing it to Mobius.

We’ll see.

Mobius is in a bad mood. Although it didn’t seem Renslayer had given him a earful for his failure, it can be his failure burns. He tells Loki to show up, reminding him in the elevator he said he didn’t like to talk… which is something else that makes me think Loki is trying to give Mobius EXACTLY what Mobius asked for, so as to fulfil his expectations and lower his guard.

The following conversation is relevant.

Mobius: Okay. Just shut up! Please. What happened to the guy I met on the elevator? Who didn't like to talk. Remember him? Now I'm stuck with this guy who won't stop yacking away about what makes a Loki tick!

Loki: What? Isn't that precisely why I'm here?

Mobius: No. I don't care what makes you tick. You're here to help me catch the superior version of yourself. That's it!

Only Mobius in the previous episode told him he wanted exactly this from him.

Mobius: I'm serious. All I seek is a deeper understanding of the fearsome God of Mischief. What makes Loki tick?

This is the problem of an unequal partnership like their own. Loki isn’t there because he’s Mobius’ partner and equal, Loki is there to serve a purpose, capturing the other Loki. Renslayer might be right and Mobius might have a soft spot with him, but in the end Mobius ends up reminding Loki his place in the TVA, he’s there to be useful.

Loki takes offence by Mobius calling the other Variant “superior”.

Mobius gives us a slice of his mind… and Loki calls him out on his attempt of manipulation.

Mobius: See? There it is. Right there. I believed, stupidly, that insecure need for validation would motivate you to find the killer. Not 'cause you care about the TVA mission or bein' a hero, but because you know this Variant is better than you and you can't take it.

Loki: Very nice. I mean, it is adorable that you think you could possibly manipulate me. I'm ten steps ahead of you. I've been playing a game of my own all along.

But there’s something else worth pointing out. Mobius clearly believes working for the TVA equates at being a hero… and also that Loki would be so prideful he would serve the TVA merely to show them he’s better than the other without caring of how the TVA then might dispose of him.

And again Loki shows his cards way too openly so Mobius calls him out.

Mobius: What, charm your way in front of the Time-Keepers, hustle them, and seize control of the TVA? Am I getting warm? A double cross by history's most reliable liar.

Is really this what Loki aims at? This is what he’s telling around but is really this? Maybe but it seems so obvious, even Mobius could guess it in 5 minutes so… I don’t know, it seems too predictable for someone who’s supposedly smart.

The discussion goes on. Loki has figured since Mobius didn’t have him erased after that failure he is sticking his neck out for him so he asks him why.

Mobius: I'll give you two options, and you can believe whichever one you want. A, because I see a scared little boy, shivering in the cold. And you kinda feel bad for that ice runt. Or B, I just wanna catch this guy, and I'll tell you whatever I need to tell you.

I think both options are true, although usually, when proposing two options, the implication is the speaker is telling us to chose the last one… and it makes sense because this is the main motive Mobius is helping Loki. He could do nothing for him if it wasn’t because Loki could be useful… but this doesn’t men Mobius has no sympathy for him.

On another note it’s the second time the scripts hints at Loki as being young

Loki: I was young (in 1971), and I lost a bet to Thor. Where was the TVA when I was meddling with these affairs of men?

I really wonder if the idea is that Loki is young for Asgard standards.

Anyway Loki points out he doesn’t need Mobius’ sympathy, at which Mobius replies that’s good because he’s running out of it.

And again in itself there’s a problem. Mobius probably sees himself as a good person, because the fact he’s using Loki also means he’s sparing Loki from being pruned but, of course, if he has no use for Loki, this wouldn’t save him any longer.

If sympathy is tied to personal convenience, it’s not really sympathy.

As soon as they caught this Loki Mobius ran there to get him for himself because he thought it would be useful. He could have grown fond and it’s fine because it happens… but the key is still Loki has to be useful to him in order to be kept. So he’s not a really selfless act.

That’s why Mobius is no hero, who selflessly sacrifice for Loki, because he hopes in personal gain and… and it’s absolutely human. Mobius might have studied Loki but he basically just met him. Mobius has his own life. Why should he sacrifice it for Loki?

He’s planning for their allegiance to offer mutual benefits, Loki helps Mobius to wipe another Loki out of existence and Loki gets to live a little longer even though, being a Variant, Loki should have been already disposed of.

Mobius probably feels very kind and the other at the TVA would probably agree with him, because he’s giving a chance to someone who is lesser and has no right to chances and this is how their world work.

But we, viewers should be capable to understand their world works in the wrong way.

Loki: What's this? Next step of your manipulation...

Mobius: This is the final step. Your last chance.

Loki: Oh, and what does my desperate last chance require?

At this point Loki has moved back into keeping distance. He calls what’s Mobius is doing as manipulation and sounds flippant as he talks of his ‘desperate last chance’.

Mobius might have sympathy for him but Loki has likely figured out Mobius wouldn’t save him from the TVA beyond a certain point. The very best Mobius can offer him is to remain there working for the TVA to catch other Lokis, all while wearing a jacket that points out he’s a Variant as well, a cosmic joke.

Maybe Mobius might manage to have him dismiss wearing that jacket. Still, all this is tied to how much useful he can be. Mobius though can’t offer him freedom or a way back home.

Anyway Loki’s last chance is to work, to go over each and every one of the Variant's case files, and then, give him his unique Loki perspective and find something. All this while Mobius goes to eat something and keeping in mind his life depends on him proving to be of some use.

Again we’re reminded that Loki isn’t free to drop this work, he’s forced to cooperate, his life depends on it.

Loki starts looking through the documents which basically cover the various cases in which the Variant ambushed the Minutemen and stole their reset charge, clearly not finding them interesting. A woman hush him and he hush her back.

Loki tries going to the one who seems a librarian… but who’s actually so mechanical she feels more like a robot who can’t stop typing to pay attention to those who call her if they don’t ring at her first.

Loki asks her for more files. No, not files on the case, files pertaining to the creation of the TVA… but they’re all classified. The same goes for files pertaining to the beginning of time and the end of the time.

Exasperated Loki asks which files he can have and he’s handed a handful of them which, merely cover his case as a Variant and the life of his alternate self in the sacred timeline.

Loki reads them anyway and discovers of the destruction of Asgard.

As he does he can’t help but shed a tear for his former planet, before noticing the TVA also noted that during the event there was zero variance energy detected.

This causes him to connect some important dots and so he rushes to join Mobius to the restaurant.

At first Mobius doesn’t want to listen him, claiming he told him not to bother him until he read all the files which Loki claims to have done.

Honestly he didn’t seem particularly interested in them but he might have done it as someone who practices magic should have been good at studying. Mobius insists and Loki points out  what they’re searching isn’t in the files but in the timeline as the Variant is hiding in the apocalypse.

Mobius asks which one and Loki mentions Ragnarok, asking him if he’s familiar to it. And I wonder if Loki wanted an answer to this one question, if he wanted to know if Mobius knew his homeland was wiped away, that this is something the TVA allowed.

Mobius confirms he knows about it and apologizes to him.

Loki pretends not to care and goes on discussing how a Nexus event is the result of someone doing something he’s not supposed to that causes a chain reaction of things that aren’t supposed to happen.

Mobius confirms.

At this point Loki steals the salad Mobius was eating for his example and decides in his metaphor that salad will represent Asgard.

And tell me whatever you want but, as far as I’m involved this is Loki paying back Mobius for letting him to work while he went to eat.

Mobius gets immediately that his lunch is going to meet an abrupt demise but Loki doesn’t let this deter him.

Loki suggests if he were to go on Asgard before Ragnarok he could do whatever he wants, even push Hulk off the Rainbow bridge, and to prove his point, he adds more salt to the salad. He then says he could also set fire to the place. I don’t know what he adds to Mobius’ salad as he says so, maybe pepper, but this is enough to make Mobius beg not to set fire to the place, which I find hilarious. Loki continues to put salt and… pepper? Into Mobius’ salad commenting that he can do whatever he wants without going against the dictates of the timeline.

He then picks up Mobius’ drink only to find it empty so he goes to get the drink from the nearby’s table, Casey’s table. He then pours it into Mobius’ salad, likely making it impossible to eat, explaining how the drink represents Surtur who will destroy Asgard no matter what Loki does so what he does doesn’t matter.

In short, in addition to making his point, Loki let Mobius too without lunch.

Fair since Loki didn’t have lunch at all.

Mobius still doesn’t get it so Loki goes further on explaining if they have an apocalypse of whatever kind it doesn’t matter what one would do in it because everything would get destroyed so the Variant has to be hiding in an apocalypse, doing whatever they want without them noticing.

Mobius is forced to admit it’s not a bad theory and Loki tells him to bring him to an apocalypse and he’ll show him.

Mobius accuses him of wanting to run back to his homeland and Loki says whatever apocalypse will do. Mobius makes clear he’s afraid to bring Loki around and Loki insists they’ve to test his theory. Mobius makes clear he’s afraid Loki would want to test how stabbable is his back.

Loki complains stabbing someone in the back is a boring form of betrayal. Mobius said he has done it 50 times… which is really not much for someone who lived as long as Loki especially since most of those stabbing if not all took place during battle, because Mobius is talking of literal stabbing here, not metaphorical one.

Loki is not really interested in arguing this one though and just says he won’t do it again because it got old which causes Mobius to laugh. Loki insists that he understands Mobius doesn’t trust him but he should trust something else, Loki loves to be right… and this seals the deal.

So the guys are at Pompeii, Italy – 78 AD, though it would be more correct to say they’re at Pompeii, ROMAN EMPIRE – AD 78 or 78 CE.

Eruption day.

While Mobius is absolutely scared they might mess up the timeline Loki is as overexcited like a kid on a sugar rush.

Loki cried reading of the destruction of Asgard but here he seems pretty giddy.

To Mobius scolding him because ‘it’s just not in good taste’ he replies ‘they’re gonna die anyway’.

And in itself is interesting. Mobius said he’s sorry for Asgard destruction, now he worries about ‘good taste’ but in the end he’s not going to do anything to spare those people’s lives.

