#loki and sylvie comparing their stories

[percheduphere]

The entire series is a love story in every sense of the word. It is a love story, and it is both triumphant and tragic.

The finale was gorgeously executed. It answers every point in Loki's development poetically.

1. He never wanted the throne. It was not about power but loneliness and the need to belong.

2. To have purpose is to choose your burden.

3. Love does not make one soft, it transforms us to be unimaginably strong.

S1 focused primarily on 2 things: 1. a second chance, and 2. Self-love.

The 3 main characters have a relationship in which love cascades. While Mobius loves Loki for who he is outright, his friendship and support allows Loki to have compassion for himself. Sylvie represents all of Loki's trauma and flaws. In loving her, Loki grants her a second chance expecting nothing in return. The second chance Mobius extended to Loki, thus extends to her.

S2 focused primarily on the love between friends, which I do believe turned into unrequited love for Mobius in S1E4 (manifesting as rage and jealousy).

That love turns resigned, and the jealousy reemerges in S2E2 albeit in a constrained, milder form.

Unbeknownst to Mobius, his romantic love is finally returned in S2E5, after Loki experiences enough platonic love for Mobius that the nature of affection shifts upon losing Mobius a second time.

The timing of this realization is profoundly tragic. When they are finally on the same page, the finale sets the stage for Loki to engage with the fourth, most powerful form of love:

AGAPE

A selfless love for everyone. Loki could not have reached this point without first experiencing self-love, platonic love, and yes, romantic love. All forms of love are demonstrated in the series, which gives Loki the strength of sacrifice, confronting his worst fear: being alone.

I find it deeply poignant that Loki uses his magical life force to create Yggdrasil, the tree of life, replacing the cold force of HWR's technology with his own heart, allowing everything and everyone to grow infinitely through space and time. There cannot be a more powerful ending for Loki's character, and the tragedy is the point.

But Loki embraces this burden willingly, lovingly, for all of them, most especially Mobius.

ON MOBIUS

It is only Mobius that senses something is deeply wrong. The first time, he asks, "Are you okay?" The second time, he notes Loki's odd comment, "This time?" The third time, (first for Mobius since he didn't remember each reset) instinctively, he becomes desperate. He grabs Loki by the lapels, "What the shit are you doing?" He tries to stop Loki, but Loki won't let him.

The fourth time, he simply says, "Loki?"

Throughout S2, it is Mobius that Loki turns to when he is afraid, doesn't know what to do, or seeks comfort. He returns what Mobius provides him in S2E2 in the pie automat. In S2E4, he defends Mobius's character to Sylvie and compares where he is now, as a person, with Thor's experience with Jane, a mere Midgardian mortal.

In S2E5, it is Mobius Loki timeslips to the most and the first person his heart seeks out once OB provides him with an answer to his fiction problem.

That Loki seeks Mobius's wisdom one last time and holds onto Mobius's hand as long as he can in the finale is significant. Mobius's words about choosing your burden are devastatingly true. These words propel Loki to make his choice.

And Loki walking out onto the platform in the finale is a direct reciprocation of this (S2E1):

This is an all-encompassing love story. Let noone tell you otherwise.

#loki #loki season 2 #mobius #sylvie #loki series #loki meta #loki spoilers #lokius #my meta #loki season two finale

[sunflowerdigs]

Something that I find kind of fascinating about Jane and Mobius is that, despite Loki comparing the two, they're almost complete opposites in every way. To the point where I think Mobius must have been deliberately written as a foil to Jane (despite not being in the same story with her (technically)). Jane is young and a bit naive, Mobius is old and fairly cynical. Jane is a woman, Mobius is a man. Jane works on her own outside of the major system (SHIELD) in the Thor movie, while Mobius leads teams within the major system of Loki (the TVA). Because Jane works outside of SHIELD, she starts off Thor less knowledgeable about the movie's universe than Thor himself: Mobius, in contrast, starts out Loki knowing more about the TVA than both Loki and the show's audience. Thor crash lands into Jane's life unexpectedly, a complete stranger to her; Mobius has studied Loki extensively and expects him (kidnaps him, kind of). Jane is surround by family; Mobius doesn't know who his family is. Jane has zero agenda with regard to Thor, while Mobius wants to recruit Loki. Heck, even their names are contrasting, one being very common, the other, not.

But they have one important similarity that, despite their vast differences, makes it obvious who Loki is thinking about in his own life when he makes the comparison in 2x04 - both Jane and Mobius come upon Thor and Loki at low points in their lives and believe in them when they're unable to believe in themselves. And it's through this faith and this trust that they work a change in both gods.

Thor and Loki generally operate as foils or mirrors (or mirror foils, lol), so it makes a lot of sense to me that their love interests would be highly contrasting characters as well. Originally, when I started looking into it, I was kind of alarmed at how few similarities Mobius and Jane shared, especially since Jane and Sylvie share a bunch. But two opposite characters who are able to give Thor and Loki (who are also opposite characters) the same thing when they need it makes much more sense to me than Loki's Jane being very similar Thor's Jane.

#lokius #anti sylki #it's not really anti sylki but just in case #anyway #my thoughts #loki series

[cleabellanov]

Mischief Managed: a brief post on why we're not alone in loving Lokius (we never are. we have each other. but I mean the producers this time)

Kathryn Blair: writer and script editor, and co head-writer for episode 4: The Heart of the TVA. Here are two of her insta stories, posted both in the same day:

Why this matters? This is basically confirming that when talking to Sylvie in the pie room, Loki compared Thor's love for Jane with his love for Mobius. This was in episode 4, the one she principally wrote.

Natalie Holt. We know Natalie, we love Natalie. In the images below you can see some posts she liked...suggestive, if you ask me

Isaac Bauman. Cinematographer. The same man that talked about how this rainbow:

took months of work to look like that... (like, 🤨🏳️‍🌈?)

Says this about Loki:

Chances are if you're reading this post you agree with me, but if by coincidence anyone thinks he's talking about Sylvie, can you please...open your eyes? Whatever was between Loki and Sylvie passed as quickly as it came, and maybe they remained friends, but...come on, they're not IN LOVE.

And, of course, ❤️Tom❤️

We know he knows. And he's handling it ✨beautifully✨

I know this is basically just...how do you call it? Bread crumb! (yes episode 3 reference pls tell me you get it) But it tells me that even if D!sney and Marvel make the rules, we play the game without them anyway so, yeah, there you go :))

#Marvel #MCU #lokius #loki #comics #lgbtqia

[technicalthinker]

I feel like debating who Loki was talking to when he said "For You" in the last episode, is missing the point of the scene. And people referring to it as "cowardly" and a "no-homo" moment is just?? Baffling to me tbh because like;

First of all, it is obviously intended to be to both of them? If they only wanted to make it about Sylvie, Mobius wouldn't be there. If they only wanted to make it about Mobius, Sylvie wouldn't be there. If they wanted to make it about everyone they would've just framed it more equally, he does do it for all his friends ("for all of us"), but they have that scene to highlight these two specific relationships. The framing is quite clear, they have him take a last look at all of his friends before going down the stairs, but Mobius and Sylvie runs after him to have a final significant moment.

Which absolutely makes sense and is consistent with the show we have seen so far, s1 and s2 combined, which is what I love about it. And it was to be honest a surprise! Going into this season, I had little hope for Loki/Mobius interactions, just didn't want to expect too much since S1 had a lot of their connection, but that could've been it. I was shocked when s2ep1 was full to the brim with Loki and Mobius scenes? And then they kept reinforcing every week that they care about each other, is a funny duo to watch, and are important to one another.

And despite this, I expected the rug to at some point be pulled, especially compared to Loki's relationship to Sylvie. No matter people's personal viewing on the show, she is still cited as a love interest by showrunners and is just portrayed as that by the narrative a lot of the time. Sidelining that, even in s2 when the romantic hints are more vague, she's still a very important person in Loki's life. She played a central part of the plot and Loki's own character development of understanding himself.

