#loki adopts sylvie on spot because why not

[lucywrites02]

Ch. 7: A new addition

Main Masterlist | The great escape Masterlist

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A/N: This chapter has a tiny bit of plot, but it's mostly about Loki and Sylvie bonding. Btw i really like this Sylvie. I wanted to make her mean und unlikable but she ended up being a babie. And Loki adopts her on the spot.

Pairing: (they/ them) Loki x gn! Reader

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: reader has a mental breakdown

Series summary: You finally got the chance to escape the TVA but nothing ever goes according to plan when the god of mischief is around.

Chapter Summary: Loki and Sylvie have a talk. some things are still unclear, but the trickster decides to trust her. you wake up, confused and break down- the events of the last few months are getting to you once again and Sylvie sending you back to the bad place didn't help much.

Tag list: @twhiddlestonsstuff @dreamingyouth @xladyxfatex @castiels-majestic-wings @lokistan @cozy-the-overlord ​ @whatafuckingdumbass   @electroma89 ​ @dpaccione @silver-lupines @poetic-fiasco @lokitrashfan @weirdfangirl2416 @rorybutnotgilmore @the-emo-asgardian @wolfish-trickster @serpentargo @darkacademicfrom2021 @imnotrevealingmyname @nyx2021 @theaudacitytowrite @high-functioning-lokipath @i-beg-your-pardon-laufeyson @funsized-mimi @aliiiyyaaah @handmaiden-of-mischief @bouffantofdoom @mischief-siriusly-managed

“Let me get this straight,” Loki walked around the living room in circes, pinching the bridge of their nose in irritation. “I made you and gave you powers that are similar to mine and that’s why the TVA thinks you’re a Loki.”

“Something like that, yeah.” Sylvie fiddled nervously with the sleeves of her sweater. She was still kinda scared of Loki and didn’t want to piss him off. She heard what this guy was capable of. And she really valued her life.

“Am I like… your parent or something?” The god asked, carefully sitting on the couch trying not to wake you up.

“What? NO!” The woman exclaimed, shaking her head. “That would be weird, no. I don’t know who you are to me, but definitely NOT a father.”

“A parent.” The trickster corrected her.

“Yeah, you’re not.”

“Oh, no I meant- a parent as in not a father or mother. It’s more gender neutral, you know?” Loki explained and looked down at your still unconscious body. They put their hand on your head, gently massaging your scalp. Sylvie said you will wake up soon which eased Loki’s nerves a bit.

“I didn’t realize, sorry. I shouldn't have just assumed.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” the god assured her. “I’m actually both, sometimes neither. It varies from moment to moment.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Sylvie said. The girl felt her stomach grumble and cringed at the sound it was making. She just wanted to steal some food and run away, but that didn’t go according to plan. She didn’t want to show Loki her discomfort, but the trickster wasn’t blind. Loki actually felt bad for Sylvie- the woman has been living on the run for way longer than you two. “I’m sorry,” The woman said, covering her abdomen with a hand as it was going to solve her problem, “For that and for using your friend.” She pointed at you, clearly ashamed of what she’s done. "And for breaking into your house. That was probably mean."

Thankfully, you’ve been moving a bit, which meant you were about to wake up any moment now. Loki hoped you wouldn't snore though. The trickster wouldn't be able to contain their laughter because let's face it- this situation was intense and there you were, snoring like a pig in front of a potential enemy.

“Stay here, I will get you something.” The trickster said and headed to the kitchen, leaving you alone with the stranger.

Sylvie could use this moment to escape- the TemPad was in her pocket. It would take a literal second to take it and run- but there was something inside her that desperately wanted to stay. Maybe you could help her find the time keepers? Or maybe years of isolation finally got to her and Sylvie’s need for any kind of human interaction was too strong to ignore anymore.

Loki wasn’t stupid and they woulnd’t leave you with an intruder. A copy of them was lurking in the corner of the room- hidden from anyone’s eyes and to attack if needed. The god didn’t trust that girl, but wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she wasn’t that bad after all.