The dead count will be of over 2.000 a good part of it dying a horrible albeit fast death as they’ll be literally vaporized by the heat of the pyroclastic flow.

In face of so many people about to die Mobius worrying Loki’s behaviour isn’t in good taste feels hypocritical, a mere care for the form, in fact he agrees with Loki it’s ‘cool’ the whole city will be wiped off the planet and his main worry is they shouldn’t create a huge branch.

Anyway, while Mobius insist they should start creating only a very small disturbance, Loki ends up freeing animals and announcing the eruption and the following death of everyone to the people.

Loki making all that chaos feels as if this is way to distance from the apocalypse that hit Asgard. Honestly I don’t think he wanted to go there during Ragnarok if there was nothing he could have done to save it.

However his speech is also an interesting way for Loki to try and pry info from Mobius about the TVA

Loki: ( Speaking latin ) You’re all about to die. That volcano is about to erupt! I would know, because I’m from the future. ( In english ) We are from the future, right? What is the TVA? I mean, it's from the future. It sounds from the future. It's pretty future-y.

Mobius won’t reply to him but the eruption will start right there, the Tempad continuing to sign zero variance energy, proving Loki was right. I wonder if this was also Loki’s way to try and see if an apocalypse could be prevented.

Oh, Loki talks Latin here but I’ve already talked about the language problem in the MCU and how the TVA seems to have a tv series version of Allspeak which, evidently passed to Loki too as he showed he previously couldn’t talk to Mongolian people.

On another note… the eruption, as depicted in the show, is not historically accurate.

Around 1:00 p.m., Mount Vesuvius violently erupted, spewing up a high-altitude column (the column supposedly as high as 30 km) from which ash and pumice began to fall, blanketing the area. Rescues and escapes occurred during this time.

It’s only much later, in the night or during the day after that the pyroclastic flows began and it Pompeei 4 minutes later, murdering everyone there.

The show instead seems to mix up the first eruption with the beginning of the pyroclastic flow (which is the one we see approaching from behind Loki), skipping the fall of ash and pumice.

Of course from a storytelling point of view it works a lot better, so it’s not a big deal and it’s just artistic freedom, it’s just my history lover’s heart which is bleeding.

If you want to enjoy how the eruption looked like there’s a nice video on Youtube “A Day in Pompeii - Full-length animation”.

The switch between Pompeii and back to the TVA feels a little abrupt, as if the Pompeii scene was meant to last more and they cut it.

Anyway they’re back on TVA and Mobius is summarizing Loki’s theory. Loki tells him he’s welcome, which, I take, is Loki’s clue he’d like to be thanked for his contribution. Mobius though is more focused on the mechanics of their new discovery.

He believes for Loki’s theory to hold the disasters have to be naturally-occurring, sudden, no warning, no survivors. So Ragnarok wouldn’t be okay because Loki and Thor triggered it and there were survivors. That is unless the TVA retconned “Thor: Ragnarok”.

Anyway, they decide they’ll have to find out how many of those natural disasters there are… but in the end Loki falls asleep on all the documents they’re checking.

I know there’s a debate if this proves he trusts Mobius or not… but the point is, he just proved himself he was of great help, so Mobius who has shown to have some measures of sympathy toward him despite his strict adherence to the TVA code and that make him capable to disintegrate him should need arise, has really no reason to harm him, quite the opposite.

Also he’s likely quite exhausted, both physically and emotionally otherwise he clearly wouldn’t fall asleep on an uncomfortable position over a stack of papers.

And differently from Mobius he supposedly didn’t even had lunch.

Mobius yawns which shows he’s clearly worn out as well, wakes him and tells him they’re going for a walk. So no bed, they’ll only take a small break.

I take they end up in the TVA version of a cafeteria where Loki asks Mobius about the jet ski magazine. Mobius ends up showing his total love for jet skis.

“Yeah. You know, some things... Actually, most things in history are kinda dumb, and everything gets ruined eventually. But in the early 1990s, for a brief, shining moment, there was a beautiful union of form and function, which we call the jet ski, and a reasonable man cannot differ.”

Actually he sounds like a fanboy, dismissive of everything he doesn’t like and imposing his own likes claiming no one could have a different opinion from him. It’s not a complain, it’s human. I like how the TVA members, despite their dystopian setting and their fanatic faith to the TVA religion have characteristics, both good and bad, that made them human.

However, at Loki’s question if he has ever tried a Jet Ski, Mobius admits he never been on one because if a TVA agent were to show up on a jet ski that would create a branch. It’s a poor excuse since they show up in timelines in their everyday clothes in time periods in which those clothes aren’t appropriate and anyway, who cares since they reset the branches so they could even show up naked and everything would get erased?

In this Mobius is the opposite of Loki, although he too has wishes that make him similar to Loki he doesn’t dare to fulfil them, he completely focuses on his work, he claims to read the magazines because they remind him what he’s fighting for… jet skis appearing in the Sacred Timeline in early 1990s apparently.

Okay, it’s more that he believes if the Sacred Timeline gets destroyed everything would but people who were believing to be heroes like he does would say they would fight for people, not for a beautiful vehicle that could be enjoyed only for a brief amount of time.

Mobius in a way is disconnected by the people on the sacred timeline, maybe because he never met them, he met the Variants, which are considered something to be pruned and nothing more and he actively help in pruning them.

So maybe he can’t work for people, because as soon as those people become variants, bang, they need to be wiped away. I think Mobius would like to be a decent person, I think he doesn’t want to harm people so he keeps distance and blindly swallows the TVA teaching and this discussion further proves it.

Loki asks if he really believes in all the TVA preaches and Mobius replies:

Mobius: I don't get hung up on, "Believe, not believe." I just accept what is.

It reminds me of a discussion he had with Loki in the past episode:

Loki: So that had the Time-Keepers' seal of approval, did it?

Mobius: Well, I wouldn't think of it in terms of approval and disapproval. That's sort of a... Let's get back to escapes...

Mobius just accepts things as they are presented. But why he accepts them?

Loki goes on summarizing how  the TVA’s beliefs are that three magic lizards created the TVA and everyone in it including Mobius, which for Loki is clearly something dumb to believe.

Loki: Every time I start to admire your intelligence, you say something like that.

Mobius tries to retort it by turning tables on Loki.

Mobius: Okay, who created you, Loki?

Loki: A Frost Giant of Jotunheim.

Mobius: And who raised you?

Loki: Odin of Asgard.

Mobius: Odin, God of the Heavens. Asgard, mystical realm, beyond the stars. Frost Giants. Listen to yourself...

Loki: It's not the same. It's completely different. No. It's not the same.

Mobius: It's exactly the same thing.

The HUGE problem in Mobius’ reasoning is that he’s mixing up what Loki has experienced, his skin turning blue, proving he’s a Jotun, living his whole life with Odin, believing him to be his father, with Mobius merely believes as Mobius has no knowledge of what the Time-Keepers are since he never met them and likely doesn’t even remember when he was created or things like that.

Loki believes in what he lived though because he touched and sampled it and, in fact, he had a breakdown when he discovered part of it, the part he had no memory about but embraced out of faith was a lie (Loki couldn’t remember his Jotun heritage or his birth so he accepted what he was told, that Odin and Frigga were his parents). This likely makes even harder for him to accept that Mobius would just blindly believe in something he hadn’t experienced in the slightest.

Mobius had said:

Mobius: I don't get hung up on, "Believe, not believe." I just accept what is.

But at the end of it what motivates him is blind belief.

Mobius: Because if you think too hard about where any of us came from, who we truly are, it sounds kinda ridiculous. Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it. And I'm just lucky that the chaos I emerged into gave me all this... My own glorious purpose. Cause the TVA is my life. And it's real because I believe it's real.

The TVA is real because he believes so. It has to be or his own ‘glorious purpose’ would mean nothing. Loki got burned by the truth. Mobius doesn’t want to end up the same, he doesn’t want to think at the absurdity the TVA feds him, he doesn’t want to question if what he does is right or wrong because the truth might disappoint it, it might be ridiculous, in bad taste, like being excited as Pompeii is about to be buried by the volcano.

The TVA is Mobius’ religion, and, to paraphrase Karl Marx faith in the TVA ‘is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.’

But this kind of mindset is also the mindset of whose who represent the ‘banality of evil’ of those who indulge in the capital vice of Acedia, whose who do not care, who do nothing to stop evil empower it and support it.

“...morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings, that indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, that in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.” ― Abraham Heschel

And, after all, Mobius works to support it, to support the TVA as they prune/reset countless lives.

There’s something else that’s interesting.

Mobius is supposed to be a lawful character… yet he doesn’t believe existence is order. Existence is chaos. And, in the same way as he’s afraid to try out a jet ski and making excuses for why he doesn’t do so, I think Mobius deep down is scared by chaos. Fascinated by it but scared by it as well. In fact he’ll later says that he believes when it all will end and the Time-Keepers will have finished untangling the timeline all that will emerge will be order.

Loki: Ah, I see. So, when they're finished, what happens then?

Mobius: So are we. No more nexus events. Just order. And we meet in peace at the end of time. Nice, right?

Loki: Only order?

Mobius: Mmm-hmm.

Loki: No chaos? It sounds boring.

Mobius: I'm sure it does to you.

Order is reassuring, it gives people a sense, a purpose, order is explainable. Order follows laws so it’s lawful. But order, like Loki points out, is also boring, predictable.  No bad surprise would come out of it, true, but no good surprise either. No change. No possibility to get worse… but no possibility to get better either. Order is static where chaos is always changing. You need a mixture of both to make a worthy life.

Besides the idea they ‘meet in peace at the end of time’ to me feels more like an attempt to use a different wording to say ‘we’re all dead’ or ‘we’ll be all pruned/reset’. So not particularly encouraging.

But I’m running ahead a bit. When Mobius says Loki that the TVA is real because he believes so, Loki accepts it. For the moment.

Loki: Fair enough. You believe it's real.