So to me, I was surprised seeing Mobius and Sylvie side by side in the end. Both being framed as The important people in Loki's life. Then, however you wanna see in what ways they are important is up to you, but they are the people he keeps coming back to for advice and self-reflection. You can frame it as "oh it should've been only been Mobius and they added Sylvie to downplay it", which, I just disagree with (If they wanted to go for explicitly canon Lokius they needed to set that up even more earlier in the season but that's a post for another day). Sylvie is still like, a constant in the narrative and driving force of s1, even if s2 changes things around a bit, and imo it would be inconsistent if she just vanished here. I guess I am used to media that downplays a meaningful dynamic between two dudes in more aggressive ways, which they absolutely could've done, and would've taken me out of the story to be honest... but they didn't, Mobius and Sylvie got to be side by side in the end and that imo validated the Loki/Mobius dynamic way more than downplays it.

TLDR; The "For you" was for both Mobius and Sylvie because why would you frame it that way otherwise, and having them side by side like that validates Lokius way more than downplays it in a "no-homo" way considering the full context of the show.

#marvel blogging #amanda rambles #loki #lokius #putting it in the tag in case people have other thoughts id be curious #ive been struggling with this post but needed to gET IT OUT bc it has been rattling in my brain #sorry if it ended up incoherent anyway #loki spoilers #kinda decided against putting it in the s*lki tag bc i feel like i downplay it a bit here and i know u dont want that #like i dont reALLY enjoy playing the 'my ship is VALID and sUPPORTED BY CANON' debating and i feel like i touch on it here. #but i kinda just want to like. throw my thoughts in #to why i DID feel good about this. #like whenever they do those almost looking into the camera no-homo moments it just breaks immersion COMPLETELY #if all the actors today said in interviews that it is never intended and would never be intended to be anything else that is one thing #but when a character says something like that that feels like it is ONLY to dismiss any chances in canon. even if unnatural etc. feels bad #and this wasnt IT #i know the big mcu show doesnt need me defending it but this sure reads like a defense of the show huh #tbh it started with the first paragraph bc this is also about media analsys #ALSO if u hc that it was to one of them it's like. ok. but like. #maybe not throw conspiracies out there. #also these posts AND tags are becoming longer. im losing my mind but it's fine.

[afirewiel]

Loki, Sylvie, Sylki, and the Future of the MCU.

Firstly, as you may have heard, the MCU is reportedly scrapping the whole Kang storyline and replacing him with Dr. Doom. I have no doubt that this is in response to the domestic abuse allegations made against Jonathan Majors. The issue, however, is how are they going to write Kang out of the MCU? They spent years, both seasons of Loki, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania setting up a multiversal war with Kang's numerous variants. So how are they going to swap out Kang for Dr. Doom? They can't just pretend Kang never existed or was a threat. That would be absolutely terrible writing. The only thing I can think of is to have the Dr. Doom variants take out the Kang variants because they want to be the most powerful.

My next point of concern is Sylki and just what the MCU is going to do with it. I know that it can't be the main focus, not with so many other characters needed to fight the war. But I do want them to at least acknowledge it was a romance. The writers of Loki have said several times that it is a romantic relationship. It just didn't feel that strong in season 2 and I think they need to actually commit to the bit. Especially if, as I suspect, this is might be the last phase and end of the MCU.

I really don't want Sylvie and Loki's first reunion since the end of season 2 to happen off screen. It's something they need to show. So either a) only a short amount of time has passed when we get the reunion or b) HWR's tempad cannot take Sylvie to where Loki is. I say this part because I really hate the idea of Sylvie not going to find Loki quickly. Even Sophia said in a recent interview that Sylvie wouldn't leave Loki alone for long and the only way I will accept her not doing so is if she is unable to go to him. Plus, imagine the drama of their reunion if that ends up being the case.

Of course that is assuming that we get show-Loki (which it sounds like we are). I wouldn't mind getting movie-Loki, but not just him. If we only get one Loki, I want it to be show-Loki. What's the point of making him the God of Stories and replacing HWR otherwise if they're not going to have him participate in the multiversal war? And I'd hate to have the only Loki we get be one who doesn't know who Sylvie is. If they brought in both Lokis, though, they could really have some fun with it. Just imagine Sylvie meeting movie-Loki, quickly realizing it's not her Loki, and going "Damn! Wrong Loki!" and he just goes, "What are you talking about? I'm the only Loki!" Plus, it would be awesome to see how the two Lokis play off each other. Especially considering just how different their lives have been after the battle of New York.

Speaking of different versions of the same character, I know because this is dealing with the mutliverse, we are very likely to get variants of the other characters. And I'm fine with that, but the one character that I want our version of and not just a variant is Thor. I want our Thor to meet show-Loki and learn what he's done. It just wouldn't hit the same with a different version of Thor. And think about how much our Thor has lost. He's lost both of his parents, Loki (multiple times), Heimdall, Vlostagg, Hogun, Fandral, maybe Sif, his home, and now Jane. Yes, he gained an adopted daughter at the end of Love and Thunder, but that's just one gain compared to all of his losses. He needs to gain more. He needs Loki back. He needs to meet Sylvie and take her to heart as a sister (which he would totally do).

All in all, I guess you could say that I'm mildly optimistic about the future of the MCU.

#mcu #loki #sylvie #sylki

[thot-son-of-odin]

Yeah actually the thing that I hate most about phase 3 and 4 is the lack of good costuming, not just in the ambiance (loki wears a fucking suit, sylvie is wearing some kind of cardigan) but also the actual asgardian armor looks like cheap plastic — none of it looks remotely like metal which is what it should be, and frankly it’s just lazy!! Compare Sif’s armor from Thor 1 to the armor she wears in tlat. Look at Loki and Sylvie’s helmets. Look at Thor’s! They look like PLASTIC!

And I know it’s because of ✨late stage capitalism✨ because paying for costuming and good costume design costs money and the mcu is OUTPUT PROFIT REPEAT but it’s literally so disappointing, I like the stories, i want to see the direction the mcu is going but every single thing they do makes it more obvious they don’t care!!! They have the prestige now, they don’t need to try anymore,,,,it’s just sad :(

#mcu critical #i just!!!! do better!!! it’s not fun!!! #the costuming is so fun! it adds depth to the character #shut up about low art there’s something to live in everything and I love costumes #thor

[darklinaforever]

"For Sylki is obvious: toxic, toxic and they're basically the same person"

Is it crazy how people can be so off base ? I don't know in what aspect Sylki, who actually bring out the best in each other is supposed to be toxic… ?!

This word is used so much today without people seeming to understand the definition, that's when same crazy…

Oh and the delusion of Sylki being the same person, is, I already explained, completely false.

The series and the creators have been very clear on this subject, yet people persist in saying the opposite which annoys me deeply.

Here is my post where I dismantle this idea of ​​Sylki being the same person :

In it there is even passages which roughly explains how Sylki is a good relationship :

Then I forgot to specify it in this post, but as much as Sylvie helps Loki to accept and love himself, the opposite is also true with Sylvie who opens up much more to the fact than her basic identity is that of a Loki when they are both facing death in episode 4 (while wondering what it really means to be a Loki). Essentially, she no longer internally denies this part of herself, without ceasing to be the person that she chose to be : Sylvie.

I would like to understand how this relationship is toxic ?! Once again, I'm tired of seeing people use this term loosely, simply because they don't like a fictional relationship. Is the Sylki relationship complicated ? Yes. Undeniably. But complicated doesn’t mean toxic.

It's like people who insist on saying that the Sylki romance is not the center / driving force of the plot… :

"I just wanna talk about the show without seeing 16379490405 posts about how “uwu he loves him/her so much, he/she is his new glorious purpose 🥹”. Like. That is SO NOT the point of the show, guys."

When it is in fact the case, the series shows it the contrary, and the creators confirm it.

Loki is in love with Sylvie and their romantic relationship is the fucking center / driving force of the plot, confirmed again by the creators themselves. The Sylki romance is the heart of the story, whether you like it or not. (Most of the interviews from season 1 and 2 will confirm this. Even if I am of the opinion that in season 2 they actually put this relationship aside, with the character of Sylvie... Probably because negative reviews about it in recent years)

Also... Sylvie was literally compared to Loki's new glorious purpose in season 1, in a fucking dialogue from episode 5, and yet the antis or the neutrals still make fun of the pro-Sylki for daring to say, that indeed, Sylvie was in some way Loki's new glorious purpose. As if films were being made when it was literally in a dialogue from season 1 ?!

