#this was the loki that should have been in season 1

[miss-lauryn-hill]

LOKI APPRECIATION WEEK 2023 | for @dailyloki Day#1 : Favorite Loki Scene(s)

Breaking Brad || (2x02)

[technicalthinker]

Loki & Mobius | Is It Over Now?

"I see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waiters"

[iamanartichoke]

Last night (well, this morning, really; it was like 3am) I slipped and fell down a Loki disk horse rabbit hole and, to be frank, I am already exhausted and season 2 hasn't even started yet. I'm not gonna lie, idk if I'm going to be able to fandom-along for season 2; I might just end up quietly watching on my own and keeping my thoughts to myself. Which - isn't as fun, really, so lol fuck me I guess.

[mischiefmaker615]

I Told You So (1 of 2)

Credit: Shoutout to @darknessawaits28 who's roleplayed this storyline with me to make this one shot(s) possible! she and i both worked hard on it so please give her a follow :D enjoy!

Summary: Ignoring Loki’s warnings, you blew off the fact that you might have yourself a bit of a stalker at work. When one thing leads to another, you find out you should have listened to your boyfriend.

Rating: R *dark warning!*

Song: Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell

Note: Happy Spooky Season!

Loki’s finger tips slowly ghosted over her skin, having made an unspoken routine by starting below her ribs and moving just above her collar bone before restarting. He had propped himself up on one arm, his cheek resting against his fist as he gazed at the woman before him. The morning sunlight gave off just enough to hide and highlight her features.. that was just enough to get him hard again.. yet it was hard to enjoy when he had woken up with a particular feeling about today as well.

He didn’t want her going to work today.

Exhaling, he did his best to let her sleep while his eyes continued to wonder her, the sheet having also been pulled away to expose enough of her skin for him to enjoy with his lips, having followed his trail right after his finger tips had been there first. His eyes flicked over to her alarm, debating whether he should mess with it or not, perhaps causing her to be late so that she could remain here rather than the strange feeling that was slowly consuming him to worsen with her out of his eyesight.

Y/N slowly stirred, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips while she embraced the feeling of her boyfriend’s lips waking her up in the best way possible. ‘’if you are trying to convince me to be late, there’s little to no chance today…’’ she sighed, disappointment of the fact in her voice while she slowly opened her tired eyes to gaze at him.

‘’work can wait, you’ve never complained about being late before.’’ He smirked before she rolled out of bed before he could pounce. It was a game of theirs, most days he would earn himself a few extra minutes with her, some she would slip away. Today was a day he was determined to keep her entirely while he sat up to ignore the negative feeling and opted to gaze upon her naked form while she looked over her shoulder.

‘’you going to join me in the shower at least or enjoy the bed to yourself?” she teased, knowing fully well Loki would never stay in the bed if it meant he was going to be in it by himself and giggled when he got up quickly- all in his naked glory.

‘’darling, if I so much as let that beautiful ass out of my sight while your clothes are off, do feel free to kick me to the curb.’’ He smirked, prowling around the bed playfully before he came up behind her, his morning wood pressing up against her perfect ass while his hands wrapped around her waist.

‘’there’d be no chance at me kicking you to the curb, you’d come back in a heartbeat.’’ She giggled, resting her dainty hands on his slender ones while he walked forward, guiding her into the bathroom in their apartment. ‘’you just can’t get enough..’’ she winked.

‘’no darling, I cannot.’’ He smirked before his mind began focusing on trying to convince her to stay.. to ease this feeling he woke up with.. ‘’Are you sure you want it to be a quick shower darling? I’m sure you have nowhere urgent to be’’ he murmured against her skin, leaving open mouth kisses between her shoulder and neck, nipping here and there as well.

His hand reached over her shoulder at the same time, feeling around while his mouth was busy at her skin to turn on the shower once they both had stepped inside. She flinched a little as the water landed on her, Loki quickly adjusting the temperature for her comfort while he paid little to no mind to it. She leaned her head against his chest, feeling the water land on her chest with a slight moan before she turned herself around for it to caress her back, wrapping her arms around his neck while his, around her waist.

‘’I’m sorry honey but.. without money, this right here won’t be possible; and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do it at my parents’ house.’’ She half teased but knew there was little to no cares when it came to Loki and sex.

‘’I’m sure your father wouldn’t be joining us in the shower so this is still possible..’’ he smirked, pulling her close so his cock could press between her thighs while her chest smooshed against his. His hands slowly traveled down to squeeze her ass, his head dipping down to capture her lips in his own while he backed them up so the water fell upon her head until it was on his, her back resting against the shower wall.

Y/N giggled before melting into his kiss, feeling how his teeth gently captured his bottom lip while his hands roamed her hips, ass and back. His cock was at full attention, trying to get as close as possible before his kisses slowly, his mind seemed to be distracted while he opted to kiss at her neck slowly and trail to her jawline. Knowing he boyfriend well enough by now, she slowly rested her hands upon his shoulders, pulling back a little to look at him.

‘’..what’s wrong?”

Loki was momentarily distracted by how the water glided down her chest, the temperature causing her nipples to react beautifully where he felt the strong urge to take one into his mouth. Yet he felt her concern and exhaled, keeping his eyes on her body rather than her eyes as his lips parted slowly to speak.

‘’darling..’’ he hesitated. ‘’..i don’t want you to go to work today..’’ he said quietly, most of him trying to vent to her about the feeling he had woken up with and the rest of him still working on convincing her to stay while his hand fell from her hip to glide between them, his fingers slowly circling her clit that had a gasp leaving her lips at first.

A shiver ran down her spin, feeling how her arousal began to grow as his fingers played her skillfully. He half debated on prolonging her orgasm, hoping to maybe throw her in a state of arousal where she’s wait willingly to fall from that delicious edge towards release, but he also didn’t want to torment her while he felt her breaths quieten while she struggled to speak.

‘’t-they’re paying me double Loki.. it’s not every day that happens..’’

‘’are we so much in a financial struggle for us to require sacrificing quality time?” he sighed, a smirk tugging at his lips as he watched what he was doing to her. How her find fought to listen and answer while her body squirmed between his and the wall behind her. Just for his own amusement while he drew her closer to climax, he slipped in a digit up to his knuckle, causing the words to fall from her mouth a moment while her nails dug into his shoulders.

‘’w-we used up more power t-this month for..’’ she exhaled, eyes fluttering as her thighs tightened around his wrist. ‘’for when I was teaching you the computer, remember? Those lessons took a bit of a chunk in our savings-‘’

‘’power should be free darling, how was I suppose to know that- never mind..’’ he shook his head. ‘’I can see what I can do for those idiot Avengers, just- you would be much more comfortable staying here today, wouldn’t you?” his voice then switched to try to allure her while he dipped his head to her neck again, waiting for her to inhale to begin speaking before he gently sank his teeth into her skin, causing her to moan to be silent again before she could gather herself once more.

As cloudy as her mind was getting with all the dirty thoughts she wanted to do with him today, she couldn’t help but ponder on his statement ‘don’t go to work today’. Why? He never had a problem with her going to work before, even with double shifts and overnights on occasion. There was little to no trouble working in a café- the most you’ll get is a Karen or two. What brought this on?

She knew he was working through his jealousy phase- how he sought to practically kill any male that would so much as look at her. Perhaps he had another dream again, something to upset him and send him in another possessive state. It was something they both had to discuss, how she was independent and required breathing room once and awhile. They were doing good, but nothing was perfect. So she figured he was just going through another wave of jealousy again by knowing there was going to be your occasional male customer enter the shop. By this, she nuzzled her cheek into his chest affectionately, as if to ease his unspoken words before she felt her body shiver and draw closer to her pleasure.

‘’you c-cant make me stay b-but-‘’ she stuttered, trying to plead with him as he stroked her painfully slowly, curling his finger before pushing into her again while his thumb took over her clit.

‘’that’s right darling.. I can’t make you stay, but I can definitely make you want to stay..’’ he murmured against her skin ‘’and if you do.. I can promise you I can make you orgasm.. all.. day.. long..’’ with each word he emphasized against her clit, stroking it with almost a ghost touch that had her move her hips forward to try to find more of his hand again.

‘’or how about this..’’ his voice got deeper, a smirk against her neck before he drew his lips up to brush against hers. ‘’you can orgasm now if you stay.. but if you go, you will be surely punished later..’’ he smirked.

‘’y-your punishments aren’t necessarily cruel..’’ Y/N whimpered, wanting release as he drew his finger out, teasing her entrance with his fingertip instead of the whole digit while his other arm held her firmly in place around her waist.

‘’oh darling I could be downright cruel if you want me to be..’’ he smirked and nipped at her bottom lip. ‘’I’m sure I could drive you mad if I edge you for.. how long are your work hours?” he threatened with a smirk.

‘’I could always pleasure myself-‘’ she tried to threaten, her words being cut off as he pushed two fingers now up her channel.

‘’darling, you haven’t been able to make yourself cum since you’ve met me.’’ He chuckled and began to pump her, focusing on proving his point while she began moaning and squirming in his hold. His arm kept her from losing her stance, knowing her legs were getting weak while she wrapped her arms around his neck for support.

‘’I always take very special care of you darling.. which is why you are going to cum for me..’’ he breathed against her neck, burying his face in her hair while the shower water hit his back. ‘’right.. now…’’

Her mind then froze, snapping half a second later that had her screaming her name and feeling her orgasm wash over her. Her body quivered and tightened, clenching around his thrusting fingers while her muscles tightened and her back arched. Loki smirked against her neck, feeling her shake as she rode out her climax, his fingers taking their time slowing down before his lips pulled down ever so slightly at what he had done.

Upon his stubbornness to prove he could have her like putty in his hands any time he wanted, he had also lost more of his leverage to keep her there. While his mind secretly ran quickly to find more of an excuse to keep her here, perhaps to sway her with another round, she gasped and pulled back a little, pressing her lips against his to momentarily pause his mind before she gently pushed him half a step back.

‘’now I’m really going to be late for work.’’ She teased.

Hope fluttered in his chest as he looked at her, feeling the water hit his chest while he gazed through it to watch her. ‘’so you’re choosing to-‘’ his words were cut short to find her turn around, hands pressing against the shower wall while offering her backside to him, a sly smirk on her lips as she looked over her shoulder with do-me eyes.

‘’you want to get yours before I leave?”

Curse this woman.. his cock twitched and felt his chest being pressed up against her back, his hand aligning his tip to her entrance before he desperately thrust up into her, hearing her gasp and her head falling back to flutter her eyes up at the ceiling.

As much as he tried focusing on trying to get her to stay, his feral side snapped while he laced his fingers with hers, his hands over hers against the wall while his hips took over and repetitively thrust into her. Her moans and sensitivity from her first orgasm had her fluttering around him, bringing him quickly to the edge he tried to make stop to have her here longer under him. the gods seemed to be against him today and upon feeling her second orgasm milk his cock, he came as well, gasping and moaning her name before sinking his teeth into her shoulder.

He stayed put, making sure she got every drop of him while she shook and panted against him before he felt himself slowly pull away, catching his breath while she turned around and gave him a  triumphant smile and kissed his cheek.

‘’gets get clean darling.’’ She secretly smirked before grabbing a bottle of shampoo beside him.

Damn..

~

‘’Nothing.. Strange has been happening over there right? Your people in charge treating you well? Customers aren’t strange in any way?’’ Loki rambled, leaning against the back of the couch while Y/N buried herself to gather her things for work.

‘’no no no, for the twelfth time..’’ she said, half distracted as she slipped on her converse and grabbed her café apron, searching for her purse next. ‘’..Loki.’’ she warned.

Loki sighed and waved his hand, her purse appearing onto the couch beside here where she reached over and picked it up. ‘’what about those.. regular customers?”

Y/N struggled a little as she thought, looking around to double check to make sure she had everything. ‘’not really-  I mean, there’s this one dude who always comes in, buys the same stuff and stays with his newspaper all day and leaves when it’s closing time, but he rarely speaks unless spoken to.’’

‘’..and you’ve spoken to him?” Loki asked, a small warning in his voice as his body noticeably stiffened, making Y/N sigh.

‘’babe, it’s my job. Can I get you anything, need a refill, stuff like that. Honestly we’ve talked about this and your jealou-‘’

‘’I know I know..’’ Loki sighed, hoping it was just jealousy and not something else as he went over and cupped her face with his hands. ‘’I just love you.. you mean the world to me and i- don’t know what I’d do if anything happened..’’

‘’then stop jinxing it.’’ She lightly tease and turn her face to press a kiss against one of his palms, her expression turning serious again. ‘’everything is fine, I promise. If it makes you feel better, I can text you when I arrive and when I’m on my way home.’’

Loki quickly nodded at the idea and kissed her forehead, his grip tightening every so slightly to not want to release her before he did when he noticed her cheeks smooshing ever so slightly, raising his palms in a surrender position ‘’alright alright- how about I pick you up today, we can go out tonight?” he offered, mostly so he could get to her sooner than later but she bought the idea by brightening up.

‘’okay, I get off at five’’ she smiled and took hold of the doorhandle. ‘’I love you, I’ll see you later’’ she grinned before leaving.

‘’okay I’ll see you-‘’ the door closed before a wave of the uncomfortable feeling washed over him.. stronger than before as Loki tensed.

‘’soon..’’

