#should i tag mobius?

[here-on-occasion]

"go to hell" is easy "I hope the fanon of one of your favourite characters is so wildly different to the canon that you start to forget what you like about them" is real. it's terrifying. it's happened to me.

[ink-esque]

remember the hi3 edit of mobius to lwymmd? yeah. so…

[silverpen-and-paper]

my thoughts on lokius

[loki season 1 spoilers!]

season 2 is coming out in a few days (!!) and so i decided i’d write out my thoughts on lokius before it’s released. as a disclaimer, this is critical of the series, but not completely series-negative.

if lokius becomes canon in s2, i genuinely want to be happy about it. it would be amazing steps in queer rep for marvel to have a canonical lgbtq couple as the focus of the show (and i say this as a queer person myself).

but the way mobius and loki’s relationship was written seems to be only thought-out on the surface level (which is the case for a lot of the things in the show), and a lot of aspects of their relationship aren’t so great when you look deeper into it. i understand why people don’t notice and/or don’t want to acknowledge it — i was extremely enthusiastic about the ship, and i didn’t notice the problems either. to those looking at lokius with the most positive light, they have an amazing dynamic and are adorable and wholesome and all great things. so i get the hype, i really do (tbh, i shipped it so hard that several months ago when the problems were pointed out to me it ruined my week).

but even with how much i loved it, i didn’t want to just ignore any potential problems. so i distanced myself from the ship for a few weeks until i was in a better headspace to gather my thoughts.

first i’ll start with what was intended:

mobius is obviously intended to be a very kind and understanding character. whether or not the writers wanted it to come across as platonic or romantic, they wanted him to care deeply about loki. like loki said though: “no one good is ever truly good, and no one bad is ever truly bad.” the writers did give mobius at least one major flaw and a character arc, in that he believed in the goodness of the tva too much, but by the end of s1, he was all for taking it down . 

you can see his flaw in the way he treats loki early on. sylvie’s been killing minutemen and stealing reset charges from the tva for a long time, and he wants loki’s help in finding her, so mobius does what the tva expects: he uses what he knows about loki to get them (somewhat) on the tva’s side. unfortunately, that happens to be psychologically breaking loki. compared to outright pruning from existence, which most of the tva seems to prefer, it’s no wonder he thinks this is the better option. (the fact that the show portrays this as a “therapy session” is a whole problem in itself, but i won’t get into that.)

things like this that mobius does early in the series can be explained by his faith in the tva’s mission. he didn’t agree with most of their methods, and he didn’t realize that even his actions (viewed by the tva as too merciful) were still significantly harmful, but he believed the tva ultimately worked for the good and safety of the entire universe. it’s not an excuse, but it could be forgiven in his later character arc when he realizes that he was wrong, regrets his actions, apologizes, and learns.

but then there’s the part when he puts loki in the memory cell.

i really, really hate that marvel did that. they easily could have had a very similar memory cell situation without having mobius be the one to put loki in there. (mobius could have left the room in anger, and then the guards or ravonna throw loki in there without mobius’ knowledge, for one example.) but instead, whoever wrote that plot point apparently didn’t understand how bad that was, and so it is, unfortunately, canon. 

you might be inclined to say that it wasn’t that bad. because actions in fantastical situations can make things harder to distinguish, i’ll put a real-world comparison: one partner puts the second partner somewhere they KNOW that the second will get repeatedly both physically and verbally attacked. they do this simply because they think that they’ve been cheated on. even if they had been cheated on, that in no way excuses beating up the second partner, directly or indirectly.

hopefully you can recognize that as obvious abuse. even if the abuser later deeply regrets it and rescues their partner, the fact that they did it in the first place NEEDS to be addressed. i don’t know what exactly could repair a relationship after that, but brushing it under the rug and ignoring it won’t help. (and this is still abuse with a platonic reading of the relationship.)

if marvel hadn’t done that (and had handled mobius’ arc better in general) then there would be far less problems with the lokius ship. but since they did, us as fans have to figure out where to go from here, whether that’s writing or reading fix-it-fics or simply acknowledging that the problems exist.

hopefully the people running s2 are more competent and have figured something out to fix this. i really hope that’s the case. but it is marvel.

(sidenote: from things that tom hiddleston and owen wilson have said in interviews i’ve seen, i don’t think they noticed the problems either. maybe they have background context of things that aren’t in the official show but they accepted them as canon. or they just didn’t notice, like is the case with many fans.)

[rhineposting]

saw someone unironically saying "rhinedottir fed nigredo to durin to make nigredo grow better and stronger because durin's stomach is actually nurturing like hummus 😊😊😊" god if you're up there can you revoke this person's rights to speak about rhinedottir, or any morally questionable girlboss for that matter. if you can't accept that a lady had her son swallow her other son whole then just move onto characters who are actually nice instead of rewriting the actually not so good characters to fit your imaginary narrative better.

[phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing]

New part of Next to Nothing AU!

You can read it here

Find the whole series here!

Mobius gets terraformin'

[fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks]

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52424179/chapters/132621133

Mobius stands under that tree for a long time, just watching the house he doesn't remember living in. He's having trouble processing what happened. When they all rebooted the TVA to be about keeping He Who Remains' variants from starting a war, he had something to do to distract him. But that can only work for so long. He needed a change. He needed somewhere quiet to figure out what he really wanted. Because now that he had a choice - a choice that Loki gave everything for him to have - there was no staying behind a desk doing a job anyone else could do. So he left.

He left and quickly realized he didn't have many places to go. He can't just figure out when he got taken from his life on the timeline and go back to that life. He doesn't remember it and as he watches 'Don' with those two boys, he realizes he wouldn't fit in that life anyway. He has been through too much and seen too much to just be able to settle for an ordinary life surrounded by people who wouldn't see him as much more than a stranger in the place of who they once knew. It wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.

But then, what does he do? Sylvie had no trouble finding a place for herself in a world she'd never been in before.

