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iamanartichoke · 3 years

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Another totally unprompted ask, on the assumption that you are definitely no longer in need of them… another thing I’m trying to work out about Loki characterisation in preparation for perpetrating fic torture on him is how suicidal the poor sod is most of the time. This is another thing I’ve seen referred to a lot but only in passing. Though obviously this is a pretty triggery topic, so ignore if you want.

I am always in need of totally unprompted asks, otherwise I just assume no one wants to talk to me lmao

So, hoo boy. I have been mulling over this for, apparently, three days now bc there's just ... there's a lot to unpack here. Putting under a cut for obviously triggery content and also for length bc fml.

In my opinion, the response to "how suicidal is Loki most of the time" is "very, but whether or not he wants to do anything about it varies from moment to moment" (see what I did there? I'll see myself out). In other words, I have always had a headcanon that Loki is consistently, passively suicidal. This is a headcanon that comes straight from TDW, bc I'm certain that Loki never had any intention of surviving their mission. And that could be a whole other post, really, but the point is that even though this is a TDW-centric headcanon, I have come to adopt it as applying to Loki in general as well, not just in those specific circumstances.

When I say passively suicidal, I mean that Loki is just sort of ambivalent about the value of his own life. He feels like he doesn't deserve to be alive, and feels like there's little point in being alive. Which - I don't mean to sound all gloom and doom, like, poor uwu emo Loki (and I kinda hate that I have to pause to disclaim that, no, I don't just have a fixation on Loki being depressed for funsies/the aesthetic/whatever); I think that this mindset stems from really complicated places that I'm not sure I can articulate, but I will try.

I view Loki as someone who suffers from a severe inferiority complex, and I feel like it stems from being abandoned as an infant. Loki's life started with a traumatic event and, even if he doesn't remember the event itself, the feelings he experienced stayed in his subconscious. Feelings of loss, of fear, of despair and abandonment, of suffering - these are all feelings that burrowed into his bones and lived there for his entire life, feelings that colored how Loki viewed himself as a person as well as how he compared to the people around him.

Keep in mind that Loki didn't know he was abandoned until the events of Thor 1, obviously. We don't really know how old Loki is, in human years, but I have always assumed that he and Thor were at least adults (not teenagers), maybe the equivalent of early twenties - and the reason I bring that up is because it means Loki made it all the way to adulthood carrying the weight of a trauma that he did not remember or even knew had happened, so to him, there was no real reason for how wrong he felt. There was no explanation for the feelings of loss, of neglect, of fear. So on top of struggling with those feelings, Loki was also burdened with the alienation that comes with wondering why one can't just be like everyone else, why one can't just "snap out" of depression, why one's sense of self-worth has always been lacking.

So imagine what it's like to grow up as Loki. He was traumatized as an infant. The trauma has been with him his entire life, along with the confusion/alienation of not understanding why he feels the way that he does, and then on top of that, his basic personality lends itself toward introspection and isolation, so he likely felt even further removed from Thor and from his peers. Loki's too smart for his own good, and he's got an enormous capacity to feel and I feel like this is a combination that works against him as much as it does for him, bc it probably means he spent a lot of time examining himself and identifying all of his perceived flaws - and then berating himself for said flaws.

People with depression are probably pretty familiar with the bully that lives in your head, the one who is always there to remind you that you're stupid, or ugly, or that nobody likes you, or that you have nothing of value to contribute to anyone, etc. Loki's no different; he's got that bully in his head, too. Add onto this the fact that his brother is literally perfect, that he feels his father doesn't love him (or love him as much), that his interests in things like magic are looked down on in his culture, and that he's a prince (meaning that along with the privilege comes pressure, and being in the public eye, knowing that everyone around him is comparing him to Thor as much as he compares himself to Thor, well.) and you have a total clusterfuck of a mindset, and Loki's been existing inside of that clusterfuck for nearly all of his life.