I mean, Loki absolutely wants to return to the TVA, and we spectators know that it is to find Sylvie. (The last thing he did before ending up there, was literally trying to confess his feelings to Sylvie...) Much more than bringing down the Time-Keepers... Like he said later, he would go where she goes.

Even though the other Lokis don't know why our Loki want to return to the TVA so badly, when one of them asks if Loki wants to return in it because he left his glorious purpose there... and Loki replies that is something like that... What do you think that means ?!

Loki's glorious purpose in season 1 was simply Sylvie, whether you like it or not. Damn, once again it’s literally in the dialogue ! What ?! You think Loki just wants to return to the TVA to bring down the Time-Keepers and have his own time stream to control ? When Loki says that in truth he has no idea what he will do and that he and Sylvie could figure it out together ?!

This dialogue on Loki's glorious purpose is even essentially paralleled with the suggestion that Sylvie's only good memory is Loki... Personal questions that they are asked in the same episode to which they respond vaguely and to which only the viewer can understand the answer...

But no, I imagine that all these people who think they are more intelligent think that the only good memory of Sylvie is something off-screen never mentioned, and that Loki's glorious purpose is only to play the hero and become king...

Also, I don't see why I should moderate my comments and clarify that all of this is my interpretation to avoid offending people.

They do not hesitate to assert their opinion as the right one in a condescending and or downright rude manner.

I understand that everyone is free to have their opinion on a fictional story, but after a while, that doesn't mean that every opinion is really valid in the canon story, especially when there is nothing to support it. I'm tired of seeing antis and neutrals shaming people who really understand the story being told and its messages.

Because yes, once again whether you like it or not, Sylki is not the same person, incest / autocest / selfcest. Sylki is a romance, which is the very heart of the story of the series, and yes, in season 1, Sylvie was associated with Loki's glorious purpose. All this, I maintain, are facts, and not fucking interpretation.

And probably the thing that annoys me the most is everyone who dares to put their clearly denigrating opinions in the tag dedicated to Sylki, instead of the anti one. Honestly, don't you have anything else to do ?! Do you think you are mature ? Clever ? You are just pathetic.

#sylki #pro sylki #sylvie x loki #loki x sylvie #sylvie and loki #loki and sylvie #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #sylvie laufeydottir #sylvie #loki #loki series #loki show #loki disney+ #loki s1 #loki season 1 #loki season one #loki s2 #loki season 2 #loki season two #loki mcu #mcu loki #loki marvel #marvel loki #mcu #marvel #mcu marvel #marvel mcu #disney + #disney

[gods-of-mischief]

What happened with: Maybe we could figure it out together? [Thoughts after S02E06]

My impressions of the story that I loved so much and that destroyed me so emotionally.

Yes, the second series is brilliant outside - great acting, visuals, music, epic finale. Yeah, it's beautiful at first and I can understand so much excitement and ovations about how great it is. But… when I look at the first series and compare it to the second, there are so many things missing. Damn it!

First season had soul, the creators focused mostly on the characters, on their growth, on emotions, on details, on the play of colors. For example, the scene in the Citadel and the conversation between Sylvie and Loki… absolutely breathtaking scene that they turned into a farce in the second series. (When HWR had erased Sylvie from the scene it was so gross it almost made me jump out of my chair.) At what point did a show that was about two people and their journey become a show about one person? What happened with "You go. I go.", "Maybe… maybe we could figure it out together."?

Why did Marvel put out a novelization confirming their feelings for each other, all that unspoken words, if they didn't want to work with that relationship properly in the second season? The relationship between those two was the heart of the entire first season. Yes, Loki was looking for Sylvie… yes, he was looking at her with his sad puppy eyes every time he saw her… but so what… for what? If they never once discussed about things - what happened, about their feelings, anything about them at all? And at the end, out of the blue, "I'm doing it for you"… but all the time without you.

They use his love for her to learn to control the slippage, to work things out, to sacrifice everything for her and for his friends. But when has Loki ever had time to truly be friend anyone other than Mobius? Yeah, they were dealing with the same problem, but before his "rewriting the story", those people were almost strangers to him… and he sits there with Sylvie at the bar and tells her that he's all about his friends… where some deeper relationship is pulled out of absolutely nowhere.

They both mutually think the other doesn't need the other in their lives anymore, and the way Loki handles everything on his own makes it seem that way. Still, it's Sylvie who makes him start to change why he does what he does along the way. So why wasn't there a scene where he finally fills her in properly on all of this? Why did they show us that he "trying everything" at the Citadel when it didn't seem like that at all, and make Sylvie out to be some obsessed murderess who can't see or hear what's going on around her? Why were there so many allusions to enchantment when they never used it to allow Sylvie to finally fully understand Loki? And I can think of more and more questions like that! I don't even want to imagine what the "real memories" Loki left in Sylvie's head after all this.

I also don't understand how they made the main female character a completely peripheral character that they clearly didn't know how to handle or lead. They had her thrown in for a twist here and there, but otherwise they had her there for decoration? Such an interesting character that they turned into a looped figure that doesn't understand what's going on. A side character who just stood on the sidelines for nothing? The girl was a goddess, just like Loki, so what the hell? That's how untapped the potential is. It was a pain to watch and especially in the finale. Sophia, I'm really sorry. You and Sylvie deserved so much better. That mysogyny was disgusting.

I really tried to take all the episodes with a grain of salt, expecting that there was surely a reason… that everything would somehow become clear, that I couldn't judge without the whole context… but the whole picture just confirmed to me that the creators were just pushing the story and the characters into situations that absolutely missed the fundamentals of the first series.

Yes, it could have had exactly the ending it had, if it had to be. But the path should have been different. Why does he have close people around him and then he is alone in everything? I stand by the fact that this should have been handled by both of them. That they should have either ended up there "at the end of time" together or they should have given them some kind of goodbye, a scene where they talk about it, where Loki tells her he doesn't want her to go there with him, that he wants her to live (like when it was in NWH between Peter and MJ, for example, when he told her what was going on, what he had to do and they dealt with it together) or a scene where Sylvie was free to make her own decision. She should have been able to decide and have a say in all of this.

For me, this build-up was unprecedentedly cruel to them from start to finish. I have to say that the ending made me cry, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've cried at a movie or TV show. This completely destroyed me, how long nothing. What was it supposed to give me? No matter what I do, it will never be enough? Will I have to lose everything I want and live with my biggest fears forever? Or?

So… in summary, if you're all about the epic story and not the characters and real relationships, you'll probably be thrilled… otherwise, you might have the same mixed feelings as I did. I know that Marvel is no soap opera… but they often present love and relationships in a very painful way, I get really sick of it sometimes. It's not always about epic twists and sacrifices…

I'm still here. I love Sylki, I love Tom and Sophia. But the second season hurts like hell. I don't even know if I want to see it again. To be honest, I don't even know how to deal with it. Is there any hope? Who knows… it's getting harder and harder to hope.

#loki #marvel #sylki #sylvie #sophia di martino #tom hiddleston #loki and sylvie #spoilers #what happened

[therese-lokidottir]

Okey, I see a few postings that compared Loki x Sylvie bickering an d 'love story' with Percy x Annabeth, Leia x han, Flint/Ryder (i forget his name)x Rapunzel and so on, ummm no Loki x Sylvie is not romance and they not even considered dark and toxic romance too, simple because there's no chemistry more romance.