-------

You woke up with a loud yawn. You stretched your body, making a noise similar to a dying pterodactyl and opened your eyes. That's where you noticed a woman sitting on an armchair not so far away from you. She smiled at you awkwardly and you stared at her dumbfounded. It was…. Strange. This girl definitely wasn't Loki, but her clothing was really similar to the ones that the intruder had on. You were slow right after waking up, but not stupid and even though it took you a minute you finally connected the dots.

“LOKI!” You screamed and stood up, still on the couch. Your friend barged into the living room with a plate in one hand and a bottle of juice in the other. How could they be so calm in a moment like this. Now that you thought of it, yelling wasn’t the best idea because your head hurt like a bitch.

“What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!?!” The god put down the food and took your face in their hands, examining it carefully. “How are you feeling?”

“I- I’m good?” Loki seemed to pay no attention to the girl sitting nearby, now munching on the sandwich they brought mere seconds ago. You had a feeling that you missed a lot. You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it immediately. Looking between Loki and the intruder you wondered if you were still dreaming.

The god realized what was wrong and laughed awkwardly. “Oh yes that,” They said and pointed at Sylvie who was now watching the two of you with her mouth full of bread. You had no idea what to do so you waved at her with a nervous smile on your face. She waved back. “I will explain everything to you, but first, are you sure you’re okay?”

“My head hurts but I will live.” You and Loki sat down again, still far away from your guest. “So…. what did I miss?”

“Oh right,” Loki pointed at the woman and continued, “This is Sylvie and she is the variant TVA was looking for all this time.”

“I’m sorry for enchanting you. I panicked.” The woman- Sylvie- said and took a sip of the orange juice you bought on your shopping trip yesterday.

“She wants to find the time keepers and destroy the TVA.” Loki added.

“And I am not a Loki” The girl chimed in.

“Yes, she was created by me. Not me-me, but a me from a different time line or reality… I’m still not sure how that works. Is it possible for different realities to coexist as long as they follow the flow of the sacred timeline? It’s all so confusing.” Your companion started babbling and you were even more confused than before.

“I wondered that, too!” Sylvie said.

“Hey, woah, wait a second.” You interrupted them, waving your hands around in hope they would stop. “I- I need a minute to process all of that!"

Loki and Sylvie fell silent, not expecting you to yell at them.

"I'm sorry guys, I'm just-" You put your head in your hands and took a deep breath. You felt a weight on your shoulder and moved your head up. Loki was kneeling right in front of you, their eyes full of worry. Your body might have been free, but your mind was still stuck in the loop of bad memories. You didn’t even notice when you started crying. The noise from the outside reminded you of the upcoming apocalypse and your anxiety only got worse because of that. There was still so much to do- get the TemPad from your bedroom, pack all of the food, the books, plants and then take Mr Ribbit with you. It was too much for you!

Loki called your name, but you were in your own bubble of misery and nothing could pull you out of it.

"Are they okay?" Sylvie asked, feeling bad for you. She wasn't the best at social interactions and had no idea what to do.

"Why would you do that?" You sobbed, not caring how awful you must have been looking. "Why would you send me back there?"

Loki put their arms around you and pulled you closer for a hug. Turning their head, the god looked at Sylvie. The woman didn't know what to say. 'I didn't mean to' would probably sound very insensitive and you clearly needed some comfort. Some of your memories were really sad and Sylvie wished she had never seen them. Because her magic wasn’t as advanced as Loki's, she had no control over what memories she can and can't see. Only random snippets of one's life.

"I'm so sorry." The girl said. Loki had no idea what caused your breakdown, but it had something to do with Sylvie’s enchantment- that's probably why the woman was apologizing. "I can't control it, you have to believe me." She turned to Loki, hoping they wouldn't get mad at her.

The god put you in their lap, gently rocking you from side to side and waiting for your tears to stop falling. They assumed Sylvie must have sent you to a very bad place and Loki wished they could do something to make you forget.

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A/N: The next few chapters are gonna be very... uhm... different

[writernotwaiting]

Loki Meta Nobody Asked For, part 3--All MCU Lokis are AU fan fiction Lokis

There is so much in part 3 that I really wanted to see and I very much want to celebrate, but once again, I am conflicted.

Ok. Good things: Loki and his magic. Loki and fighting. Loki and improvisation. Loki as bisexual. Loki talking about his mother. Loki showing a moral compass.