I always go back to the quote where, when filming I think the vault scene, Kenneth Branagh directs Tom by saying, "This is the moment where the thin steel rod holding your brain together snaps." And it's such a significant moment for Loki bc this is where it all crumbles for him, learning the truth, but I also fixate on the "thin steel rod" part of the quote bc that's not how one would describe a healthy, stable person's mind. The implication, to me, has always been that Loki wasn't that stable to start with due to his general upbringing, his internal struggles, and his personality, so of course the devastation of learning he's adopted, and Jotun, would send him over the edge. One doesn't go from zero to 60; one doesn't fall over the edge unless they were balancing fairly close to it in the first place. And to me, the "thin steel rod" basically equals the aforementioned clusterfuck of a mindset.

THE POINT IS. (Holy shit, I ramble.) This is the foundation on which I'm basing my headcanon that Loki neither values his life nor feels as if he even deserves to live it - bc his default mindset is one of inferiority, of loss, of pain. And I think that going from being a general unstable person pre-canon to being passively suicidal post-canon is a thing that happened because, somewhere between the vault in Thor 1 and the dungeons in TDW, Loki just stopped caring.

Life is exhausting for everyone, but even moreso when your mental load becomes more than you can carry. Loki is exhausted. His experience is that things just keep getting worse and worse for him - he's never been valued, he's always been found wanting. He discovers that he was literally thrown away as an infant, unwanted and left to die, and things haven't gotten much better for him since then. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. His plans spin out of control. He's unable to prove his worth and his value and when he is, in fact, rejected, he literally tries to kill himself (only to survive and end up in an even worse situation).

It all just continually goes downhill, and Loki is fucking exhausted. He's done. He has no hope that anything is ever going to change - he will never be valued or even seen, he's unable to connect to anyone, he has no family (aside from Thor, but their relationship is so fraught with pain). As far as he's concerned, his life has been nothing but a waste since he was born and if no one else values it, why should he?

So - passively suicidal. He places no value on his life, and doesn't shy away from situations that could cost him his life. It's possible that the only reason he's not actively suicidal is bc his previous attempt not only failed but led to such a horrible situation that he's probably too afraid to intentionally seek out death again. He doesn't want to fail and end up worse off for it.

And - not that you asked this in particular, but - my biggest disappointment in the series is that none of what I've just written is addressed in a satisfying way (to me). That is, we don't get any real explicit acknowledgement of the trauma of Loki's abandonment as a baby or how that affected his mental health growing up; we don't get to explore how devastated he was to learn of his adoption; we don't ever see him reconcile his ingrained belief that jotuns are monstrous savages with the fact that he is jotun. He says "I betrayed everyone I loved, but I'm different now" and we're supposed to infer what he means without Loki actually articulating why he feels that he's the only one who should be held responsible for all these things that had happened or what "I've changed" even means to him (aside from not betraying Sylvie).

I would have liked to see these things addressed for a lot of reasons, but one of those reasons is that I would want to see how Loki comes to terms with all of his issues and his pain enough that he stops being passively suicidal. We never get to see that; after TDW, the time that passes allows for Loki to kinda chill, resulting in the Ragnarok version, but if there was any real healing or recovering going on, it was happening off-screen, with the audience expected to just go with "yeah Loki was going through it for awhile but he's kinda better now."

Furthermore, much of what I've written here is based on prime Loki's development through TDW, but doesn't account for series Loki's split from that timeline nor the theme of "Lokis survive" that's so prevalent in the series. So I don't think the "passively suicidal" headcanon is really appropriate for series Loki but, at the same time, I'd like to have seen why. I'd like to have seen Loki learning to value his life, or where the "we survive" mindset comes from, since that's not really been a thing before now. (Out of universe, I suspect it comes from the context of Loki just not dying whenever he tries to, but since TDW and IW haven't happened, and Loki didn't intend to survive his fall from the bifrost, framing Loki as an innate survivor doesn't really make sense, but to be fair, I'm just being picky.)