Wait... Sylvie!

Sylvie had been hopping from universe to universe with no limits to what she could do and she eventually found a life for herself and a place she could call home. Maybe Mobius could do the same thing. But that still begs the question: Where should he go? Where is the place that will feel "right" for him, or even just like something he could settle for?

Well, since they don't need to worry about timelines branching any more, there isn't any harm in looking around before making a decision, right?

Now, there's just one more question to ask here: "Where should I go first?"

. . . . .

After jet-skiing for the first time that he can remember, Mobius came to the realization that the ocean spray in his face, the thrill of hopping over a wave, the speed, the taste of salt, and the freedom that jet-skiing gives him...is a little underwhelming.

Like, don't get him wrong, it's fun. There's a rush to it that is so much better than sitting behind a desk as well as a meditative quality to it that, combined with the excitement, gives him a sort of euphoria, but... it feels like there's something missing. It's as though in all those magazines full of admittedly idyllic descriptions, and stories from people who genuinely love these water crafts, there must have been some sort of fine print he forgot to read with instructions that would help make the whole thing worth it.

Oh well. Some dreams just don't turn out like you'd expect them to. That's just a part of life. He'd always imagined he and Renslayer were going to be friends for the rest of time, 'protecting the sacred time line' like the greater good they all thought it was. We saw how that turned out. Don probably thought he and his wife were going to live a normal life and die of old age or diabetes or getting eaten by a shark like normal people. Instead, his wife is gone, and he gets abducted, mind-wiped, brainwashed, and forced into working for what he thought were three space lizards determining the story of the universe. "In hindsight, that is a pretty crazy thing to believe, huh?" Mobius thinks to himself. "Maybe Loki had a better point than I thought, even back then, before he had really started to change."

That was another thing Mobius never expected. Loki has always been known for not being easy to predict. When Mobius was assigned to study his life and question him, it was a little easier not to fall for the facades Loki used to keep it that way.

Loki could be as sneaky and intimidating and threatening as he wanted, but at the end of the day, he mostly just makes things up as he goes along. He's very impulsive, even though he tries to make you think he's always 1000 steps ahead. This is the person who fell through space to presumably never see his homeland again and to land who knows where, so that he could have a dramatic death in front of his father and brother. This is also the person who very easily fell in with the Grand Master's crowd on one of the most chaotic worlds there are. He was D. B. Cooper for fuck's sake, jumping out of a plane, flirting with mortals, and stealing money he doesn't need all as part of a bet he lost to his brother.

Loki switched sides easily depending on what he could get out of it, but you could never trust him to truly be on anyone's side but his own. He also was just a bit of an arrogant dick. At least, all this was what Mobius was led to expect with what he'd read of Loki's life. And he was right. His expectations were fairly accurate on those counts.

But Mobius has a troublesome habit of believing in everyone's potential to be a good person. He didn't allow himself to form any hopes yet, but he still considered it possibly for Loki to actually care about other people. He knew Loki was charming and knew how to read people, meaning he could understand them and maybe relate to them. One of the best ways to connect with someone is to learn more about them. Most of the time, you end up finding you have a lot in common with them. Mobius thinks Loki is the one who didn't expect anyone to give him a chance like that. In fact, he probably didn't even believe he was worth it.

It's kind of funny, really. Loki spent most of his life defying everyone's expectations of him and throwing the rules of their lives into chaos, succeeding by playing off how he expected others to react to the things he did.

When those rules, that he based his own life on, fell apart, and the people he found himself surrounded by seemed to know exactly what he would do, he surprised even himself, and changed for the better. That's probably why Mobius didn't fully see it coming what he was doing at the end until it was too late. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that Loki would soon be gone forever.

As Mobius stares at the salad he got for himself from a little place on the pier, he remembers the one Loki destroyed with his somewhat unnecessary display of how apocalypses are supposed to affect the way events cause branches from timelines. It was so over the top, as Loki always is, but it was also just so silly. The way he just stared into Mobius' soul, shaking the salt and pepper shakers up and down and up and down. The triumphant smile after he poured Casey's drink over it, like a little kid showing off his amazing painting skills on the walls. It makes Mobius chuckle softly to think of it. He thinks of Loki's smile and how it gradually became more and more genuine the more they just talked with each other. And they talked quite a bit for two people in the middle of saving the multiverse, about nothing and everything and things you really should rethink telling the person who's job is to keep you locked up or the person who's favorite prank is to put literal snakes in people's food or stab them after dying in front of them. Mobius almost wishes he would stab him right now, just so he can be back.

Aaaand that's the sign that he's thinking of Loki too much. Time to pick a new place to go and try and figure out what the heck he wants to do with the rest of his life. Maybe he'll go to see the Roman Empire before it fell. See what all those warriors really liked to do in their free time. He takes his time finishing his salad before getting out the tempad and setting the destination. He looks at the empty salad bowl, just plain white and round and not very interesting at all. There's huge mounted fish and stunning artwork on the walls of this restaurant. You can hear the calming waves and the group of sea lions just outside. There is no reason his attention should be so solely given to this silly salad bowl. And yet his eyes stay on it, even as they tear up. It isn't until he wipes at them that he looks away and stands up.

He leaves some money on the table and opens a time door to walk through. As he does, he feels a breeze ruffle his hair, brushing it away from his eyes. "Strange," he thinks, "all the doors and windows are closed, there shouldn't be a breeze in here." He looks around at the nearly empty restaurant getting ready to say goodbye to the morning calm and welcome the lunch crowd in an hour or two. He feels a warmth on his side and looks over to the large window where the sun has shifted its light and heat to blanket Mobius almost comfortingly. As he looks over, his eyes catch on a flash of the window, ever so faintly tinted green. There was movement of something not quite there, but unmistakably there enough to be visible. Like something between a shadow and a reflection. It was hard to make out a shape at first, but as it got bigger - no - closer, mobius saw the shape of a person with horns on their head and, if they looked closely, green and gold vines twisting around them like magic. Mobius stepped closer and was sharply met with two very familiar eyes. He took a breath.