All of these are Most Excellent Things: • Loki here is finally not a de-powered pushover. His illusions are effective. He teleports over a short distance. He resists Sylvie’s mind control. He stops a multi-ton support tower from falling and pushes it back up into place!!!! • He fights effectively--finally! Granted, his dagger misses its mark, but he was drunk, so I’ll give him a pass on that. Aside from that, he finally shows us some highly effective hand-to-hand combat skills. Thankyouverymuch for acknowledging that Loki survived a millennia of life in a warrior culture. He was raised by a warrior king. His brother is a Hero(tm). There’s no way he didn’t learn some skillz. His ineffective fighting in episode 2 can easily be attributed to the fact that he was pulling his punches when he was fighting the human shields Silvie possessed. • Loki’s character explicitly acknowledged their queerness!!!! This makes my little queer heart glow bright, and I think needs no more comment. Just . . . yesssss! • Loki loves his mom. Loki is conflicted about that relationship because They Lied To Him.  And did I mention that Loki speaks wistfully about his mother and a bit about the fact he was adopted and no one told him until he already pretty much found out (in the most awkward way ever). Even Sylvie thought that was pretty poor parenting. Good stuff. • Loki really doesn’t want to kill innocent bystanders and only attacks folks who attack him first. He is also kind of appalled to hear that the TVA workers are all variants who’ve had their minds wiped. Again, this is all excellent, and fits well with the Loki we met in Thor I who just really wanted to make sure his war-mongering brother didn’t sit on the throne until he grew up a bit, and then Everything Got Way Out of Control. • We see Smart!Loki in action, as opposed to hear Mobius flatter Loki to get him to cooperate. While one of Loki’s attempts at deception fails miserably, the other works (with Sylvie’s help). This is all excellent and made me Very Happy Indeed!

[more below the break]

I also very much liked many parts of his interactions with Sylvie, and the fact that we got a tiny bit of her backstory (and I love her insistence on her own identity--this is very much I think a Loki thing, “I am not you. I am my own thing, thank you very much”). This relationship has a great deal of potential for complexity and depth. I am totally here for enemies to frenemies to allies if that’s where the series is going.

I like the reveal that the TVA agents are all variants themselves who have been “wiped” and indoctrinated. We are finally getting more obvious hints at the insidiousness of the TVA.

So why am I still conflicted about the series? Well, here is what I did not like: • Loki’s improvisation with the old woman--he had too little information to pull off an effective scam like that and he would have known that. He had a photograph. A black and white photograph--no voice, no personality, no coloration, no body language; he didn’t even know if the picture really was one of a husband and not some other type of relation. There was no way it would ever work. He should have known that. Loki would have known that. • His voice and body language when he pretended to be a guard was stupid and unconvincing, not mimicry. That was a joke. • The getting drunk thing. I found this not only disappointing but insulting and also possibly lazy on the part of the writers. It felt completely out of character. In fact, Sylvie felt much more “Loki-ish” in this scene than Loki did. I just cannot in any universe see Loki doing anything like this under these conditions. They are undercover in a high-pressure situation in which they are about to be wiped out of existence if they fuck things up, and Loki decides to get drunk? No. This is a virtually suicidal loss of control. They have no idea how long they would be on that train or what they would have to deal with later. They have no idea what sort of security is in place on the train. Why did they even stop in a bar, of all places? Why not find a sleeper car and stay out of the way? For that matter, why not just find seats? Why would a guard be sitting in a booth at a bar with a prisoner? They wouldn’t. Loki’s sense of self-preservation is stronger than that. He’s smarter than that. It was stupid and out of character and also unnecessary--there are so many other ways they could have gotten them shoved off that train that did not involve Loki making a spectacle of himself. It was, in fact, a very Thor thing to do, not Loki-like at all. • I still feel as though Tom is over-emoting in all of the scenes that are less than life-or-death. It does not feel like the Loki I met in Thor I and The Avengers. That Loki had a length of re-bar up his spine and only genuinely smiled when he looked at Thor (when Thor was smiling).