So, yeah. I'm not saying Loki doesn't experience growth or development in the series, I'm just saying that his arc left much unsaid and, furthermore, framing his growth as "wanting a throne to not wanting a throne" without addressing that Loki doesn't actually want the power of the throne, he wants the value and self-worth he associates with the throne, is - well, again, unsatisfying. Not bad, but it leaves viewers like me wanting bc we're cognizant of how much more could have been done.

I ... am going to end this now. This is probably nonsensical and all over the place, so I'm very sorry, and I'm sure this is why I don't get meta-starter asks lmfao bc no one's out here trying to read my dissertation submission for a Ph.D in Loki, but well, sometimes it just be like that.

Thank you for the ask and the opportunity to ramble.

#asks #charlotte replies #loki pokey artichokey #loki series #loki series criticism #loki meta #tw suicidal ideation #tw suicide attempt #tw suicide #tw mental health #tw depression #i spent two fucking hours on this yet i still feel like it's rambly nonsense #i hit stream-of-consciousness at some point and just went with it #and now i'm too lazy to revise #so i'm sorry #this'll probably only get like 10 notes anyway bc that's how it be on tumblr #put effort in and get little validation; put no effort in and everyone loses their minds

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mimisempai · 3 years

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I love you every ways you are

Summary:

Loki is injured in a mission in which Mobius did not know he was involved. When he finds Loki unconscious in the medical wing of the TVA, he is surprised to see him in his Jotun form... how will he react?Tumblr request : Mobius sees Loki in his Jotun form and comforts him.

This request was a godsend, I had been saying to myself for several times that I absolutely wanted to write a scene where Lobius sees Loki in his Jotun form, it's done and Mobius is as always, adorable.

I wish everyone to meet at least one person who loves us in all our forms.💕

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32731816

1308 words - Rating G

Mobius was finishing up signing off on some papers when HB popped into his office.

"Mobius! I need you to come to the medical ward, it's... it's Loki."

"What?! Loki?!" He stood up quickly and followed her, almost running.

"HB tell me! What's wrong?"

"We were on a mission and -"

"What mission?! Loki never told me he was going on the field today!"

HB looked sheepish and guilty.

"We really needed him and his... special talents. Loki agreed on the only condition that you were not told."

"What?!" Mobius felt like he was going from bad surprise to bad surprise. "But why?"

"Mobius, I can't tell you... you'll find out... when you see Loki, I can't tell you more. He wouldn't want me to."

"But how bad is it? How is he?"

"He has a concussion and is unconscious, but the prognosis is good."

"What do you mean by concussion?!"

They had arrived in front of the room where Loki was supposed to be, HB put her hand on Mobius' arm to try to calm him down, "I'll explain when we get to the room" seeing that Mobius didn't want to give up, she added, "Please Mobius..."

Mobius, clearly upset, nodded and they entered the room.

They approached the bed where he could see his lover lying down.

When he got closer, he couldn't hold back a gasp.

Loki was in his frost giant form.

Mobius came even closer.

He could now distinguish the blue skin. Loki's hands, resting on the white sheet, were bringing out that special shade of blue.

He had already seen Loki's appearance as a frost giant in the TVA files, but seeing him in the flesh had something unreal, almost magical.

Yet it was his Loki, the fine features of his face, his long fingers, his long black curls.

Mobius could not resist the impulse to touch him.

He delicately took Loki's hand in his own. At first he was surprised by the coldness of the skin, but nothing that he could not bear.

The only thing that distressed him was that the hand was inanimate in his.

The door to the room opened and Mobius gently let go of the hand to turn to the doctor who had just entered.

"Are you..." the visibly embarrassed doctor didn't seem to have how to address their relationship.

"I'm his partner, at work and in life." Mobius replied in a firm voice.