And I wonder if, in a way, Loki can understand. Because the chaos, the unpredictable, is what made him discover he wasn’t an Odinson. If he hadn’t questioned Odin’s words, if he hadn’t gone and taken the Casket of Ancient Winters in his hands but just turned his eyes away when his skin turned blue, if, like Mobius said, he hadn’t thought to hard at it, or at how bad Thor could be as a kind, if he just had shrugged everything off and said ‘yeah, I’m sorry Thor will be a poor kind but that’s what meant to be, who cares?’ and ‘yeah, it’s weird my skin turned blue but Odin said I’m his son so who am I to question him?’ he would have spared himself many unpleasant things.

He would be at Asgard, thinking to be Odin’s son, trying to help Thor, who prior to his banning to Earth was completely unfit to rule, not ruin completely the planet. That would be his own glorious purpose. Nothing more.

And while it wouldn’t be a great purpose… well, it would have spared him of a lot of pain so I think Loki can see the charm of it… but at the same time he can see the danger of it. If we’ll blindly follow the rules we give up on our free will.

Loki: So everything is written. Past, present, future. There's no such thing as free will.

Mobius: Well, I mean, you know, it's an oversimplification...

Mobius thinks it’s an oversimplification but it’s not. He’s probably telling himself since he submits to the rules willingly, well, that’s his free will. But we’ve seen that the other option is being reset. The Variants are nothing else but people who didn’t follow the dictation of the Time-keepers, a dictation they didn’t even know existed, but merely followed their free will. And the TVA erases them.

It’s true, the ones that follow the Sacred Timeline, not knowing they’re following the dictation of the Time-keepers, are still, in a way, following their free will, but it’s actually a pretty tricky situation because their options get pruned by the TVA.

People don’t exist in a vacuum. We take decisions according to what happens around us.

Now think to a world in which Odin tells Loki the truth right from the start. This would lead Loki to get very different decisions… only that Odin, if it ever existed, got pruned.

Think to a Thor who’s ready to rule when he’s about to be crowned so that Loki doesn’t have to disrupt the coronation. Well, think twice because that Thor got pruned.

Think to a Frigga who hands the crown to Loki but also sits next to him instead than next to Odin to support him while he’s going through his worst crisis. Pruned again.

Think to the Warriors Three and Sif not attempting to go fetch Thor after he’s banned. Sorry, they got pruned.

Think to Heimdall not allowing Thor to go to Jotunheim. Never mind he got pruned.

Loki made his choices. It was his free will. But his choices were tied to all that happened around him, and since all that happened around him was decided he was channelled toward certain decisions, everything working to make him take such decision.

Actually, each time he tried to take a different decision he too got pruned.

The resulting Loki that inhabits the Sacred Timeline, more than the result of his own free will, is the result of manipulation of the events and TVA selection. Which is kind of creepy.

But okay, it’s interesting how, in a way, Loki tries to connect with Mobius.

Maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome as Loki was someone held captive and sentenced to death and then Mobius came in and made clear that Loki’s survival depended on him, maybe it’s just that Mobius showed him some measure of kindness and appreciation and it doesn’t matter if he was being manipulative or not, Loki was so starved for it he fell for it, or he caught up on some similarities between them.

Sure, it can be that by connecting with him he can better use him but I don’t think that’s just it.

Mobius is someone Loki can connect with on an intellectual level, where Thor was just ‘let’s hit things’ and the Warriors Three and Sif were just, let’s do what Thor says.

And after Thor and his friends there were Thanos and the Other and clearly Loki couldn’t connect with them. So it doesn’t matter how screwed up the situation is and how Mobius manipulated Loki in their first meeting and what he told him, fundamentally Mobius is the only one Loki, who’s forced to go around with a jacket saying ‘Variant’ because no one has to forget he’s a cosmic joke, has in that setting.

So yes, it’s VERY screwed up but it makes sense Loki would partially latch on him. It’s human.

On another note I’m not really fond of the idea of Mobius using the French ‘au contraire’ while talking with Loki. Maybe it’s an ad-lib but since there’s already enough mess on how the TVA can talk all the languages and Asgardian somehow don’t have Allspeak, I would have preferred if they hadn’t mixed English and French now. Whatever, maybe that’s just me.

Loki goes on.

Loki: You called me a scared little boy.

Mobius: I called you a lotta things.

I wonder what Mobius means here, if he’s just telling Loki he shouldn’t focus on that (as calling him as such was Mobius’ attempt at showing him sympathy), but Loki nails another relevant topic.

Loki: You did. You're wrong, though. You see, I know something children don't.

Mobius: What's that?

Loki: That no one bad is ever truly bad. And no one good is ever truly good.

It’s interesting it’s coming from Loki because it means, differently from how sometimes Marvel movies seems to depict a world in black and white, Loki could see the shades of grey.

In his family. In the Avengers. In Thanos and the Other. Maybe even in the TVA people. And this means in himself as well.

And we go back to what he said in Ep 1:

Loki: I can't go back, can I? Back to my timeline. I don't enjoy hurting people. I... ( Sighs ) I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to, because I've had to.

Mobius: Okay, explain that to me.

Loki: Because it's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear.

Mobius: A desperate play for control. You do know yourself.

Loki: A villain. ( Sighs )

He painted himself as a villain, as someone all black, to show as if he was someone in control… in “Thor” when he was in an emotional storm, in “The Avengers” when he actually was working for Thanos.

But if we consider Loki’s words solely for their tie to the present discussion, he’s trying to tell Mobius that the black and white vision Mobius is trying to adopt doesn’t work. If there’s good in bad and bad in good, the perfect world Mobius thinks he can archive doesn’t exist and his glorious purpose is not so glorious.

Nothing is perfect and so no perfect order or perfect chaos can exist and trying to paint things or people black and white as the Time-Keepers are doing and the TVA as well, is a mistake.

Loki’s words though cause Mobius to remember the boy he met in the cathedral before going to Loki’s trial and how he had a candy box left by the Loki Variant. And I’ve always wondered WHY did the Loki Variant left that candy box behind? Is like she’s leaving breadcrumbs for the TVA or someone working with them to track her down.

Kablooie was only sold regionally on Earth from 2047 to 2051. While it wouldn’t be easy to track the Variant with just this, the Variant limits the place they’ve to search for them to only 4 years.

On an interesting note although Mobius claimed to know everything about Loki’s life he evidently had no idea if Asgardians had candies or not. So yeah, I think Mobius didn’t exactly knew EVERYTHING about Loki’s life, only what the TVA deemed relevant.

Anyway Mobius decides since they now know the Variant is hiding in an apocalyptic event in which Kablooie are involved they can cross-reference the two things.

Mobius has probably more clearance than Loki as he gets the files and then gives Loki a half, encouraging him to search fast through them by making it a competition… which actually is dumb, because the Variant can only be in one place so only the one who got that file among them can find it, no matter if he’s fast or slow… but whatever, Loki is motivated enough by this because he likes to win.

However, although Mobius asks him if he wants to bet on something, then he demands they’ll play for pride.

Anyway, as Mobius realizes it’s one apocalyptic event after another (all in 5 years) Loki finds what they’re searching for in an apocalyptic event in Alabama, 2050.

This gains him Mobius’ praise as he tells him he’ll take his job if he’s not careful.

I remember reading some interviews suggested Loki and Mobius had a mentor/student type of relation. Well, Mobius definitely feels like the mentor, one who takes care of Loki and teaches him how it works at the TVA, completely not focusing on how Loki was basically kidnapped by the place, doesn’t aim to stay there and people look down at him and is always ready to dispose of him because he’s a Variant… and what’s worse, the Variant of someone who, according to the Time-Keepers is meant to be ‘an evil, lying scourge’.

On the other side… working for the TVA is Loki’s only option to survive in that setting so Mobius likely sees it as Loki having to stop ‘thinking too hard’ and also make the TVA his life. In short he should just be like him and submit to the Time-Keepers.

So yeah, his point of view make sense but… it’s terrible, it’s actually telling people not to resist to wrong conditions but submit to them. It’s the typical mindsetting of a bureaucratic huge corporation or system, where no one matters and everyone obeys without worrying to much about what they’re obeying at.

But back to the story Mobius goes to Renslayer to asks her ‘to approve deployment of a fully-armed task force to the Variant's potential hiding spot’.

By the way said hising spot is in ‘Haven Hills, Alabama, corporate town owned by Roxxcart until it's wiped out by a hurricane’.

The name Roxxcart might remember to who read the comic or watched “Agent Carter” of the Roxxon Corporation, one of the world's largest conglomerates, founded in the 1940s. It also appeared in Marvel “Cloak & Dagger” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, with vague references at it in “Iron Man”, “Iron Man 2”, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer”, “Iron Man 3” and the MCU comic “The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week”. It’s hard to say if this will be another vague reference or there will be more.

Renslayer is prejudiced against our Loki as she continues to call him a Variant and tries dismissing the whole thing merely because HE suggested it and the other time he ‘blew up’ the previous mission. Which he didn’t but of this I’ve already talked.

Mobius is all happy Loki proved himself useful and his idea to use him was right but Renslayer instead insists on not trusting him, even though he just discovered a huge hole in their security system.

Now, okay, Loki isn’t to be trusted blindly, but Renslayer isn’t really giving a rational reason why this theory, which actually makes a lot of sense and is supported by some evidence Mobius collected, would be wrong. If they’re going to shot down any theory Loki comes up just because he’s Loki then she shouldn’t have even given him to Mobius.

In fact when Mobius point out how Loki HELPED discovering the hole in the security she’s only more worried.

Anyway Mobius is so excited he manages to get her to agree, although she warns him she won’t be able to help him if this doesn’t work out.

They kind of repeat something that was included in the video/commercial of the TVA Miss Minute showed Loki in the previous episode.

Mobius: For all time.

Ravonna Renslayer: Always.

I wonder if this is actually meant to be the TVA catchphrase.

Anyway Mobius leaves Renslayer and we see Loki is out of the room, nervous, waiting for him. He seems quite satisfied when Mobius says they’ve got permission.

Mobius is still all excited… and make a vague promise that amounts to… basically nothing, to Loki.

Mobius: I'm tellin' you. You actually help us catch this Variant, and who knows, my friend.