I think Waldron forgetting romance pillars, it's nice, respect and interest and Sylvie didn't give any of that

And please don't compared with how filnt and Rapunzel in love like 1-3 day

And don't compared with Leia and han bickering because they enjoying they bickering

And don't compared with how Annabeth scoled Percy, she still respect him and nice to him

Please Sylvie didn't have that at all, we only saw Loki give the three romance pillars but not with Sylvie

The thing about Han and Leia is that 3 years had passed sense the first movie and presumably that more or less that time had passed in-universe. Enough time has passed that you know these characters know each other and that the dynamic is their bickering is also kinda flirtatious. No one else says they in love, Leia doesn't say it until the end

Eugene/Flynn and Rapunzel, it's fairy tale, it's quick true but it's also very warm relationship. Once the two let down their walls and start to get to know each other, no one is mean to each other. In the spin off series it's a healthy relationship were the two always take the time to listen and understand each other and they support the other's interests and responsibilities outside their relationship

I don't know anything about Percy Jackson

Their so many problems with the SylviexLoki like the fact that their suppose to be in love after one conversation were her was nice to her and she just sat there. Sylvie never stops being prickly and judgmental to the person she only know for 12 hours. It's not the flirty fighting because Loki's not really sniping back and it's not a the simplistic narrative like in a Disney movie where you can believe a nice afternoon means true love. It's just a combination of elements that don't really go together.

As pointed out here, it not really about the realtionship. It about taking about how great Sylvie is and how she's so amazing

#asks #anti sylki

[disaster-bay-leaf]

late night thoughts about sylvie

- its even more clear this season that she is loki’s foil in every single possible way and its highlighted so many times

- i hate the idea of sylki selfcest as much as any other person, but you gotta admit that when disregarding all the outside-of-plot bullshit (disney being homophobic or just not caring about the characters) it is sort of an interesting dynamic (mostly during this season) because i think that trying to figure out how to act with a version of yourself, someone who you know to their core because you have the same one, someone you could have been but aren’t and desperately want to stop them from heading down a road you could have gone or have gone, is a sort of difficult experience

- so yeah ill be disappointed if sylki happens again because i think that it makes much more sense that they exist as the same person with the same thinking processes and mentalities but aimed at different goals - simpler put sort of the same plane but different direction, or same root different philosophy

- so i think its compelling and frustrating to have someone that you know has the potential of seeing your point of view perfectly and understanding you deeply but still taking the same base data (lets say) and interpreting them in a very different way

- i think the most clear example of that is the pie room conversation - they know perfectly well how and why the other is choosing the sides and interpretations and actions that they do, but in the end they reach vastly different conclusions

- and in that moment i think loki’s connection to sylvie is very clearly shown: not only he sees his past lost lonely self in her, he also understands her like he understands himself and wants to show her that his way might be better for them

- also of course in the “its time to write your own story” “i can rewrite the story” parallels

- and i think it would be fitting if both of their perspectives affected what will happen in the finale (although my own opinion is that loki is the one more in the right and given that he is the main character and had the greatest development he should have most of the impact on how the season is resolved)

- but i also think that ultimately the writers can take a different approach and make them unfoil lets say and find common ground which can of course unfortunately end with yet another moment of selfcest

- bonus thought is that the show has to somehow connect after this to the rest of the mcu so i dont think that any connection to sylvie will be very permanent i think shes going to be more like a stray cat that stumbles into the plot when it wants or is dragged in kicking and scratching when needed

but then again this is just a pile of semicoherent thoughts so take from that what you will

- bonus thought #2 once again when we disregard the outside of the plot, i think sylvie isnt meant to be exactly likeable (or at the very least, that isnt the purpose of the character) - she is meant to do precisely what she is doing, foiling loki (a character we obviously root for) and showing us his emotional and mental and philosophical insides through her reflection as well as being a sympathetic and understandable character because she shows us that alternative mindset that we might not necessarily agree with (or do agree with! it just gives us something to compare loki’s own decidions and perspectives to)

#it was very hard to focus that post only on sylvie and not mention mobius fjdjdjjdjd #loki tv #loki show #loki #sylvie #loki s2 spoilers #loki season 2 spoilers #loki spoilers #loki s2 #loki season 2 #mcu #marvel #bay rambles

[forevertrueblue]

Speaking of the Loki fandom...a few comments.

Let me preface this first point by saying I love this ship and support people shipping it. But that said...if you actually thought Lokius would be explicitly canon then you were playing yourself. Last season they said it wasn't romantic, and same with at the beginning of this season; they weren't queerbaiting you like a lot of other creators tend to when a ship like this gets popular. Yet somehow, some people were legitimately convinced it was gonna happen in a "big twist". (I feel like I hear a lot about this in fandoms with non-canon M/M ships but has that ever actually happened? I guess in Supernatural, kind of?)

I don't like ship wars or pushing the idea of them or whatever but I wasn't expecting Lokius fans to come out of this more satisfied than Sylki fans, on the whole. I was legitimately worried Mobius would be sidelined this season in favor of a giant Sylvie/Sylki-fest (more on that ship in a minute) but I'm pretty sure he got the second most amount of screentime (he was third last season) and he seemed to have more of an arc and impact on the story than she did.

Another preface: I love Sylvie and Sylki. Them being together at the end wasn't make or break for me, but I am annoyed their romance wasn't directly discussed by either of them and makes me kind of annoyed at all the effort I put in at the conclusion of Season 1 to understand and appreciate the ship (because from the interviews I just kind of assumed it was a fact of life that they'd be endgame and wanted to be able to embrace it best I could). THAT SAID this season proved to me that my theory from last season, that the Sylki shippers only looked "good" compared to the Lokius shippers because they were the ones getting what they wanted, was absolutely correct. I'm annoyed people, especially a certain writer, egged that shipping on so much via social media because it felt kind of like baiting (I may talk to him about this, idk yet) but I'm seeing some pretty vitriolic comments towards him and the other creators and that's just not cool. I hate to say "it's just a show" because I get very upset when people say that sort of thing to me...but I'm not spreading that kind of hate towards REAL PEOPLE sooooo

The vast majority of Loki fans seem to be either hyperfocused on shipping or Kang. Little to no in between. And that makes it hard to have actual conversations about the series with most people.

And finally, I'm sick of certain fans calling myself and others dumb for our feelings on how things played out. No, I wasn't just waiting for a happily ever after, I was open to a lot of things. Really, I think I've been very mature about the whole thing and I don't appreciate people treating me like I'm stupid over this. I'm already hurting and you're making it worse.

#loki #mobius #lokius #sylvie #sylki #marvel #mcu #fandom #me

[percheduphere]

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE LOKI SERIES' ROMANTIC TROPES AND JANE AUSTEN

I am going to compare the relationships and romantic undertones of Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius with my all-time favorite Jane Austen adaptation because the character archetypes and plot-points are strikingly similar with Ang Lee and Emma Thompson's 1995 Sense and Sensibility.

This sounds cracked, but stay with me. Tropes are tropes for a reason. They are often repeated in writing subconsciously because they are very old and near-universal story arcs regardless of the literary genre we are discussing.

Please note that this is not a 1-to-1 comparison. This is an analysis of basic archetypes, tropes, and plot-points: the barebones skeleton of story structure. With that said, let's dig in:

Loki = Kate Winslet's Marianne Dashwood

Sylvie = Greg Wise's John Willoughby

Mobius = Alan Rickman's Colonel Brandon

For those of you who have not seen (or read) Sense & Sensibility, the story is about a family of women who are rendered near-destitute when the patriarch passes away and, due to English law at the time, all the family finances fall to the only son. The only hope for the women to escape the edges of poverty is to marry into wealth.  

The Loki series’ main storyline is a far cry from that of Sense & Sensibility. It is first and foremost a sci-fi action-adventure, but don’t let that genre fool you. Well-written stories are always character-driven. The setting serves to establish the rules of the world and the tangible challenges the characters must confront to achieve their goal. The end goal for Loki is his ascension to the God of Stories (and time). Therefore, his character arc must follow a trajectory that prepares him for that ascension.  

Love, above all else, is essential for Loki’s journey. In order to understand and be capable of love, Loki must experience love in all its forms including but not limited to romantic. I've seen a lot of social media posters mocking shippers with comments saying, "the story is not about romance." I wholeheartedly disagree. While romance is not the main concern of the series, romance does serve Loki's character development.

It is critical that we remember romance does not require physical contact or even blatant declarations of love. If that were true, unrequited love would not be thought of as romantic, which we know is not the case. Further, it is possible for physical intimacy to exist without any romance at all. One does not require the other.

While dismantling HWR’s old regime is the Loki series’ “Plot A” thread, Loki’s emotional experience serves as the series’ “Plot B” thread. Love and romance exist in Plot B.

