#mobius' entire posture is open to loki

[charcubed]

3 words: body language contrast

[loki-us]

The exact same scene, and yet an entire lifetime apart. There is no better illustration of the profoundly transformative impact Mobius had on Loki’s character from the beginning to the end of his show.

In the first episode, Loki’s posture is stiff, cold, abrasive, unyielding. His arms are crossed to shield his body and distance himself from everyone around him. He neither trusts nor is trusted by anyone. He sees every interaction as a game to be won, an exercise only in manipulation and deceit. In the final episode, Loki’s posture is open, genuine, relaxed, attentive. He faces Mobius fully, leans forward to give his full attention. The scenes are brilliantly shot to put distance between Loki and everyone else in 1x1 and changes to close-ups in 2x6 to illustrate that personal connection, to show how much more open and intimate and sincere they are with each other. Mobius has taught him to trust and be trustworthy, to value the advice and wisdom of his dearest friend. He no longer deflects, attacks, or hides himself, he seeks Mobius’ comfort and opinion and thanks him for everything Mobius has done for him.

Loki returns to the beginning a truly changed person and that is what gave him the strength to accept his burden in the end.

[goddessofmischief]

Spoilers

Sylvie x Reader where the Reader was a TVA agent that was stationed down by the time keepers and helped them fight

✨ Choose Me - Sylvie x TVA!Reader ✨

...

You could never forget her, no matter how hard you tried.

How could you? She had saved your life - rather than kill you like she had your co-workers, she’d spared you, instead, and swept you away in an attempt to convince you of the awful truth-

Which was, of course, that you were a Variant...

Same as she.

You could’ve run. You could’ve stayed, as she asked you to. Stayed, with her.

But you knew, somehow, that you had to go back, had to do what you could to convince your boss, Mobius, of the lie you’d been sold.

...Even if it meant leaving the woman you loved.

And now, here she was - standing in the golden elevator with you, Loki, and Renslayer.

You knew there was nothing you could do to save her now. If Renslayer wanted her dead, she would be. Resistance was futile.

“Do you ever think of us?”

Your lips formed a thin line.

“...All the time.”

“I know this isn’t you, Y/N. It’s not too late.”

You shook your head.

“I’m so sorry.”

The elevator doors opened, and you attempting to keep your bottom lip from quivering as Sylvie was pushed away, out of your grasp, forever.

“Please,” she speaks, urgently. “Help us.”

You know, somehow, that she’s saying it more for you than for her own benefit. She wants you to help her, so that she can spare you.

So she doesn’t have to kill you herself.

“Please,” she says again, and you know the Goddess of Mischief doesn’t beg often. “Please-”

The door opens.

Sylvie is pushed away.

You lower your face, hopelessly - you’ve never met the Time Keepers before, but you don’t expect them to be lenient.

“Gracious Time-Keepers,” pronounces Ravonna, and you’re reminded of how much you dislike her. “As promised... the Variants.”

Sylvie struggles.

“What do you have to say for yourselves before you meet your end, Variants?”

“Is that the only reason you brought us here?” asks Loki. “To kill us? I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been killed, so go ahead. Do your worst.”

“You and your bravado are no threat to us, Variant.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think you believe that,” says Sylvie. “I think...”

Ravonna resets her. Sylvie regains posture.

“...I think you’re scared.”

“No, Variant. You’re nothing but a cosmic disappointment.”

“Delete them.”

Ravonna moves.

“No, I’m not done with you yet-”

Sylvie and Loki’s time-collars click off.

And this time - this time, it’s you.

You.

You, facing down the Time Keepers, Ravonna Renslayer, and the entire TVA.

You, betraying them all for one person, one Variant.

Sylvie smiles at you, softly, and you toss her a weapon, stealing your own off another guard. The two of you fight viciously, side-by-side, for your lives.

“This time, I finish the job,” states Renslayer.

You laugh.

“No, I don’t think so.”

You didn’t know what the future held, but you knew you and Sylvie were in it.

It’s enough.

Sylvie Taglist: (Open)

@coreliaa @agathaharkness-simp @cache-coeur @the-house-of-blacks @dreamy-clousds​ @heliophobek@chrissebwh0re@afandomswineaunt @x-corrupted-angel-x ​ @lizzieolsens-slut @rogertaylorsdrumkit @lilyevans1

[mobiusbmobius]

Department of Nightmares

(((Loki has a wet dream about Mobius with hints of Thorki)))

Loki woke up to darkness. He was on his knees, hands tied behind his back, attached to his ankles. He tugged at the binds and found them thoroughly, if comfortably firm. He reached out to free himself using his magic only to find himself grasping at straws. He had no magic. He let out a sound of frustrated indignation at the indecency of waking up in such a state. 

“You’re awake, brother. Finally.”

“Thor?” Hope lit up in Loki’s voice that his brother was here to save him. “Thor, help me!”

The lights switched on, blinding him. He blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting, and took in his surroundings. A massive warehouse. And worse. The Avengers.  

“Sleeping beauty is awake.” Loki gritted his teeth; irritated at the blase sound of Tony Stark’s voice. “Do we give him a kiss? Or is that not how this works?” 

“Kiss me and I’ll see that everyone you’ve ever loved dies a slow and painful death.”

Steve Rogers grabbed a handful of Loki’s hair in his fist and twisted his head back painfully. “You sure know how to sweet talk, don’t you?”

“Go easy on him, Steve,” Natasha said. She bent down and cupped Loki’s chin in her hand and leaned in as if she was going to kiss him. “He’s more fragile than he looks.” She dug her foot into his balls and Loki whimpered. Beautiful and cruel. 