Loki: What, good enough for a face-to-face with the Time-Keepers?

Mobius: I didn't say that. One step at a time.

Loki: All right. One step at a time.

He actually promises nothing to him, because, as he said, he said nothing. ‘Who knows’ can mean anything, even that after they catch the Variant they’ll prune him, or they’ll merely allow him to live at the TVA, forcing him to work for them. Who knows what ‘who knows’ mean!

Loki tries to have some more solid confirmation and basically gets nothing, which is not very promising.

As far as I’m involved I think Mobius is doing this promise more because he’s trying to keep Loki loyal than because he has something solid to offer to him. In fact he hadn’t bargained with Renslayer for this. Loki is there to catch the Variant, catching the Variant would end their need to use Loki but, as soon as Mobius got permission for the mission he left without insuring if they were to succeed he could keep him.

Does Loki really want to meet the Time-Keepers? What he aims to get from them?

Anyway Mobius is so excited he tries to give knives to Loki.

Enters Hunter B-15, who strongly despise Loki who takes them away from him (I wonder if Loki managed to steal them back unknown to her. I would love if he did). She briefs her men for the mission, which also allows us viewers to get some info and orders them to prune Loki at sight. Clearly she doesn’t even believe in putting him to that mock trials the TVA offers to its captive Variants.

Loki makes present they should preferably prune the bad Loki, not him and then the scene moves to Haven Hills and I love how this time they had introduced it not by writing it on the screen but by showing us a sign saying we’re in Haven Hills, Alabama… before having it destroyed.

I really love this scene.

The TVA arrives at Roxxcart and they’ve the good sense to open their Timedoors outside of it.

It’s interesting how Loki looks up at the storming sky. I wonder if he’s searching for thunders (we saw one hitting the ground before the TVA appeared) as a way to check if Thor is around, even though it’s clear Thor wouldn’t cause such destruction.

To Hunter B-15’s surprise Loki uses his magic to dry up, which somehow seems to make her even more suspicious of him. Because yeah, drying yourself is such a sinister act.

Mobius would like to go with Loki at the Green House but Hunter B-15 forbids it, wanting to part them. Mobius has to go with Hunter D-90 while Loki has to stay with her.

And I’ve the personal suspicion that’s because she hopes in a not to obvious chance to prune him too away from Mobius’ eyes.

B-15 tells Mobius if he’s not fine with it, he can go argue with Renslayer about it.

It’s interesting how they’re arguing. I wonder if Hunters and Analysts actually form two different and opposite classes in TVA who argue against each other despite a poster depicting them as working together.

Anyway Loki gets in between and tells Mobius it’s fine, that he can trust him and that he’ll understand trust has to be gained so he’ll gain it.

Honestly the way Loki puts it makes him even more suspicious for me, but I wonder if the key is it has to work for B-15.

Mobius complains about how is always the people you can’t trust that tell you ‘trust me’. Well, the people you trust wouldn’t need to ask you your trust so they won’t tell it to you.

Mobius though at this surrender as well, he’s so excited to get the Variant he doesn’t consider he could ask to stay with B-15 as well, or that he could say B-15 is asking this because she wants to try to harm Loki. He just let the issue go after a jab about how the past time B-15 ended up wearing the Time Collar.

Meanwhile the Loki Variant has noticed they’re in thanks to all the cameras in the place, as if they were waiting for the TVA. Again I wonder if the Loki Variant has someone supporting them in the TVA because they seem to know too much, later they’ll even show knowing the other Loki was brought in by the TVA to capture them.

We see the Loki Variant leaving down a tempad on which there’s a countdown that’s at 20 minutes.

Back to Loki he’s in the greenhouse with B-15, trying to chat with her… which could be a genuine attempt at communication or an attempt at warning the Variant they’re there. I’m not sure on which side Loki is… but I wonder if his goal is to stall things.

He might suspect if they get the Variant he’ll be disposed off so his aim might be to show he’s useful but also to stall the capture of the Variant. This might be what he was trying to do in the previous mission as well. So it’s not exactly he’s trying to help the Variant, he’s trying to gain time for himself.

B-15 doesn’t feel like talking with him but then they find a guy who claims to be shopping for plants despite the hurricane.

B-15 asks Loki if the guy could be him and Loki points out he ‘probably would have worn a suit, but, yes, maybe’, hinting at how Loki cares about how he looks.

B-15 gets too close to the guy who manages to grab her. We see some green magic pass to B-15 and then the guy faints. Loki asks if he’s dead but ‘B-15’ tells him ‘they usually survive’, making clear she’s no more B-15 but the Variant possessing her, who also recognizes Loki for who he is:

“So, you're the fool the TVA brought in to hunt me down.”

As I said this sentence gives me the feeling the Variant knew the TVA brought him someone to hunt them, in short they’ve inside intel about the TVA and I would love to know how.

Now possessing B-15 is a good move as she’s a good fighter with a weapon in her hands and this also leaves Loki on her own.

Loki recognizes the speaker for what they are, the Loki Variant possessing B-15, in short himself.

The Variant points out:

“Please. If anyone's anyone, you're me.”

Implying the Variant saw themselves as the better/original Loki version.

Wunmi Mosaku does a good work at playing the Loki Variant here, really.

Back in the shelter people is clearly in deep distress and a guy thinks the TVA is there to help them.

I think Mobius is torn, a side of him would just search for the Variant, the other is being affected by the situation but he tries to suppress it.

D-90 instead doesn’t care and pushes the man away as if he didn’t even exist. Which he doesn’t for him.

Mobius: What are you doing? Hey! These people are scared.

Hunter D-90: They're about to die. They should be scared.

Mobius: Okay. Not of us.

Even though those people aren’t Variants as they’re going to die the TVA doesn’t acknowledge them right. Like the Loki Variant they don’t care what they do because everything will be erased, either by a reset charge or by the apocalypse.

Mobius doesn’t like this… but again it’s not like he’s trying to save those people, he’ll let them die because the Time-Keepers dictate so.

Hunters in the TVA are somehow all jerks. Again they would work well as stand in for police brutality but I don’t know if the series wants to go this way.

Mobius and D-90 are interrupted when a Minuteman informs them they had found a tied C-20 who’s in state of shock and repeating over and over ‘it’s real’.

So C-20’s role isn’t to be a bait, I think it’s possible the Variant wants to use her to deliver a message to the TVA.

Back to Loki he comments on the spell used.

“Enchantment is a clever trick. Cowardly, a bit amateur-ish, but clever.”

The fact enchantment was used seems to be a nod to how the Variant might be Sylvie Lushton, who also went under the alias of enchantress.

In the comics Sylvie is not the original enchantress, that one was Amora, sister of Lorelei who appeared in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”. Sylvie was supposedly a human created by Loki who also gave her her magical powers.  Although she has no training she has amazing magical powers and moved from wanting to be an Avenger to trying to become a Villain.

We’ll see what this Variant will turn out to be.

Anyway the Variant blames Loki of being the coward one because he works for the TVA. She mocks this asking him if he really believes that, which he confirms so she dismisses him:

Hunter B-15 (possessed): ( The variant chuckles ) And here I was worried that they'd found a better version of me.

And this again seems to imply the Variant KNEW the TVA got themselves a Loki but who told them? They just discovered it at the fair?

A person, Randy, appear and B-15 touches him then faint. Loki almost hurries to help her before realizing what had happened.

Well, the Variant could have disintegrate Randy instead she preferred to transfer themselves into him. This is interesting because it seems although they’ve no hesitation in killing TVA people they’re against harming normal people.

Loki still go to check B-15… or can it be he placed something in one of her pockets? Like a message for Mobius? Loki touches his jacket before bending down on B-15 and this time we don’t see what he touches as she’s cut off the screen which is odd.

The Variant thinks he’s trying to search a transmitting device to call the others for help. Loki tails the Variant, challenging them to face him and then explaining how he had gained the TVA confidence.

The Variant is not that much impressed but they continue to give Loki their back. Not that it matter as that back isn’t really the Variant’s back.

Loki explains his plan… which I don’t know if it’s really his plan or a trick.

Loki: I'm going to overthrow the Time-Keepers. And, uh, cards on the table, I could use a qualified lieutenant.

It’s relevant how Loki, talking with the Variant, uses a more polite and Asgard like language.

The Variant is clearly not interested in working for Loki but what hits me is that they don’t want to be called ‘Loki’ which could be because they aren’t Loki after all.

Loki: What say you... Loki?

Randy (possessed): Ugh. Don't call me that. You can call me... Randy.

I love how this meeting helps Loki to realize why Thor found these techniques annoying.

Loki: God. Now I understand why Thor found this so annoying.

Loki claims he has helped the Variant at the fair so yes, apparently he has played that risky bet back then for a reason. I really would love to know which game Loki is playing.

Loki: Listen. Enough with your games. I've been trying to help you. I kept them vulnerable at the Renaissance Fair for some time.

The Variant still isn’t interested in joining him as they don’t care about ruling the TVA.

We see that there are Time charges placed all around, partially hidden from sight which don’t promise anything good and someone, likely the Variant, is tweaking with them while ‘Randy’ keeps Loki distracted. So yes, this Variant too is good at stalling.

C-20 is still babbling, while Mobius tries to get something out of her.

D-90 just waves her off saying she’s off the dial and showing a worrying lack of a care for a companion.

Although C-20 says she wants to go home when Mobius offers to send them back she says she can’t as she gave away the position of the Time-Keepers.

Oh, so C-20 knew it? Did she, differently from Mobius met them?

D-90 tries to contact B-15 causing her to wake up.

Loki tries to get what the Variant wants but the Variant refuses to explain themselves saying Loki is too late. Loki counters he’s ahead as he found the Variant’s hiding place, then notices the Time charges and thinks the Variant lead them there to blow the place up.

As he turns his gaze Randy has disappeared and the Variant has possessed a big guy who starts beating Loki. Loki is not really fighting back. Are possessed people really so powerful or Loki is trying to pass himself for weak?

Anyway, after pointing out:

Loki: I would never treat me like this.