THE CHARACTERS & THEIR ARCHETYPES 

LOKI & MARIANNE 

Within Sense & Sensibility’s plot, one of the main heroines, Marianne, has the archetype of the mercurial, passionate, and freewheeling spirit. She is rebellious at heart, chaffing at society’s rigid expectations of emotional repression and polite rather than fiery courtship. Much like Loki with Sylvie, Marianne is drawn to John Willoughby because his temperament, values, interests, and talents very closely mirror her own.  

Like Loki, Marianne is emotional. Her emotions drive many of her decisions, some of which are rash and socially unacceptable for her era. 

Like Loki, Marianne detests social norms. Refusing to contain her nature for anyone, she is unafraid of the stares and judgment of others. 

Like Loki, Marianne is poetic, a lover of words and metaphor. 

Like Loki, Marianne is a hedonist. She will follow where her heart takes her regardless of the consequences. Just as Loki runs after Sylvie through the portal door, Marianne chases after Willoughby.

SYLVIE & WILLOUGHBY 

Willoughby fulfills the archetype of the ideal lover at first sight. He is young, handsome, strong, deeply romantic, and a lover of poetry, pleasure, and unfettered emotion. I will not go into the deeper details of his character and plot here as I don't find them relevant for the purposes of this analysis. The key point to remember is that Willoughby is meant to be Marianne's perfect match by virtue of similarity.

Like Sylvie, Willoughby is emotional and consequently chaotic in nature. At his worst, Willoughby is unafraid of hurting others in the pursuit of his desires. 

Like Sylvie, Willoughby chooses absolute freedom over the genuine love and care he has for Marianne (Loki).  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby views institutions with social authority with contempt.  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby judges character based on association with institutions rather than the individuals themselves. He holds repugnance for Brandon’s (Mobius’s) association with the military (the TVA). Fair enough, both the TVA and the military (especially the British military) are institutions that have committed horrific global atrocities.  

Like Sylvie, Willoughby is unable to separate the institution from the individual people living and working within it, who are capable of goodness.  

MOBIUS & COLONEL BRANDON 

Colonel Brandon, a decorated military officer, fulfills the trope of the “dark horse” in love. He is Willoughby’s opposite: older, "less physically attractive", reserved, practical, and orderly. The main character (Loki/Marianne) appreciates his friendship yet does not feel any romantic affection for him (Mobius/Brandon) until the primary love interest (Sylvie/Willoughby) abandons the relationship for absolute freedom.  

Like Mobius, Brandon is drawn to intelligent, artistic, footloose nonconformists. 

Like Mobius, Brandon accepts and loves Marianne exactly as she is, including her faults. He does not want her to change against her will and gently reprimands her older sister, Elinor, at such a suggestion.

Like Mobius, Brandon serves an institution with significant influence on the lives of others. 

Like Mobius, Brandon accepts that his love is not returned yet continues to express his love through his support of Marianne’s (Loki's) wishes, including his romantic rival Willoughby (Sylvie). 

Like Mobius, Brandon is seen as a dear friend rather than a potential romantic partner in the first 2/3rds of the story. 

Like Mobius, Brandon’s personal desires are secondary to Marianne’s (Loki’s) happiness. 

THE ROMANTIC PLOT 

It is understood by the audience that love is not only a feeling; it is also an action that requires incredible responsibility. In that responsibility, both lovers must choose to take into consideration the feelings, wants, and needs of the other.

The trope of a main character meeting their perfect match and falling quickly in love informs the audience that conflict must lie ahead, and that the third party of the love triangle will be tested for their worthiness as a romantic partner.

Loki & Sylvie and Marianne & Willoughby possess a fast, passionate, and explosive love.

Loki & Mobius and Marianne & Brandon posses a slow, steady, and gently burning love.

These two relationships, which are BOTH valid AND romantic, are set against one another to contrast each suitor's strengths and weaknesses, as well as to shed light on which suitor best meets the feelings, needs, and wants of the main character.

The main character's (Loki/Marianne) love interests inevitably collide in a tense confrontation. Being the Georgian Era, Brandon and Willoughby do not discuss their dislike for one another directly but with Marianne's older sister, Elinor.

Sylvie, on other hand, is not afraid to tear into Mobius, saying exactly what she thinks of him. Both directors of photography frame their shots in a near-identical fashion, demonstrating who are at odds and the individual (present or not) who is between them.

Whether in the realm of fiction or reality, the act of love inherently requires some degree of self-sacrifice.

While Sylvie performs self-sacrifice by pruning herself in hopes of finding and rescuing Loki from the Void, that self-sacrifice does not extend to her personal values and beliefs with respect to free will.  She therefore fights Loki, ultimately kissing him farewell before kicking him through a time door to get what she wants.

Likewise, Willoughby, cut-off from his family's estate due to indiscretions he refuses own, prioritizes wealth over his relationship with Marianne in order to continue his lifestyle of luxury and absolute freedom. Willoughby therefore marries the exceptionally wealthy Miss Grey to achieve this end, abandoning Marianne and breaking her heart in the process.

At the midpoint of each storyline (where the narrative turns), both Loki and Marianne have lost the person they felt most strongly about because they were not that's person's priority.

Marianne's quote in the above gif is significant. It is a poem she and Willoughby recited together when they first met. She recites it again, alone, as she looks upon the estate Willoughby has married into in the rain. The poem is as follows:

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. Oh, no. It is an ever-fixed mark that looks upon tempests and is never shaken."

This poem defines love as not fickle but persistent in the face of challenges and "never shaken".

THE DARK HORSE IN LOVE

Brandon, who falls for Marianne first, establishes himself as not only a friend of Marianne's but her whole family's. All of his actions throughout the film are performed out of love for Marianne, but these actions are not read as romantic by Marianne because there is no fast-burning fire and (seemingly) little commonality between them.

Marianne's mother cautions her, pointing out that the romances she cites all meet pitiful ends. In return, Marianne describes such love as not pitiful but "glorious."

Brandon and Mobius express their love for Marianne and Loki through practical means. Their actions are predominantly viewed as marks of friendship rather than marks of romantic love. It should be noted that in both cases, no verbal declaration of love, nor any physical declaration of love, such as a kiss, is ever made by either Mobius or Brandon on screen. Brandon's unrequited love, however, is readily apparent to everyone (the characters and the audience) due his presentation of the opposite gender.

Brandon, upon seeing Marianne struggle cutting reeds for weaving, offers her his pocketknife. Mobius, knowing that confrontation with Sylvie at Roxxcart will be dangerous, offers Loki his daggers for protection. 

Brandon, recognizing Marianne’s need for artistic pursuits, gifts her a piano. Mobius, recognizing Loki’s need for validation, provides him with words of affirmation, encouraging Loki’s talents in magic and cunning.

Brandon, acknowledging Marianne’s love for Willoughby, invites Willoughby to a picnic at his estate despite his distaste for him.  Mobius, acknowledging Loki’s love for Sylvie, frees Loki and is pruned despite his jealousy of her. 

Marianne, out in the rain and in distress over her loss of Willoughby, succumbs to a deadly fever. Loki, kicked through a time door and in distress over his loss of Sylvie, succumbs to time-slipping.

Brandon and Mobius actively make themselves available in response to their loved one's individual break-ups with ZERO expectation of having their love returned.

Brandon, concerned that Marianne's illness may kill her, rides nonstop for hours to retrieve her mother during a storm. Mobius, concerned for Loki's wellbeing, risks his life on the loom's gangway, risking exposure to temporal radiation and death.

In the end, both Brandon and Mobius are the triumphant winners of Marianne's and Loki's hearts.

Indeed, Brandon reads poetry to Marianne, and when he announces he must "away", Marianne worriedly asks "where?", demonstrating her desire for him to stay. Brandon teases her, fulfilling Marianne's need for romance and excitement by saying, "it is a secret."

Mobius, meanwhile, begins to open himself up to worldly pleasures, allowing himself to drop the strict, no-nonsense behavior he exhibited in S1. Loki, in turn, begins to provide him with the type of emotional support Mobius has consistently given him since the beginning (yes, he has a jealous meltdown, but he recovers relatively quickly).