"Loki?"

. . . . .

Part 2

https://www.tumblr.com/fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks/735068803984228352/part-1?source=share

[c5553]

little freak

[helshades]

Loki In-Depth Critique and Analysis: The Worst Marvel Show Ever

[mobius-m-mobius]

Kent is quickly becoming a fave of mine too but I'm trying not to get too attached because of that interview Owen did where he mentioned he had another "memorable death" coming up soon. I'm assuming it's HM which makes me sad but the other option is MOBIUS and if it's between those two I'm locking Kent in a room with the ghosts myself.

asdlskdjgk anon you're so me, I considered the possibility Owen was messing with the interviewers when he mentioned having a death scene more memorable than The Haunting but if something happening to Mobius is an potential option instead I'd get stuck in that mansion for eternity myself just to seal off the exits 😅 (not that it'd be a hardship since, well, Kent is Kent so I'd be plenty fine with my fate and he'll live on in my heart regardless🤣)

[nostalgia-tblr]

I get so annoyed at the comparisons of Lokius to fluffy ship Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens) because they have nothing in common. And there really should be more fic exploring the abusive dynamics of Lokius. And ok, I admit I don't like cutesy ships like Ineffable Husbands much either way, but it's such a shame Lokius has so little tasty fucked up content and most fics are boring fluff. And people like OW so much they hardly ever make Mobius the perpetrator. I've seen fics were Ravonna made them do it or another Loki (usu. President) or EVEN TVA!Loki were the perpetrators and those options just rub me the wrong way. Lokius fandom is so quick to make Ravonna irredeemable (but not pure bean Mobius) and the power imbalance is not on the favor of the Lokis (the abuse and literal torture excused from Mobius while Sylvie gets called abusive for calling Loki a clown and trying to complete her life's mission... smdh).

The main issue, I think, is that "the Discourse" is so fraught and neverending that people either hate Mobius and everything connected to him and so they won't write about him anyway or they're on the defensive and don't want to cede what they see as too much ground to hostile takes. (They're not the only ones doing this but this is today's topic and I don't want to digress as much as I usually do.) That plus - the bane of my own existence in so many fandoms tbh - if you're into something enough to identify/be seen as "a shipper" of it then you probably favour fluffier takes on that ship. Which is valid of course, etc etc, but it means there's not many fic people around who are willing to spend the necessary time and effort on Dark Lokius. I mean, I'm fairly into the idea and I still haven't (really) made any fic of it so I am Part Of The Problem myself (I do have a couple of in-theory-WIPs but I have a lot of half-written fics and they won't all get finished). With me that's partly because I fear the reader glancing at the rest of my fic in that fandom and going "oh well OF COURSE she doesn't like lokius and wants it to be Wrong and Fucked Up," even though I fuck up a lot of pairings that I am very into.

Of course with me not being into fluff generally the dominance of that genre here means I read less lokius than I otherwise would and so the problem sort of self-perpetuates.

(Side-note on Ravonna, the comics canon (such as it has been relayed to me) seems to have massively influenced fandom's takes on her because I don't think she was even all that evil on the show? You could take her "brb off to find Free Will" as her having rejected the system and planning to bring it down some other way - which indeed I did until I was told no she's just a baddy. As Mobius's superior she's presumably more awful but what we see doesn't necessarily prove that. (Also there's only 22 - 22!!! - Mobius/Ravonna fics on AO3 and I have to ask HOW THE FUCK?? because I definitely detected a vibe there and refuse to accept that nobody else did. They had a vibe!!!))

BUT I DID DIGRESS LIKE I SAID I WOULDN'T. Added to all that is that the sylki and lokius shippers have become set against each other so again nobody wants to give anyone any extra ammunition for "actually your ship sucks" takes on tumblr by spending "too much" time on the nastier subtexts.

Um... well, the tl;dr is just that varying strands of The Discourse tend to push people away from spending much or any time on the darker lokius readings and that's a damn shame because as of this moment the pairing is tagged in 3,426 fics on AO3 and I feel like that means it could easily cope with a few more stories where it's to some degree fucked up. Bring on the Stockholm Syndrome, damn it, there's more than enough fluff to make it all better with afterwards :D

[agathas-megacoven]

@charlie-bradburi I think about this tag everyday btw

Owen Wilson will never know just how much I love his little ordinary time-man character. In a cinematic universe of super geniuses and sorcerers and aliens and enhanced soldiers and thunder gods, all with crazy abilities, I love his littlest normal human analyst who started out solving time mysteries so, SO much, in my very heart, soul, bones. He’s just some guy but like… he’s NOT just some guy at the same time. Some of my MCU favourites I’ve had over a decade of getting to know them, yet here Mobius is, sitting comfy in one of my atriums like he’s always been there. He’s so soft and soothing and reasonable and safe. If I had to choose between travelling to all sorts of weird and wacky and wonderful places with the Gaurdians, maybe Thor, or sitting in a Burger King gossiping over a Whopper and a Slushie with Mobius, I’d absolutely choose Mobius. He just has this vibe. I totally get why Loki would sit eternally alone to let Mobius live freely. Just a lovely, stand-up lil fella. He is coded like a well-needed hug. Thinking of him right now.

[finleycannotdraw]

married couple taking walks through suburban ohio subjects the unsuspecting locals to their outfit coordination

I’ve discovered a deep love for fics where mobius somehow ends up living don’s life and loki ends up being a step parent to kevin and sean. they fuel my soul.

everyone should drop silly couples t shirt ideas in the tags or comments so I can make a part 2✨

[loki-hargreeves]

In Another Life

Pairing: TVA!Loki x Reader (I tried to write it as a gn!reader) Warnings/Tags: angst, mentions of death (nothing graphic), Loki is a bit emo, romantic relationship Word Count: 1.8k Summary: PROMPT: wrong timing // When working with the TVA, Loki certainly doesn't expect to run into you. Especially after what he thought was a final goodbye. A/N: Using this prompt list by @ivystoryweaver . It's been too long since I last wrote for Loki so I'm going back to my roots with this one 🎃

Earth...2011....Timeline???