“Oh, he can take anything you dish at him.” Thor pushed Steve and Natasha out of the way, wrapped his arms around Loki’s waist and lifted him. Thor whispered into Loki’s ear, “We’re all going to have some fun with you and you’re going to do everything we say. Got it?”

“Hmmm, kinky. I didn’t think you had it in you.” 

“Brotherly love. Brotherly love?” Tony looked around at each Avenger as they all nodded in agreement. 

“So what then?” Loki drawled, “You’re going to fuck me in front of all your friends now?” Loki asked, aroused by the idea.

“Nobody’s going to be fucking anybody,” a kindly voice chimed in. A set of footsteps clipping towards them.

“Mobius!” Loki’s heart leapt at the sound of the analyst’s voice and he instantly felt a sense of calm and safety. He relaxed in Thor’s arm, sagging against his brother’s chest. 

“And who are you to refute these great plans I have made?” Thor gripped Loki’s cock and balls possessively, as if to say you belong to me.

“I’m just saying that I need him. Before you all tear into him. I need him.” Mobius’s voice sounded so reasonable and earnest that the Avengers backed away. Mobius was magic in Loki’s eyes. 

The Avengers receded as Mobius came closer and Loki couldn’t take his eyes off him. With a blink of the eye, Loki was untied and started to move towards Mobius, eager to reach him. A hand wrapped around his bicep to stop him. 

“Hold up , Rock of Ages. You don’t call the shots here.” Tony pulled him back and the Avengers surrounded him, forming a barrier that kept him from Mobius. 

Another blink and suddenly Loki felt a cool breeze across his bare naked ass. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Mobius, and the analyze stood there calmly as before. Loki turned and the Avengers stood in a group behind him. 

“Go to your new master, Loki,” his brother said encouragingly. “We’ve decided to give you to him.”

“You? Giving me to Mobius?” Loki snorted. Yet the prospect was appealing. 

Loki turned and made a step towards Mobius – who held up a hand and pointed to the floor. Instinctively, Loki fell to his knees. It just felt like the right thing to do. 

“Posture,” Mobius reminded him and it felt as if they’d done this before. 

Loki straightened out his back, puffing out his chest, kneeling in supplication, legs slightly open, his cock hard and dangling between them. 

“Look at you. So eager to please.” Mobius’s kind voice soothed over his skin. Loki rocked his hips, eager for any touch or kind word from Mobius. Loki desperately wanted his love and affection.

Mobius clinically snapped the time collar over his neck. Loki’s eyes widened with surprise. That wasn’t what he’d wanted. “I though…”

Mobius cut him off. “It’s not about what you want.”

“Mobius please–”

“Please what?”

“Please touch me.” Loki begged, he leaned forward as much as his  posture and position would allow. He craved Mobius with his entire being.

“Touch yourself,” Mobius ordered. Loki was eager to comply, hand stroking his own cock as he stared up at Mobius - uncaring even of the Avengers judgmental gazes – he brought himself closer,, closer, hand moving under the sheets.

His climax rising, he moaned and called out, “Mobius!” as he reached his peak and the pleasure and the cum spread over him, hot and warm around his hand. Loki moaned once more as he turned under the blanket, still lost in his orgasm. “Mobius….”

When suddenly the door whooshed open and Mobius burst in. “Loki? You okay?”

Loki sat up and frantically clutched the blankets around himself hoping to god that Mobius couldn’t see the mess he’d made under his sheets.

Mobius, “You uh… I heard you call my name?”

“I– uh no. Was…. having a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”

“It was … awful.”

“I see. You're all soaked. Gonna need to wash those sheets.”

“Oh yes. Damn.”

“It’s okay. C’mon, get dressed, I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

“Right.”

Oh shit. Loki showered and changed in less than ten minutes. Truly a record for him since he’d been at the TVA.

By the time Loki joined him, Mobius was reading from his tempad and sipping his coffee. There was a cup set out for Loki as well as a mouth watering plate of bacon eggs, and toast that Mobius had made for him.

“Quite lovely,” Loki smiled as he sat down. Mobius gave him an indulgent smile and a look that said ‘let me finish reading this.” Loki nodded agreeably and stared at his coffee for a long moment, still mortified from his dream. He had been moaning Mobius’s name. Surely the analyze had heard. Surely he’d be pruned for such thoughts. 

Loki sipped his coffee and sighed heavily, eager to get started on the eggs. Mobius was quite skilled at cooking such a simple ingredient as they were somehow even better than what he’d had in Asgard.

“So you had a Nightmare?” Mobius had finished whatever he was reading on his tempad and was looking right at him now. 

Loki nodded. “I did.” He searched Mobius’s face for any sign of knowledge of what he’d actually been dreaming. 

Mobius waited to see if Loki would add more, but the god just sipped his coffee. Mobius pried anyway. “May I ask what about?”

Loki’s leg bobbed below the table, a nervous gesture he would have been able to hide if he still had his magic. Oh how he despised mortal life. He shrugged. “Just… stuff… The usual stuff of nightmares... The Avengers.”

“That makes sense. You must still be shaken up about the hulk, huh?”

“Yep. That’s it.”

Mobius smirked and started in on his food. “Was I in it?”

Loki stared at him stunned for a long awkward moment. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

Mobius chuckled. “Must have been some nightmare. We really shoulda burned that department down.”

Loki chuckled. “The Department of Nightmares. We certainly ought to have.”

The rest of the morning passes without bringing it up again. Mobius doesn’t ask again. Loki can’t stop thinking about it. Can’t stop remembering how it had felt to be kneeling in front of Mobius, craving his touch. 