The outcome of their successes, however, diverge due to their gender presentation.

Whereas Brandon happily marries Marianne ...

... Loki returns Mobius's selfless love with a sacrifice of his own, and they are separated.

#lokius #loki #mobius #loki series #loki season 2 #lgbt representation #lgbtqia #queer representation #lgbtqia representation #loki meta #loki analysis #my meta #my analysis #jane austen #sense and sensibility

[tallseaweed]

Relinquish Your Burden: Chapter 5

Word Count: 2.7k

Relinquish Your Burden - Chapter 5 - tallseaweed - Loki (TV 2021) [Archive of Our Own]

The first thing Mobius heard when he stepped through the Time Door was the crashing of distant waves. It was night, but the glow of street lamps and glittering stars illuminated a tastefully styled town square bordered by snow-capped houses. Loki and Thor were standing a few paces ahead, Love clutching the latter's hand. Thor was murmuring something softly to his brother. He heard the telltale thud of Sylvie's boots stepping onto the cobblestones behind him as the orange door warbled shut. Thor turned to address the group.

"I'm going to go speak with the king to fill her in on our, ah… situation," he said. "In the meantime, there's a place you can stay just up there," Thor pointed down one of the streets toward a hill topped with a small stone cottage. "Are you alright staying with them, Love?" The young girl just shrugged. "Alright then, I'll meet up with you all shortly," he said, squeezing Loki’s shoulder before heading toward a side street with some of the more elaborate residences.

Silence descended once more. "I can watch Love," Sylvie volunteered. Mobius raised his eyebrows. Somehow, he wouldn't have guessed her as the “kids” type. Love turned toward Sylvie in indignation.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” she protested, but Sylvie leaned down and whispered something in her ear. The young girl’s eyes flicked between Loki and Mobius, the corners of her mouth turning up at whatever Sylvie was saying. Then, she willingly took Sylvie’s outstretched hand and the pair started down the road toward the cottage. Mobius flushed, thinking he had a pretty good guess as to what Sylvie might have implied.

Attempting to distract Loki before he pieced it together, Mobius caught his eye and raised a gloved hand to knock on the clear outer casing of his spacesuit helmet. 

“Probably won’t be needing this anymore,” Mobius commented idly, letting his hand fall back down before studying it. “Would you help me take off this glove so I can get the helmet off?”

Loki smiled at him softly, but instead of reaching for the wrist of Mobius's blue glove, he reached toward the neckline of the suit and pressed a small button. The clear helmet retracted with a hiss, subjecting Mobius's face to a cold gust of wind.

“Wouldn’t want your hands getting cold,” said Loki, letting his arm drop back to his side.

"Guess you don't have to worry about that, huh," Mobius replied, eyeing Loki's bare hands and flimsy green clothes.

Loki huffed, "Ice runt, remember?" His subtle smirk reassured Mobius that he didn't take that old taunt personally. It felt like a small eternity had passed since he'd been goading Loki into helping him find his 'superior variant.'

They lapsed into silence. As Loki took in their surroundings, his smile faded away.

"Would you care for a walk?" He asked.

"Fine by me," Mobius answered, grateful for anything to disperse the tension. They started walking toward the water, the roar of the ocean like a siren’s song in his ears. To Mobius, no sound could compare to waves crashing on the shore. The brine-scented wind picked up the closer they approached, whipping his hair out from where it had been tucked behind his ears.

"The longer hair suits you," Loki commented, glancing over at Mobius with another one of his soft smiles.

Mobius hoped the cold masked his burning cheeks. "Yeah, well, I figured I'd shake things up a little," he said, feeling strangely self-conscious. He attempted to change the subject. "I would tell ya what I've been up to these past few years, but I’m guessing I might not have to, seeing as you’ve become the all-knowing God of Stories and all.”

Loki let out a humorless huff of laughter. "Yes, I suppose I have been rather omniscient, haven't I." They walked a few paces in silence, Loki seeming to gather his thoughts. "You know, I actually got to meet Don before all the failed attempts to fix the Loom."

Mobius stopped in his tracks. "Wait, what do you mean 'all the failed attempts?' We never even tried using Multiplier, you just ran out there and…" he swallowed, unable to finish the sentence. The memory was still just as painful after all these years. He attempted to switch topics. "When would you have had time to meet Don?" For some reason, the thought of his Variant and Loki spending time together didn't sit well.

They’d arrived at the beach—a large expanse of tide-smoothed rock with an unobstructed view of the ocean and starry sky. Loki beckoned for Mobius to follow, leading them toward an elevated shelf of rock. Mobius looked over at him, noticing just how weary he looked. "I think we'd better sit," Loki sighed, "it's quite a long story."

Mobius sat down on the rock, looking up at him expectantly. "Well lucky for you, I've got all the time in the world." Loki sank down beside him, and took a deep breath.

"The first time the Loom exploded, I started time slipping again," he began.

~

"Wait, you’re tellin’ me that Casey's Variant was a prisoner? And O.B.'s wrote sci-fi books??" Mobius asked incredulously, trying to reconcile it all with what he knew about the clerk and eccentric engineer.

"They were. when I found out O.B. was a writer, I thought I was completely doomed," Loki chuckled wryly. "I was pleased to hear that he was also a scientist—he claimed it was his 'day job.' He tried to help me control my time slipping, but it wasn't working. So, we decided to explore a different method."

~

"Sylvie told me that ripping you all from your place on the timeline to try and get back to the TVA would be unethical and selfish.” Mobius raised his eyebrows, but Loki pushed on. “She said that I should go ‘write my own story’ like the rest of you. By the end of our conversation, she’d convinced me she was right.” Loki looked down, absentmindedly picking at the skin of his palm. “I went back to return all of your Variants to their lives, but then she came back, saying the branches were all dying. By then, it was too late. Everything, everyone started spaghettifying."

Mobius’s stomach curled with dread. "What did you do then?" He asked gently.

Loki glanced at him sidelong. "I learned to control the time slipping."

~

"After a few centuries of trying to fix the Loom-"

"Hold on, centuries?!" Icy dread snaked its way down Mobius’s spine. "You mean to tell me you spent centuries repeatedly time slipping to fix the Loom and still sacrificed yourself in the end?"

The exhaustion creasing Loki's face was almost unbearable to witness. "It was the only way."

"How could that be the only way? Didn't the Throughput Multiplier ever work?"

"Eventually, yes, but it was all a waste of time." Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. "I time slipped back to the Citadel, where He Who Remains told me he designed the Loom as a failsafe to delete all branches but the Sacred Timeline. He claimed the TVA was collateral damage—easy to rebuild. It was either kill Sylvie and keep the Sacred Timeline, or break the Loom and risk Multiversal War with He Who Remains' Variants."

Mobius was speechless. The two of them sat in heavy silence while he collected himself. "Was that when you decided?" Mobius murmured quietly.

Loki let out a long sigh. "Not quite. I paid visits to you and Sylvie, respectively." At Mobius's questioning gaze, he elaborated. "It was Sylvie from when the Loom originally exploded, and you from our past. Both of you were spaghettified immediately after our conversations. I was only keeping it at bay by freezing time."

Before he could restrain himself, Mobius blurted, "You can freeze time?"

"I can do all sorts of things with time," Loki replied grimly, "but I haven't had to since restoring the Multiverse. If I have to, I’ll use those powers again to eradicate threats to the timelines. It's why I made the Watcher swear that new oath. My… skillset,” he smiled dryly, “keeps the Multiverse safe."

They sat in silence for a time, watching the crashing waves as the minutes inched by. In time, Mobius gathered the nerve to ask the question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

"What did I say to you, when you froze time to talk to me?"

Loki didn't respond for a while, increasing Mobius’s unease.

"You told me that I had to keep the big picture in mind, and that most purpose is more burden than glory," he said quietly.

"What?" Mobius whispered, his heart hammering uncomfortably in his chest. "How far did you go back to talk to me, Loki?"

Loki kept his eyes averted. "Our initial confrontation in Time Theater 25."

Mobius leaped to his feet, Loki flinching at the sudden movement. He began pacing back in forth, raking his gloved fingers through his hair. "Why would you talk to me all the way back then Loki?? I was using you! I wouldn’t have been looking out for you at all!”