Loki steps out of the bright orange portal, straightening his suit jacket as he takes in his surroundings. It's definitely Midgard, or Earth as Mobius would call it. By the looks of it, they're in an alleyway somewhere and it's supposed to be 2011. If this timeline is anything like Loki's original timeline, he should be safe to roam these streets without people freaking out.

"So... we're looking for a needle in a haystack," Mobius sighs and rests his hand on his hip. The man glances at the device in his hand, one that's supposed to lead them to the temporal anomaly.

"I doubt it'll be more challenging than when we were looking for Sylvie," Loki smiles tightly. He is confident in his skills to track down the anomaly and figure out what's really going on in this timeline.

Mobius simply shrugs and looks at the end of the alleyway, into the town that is basking in sunlight, "maybe you're right."

"You know I'm right," Loki corrects him and takes the lead, walking out of the shady alleyway. They have a job to do.

It doesn't take very long for Loki to realize that this place is familiar, too familiar. After walking around town for a few moments, he knows it's not just his imagination. This is where he met you, in another timeline of course. All those years ago.

When Loki was younger, before Thor's attempted coronation and all that, he used to sneak through these portals that even Heimdall couldn't see. One of them would lead to Midgard, to this very town. At first, it had been fun, mostly something he did out of curiosity. Exploring the realm without being watched. Loki had been intrigued by people and their customs.

Then he had met you.

To this day, the Trickster's heart swells at the shared memories. To think the god of mischief had fallen for a mortal. If Thor or his friends had found out, Loki would've never heard the end of it. Looking back now, something like that would've been the least of his worries.

The few years you had spent together were brief yet some of the best years of his existence. You had fallen for him, not knowing he was a god, a prince or any of that. No, you fell for Loki for who he was. Saw the sides of him he kept hidden from everyone. And in return, Loki had seen just how wonderful humanity could be. How you, as an individual, made him believe in love. Selfless, real, passionate love.

Then Loki had trusted you with the truth. For a while, everything had been beautiful. No one on Asgard knew the prince was sneaking off to Midgard to see this mortal, and no one on Earth knew or tried to come between you. It had been just the two of you and nothing else mattered.

It's why Loki feels a mixture of overwhelming emotions swirling within him as he walks the familiar streets. It may be in another timeline and things could very well be different here, but many things look exactly the same. Everywhere he looks is a memory that unveils from the depths of his mind. He swears he tried ice cream from that shop once after you insisted he'd like it. You had been right of course.

"Weird…" Mobius mutters, his eyes glued to the device. "We're getting closer to it. It ain't moving at all," He explains and points at the red dot on the screen.

"Perhaps the anomaly is asleep?" Loki suggests, trying to figure out why it isn't moving. Something doesn't feel quite right though.

"Well they won't see us coming, that's for sure."

Loki just nods, too occupied with other things to even respond properly. Is it a coincidence that the anomaly has led them here? To a place so important to Loki?

Soon enough, Loki and Mobius are looking out to a field behind some houses. The sun is beginning to set, painting everything it touches with a golden hue. It's beautiful, just as Loki remembers it. That field out there is perhaps too familiar. By now, he's concerned about the coincidences. If the anomaly has anything to do with you, Loki isn't sure how he'd handle himself.

Do you even exist in this timeline?

A lump forms in his throat as Loki thinks about it. He had to say goodbye to you once already, over a decade ago. It might not be a long time for a being such as him, but a decade without you has already felt like a lifetime. Time is cruel, especially to mortals. What is even crueler is fate who had decided that the brief time you were promised in the first place would be cut so much shorter.

Loki had come to see you one last time without knowing it was the last. You hadn't been well. It was both a blessing and a curse that there had been enough time to say goodbye yet it had been the hardest thing Loki had done. Holding you, telling you how much you meant to him and promising you that he would find a way to cure you. That he would bring you to Asgard and make everything better, knowing damn well there was nothing that could be done. Now all these years later he can only hope that he had told you what you wanted and needed to hear before your time was up. Was it the right or wrong thing to do to create false hope? Did you know?

"What's going on?" Mobius asks with worry, noticing that Loki froze up. He knows Loki well enough by now to know when something's not quite right.

"This place," Loki shakes his head and decides to slip out a hint of truth without revealing too much, "I've been here before."

The wind plays with the flowers growing out on the fields, carrying the sweet late summer scent with it. There's a few people out there, some on a picnic as others read in the shade that the trees offer nearby. Everything about the scene seems serene. Once upon a time, Loki had been out there with you watching the stars. You loved his stories about all the places he had been. Loki recalls how deeply curious you were about the universe and all the beings living here.

"Do you think that's a coincidence?" Mobius asks with growing concern. Sure, Loki has been to a lot of places, he's a century old being but this still seems fishy. For all the places an anomaly could be hiding in.

Before Loki can answer, he sees someone.

There you are.

Healthy, living and breathing. You're in that shirt he remembers you loving so much because it had been a gift from a friend. You're walking down a path, on your way home presumably. That smile, so sweet and happy, is powerful enough to hit Loki's soul like a punch to the gut.

According to the TVA device, it's 2011. In Loki's timeline, you never saw 2011 yet in this timeline you're smiling and safe. Walking home as if nothing bad has ever happened at all.

Loki holds his breath, unable to peel his eyes off of you. There's only a few dozen feet between you and him but it feels like an ocean. After a decade of mourning you, to see your face like this is surreal. Even for him. Only now does the multiverse and multiple timelines feel like a reality. He's being hit in the face with the cold, hard truth that in other timelines everything can be so familiar yet so different all at once.