Which might be our clue the Variant isn’t really a Loki but someone pretending to be one, Loki starts more actively to try to avoid blows and even use his magic to get something he can use as shield.

The Variant’s language is nowhere near as polite as Loki and the possessed guy manages to send Loki on the ground. The idea of a toy dachshund bumping against him is cute.

B-15 manages to find Mobius and she’s forced to confess she lost Loki. Likely she thinks it’s due to Loki but doesn’t know how to explain it while D-90 just says  Mobius’ favourite Loki betrayed him as they run to search for him.

The possessed guy is using another tempad connecting it to another mechanism. Although Loki couldn’t move he hadn’t tried to kill him and now Loki wakes up and demands to know what the Variants wants from him and what is this about. He’s clearly angry.

The possessed guy stands up and then tells him to brace himself before fainting, a sign the Variant isn’t possessing him anymore.

A recording keeps on repeating Loki’s last two sentences ‘What do you want from me? What is this about?’.

I’m not sure why the Variant would record those two sentences and play them over unless we’re to assume they’re actually only playing in Loki’s head.

The Variant appears, removes their hood to reveal it hid a blond woman face then in an unfriendly tone she states:

“This isn't about you.”

Loki’s surprise lasts only few seconds before he says ‘right’.

Meanwhile the countdown has reached 0, the light shot down, the time charges, tons of them, turn on but then below them timedoors appear, sending them away.

Mobius notices what’s going on and worries about where the Time charges are going.

Back at the TVA we assist to the sudden formation of LOTS of branches. The Analysts come to the conclusion someone ‘bombed’ the Sacred Timeline.

Renslayer, who has a hunter helmet that starts with A-25… which might mean she was one of the first hunters of the place, grabs her weapon as Minuteman spun to action.

Loki sees the Variant grabbing the Tempad again and using it to open a human size timedoor as she watches him. She waves at him the way he did at the Hulk when he went on the lift and goes through the Timedoor. Loki considers following but stalls for a moment. Mobius is running there, telling him to wait. Loki sees him but decides to go through the timedoor anyway and, as he does the timedoor disappears, leaving Mobius and the hunters outside.

The episode ends here.

People had been wondering what was Loki thinking when he went through the Timedoor and Tom Hiddleston explained it in an interview:

There's a very big moment at the end where Loki steps through that portal. From your perspective what is going through Loki's mind when he looks back at Mobius and then decides to go through the door anyway? Is he feeling any remorse there at all?

I think certainly there's conflict. I think he… you know, Mobius is someone who, perhaps for the first time in his life, he thinks he might be able to trust, and perhaps trusts him, and he doesn't want to betray that trust, but at the same time he has to go and see what that's what's going on, he has to do that. I think it was he can't help himself but follow… uh… because it's too strange and to, you know, provoke so much curiosity within him. So there is a huge conflict there, he thinks “I probably shouldn't do this, maybe there can be repercussions down the line, but I have to see what that's about”. ['Loki' - Tom Hiddleston & Owen Wilson Talk Ep 2 Twist! _ TVLine Interview]

Now this might be not the full truth because Tom might have been forced to withhold information in order not to give away the plot of future episodes but it’s worth considering it.

Undoubtedly following the other Loki is a risk. It’s clear the other is challenging him to follow… and he knows next to nothing about the other Loki so, if the TVA is bad for him, the other Loki could be worse and he might be trading a bad place for a pure hell. Who says the other Loki doesn’t work for Thanos for example?

In the TVA he has Mobius as some sort of interested ally, with the other Loki he has no one. You know, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know". At the same time it makes sense he wants to try following the other Loki because he’s not the type to stagnate and remain there. He has to see, he has to try. Where Mobius wouldn’t risk, Loki does. I hope for him the bet will be worth it.

Last but not least it’s worth to mention in the ending theme they’ve replaced two photos of Loki with one of the Loki Variant and another with just a different image of Loki with the TVA jacket.

So anyway we’ve gotten to the end of it. I still wonder if the Loki Variant as an insider in the TVA passing her info and if she’s really a Loki or she just pretends to be. How she came to make all this big plan? Why she had looked like she wanted Loki to tail her?

We’ll see.

[alirhi]

If I'd written Loki pt 3

(Missed one? Episode 1 Episode 2)

Still can't sleep. I started to doze off a little, but then my fucking brain latched onto this and wouldn't let go lol so...here.

Episode 3 would be where Loki finds the file on the destruction of Asgard. Mobius has been trying to keep it from him, afraid it might be too much for him to handle so soon. He looks across the table and sees Loki frozen in horror, and he knows, because they're researching apocalypses, exactly what he's seeing. Damn.

"Did you know about this?" Loki demands, hiding his shock and grief behind anger. Mobius admits of course I did as he tries to snatch the paper away. You weren't ready, Loki. It was too much- "And what makes you think that was ever for you to decide?!"

There's a moment of charged silence between them, Loki angry and reeling, and Mobius truly frightened of him for the first time. Since getting to know Loki - really getting to know him, not just as a file on his desk but the man himself - he's come to like and respect him more and more, and in the process, privately question the sacred timeline. That's why he keeps advocating for the minimal freedom he can get for Loki, why he told him part of his destiny, why he now isn't sure what to do or say.

"What happened?" Loki quietly demands. He could just read the rest of the file, but he can't quite stomach seeing it laid bare so callously in black and white.

Ragnarok, Mobius tells him softly. You unleash Surtur- "I did this?!" Loki is baffled, horrified, unable to grasp the concept of allowing the only home he'd ever known to be obliterated. To stave off something much, much worse, Mobius murmurs.

Loki shakes his head. "What could be worse than the destruction of an entire planet?" Still unsure how to proceed, Mobius gets snarky and reminds him, Didn't you already try to do that once, like a year ago? Loki is less than impressed lol. He's also privately freaking out. For all his mixed feelings about the place and its people, he just can't wrap his mind around destroying Asgard.

"That's where she is," he decides, lurching up from his seat. Mobius doesn't buy it, tries to stop him. You're not thinking rationally. She's never gone there- "That you know of. You had no idea where she'd ever been until I figured it out." She's a Loki! Wouldn't she have the same feelings you're having right now? Try to stop Ragnarok? "Who says I'm trying to stop it? I thought we were stopping her."

Loki, listen to me! He reaches for Loki's arm, but he's let his guard down; Loki steals his Tempad and sends them both to Asgard. Mobius is partly right, of course; Sylvie has never come back to this place before. She couldn't handle the flood of mixed emotions seeing Asgard again would cause. But Loki, even at the mercy of a lot of those same emotions, is also right. He knows what Mobius doesn't yet realize: Desperation drives Lokis home. Sylvie's plans have been disrupted; she's come here, to her last resort, the place she'd vowed never to set foot in again, to regroup. They don't find her right away, though.

First, they run into someone Loki has known since childhood.

"Loki!" she cries out, shocked to see him just standing there beside a complete stranger. They fly together like magnets, collapsing into each other's arms. "What are you doing here? We have to run; Asgard is being evacuated."

"Sigyn." He squeezes her with all his might, this woman who has meant everything to him, ever since they were small. In his arrogance, he's never told her how he felt. He won't now, either. There's too much going on, too much at stake. He holds her tight, not saying a word, while Mobius watches with a sort of awkward, nervous amusement. Oh. So THAT'S Sigyn! Loki flips him off behind Sigyn's back; a bit uncouth, sure, but any other retort would just be more effort than he feels like putting in right now. (oh wait. Disney. okay, so he doesn't flip him off, just glares I guess XD)

'Loki, we must go!"

"Then go," he murmurs, kissing her cheek and reluctantly releasing her. "I'll find you later." She won't make it to the bridge, Mobius warns as she's walking away. He doesn't know why he's telling him this; warning him of his own fate when he's already derailed it is one thing, but willfully causing a branch in the sacred timeline? What's wrong with him?! But he's already said it, and the stricken look on Loki's face says he heard him loud and clear. Loki grabs Sigyn's arm before she can get too far, and gives Mobius a look daring him to stop him. Mobius only shrugs helplessly and follows them both toward the palace.

"How old was she?" What? Loki rolls his eyes. "How far into her timeline did you abduct her?" Mobius hadn't thought of it that way, but he admits, she was a little girl. At Loki's impatient look, he shrugs. Seven? Eight, maybe? Maybe younger, I don't know.

"That's close enough. I know where to look." So wait... we're really here to find the other variant? Mobius laughs. I thought you were just cracking up! "I don't love the idea of this place disappearing forever," Loki admits in an irritated growl, "but I never do anything without a purpose. You ought to know that."

Sigyn's confused, but she lets this debate play out without a word. She knows Loki well enough to know something's going on, and even if she asks her questions now, she won't get any answers. So she waits. And is even more confused when they find Sylvie, and she recognizes Loki's female form. "What?"

Loki smirks. "Eerie, isn't it?" Before approaching Sylvie, he growls in Mobius' ear, "if anything happens to her, you will suffer more horribly than you can possibly imagine." You ever gonna tell her you're in love with her? Mobius taunts, grinning. Loki challenges, "Will I have the chance?" He doesn't let Mobius answer. He approaches Sylvie cautiously, like she's a cornered animal. The VARIANT jacket he'd forgotten he was wearing until then disappears. He's just Loki again, no visible ties to the TVA. Unfortunately, with Mobius right behind him, he's never going to get Sylvie to trust him. They fight, Loki consistently getting the upper hand because he knows more magic than Sylvie does, and she can't reach anyone to enchant them.

Then the earth beneath their feet shakes. Ragnarok has begun. Sylvie tries to steal Mobius' Tempad from Loki. He turns and races to Sigyn's side, Sylvie on his heels. Knowing they can't stay there, this is where he opens up a portal to a random apocalypse, and he, Sylvie, Sigyn, and Mobius all end up on Lamentis.