Abruptly, Loki's hand was on his shoulder, stilling him mid-stride. "That's precisely why I chose that time to speak to you. You were unbiased toward the situation."

Mobius whirled around to face him. "So you listened to the advice I chose to give back when I was still brainwashed by the TVA, pruning Variants? Gods, Loki, it's like if I had gone to ask you for advice when you set the Bifrost on Jotunheim, or during the Battle of New York! Did you suddenly decide you couldn't trust my judgment after I tried to become a better person??"

To his credit, Loki didn't look phased by the vitriol. Mobius knew it was a low blow—using Loki's past mistakes as ammunition—but it hurt that Loki had chosen to seek out advice from him in the past—from a version of himself whose actions he still had a hard time reconciling. Why would Loki trust the words of a Mobius who had blindly followed orders, brainwashed into carrying out the will of mindless androids?

"You care about me too much, Mobius," Loki said gently. "If I had chosen to speak with you in the Temporal Core control room, can you honestly say you would have let me go? I couldn't have anyone holding me back from doing what needed to be done." Loki looked toward the horizon, his eyes glazed with distant memories."It would have hurt so much more."

Mobius looked down at the ground, a vain attempt to hide the tears making their way down his cheeks. He raised a fisted hand to rest on Loki's chest, and before he knew it, his forehead was falling onto the God's shoulder. Loki wrapped his arms around him comfortingly, and the two of them just stood there, holding each other under the stars. A silent apology for the things they couldn't bring themselves to say.

When Mobius eventually lifted his head, the sky was lit by a soft green glow. "Is that from you?" He asked quietly. Loki looked up.

After a moment, Loki said, "It's not, but I can see why you'd think so.” His eyes remained fixed on the green ribbons of light.

"It must be the aurora borealis," Mobius whispered, slightly breathless with awe.

"What is it?" Asked Loki.

"I think it has something to do with electrons flowing through Earth’s magnetic field,” he offered pragmatically. Loki hummed, lost in thought. 

After a time, Loki seemed to notice Mobius rubbing his neck from the strain of looking up so long. He waved his hand, conjuring thick blankets and cushions at their feet. "Would you like to lay down and watch?" He asked.

"Yeah," Mobius smiled softly. "I really would."

~

The stars had begun shifting across the sky by the time Mobius finally mustered the courage to ask, "What was it like? Sitting there in the multiversal Yggdrasil?"

Loki was silent for so long that Mobius half-convinced himself he hadn’t actually asked the question aloud. When the answer finally came, it was so quiet that Mobius almost missed it. 

“Lonely." 

Mobius turned his head, seeing Loki's throat bob with emotion. "It was so lonely, Mobius.”

Mobius swore he could feel his heart breaking. Before he could second guess himself, he shifted to his side, reaching out to take Loki's hand in his gloved one. "It's over now, Loki, you did it! You saved all of us. You-" Mobius's voice broke, and mentally cursed himself. He had to get it out, had to make sure Loki knew. "You get to rest now. It's not your burden anymore." Loki turned his head toward Mobius, his eyes shining with unshed tears. Mobius gave him a watery smile. "You get do have a life too."

They lapsed into a heavy silence, eventually laying back to continue watching the lights. Something about the vulnerability he'd seen in Loki's eyes compelled Mobius to hold onto his hand for a little longer. After a time, Mobius resolved to voice the question that had been eating away at him for 3 1/2 years. Pointedly keeping his eyes trained on the sky, he asked, "What were you gonna tell me, back before we fixed your time slipping?” He swallowed. “You said, 'If I don't make it back—' and then disappeared before you could say."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mobius saw Loki turn his head to look at him. The weight of his gaze was unbearable all of a sudden. He regretted saying anything. "Ya know what, I'm sorry I asked. It was hundreds of years ago for you, I wouldn't expect you to remem-"

"I wanted to thank you," Loki interrupted.

Mobius stole a glance at Loki, confusion quickly replacing his embarrassment. "For what?"

"For saving my life," Loki said solemnly, tilting his body to face Mobius. "You gave me a second chance. You were able to see something in me that I couldn't see in myself."

Mobius mirrored Loki's position, turning to face him fully. His eyes roved across Loki's face, the sincerity he found there stealing his breath away.

"Loki, you're the one that gave, not just me and the TVA, but everything a second chance. I should be thanking you, not the other way around!" He protested emphatically.

The aurora sparkled in Loki's eyes, and Mobius found he couldn't breathe.

"I wouldn't have done any of it if it weren't for you. Don't you see that?"

Mobius held Loki's gaze, his heart stuttering in his chest. The longer they watched each other, the more uneven his breathing became. Loki's eyes searched his face, and after a moment, seemed to find what they’d been looking for. Slowly, he brought his free hand up, tracing Mobius's jawline with a featherlight touch. Loki’s cool fingers were a soothing balm to the heat radiating from his cheeks. Could Loki tell how fast his heart was beating?

Ever so slowly, Loki leaned in closer, his gaze flicking down to Mobius’s lips before meeting his eyes again. "Mobius, I…" Loki took a deep breath. "Is this alright?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Yes," Mobius whispered back breathlessly, reaching out to brush an errant curl from Loki's forehead. His other hand squeezed Loki's in reassurance.

Then, Loki was closing the distance between them. The kiss was doting, gentle even. Painfully romantic. Mobius poured his heart into it, desperate to convey just how much he cared, how long he'd wanted this. How much of him had broken when Loki climbed those invisible stairs into the sky. Loki pulled away slightly, wiping a tear from Mobius's temple.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked softly, eyes searching as his breath fanned across Mobius's cheeks.

Mobius's heart skipped a beat. "Never better," he responded truthfully, gently stroking a thumb across Loki's cheekbone. He couldn't help it when another tear escaped the corner of his eye.

Soon, Loki was crying too, and Mobius pulled him close, the God burying his face against his neck. Loki tangled their legs together, and Mobius stroked his inky black curls, savoring the feeling of holding the man he loved as the northern lights danced across the heavens.

-----

Notes:

It finally happened!! Get ready for a heart-to-heart between Loki and Thor next chapter, and of course, more Lokius ☺️

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#loki #loki fanfic #loki s2 finale spoilers #loki spoilers #fix it fic #lokius #lokius fic #mcu loki #loki marvel #mobius #mobius m mobius #mobius mcu #loki series #mcu #marvel #brodinsons #the sun will shine on us again #relinquish your burden #lokius reunion #lokius kiss

[neyafromfrance95]

Sylvie Laufeydottir in the Fanfics.

i love all the different takes on Sylvie in the fanfiction and i think that the fic writers should be bold when it comes to experimenting with her characterization, so i don't mean to be dogmatic or anything about it, but i think there is fun in trying to grasp the essential traits of a character and trying to write them as in-character as possible as well.

and if i'm being completely honest, there are not a whole lot of fics that have Sylvie characterized in a very "canon accurate" way.

i'm not saying that i am the one who has this correct idea of what kind of a character Sylvie is, but here are my two cents on what makes Sylvie - Sylvie.

first of all, here is what i think some people get wrong about Sylvie:

when she is reduced to exhaustion and stress.

it's true that Sylvie is an anxious character with many issues caused by her struggles, but Sylvie we saw in the series is passionate and driven.

when her one true dream and a final destination beyond revenge is settling down into a domestic lifestyle.

there is no hint of Sylvie dreaming about an uneventful, quiet, ordinary life. the flashbacks into her past suggest that her dream (and possibly her glorious purpose) was to be a hero. we see Sylvie living a low-key life in S2 teaser, and she doesn't look happy at all, she looks depressed af, which indicates that such lifestyle is not right for her.