Mobius follows Loki's gaze, quickly noticing what has taken his friend's breath away. He has read Loki's file a million times so of course he recognizes you. Or rather this version of you. You're the one that got away, the last piece of happiness in Loki's life before the 'downfall' as some call it.

"Um... if you're wondering, they're not the anomaly," Mobius is the first one to speak, just trying to be reassuring. The device shows that the anomaly isn't moving so it can't possibly be you as you stroll down a path.

Loki nods, unsure if he should be relieved or disappointed.

"Of course," he clears his throat and takes a deep breath. It's surprisingly difficult to find his words in this moment. Then Loki looks back at you as the path brings you closer. With each step, his heart begins to race like crazy. What is he supposed to do? Should he say something? Would you recognize him?

You notice the two men just standing there, in strange brown suits. One of them in particular seems struck by the sight of you. Strangely, he doesn't scare you. He's cute.

"Hi," You smile at him as you walk past the man. Perhaps you look like someone he knows? That is the only sensible explanation that comes to mind. Not that you think of it too much, as they are just strangers.

Loki is frozen. You walk right past him. For better of for worse, you have no idea who he is. That kills that tiny piece of hope Loki felt in that moment, that hope that he can't deny no matter how hard he tries. After all this time, he still misses you. He's still trying to fix everything.

"Hey," he manages after a while, unsure if you even hear it as you don't stop to talk. Of course, you don't have any reason to. It's not really you. In this timeline, this universe, this other you has places to be and see. As bittersweet as it is, Loki tries to find comfort in the fact that in another life, you get to live even if it's without him.

Mobius looks at the screen again. Suddenly the red dot vanishes. The temporal anomaly just jumped timelines.

"Darn it," He curses and puts the device down.

Loki doesn't question it. He wants to see you make your way home safely. A part of him wants to run after you, talk to you, get to know you all over again. But he can't. Loki is stuck to the ground like a statue and he knows deep down that another you can't replace what he knew existed in the past. Nor would it be right.

As you vanish into a building, Loki finally tears his eyes away. His eyes sting with the threat of tears. Somehow, in this moment, it feels like he's gone back to his own time when he had just said his final goodbye. Loki can't forget, no matter how much he wants to, when he came to visit you but you had already passed. He could bury you but not these emotions.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Mobius puts his hand on Loki's shoulder, trying to offer him support.

Loki just nods and tries so hard to toughen up. As if seeing another you didn't just shake him up from the core.

"It's alright," Loki insists, "where were we?"

Mobius doesn't buy it but he won't pry either. Loki will talk if he wants to talk.

"The anomaly jumped," Mobius reveals while tapping the device, "kinda weird timing if you ask me. Didn't move the entire time and-" Mobius hesitates, unsure how Loki would react if he spoke your name. He decides not to.

"It's like we were led here on purpose. For you to see..."

"I know," Loki quickly spits out, sensing that Mobius is being wary. He isn't stupid. He can't help but suspect something strange is going on as well. It can't be a coincidence that they were led to this timeline, chasing some anomaly who vanishes as soon as Loki saw you. Loki is the god of mischief after all and he can tell when he's being set up for something.

Then the question is, who is the anomaly and why would they bring them here?

A/N: Writing this made me feel like it was 2017 again when all I could do was write weird angsty Loki fics with no real plot, just yapping.

Also, I've been busy so for writober I'm using a bunch of prompt lists (some were for september) and I'm picking and choosing prompts instead of going day by day. It's helping me get out of my writer's block without too much pressure ❤

[lizzyiii]

His Darling (1)

pairing | loki x fem!reader

taglist | to be added to this taglist just add your username to this DOC

word count | 3.5k words

summary | loki and mobius track down a runaway TVA analyst who disappeared from the timeline. to their surprise, they find you thriving as a famous singer, living a life of glamour far removed from the TVA.

tags | nothing much really, only the start of the plot, big y/n moment (she sings)

a/n | excited for this, not proofread, don't blame me because where I'm posting it's 1am. And yes I gave her that y/n moment of singing a song. And I made her sing Fiona Apple, and that should already sum up the type of person I am

likes, comments, reblogs are much appreciated ✨

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ - ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ

“She’s an analyst.”

Loki glanced at Mobius, eyebrow raised. “And how do you think an analyst is supposed to help us?” His tone was dripping with skepticism.

Mobius gave a small shrug as they stepped out of the time portal, landing in the middle of bustling New York, 2020. The city pulsed with life, bright lights reflecting off skyscrapers, cars honking, people crossing streets with hurried purpose. “She’s kind of a genius,” Mobius replied, more serious now. “You know the type—quiet, observant, can be a real know-it-all... because, well, she actually does know it all.”

Loki snorted, his eyes sweeping across the towering skyline, his posture stiffening with unease. The last time he had set foot in this city, it was in ruins, crumbling under his attempt to claim Earth. The streets had been filled with fear, not the careless buzz of normal life.

“New York looks so... different,” Loki muttered, his eyes narrowing as if trying to piece together the memory of destruction with the vibrant city before him. “Last time I was here, the streets were burning, and the people were running for their lives.”

Mobius smirked, rolling his eyes. “Well, it’s been eight years. You can’t expect to stay relevant forever.”

Loki stopped in his tracks and shot Mobius a deadly look. “I am a god,” he said with cold indignation. “I should be relevant forever.”

“Sure, sure,” Mobius replied casually, unfazed by Loki’s godly self-importance. “But right now, we’re not here to reminisce about your failed conquest. We’ve got bigger problems. And trust me, we need her.”

Loki turned to Mobius, brow furrowed, his curiosity not yet satisfied. “So, this genius analyst—why isn’t she still with the TVA?”

Mobius breathed in sharply, a hint of frustration creeping into his tone. “Defector. Like Brad. She ran, disappeared off the grid. And, honestly? She’s in a lot of trouble. Her mere existence in this timeline is enough to get her pruned.”