They still try the train thing, with Loki conjuring fancy clothes and tickets for everyone (and cuffs on Sylvie, hidden beneath one of those furry hand warmer things). Loki and Sigyn, both reeling from what they've each been through, play some kind of Asgardian drinking game, and Loki sings that beautiful song. He's serenading Sigyn, though, not Sylvie. Meanwhile Sylvie and Mobius stay at the table and talk. They both know better than to reveal any groundbreaking secrets; they just chat. Mobius is fascinated by a female Loki, until he looks over at the other two and sees what appears to be another Sylvie. Sylvie rolls her eyes and causally tells him that Lokis are shapeshifters, and aren't limited to one gender. Drunk and giggling, Loki turns back into himself and kisses Sigyn. Sigyn slaps him (she loves him and always has, but if he's ever going to make a move, she's not tolerating a sloppy, drunken one. Sigyn has self respect, yo! XD).

They don't get thrown off the train. They make it to the port, where Loki looks out over the city and makes the same realization he did originally: "My god. They're going to let all these people die." He won't stand for it. He's done watching worlds burn. After all he's seen and been through, all he's done and been forced to do, he's done. While Sylvie urges him to forget it and find the power source, and Mobius tries to get back to towing the company line and tells him not to screw up the apocalypse, Loki takes one look at Sigyn, his love, his childhood friend, the only person in his entire life who loved him and gave zero fucks about Thor, his moral compass... And she just nods. The two of them race down into the fray. Sigyn rounds people up, herding them away from the worst of the danger the best she can, while Loki focuses on the destruction around them. The episode ends when he stops that falling building and pushes it back upright.

Episode 4

[pants-jones]

Outer Wilds is the best exploration adventure literally ever.(Story Review)

Outer Wilds is a small space exploration game that came out on May 28, 2019, developed by Mobius Digital. It’s gotten multiple awards and there isn’t a second of someone’s voice in the game. I personally found out about it thanks to Jacksepticeye, and he does this thing where he doesn’t explore things in a game enough for me to be satisfied, and it really frustrates me even though I love his content. So, like a normal person, I held that frustration deep within my soul for an entire year until I got my own ps4 and I noticed that they were selling it on the PlayStation store. I remembered very little about the game at that point and going in blind was literally the best part. Ever since I was little, every time a game came out promising endless gameplay or a large world to explore it pretty much never happened.

Like Disney Infinite or whatever that shitshow of a game was called. Surprisingly finite, believe it or not. Same thing with No Mans Sky, even though I’ve heard that it’s improved recently. But this game is perfect when it comes to space exploration. The solar system you reside in isn’t too big, so going from planet to planet isn’t a pain in the ass like No Mans Sky. Each planet has so much to explore, on top of everything you can see in the ice comet that flies through, or the sunstation orbiting the sun at like 40000000 miles an hour, or the literal ghost moon that disappears when you look away. Each planet is extremely unique and has their own dangers, and I could talk for literal hours about each location in the game and the story behind each. Before I actually get into this, there is this one youtuber that has a channel about this game, and he actually explains a lot of the stuff that I didn’t understand or just got wrong on my first playthrough. He’s called The Lore Explorer. You can click his name to go straight to his YouTube channel. 

This is going to be on the story of Outer Wilds. Because I want to talk about the gameplay separately. 

In this game, you play as a member of an alien race called the Hearthians, residing on an earthlike planet called Timber Hearth. Your race is small, but they devote their time to science and exploration of the solar system they reside in and the universe. They want to know the secrets of the universe, to understand it. They’re a peaceful people, like space hillbillies, They don’t have a specific gender, they refer to each other with they/them unless requested otherwise, You are a rookie in their space exploration program, Outer Wilds Ventures. You wake up early at your campfire, eyes looking up at the sky, the giant planet Giants Deep above you. The ancient alien space station orbiting said planet explodes, and a small purple light launches out into the night sky. (This is the best picture I could find)

You get up and meet Slate, a Hearthian that was roasting marshmallows in the campfire next to you. You exchange some dialogue, and you learn they’re the one who made your ship, and that this is gonna be your first voyage into space. They tell you that you have to go to Hornfels, one of Outer Wilds Ventures’ lead scientists, to get the launch codes. You spend some time exploring the small village that your people reside in. You meet up with your old teacher, who taught you about everything you’ll endure up in space. You do one last no-gravity test, before heading up to the Observatory at the highest point of the village. The first thing that greets you is a statue, made by a strange ancient race named the Nomai.

You move on to Hornfels, get the launch codes and walk out the same way you came in, when you freeze and the statue opens its eyes and faces you. It’s eyes light up, and it’s almost like your memories of today are being played back at you. (below is the best picture I could find.)

A Hearthian who works at the observatory watches all of this and approaches you, claiming in shock that they had no idea that the eyes could even open, neverminded that they can grow. 

You move on, on to your ship. You enter and where you go first is up to you, the player.(obviously.) Personally, I decided to do what I think most people would ignore, and explore the planet we all start on, Timber Hearth. And of course, I found some stuff, but that’s for later.

Anyways, it doesn’t matter what you do, but most likely you’ll be going to Timber Hearth’s moon, the Attlerock. It’s an asteroid like moon that you’ll probably see in the sky orbiting the planet from it’s surface. There’s a Hearthian named Esker up there, and they give you their first goal: Find and meet the five founders of Outer Wilds Ventures. You’ve already got one down, since Esker is one of those five. But, ignoring all this, lets assume you made the mistake everyone makes (and I promise you it’s everyone) and you didn’t land where Esker grew trees for oxygen, and you made the dumbest decision to just, forget your space suit. Well, you’d die obviously. Air is important. You obviously suffocate. Dummy.

I genuinely can’t find a way to show you how dying looks in Outer Wilds. Or, the post death. Pretty much, every moment you just experienced gets played in reverse, up until  the very moment you wake up. Then, this Nomai mask is the last thing you see, before you wake up on Timber Hearth again.

I think anyone with an IQ above sand knows that this means you’re in a time loop. It’s obviously because of the statue, and when you go to look at it, it’s eyes are still open. There’s a mystery here, and you will most likely not have any clue how to solve it.  

You’ll go back into space. And you’ll choose any of the five planets in this small solar system to explore. It doesn’t matter which. You’ll learn things abut the Nomai, you might even meet one of the astronauts you were told to meet. None of this matters. Because in 22 minutes after you wake up, you hear a strange loud noise, look to the sun, and realize its collapsing in on itself and exploding. You barely have time to react before you die again and wake up in your village again. And that’s pretty much the opening of the game. If you wanna see the sun explode, click here. It’s pretty cool.

First I wanna start with the fact that this solar system is pretty small, but each planet has so much stuff you could do. I didn’t even mention all the stuff in the observatory, like the rock that moves when you don’t look at it (which is VERY important), the Nomai text that you can translate with the device Hornfels gives you, or the fucking creature that they call an anglerfish that they hold in a tank (which is also very important). I didn’t tell you about the Planet Locator on the Attlerock, or the fact that you can see the ship you use in the Alpha of the game. I want to talk about each planet and location but it would genuinely take me way too long, because the story itself is way way way too long but it’s literally amazing. This game is probably the closest thing to real life in one way; it doesn’t matter what you do. You could throw your ship into the fucking sun and it won’t matter. Inevitability is one of the biggest themes of this game. 

You learn of the Nomai, an ancient race that came to your Solar system on something called The Vessel, but they got split up when they had to use escape pods because of some tragedy. You learn that they’re looking for something called The Eye Of The Universe, an entity older than the universe itself. That space station that blows up every time you wake up? That’s their Probe Launcher, that’s them trying to find that Eye. You learn how they made warp technology and how Black Holes work, you can even create a paradox and break the universe (this is very loud, I’m warning you.) This game takes environmental storytelling to a whole other level, because this race of Nomai is dead and long gone, but their underground catties and escape pods and ships and every piece of research that they have is left behind. They left a fucking Sunstation that orbits the sun at the speed of something really fast, and if you’re good enough at flying (i am not) you could land on the damn thing. Or you could teleport to it using the Nomais warp tech.

I think it’s there that you learn why the sun is dying. Your goal this whole time was to learn why the sun is dying, maybe you can reverse whatever the Nomai did. But the Nomai didn’t do this. Sure, they wanted to make the sun explode, but that was to power their time loop machine, so they could find the Eye easier. But it didn’t work. The sun station was made to blow up the sun and it didn’t work. The sun isn’t blowing up because of the Nomai, it’s dying because it’s just old. It’s old and there is no saving your people or your solar system. You then realize that its not just your solar system that’s dying, but others too. You can see it all the time.

When you’re out in space and see stars suddenly start to glow brighter than before, if you zoom in, you can see that they’re exploding. And not only that, once you find the Nomai’s Vessel (which is hard to do), you can find transmissions from modern Nomai, claiming that the entire universe is dying. There’s nothing you can even do about it.

Before I talk about the Eye itself, I need to explain what a Quantum Object is. A Quantum object is an object that exists in all possible ways until viewed by a conscious. The rock in the observatory I mentioned earlier is one of these objects, and there’s tons of items just like them 

They usually look like this black shard above. The Nomai found these and studied the actual hell out of them, and they learned three things they labeled the rules of quantum objects. The first being, if you are making physical contact with one of these objects and you turn off the lights or lose your vision, you will become quantum like the object. Technically it means until you can see again, you will be everywhere and anywhere at random.

The next rule is that if you take a picture of the quantum object and look away, it will not move. I think this is self explanatory, you’re still technically observing it even if it’s just a picture. And the last rule has more to do with the Quantum Moon. The Quantum Moon is supposed to be the Eye’s moon, but since it’s a quantum object it always appears orbiting random planets in this solar system. 

The Quantum Moon won’t be on any map of the solar system, and it’s by far the second most difficult location to enter and navigate. You’ll only know how after exploring multiple Nomai ruins with text on the walls teaching you the three quantum rules. If you just fly into it, You’ll simply go through the grey smoke and end up on the other side, You need to enforce the second quantum rule (this is called Quantum Imaging btw) and take a picture of it. Then you’ll be able to land on it, though what you find first may be different depending what planet it’s orbiting.