He is forced to spend the morning by himself in the archives, left with nothing more than files about him and his variants and thoughts of Mobius. 

Read on AO3.

[lightsupinthenorth]

It’s the little things

Summary: Instead of giving up on trying to convince Mobius that the TVA agents are variants during their conversation in episode 4, Loki comes up with a new tactic to help him see the light.

Excerpt: "He interrupts Mobius’ rant by slamming both his hands on the table and shouting, seemingly out of the blue: 'you’re left-handed!'"

Read on AO3

Loki’s just blurted out to Mobius that the TVA agents are all variants, in a last-ditch attempt at convincing him they’re on the same side. And also in the hope it will make him shut up about Sylvie and what he thinks Loki feels for her.

Loki goes on, expanding on the bomb he just dropped, talking about Mobius’ hypothetical past and family, hoping it will be enough to make the walls Mobius built around himself crumble.

Once Loki’s said his piece, Mobius keeps silent for a beat. Long enough for Loki to believe it might work out.

Mobius looks rattled. So much so that Loki thinks he actually got through to him.

However, Loki’s hopes are annihilated with two little words:

“Nice try”.

These aren’t the kind of words Loki would ever react well to. Because “nice try”, despite posing as praise, is always thrown at you to point out you failed. Coming from Mobius, it hurts worse than being stabbed. Because, it doesn’t only mean “you failed”. It also means “you lied so many times before that I think everything that comes out of your mouth is just another lie”. It means “I don’t trust you”.

And, really, can Loki blame Mobius for that? He’s been trying his hardest to appear ten steps ahead of everyone ever since he arrived at the TVA, and now his pride and arrogance have turned against him. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but there’s no getting used to it.

As cracks are slowly forming in Loki’s cold black heart, getting it closer and closer to shattering, Mobius starts going off about Loki and Sylvie again.

Loki’s failed on both counts, then: Mobius doesn’t believe him, and he still won’t stop ranting. And he had the nerves to complain about Loki’s yacking!

Loki considers giving up and letting Mobius do whatever he wants with him. However, as he watches Mobius reach for the TemPad with his dominant hand, he’s suddenly hit by a ridiculous – and probably bound to fail – idea. Loki might have a lot of flaws (not that he’d admit to many, if any, of them), but he’s nothing if not resourceful. He thought telling Mobius he was a variant was a last ditch-attempt, but he apparently has another dagger up his sleeve. Its blade is not very sharp, to the point it might as well be made of rubber. Still, Loki will try to make something out of it. He has to try.

He interrupts Mobius’ rant by slamming both his hands on the table and shouting, seemingly out of the blue: “you’re left-handed!”

*

Mobius stops mid-sentence, thrown out of his depth. He sighs, trying to convey exasperation instead of the surprise he really feels. He shouldn’t be surprised by anything Loki comes up with, at this point. It’s not his fault this mad man (god, whatever) still manages to be unpredictable once in a while.

“What’s that got to do with any of it?”

“I… It’s just… Hear me out. I know you don’t trust me, but think about it… really think about it. What the TVA told you about the agents being created by the Time-Keepers doesn’t make sense.”

“You lost me.”

Mobius has no idea how Loki had gone from him being left-handed to “the Time-Keepers didn’t create the TVA agents”. He’s going to need a step-by-step explanation of the process.

Loki briefly looks down, takes a deep breath and then goes back to looking at Mobius, as if bracing himself for something.

“You’re left-handed-“

Mobius opens his mouth to interrupt Loki, because, really, this is becoming ridiculous and they’re running in circles. Loki is probably just stalling for time in order to concoct a new ploy that will get him out of the hole he dug himself. He doesn’t have time to say any of this, though. Loki notices he’s not on board and cuts himself off to say:

“Please, let me get this out. Please.”

His hands are now joined in supplication and his bright blue eyes are desperate and suspiciously shiny. Mobius has seen a lot of Loki’s life, which has included its fair share of tears. That’s how he knows he couldn’t take it if Loki started crying.

So, instead of protesting as he first intended to, he just nods, allowing Loki to resume.

“Thank you. The ‘left-handed’ thing is only the first one on a list of things corroborating my main point. If the Time-Keepers had really created you, why would they have bothered to make you left-handed even though it’s not the norm? Why would you have a sweet-tooth? Why would you be weirdly fascinated by jetskis? When you look at the TVA and the way it’s organised, would you peg the Time-Keepers as beings who would care about giving their agents any type of particularities? The way I see it, if you had been created by them, you’d all be robots passing as human beings, not people with their own personalities… Besides, have your seen your nose? It’s obviously been broken before. Probably several times. Do you even remember that happening?”

Mobius instinctively raises a hand to his nose, tracing the jagged shape of it. He’s still trying to process everything Loki said, and it’s a lot.

His thoughts, as soon as he manages to gather them, jump to the possible reason why Loki’s noticed and remembered all these little things about him. It doesn’t mean Loki cares. Of course it doesn’t. he was probably only gathering intel. Besides, isn’t it absurd that Mobius would focus on this instead of focusing on the point Loki is making?

Because, he is making a point. Isn’t he?

No matter how little is known about the Time-Keepers, Mobius can admit it indeed seems out-of-character for them to have bothered with making their agents have quirks. And he indeed does not remember breaking his nose. Why would the Time-Keepers have made him look this way voluntarily? It serves no purpose.

“Say something, please.”