Loki raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Then how do we find her?” He waved a hand in an exaggerated, indignant gesture. “You’re usually so good at tracking people down.”

Mobius sighed, putting his hands on his hips, clearly irritated by the situation. “Look, the tempad gives us a place and time, but not exact coordinates.” His voice held an edge, as if he’d explained this a thousand times already.

Loki tilted his head, a smirk playing at his lips. “I thought the TVA prided itself on precision.”

Mobius ignored the jab, turning to scan the street, searching for anything out of place in the midst of New York’s busy streets. Then, suddenly, he stopped, his eyes widening as his gaze locked onto something down the street. His jaw nearly hit the floor. “Well… damn.”

Loki blinked, turning toward Mobius, a note of confusion in his voice. “What?”

Mobius raised a finger, gesturing down the street at a massive digital billboard on the side of a building. The image flickered into view, revealing a stunning woman in a sparkling babydoll outfit, glowing under stage lights. Your presence was captivating, the kind of star power that demanded attention. The name Darling flashed in bright letters beneath you.

Loki stared up at the billboard, a grin curling at the corner of his mouth. “The observant and quiet type?” he said dryly, his tone laced with amusement as his eyes lingered on the larger-than-life image of the glamorous singer.

Mobius groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Yeah, well, clearly she’s… adapted.” He let out a resigned sigh. “Guess the whole ‘fading into obscurity’ plan didn’t exactly work out for her.”

Loki’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, a glint of intrigue flashing in his eyes. “I think I’m going to like this one,” he murmured, more to himself than to Mobius. There was something about her—a spark that piqued his curiosity, and perhaps a kindred spirit in her ability to reinvent herself.

Mobius glanced at him, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Whatever you’re thinking, just remember: we need her help, not whatever chaos you’ve got brewing in that trickster brain of yours.”

Loki gave him an innocent look, his hands spread wide. “Chaos? Me? You wound me, Mobius. I’m a professional.”

Mobius snorted. “Yeah, right.”

Unfortunately, even with Loki’s magic and Mobius’ thorough knowledge of TVA technology, tracking you down wasn’t as simple as they’d hoped.

Your new life came with walls—managers, agents, bodyguards, and all the trappings of fame that made it hard to get close. The woman who once analyzed timelines with quiet precision had traded that for flashing lights and screaming fans.

After exhausting other options, Loki’s frustration finally spilled over. “You know,” he said, his voice brimming with faux exasperation, “if all else fails, there is one surefire way to get in.”

Mobius raised an eyebrow, sensing the mischief already brewing. “And what’s that?”

With a sly grin, Loki snapped his fingers. In an instant, two front-row tickets to your latest concert in New York appeared in his hand. “Why bother with sneaking around when we can just… attend?”

Mobius stared at the tickets, clearly unimpressed. “Fake tickets? Really?”

Loki looked at him, completely serious. “They’re not fake. I conjured them. It’s entirely different.”

The stadium was packed to the brim, thousands of screaming Midgardians filling the air with an overwhelming noise that grated against Loki's sensibilities. The heat, the sweat, the sheer volume—it disgusted him. Yet, this was the only way to get close to you, the elusive analyst turned superstar.

Mobius had suggested they simply wait in your dressing room until you finished, but Loki insisted on attending the concert. He wasn’t sure why—perhaps it was curiosity, or something more subtle, something instinctual.

Smoke began to pour from the stage, the lights dimming as the crowd hushed in anticipation. Then, through the haze, you emerged. Your figure draped in a short, flowing white dress, hair blowing in an unseen breeze, you looked like a star pulled down from the night sky.

A shimmer followed your every movement, like you were made of light itself. The audience roared your name as the soft, haunting melody of a piano filled the stadium.

“I’ve waited many years

Every print I left upon the track

Has led me here…”

Your voice, when you sang, was both familiar and entirely new to Loki. It carried an otherworldly quality, something that tugged at his memory. The crowd, once deafening, fell silent the moment you opened your mouth. Every Midgardian in the room was hanging on your every word, mesmerized. Loki found himself momentarily struck by the power you wielded—not with magic, but with her voice.

“And next year, it’ll be clear

This was only leading me to that

And by that time, I hope that...

You love me

You love me…”

As you sang, your voice grew stronger, more impassioned. The entire stadium seemed to pulse with your energy, as if you had taken control of the very air they breathed. Loki’s discomfort deepened as the words grew more personal, more intimate.

The intensity of the performance was almost too much. He shifted uneasily, glancing at Mobius, who was just as captivated but far less disturbed.

“And I know none of this

Will matter in the long run

But I know a sound

Is still a sound around no one…”

The words echoed in Loki’s mind, digging at something he couldn’t quite place. You were different—more powerful than he had expected. He had thought you a quiet, observant analyst, not this radiant force.

“And while I’m in this body

I want somebody to want

And I want, what I want, and I want

You to love me…”

Your voice rose, reaching new heights as the music swelled around you. You commanded the stage with an effortless grace, but Loki couldn’t shake the feeling that you had seen him. That those words, those raw, aching words, had been a message only he could understand.

“And I know that you do

In the dark, I know that you do

And I know, that you know that you’ve got

The potential to pick me up

And I want you to use it

Blast the music

Bang it, bite it, bruise it…”

Then, in a moment that made Loki’s heart falter, your eyes—so impossibly sharp, even from a distance—locked with his. He froze. Something nagged at him, an odd, distant recognition that he couldn’t explain.

“Whenever you want to begin, begin

We don’t have to go back to where we’ve been

I am the woman who wants you to win…”

Loki remained frozen, his eyes locked on yours. The world around him seemed to blur, and for a brief, ridiculous second, he wondered if the words you sang were meant just for him. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t expected you to hold such sway, not over the masses, and certainly not over him.

“And I’ve been

Waiting, waiting for

You to love me…”

As the final note echoed through the stadium, the crowd erupted into wild applause, a sea of hands raised in adulation. But Loki barely heard it. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind still lingering on the brief moment when your eyes had met his across the throng of fans.