It mirrors the planet it’s orbiting, like when it orbits Timber Hearth the surface of the planet is going to have a lot of trees and grass. If it’s on Giants Deep, which is mostly an aquatic planet with lots of tornadoes and storms, it’ll have a lot of water and smaller tornadoes in the distance. Eventually, you’ll make your way to the Nomai tower on the North Pole of the moon.

From the inside of this tower, you’ll be able to travel with the quantum moon, even getting close to the Eye itself. The Nomai always say that when the moon isn’t visible in this solar system, it has to be at a sixth location, and since the Eye orbits our sun from lightyears away, it’s safe to say that the sixth location is actually the Eye of the Universe. When you enter the tower, you’re going to be turning the lights off and opening the door a lot, since the only other way to tell where you are inside the tower is a mechanism on the wall. But when you’re orbiting the Eye, you won’t be able to exit the tower, since the door will be blocked by the same material that the quantum shards are made of. If I remember correctly, you need to have the tower appear on the South pole of the moon. Then, when you get to the moon’s version of the eye, You can leave the tower and see what it’s like. 

On top of that, you can actually meet the last Nomai. Her name is Solanum, and she is the only Nomai to get this close to the Eye of the universe. The same way that the moon has a sixth location it goes to, she is the secret sixth astronaut that you can meet. She doesn’t speak your language, or at all, which means the Nomai didn’t speak. They communicated using the blue swirls you can see next to her. Those are the swirls that you translate to learn everything they’ve done through out the game. 

Meeting Solanum is a bitter moment, since she claims that she believes she’s been in some sort of in between death and life state for years now. She theorizes that being in such close proximity to the Eye has made her a quantum object, which is why you can find her ship and dead body on all the other locations the Quantum Moon can be at except this one. Above Solanum is a wormhole, where all the clouds are falling into. When you try to enter this wormhole, you fall back into one of the other moons locations, Solanum’s body at your feet. 

Now the Eye of the Universe itself is the most difficult location to get to. It took me around three hours of trying over and over again, because we need to get to it before the 22 minutes run out and the sun explodes. You first need to waste 7 minutes getting a power core from the machine that runs the time loop, so if you die you technically die for good. Then you need to enter the 5th planet and the one I despise the most, Dark Bramble. 

Dark Bramble isn’t a planet. It’s the remains of an icy planet, destroyed by the bramble. Nobody knows where the bramble came from. Nobody knows how it even exists. But it’s there, and it should be the last place you want to enter, because it’s the only place with an actual creature that want to hurt you: The Anglerfish. 

The Anglerfish are giant, blind space fish that will eat anything and have super sensitive hearing. You need to fly past these things in your ship, and you never know what lights are anglerfish and which lights are just more nodes to enter deeper into this pocket dimension.  In Dark Bramble, you can find one of the 3 Nomai Escape pods. The other two landed on planets outside of Bramble, but this one had a much darker fate. 

This is Escape Pod 3. The Nomai in this escape Pod used audio tech to find the distress signal the Vessel was emitting, but there was a problem; they frequency was coming from two different places. The Nomai were scared and running out of oxygen, so they headed towards the closer frequency, leaving lights behind as a trail so they didn’t get lost. Unfortunately when they reach the frequency...

All they find is a seed. The frequency is coming from it, but they went the wrong way. They can’t fit inside it and it hasn’t grown enough for it to be a node they can pass through. So they all died there, floating motionless. You can shoot a scout through the seed, and it’ll land on the Vessel.  Now you have a way to get there.

When you bring the power core, you have to pass through the Anglerfish nest, so you’re pretty much gonna be gliding through the whole thing reaaaally slowly. You can’t outrun the anglerfish, and I never tried touching their eggs so I don’t know what’ll happen if you try that. 

After a lot of slow gliding, you’ll find The Vessel.

You can put the power core inside, and once you enter the coordinates that you can find from the space station orbiting Giant’s Deep, the Vessel will warp to The Eye of the Universe, with an overhead view of it. 

You can take as much time as you like here. You’re way too far for any supernova to affect you. The planet you can see isn’t the eye itself, but it’s more like an orb of the same material that the quantum shards are made of. All the clouds and lights surrounding it is the Eye. I’ll leave a video of someone getting to the Eye right here. When you warp onto the planet above the Eye, you’ll start on the north pole, and start walking towards the south, where the Entrance to the Eye is. When you walk under the clouds, it’ll be dark, with lightning strikes briefly lighting up the area, with random objects appearing due to the eye being the origin of quantum objects. 

(What the wormhole looks like from the outside vs. the entrance.)

I can’t really explain what happens when you fall into it, so I’m gonna leave it at that. This game is a solid 10/10 for me. It is the best exploration space game I’ve ever played, and I’d buy it at full price again just to support those who made it. Also the soundtrack and credits song are amazing. I 100000% recommend it

[modestlyabsurd]

Alight Pt. 2 (Loki x Reader)

You were certain things couldn't get worse. That was the stupidest assumption ever. Now you're on the verge of actually believing it to be true - after over 24 hours without food, water, or light - but you will not make that same mistake again.

It can always get worse. You already knew that, though. Which is one reason you're pretty sure you're going insane.

One might think the lack of nourishment would be quick to drive someone crazy. And yes, this deficit will inevitably result in death, however the real highway to delirum is the absence of light. Of guidance, of sight. Light is what maintains balance. After all, complete darkness is arguably the lowest point in existence. It's the closest sense of death. Silence and darkness. That's you, right? That'd be a more accurate name than Doe 618: silence and darkness.

Who would've thought a day without your lightbulb would emit such deep thoughts?

A lukewarm bowl of oatmeal or rice pudding would be nice, very nice, but all you want is your lightbulb. Well, a new lightbulb; thanks to Dickhead who took it upon himself to slam the old on on the floor after unscrewing it from the rinky-dink bed lamp. The pitiful little pile of shards lay in the corner since there's nowhere in your cell to "clean it up".

Not to mention: no dustpan. Your hands still distantly throb and burn from tiny little cuts in your palms. Having to lick them was a reminder of the coppery taste of blood, and how much you hate it.

Without even the entertainment of food, you've been left with no one but your fucking self. The edge of sanity is right there. Just one too many scenarios of Banner and Strange either failing, giving up, or not trying at all and you'd be a nutcase.

The mere thought of the doctors - of any aspect of the past, really - makes your head ache. You can't keep doing this. Sure, if only you hadn't went through with the stupid idea in the first place everything would be fine, but that's not what happened.

It is what it is. Even if it fucking sucks.

Amid the usual white noise of shuffling and talk from other inmates, heavy disgruntled footsteps interrupt it. A periodic scraping sound against the concrete floor grabs your attention; as the steps get closer the smell wafts into your cell.

Okay. Either your brain is betraying you completely, or they're actually serving something appetizing for breakfast. The former seems more likely. Warmth fills the cold industrial air and it becomes clear that you're in fact not crazy. These motherfuckers are dishing up some decent food.

The sweet smell of toast, cinnamon, maybe even jam or fruit. Your stomach rumbles fiercely, desperately. It's not until you're bouncing at the cell door and you feel the sweat coating your palms that you realize what you've become; a dog, caged and hungry. It takes a second longer, when the scraping of food trays against the floor stops, that that's exactly what they wanted.

The footsteps approach your cell, and keys jingle before the smell flows into your cell freely. The first bit of light pours in as well. It's blinding. But Dickhead's large shadow helps with that.

Your appetite almost disappears. Almost. But when Mobius strides in behind him, it's gone.

"Wide awake, huh?" Mobius drawls. His mustache rises with his ugly smile. "It's so dark in here. What happened to your lamp?"

Dickhead smirks in the darkness.

"Hm. The bulb must've went out. Go get me another one from the supply closet," he commands his guard. A part of you relishes in Dickhead's embarrassing reminder of who's in charge of who.

He hands the tray of food to Mobius before fetching, leaving the cell door open. Leaving Mobius alone with you for the first time since you've been here.

"You look hungry." He motions to the food tray, "French toast, honey, bacon and eggs. All cooked fresh just a while ago. I thought I'd give everyone a little something special."

There's something different here. A new element, and with every small step backward you feel it. You're not in the interrogation room. He's now intruded on your quarters. There's no retreat.

"But I have to be fair. I'm a man of my word, and we made an agreement."

Agreement? What, his order of no food until you speak? You agreed to nothing! The thought of knocking the tray out of his hands is tempting. But you don't.

"Are you ready to tell me your name? Little doe?" he whispers. Your mind goes to the glass shards in the corner. The big one.

In spite of yourself, in spite of your fear and your hunger and your sanity, you remain silent. Without breaking eye contact. Without question.

Seconds pass as slow as days, and Mobius disappointedly places the tray on the floor. His back's turned. The door's open. Run! you scream at yourself. But you don't.

A heavy sigh cuts the tension as Dickhead's frame comes through the door. It was right there.

"Thank you," says Mobius as he takes the lightbulb. It was right there.

The outside light conceals Mobius' eyes through the glare of his glasses. He shakes his head and tuts his tongue. You see Dickhead's jaw clenching angrily. Wonder if he knows just how stupid he looks.

Mobius steps closer to you. His shoes echoing, his presence burning your chest. Something holds you in place. Either achoring stubbornness or crippling fear; it matters not when he's close enough for you to kill. Close enough to kill you.

He holds the lightbulb between you. "Here. Take it. I even have some reading material if you'd like."

You would. Some sort of escape would be nice. No more darkness. Just moments ago that's all you wanted in the world; this lightbulb. Now you're not so sure if you want anything from the greasy hands of Mobius.

His eyes are clear now. Black, beady, and not blinking. Like a shark on its prey.

"I can tell you're gonna be a tough nut to crack." He bends to your level and your teeth grind when his hot, stale breath fans your nose. "But everything cracks under the right amount of pressure."

Mobius crushes the lightbulb in his fist.

~

He can't believe it!

Those charged with maintaining the universe's timelines detect his presence but cannot for the life of them figure out anything. He could lay out the answers in plain sight, and they would still not know. Or not believe him. But isn't that the fun? Blurring the lines? Between one reality to another, between what is true and what is a lie. That's where things get interesting.