Stay tuned for part two! Tag List is open upon request 😊

Tag List: @foxherder @asgards-princess-of-mischief @fire-in-her-veinz

Special Note: @cabingrlandrandomcrap Thank you for putting the idea in the comments when i was debating on a writing promp with Loki AI art holding Reader in the street Lol this request is for you :)

[flowersbian]

thinking about that season 1 mobius is basically:

"there's this god ive been obsessing over studying for my entire life. i know everything about their life from beginning to end. i know all their tricks, i know all their tells, i know how they'll react if i do something, i know all of the games they play, etc. etc. etc."

and then he giddily jogs to the courtroom because he pulled the strings to get this Loki kept around long enough for a trial, just so he can save their life and then subsequently give them space to heal emotionally and be themself (silly, chaotic) without any dangerous consequences. He also proves to Loki that they're not a monster, that everyone makes mistakes, that their past does not have to define their future, that they can be cared for and care for in return. He gives them a place to let down the walls that were permanently in place; he doesn't push for progress aggressively, but he doesn't relent with his gentle probing.

He gives Loki the opportunity to learn how to be a friend. He allows him to make mistakes, and he proves to them that other people can make mistakes and own up to them and move on.

I doubt Loki would consider Mobius a bad person, or say, a monster, do you? Despite the fact that Mobius has (either directly or indirectly) killed millions more than Loki has.

I think that's so important to think about too-- Mobius moves on and decides instead of wallowing in his past, he'll fix the future. An inspiration for Loki if I ever saw one; Loki's always hung up on their past (their legacy, their heritage, their actions, etc.)

Season 2 Mobius continues not giving a shit about his past, too, which I feel like should be mentioned because that!! Is very important to his character!!! He does NOT linger in the past-- until Loki's gone.

When Loki's gone, he doesn't know what to do with himself, because what was once his glorious purpose is now no longer there for him to study. So he has nothing to look forward to- in his brain, there's no future to think of, not when his past has the thing he wants.

I habe so much more to say about Mobius oh my GOD

[layla4567]

I don't trust you

TVA!Loki x Hunter!Fem!Reader

Summary: You are Hunter A9 and you work alongside Hunter B15. When Loki arrives at the TVA you seem reluctant to trust him but Mobius assures you that he is not as bad as he seems.

Warnings: smut with plot, p in v, biting, unprotect sex, fingering, (reader is not a virgin but she thinks so because they erased her memory), mirror sex kinda, overstimulation i think, enemies to lovers trope, fight, angst (mentions of Loki's past), death (mention of Frigga's death), Loki being a brat, teasing, not proofread

A/N: This takes place in season 1 of course. You can watch this video of a a fight training to see where I got inspiration from

WC: 6k (oops!)

You walked through the halls of the TVA together with your partner B-15. Both had been informed of an alert, a variant had been admitted to headquarters and was waiting in a room along with Mobius. Your job as a hunter, like many others, consisted of pruning the variants of the timelines to preserve the timeline intact, you were loyal to your job and you did it without mercy. That's why you were surprised that even that variant has not been pruned

"I don't understand why the variant is still here and what do we have to do with all this"-you muttered under your breath, chewing the words with visible annoyance.

"I don't like any of this either, but Mobius will have his reasons"-said b-15 next to you

They continued walking, marching in a military style until they reached the room where Mobius and that guy were. In the middle there was an orange projector and Agent Mobius was sitting in front of a man with short black hair with his arms crossed. Even though he was sitting down, you could tell that he was tall, he had a frown on his face and looked around skeptically. You noticed that he had that collar on his neck where you could control him with the tempad, good, that would make things easier. Mobius, upon noticing the presence of the two of you, stood up and approached you with an outstretched arm, introducing you.

"Loki, they are hunter B-15 and hunter A-9. A-9, B-15, he is Loki Laufeyson"

"That's great, let's see if they can get me out of here."-Loki said with poisonous sarcasm.

You stood straight and firm with your chin raised showing defiance and threat. You had never let any variant, no matter how dangerous it seemed, scare you, fear was for the weak. Always show courage in the face of the enemy, never show fear, that would only make you look like easy prey. Your face and that of your fellow hunter showed displeasure and anger while Loki's showed contempt and little desire to want to be there.

To end the tension that had been installed and that seemed like it could be cut with a knife, Mobius clarified things.

"I know this looks bad, I know. But I have a hunch, I think Loki could help us find the other variant"

B-15 let out a chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief, you just felt your body boil and the frown on your face deepened. This was not how things were done in the TVA, you couldn't break the rules, this would cause a lot of problems.

"Mobius, that variant should be pruned right now and sent into the void!! That's how things work, we're not playing cops and robbers"-you spat with your lips trembling with anger

Mobius looked at the ground in silence, meditating on his words while Loki looked at you with arrogance, which made your blood boil even more. You could barely contain yourself. Who did he think he was? Before a catastrophe could happen, Mobius returned to the attack.

"Please give me this chance, just this one. I have reason to believe that the other variant that is on the loose is a variant of Loki, we know that he is much more cunning and threatening than him but with Loki at our side we can face him"

When Loki heard that he jumped from his seat, offended, pointing a finger at Mobius.

"Hey! How dare you? You have no idea what I'm capable of doing."

Then he approached him defiantly and you took a step forward with your hand about to draw your staff but B-15 stopped you by the arm and Mobius simply pressed a button on his timepad and Loki returned to the place where he was before, falling clumsily to the ground, Snorting angrily, he tossed his hair back and gave Mobius a murderous look.

"A-9 is right, why should we trust him? He doesn't even seem to want to cooperate."

Mobius gave a long sigh before continuing.

"Look, I know you don't trust Loki, but you trust me, right? So I beg you to let me try, just give me a few minutes to try to persuade him. I'll take care of it, he will be in my custody."

You looked at B-15 who gave you an unconvinced look, then you looked at Loki with displeasure and then you looked at Mobius again, he seemed really desperate and he was expecting an affirmative response from you, you felt sorry for him. You closed your eyes taking a deep breath.

"It's okay, if it's that important to you… but at any sign of bad behavior you know I'll prune him."-you said, feeling your staff while Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes of course. I promise it won't cause any problems."

Mobius really seemed happy and relieved to have let him continue trying to reach some fruitful point with that odious variant, you didn't see what was special about it but anyway, you trusted Mobius, you knew he had a good sixth sense to read people and feel compassion. by them. The same couldn't be said about you, you preferred to stick to the rules and follow them. You and your partner left the room, leaving them alone.

"Alright, Loki, what do you think we do a review of your greatest hits?"

Mobius turned on the projector and Loki's bruised face appeared on the screen with several cuts on his forehead and nose, he was lying on the floor of Stark tower. It was the battle of New York, of course. Loki looked away from the screen feeling humiliated while Mobius seemed to enjoy it taking a sip from his can with a smile.

"Why show me this? I already know what happened, I was there."-He said with a hand on his forehead, grumpy.

"I just want to understand why you do what you do."

"You're lying.."

"No, I mean it. I want to know what drives you to act"

"Ah, I see"

Loki rose from his seat, circling like a vulture while placing his hands on his hips, looking at the ceiling with growing impatience.

"This is nothing more than a vile trick, an illusion created by the weak to instill fear, believing they are the owners of the place with great power over time"

"We are"

"No, I make my own decisions, I choose my own destiny, not you."-Loki said putting emphasis on the "I"

"Ok whatever you say, but I think you'll want to see this."

Mobius pressed the button again and a Loki with his horned helmet and a scepter with a bright blue gem on it was projected onto the wall. He spoke with great intimidation and proclaimed that the people should bow before him.

"That's what I mean! I'm so close to claiming what's mine! And it will be because I decided that way and not because this stupid place or whatever this is allowed it-"

Mobius quickly interrupted Loki "Ah, ah, ah, I'm not done yet."

The agent pressed the button again and now the image showed Loki going to a cell in Asgard and his mother Frigga. Surprise and confusion appeared on Loki's face, the images continued to pass and Loki saw his own mother arguing with his other self, he approached slowly and silently towards the screen.

"This is not true, this never happened"

"Not yet, look, the TVA not only knows your entire past, it also knows your future and this is what had to happen if you didn't take the tesseract."

Now the screen showed Frigga immobilized by a dark elf, without warning the elf thrust a sword into Frigga's back, mortally wounding her. Terror spread across Loki's face as he stepped back, trying to process what he had just seen.

"This is a trick…"-he said in a broken whisper

"No, no and no. This is what was supposed to happen, that's how the sacred timeline wanted it."

"It's a lie! You're lying!"-Loki's voice cracked with pain as tears wet his eyes.

"Oh so your mother being dead is a lie too?"

Loki tensed his jaw showing his teeth as he lunged at Mobius who with a quick movement of his hand took the tempad out of his pocket and returned Loki to his place, he fell on his butt.

"Do you really like causing pain? Do you enjoy hurting people? Because it seem like you were made for that"

Loki clenched his teeth to keep from letting the tears escape. Mobius extended his hand helping him up.

"I'm sorry, but that's how things work here."

Before Loki could say anything the doors opened and you appeared with your uniform and your characteristic frown. something bad had happened

"Are you done with the variant?"-You said with a contemptuous tone.

"Not yet, why do you come to interrupt?"

"We need you now, something serious happened"-you said, looking askance at Loki.

"Ugh not again.. Loki I'll be right back, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone"

You and Mobius walked out of the room through the hallways to talk alone while leaving Loki unsupervised. You walked in a hurry with more bad temper than usual while Mobius followed you closely like a dog. When you both made sure that no one could hear you, you turned around abruptly, startling him.

"Mobius we cannot afford more interruptions, something must be done with that variant"

"But why? We were making great progress and-"

"We have lost another unit!" - you exclaimed aggressively.

Mobius suddenly fell down, realizing the seriousness of the matter. You looked down, deciding what to say.

"I know I promised you I would give you a chance but you are compromising my work. We need to prune that variant.."

Mobius put a hand to his mouth thoughtfully. You didn't want to let your friend down, but there were more serious matters to worry about with this Loki guy, and if Mobius didn't let you do what you did best, the entire TVA would explode into chaos and you would lose your job. He was putting you between a rock and a hard place and you had to make the right decision, which is always the most difficult.

"Okay, you're right, I'll see what to do with him in the meantime, show me where the unit's casualties have been. Just let me talk to him first."

You nodded, sighing, but your patience was running out. Mobius sensed that, so he quickly returned to where Loki was. But when he opened the door he saw no one. He quickly looked for his tempad and realized that he didn't have it, of course, he had left it on the table before leaving and Loki took it.

"Son of a.."

Meanwhile, Loki, with the use of the tempad, was able to escape from the room and appeared in the hallways ready to leave that infernal place once and for all. He walked confused, trying to get his bearings and hiding without being seen.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Your eyes wanted to pop out of your sockets while your jaw tensed and you clenched your fists in anger, so hard that you felt the burning sting of your nails digging into your flesh. Mobius tried to reassure you by repeating that Loki couldn't have gone far. You didn't want to hear it, now the variant was out there because of him and that's how you let him know.

"Well in theory if you hadn't interrupted us…"

"Are you kidding me?!"

B-15 hearing the news asked the exact details, you furiously explained how Mobius had let Loki escape, he put his hands in his pockets looking down embarrassed saying it was an accident. The B-15 hunter quickly gathered several hunters and they separated into groups.

"Ok, Mobius you are coming with me and you A-9 are going with-"

"Alone. Understood."-you said activating your cane

"No wait, don't go!"

You were already running when B-15 shouted the order to you. You could do this alone, you didn't need anyone, you would take care of that annoying variant once and for all as you should have done from the beginning. Mobius was too innocent and easily trusted others, but not you. With your pruning stick ready in your hand, gripping it tightly, you marched with long, hurried steps through the halls of the TVA looking for the damned one.

"Where are you you damn bastard..."

You continued walking through the wide hallways of the great place, looking for him everywhere. You turned your head to the side and saw him. Finally. Loki was going to enter the offices. With a predatory and threatening look you ran towards him

"Hey!! Stop there!"

Loki turned around, making his curls fly like black whips. His eyes narrowed and a mischievous smile threatened to appear at the corners, he was studying you. With sure steps he moved away from the door and stood tall with his arms on his hips.

"You've come this far, variant" - you said, spinning the cane between your fingers.

Loki let out an airy laugh.

"Oh, I'm so scared"-he said ironically without stopping looking at you- "By the way, you're the pretty girl who was with the other hunter. What was her name? B-15, right?"

Your piercing gaze was still fixed on him, you didn't want to let your guard down even because of those cheap flattery that were coming out of his mouth. You were not an easy girl given to bending her arm

"Enough talk"

You brandished your staff and moved in to attack. Your arm delivered an accurate blow towards his face with the back of the staff that made Loki turn his face to the side, making his hair fly. You wasted no time and pushed your other arm with your fist going directly to his face but he composed himself and blocked your blow with the back of his arm, you raised your leg to kick him but he ducked and kicked you in the stomach sending you backwards. You fell with your hands resting on the floor, you looked at him just as he sat up slightly, throwing his hair back. Small strands of unruly hair stuck to your forehead and you stood up agitated without giving up yet. With even more fury you grabbed your cane and hit him in the stomach, he grabbed you from behind, immobilizing you with a key on your neck.

"I didn't know you could fight so well, I like that"-Loki gasped, breathing exhausted but with a smile on his face.

You squirmed, grunting, under his arm but he held you firmly.

"Maybe after this you can teach me a move or two."

You decided that you had had enough and you elbowed him hard in the ribs. Loki, growling, released you from his grip and bent over, clutching his stomach, which you took advantage of to raise and put your leg over his nape. Surprised, Loki stood up, you wrapped your other leg over his neck, to which he held them, trying to get you off of him, but you quickly turned your trunk and with the strength of your thighs, you sent him to the ground, pushing him hard. Loki did a somersault and stayed there lying on the floor on his back with a grimace of pain clenching his teeth. You stood up with ease with your cane ready to prune him.