Sylvie being sadistic.

i think the series makes a point that Sylvie is not sadistic at all. she never does more than necessary to her enemies, she is not cruel for the sake of being cruel. yes, she is feral and competitive, but those aren't the same as sadism. she puts Hunter C in a safe mental space while investigating her, she empathizes with Hunter B, she kills HWR with a quick stab. compare her approach to her enemies to pre-series!Loki's and Ravonna's - they tend to verbally hurt, scare and humiliate their enemies.

the only argument Sylvie has for fighting against Kang being "he wronged me."

yes, she is motivated by a personal vendetta. yes, she can be quite single-minded. but! her experiences with the the tva, awareness of who they are and what they represent, have shaped her worldview. Sylvie is an idealistic character, her revenge boils down to "he hurt me", but she has to believe that her mission is serving a good cause against the oppressive fascists. i believe this is why she is so discouraged and passive in the teaser of S2 - Kang tarnished her idealistic perception of her life's work. she doesn't feel like a hero any more, and it mattered a lot to her that she was a hero - Loki validating her heroism was one of the reasons why she fell for him.

Sylvie being a manipulative femme fatale.

another aspect of her persona that is portrayed very clearly in the series is her honesty. she is a straightforward character, always true to who she is. her kiss was not a deception, it was an expression of her feelings and emotions that exploded when Loki told her that he only cared about her.

Sylvie being overly-apologetic to the tva and Loki.

while Sylvie might feel like she fucked up and have an existential crisis, i highly doubt that she would feel apologetic to the very people who kidnapped her when she was a child and stalked her with an ill intent. "these new Kangs are bad so you were right when you destroyed my world and oppressed me" doesn't feel like an authentic Sylvie response. she most probably feels bad for pushing Loki away, but not to the point of self-depreciation and begging for forgiveness since she still felt backstabbed by him bc he did betray her, technically - he went back on his word and got in the way of her glorious purpose.

let's now move on to the aspects of her characterization that are pretty essential. i won't be elaborating too much on these for now.

she is assertive and strong-willed.

she does everything on her own terms, never compromising.

the themes of freedom and choice play a very important role in her story.

she has the pathological trust issues, and some anger issues as well.

she has probably been to every corner of the multiverse without ever settling in one place, so she never got to properly socialize within any cultural framework and she was exposed to the countless cultures. so, she has to be very nonconforming.

a glorious purpose means everything to Sylvie. it gives her life a meaning and is her driving force. out of all Lokis, it's probably Sylvie who values and prioritizes the glorious purpose the most.

she is truly like a feral cat in many ways.

she is the Multiverse Liberator.

(i always thought that out of all fictional characters, Sylvie is the most similar to Arya from ASOIAF btw)

but in the end of the day, we are still a new fandom, so it's understandable that there aren't many fics that have an astonishingly canon accurate characterization. it's ok and please don't hold yourself back from writing Sylvie if you are unsure about her characterization. the more you write and try, the better your vision of a character becomes! that's how the writing improves. also, i would encourage you to explore Sylvie's relationships with other characters as well. i mean, there is just so much to Sylvie's dynamic with Kang and Ravonna, it'd be interesting to write about Sylvie's journey around the multiverse, you all could let your imagination go absolutely wild, the Postman could be the ultimate OC in Sylvie fics (fancasting Will Sharpe, Sophia Di Martino's husband, as the legendary Postman)...

anyways, i think Sylki and Sylvie writers are some of the best fan writers out there (bc let's be real, there are not a lot of fandoms that characterize their faves very accurately to begin with), i'm only trying to say that if you are interested in writing very in-character, it won't be difficult since Sylvie is pretty strongly characterized in the series.

#sylvie laufeydottir #sylvie #lovie #sylki #loki #loki series #sylvie laufeydottir ao3 #loki tv #sylki fic #sylvie laufeydottir analysis

[raisedbythetv89]

Spoilers for Loki Season 2 Finale below: Comparing Spike and Loki’s redemption arcs:

This is such a rushed off the cuff analysis but Loki’s finale hit me really hard in the best way and it’s making me feel so many feelings and I know there is a lot of crossover between Spike & Loki fans (including that these characters got their longevity thanks to our absolute obsession and love for them - go us lol) so just wanted to put this out there for anyone losing their minds like I am

Both struggle to fit in and just want to be accepted and loved but are unable to find their place

LOVE their mammas like the ultimate mamma’s boys

When they’re not accepted they become mischievous trouble makers who are used and manipulated by a true evil for their own gains

They break free of that influence and become reluctant hero’s but are still morally grey and unpredictable (due to their love and connection to Dru and Thor)

Then they have a life changing soul searching event that alters them permanently that involves loving another as well as their mirror self (for Spike - Buffy is both. For Loki it’s both Mobius & Sylvie)

Rediscover the strength and depths of their power post transformation

Make a completely selfless and painful sacrifice for the ones the love to be safe and happy but also for the entire world/universe after they found the love and belonging they always sought. Putting the needs/well being of others before themselves cementing their transformation from selfish villain to truly selfless hero because giving everything up when you have nothing is easy but giving everything up when you finally have everything you’ve ever wanted is the hardest thing to do and they both do it and oh my god I’m so proud and so devastated and so emotional and what absolutely beautiful stories to witness.

Not my usual level of detail but I just don’t have the brain space at the moment and trying to be ok putting less than perfect things out into the world lol

#spike btvs #spike btvs meta #spuffy #mcu loki #mcu loki meta #meta #txt post #loki series #loki season 2 #redemption arc #villian to morally grey to hero #my lonely lovesick mamma’s boys 💜

[randomshyperson]

hey mary, do you like Loki? Did you watch the finale?

(this ask has spoilers)

Before the show, no. I didn't like Loki at all. This is funny because MCU Loki was the only version of the character I couldn't stand, while in Assassins Creed, Loki easily became one of my favorite video-game characters. Of course, that's on Disney and the way they poorly wrote the characters as this sociopath genocide who envies his brother and never tried to reconnect with his original race or anything. Even after Ragnarok, with Loki stealing the Stone, he was just off for me. And then the first season came, and he was still showing dictator behaviors, acting like he had the right to control everybody else, and I was like "Ugh white man" - Yes, MCU Loki is a white cisgender dude, and this is from a critical point of view. Disney never worked with the possibility of him being genderfluid, and a fucking 1-inch note on the side of the screen during the credits doesn't change the way Tom Hiddleston has portrayed the character as a cisgender man. And don't get me started on how problematic the whole Sylvie Female Loki is okay- Do you wanna see a true genderfluid Loki? Go watch the Netflix "Ragnarok" Show. That said, I obv pretend Disney never wrote shit and Loki has always been explicitly genderfluid, and try to write him like that as well.

Anyway, I really liked the finale, especially if you compare the overall quality of this season with the first one; The show got better. Really better. it's way funnier, the rhythm is finer, and the dynamics between the characters work well. Even the photography is prettier. Of course, nothing is perfect. They got rid of the self-incest part (thank god) but somehow brought misogyny back on. Where did Sylvie's development go? Renslayer's? B-15's? Every female character is either evil or unimportant. Sylvie was literally the main in the first season but we barely got to see her now, only for her to be left with no ending. And the fact that even Kang's new variant got more screen time than Renslayer is a crime. At least we got a lot of Mobius, he's such a sweetheart.

But yes, I do like Loki. I didn't adore the finale, but I liked it a lot. Excluding the issues I mentioned before, Loki finally got his well-deserved development and GLORIOUS PURPOSE. I was so happy I got the reference and then I got so sad. He's alone, that poor soul. And I was left speechless, for a good moment I literally had to pause the show, when we got the "centuries later" logo. His willpower and determination to do the right thing after so long? Amazing. Two words to show the most unique and incredible growth a character ever had in the MCU before. Loki really became the master of time to save his friends, only in the end for his purpose to be alone without them. I AM NOT OKAY

btw, I would love to know what you guys thought about the ending, the whole god of stories being a thing now; did you guys like the show, I think it had one of the best endings for Marvel, just behind Wandavision (both shared the same problems, open holes in the narrative for future projects probably).

Good news for anyone who actually read to the end, this means I finally get to write my TVA!Reader x Wanda series, the most slow burn, enemies to lovers, ride-or-die couple ever wrote it; yay!

#ask box #loki spoilers #loki season 2 spoilers #i'm so sorry this is so long but i really need to talk about it #i am incapable of not being in love with well written characters that sacrifice themselves for other people #specially if they have selfish tedencies #i shall be marrying loki then #wanda you're still my wife i promise