I feel like Tom is playing two Lokis in the show--the one that fights his way out of tight spots and occasionally deals with his difficult family issues, and the other is a parody of mischief!Loki--whose face is extremely emotive and who wants to bare his soul to whomever looks vaguely as though they’ll listen to him.

So, here’s my mid-series conclusion. All MCU Lokis are fan fiction Loki’s of the comics. Among those MCu fan fics are three distinct AUs.

1. The Loki we meet in Thor I, The Avengers, and Thor II. This Loki works hard to bury his emotions. His body language is generally stiff and prickly. He is the product of growing up in a culture that is driven by a toxic masculinity and devalues those traits that are coded “feminine” such as all of those things Loki excels at. Because of this, he has gotten the message his entire life that he is with less that the Golden Child that is Thor. He loves his brother with all his soul but resents him because his father placed them in competition with one another. All of this was reinforced by growing as the “tag-along” little brother who was tolerated but not embraced by Thor’s closest friends. This Loki becomes self-destructive and suicidal, experiencing a psychotic break as a result of revelations about his adoption and internalized racism. He spends who-knows-how-long falling through the void enduring perhaps months of sensory deprivation only to be tortured and manipulated by Thanos. He emerges from that experience Truly Fucked Up, stopped of much of his power because he’s had the living shit kicked out of him. But his core self is still there somewhere--a core self that loves his brother, that craves affection, that really hates what Asgard has done to him but still has a moral compass in there somewhere that says wiping out the entire universe is a bad thing and I guess protecting helps humans is something he ought to do since his brother loves them.

2. The Loki we meet in Ragnarok and IW. This isn’t really the same guy as Loki #1. It’s a fan fiction AU in which Loki has no trauma to deal with. He is a manipulator. But he is a manipulator because he is a survivor. He does what he has to do in order to be not dead, and if he can also have some luxury while he does it, well, that’s a bonus. Theoretically, he is a powerful mage--since he was able to overcome Odin and place him in a nursing home--but we don’t see any of that on screen. He is revered Mostly Harmless by the narrative. There is no re-bar up his ass. His body language is much more loose and emotive. His characterization has been flattened out in order to serve as a narrative foil for Thor, and will be bridged in IW to serve Thor’s character development (yet another feminization of his character). Many people really enjoyed this version of Loki. But let’s be clear, he isn’t the same Loki we met in the other three movies.

3. The TVA Loki. This Loki is a new fan fiction. A third AU. This Loki is slightly closer to Loki #1 in that his characterization is a bit more complex than Loki #2. He is smarter. He is more versatile and powerful. He has a backstory that isn’t being mocked. His queerness is not being used to villain-code him. But it would be wrong to say he’s the same Loki that we saw in the first three movies. This Loki’s trauma is all family-related, which great, at least they acknowledge that.

However, he clearly is not the PTSD!Loki that we see in TDW. They have decided (at least so far) to completely ignore what happens between Thor I and The Avengers. I’m not quite sure why it’s ok to deal with trauma when it’s Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark, but not ok when it’s Loki, but this is the decision the director made, and if I want to enjoy the show, I have to be ok with that. So that’s what I’m going to do right now. The Loki show is fan fiction. It’s an AU. And it does a pretty good job at doing that.

[justjessame]

Glorious, Before the Burden - The Comfort ~ 4

Knowing that I could at least push past the terrible spell that caused Loki to see a nightmare when I visited him gave me some peace to rest, my first night alone in London.  Building courage to meet Thor’s love, Doctor Jane Foster who I researched thoroughly before leaving my small cottage and with Michael beside me helping me sort through what was most helpful and what was least likely to aid me in my introduction to this Midgardian genius.  Over a light dinner, during a phone conversation with Michael, I told him of my visit with Loki in his cell.  

“And he saw YOU?” Michael asked for the third time, almost crowing with both happiness and a heavy dose of his confidence in my powers and person.  “I’m not surprised,” I shook my head and took in the view from my window, the night was falling and I knew that sleep would be calling to me soon enough.  “Now you just have to meet up with Dr. Foster and off you go to Asgard.”