"What do you think of a move like that?"

With two hands you held the cane and a smile filled your lips, you bit and lightly sucked your lower lip with satisfaction, you would finally put an end to all your problems by making him disappear. You got dangerously close to Loki who was leaning on his elbows with a pitiful moan, you raised your arms, raising the staff to collide with Loki when a voice behind you froze you.

"There you are!"

You turned around in surprise and saw Mobius and B-15 along with other hunters running towards you. You lowered the cane towards your waist line, looking at Loki in frustration. You were so close. Mobius came to your side to see the scene, Loki was lying on the floor breathing heavily and your forehead was sweaty and you held the staff in your hands until it hurt.

"Looks like you two had fun."

You rolled your eyes as Mobius helped Loki up. You reluctantly deactivated your cane, missing the opportunity to prune him. Again

"My congratulations to your unit team. You have soldiers who hit hard"-Loki said still in pain but with a lopsided smile.

You looked at him wanting to gut him, did he still have the energy to joke? Mobius giggled until he met your angry face and turned serious.

"Listen Loki, we don't have time, something happened and I need your help, you have to come with me yes or yes. I won't take no for an answer. If not, you already know what will happen if you don't cooperate."-He said pointing at you with his thumb.

Loki looked at you, narrowing his eyes, meditating, he did so for a few long seconds, it seemed like he was trying to enter your soul. Loki understood that if he didn't go with Mobius and you he would find himself on the ground with bruises again, but you sensed that he didn't dislike that idea and you wondered why.

"Fine"-Loki finally said

"Perfect! Come, you have to change your clothes, now you're an agent."

Mobius took Loki away, placing a hand on his back, the variant turned around but his gaze remained on you until they were far enough away for you to leave his field of vision. You and B-15 left the hallways, preparing to go to the place where the last hunters had been. While they walked at a safe pace, Hunter B-15 gave you suspicious glances but you had your eyes fixed on the front.

"Well? How did it go?"

"What do you think?"-you said sharply

"Yeah, it's a shame. On the other hand, Loki seemed very interested in you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"-you asked with a grimace

"Oh please, didn't you notice how he looked at you?"

"With hate?"

"No" -she laughed- "Quite the opposite, I think he likes you."

"Excuse me?"

You said as you stopped in your tracks and turned to face her, she imitated you.

"You're wrong"

"And if I'm not? What do you bet?"-She said with her arms on her hips, looking at you funny.

"Are you seriously going to turn this into a bet? Fine, if you win I'll share my lunch with you for a week but if I win you'll have to give me an extra helping of chocolates from the vending machine."

B-15 was about to extend his hand to seal the deal when you raised a finger.

"For two weeks"

B-15 looked at you reproachfully, thinking whether to accept or not, but then he reached out and pressed his hand against yours.

"It's a deal"

You smiled pleased

You and B-15 were waiting for Loki and Mobius to transport you to the indicated place, your thoughts revolved around Loki and your mission, why was it so difficult to prune him? Had Mobius grown so fond of Loki that he could prevent you from doing your job correctly? You always stood out for being efficient and loyal to the TVA, this was your life, you didn't remember anything else and you liked it that way, or rather you had gotten used to it that way. You couldn't imagine anything better, you couldn't imagine another life outside of that place. You were so focused that you didn't realize that Loki and Mobius were already ready, B-15 elbowed you. When you turned your head to see them you raised an eyebrow, Loki was wearing a uniform of a brown jacket and tie that matched his pants, his neatly buttoned white shirt was tight and adjusted to his body, making his pecs noticeable. You decided that this suit fit him better and accentuated his slender figure unlike his old variant suit which was a bit baggy. Loki came to your side, adjusting the lapels of his jacket, lifting them up and smiling at you, you rolled your eyes.

"Well, we can go now" -and then he whispered to B-15- "Before these two kill each other"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that"-she whispered conspiratorially.

Even though they were whispering, they were right behind you so you turned your head, looking at them angrily, frowning. Before they passed through the portal, Loki offered you to go first with an outstretched hand.

"Ladies first"-he said smiling

"I was going to pass first anyway."-You said unmoved, entering through the portal.

The others followed behind you and soon they arrived at what seemed to be a Renaissance fair. There were several circus tents with pennants hanging from ropes that ran from right to left throughout the place. People dressed in period clothing, men in tunics and women in corseted dresses walked around looking at you intrigued. You entered a tent, there were helmets lying on the grass, the place looked like a massacre with things lying around and bodies lying motionless on the ground. You dropped your temp and saw a red line flashing

"There is nothing here, split up and look for that variant"

You put away your tempad and were about to leave the tent along with the others when Loki, who had stayed behind motionless looking at the ground, caught your attention.

"Wait, don't leave the tent, it's a trap."

Mobius turned around. "How are you so sure?"

Loki walked slowly around the room in a theatrical manner, taking his time to speak to create suspense and gain their attention.

"There is a saying in Asgard…Where there are wolf ears, there are wolf teeth, it means that you should pay attention to your surroundings"

You laughed sarcastically. “Please do you want us to believe that?”

"Wait let him finish talking."-mobius said stopping you with his hand

"You look like the people in my town, so gullible, underestimating others. Luckily I was smarter than them"

"We are running out of time" - You warned Mobius

"Loki what's your point?"-he rushed him

"My point is that this variant is waiting for you outside but I can go out and talk to that other Loki, he fervently believes that together we will overthrow the TVA. I can stop him, but with certain conditions.."

"And what would those conditions be?"-You approached him defiantly.

"Guess that I will be able to return to Earth and fulfill my purpose, and I think I will have to talk to the time keepers, they are in more danger than they imagine."

You put your arms on your hips, breathing deeply in frustration, you couldn't believe how filthy this variant was in front of you. Mobius sat in silence for a few seconds until he finally gave his verdict.

"Bravo Loki, you almost fooled me" -Mobius looked at the others - "He's fooling us, there's no one outside"

Annoyed at having wasted your time, you left the tent with the other hunters, but before leaving, B-15 placed a device similar to an oil lamp on the ground, resetting the timeline as if nothing had happened.

Upon returning to the TVA you and Mobius had to endure a talkative Loki all the way, the previously grumpy and distrustful Loki had disappeared and in his place had left this hyperactive man with the attitude of a 5 year old child who ate a lot of sugar. Mobius, tired, went to take another elevator away from the two of you, leaving you with that unbearable variant that looked behind you with that characteristic mischievous smile of his.

"I hope you're happy, you fed up the only person who tolerates you in this place"-you said entering the elevator

"Oh, you don't like me then?"-He made a pitiful pout.

"Not even a little"-you said without hesitation

"I think that remains to be seen."

His stupid smile makes you sick, you hated his impudence and bragging, thinking he was the smart one in the place, when everyone knew that you and everyone at the TVA were the ones in control. But I also hated to hate him, you didn't know why, but that impertinent attitude he had filled you with adrenaline, made you feel as if you had a challenge to solve, an intriguing challenge. And you loved challenges

"Well, I hope you're done with your little tricks because we won't fall for them anymore."

Loki laughed and walked closer to you, standing in front of you to look at you.

"Aw it's so adorable that you think you're smarter than me, I'm always ten steps ahead."-He said, patting your shoulders and rubbing them, your muscles tensed nervously at this gesture.

"Don't touch me again."-you said, abruptly removing his hands from you.

The two remained silent until they reached some offices where Mobius was waiting for you two. He had gone ahead and was looking for some papers in a file. When he heard your footsteps he got up from the seat.

"Oh here you are, Loki, A-9 I want you to look for variant files, as many as you can find. I'm going to lunch."

Before leaving he addressed Loki especially.

"I hope you have fun, and some advice, search as if your life depended on it"

With that he walked away, leaving the two of you alone. Loki sighed boredly and sat in the seat that Mobius had left, reviewing papers. You sat in front of him doing the same. Loki seemed bored and didn't seem to take things seriously, muttering expletives and feigning surprise when he read something obvious, casually pushing the papers away. Tired of hearing him talk, you told him to shut up

"Shh!, you can shut up? "

Loki frowned and shushed you with a finger on his lips. Annoyed, you got up from the seat and stood next to him.

"Loki, this is serious, why don't you collaborate?

"What else do you want me to do? It's not my fault that you want to bore me to death."

"Stand up"-you barked the order

Loki reluctantly obeyed you, now that he was close to you and standing in front of you you realized how tall he was and you had to lift your chin until your neck hurt a little. You grabbed his arm firmly and led him away from the offices with a frown.

"Hey! where are you taking me?"

"Let's chat for a while"

Without flinching you guided him with a quick step towards the corridors looking for a place where you could talk alone without interruptions, after walking for a while and with Loki chattering like a confused parrot you arrived at the women's bathrooms that were under repairs, you pushed the door with your stood and they both entered.

"Why do we go into the women's bathroom?"

"You wish if you think I'll go into the men's bathroom. This one is cleaner"-you said with mocking laughter

"But..."

You turned around irritated to look at him.

"Ugh stop talking already!, don't be a coward!. And I will also tell you that you are, a useless person who only thinks about himself and doesn't take things seriously!"

You said as you tapped his chest with your index finger putting emphasis on the words, Loki was going to interrupt you when you called him a coward but he simply sighed with his arms on his hips looking at you intrigued.

"Why do you hate me so much? Why do you insist on pruning me?"

His words hit your face like a bucket of cold water and you were speechless for a few seconds, then your typical frown appeared, wrinkling your forehead.

"I- I don't.. hate you. I'm just doing my job!"you said touching your cane

"Oh right, I had forgotten, my bad"- he said smiling and placing a hand on his chest

"Seriously, Loki, what is happening is serious, we have never lost so many soldiers."- You said tired and worried, no longer wanting to fight.

Loki looked at you thoughtfully and then apologized to which you breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing your body, but when you lowered your guard, Loki approached and quickly took your cane that was on your belt.

"LOKI GIVE IT TO ME!

"Oh you want it? Then come get it."

You screamed in fury and desperation while Loki smiled triumphantly, spinning the staff in his hands. You lunged at him but Loki dodged you by moving to the side, Loki was faster and more agile than you thought and the worst thing was that he was considerably taller than you so Loki mocked you by raising the staff so you couldn't reach it. You jumped in a pathetic attempt to grab it.

"You'll have to do a lot more than that"- he laughed

In a moment of distraction you kneed him in the groin to which he bent forward, lowering his arm. You were about to grab your cane but he recovered quickly and with a growl pinned your arms.

"Enough"- he warned you

"You started!"- you said baring your teeth and trying to get out of his grasp.

"Enough of hitting me or-"

"Or what?! I'm not afraid of-"

Loki closed the distance and kissed you hard. You opened your eyes in surprise and then wrinkled your brow, you wanted to separate but the more time you spent on his lips the more you wanted to stay like that. You clung to the lapels of his shirt as he leaned closer to you and explored your mouth with his tongue. Your hands traveled to his hair and held onto his locks firmly, you gasped into his mouth from the shock. Loki pulled away from your mouth a little and hummed.

"We should do this more often, even your annoying frown disappeared from your face"- he teased you

You frowned annoying but a smile threatened to appear on your lips, you repressed it

"Oh no, there is"-he smiled mischievously

"I didn't tell you to stop"

You tugged at his lapels and crashed your lips against his again. His hands were on your hips squeezing them and your arms went around his neck. His nose was buried in your cheek at the proximity of his face. You ran your mouth over his lips to memorize them and remember them later, they felt soft and warm and were slightly swollen. Loki gently turned you so that you were facing the mirror and with your back against his chest. He began to place hot, wet kisses on your jaw and neck, you placed a hand in his hair to feel him closer. Loki buried his face and mouth in your skin while you tilted your head to the opposite side to give him more space. The fervent strength and passion that Loki put into his kisses made you moan softly. Suddenly Loki lowered a hand that was on your waist towards your belt, you opened your eyes wide and stopped him by grabbing his wrist firmly, he looked at you in surprise.

"Wait! what are you doing?"- you said with a bit of fear

"Calm down darling, I was just going to unbuckle your belt. I wasn't going to hurt you"

"The thing is.."- you said shyly

"I understand, I will be gentle"- He whispered to you and kissed your cheek delicately.

That calmed you down a little, you were embarrassed to admit that it was your first time, no one had touched you before and much less like Loki did, elegant and soft. Loki took off your belt and put one hand inside your pants, approaching your mons, with one finger he began to massage your clitoris over your underwear. You gasped in surprise and felt like you were going to fall but Loki firmed his grip on your hip. You watched in the mirror as Loki's hand did wonders on your sweet spot, you could barely keep your eyes open from the pleasure. When there was more confidence, Loki slid his fingers inside your underwear and began to pump in and out. You felt your legs shake and you threw your head back trying to stay upright, Loki didn't give you any respite and kissed and bit your neck while he worked his hand down there.

"L-Loki.. ahHhg"- you moan

"Look at you, how pretty you are, so needy for me and begging for me to touch you."

Loki's deep and hoarse voice made your breathing rise, you looked in the mirror. Your chest rose and fell and your face was flushed and sweaty, strands of hair stuck to your forehead and your neck glistened with sweat, Loki next to you and close to your neck looked at you in the reflection with a seductive look drunk with lust. and pleasure. Loki's fingers pumped faster and faster and your thighs began to tremble and your knees flexed a little, you breathed through your mouth.

"Oh my god... Loki-!"

Loki took his hand out of your soaked clit and kissed your hair, you looked at him annoyed and confused to which he smiled.