Mobius regains focus after having lost himself in his thoughts, and he stares into Loki’s eyes. He decides to indulge Loki and speaks, not because Loki asked nicely – after all, the god is more often than not very polite despite his numerous less than pleasant personality traits –, but because everything in his posture suggests he’s on the verge of falling apart:

“Okay… I can see where you’re coming from.”

The effect of his words are instantaneous: Loki’s entire body sags from the relief.

“I’m gonna need more proof than that before I really buy your theory, though.” Mobius says. He’s got to keep Loki on his toes. He can’t have him believe he’s got Mobius wrapped around his little finger (even though he does).

“Proof… well, Sylvie can give you proof. As I said she can access your memories and-“

“Nope, nope, nope. There ain’t no way I’m letting her anywhere near my head to access so-called memories that might not even exist.” Mobius might have admitted to himself that Loki had a point. However, he’s going to pretend there’s still a chance he’s entirely wrong about all this, because if he’s right it means Mobius’s whole life is a lie and Mobius doesn’t have the faintest idea of how he’d deal with that.

“Can’t you do it?” He adds. Apparently, he’s lost every ounce of self-preservation instinct he’s ever possessed. He’s expecting a barb from Loki, something along the lines of “So you do trust me, Mobius, I’m touched”.

He gets none of that. Loki has really decided to catch him off guard today.

Loki doesn’t say anything. He stares at Mobius as if he’d grown a second head. After barely two seconds, though, he snaps out of it, and answers calmly:

“I don’t know how. But… maybe I could learn.”

“Okay… I suppose you’ll need your demented alter-ego for that?”

Loki cringes, which is answer enough.

Mobius sighs. He does that far too often around Loki.

“Right, let’s go get her, then.”

Loki goes back to staring at him as if he’d grown a second head, then. Eyes wide, mouth agape. Mobius would find it funny if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t trust her. And I don’t trust you, either… But I can’t go on with my life as if you fuckers hadn’t just upended it with your crazy variant theory… So I guess I’ll take my chances.”

Mobius gets up and Loki imitates him. Mobius is already moving in the direction of the door when Loki stops him by grabbing his forearm. Mobius turns back toward him and arches an eyebrow in question.

“I know it won’t mean much to you but…  I have your back. I promise I won’t stab it… again. And I’ll make sure Sylvie doesn’t either.”

Mobius doesn’t trust Loki right now. He has no guarantee that he can. Most of Loki’s past suggests he cannot. But, stupidly, Mobius wants to. He really wants to trust him. It wouldn’t take a lot from Loki to make him. He won’t let it show, though. He’s stupid, but not this stupid.

“Right. Time will tell, I suppose.”

Loki is thoroughly unimpressed by Mobius’ time-related pun. It’s fine, though. Mobius is amused enough for the both of them. He smiles at Loki’s grumpy expression.

“Oh come on, it was funny!”

“A dagger through the heart would be funnier.”

Mobius rolls his eyes. Loki is such a drama-queen. It would be annoying if it wasn’t so endearing.  

“Come on, you buzzkill. Let’s go before someone decides to prune your evil twin sister for real.”

Loki groans. “I really hate you sometimes.”

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that.”

*

Loki will keep telling himself that: he’s a skilled liar, especially when it comes to lying to himself, and he cannot cope with the truth right now (the truth being that he’s far too fond of Mobius for his own good). He’ll deal with it after they deal with the giant pile of their current problems.

First step: go to Sylvie. Second step: hightail it out of here

[iamanartichoke]

Congrats on follower milestone! I greatly enjoy your presence on my dash with your thoughts and witty tags and all :) For the Loki writing prompt, here's a sort of idea or mood or emotion, very vague, but maybe you can make something of it, and if not, totally cool! Prompt: Mobius taking care of Loki.

@humbae Thanks so much for your kind words as well as the prompt! I kinda just took the "taking care of" idea and had Mobius do the bare minimum, bc it's angstier that way, but I hope you like it anyway.

Summary: Takes place immediately after the end of episode 1; Loki has a realization and Mobius kinda maybe cares. Word Count: 1460 Author’s notes: Please forgive the quality, I started this earlier today and wanted to post it before watching the finale, so I finished the last bit of it in a less-than-alert state, merp.

*

“What’s this?” Loki asks. He can’t keep the edge of suspicion out of his voice.

“It’s tea,” Mobius says, as if it’s obvious. He sets the red mug down in front of Loki. “What we normally do is drink it.”

The suspicion doesn’t leave him. Loki eyes the mug, wondering if he’d even be able to tell if Mobius had done something nefarious to it - but, there would be little point in Mobius going to the trouble of intervening in Loki’s “trial” and recruiting him to the TVA only to turn around and poison him so, despite himself, Loki picks up the mug and takes a cautious sip.

“Hope you like chamomile,” Mobius adds as he takes the seat across from Loki. “It’s all I could find.”

“It’s passable,” Loki says, after a longer sip. When was the last time he’d had anything to drink? He can’t remember; the blur of New York shifts too sharply into the shock of the TVA and his brain feels too muddled to grasp onto any specifics. There’s been a consistent twisting in his stomach for days; he doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s eaten, either.

Mobius is just watching him and Loki hunches his shoulders, a bit defensively. “What,” he says, setting down the mug.

Mobius shrugs. “You’re not the first Loki variant to come through here,” he responds. Before, when he’d been questioning Loki, everything about his posture had been straight and precise; now that the interrogation is over, Mobius has adopted a much more casual stance, leaning against the back of his chair with his legs slightly outstretched. “There’ve been a lot.”