The fools are eating out of the palm of his hand.It won't be long they'll believe he's working for The Avengers. Oh, that'll be such fun.

Just when that little bit of innocent mischief returns, Loki is reminded of his purpose. He mustn't forget. The world needs restoration. He means to rule it, not burrow in captivity.

While the nightly reminders aren't so kind, this little interlude isn't so bad. Especially since this morning he was served something besides porridge. Not that it was spectacular or anything, but it did hit a sweet spot in his tastes.

As he chewed the soggy toast in silence, he fights off the pestering thoughts of failure. The invading thoughts of another entity, not his own. He knows he hasn't failed. He saw the flaws in the plans of The Other from the start. The irate, brainless creature.

He doesn't even care if his thoughts can be heard at this point. The strength of the humans shouldn't have been underestimated. He was right all along.

Even though he didn't get far in his travels through the Tesseract. Even with his capture by the Time Variance Authority. This is far from over. This is just the beginning.

So why not take a break from the game?

"You're really starting to piss me off," the brutish guard who patrols the wing states - loud enough to tear Loki out of his own head. Ooh, the mysterious neighbor again!

This time he listens, he really listens, thinking that they must be provoking the guard somehow. But just like before, he hears nothing from them.

"You're gonna tell me your fucking name."

A series of crashes are heard through the concrete walls. The throwing of objects. The sound of the struggle makes Loki wince.

The sound of a shriek lifts his eyes wide open.

"You bitch!" the guard yells. He groans in pain and the struggle ceases. Oh what he would do to know the details!

A moment without words passes and Loki believes the ordeal has ended for the day.

"L/N," a fiery voice says.

"What?" asks the guard in disbelief.

"You can go tell Mobius ... that L/N is the one who cut your fucking cheek open."

~

tag list: @sydneyss-worlddd @afinedilemma @fire-in-her-veinz @belladonnabarnes @drakesfiance @internetgremlin @dragon-chica @triggeredpossum @tarynkauai

[mimisempai]

You are worth so much more than the sum of your mistakes

Summary:

Mobius shows Loki that he is much more than his failures.

Last fic before the episode 03. The next one after it. But don't worry, come what may, our boys will be happy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32121712

1802 words - Rating G

"Loki?" Mobius walked into his office where Loki was sitting flipping through files.

They were leaving in a few hours for Alabama in 2050.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind accompanying me to the projection room? I want to show you something."

Loki stood up and nodded.

"Let's go."

They entered the room where Loki had been viewing parts of his past and future life when he arrived at the TVA

Everything that made him a villain.

He stopped when he saw the projector on the table in the middle of the room.

"If this is to make me cruelly realize who I am, so I can keep me on a short leash before the mission, it's not worth it."

Loki turned around ready to leave the room.

"Loki, no!"

Mobius held him back by the sleeve, Loki struggled blinded by the feeling of disappointment that washed over him.

Mobius wrapped his arms around him from behind and said in his ear;

"Loki, I promise you that it is not about that. This time it's my turn to ask you to please trust me."

Loki stopped struggling and let Mobius pull him into the room and he made him sit in front of the screen.

Mobius stood behind him with his hands on his shoulders and gently asked Loki, "Do you remember what you said you were, in this very room last time?"

Loki bowed his head and whispered, "A villain."

Mobius continued, "And do you remember what I replied?"

"That this was not how you saw it."

Mobius pressed his shoulders and answered, "That's right. And I want to show you why I said that. I'm going to show you two excerpts from your past life and one from your future life.Is it okay to watch them?"

Loki just nodded.

Mobius pressed the power button and resumed his place behind Loki with his hands on his shoulders.

"I can stop anytime you want, you just have to say so."

Loki nodded again.

He saw himself and his brother in their ceremonial clothes just before Thor's enthronement.

Thor was taking his helmet presented to him by a servant.

Loki looked at him and said with a half smile, "Oh... nice feathers. "

Thor laughed wryly before replying, "You don't really want to start this again do you?

Loki protested, "I was sincere. "

"You are incapable of sincerity. "

"Am I?"

" Yes "

Loki looked at his brother with affection and replied very seriously, "I've looked forward to this day as long as you have, my brother, my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you. "

Thor put his hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Thank you."

Loki could hardly swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

They may have clashed often, they may have been on bad terms when Loki ran away, but Thor was the person he missed the most since he was here.

Mobius paused and stood in front of him, kneeling down to be at his level.

He simply placed his hand on Loki's arm and asked, "Do you think someone who shows such brotherly love is a villain?"

Then he stood up, not waiting for an answer and pressed play again.

The scene was happening in Odin's room.

Odin was staring thoughtfully out the window and then turned away. Frigga sat in a vanity and tried different earrings before the mirror.

Odin asked her, "Do you think he's ready?"

"He thinks he is. He has his father's confidence." answered Frigga gently.

Odin retorted,"He'll need his father's wisdom."

Friga laughed and answered impertinently, "And his humility?"

Then Frigga added, "Thor won't be alone. Loki will be at his side to give him counsel. Have faith in your sons."

Loki could not remember ever having witnessed such a scene between his mother and father. He had never imagined his parents discussing Thor and him in this way, it was strange in a way. He had felt like he was witnessing a private scene. But to hear his mother talk about him in this way was beyond comprehension.

Mobius simply said to him before the footage continued, "Do you think a villain would inspire such faith in him from his mother, who is not even of his blood, do you think a mother would put her trust in one brother to support the other if deep down she thought he was a villain?"

The question hung in the air as the video resumed.

When Loki saw the scene beginning to unfold before his eyes, he protested and wanted to stand up, "Mobius, I've seen it before, I know this is the scene where I die!"

Mobius put his hands on Loki's shoulders again and said, "Look at it again this time, please. I really think you need to see it to the end."

Loki was talking to Thanos, "If I might, interject… If you’re going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena."

Thanos glared at him and replied "If you consider failure experience…"

Loki, losing none of his cockiness, answered, "I consider experience, experience. Almighty Thanos. I, Loki, Prince of Asgard… Odinson… The rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity."

Thor squinted and noticed a dagger in Loki’s hand. Loki attempted to stab Thanos, but failed.

“Undying. You should choose your words more carefully."

Thanos tightened his hold around Loki’s neck.

Loki made eye contact with Thor before Thanos increased his force on his neck.

He struggled to articulate, "You… will never be… a god."

Thanos snapped Loki’s neck, killing him then added, "No resurrection this time." before disappearing.

Loki closed his eyes, unable to stop a tear from rolling down his cheek.

Mobius leaned over and said softly in his ear, "Loki, watch, I know it's hard, but please watch."

Thor was crying, "No… Loki…"

He was then released from his binds and crawled over to Loki’s body. He laid his head down on Loki’s chest, shedding tears.

Mobius knelt before Loki and took his hands, "Loki, after this, after many twists and turns, Thanos has lost and you played a part in his loss. Your death played a part. But more than that, after all you've been through, all the times you've faced each other, do you think Thor would have cried for you like that, if you were a villain? Loki, you are worth so much more than you think you are destined to be."

Mobius wiped away Loki's tear stain with his thumb and let his hand linger on the god's cheek.

Loki asked him in a slightly hoarse voice, "But why show me this, why would you want to convince me of the opposite of what you wanted me to recognize first."

"Oh no Loki, I never wanted you to think you were a villain, I wanted you to see that you were not the one you insist on parading to the world."

Loki protested, "But you told me I was born to cause pain and suffering and death. That's how it is, that's how it was, that's how it will be. All so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves. "

"Yes, I told you that not because I think that's what you are, I was just showing you that that's what you were limiting yourself to because you yourself think you're only capable of that. Because you want to rule so badly, that you don't see that you are made for bigger things. You asked me to trust you yesterday. I did because Loki I have faith in you and since you've been here you keep proving it. In your own way. Because you are undoubtedly the god of mischief. Unique. Not. A. Villain."

Mobius took his chin and placed a kiss on his forehead before standing up.

"I'll leave you alone for a bit, let you take some time to think about this, I'll come get you before the mission briefing." he headed for the door.

"Mobius?"

"Yes." Mobius came back to him as Loki stood up.

"I don't know why, but I really, really want to believe you."

Seeing a man as powerful as Loki, showing so much fragility and hope at the same time, Mobius thought he had never found him as magnificent as he was at that moment. He felt blessed that Loki had exposed such vulnerability to him.

"It's not an easy road, Loki, but it's worth it.It's not easy being a man, but that's why it's so wonderful when you manage to overcome the obstacles. Don't forget that you are not or no longer alone, I will be there every step of the way.  You just have to find the right direction."

Loki nodded and chuckled, "I don't know what deities decided to put you on my path, but I'm glad that it’s you."

He felt blessed that Loki would show such vulnerability.

"It's not an easy road, Loki, but it's worth it.It's not easy being a man, but that's why it's so wonderful when you manage to overcome the obstacles. Don't forget that you are not or no longer alone, I will be there every step of the way.  You just have to find the right direction."

Loki nodded and chuckled, "I don't know what deities decided to put you on my path, but I'm glad that it's you."

For once since the beginning of their strange relationship, Loki took the initiative and kissed Mobius lightly before stepping back."Go, I'll stay here for a while, a god of mischief can't show up with swollen and red eyes, there are limits to the lack of decorum."  He finished by winking at him.

Mobius chuckled before leaving.

Once the door closed, he whispered, "Me too Loki, I'm glad fate connected us."

____

"Loki! Wait!"

Loki was standing in front of the portal through which the woman had just disappeared and deep down he knew he was going to have to follow her.

Not because of all the bullshit he had spouted at her just before.

Not because of his personal interests, well not only because of his personal interests. He was Loki after all.

But because of the man who was running towards him shouting.

Mobius.

Because Mobius had seen in him more than a glorious purpose.

Because even if it was for his personal interests, Mobius had needed him.

Because Mobius had made him see that he could be a better version of himself.

Because Loki was starting to believe it.

So as he turned to Mobius who was running towards him he put everything he could into his eyes.

Believe in me!

Then, reluctantly, he turned away and went through the portal.

_________

The whole serie here : The story of Loki and Mobius