Something about it gnawed at him, an unsettling sense that he was missing something crucial—something buried deep within his memories or within you.

And then, just as suddenly, you smiled.

The seriousness and heartache that had filled your voice moments ago vanished, replaced by a carefree expression as you basked in the screams of your adoring fans. Your laugh was light, almost as if the raw vulnerability you had shown was just another mask, discarded as easily as it had been worn. The shift was so seamless that Loki almost questioned if the heartache he had sensed was real at all.

“Interesting,” Loki muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes as you waved to the crowd.

Mobius, standing beside him, nudged Loki with his elbow. “Wow. She's adapted a lot,” he said, echoing his earlier words, though even he seemed a little awed by how thoroughly you had embraced this new life.

“She seems familiar,” Loki said quietly, almost to himself. The nagging familiarity he had felt when you sang, the connection he couldn’t yet define—it was all too deliberate.

Mobius sighed. “Let’s just try and get her to help us without causing a scene."

Loki flashed him an annoyed glance, but the truth was, Mobius was right. His curiosity was dangerously piqued. This wasn’t just a mission anymore. Something about you was pulling him in, and Loki wasn’t the type to leave a mystery unsolved.

The rest of your performance passed in a blur, though none of the immaculate songs seemed to affect Loki as deeply as the first. When the final number ended and the crowd’s applause thundered through the arena, Loki and Mobius wasted no time slipping out of their seats.

Mobius had insisted they wait in your dressing room for dramatic effect—which Loki found ironic, given that Mobius always had the audacity to call him the dramatic one.

They bickered all the way to backstage, their voices rising as they argued over the plan. Loki had just started to raise his voice when the door to your dressing room swung open, and you stepped inside.

Instantly, both men fell silent.

You didn’t jump or react with fear, as might have been expected when faced with two strangers in your dressing room. Instead, your eyes briefly flitted over them, before your expression twisted into one of irritation.

“Two men waiting for a girl in her dressing room," you murmured sarcastically, crossing your arms, "that’s not horrifying at all.”

Loki’s lips quirked slightly at the corner, amused by your reaction. Before he could speak, Mobius stepped in, raising a hand in greeting. “Hey there,” he said, with a smile that was meant to be reassuring but probably came off as awkward.

You raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, offering Mobius a fake smile. “Mobius, I wondered when you’d find me.” Your tone was sharp, laced with sarcasm, and it sliced through the air like a blade. Loki couldn’t help but be amused by it.

Mobius shrugged with a casual nonchalance. “We would’ve gotten to you sooner or later, D—” He paused, gesturing to your eccentric decorated dressing room. “Or should I call you Darling now?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of your mouth as you tilted your head. “It’s better than D-28,” you shot back, your voice dripping with sarcasm. Then your eyes shifted to Loki, studying him curiously. “Who’s your friend?”

Loki, not one to pass up an opportunity to make an entrance, stepped forward with a wolfish grin. “Co-worker, madam,” he said smoothly, his voice oozing charm. “‘Friend’ is generous. I am Loki, the God of Mischief.”

Your eyebrows raised, and for a brief moment, a flicker of surprise passed through your eyes. Without saying a word, you reached for your cellphone, swiftly typing something as both men looked on, confused.

Before either could ask what you were doing, you lifted the phone and held it up to Loki’s face. The screen displayed a photo—a screenshot from when Loki had once tried to conquer New York, helmet and all. You squinted slightly at the screen, then back at him.

“Oh, bless,” you murmured, sarcasm in your voice, “you are the God of Mischief.” You gave an exaggerated nod, clearly unimpressed by his title.

Loki blinked, momentarily thrown off balance by your casual dismissal, while Mobius stifled a snort.

“Look, we need your help,” Mobius said, his tone shifting to something more serious.

You flashed him a sickly sweet smile, but the word that followed was as sharp as a blade. “No.”

With that, you gracefully moved past both men, settling onto the edge of your vanity dresser, crossing your legs in a posture that spoke of complete indifference. “I’m done with the TVA and its fascist, tyrannical ways. I’m thriving now,” you gestured vaguely toward the door, as if the world beyond it was yours to command. “I don't need the TVA anymore."

Mobius sighed, pushing himself off the vanity he had been leaning against, and tried again. “If you don’t help us, I’ll have to arrest you for crimes against the timeline,” he threatened lightly, though his heart didn’t seem fully in it.

You didn’t miss a beat. “Oh please, Mobius,” you cut in, rolling your eyes with an exaggerated sigh. Loki, watching intently, suppressed a smirk at the back-and-forth, clearly entertained.

“Your voice is making my ears ache,” you added, voice dripping with sarcasm as you turned your attention back to fixing your hair in the mirror, dismissing him with a wave of your hand.

Mobius, for his part, just exhaled deeply, clearly used to this kind of treatment. “Look, Darling,” he continued “you might not care about the TVA anymore, but the timeline is falling apart. And if that happens, all of this—” he waved a hand toward the opulent room around you, “goes with it. Including your adoring fans.”

You raised an eyebrow, glancing at Mobius from the corner of your eye, your silence speaking louder than words. Finally, you crossed your arms and sighed, “I’m listening.”

Mobius turned to Loki with a subtle grin, “You wanna take this one?”

Loki eagerly stepped forward, eyes gleaming as he began. “So, long story short, my friend and I killed the man who controlled the TVA—”

“The Timekeepers?” you interjected, your tone skeptical.

Loki tilted his head. “Actually, the Timekeepers were just a front—robots, to be precise. The real man behind the curtain was someone called He Who Remains.” His voice grew more serious. “And now, He Who Remains is dead. With him gone, the TVA is crumbling. Branched timelines are spinning out of control, threatening to overload the Temporal Loom and tear everything apart.”

You nodded slowly, processing this. “That... sounds like quite the problem.”

“It is,” Loki confirmed dryly. “A rather large one.”