“How many is a lot?” Loki’s mind is still spinning from the revelation that the rogue variant they’re hunting is another version of himself, but the idea of even more being out there just makes him feel slightly ill. There would be a crisis here, were Loki in a clearer headspace - something about how it could be possible for more than one version of himself to exist, and if those versions existed, what proof does he have that he, himself, in this moment, also exists? How does he know he is the real Loki? Is there a real Loki?

Apparently, he is in a clear enough headspace for a minor crisis. He wraps his hands around the mug, waiting for Mobius to answer.

“I don’t know,” is all Mobius says. “I’ve lost count, to be perfectly honest with you. You’re like a bad penny, you know - you just keep turning up. You’re a stubborn bastard, I’ll give you that.”

“Thank you.” Loki’s tone is icy. “So if there are so many other variants, why not prune me? What do you think I can do for you that they couldn’t?”

Mobius looks thoughtful for a moment before he shrugs. “Call it a hunch, I guess.”

Wonderful. Loki’s entire existence rests on this bureaucrat of a man’s hunch. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t find that particularly reassuring,” he counters. “How do I know you won’t simply prune me either once we find this other variant, or once I stop being useful to you?”

“What, whichever comes first?” Mobius’s lips tilt slightly upward. “I suppose you don’t.”

Loki slumps a bit in his chair. He’s still holding onto the mug and, for lack of anything else to do, brings it back to his lips. Chamomile, Mobius had called it. It tastes like honey, with just the slightest tinge of apples, and it makes Loki think of the fruit in Idunn’s orchard, how they melted on his tongue like sugar. He remembers dewy summer evenings, laying in the grass with Thor, each of them with a golden apple’s sticky sweetness coating their lips and teeth.

The back of his throat tightens and he focuses on the tea, blinking hard against the sudden sting of tears. Crying in front of Mobius is not something he wants to make a habit of.

Still - “In the desert, when your hunters set off those reset chargers …”

“They pruned the alternate timeline you created when you took off with the tesseract, yeah.” Mobius adjusts his position, straightening up and leaning forward, elbows on the table. “You - that is, the you that’s supposed to exist - never escaped. Your brother took you back to Asgard.”

“And the sacred timeline continues as it should.” The twisting in Loki’s stomach worsens, and it has nothing to do with hunger. “Which means I can never return to Asgard, because he’s already there.”

Mobius’s forehead creases a bit as he nods. He looks almost sympathetic. “You don’t have a place there, no,” he agrees.

A heavy silence falls over them. Loki doesn’t need Mobius to spell it out any further. Loki, the Loki he is right now, will never see Thor again. Nor his mother, or even Odin … but mostly, not Thor. His brother is the worst kind of gone, because he’s not dead, nor lost. He exists on the sacred timeline, forever separated from Loki, and none the wiser to Loki’s absence. He’ll never know that Loki is gone, because the correct Loki is still right where he should be - rotting in Asgard’s dungeons, perhaps, but home all the same.

Rage wells up inside of him, swift and cutting. He pushes away from the table and jumps to his feet so abruptly that even Mobius startles, but before he can do anything, Loki has hurled the red mug against the wall and it shatters, tea and glass shards clattering to the floor. “It isn’t fair,” he snarls; he pushes his hands through his hair, yanking hard at the strands yet the sting of it barely even registers. "That's not fair."

“Loki -”

Loki barely hears him. He drops his hands and clenches his fists; the rage is pressing against his throat, desperate for escape. He wants to scream. He wants to hurl magic in every direction. He truly wants to burn this place to the ground - the TVA, the timekeepers, and every person within it who is complicit in taking away entire realities with hardly a thought spared to the variants left behind.

He’s breathing hard. The trouble is, all of that anger has nowhere to go. Loki cannot bring himself to explode the way he wants to - with neither his magic nor the ability to set fire to the timekeepers’ hearts here and now, the only other option he’s got is to throw things, and he’s hurled enough chairs for today.

Closing his eyes, Loki turns in a circle, grabbing the back of his chair. Instead of throwing it, he leans forward, pressing all of his weight against it because he isn’t sure he can hold himself up. The effort it takes to keep from screaming is leaving him light-headed. Not Thor. Please, please don’t take Thor from me.

“Loki,” Mobius says again. Loki draws in a breath and lets it out slowly, and then opens his eyes and looks up. Mobius is hovering over him, but somehow he’s less dominating than he’d been before. He seems almost concerned - either that, or just plain tired. “Look, I get it. I get that you’re upset, but -”

“How?” Loki demands. His voice is hardly more than a growl. “The timekeepers made you. You’ve never lost anyone. You’ve never known anything besides this … this nightmare.” Frustrated, he pushes away from the chair and gestures broadly at the room around them. “Don’t tell me you get it.”

Mobius sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re right,” he agrees, “I suppose I don’t get it. But I can’t change what you’ve lost, either. All I can do is -”

“I know,” Loki cuts him off, and now he is the one who feels just plain tired. Just as swiftly as the rage had crashed over him, it was now receding again, leaving Loki feeling drained and so, so exhausted. “All you can do is offer me opportunity.” Not salvation. Not anything useful.

Instead of replying, Mobius just puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Why don’t we start fresh tomorrow,” he suggests. “Okay? ‘Cause I can also offer you your benefits package, if you’re interested. Involves a hot meal and a place to sleep.” His lips quirk a little. “No offense, but you look like you could use both, like, yesterday.”

Loki eyes the other man. Mobius’s features blur a bit, and he realizes it’s because his eyes have welled up. He rubs them and then sighs and nods, giving in because what else is he to do? This is what he has been reduced to - powerless, with nowhere else to go, his entire existence contingent upon getting in - and staying in - Mobius’s good graces.

He’ll start with a hot meal.