"Not yet, hold on a little longer for me"

You were going to protest but he lifted you up, grabbing your thighs and sat you on the counter near where the sinks were, a little cry of surprise came out of your mouth. A willing growl came from Loki.

"How delightful.."

You opened your mouth to say something but he silenced you with a hungry kiss, biting your lower lip while his hands traveled to where your protective breastplate was, unbuttoning it and taking it off, throwing it to the ground.

"This annoying uniform won't work for us now"

Loki opened your shirt, leaving your bust exposed and began to kiss and leave marks on it while his hands grabbed your pants and slowly lowered them. Your hands grabbed the back of his neck, panting and closing your eyes. It was the first time you were left speechless, especially in front of a man, but he was different from everyone else. You were thankful that there was no one in the bathroom but the two of you at that moment. Suddenly Loki separated and desire was drawn in his eyes.

"Are you… are you ready?"

You nodded and Loki pulled down your pants and your panties while he unbuttoned his own pants. You nervously saw how his cock stuck out of his boxers like a divine bulge, and when he pulled down his underwear you gasped in surprise. He smiled mischievously at you.

"Don't worry, I promised you I would be gentle."

He positioned himself right in the center of your entrance and asked you again if you were ready, you told him yes, you couldn't wait to feel and taste his warmth. He put the tip inside you and you moaned loudly clinging to the back of his neck, but it was just a scare, actually it didn't hurt you like you thought it would and that intrigued you.

"Did it hurt?"

You denied, surprised. "P-please continue.."

With your consent Loki entered you fully and you gasped loudly, you didn't think his size could fit inside you but it did. His thrusts touched you deep inside and your breathy screams echoed in the bathroom. Loki dug his fingers into your thighs, tensing his arms while you kept your chin resting on his shoulder, trying to keep up the pace and not speed up your breathing. At one point a strong thrust from him hit a sensitive spot inside you and with a whimper you bit his shoulder to which Loki growled.

Your body bounced and collided with the mirror behind you. Loki's grunts and gasps filled your ears and were driving you to your climax, while his cock hardened and your walls tightened around him, hugging him like a warm blanket. You dug your nails into his broad back, feeling like he was about to cum.

"N-norns.. ahg.. you're getting.. tight I can feel you're about to-to cum"

Loki's face tightened with effort while your breathing became faster and faster, your legs felt weak and your thighs trembled, everything was escalating quickly.

"Come on do it, do it for me ngh"

His voice broken by lust was what triggered your fluids to shoot out with a loud and pleasant moan and a tremor throughout your body. Loki threw his head back and came with you. You let your head fall on his chest exhausted and feeling weak. He put his arms around you, hugging you as you took a moment to catch your breath. Then Loki easily lifted you off the counter like a feather and straightened your clothes, you did the same with his. When they were ready, Loki saw that the staff had been left on the ground, he slowly picked it up with your eyes fixed on it, he held it in his hands for a while and then looked at you. There were a few seconds of silence in which only his heartbeat and yours could be heard. With relief you saw how he gave you the cane.

"I think this belongs to you"

You took it and for the first time in a long time you smiled genuinely, but your smile was erased in a second, you had remembered something.

"Oh shit..."

"What's wrong?"

"I owe my lunch to B-15, damn it"

Loki looked at you confused, frowning and you laughed softly.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter. Let's go back before they discover us, Mobius would have already finished eating"

You grabbed his hand and trotted towards the offices making sure not to be seen or heard. Maybe Mobius was right, maybe Loki wasn't as bad as he seemed.

[starlight-bread-blog]

Why Lokius Should Have Been Canon

This is a sort of combo of two metas that didn't quite get point my across. Some parts will be copied directly, but there's a lot of original content. I will discuss the ship between Loki and Mobius, their place in the show, and the MCU at large. My focus for this meta won't be parallels or motifs, because these things border on well-written friendships. But there will be some of that.

Romance in the MCU

There are a lot of straight couples in the MCU. (Almost) Every main hero is in some heterosexual relationship, Loki included.

(That's not all, not remotely).

But in the LGBTQ+ department... uh.. I think it was mentioned that Valkyrie had a girlfriend... uh... America Chavez had a pride pin... and Loki:

One line. Queer experiences are never a focal point of a show/movie the same way heterosexual experiences are. And that needs to change.

Romance In the Show

Wrong, toxic, or unsuccessfu romantic love is a recurring theme in the show.

Sylki

Sylki was an icky relationship right off the bat. They are the same person. I can't find the post at the moment, but someone has pointed out in their post that them being the same person is referenced in every episode in season 1 (edit: here it is), which is when the romance took place. This made their romance uncomfortable for many viewers.

(Some consider Sylki a toxic relationship, but for this post, the topic is too large to handle with the nuance I'd like to handle it with).

When he's drunk, Loki compares love to a dagger, stating that it hurts you, but when you try to find strength in it, it's not real.

Which is exactly what happens. Sylvie pushes Loki into a portal and they never get back together.

The Love Triangle

In 02×03, Ravonna Renslayer is infatuated with Victor Timely, but he leaves her behind and betrays her when Miss Minutes told him to. One episode later, we discover that they were indeed an item, and established the TVA together. He Who Remains deleted her memories and they never rekindle their love.

Later in the episode, is the best example of "wrong" romance in the show. Miss Minutes, the AI clock, confesses her love to Viktor Timely. He, obviously, freaks out and shuts her off. Nothing ever comes of this.

Brad and Dox

This one is small, but a big indication to romance being a theme. In 02×01, we're shown this:

The gap in the age of the actors is uncomfortable, and a character in universe has this reaction to it. It is never mentioned again.

So what does all of this leave us with? Not much. None of this properly ties to the finale, or anything really. If I were to write the show I would cut a lot of this out, since it serves no purpose. But it does make you keep romance and its shortcomings in mind. The writers want it to be there, in the back of your head.

Loki and Mobius

Finally! I got to talk about them. The two people in question. First things first, who are they, together? They became really supportive, close friends.

Fans even drew parallels to Chaos & Order, which is a very important theme in Loki. But I'm not here to unpack them. These things don't necessarily make them in love. So what does make them in love? I'll present you my evidence, and you ask yourself,

Would it be valid to suggest romantic implications if a man and a women are:

1) Extremely thouchy with each other.

2) Riding on a tandem bike together.

3) Willing to suffer a fate worst than death for another.

4) Falling on each other after that^

5) Literally the Interrupted Declaration of Love trope. (Ex)

6) Being framed in a circle.

7) Waiting & giving permission to attack.

8) Fixing themselvs before seeing the other.

Of course yes. Maybe you think some of these are a strech, but ultimately, people would point out romantic connotations across the board. And I'm here, pointing them out right now. Some scenes between Loki and Mobius have romantic implications.

Conclusion

Loki is a queer protagonist in the MCU, a universe that lacks representation of queer experiences. His show constantlty reminded us of romance, sometimes for seemigly no reason. In the second season, they wrote him and his best friend with romantic implications. And then, nothing. It should not have been nothing. Lokius should have been canon.

[muddyorbsblr]

relinquish the crown: what could be done

Series Masterlist See my full list of works here!

Placement: Season 1, Episode 13; moments after 'plans & protestations'

Summary: Loki and Frigga look for a way to prevent you from being married off to the Prince of Alfheim

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: themes of incest (he's adopted but still); Prince Damien (yes he's a warning)

Things to be aware of: sad Reader hours; stressed Loki hours

Queen Frigga paced back and forth throughout her workroom, perturbed at the information that Loki had just relayed to her. Royal Child Bearer? The nerve of that insolent inexperienced child of a prince.

She should have nipped this visit at the bud the moment she held the letter from the Royal Court of Alfheim in her hands. Seen the unease with which the palace staff looked upon him whenever she witnessed him crossing paths with one of them. Or now overtly guarded and secretive so many of them had become when she would try to ask them if the visitors were treating them well.

Perhaps she could have even prevented the visit from happening altogether had she spoken to her husband about it rather than entrusted that the future she'd seen of you and Loki being happily married to one another would prevail regardless of hindrances in the form of seedy visiting princes and memory spells. She had no indication to tell her that so many obstacles would have stood in the way of your happiness.

"We must do something, Mother," Loki pleaded, tears filling his eyes even at the mere thought of you leaving Asgard to become that repugnant prince's wife. "I must do something. I cannot simply stand idly by and watch as this insipid excuse for a prince courts her and gains Father's approval. Watch as Y/N's wish to marry for love is taken away from her and she is forced to wed a man that will not treasure her, swear his fealty to her, the way that she deserves. And all in the name of fortifying alliances with the insurgent realm of Alfheim. Even if I do not become her husband and your vision ultimately proves false, all that matters is that she does not enter a marriage where she is used. Unappreciated. Unloved. I cannot bear to see her unloved."

"Let me think, my boy," Frigga said, doing her best to calm her son as his thoughts began to spiral picturing the bleak marriage you would have to the elven prince. And rightfully so, those images were nearly enough to make her send the visiting party home. Invoke her power and authority as Allmother in the name of doing what was best for her granddaughter and for Asgard as a whole. "I have faith that she would be capable of thwarting his attempts in the short term--"

"But what of the long term, Mother?" Loki stood from the armchair he'd slumped into minutes earlier, nearly pacing a hole into the floor from his visible anxiety. "Father seems to be determined to stave off the insurgence that the Royal Family of Alfheim has been rumored to be organizing, and an alliance between our families might just be the compromise he seeks. What if he is willing to disregard Y/N's wishes to accomplish that?"

Frigga resumed her pacing as well, a deep worry taking place in her that the peace she'd seen in her vision of your future was farther off than she'd initially thought. That the contentment and joy meant for you and Loki would serve as the end of the fight of your life. "I will do what I can do postpone any decisions of your Father that would lead to Y/N's hand being forced into this marriage. Meanwhile you, my boy, will do what you can to keep her time occupied. The less time she is around this lecherous disgrace of a prince, the better for her sanity. And yours."

"Postpone," he whined, shaking his head as he were shaking off the short-sighted intention. "We need to stop these efforts entirely--"

"And we will," the queen insisted, pulling her son into her arms. "You give me the next few days, I will find a way for us to stop this fraudulent courtship completely. I swear to you, Loki, on my life. She will not be subjected to a life unloved. She will not be relegated to a stepping stone for this urchin of a prince to ascend to the role of Allfather."

The days following Loki's panicked consultation with his mother were spent on high alert, the god's behavior dangerously leaning toward petulant as he did what he could to prevent you from spending time with the elven prince short of flat out refusing to conclude his time with you. Thankfully you seemed to be more than willing to let the behavior slide as you preferred his company rather than Prince Damien's, and you would even offer up your own thinly veiled excuses if only to lessen your time with the boy of a prince that was all too forgetful of decorum and insisted on touching you with an air of familiarity that he had not earned. And likely never would.

Today was no different, the god sequestering you in the corner of the library that you'd settled into sharing. You were all too gleefully working on the plans for the ball that would culminate the Yule festival, deciding on what would serve as the night's main event.

Meanwhile, his mother Queen Frigga had given him a specific task in their mission to thwart the courtship efforts of the crown prince of Alfheim. He was to look into the customs and traditions that would be expected of a member of the royal family of Asgard if they were to marry. The objective was to make you privy to their intentions once they had found something that could keep you in Asgard, and the three of you could put your minds together into negotiating your way out of the courtship.

Unfortunately all that he could find so far was that the only way to make a clean break from Prince Damien's efforts to marry you was to have it expressly declared by the Allfather that the courtship was concluded and any and all efforts from the Prince would no longer be welcome. And bringing Odin to this decision would take a great deal of convincing. He would have to be offered something much more irresistible than fortifying alliances between Realms and indefinitely hindering the threat of an insurgence.

No one held such ammunition. To Loki's knowledge at least. He could only hope that his mother was more fruitful in her searches.

"Would you be willing to participate in an auction?" you asked, sitting up from your slouched position from earlier while you were penning down your thoughts on various parchments. When you started to clench and unclench your fingers, Loki took your hand in his, massaging your skin in small circles, causing you to let out a satisfied sigh as you relaxed into the cushion. He had to fight back the salacious thoughts that began to infiltrate his mind, thinking of more pleasurable ways to elicit those sounds from you.

"It depends on what exactly would be up for auction, darling," he answered, pressing a fleeting kiss to your knuckles when your hand had fully relaxed in his hold.

"A night's worth of dances." You rested your head on his shoulder, your eyelids drooping when he began to stroke your hair and you fully allowed yourself to take a few breaths and relax. At least until your ever irksome suitor would burst through the doors and announce that it was time for your daily walk around the palace.

And you would have to don your collar piece that the god knew must be warmer than was necessary. All for the sake of shielding your body somehow from Damien's wandering hands.

"If it means keeping you safe from a certain elven Prince with wandering eyes and hands, I would gladly outbid--"

"No no, Loki, you misunderstand," you cut him off with a slight giggle. "The men would be up on the stage, I was asking if you would be willing to auction off your dances for the ball."

"I see," he mused, making a point to turn to a random different page on the book he was reading through to keep you from discovering what he and his mother may be up to. "If it aids in the success of the ball, then…I would be happy to."

His heart beat violently in his chest as you squealed and turned to throw your arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you!" You excitedly left his embrace, his arms now feeling hauntingly empty without you in them, and wrote his name down on the parchment.  "At least I know I would be having a good bit of fun before I get shackled down and shipped off to Alfheim to do little more than sit still and look pretty," you sighed, placing your pen down on the table before slumping back into the cushion.

"Darling, if you do not wish to marry this prince, you are very much within your rights to refuse his proposal. I see how you are whenever you have to return to his company, you need not endure this attentions if you do not feel that he would be good for you," Loki attempted to console you, taking your hands in his once more, his heart fracturing at how rife with tension they were again.