Laughter erupted from me at how simple he made the endeavor sound.  “Yes, JUST.”  Listening as he told me the idle gossip of the tiny village I’d left mere hours before, I felt a sort of homesickness and wondered how long I’d feel longing for the small Midgardian spot that had adopted me.  Promising to call before I disappeared back to my true home, I tried to tell Michael how much he meant to me, but he wouldn’t hear it. 

“Don’t go saying goodbye yet, Sigyn.” He grumbled.  “Not until you’re on your way out.”  And with a huff he said goodnight.  

I suppose, with the change of scenery and the nerves that came with what I was about to do, I expected sleep to be more difficult to grasp hold of - like a teasing serpent with its tail flickering away as a fat fisted toddler who is forever curious and yearning to touch, it would flick away at the last moment, saving itself from the yanking of that grasp - but no, somehow it wasn’t hard to find and take hold of.  

Slipping into a bed as decadent as the one that Loki had carried me to, pressing me into and kissing me breathless because I couldn’t stand to release him once he first allowed me a sample of his flavor, sleep greeted me as a dear friend, cradling me as gently as my husband had and held me tight until morning woke me with the first slanting light through the softness of the fogging haze that I’d grown to love during my first visit so very long ago.  

As I slept, I dreamt and as I dreamt it was of a time and place I did not know.  Yet I knew my companions - two of them, at least.  Loki, not MY Loki, but the one who wore the same strange outfit that Agent Mobius M Mobius had worn when he unceremoniously showed up on my doorstep with his contingent of TVA Minutemen asking for inside information on Loki - MY Loki - hoping to find a way to take down Sylvie.  Who, I was no longer startled to see standing beside THIS Loki, not even seeing their hands clasped together gave me a moment’s pause.  There was something about the two of them - these two pieces of my heart, brought together through means that I had no forewarning or knowledge of - that made some mad sort of sense.  They stood amidst a clouded world, on the other side I could make out something of the horns I knew quite well from my time at Loki’s side, but they were worn by beings that I had no sense of familiarity with - a child, an elder, one who looked far more like Thor than Loki, and - brought up a touch short - was that a lizard?  

Refocusing on the two I held far more dear, Loki and Sylvie, standing before a building that made my heart pound faster - a flash of warmth running through me - like when I felt the urge to run into one of the gardens, or join my husband in bed - the feeling of home.  How strange, since I’d never seen this dark stone beast before, rising as if it grew unbidden from the ground.  Gold veins, like blood creeping through it, I could hardly pay attention to Loki and Sylvie as they bucked up courage to knock on the door, so entranced was I with how familiar it felt - even the landscape, barren though it was - called to me like a siren song.  Odd.

The door opened, and I blinked, had I missed them finally knocking?  Had I missed a greeting being called out?  

Following them through the archway, I barely glanced at the glowing clock - her obnoxious taunting voice - obviously known to both Sylvie and Loki, but of no consequence to me.  Instead I walked around the three of them, ignoring their conversation and searching for any reason why I would feel as if I knew this place, this building.  Reaching out with a shaking hand, knowing that I shouldn’t be able to TOUCH anything in a dream, I was shocked to find that I could touch - and the obsidian wall felt WARM, throbbing as if it had a heartbeat all its own.  

I almost missed the clock disappearing.  Nearly missed the appearance of a new being.  Except I wouldn’t have missed him - couldn’t have if I tried.  It was as if he screamed my name as loudly as Loki once said I forced him from the garden when I wanted to go inside.  Turning I saw HIM.  Smiling from behind a newly opened door, lounging as comfortably and unconcerned as any all powerful being would in the face of TWO such as Loki and Sylvie - and while they dared to make attempts on his life, he winked at ME.  

I woke up as the sun broke through the curtains and the haze, my eyes flashing open faster than they ever had before.  I knew what the clock being had called him.  I knew what he’d thought to call himself.  Names have power - any witch worth her salt would tell you that.  And I knew his name as surely as I knew my own.  I just didn’t know why his name mattered to ME.  

I got ready with all the care that I would have on my first trip to Midgard had I taken it alone.  Carefully tucking my long hair away, magic making it far easier to conceal and seem shorter and fashionable in the way the women of the realm seemed to enjoy it, I sighed as I pulled on a pair of the tight jeans and long sweater over it.  Adding the long jacket and scarf, I hoped that I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb as I made contact with Thor’s lady love.  And I hoped like hell that I wasn’t too late.  