[cactus-joke]

Yeah, so

I, personally, think there’s no need to attempt a justification headcanon for Loki’s behavior in the show since, some of the things people find dissonant, are ways in which Waldron is painting over what he himself said he thinks about him, and I don’t think I would have been able to watch the show this far along if I didn’t accept that, on some level. Of course, I’m not saying do or don’t do anything, I just personally can’t yet bring myself to indulge on any myriad of explanations because... well, it is what it is, isn’t it?

I feel like every single group of people that have so far worked on movies he was in had a different way to present him, just like fans do. There is some continuity in tone between Thor 1 and TDW but, for example, in the Avengers I feel like there’s a certain grandiosity that isn’t present in either (and a very, you know, Jossy vibe that’s like, a big stamped signature you can’t ignore), while Ragnarok did... well, what Ragnarok did (though there were moments I liked, overall, with the tone shift, so did his character shift). And I think the show Loki is overall an amalgamation of all of these interpretations along with like, this more manic, almost farcical presentation, that is Waldron’s vision of him.

Because some things do track, and have been so since the beginning, IMO: his love of his family (despite how they treated him), the fact that he prefers defense over offense, his tendency to posture and evade his true deeper feelings, his need to be seen and to be seen as competent (or at least in this case, at least as smart) and, for example, if we take Ragnarok as valid then even him saying the Timekeepers can’t be defeated tracks with what he thought of the Grandmaster (hence, either wait or set up an accident instead of attacking directly). Even him being willing to talk to Mobius in sort of a “friendly” way can be seen as him gaining information through the means I think most of us agree he’d prefer, and so on.

And then, there’s some things I feel like jump out for being a bit strange given what we understand of him so far (most also, unfortunately, affect how some of the points from the paragraph above have been presented): him being careless with their mission in episode three, overly expressive, even overly honest about himself to others, his want to “rule” the TVA (that’s almost certainly because his invasion of New York has so far been played as almost entirely his own want for the sake of ruling, rather than for the sake of validation, or even entirely because of Thanos and the Mind Stone, YMMW) and him not even trying to hide it, his “hedonistic” nature that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before (and certainly not in moments of stress and danger), apparently his love of talking, etc.

And then there’s some new things I do like: see, I do want Loki to have fun, I do want him to be able to like, step out of the shadow of misery and do what he feels is right, or else at least what he thinks is fun and I, personally, will take that even in moments where I’d prefer a more serious tone. I loved hearing him sing, I loved how gentle he ended up being towards Sylvie, seeing him use his magic competently, and even also playfully, was great. I enjoyed seeing him question the Timekeepers’ practices and being unwilling to accept that they would simply write his destiny, and so on. I even thought him questioning if he’s a robot was kind of sad and cute at the same time, and didn’t have a problem with how it was presented, etc.

Overall, it’s a bit of a thing, isn’t it? So easy, with all of these various interpretations, to divide the opinion.

I feel as though I would have written him differently, as I’m sure we all would, and I even agree that he is overall not really the character we’ve grown used to seeing, and especially, and more so, if we tend to dismiss Ragnarok. But, on the other hand, I do also see glimpses of all interpretations in this version, just some perhaps more so than others (Ragnarok sells, and what sells is what Disney makes). And this, I think, is what ultimately creates this dissonant feeling. It feels like a roller-coaster to me sometimes, to be honest.

What I would point out is this: His goal at the beginning was a bit flimsy for me. I would have understood him wanting to speak to the Timekeepers, but not rule over the TVA (I feel it’s reductive to posit that that’s what he simply does). I think it’s important to establish a sense of direction for your main character and I don’t think that’s so far been the case. This is not yet his story.

After his talk with Sylvie, and now that he knows that the TVA agents and workers are all variants, I hope his goal will shift, or at least become a bit more clear. I would love to see them circle back to his life reel, to at least get an idea of where he’s at, truly at, emotionally. I would like for the next three episodes, now that we’ve established the TVA and properly met Sylvie, we shift the focus onto him (either back to him or finally to him ahaha YMMW here also).

Still, I’m willing to ride the train, so to speak. I want to see what happens next, and I’m trying my best to keep an open mind for each episode, regardless of how I might feel afterwards. In the end, I’ll probably take what I like and leave what I don’t but, we’ll see.

[tvimagines221b]

(Loki Laufeyson x OC)

⚠️SPOILERS for Loki S1EP 4 “The Nexus Event.” ⚠️

Summary: Sylvie, Loki and Sarah are brought in by the TVA after being stranded on Lamentis. While being interrogated, Loki learns Sarah is being held in a hellish prison, and demands to be taken to her. When Loki finds her, he must comfort his hurting sister.

Characters: Loki Laufeyson, Sarah Odinsdottir (OC), Mobius (Minor)

TVA

Here they were again. After having escaped from the TVA, and being stranded on Lamentis, Loki was once again in the TVA’s custody. Loki let out a groan of frustration. First, it was being trapped in a simulation that was supposed to be the TVA’s ridiculous attempt at torturing him. Now, it was once again being interrogated by Mobius. Loki shakes his head. So much had been running through his mind in the moment. What happened on Lamentis, the truth behind the TVA. Most importantly, where the others had been. Loki of course, presumed that Sylvie was likely being held in one of the other Time Theatres, and being interrogated by another one of the agents. As for Sarah, he hadn’t the faintest clue where she was being kept. Which worried him. She had aided him with escaping, and now she would be seen as a criminal, a Varient.