"I couldn't," you argued, the furrow between your brows making an appearance as your mouth formed into a pout. "Grandfather would force my hand, tell me that this is what's good for the realm as a whole. Spew some drivel about how sometimes great leaders must make personal sacrifices for the good of their people." A tear began to roll down your cheek at the mere thought, trying to blink them away as you refocused your attention instead on the book laid open in front of him. "Loki? Why are you reading up on Asgardian bedding rituals?"

He wanted to slap himself at the section he turned to. "The information might come useful one day," he tried to wave your queries away.

"You intend to court someone?" A playful look entered your eyes before you put your hand to your temples once more, another migraine pounding away at your head.

"Norns no," he hissed almost instinctively. The only one I would ever wish to court is beyond my reach, he lamented internally, replacing your hand with his and trying to soothe you by massaging away at your temples in slow circles. He decided the best course of action was to offer you a sliver of the truth. "I'm looking into royal Asgardian marriage traditions, trying to find a way to keep you from leaving the realm if it ever comes to that."

"I will need to be dragged to the altar kicking and screaming if the Allfather forces my hand. This prince does not love me, Loki. He loves the throne that would be promised him if he were to marry me. I'd like to believe that I am worth more than a throne." The sullen tone your voice had taken on tore at his heart, making him unable to resist the urge to pull you into his arms once more in an attempt to soothe you.

"You are, Little Princess. Any fool that fails to see that does not deserve you." No one in these Realms could ever love you as I do, he thought inwardly. I would have cherished and spoiled you if I were your husband. You would have wanted for nothing.

Before either of you could say another word, the doors to the library flew open, revealing his mother on the other side, an excitement in her expression as her gaze roamed the area before landing on the two of you. A soft smile graced her features finding you resting comfortably in your fated's arms.

"My son, I may have found something. Come with me." She jerked her head in the direction of her workroom before turning her gaze to address you. "Granddaughter, a certain elven prince is bounding his way down the halls to steal you away from your present company." You let out an unrestrained chortle at the face the Queen made after her statement, clearly disapproving of Damien herself. "How goes the planning for the Yule festival?"

"Progressing quite nicely, Grandmother," you responded, removing yourself from Loki's embrace and putting away your parchments, gathering everything into a satchel before standing upright. "The culminating ball will make for quite the night, if everything goes according to plan. We are to have an auction. Proceeds will go into funding for new weapons for soldiers old and new alike."

He stood from his seat, taking out the collar piece from inside your satchel bag and helping you into the garment. Your eyes had a bleakness in them as he framed your face in his hands, placing a light kiss to your forehead. He slipped his dagger into your bag, whispering a rather mischievous offer against your skin. "If he behaves in a way that renders you uncomfortable, you could always use that on him and say it was me if you are questioned. Stay safe, Little Princess. I love you."

You briefly wrapped your arms around him before muttering back, "I love you, too." You took a step back, mustering a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes. "How do I look?"

"Your smile could convince just about any audience, perhaps in another life you were made for the stage," he quipped, briefly touching his hand to your chin. "You can't quite fool me, however."

"Of course I can't." You scrunched your nose at him. "You know me far too well, Loki." You smoothed your hands over your dress and turned to face the door, squaring your shoulders ever so slightly, as if preparing to assume a warrior's stance. When Loki turned his gaze to the door he could see exactly why; the Prince was already waiting for you a few feet away from the Queen, jaw visibly tense.

And because of the god's enhanced senses from his Jotun blood, he could hear the impudent prince grinding away at his teeth. No doubt brought on from seeing that once again you were spending time with someone that he deemed 'competition' for your hand.

The elven prince offered his arm to you once enough distance had been closed, the muscles in his face tensing even worse when you maintained your stance, leaving his arm empty. He opted instead to place a hand at your lower back,  holding on to you a touch too tight that it caused you to visibly tense and flinch when his fingers dug into your side.

Loki hadn't even realized he was about to approach you to offer his aid somehow until he felt his mother grab hold of his elbow with a firm yet gentle hand. "If we wish to help her completely, then we must have faith she can hold her own in this moment. Soon enough she will be free of his advances." She gave him a gentle tug in the opposite direction. "We must go now, my boy. You will have much to think about once I tell you what I have found."

He took one final glance back at you, your fist clenched behind your back as Damien walked you farther and farther away from him, and he attempted to reach out to you with his mind. Hoping you would hear his sentiment. "If he ever hurts you, little princess, you call for me. Call for me and I will be there for you in a heartbeat."

Once they'd made their way to Frigga's workroom, he could no longer hold in his words, blurting out his question with little control over the volume of his voice. Or his frantic tone.

"What have you found, Mother? Tell me how we can save Y/N from--"

"You could marry her instead." His eyes widened to the size of saucers at how she chose to lead with her findings, eyeing his mother with thinly-veiled incredulity. "I have combed through every possible scenario that held even a sliver of a chance to get Odin to repudiate his intention to strengthen the alliance between Asgard and Alfheim, and in my search I chanced upon your reports. From your mission that kept you away from us for nearly a millennium."

"My reports?" he parroted lamely. "But those merely stated that the people of the Nine held less faith in our house's power to rule, what help could that offer us in this predicament?"

"If Odin seeks to arrange a marriage for Y/N that will fortify her claim to the throne, then perhaps the only way is to offer him something that would yield a stronger claim," she offered, walking towards her son when he slumped down into his usual armchair and grasping his hands in hers. "If you use your reports to reason with him that this marriage will be more beneficial to the realm than a union with Prince Damien, we can save her from this sham of a marriage he intends for her."

"Father will not so simply agree to this, Mother," the god argued, his mind already firing off scenario after scenario wherein Odin would reject this proposal outright. He'd fought so ardently to ensure that all generations of the royal family that succeeded him would no longer have to adhere to the archaic traditions, and now here he and his mother were, looking for a way to return them somehow. "For him to agree to a negotiation like this, I would need to offer him something in return."

"And what would you have to offer that could hold a similar value to a quelling of an imminent insurgence, my boy?"

Loki ran through everything he could potentially offer for your hand, searching frantically for something that symbolized a significant enough loss on his part that perhaps it would satisfy the Allfather. Nothing of monetary value would suffice, and he would never wish to make it seem from any potential angle that he was buying your freedom.

He held no title other than God of Mischief; he was no crown prince, he had no clear path to the throne. At least until his impending duel with Thor, assuming that the most unlikely of scenarios would occur and he would win over his larger, stronger warrior of a brother.

And then it hit him.

"My claim to the throne," he sighed, feeling a sliver of hope that perhaps this might actually work. "I could surrender my claim as Odin's heir. Cancel the duel between me and Thor so that we may never have to shed the other's blood on the battlefield." He looked to his mother, a calm smile gracing her features as she let her pride shine through. "You already came to this conclusion, haven't you, Mother?"

She walked over to her desk, signaling for her son to follow so that she may show him the parchments in which she penned down her findings. There were the words, by her own hand. Loki's surrender in exchange for Y/N's hand. "I needed you to come to the decision yourself, my son," she explained to him. "Surrendering your chance at becoming crown prince is something you cannot take back. Something that thwarts any ambition you may have to become Allfather yourself."

"What value would a throne have for me if I won that duel?" he spat out, hot tears stinging his eyes as he picture what his life would be like. "My brother would be dead by my hand, Asgard's people carrying a burning hatred for me for slaying their beloved prince. Y/N would hate me for taking her father away from her. And my heart would forever be burdened with guilt for Thor's death, and the crippling knowledge that the woman I love is living a bleak life married to someone who views her as little more than a plaything he could discard and betray time and time again. She is worth more to me than a chance at the throne."

He felt his resolve strengthening with every passing moment, already crafting the words he would use from the moment he announced his surrender to his negotiations to become your husband. He knew the words to utter and when; this was his domain, his words a weapon he wielded with the same mastery as he did his magic and his daggers.

But there was one simple fact that weighed heavy on his heart. He was about to lay out his heart on the table for everyone to know. Including you.

And you…you didn't return these affections. You never had. And you realizing his true feelings toward you would ruin your image of him forever, tainting every single memory you two shared.

"She would despise me," he choked out, clenching his fists shut as his eyes filled with tears. "She will know how I have loved her since the beginning and she will loathe me."

"But she will be safe," Frigga insisted, reaching for her son's hand again. "She will be safe and she will remain here in Asgard. With a husband that loves her, that will not shackle her to such a base and primitive purpose." She seemed as if she were about to say more, but decided against it, pursing her lips instead. "Remember what I told you before, Loki. You two are fated. Marriage was always in your future, I just…" She let out a deep sigh. "I just never imagined that this was how we would arrive at this point."

Tears began to fall from his eyes, already bracing himself to burden your hatred of him for what he was about to do. The life he was about to choose for you. "If having her hate me for the rest of our days is the price I must pay to keep her safe from a wretch like that Prince Damien, then so be it."

With those words he strode out of the Queen's workroom. And as soon as he left, Queen Frigga scrambled through every grimoire in her possession, looking for a way to lift the spell that veiled your memories herself.

Loki blazed down the halls of the palace, looking for his brother and his father, finally finding them in deep discussion in one of the war rooms. His loud bursting into the room caused both men to jump slightly at the sound.

"Ah, Brother, perfect timing," Thor addressed him, a grim tone in his voice as he motioned for him to take a seat. "Father has decided that it is time for us to discuss the ceremony that shall appoint his heir."

"There's no need for that anymore, Brother." He made his way to the seat across from the blond god, doing his best to remain the picture of calm and collected. In truth he was a mixed bag of emotions, each so strong that he could feel himself being pulled in vastly different directions and if he failed to control himself it would tear him into pieces from the inside out.

"And why is there no longer a need for this discussion, Loki?" Odin prodded, back ramrod straight in anticipation for what might come next.

"Because I relinquish my claim to the throne of Asgard."

A/N: Besties omg omg omg we are heeeeeeeere 😳👀 When I tell you I got literal chills writing that last line holy fuckque things are gonna be changing from here on, we're finally in the events of the 6k word shoulda been a drabble piece that I wrote over a year ago and Reader's attitude toward Loki is about to be hugely different 🥺

Only two more chapters until Season 1 is finished and then we're heading off into the angst-fest that is Season 2 😳

'everything' taglist: @simplyholl @loopsisloops @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @kats72 @kikster606 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @lunarnights95 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th  @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @elizabethmidnight2017 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @gigglingtiggerv2 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @kmc1989 @november-rayne @goddessofwonderland @buttercupcookies-blog @peaky-marvel @lokiified @tom-hlover

[mischievouswork]

I respect the hell out of the person who loves 2011-2013 Loki but acknowledges that 2017 Loki is also canon; good for them. However, you do not have some kind of obligation, as a fan, to accept all MCU content as “canon”.

The MCU has been, for some time, a group of people squabbling over their toys like kids in a sandbox, with the ultimate goal being to make as much money as possible.

If you’re in the fandom but canon ended for you in Phase 1, that’s perfectly valid.

If you accept the comics but not the films as canon, that’s fine.

If all films are canon to you but none of the TV shows, that’s okay too.

And, of course, if canon, to you, is the MCU before it became so popular, back when it actually had to try to be good to appeal to audiences? That’s fine too.

As a fan, you are allowed to say, “this subset of the franchise is canon; everything else is insufficiently prominent, is problematic, or is created with contempt for the content it engages with, and is therefore dead to me.”

This doesn’t give anyone an excuse to go out of their way to harass other fans for having a different opinion about what is/isn’t canon. But it does give everyone every right to refer to fics that go off different parts of canon as ‘Non-canon compliant’ or ‘OOC’ in their own space and circles.

You don’t see Legend of Korra fans going, “Bolin/his costar actress is a valid ship that’s just as canon-compliant as Korrasami”. In fact, from what I understand, most of them ignore that entire arc. Because the creators of that show were pulled in so many directions and jerked around with little warning, and sometimes they ended up making things that weren’t great or didn’t fit well with the overall story.

Many Game of Thrones fans are united in their agreement that the eighth season did not happen and “canon compliant” fics can safely ignore it. Absolutely no one needs to accept that season as canon anyway, because it was, quite frankly, absolute garbage.

There are Captain America fans who refuse to accept Endgame as canon, because it directly contradicts the canon established for him in previous films, and because it’s just too freaking sad.

Nobody should be going out of their way to call out other fans, but also… if something is incompatible with previously established canon, it doesn’t matter if it’s part of the official media from the franchise or not. You can decide on your own cutoff for what is or isn’t canon, and ignore the rest. It’s what fans have been doing since the comic days, before superhero movies were around.

[starsopinions]

Sylki should have been a sibling relationship

Loki season 1 starts with Loki from The Avengers, Loki is at a very low point in his life, and he hates himself. I have seen people claiming that he falls in love with himself because he is just such a narcissist, but he doesn't even like himself let alone a different version of himself. He hasn’t had any of the character development of the later movies yet so why would the writers try and give him a romance plot when there is such a good opportunity to have Loki and Sylvie have a sibling relationship which neither of them had growing up. So here is why is think Sylki should have been a sibling relationship.

Sibling relationship

In Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok we see Loki and Thor’s relationship building and slowly getting better but before that and up until The Avengers, they fight all the time and Loki is angry at Odin and Thor. Loki constantly feels left out and, in his own words, lives in Thor’s shadow. So when his life is suddenly uprooted by the TVA and he meets Sylvie, instead of being interested romantically he could instead take her under his wing and have a more sibling-like relationship. He could then see what it is like to have a good relationship with a sibling, in contrast to what his relationship with Thor was like. 