Finding Dr. Foster wasn’t difficult.  She’d relocated to London because her mother was living in the city.  She’d taken up online dating, which Michael had given me a shifty look about - laughingly offering to create a profile for me, should I think to give dating a Midgardian a chance.  A single look was all it took to nip that horrendous idea in the bud.  Her mentor was having a difficult go of getting back to normal after having an encounter with Loki, as seen on EVERY news channel known to man, and so - off I went to find Jane where a subtle disturbance in what Midardians knew to be science and gravity was taking place.  Thank goodness for children and their inability to keep things quiet.  

While I couldn’t disappear as Loki could, hiding when you’re petite isn’t incredibly difficult, but seeing Jane Foster arrive alongside her intern Darcy - another piece of the information Michael had helped me come across - had given me pause.  Two Midgardians, slightly more difficult to approach than one, and Darcy had more street smarts from what I’d learned in my research.  

Jane disappeared and I sighed.  Damn it.  While the future is set, I had hoped to head off the Aether.  Perhaps if I could have contained it, NOT in the Midgardian scientist, that would have made Frigga’s death slightly less - 

She reappeared and I missed my opportunity to meet her before Thor made his arrival, but he spotted me as she spotted him -

“Sigyn?” His eyes widened, and Jane’s eyes narrowed at me.  “Sister? How are you alive?”  Now Jane looked LESS inclined to rip my hair out, so that was better, perhaps.  “Jane, this is -” he pulled her closer, smiling down at BOTH of us.  “Sigyn, I thought you dead - they said you -”

Shifting off the reunion and questions.  “Yes, I know, Thor.”  I smiled at Jane.  “This is Jane?”  She was staring down at me with so many questions in her eyes that I wanted to scream.  “I think we should probably -”

So shocked by Thor’s arrival before I could greet Jane, before I could get things in hand, I hadn’t really taken stock of the storm he’d brought along with him.  

“This you?”  Darcy had joined us, pointing up at the downpour and Thor stopped it.  “Who’re you?”  She was staring at me with a challenge in her eyes.  

“Sigyn, Loki’s wife.”  Rip it off like a bandage, that had been Michael’s advice.  Her eyes went wide.  “Oh dear, I think we’re about to have company.”  Police officers were converging.  

They were coming to ask uncomfortable questions, but Thor was in no mood to allow that, and he grabbed onto Jane and nodded to me.  With a smile, and extreme focus on my part - cloaking myself so Heimdall wouldn’t know WHO else Thor was bringing at least I hoped - I took hold of his arm and off we went.  

Jane was not well, how could she be - the Aether was inside of her.  Upon our arrival in Asgard, Heimdall, looking for all the world as if he was unsurprised by my survival and arrival, Jane was taken to the healing chambers.  I, however, was rushed to Frigga - Heimdall telling me she requested my presence as soon as I arrived.  

“There you are,” she pulled me into her arms and sighed with such relief that I nearly sobbed.  “We have very little time, Sigyn.”  When she pulled away, her eyes searching mine I saw how glassy hers were.  “Did you think only you saw it coming?”  

“I’d hoped,” my eyes were burning, my heart giving such pain that I felt as though I’d been stabbed.  “I’ve only just come home, selfishly I want more time.”  She laughed and held my hands in hers.  “Why didn’t you tell me what I am?”

“If I had,” she sat, pulling me down beside her.  “If I’d given you all the answers, then you’d have simply had them -” she brushed my hair from my face.  “You still have much to learn, I’m afraid.  You know what, but not WHO -”  I didn’t understand and she knew it.  “You will, I swear.”  

“Jane holds the Aether,” shaking my head, my eyes closed.  “I’d hoped to get there fast enough -”

“To what, my daughter?”  She was smiling when I opened my eyes.  “Take it upon yourself?”  Sighing she shook her head.  “You have far more burdens to bear than you need, I think that one is one too many.”  Pulling me close, she tucked my head under her chin.  “I always wanted a daughter, did I ever tell you that?”  I hummed.  “You were everything I could have wanted in one, and so much more, Sigyn.”  