Loki leaned in, his elbows resting in the table. He needed to see her. He needed to know she was all right. “Where is my sister?” He asked. “I need to know that she’s okay.” Mobius let out a faint chuckle. He shakes his head. Loki had betrayed not only him, but the TVA. Now that their trust had been broken, he didn’t have to tell him anything. “Loki, I don’t have to tell you anything now. You betrayed us, and took off with the Variant.” Mobius remarked.

Loki felt his blood boil. When it came to his sisters safety, it wasn’t a game. “Mobius, I want to see her!” He exclaimed. “Now where the hell is she?” Mobius sighs, leaning back in his seat. “She’s alive, if that’s what you want to know.”

“I want to see her. Take me to her.” Loki demanded. He needed to see for himself that she was okay.

Mobius shakes his head. “I can’t do that, Loki.” After all, Mobius had a job to do. That job was to interrogate Loki, and to figure out whatever his plan was.

“Why not?” He snarled.

“Loki, your sister is a criminal now. She aided you with escaping with the Varient, we can’t trust her now.” Mobius explained. Loki knew that much. But it didn’t change the fact that no matter what she had done, he still had the instinct to protect her. To shelter her from any form of harm. Always. Loki clenched his fists. “Which is exactly why I need to know that one of your silly agents haven’t done anything to harm her!” He protested. He needed to know she was okay. That they weren’t hurting her.

Mobius exhaled. He could tell Loki wasn’t going to let this go. After all, this was Sarah they were talking about. The one person Loki’s entire life aside form his mother that he truly had any love or care for her. Someone he would protect her by any means. But that didn’t matter now. His job did. “Loki, I’m sorry. My job is to interrogate you.”

Loki knew he had to tell Mobius about the lies that the TVA had been feeding him. “Mobius, all of this is a lie. The TVA is lying to you.”

Mobius could only laugh. This was just Loki trying to distract him. “Loki, I’m not going to fall for your tricks. I know you’re just trying to distract me.” This was his poor attempt at trying to escape again.

“Mobius, I’m not lying about this.” He reassured.

Mobius crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course you are. Because that’s what you do! You lie, and betray. You kill, and destroy. It’s your destined life, Loki.” Mobius had truly hoped that Loki could be so much more than just the God of Mischief, that he could choose a different path. But unfortunately, the recent events had proved him wrong. Loki was never going to change! “I thought you could be better, Loki. Even after what everyone kept telling me, I held onto the belief that you would choose to be good. But I was wrong. I was arrogant to think that The God of Mischief could ever be a better person.” Loki studied Mobius. Mobius was just as clueless as the rest of them. Stuck with the beliefs that the TVA were telling him. “Mobius, please. Okay? Just let me see Sarah, I just need to know she’s all right.” Loki plead.

Mobius could see the desperation in Loki’s eyes. Mobius sighs. “Loki…I have a job to do.”

Loki knew he Mobius wouldn’t let his job go. So, he had to go along. “Fine, okay? You can interrogate me, learn whatever it is you want to know, and I’ll tell you. But I ask only that you let me see that she’s safe. That’s fair, right?”

Mobius thought for a moment. He needed Loki to cooperate, and he knew Loki would likely refuse unless he gave into his request. Mobius sighs. “Fine. If you wanna know so badly, I’ll tell you where she is. She’s being held in a prison similar to the one you were placed in.” Mobius’s words only made Loki’s heart sink. What? Loki blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“She’s been there since we brought you in.” He nods. “Renslayer thought it would be best, so we send her in.” Though, Mobius noticed Loki’s change of emotion.

Loki’s expression quickly changed from worry, to hurt. If her prison had been anything like his, then she was in much pain. He couldn’t bare the thought of her being in that much pain. Loki felt the tears well in the back of his eyes. “She’s innocent, she doesn’t deserve that. Yes, I’ve done some awful things, and I deserve such punishment that I’ll admit. But Sarah has done nothing but good her entire life, and she doesn’t deserve to suffer for something I did.” He told him.

Mobius uncrossed his arms. “That wasn’t my call, I only went through with my orders.” He was only doing what Judge Renslayer had asked of him. “Look…I’m not supposed to take you to her.” 

Loki felt that anger in him again. He wasn’t going to let his little sister suffer, that was for damn sure! “I won’t let her suffer!” He exclaims.

Mobius could see how angry Loki seemed to be about this, an angry Loki wasn’t good in this situation. Loki being angry wasn’t good for anyone. Mobius sighs. Even after having betrayed them, he would give into Loki’s request. “Okay, calm down. Despite what you’ve done, I’m willing to be nice enough to let you see her. But that’s it!”

“And you release her.” Loki demands. Mobius sighs again, and nods. He supposed Sarah could be kept elsewhere. “Yes. I will release her.” He reassured. This of course, gave Loki some sense of relief.

“Then what are we waited for?” He remarked.

~~

After having given into Loki’s demands, Mobius had decided he would wait a second giving Loki what he had wanted. With his tempad in hand, Mobius had opened the doorway to the holding cell which Sarah had resided in. Mobius looked to Loki. “I’ll be right behind you.” He told him. Loki straighted his posture, he nods. He then looked forwards at the doorway, and stepped inside. However, the moment he did his heart dropped at the sound of very loud sobbing. Heartbreaking sobs. Loki looked around, and his eyes grew wide. He had recognized the surroundings. The ship, and the wreckage. This wasn’t just any place. This was the exact place where he died, well his future self. This is where Sarah had lost him. “Sarah? Sarah?” He called out. He needed to find her, and quickly. His eyes scanned every inch of the surroundings, but then he had found her. Sarah Odinsdottir sat on her knees, sobbing her eyes out, her gaze was stuck on the floor. “Stop, okay? Just stop!” She plead. “I know I’m never going to save him. I know I’m weak, okay?”