I think this could also work to set up a future reunion between Thor and Loki. Kevin Feige recently said: “But for that meeting to really be fulfilling, we have to get Loki to a certain place emotionally.” I think that this sibling relationship could get him there. He could see what went wrong between him and Thor and see that maybe Thor didn’t always do the right thing but he meant well. Loki would be the ‘older sibling’ in this situation which could help him gain more insight into Thor’s decisions and have a better understanding of them.

I think that, on the flip side, it also works well from Sylvie’s point of view. She barely remembers Asgard or Frigga and probably can’t recall ever having a (good) relationship with Thor. She has been on the run her entire life and has never known real friendship or family. So Loki could teach her what it means to have a family, or they could even discover it together seeing as Loki doesn’t have the best relationship with his family either. Loki could teach her what Frigga taught him and tell her stories about their home (imagine how cute that would be). Sylvie could learn to trust again and experience fun in her life. 

Sylki doesn’t work

Besides this, I also want to shine some light on why I think that Sylki, as a romantic relationship, does not work. As I said earlier, Loki is at a really low point in his life and it doesn’t make sense to give him a romantic interest because he has issues and he desperately needs some character development which is just blatantly ignored in favour of this romantic storyline. But even his romantic interest doesn’t seem to be ready for any romance in her life. Sylvie has barely had the chance to see what life is like and it seems such a weird choice to immediately jump into something romantic without her getting the chance to live. There is also the argument that these characters may not be ready for love but that sometimes it is just there, no matter if you are ready or not. But I don’t agree with that because these aren’t real people, there are writers who can 100% decide what happens. So I think they should get that character development that they need through their sibling relationship. 

I think something else that has been bothering me is that it is kind of, maybe, possibly incest. I know the lines of that are blurry because obviously, we have never seen something like this before in real life so it’s hard to judge, I do understand if anyone else doesn’t think it is weird, but it just doesn't sit right with me. I also think the show writers realised this and that’s why Sylvie isn’t named Loki and she doesn’t look like Loki at all and all that makes it even weirder.

Chemistry

Another issue I have with this couple is that, in my opinion, they just aren’t that cute together. They don’t have any romantic chemistry and all their bonding seems more sibling-like rather than anything else. Take for instance season 1, episode 3. They are on Lamentis and they are fighting over the TemPad (around 6:30 if you want to watch it back), their bickering and taunts seem so sibling-like. Another example is season 1, episode 4. They are both captured and are about to meet The Time-keepers (around 35:00). The way Sylvie checks in on Loki, I just don’t see them as a couple they act like siblings. Even the iconic blanket sharing moment (S1, ep 5 30:00), the awkwardness and the way Loki tries to take care of Sylvie. To me, it just seems like an older brother trying to take care of Sylvie. 

Lokius

And on top of all of that, I think there is one more point left to make. There is a much more suitable match for Loki right there, and it’s Mobius! But like I said, I think Loki needs some character development before he is truly ready for an actual relationship. Especially because this show is about Loki and a part of that is that he is bisexual and genderfluid which isn’t explored at all in the show so I think it would be cool to see him coming out as bisexual in season 1 and slowly growing comfortable around Mobius. I think it would fit the themes of the show well and a good slow burn is always welcome in my book. Also, did y’all see the way Loki searched for Mobius in season 2, episode 1? Because that’s the kind of chemistry I’m missing in Sylki!! 

I’m very excited to see where they will take us with Loki season 2. I think so far (2 episodes in) they are doing an amazing job with storytelling, comedy and cinematography and as always Tom, Sophia and the rest of the cast have been absolutely killing it!! Let me know if you agree with me and don’t forget to maybe reblog and like and all that fun Tumblr stuff :) 

Disclaimer: This is no hate at all to anyone who worked on the show! I am a huge fan but these are just my opinions! :D

[sometimesraven]

how Empire of Death failed to mimic the scale of Infinity War, and what I would do differently

I'm just ranting here bc I had the thoughts and realised they were gonna go on too long for the tags of a reblog.

So I've already mentioned that the sand of death should have been the cliffhanger. The Sutekh reveal was cool and metal af, but imagine if it had gone on juuust a little longer and the credit theme rolls in just as Kate turns to dust. Imagine how much harder that would hit!

We would sit with that final image for a whole week, letting the shock and excitement build, even if we know they'd never kill both Kate and Rose and this would all be reset, the shock of the scene would still be impactful because we have time for it to truly sink in and hit us fully.

But I think the real reason Infinity War's ending hit harder than this is because we had real stakes. Thanos had been an imposing presence through the whole movie, killing or overpowering beloved and powerful characters we'd grown to see as untouchable.

Those stakes started at the literal beginning of the episode. Loki, a beloved character, is killed. The Hulk, who had literally JUST gone toe to toe with a god, is thrown aside like a toy.

The stakes remained through the story, when Gamorrah is killed, then continue all the way to the end when Vision is sacrificed only for that sacrifice to mean nothing.

Then the snap happens, some of the most beloved characters die in a slow, carefully crafted series of scenes with phenomenal acting.

And then the movie ends. We're left to sit with that for however long it takes for the finale, and even if we know most of the characters will be back it hurts because that emotion and tension and buildup comes to that horrible conclusion and leaves us to sit with it.

I'm not saying Sutekh should have killed anyone to raise the stakes. I'm saying that there was absolutely zero build-up to him within TLoRS itself, and therefore we as viewers don't truly know the stakes. The "He Who Waits" stuff was good to show us "hey, all these other gods are peanuts compared to this one", but that's about all we got.

And it's frustrating because not only has Doctor Who done this kind of high-stakes villain reveal and cliffhanger before in a much more effective way, but also IT WAS RUSSEL WHO DID IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

I firmly believe the finale should have been in three parts, not two.

I don't know if this is strictly Russel's fault or if Disney's restrictions were partly to blame, but let's look at how the Series 3 (2007) finale did what the Season 1 (2024) finale tried and failed to do.

Part One

Utopia plays out much like The Legend of Ruby Sunday does: they're exploring something self-contained but eventually related to the plot (end of the universe vs ruby's mother), they meet an enigmatic stranger who will later turn out to be the villain/part of the villain (Yana vs Triad), and the episode ends with the cliffhanger of them realising there's actually a Big Bad from the past that nobody was expecting (The Master vs Sutekh).

I think in the case of a 3 part episode I would have TLoRS end with Sutekh being revealed in a way that doesn't have him at his full power yet. I'm not sure exactly how I'd execute that but it would have the same impact w. Harbinger and Susan, only without Sutekh's full manifestation at the end; maybe he appears on the screens or in that smoky form around the TARDIS. Hell, maybe he would fully manifest but just be unable to dust the universe yet. I'd maybe even have him kill Kate and Unit there but not the world, to establish how powerful this guy is. I'd maybe have Ruby be with Mel instead of the Doctor, so that she's away from this initial death wave.

Part Two

The Sound of Drums then spends time establishing who the Master is for new viewers, and the kind of relationship he has with the Doctor. The stakes slowly build, any potential help is removed, and the Doctor's final plan is foiled, leaving him captured and powerless as the Master initiates the apocalypse.

Perhaps if instead of being with Susan, the Doctor tries to take back control of the TARDIS and ends up trapped with Sutekh controlling her?

Maybe they figure out how since Wild Blue Yonder, the TARDIS has specifically been taking them to places that would empower Sutekh with more death and chaos, rather than just where the Doctor needs to be -- the Maestro, Finetime, even Boom... all that death and chaos empowering Sutekh to finally take his god-form due to the invocation of superstition making his myth reality.

Maybe at this point it would show that the deaths in Unit were just the beginning -- that through those deaths Sutekh was able to reach back to the entire family line of each member he killed: Donna + family, even Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart had been killed before his time. This would establish in the Doctor some guilt that actually makes sense -- he didn't have to turn to Unit for help with Susan and Ruby's mother, but he did, and he didn't notice something was wrong with the TARDIS even though he'd been aware of her odd behaviour of late. He unwittingly brought Sutekh to UNIT and caused their deaths, sending that final ripple of chaos and death that allows Sutekh to take his final form. And now that he's gained enough power, he can coerce the TARDIS in giving her memory to him; of everywhere she's ever landed, past present and future.

The Doctor is forced to watch from the posessed TARDIS as first the Earth, then the Universe, is slowly destroyed, believing everything to be dead, including Ruby and Mel.

Part Three

In Last of the Time Lords, we focus on the Doctor's companions gathering hope and saving the world while the Doctor is helpless.

Unbeknownst to the Doctor, Ruby and Mel have made it back to UNIT. Maybe one of them remember how vivid the TARDIS seemed in the memory room and, in a last-ditch attempt to escape, try to enter it -- discovering the Memory TARDIS within.

This is why I have Ruby and Mel still reach the Memory TARDIS. Much like the companions do on their own in the Tales of the TARDIS clips I've seen, they realise this is a TARDIS made of memories and wonder if they can use that somehow. Ruby realises, as it begins to snow and the screens inside the ship turn on, that her strange memory power is keeping the TARDIS functional, and it shows them through the screens how to fly it.

Mel suggests this all seems to connect back to Ruby somehow, and the memory TARDIS responds positively. They start to go back through Ruby's memories in summary, trying to figure out what they're missing, and realise as her memories flick through on the screen -- one of them is unfamiliar. The Roger Ap Gwilliam realisation happens as normal, they go to find the medical record of Ruby's mum, Mel is fighting posession and decides to take HERSELF out of the room to "keep watch", knowing she won't be able to fight off Sutekh for long. Just as Ruby is about to find the name, she glances back at a noise behind her -- only to see Mel approaching her.

She just barely manages to grab the still-processing screen and escape, but now she's all alone and the screen has nothing to connect to. She never got her mother's name, but the records are still on there waiting to be processed. She realises Sutekh needs the records that are here, and that if Mel reaches her and gets the memory screen from her, she might get her mother's name and give it to him. She realises her only choice is to destroy the only records of her mother she has and accept she may never find her birth mother.

We have a tender moment of her with her face buried in her knees, crying amid the dust, she's all alone and she doesn't understand anything and she was so close but everything is ruined, it's like she's cursed -- she remembers her friends questioning her bad luck, wonders if maybe it was her all along and never the goblins. She wonders if the Doctor is alive, mourns that she can't turn to him, curses him for never finding out who her mum was sooner so they could avoid all of this, begs him to come back so he can tell her what to do because she has no idea who she is without someone to guide her.

Then remembers Carla. Maybe a flashback to something Carla said to her when she was younger; some motivational line about how she's not alone, she never has been; she's got a family even if it's not the one she expected. It doesn't matter where she comes from. It doesn't matter who her birth parents are. She has a real family to save, and that includes The Doctor. She pushes to her feet, still holding the screen, and returns to the memory TARDIS alone.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is being taunted by Sutekh. His only home; his safe place has been turned into a trap of torment and even as he tries desperately to gain some kind of control over her, Sutekh recites the losses and deaths the Doctor has caused. While he shows on the TARDIS screens all the places the sands of death have touched so far, he brings up Gallifrey, and the Flux, how Sutekh prides himself on being a god of Death but honestly he could never dream up something as destructive as the Doctor.

Just as the Doctor is about to give up, he sees Ruby, defiantly approaching Sutekh in the remains of UNIT's headquarters. His eyes gleam as he looks up to the bright red glow of his posessed ship's console, relief painted all over his face.

"I'm nothing like you," he says, even as he watches Ruby intensely; as worried as he is excited, "You exist to bring death and destruction and decay to this universe, but that's not me. Death and loss have followed me a long, long way but if there's one thing I have that you don't, it's hope."

Outside, Ruby is shouting and brandishing the memory screen. "Oi! You great big god of nothing! Is this what you want?"

She smashes it. Tough, she says. Sutekh roars and tears stream down her face. She's visibly terrified, but she stands tall.

"I was so confused," she tells him, "I kept thinking: why me? What's this got to do with me? But I think-.. I-I think I know why you're so interested in my mum. I think I know why I'm still alive."

She delivers a speech about what she's seen and learned from the Doctor: what survives of us is love. She realises that Sutekh is so interested in her mum because the one thing she feels deep in her gut is that her birth mother loves her, and the one thing he can't understand is love surviving despite grief. Ruby loves her mother despite never knowing her, Ruby loves her adopted family, Ruby loves the Doctor, and love is survival and love is life.

It starts to snow as she remembers everything she possibly can; every little gesture from people she loved and lost, every story she made up about her mum, every time Carla has been there for her, every time her friends have ditched parties to come stay with her overnight because she's staying in a hotel somewhere and she's scared to be alone. Sutekh roars and is clearly weakening but it's not quite enough, and the Doctor finally manages to break free of the TARDIS as Sutekh's hold on her weakens. He reaches for Ruby, cradles her in his arms as she runs to him, kisses her on the head and tells her how brave she is and how proud he is, then pulls her to the TARDIS console.

The ship immediately takes off, trying to shake off Sutekh while Sutekh tries to shake Ruby and the Doctor out of her. They're careening through the vortex, TARDIS doors stuck wide open, and the Doctor quickly slips a Mavity glove onto Ruby's hand, yanks off a panel of the TARDIS, and presses her hand to the psychic membrane underneath. He tells her to hold on for dear life and remember everything. The TARDIS amplifies her memories, feeds that love and life straight into Sutekh, and the Doctor gives one last speech about how humanity survives over and over despite their mortality, how human love is life, how Ruby is life. As Sutekh begins to break apart, we see people start to return from the dust.