Your eyes narrowed slightly as you leaned back against the vanity. “And where exactly do I fit into this mess?”

Loki glanced at Mobius, who shrugged in that familiar, laid-back way of his. “We need smart people,” Mobius said simply.

You stared at them both, unimpressed. “That’s not really specific, now is it?”

Mobius sighed, rubbing his temple. “Look, we know you’ve got a mind like no other. You were one of the best analysts at the TVA, and now… well, we need that genius of yours if we’re going to save all of time from imploding.”

Loki nodded in agreement. “You’re not just smart. You see things others miss. We need someone who can help us solve the unsolvable.”

For a moment, you were silent, your eyes shifting between the two men. Then you sighed again, this time more dramatically. “Fine. But if I agree to help, I have conditions.”

Mobius raised an eyebrow. “Conditions?”

You gave them both a sly smile. “You didn’t think I’d come cheap, did you?”

Loki's lips curved into a small, amused smirk at your response. He appreciated the spark of resistance in you. "Of course, you'd have conditions," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nothing’s ever simple with a woman."

You shrugged casually, but your eyes stayed sharp. "I'm not one to give my services for free, god or no god." You emphasized the word ‘god’ mockingly, eyes narrowing as you met Loki’s gaze head-on.

Mobius, sensing the tension, jumped in quickly, hands raised in a placating gesture. "Alright, alright. Let’s hear the conditions. What are you asking for?”

You leaned forward slightly, still perched on the vanity, and crossed your arms. "First off, no dragging me back to the TVA full-time. I left for a reason, and I’m not about to become a prisoner there again. I help you with your little time problem, and after that, I’m free to go."

Mobius nodded slowly, mulling it over. “Fair enough. What else?”

Your eyes flickered toward Loki, your lips curving into a half-smile. "Second, no condescending lectures from anyone," you said pointedly. "I work on my terms, no micromanaging. I’m not one of your TVA minions anymore."

Loki raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued by your audacity. "Agreed," he said smoothly, though his smirk never left his face. "I rather enjoy a challenge."

Mobius gave him a side glance but returned his attention to you. "Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal," he said. "But we don’t have a lot of time. Things are… messy back at the TVA. We need to move fast."

You stood up from your seat, finally looking a bit more serious as you glanced between the two of them. "Well then, gentlemen," you said, brushing your hair back. "If you need a genius to save time itself, you came to the right place."

Loki’s eyes trailed after you, studying every subtle movement with a mix of curiosity and something else—an itch of familiarity that tugged at his thoughts.

He didn’t know why, but there was something about you, something that gnawed at the edges of his mind, as though he had met you before, though he couldn’t place where or when.

"Shall we?" Loki asked, his voice smooth but with a hint of impatience.

You gave him a sickly-sweet smile, your sarcasm evident as you gestured to your outfit, still glimmering from your performance. "Might I at least have the decency to change?"

Loki blinked, slightly taken aback, "Yes, of course," he said quickly, just as Mobius muttered, “Yeah, sure.”

And yet, both men stood firmly in place, neither making any move to leave. You raised an eyebrow, glancing between them before dramatically gesturing around the room, "You do realize this is my dressing room, right?"

It took a moment for the realization to dawn on both their faces, their expressions shifting into awkwardness. Loki cleared his throat, looking momentarily sheepish, while Mobius chuckled nervously. "Ah… right," Mobius said with an apologetic shrug.

"My apologies," Loki added, his usual confidence cracking just slightly, before he quickly turned on his heel to exit, Mobius following close behind.

Loki and Mobius awkwardly shuffled out of your dressing room, the moment playing out with a surprising level of clumsiness for the God of Mischief and a TVA agent. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving you alone for a moment.

You sighed, shaking your head as you moved to the mirror, wiping off the remnants of stage makeup. The bright lights reflected your tired expression, but there was something more under that—an underlying spark of excitement or dread, it was hard to tell.

Since this season is all in the span of one day this is her outfit

(Darling is only her stage name)

Darling's Performance Wardrobe

(yes this is all Lana Del Reys outfits)

Hope You Enjoyed 💚💛

[in-my-loki-feels]

@thisisreal-really once again hiding gems in the tags!

Mobius getting to Loki's throne standing in front of him and Loki is holding everything in his hands, every single branch of life, and his power has become the terrible power of those far away gods you can only whisper in the dark to. "Why aren't you afraid of me?" he asks, and it's Loki who sounds terrified of the answer; and Mobius just smiles and takes a step closer not for the knowledge that Loki would never hurt him but because he knows he'd be at peace even if he did. "Should I be?" he counters, and it's there, Loki's heart in the palm of his mortal hand

[kcscribbler]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @elodiah and @lokimobius.

The @lokiusbang, it is getting closer, and these two idiots are still slow-burning like wet firewood...

“I had thought, all things considered, that mere words coming from one such as I would mean little, if not first rooted in action.” A self-derisive curl of the lip accompanies this. “I am, after all, the god of lies. A teller of tales, courier of chaos. You of all people should know, and beware.” “I do know.” Mobius leans forward and lowers his voice. “But I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Loki’s eyebrows inch upward ever-so-slightly. “I like a good story. And…” Mobius’ hand drifts almost unconsciously to brush back a straggling lock of dark hair, mussed from the rough infirmary pillow-cases. Both of them pretend to ignore the heart monitor’s dramatic betrayal as his fingers linger. “And what?” Loki finally asks, breaking the spell. “And I happen to love chaos.” A small smile tugs at the corner of Loki’s lips. “Against all better judgment,” he finally says, after a moment of contemplation, “It would seem that chaos is rather enamored with you, in return.”

Tags!

No pressure tagging @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @in-my-loki-feels @thosegayoldmen @silentxsymphony @scifikimmi

@boredintjqueen @dilfmobius @mirilyawrites @impulsemuppet @asoeiki and anyone else who wants to join - whatcha workin' on this fine hump day?