“Sarah?” Loki quizzed. Sarah’s stop didn’t stop. Especially when she heard Loki’s voice. Because every time she had heard his voice, it had never really been him. It was the illusion that the TVA had conjured up to torture her. To remind her that she would never be able to save Loki, that she was weak, and he would die no matter what she did. “Stop! Just stop!” She cried.

The God of Mischief was quick to rush his sisters side, dropping onto his knees beside her. “Sarah, it’s me.” He placed his arms on her shoulders.

Sarah felt hands on both of her shoulders. This time, she looked up. Her gaze met with Loki’s. “Loki?” Loki felt his heart ache at the sight of her. Her eyes were red, and puffy. Her cheeks were stained with her tears, which even then hadn’t stopped. “It’s…it’s you?”

Loki nods. “Yes, yes it’s me.” He cupped her face in his hands. “It’s me my dear, I’m real.”

Mobius, who had been following right behind Loki simply stood a few feet away from them. He didn’t say anything. He figured there was really nothing for him to say in the moment.

Sarah reached her hand out, gently brushing it against his cheek. “You’re not…an illusion?” She croaked. Loki leaned into her touch, shaking his head. Sarah could feel how cold his skin was. He was real, wasn’t he? “I’m real, Sarah. I swear to you, I am.” He told her, gently. Sarah looked over Loki’s shoulder to then see Mobius. If Mobius was here, it meant that this Loki was in fact HER Loki. Not the trick the TVA was torturing her with.

Sarah’s hand slowly fell from Loki’s cheek. She did the only thing she think of. She throws her arms around him, hugging him. “I’m so glad it’s you.” She cried. Loki didn’t hesitate to return the hug. His arms slithered around him, hugging her back. “I had to watch you die. It wouldn’t stop. It wouldn’t stop.”

Loki sensed Sarah’s pain. Her heart ache. Which, only hurt him. She didn’t deserve this. In his eyes, he still saw her as that sweet, caring, and innocent little girl he swore to always protect. To shelter from the world.

Loki looked to Mobius. There was anger, but also relief in his eyes. Sarah was safe, and that’s all that mattered to him. As Sarah cried, Loki cradled the back of her head, something he did to soothe her when she was younger. “Shh it’s all right now, Sarah. I’m here. I’m here now.” He cooed. Mobius could only look down. A part of him felt guilty for what he had done. A part of him hated that he had caused her so much, deep down knowing that what Loki had said was true. Sarah was innocent. All her life, she only ever did good, she always looked out for others before herself. “I’m going to leave you for a moment.” Mobius looked back up, nods his head before walking off to give them some time alone. Loki kept his focus on soothing his crying sister. She needed him right now, and he intended to be by her side as he always had been. Because she was more important than anything. He would do anything for her.

Sarah buried her head against Loki’s shoulder, as the never ending tears streamed down her face. She felt so weak, and worthless. No matter how hard she tried, she always failed. She always failed to keep her family together. “I couldn’t save you. I’m never going to be strong enough. I’m weak. I’m a failure.” She croaked.

Oh how Loki hated to hear her say that. He knew it wasn’t true.

He knew how strong she was.

Sarah was stronger than he ever had been. And he admired her so much for that. He always had. He admired how she always stood up for not just herself, but others. How she held onto hope, and fought for what’s right. She was everything he ever wanted her to be. He felt proud knowing he had raised her to be the strong, and independent young woman she now was. He felt proud knowing he had inspired goodness, instead of hate. “You’re not weak, my dear. You’re strong. You’re so strong. And I am so proud of you, Sarah.” He whispered. Loki didn’t think twice about letting go of her. His arms remained around her. “Do you hear me? I’m proud of you.”

Sarah slowly pulled herself away, now looking at Loki. “I-I don’t understand. I can’t save you. I can never save you. I can never stop it. I can never save our family.” She shakes her head.

Loki pressed his lips together, gathering the right words. “Sarah, listen to me. Not even my death can keep us apart.” Him being here with her right now proved that. He cupped her face again. “You will always have me. Nothing will ever stop that. Not the timekeepers. Not the TVA. We will always find our way back to one another.” He said, gently.

Sarah had looked down. It was odd to her how even after everything, all of her hurt and pain. After all of her grieving, somehow she had found herself with him again. Even after his death. “I-I don’t understand why this happened. Why I got a second chance.” She looked back up. A tear slipped down her cheek. Loki exhaled, wiping the tear as it fell. He didn’t know either. But it didn’t matter to him, because they had one another. “It doesn’t matter how or why you got this second chance, what matters is you did. You’re not alone, my dear. You never have been, because I am never going to let you feel that sort of pain.” Loki knew what that kind of loneliness felt like. It was why all of Sarah’s life, he always made sure she knew that she wasn’t alone. That someone cared for her, and loved her. That someone would always fight for her, no matter what. “I love you so much, Sarah. I will always fight for you.” He told her. Sarah felt a warmth in her heart. She knew. She knew that he would always fight for her.

He always had.

“I know.” Sarah nods. “I love you too.” She told him. She could never forget that. Never.

Loki had managed a faint smile. He leaned down, giving her forehead a soft kiss. He then pulled her close to him, hugging her again. After everything that had happened recently, he really needed this. Just a moment of peace, and clarity. A moment with her, the most important person in his life. And he was going to get to the bottom of this. He and Sylvie would find out what was really going on with the TVA, and take them down. They would make sure that no one else’s lives would have to be taken from them, and that things change.

For all of time.