As the story comes to a close, the Doctor apologises to Ruby. He suggests that maybe they could go forward and find that DNA result again, but Ruby declines. She says it's not fair to use something that was taken from her mum against her will as a tool to find her. She accepts that she might never find out who her birth mum is, but that's okay -- because she's realised her real family have been with her all along. The abandonment will never leave her, but after losing the whole world the only thing she wants right now is to see Carla again.

They part ways with Ruby cautioning the Doctor that maybe he should go find Susan some day. She must be feeling pretty abandoned too. And the episode ends basically the same way, only with Ruby making peace not knowing who her mum is -- meaning the mystery is left open for now in a more satisfying way.

I dunno. This got away from me a lil. I just think there's so many places this story could have been taken and it missed the mark in so many ways.

[insanityclause]

It was the end of production on the first season of “Loki” in Atlanta. Writer Eric Martin and producer Kevin R. Wright walked up to Tom Hiddleston, who was standing outside of the soundstage on a tea break. “This is the last day of Season 1. What are we doing for Season 2?” Martin asked.

Hiddleston responded by quoting from “Four Quartets” by T.S. Eliot: “We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time.” Wright and Martin paused and asked him what he meant by that, and Hiddleston replied, “I don’t know. I think we just have to bring it full circle. There has to be some sort of poetic catharsis and redemption to this long journey of struggle and pain and self-discovery. Let’s aim for that.”

And that’s what they did.

This season, he travels to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 and teams up with a benevolent variant of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), the timekeeper who Loki bested at the end of Season 1. He makes friends, loses them and hops around timelines and multiverses. At the end, he takes responsibility for himself and the timelines he was so desperate to save to ensure the safety of his friends.

This is the most layered version of Loki, whom Hiddleston has been playing since “Thor” in 2011, and the perfect sendoff for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved bad guy. It’s playful and poetic, moving and eye-popping. And it could also earn Hiddleston his first Emmy nomination since “The Night Manager” back in 2016.

Hiddleston calls playing Loki “the great surprise and delight of my whole life.” He was first cast in 2009, when he was 28 years old. “I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to play this complex, deep, ancient, elevated character that represents playfulness, spontaneity, unpredictability,” Hiddleston said. “What a sandbox to play in.” But he didn’t think he’d be playing the character 15 years later. 

“The great surprise for me is that it’s been a joy every time,” he said. “It’s never felt like the same job. It’s always felt new. It’s always felt inspiring for different reasons — different actors, different stories, different themes. And yet all the way through a depth and a range of feeling.”

When the team was working on season 2, Hiddleston wrote “glorious purpose” on a whiteboard in the writers room. It was a callback to the first Avengers movie, when Loki tells Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) that he is “burdened with glorious purpose.” 

“The glorious purpose he always wanted has no glory in it. It has only burden,” Hiddleston said. “He would finally end up in a position of responsibility and in a position of belonging. But he would be alone in his belonging.” That, Hiddleston said, was a jumping-off point and would guide the show to its conclusion. Martin told him, “The first season is Loki learning how to love and the second season should be Loki learning how to lead.”

“We’re given this extraordinary privilege and opportunity to create fiction,” the actor said. “But you want the fiction to resonate for people in their souls and in their lives.” In other words: glorious purpose, fulfilled.

This story first ran in the Drama Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.

[charcubed]

Look, I personally lose nothing if Lokius doesn’t become explicit canon. And if that were to become the case, I’d also have no regrets for saying for years that that would happen in the show by the end ¯_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve said it before, but by now it would be Disney/Marvel’s loss, NOT mine. Whoever wasted or limited the potential would be the idiot, not me.

I’m simply never gonna feel crazy for noticing what’s happening in a story or silly for daring to hope it’ll be brought to fully satisfying narrative completion. That's just a me thing. Maybe this is because at heart I’m stubborn! But I’d like to think I’m not unreasonable. I can’t control whether writing stays consistent or censorship is overcome... But I just do my best to construct solid arguments, and as long as those arguments remain solid, I stand by them :)

I know not everyone would say the same, or they consider this to be "hope" or "optimism," but I see it as logic based in noticing what the text of a show/story is doing. And personally I also consider blatantly evident subtext to be "canon enough," so if we get my personal minimum, my happiness may still outweigh any potential disappointment for me.

However. Here's what I've come here to say today, in reaction to things I've seen floating around in the fandom:

While I do understand on some level why people worry that Lokius won’t be more explicitly canonically romantic because it could be censored by Disney.... At this point, I don’t understand how people can think Loki/Sylvie will still happen.

As of right now, there’s no way to argue for that in my opinion. (I'd like to see someone try.)

The show has set up a fun but very simple situation from basically the start:

They made romantic love a point of relevance in the show’s story. More specifically, they pointed out Loki's desire for a "real" romantic love, and had him learn the lesson that he doesn't deserve to be alone. They didn't HAVE to do all of those things and tie them together. They CHOSE to make romantic love relevant – and they have actively continued to choose to do that, to the point of including a mirrored dark love triangle in s2 ep3. That narrative thread simply has to be fulfilled.

So if they deliberately established that Loki wants and needs a “real” love, and his relationship with Sylvie was referred to as "fiction" so she cannot be a real love for him.... Who does it have to be?

Obviously it has to be Mobius. And of course, the whole show points to Lokius also, for countless more reasons than just this simple breakdown. But pointing this element out is the simplest argument one can make.

So either...

1. They take Lokius to full narrative completion with explicit canon, as they should and as I expect them to,

or

2. Loki's desire for a real love is left unfulfilled, open-ended, and/or made clear through subtext that it's Mobius.

Those are the options, if you ask me!

This is aside from how Lokius’ love story is now even at the core of the show’s themes and plot, which is an insanely strong vote in favor for their future canonicity.

But for the purposes of this post, I’m talking about whether we'll get explicit romance specifically, like a love confession or a kiss – and I do actually genuinely think we'll get both of those things. I'm not trying to force you to agree with me, but just to be clear, that's where I'm at with it and have been since 2021 lol.

So in regards to worrying about Loki/Sylvie...

They were never really a romance (yes, even in season 1) and they sure as hell aren't now. I can’t imagine they'll become one even IF Lokius is left subtextual.

So what actually remains to be seen is if the writers got to go all the way with Lokius, or if that central queer love story was censored on some level in the end.

My hot take is no one should be ~worrying~ about Sylki at this stage of the game. Free yourselves, people.

If the story starts abruptly going in a Sylki direction, even with only 3 episodes left, I will certainly be the first to say so lol. But I simply sincerely, truly doubt that'll happen.

(Hot take in the footer: this is not the post to get into this at length, but in case this comes up… In this house we do not use the word "queerbaiting." It is a useless, nearly-meaningless, insufferable term that devalues the legitimacy of subtext and queercoding more often than not; it's rooted in the idea that media must hit arbitrary and inconsistent checklists often set with cishet approval in mind; and it perpetuates a focus on the false and harmful myth that many creators are "cowards" instead of leaving room for nuance and the fact that industry censorship still exists.)

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Sylki Pie Room Analysis (Loki 2x4 Spoilers)

I have to talk about the pie room scene between Sylvie and Loki in 2x4, because I can't tell you how much I loved that scene between them and I have thoughts, so many thoughts.

Obviously these are all just my own opinions and interpretation of the scene, I'm not here to tell anyone else how they should interpret it themselves, just sharing my own thoughts.

What I love about this scene is how it shows just how much Loki has grown over the course of the Loki series. But I also love what it says about Sylvie's character development, which is just as important. I'm going to break this up into sections to hopefully make it a little easier to follow.

Doing What's Hard.

I want to start with the part where Sylvie confesses that she couldn't kill Victor and why she couldn't kill him, because this was really interesting to me. If we remember back to 1x6 when Sylvie is about to kill He Who Remains, she asks him if he is going to beg for his life. In that moment it seemed to me almost like she wanted him to beg, she wanted to see his fear, for him to be afraid of her. I think this is because of the fear she felt constantly being hunted by the TVA, she felt afraid for so long and that was because of He Who Remains. So now she wants him to feel that same fear, to know what he put her through for all those years. It really reminds me of what Loki says to Mobius in ep 1 about not enjoying hurting people but doing it because he felt he had to in order to keep up the illusion, the trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear, or as Mobius puts it, a desperate play for control. In that moment Sylvie wanted control over He Who Remains.

It's interesting then that when she comes face to face with his variant, its Victor's fear that stops her from killing him. Because in that moment seeing his fear, seeing him talk about how he isn't He Who Remains, hasn't made the same choices as HWR and can make his own choices, reminds Sylvie so much of herself and how if she did kill Victor she wouldn't be any better than HWR. But I also think seeing Victor's fear reminded her that he was human. To her HWR was the monster who had destroyed her home, killing her family and people and who hunted her down her whole life. The fact that he didn't show any fear only cemented that image in her head. But Victor was afraid, he was human.

Yet in this moment we can see that Sylvie is doubting her decision to spare him, she thinks it makes her weak, which I think is why Loki tells her the story about Thor and how Loki mocked him for being 'soft' when he returned to Asgard. I think he tells her this story to show her that he understands how she feels because he too used to think that being 'soft', showing mercy, caring and trusting in others, is a weakness. We know Sylvie feels like being these things is a weakness because she says, 'soft gets you killed.' She has had to harden up over the eons she's been hunted in order to survive, so it makes sense that she thinks this way.

After she says this Loki reassures her by reminding her that by sparing Victor she also saved the remaining branches and all the lives exsisting on them. What I love about this moment is that Sylvie doesn't need to say that she feels weak for sparing Victor, Loki just knows that is how she is feeling and also knows just what to say to get through to her, he's basically telling her, you're not soft, or weak, you did a hard thing and spared more than just Victor's life in the process.

The next moment I want to talk about comes directing after this one. Realising how much faith Loki is putting in OB, Casey and Victor, Sylvie looks confused. She seems to be figuring out why Loki would trust them. I don't think she is judging him for his faith though, I think she is trying to understand it. The TVA has, needless to say, traumatised Sylvie and hurt her deeply. But the thing that helped Sylvie and Loki bond in season 1 was that the TVA had also hurt Loki, it was their mission to bring down this organisation that had ruined both their lives that brought them together. Sylvie is really struggling to trust the TVA and so she wants to understand why Loki does. She reminds him about Dox, and how those billion of lives lost were the fault of the TVA. Again this makes sense because in ep 2 Loki told her that the TVA was the only defence for the branches and yet it was a member of the TVA that pruned them, which only deepened Sylvie's mistrust of the TVA. She believes its too corrupt to fix.

But once again Loki knows exactly what to say, pointing out that there are branches that still survive and that is because of Mobius, B-15, OB and Casey who are all part of the same TVA but who are fighting to protect those lives.

I really enjoyed the push and pull between them both in this scene and how it leads into the conversation about burning things down being easy and that trying to fix what's broken is hard, hope is hard. I loved that part of their conversation. You can see that it really does get Sylvie thinking, that she's listening to Loki and actually taking in his words and considering them.

But she still has a lot of mistrust that has to be worked through. Hope is a very foreign concept to her and again that comes down to her past, if she had relied on hope in the past she never would have survived. She survived by relying on herself. So this idea of giving up control and instead relying on hope, relying on others, is very scary to her, its hard for her. But she is still willing to hear Loki out and so she asks about what they are going to do with Victor, are they really going to show him all of this then just send him home. But I do think Sylvie gets a little triggered by Loki's response of we can watch him and protect him as she sees this as 'interfering for good'. It's too close in her eyes to what the TVA was doing before. Always watching and always guarding, controlling how others live their lives.

It's interesting to me that at this moment Loki gets frustrated with her, up until now he's been calm and collected and responded to her viewpoint reasonably. But it's here that he gets frustrated, his tone gets a little more heated and he also looks and moves away from her. I do think there is a reason why he gets frustrated at this particular moment, but I am going to talk about that a little bit later on.

Loki is of the view that you can't just give people freewill and walk away, that it doesn't work that way. In an idealistic world maybe, but in the real world its not that simple or easy. I think some of Loki's frustration comes from the fact that Sylvie was the one that caused the branches to be freed, she is the one that wants the branches to be protected and says she cares about the lives on those branches, yet whenever he asks for help she seems reluctant to help, it seems to him like she just wants to walk away from the responsibility, from doing the hard part.

But I don't necessarily think that is true, I don't think she wants to walk away because its too hard, I just don't think she trusts the TVA, she is struggling to see the TVA as the solution and as this protector like Loki does.

We Are Gods

As I said above one of the great things about this whole scene is the way it shows just how far Loki has come and how much he has grown as a character. I think one of the things that shows just how much he has changed is the conversation they have about how they have to do better, to be better than HWR. Sylvie points out that no matter what they do they'll be playing god to which Loki replies, we are gods.

What is so significant about this line is that if 2012 Loki had said it he would have meant it boastfully, as if being a god made him surperior and better than everyone else. As if being a god gave him the right to rule over and dictate the lives of those who he considered beneath him. But this Loki doesn't mean it like that. He lets out this resigned sigh right before he says the line, because now he really understands what it means to be a god, to be a king. It's not about power or recognition, its about responsibilty, its about protecting others, looking out for them and often doing it thanklessly. It about having the responsibility of making those really hard choices, of being the ones to solve the problem, of having the responsibilty of carrying the burden for those who can't. This was something that 2012 Loki didn't understand but that our Loki has come to learn and I just love that growth.