I didn’t have enough time with her, not alone.  I never had a chance to go to Loki’s cell and prepare him for what was coming.  I didn’t see Odin beforehand.  The only peace I made was with Frigga, and maybe that was all I was supposed to be allotted.  

I was with her and Jane when the monsters came knocking.  I held her as she took her final breath.  And in it, as I cradled her head and told her I forgave her everything, that I loved her and she was my mother, that she told me another piece of my own puzzle.  She gave me another name for He Who Remains - at least where I was concerned.  And as my tears burned down my cheeks, threatening to break my heart and leave me scarred for my grief of losing the only mother I felt like I’d ever truly known - I looked up to see HIM - Odin, staring down at me in open mouthed surprise.  

I suppose there was at least ONE person in all of Asgard that hadn’t been told of my arrival - our King. 

[mythgenderedloki]

Right. Okay. I don't usually reply to comments but here we go...

First off, sure, loki gets a kick in the nuts a few times. Not exactly fun, that's true. But this is the guy who was thrown around by the hulk and was cracking jokes like five minutes after. It's fair to say that would not have been too painful for Loki, relatively speaking. To be fair, I have not been kneed in the balls so I can't speak, but I'm almost certain that being shaken like a rag doll by hulk, or enduring systematic torture from Thanos, or being hit with mjolnir would have been a lot more painful. Also, is loki experiencing new pain or just reliving the memory of pain from when this originally happened?

Secondly, Mobius was definitely being monitored. Or, at the very least, believed he was. "Timekeepers are watching" is a hint that Mobius believes that his every action was being watched. Also, if a time cell is meant to be the TVA's prison cell, then surely these would be under constant supervision to make sure their prisoners weren't trying to escape? Probably not a coincidence that Renslayer was waiting for Mobius the second he and loki exited the time cell. Even though she knew Mobius had switched the tempads, she knew immediately knew that Mobius was planning on betraying the TVA. And hunter B15 took Sylvie to an apocalypse, not a time cell when asking her about the memories as apocalypses are proven TVA blind spots while time cells are not. Mobius had to choose a memory that appeared to demonstrate how he was "working his loki". Don't think he could have gotten away with a memory of loki playing with a load of puppies or going to town on a big pile of nuts and grapes.

My main point concerns why Mobius picked a memory where loki is told he will always be alone. Obviously, this isn't exactly pleasant but, presumably loki has heard way worse. His own adopted father told him is birth right was to die, for example. (After this variants nexus event but I would bet Odin has been saying this type of shit to loki for centuries.) This is coming from Sif who Loki doesn't exactly hold in high regard so I doubt he really cares what she thinks. In fact, apart from his family, loki doesn't really care about what most of Asgard thinks about him which could be an essay in itself. Loki even says this himself, by stating he never thought about it ever again. This bit is my really main point, I promise. Mobius wants loki to think about Sif's words, to consider if he really deserves to be alone. In my opinion, loki didn't think about Sif's words because he believed them and accepted that he would be alone. We never see him form any relationships, romantic or otherwise, and he even admits that he betrays his family which leads to the breakdown of these relationships too. Loki believes he deserves to be alone so does nothing to maintain relationships. Until Mobius.

Whether you ship them or not, Mobius and Sylvie are the first relationships we see Loki fight to preserve. When Mobius asks Loki if he believes he deserves to be alone, loki sates he is unsure. However, by the end of the episode Loki is willing to tell Sylvie his feelings for her, something which is 'new' to him after previously denying his relationship with her to Mobius. He also goes on to acknowledge his friendship with Mobius. For the first time, we see Loki actively trying to build relationships with those around him rather than push them away.

Mobius wanted loki to accept that he is worthy of love and happiness. That is why he put him in that time cell. Loki needed to re-evaluate his internalised self-hatred so that he could embrace the new relationships being extended to him... Small price to pay for a knee to the bollucks in my opinion...

Just so we're clear... Mobius could have picked any bad memory for loki's prison, God knows loki has enough of them, and he picked one where loki was at home, on Asgard after playing a prank.

Not the memory of him finding out he's a frost giant.

Not the memory of him falling from the bifrost.

Not a memory of him being tortured by Thanos.

Mobius sent him home.