But this concept of gods and the role they play also tells us alot about Sylvie and her character. We can see that she looks genuinely distressed at the idea of them 'playing god.' I think this is because of the way she sees the role of a god and its similar to how Loki used to think. She thinks a god is someone who ruthlessly rules over others, who dictates and controls their lives, who makes up their own rules and enforces them when people don't live within the constraints they've created for them. She sees it this way because its what HWR did to her, dictated her life, claimed to have written it all out for her and then tried to erase her when she didn't follow the path he had set out for her. Although I don't think He Who Remains was a god it was very much a role he played into. Sylvie is just so desperate to not be like HWR that I don't think she really knows what to do with herself, it seems to me like she is just second guessing every decision and as a result she isn't really doing anything, she's struggling to make any decision at all. This could be because of her decision to kill HWR. In the moment she was so sure that she was making the correct choice, that freeing the timelines was the right thing to do, but since then the problem with the loom has come up, threatening those very timelines she wanted to free, a variant of HWR showed up just as HWR warned them and I think that has lead to Sylvie just having alot of self doubt that she doesn't want to face, so instead she's just kind of burying her head in the sand so that she doesn't get overwhelmed by the guilt of thinking this is all her fault because she 'played god' when she killed HWR and its created a whole load more problems.

There is another really interesting way that they showed the difference in Loki and Sylvie's journey in this scene though. Though I could just be looking into this way too much but it was something I noticed and that is the, I think they call it blocking, of the scene. The positioning of the characters and the way they move.

When Loki first comes into the room, where Sylvie already is, he actually moves away from her, over to one side of the room, but then turns to face her. What is interesting is that as he moves away from her, she actually follows him but stops in the centre of the room. It creates this idea that they are both mirroring each other, that she is following him, but they don't quite meet just yet.

Loki actually moves several times during this scene, whilst Sylvie stays fixed on that one spot. I think this is meant to show how Loki has gone on a journey and changed, he hasn't stayed in the same place he was at at the beginning of season 1, whereas Sylvie is currently stuck in one spot and still at the start of her journey.

The first time Loki moves is right after Sylvie talks about his faith in OB and Casey and as he brings up how Mobius, B-15 and the guys are protecting the timelines. I think its significant that he moves at this moment as it represents the first step or milestone in his journey, the moment he learnt to trust, to put his faith in others and to come to care for others.

He moves again when he tells Sylvie that you can't give people free will and then just walk away and when he talks about needing to do better and protect the timelines. Again I think this shows the progression of his journey, now instead of playing the part of the villain, of wanting to control and rule over people, he is playing the part of the protector, he has literally bettered himself.

As a sidenote, something significant for Sylvie's character in this scene is that although she is stuck on that one spot, she shifts as Loki moves to keep herself facing him, so its like she is following his journey which could be a hint that eventually Sylvie will reach the same place Loki has.

The final time he moves is when he approaches Sylvie and then says the line 'we are gods.' I think there are a couple of things that are significant here. The first is that again this represents the final step in Loki's journey, him realising the true meaning of being a god and the responsibility that goes with it. The second is that he moves closer to Sylvie so that he is standing with her now. He brings them together, literally closing the distance between them. I also think this ties in with what I said just above about Sylvie eventually reaching the same place Loki has, in this moment they are standing in the same place. As the camera pans out we are shown them standing together as one unit. Which brings me to my next and final section.

All The Things They Didn't Say.

So ever since the citadel where Loki betrayed his promise to Sylvie when he didn't stand with her against HWR and Sylvie betrayed Loki's trust when she kicked him through the time door, these two have had this huge distance and barrier between them. They both feel betrayed by the other, they both feel hurt by the other and since then they've just continued to have disagreements with each other and haven't really spoken about their issues.

What I thought was interesting about the scene in the pie room is that although it could seem like they are having a disagreement like all the other times they've talked this season, its actually the first time they communicate openly and clearly with each other. I also think its the first time they really stop and listen to what the other person is actually saying and then explaining themselves in turn. Loki is listening to Sylvie's concerns and then reassuring her and explaining to her his way of thinking. Sylvie in turn is actually taking in Loki's point of view and making an effort to understand them and I think Loki really does give her some food for thought here. They aren't hurriedly screaming at each other whilst one of them tries to kill somebody and the other stands in their way, they aren't being interrupted with the news that an attack is going to be carried out on the branches. Despite the seriousness and urgency of the Loom's possible destruction, they are having a calm conversation. I personally love that progress.

But as I mentioned above there was one moment where Loki does get frustrated with Sylvie and he gets just a tad heated. I did promise I would come back to it and here is why I think it is significant that he gets frustrated at that moment. It is as he says the words 'walk away' that the frustration comes in and he himself actually moves further away from Sylvie and he turns away from her too, breaking their eye contact for a moment. I think the reason why he is upset is actually because he believes she walked away from him finding a new life on her branch where she is happy without him. He feels like she abandoned him just like he feels like she is abandoning the job of keeping the branches safe.

At the start of the scene Loki says that he asked for Sylvie's help but she walked away, her response is to point out no she didn't she was there, to which he counters only because she couldn't kill Victor. To me Loki seemed a bit bitter when he said this and it reminded me so much of the moment on the Ferris wheel when Sylvie asks if Loki cares about anything other than the TVA. In both these instances I think they both wanted the other to say that they were there for them, that they had shown up for them. The sad part is that actually I do think they did show up for the other person, because they wanted to know the other person was ok but they've been unable to communicate that to each other. So Sylvie is upset and hurt because she thinks Loki only came looking for her because he cared about the TVA and Loki is upset because he believes Sylvie only showed up because she couldn't kill Victor and still doesn't trust him and not because she actually wants to help or be near Loki.

I do think some parts of this conversation are acting as a film for what they really want to say to each other but can't seem to find the confidence to. There's alot of subtext here in my opinion.

One of those moments is Loki telling that story about Thor going soft. The part Loki left out was that the thing that made Thor change was meeting and falling in love with Jane. I think what Loki wants to say but doesn't here is that it wasn't just Mobius, B-15, Casey and OB that changed him, it was meeting and falling in love with her. He has grown because of her, his change began when he heard her story, when they worked together on Lamentis, when he for the first time began to care about someone other than himself, he just wanted her to be ok. She was such an instrumental part of his character growth, just like Jane was such a big part of Thor's growth and I like to think that the writers were drawing parallel between the two couples here.

There's also the part where Loki is talking about how fixing what's broken is hard. Again I think this has some relevance to their relationship. Like Loki is almost challenging her, that fixing their broken relationship is hard but just like fixing the TVA could make it into something better, something stronger, fixing their relationship could make it better, make them stronger. At the moment they are both taking the easy path of keeping those barriers between them up, because they trusted each other before, opened themselves up to another person for the first time and fell in love and in the end they both got hurt. So its easier to keep their distance and stay closed off from the other instead of trying to fix what's broken between them and potentially opening themselves up for more hurt.

Loki also says that hope is hard, but I do think that there is a little bit of hope for Sylki's relationship in this scene, its subtle but its there. And that little glimmer of hope comes when they are talking about having to do better and about playing god. They use two terms that I think are really important, 'we' and 'us'. Loki doesn't say I have to do better, or you have to do better, he says we have to better. Sylvie doesn't say you're playing god or I'm playing god but we are playing god. And again Loki doesn't say I am a god or you are a god but we are gods. Despite the distance between them, despite them struggling to get back to a place they were in their relationship before, they are talking about themselves as one unit. It's a discussion about what they are going to do together. This is actually a subtle shift from earlier in their conversation where Sylvie says what if you're wrong and what if I'm wrong or when she says you're going to show timely all this. Here she is talking about them as two separate units, which I think shows that shift in her thinking where she starts out seeing Loki and the TVA on one side together and her on the other at the start of the conversation, but come the end of it she is seeing her and Loki on the same side. I also think it adds more significance to that shot towards the end of the scene where they are both standing in the same spot, close together.

Anyway, as I said before it is possible that I am looking way too much into this, I have watched that scene more times than is healthy so. But I did really enjoy seeing Loki and Sylvie working together again in this episode, there were other little moments between them that I really loved. Like when Sylvie first shows up when they are talking to Victor Loki actually looks at her twice. He looks back when she first approaches, then back to Victor, but then you see him turn to look at Sylvie again like he just had to double check she was still there, which I don't know, I found it cute. Also when OB brings up Sylvie killing HWR Loki quickly looks over to her like he wants to check she's not upset, of course she's just looking smug about it. There were lots of little looks like that throughout the episode. Him making sure she was ok when she got stuck in the elevator was another cute moment. I also loved them shouting down the phone together at OB when he said he'd have to turn off the dampeners that prevent magic and watching them team up against brad. So I am really excited to see where they are going to take their relationship in the next couple of episodes.

I know some people are worried that they haven't got enough time to reunite them romantically and that it would seem too rushed, I personally am not too worried about that. I think I'd be more worried if they had never developed them romantically before but we've got season 1 as a foundation to build upon, is not like they have to develop a romance from scratch. Also they did a really good job of building alot of their romantic relationship in ep 3 and 4 of season 1 without it feeling rushed so I am choosing to have faith in the writing team that they can reunite them in a satisfying way in the last couple of episodes, as I do think they did make alot of headway in this episode in bringing them back together.

Anyway I have rambled on enough now, so this is where I am going to leave it. If you have read all the way to end, thank you for your time, I know this got long.

[rocketrouquine]

So I watched the 2 last episodes of Loki (including the finale) and well I have thoughts.

All in all, except for the beginning and the last two episodes, I really thought it was not as good as the first one. (Probably because Majors as Timely was excruciating, I hate when actors are trying stuff like this, it feels forced, it doesn’t work, I wanted to punch him every time he was opening his mouth) BUT …lokius. Yeah let’s talk about it.

It’s crazy to me how in the first season I was all for sylki because I thought their relationship and feelings were really well done and realised (whereas I saw what the mobius shippers saw but thought that it wasn’t really there there) BUT in the second season, I felt absolutely nothing between Loki and Sylvie. There was no more chemistry at all (it was like it never existed in the first place, it was bizarre) and even the actress playing Sylvie played it like a sibling or a good friend kind of fed up, just want to be left alone, not missing him for a second. And Loki pining for her but like a nerd is pining for a cheerleader in a bad teen movie (like boy, you’re not obligated to love her, you know), like you don’t even understand why except for the fact that it was here (emphasis on the was)

NOW Mobius and Loki in the second season ??? BAM 💥 Like sheesh everything : chemistry, banter, touch, exchanged looks,protectiveness, an ease like they are really soulmates. You could feel it all in every single one of their exchanges, it really was like watching a romcom where the protagonist fails to see what is in front of him and I was getting frustrated each time he was going all misty eyes for her, I was like « come on man let her go, we don’t fucking care about her anymore !! » Then, the finale…. The scene with Loki coming to see Don at his place with all the tension of a « is he here for this or ? What should I do? » gay panic, with Loki fucking putting his hair back and taking a breath before going to see him, like WHAT ?! That’s not what a friend does before seeing one other !!! You know what you are doing, so commit for fuck’s sake. But well… then they did (sort of) with the end of the finale. And it gutted me.

The moment with Sylvie and Mobius looking at him through the window… we know you put her there because it would have been impossible to brush it off if it was just Mobius juxtaposed with Loki’s « for you » but we know. I mean the last exchange with Sylvie at Don’s place before Mobius is saying « let time pass » (gu-tted I tell you). You can see that Sylvie is like « whatever » and Mobius is devastated. Also the shot of him in the dialogue was just all Loki’s colors green and yellow (hers was in a normal sunlight, his backlit) That is not an accident, to have these colors you have to plan it the day of the shoot and enhance it in color grading during post. This was a choice.

Anyway, I am not a sylki shipper anymore (and I even question why I ever was, after seeing the second season : I’ll probably cut myself some slack if I do a rewatch of season 1 because it was well executed at the time) and I’m diving in the pits of despair of Lokius. These fuckers.

[littlebean2905]

Loki S2 isn’t really about romantic relationship

I just saw someone here talk about that (I think it was @ftmwillz ) and I was like, omg it’s brillant I have to write about it !

The theory is that this scene isn’t actually Loki standing between his 2 love interest and having to choose between them, but actually a scene kinda like angel and demon and the shoulder

And this makes totally sense if you think about it:

On one side, you have Sylvie ("the demon"), which represent what Loki used to be (full of pride, of anger, blaming everyone for the situation he actually did put on himself, violent)

On the other side, there is Mobius ("the angel") which here is what Loki has become / is becoming ( patient, calm, using his power not for himself but for the other)

And this can also explain the whole dynamics of the show.

On season 1, Loki is clearly running from himself or to be more precise, from what he could become. We can clearly see that by the scene in season 1 episode 2 where Loki runs from Mobius. And this is also why Loki clings to Sylvie the whole first season. He doesn’t want to be better, he wants to go back to what he used to be because it is easier. The pressure Mobius represent for Loki to be better is overwhelming and force Loki away.

But the change in him I think happened in the last episode. He embraces (quite literally) Sylvie, who still represent what Loki think he should be.

But he is actually being rejected (again quite literally) and this is when he realized that this is not him anymore, that the TVA has actually change him. And so he runs to Mobius, because he is the one closer to him now.

And this also explain why after Sylvie yell at mobius in season 2 ep 4 (that was mean >:( ) Loki runs after Sylvie, (because you can never stop to be your true self, and we all know Loki is not a pure sweetheart and will never be),not to confess to her but to explain to her why Mobius acted like that. He actually has mature.

Also Mobius may represent more that just Loki’s good side. He can also represent his fears. When you think about it, what Mobius is actually afraid of this season is the base of Loki character in the MCU: he just has learned that he has been lie to his whole life, and he runs from who is really is.

So to resume, the season 2 might not be about Loki having to choose between Sylvie and Mobius as love interest, but it’s actually Loki choosing between what he used to be and what he can become.