"Um... alright... uh... let me first reassure you that your... companion is fine. He has not suffered any damage from his concussion and he should wake up any minute now. All that's left to do is wait. You can stay with him as long as you need to. Let the nurses know if anything changes."

Mobius nodded and thanked the doctor, who excused himself and left, leaving Mobius and HB with the still unconscious Loki.

Mobius pulled out a chair, placed it next to the bed and sat down. He took Loki's hand in his, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb and looking at Loki's face with a worried look.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"Mobius, it will be alright, Loki is strong."

Mobius nodded then asked softly, "HB, what happened, and why didn't I know about this mission?"

"The Void Research Team reported to us that a frost giant was hiding, and they didn't want him to think of them as the enemy. Their goal being to save any variants that might have survived. Loki found out about this and offered to help, by taking his frost giant form, provided that you didn't know about it. We agreed because we had no better solution. Everything went well, Loki had managed to "tame" the ice giant, but one of the team members -who was already sanctioned I promise you-, made a sudden movement that scared the frost giant who in a defensive movement sent Loki flying, hence his concussion. Everything is back to normal now."

"Except for Loki..." muttered Mobius.

"I'm so sorry Mobius, I'm sure he'll wake up soon." replied HB, squeezing his shoulder again before continuing, "I have to get back to work, let me know if he wakes up."

Mobius simply nodded his head.

Once HB was out, he moved even closer and pushed a strand of Loki's hair back behind his ear and asked, his voice hoarse with emotion, "Sweetheart, why...why did you hide it from me?"

The hand in his quivered slightly.

"Loki?"

The hand moved slightly again.

"Yes, that's right sweetheart, wake up..."

He saw the eyelids flutter and slowly open on the scarlet pupils.

Then as consciousness slowly returned, he saw surprise and then panic come to dull the brilliance of Loki's beautiful eyes.

"Mo- Mobius... What are you doing here?"

Loki squirmed, trying to remove his hand from Mobius' and turning his head to the side.

"Loki...? What's wrong?"

Without turning his head and still trying to free his hand, Loki whispered, "I... didn't want... you to see me like this..."

"What?" Sweetheart please look at me, and answer me, why didn't you want me to see you like this?"

Loki shook his head and did not answer.

Mobius took the cold chin firmly, and turned Loki's face towards him. Loki clenched his eyes shut, refusing to meet Mobius' gaze.

Mobius said softly, "Loki, please open your eyes and answer me."

Loki whispered, his voice broken, still without opening his eyes, "I am a monster, how can you look at me and touch me, when I look like this?"

Mobius, not letting go of his grip, answered in the same gentle tone, "The same way I touch and look at you every day, sweetheart.

"How could y-"

"Open your eyes and see that I am not lying to you," Mobius continued gently.

Loki swallowed and slowly opened his eyes.

He gasped as he faced Mobius' gaze, for it was a gaze in which he read no rejection, no disgust, no dislike, just love and awe.

"I... I don't understand... I never... never... how..." Loki stammered, completely unable to believe anything he read in Mobius' eyes.

"Loki... even in this form you are you, how could I not love you? These fingers..." He gently kissed Loki's fingers one by one, " These are yours, this face and these eyes..." He delicately traced the features of Loki's face with his fingertips, "these are yours, and this heart..." he leaned over and placed a kiss in the middle of Loki's chest, "this is yours. Loki's heart. How could I not love it?"

"You... you mean it?"

Mobius took Loki's hand and placed two fingers on his own temple, then said softly, "Look for yourself in my head, if my words are not enough for you."

Loki shook his head and replied, "No, I believe you. As incredible as it is, I believe you."

The red pupils were filled with disbelief and something akin to wonder.

Moving his hand to Mobius' cheek, Loki whispered with a broken voice, "Every time I've done something, or said something that I think will drive you away from me, every time you prove me wrong and show me how worthy I am. You're the first one to do that for me. You're the first to break through my darkness."

Mobius placed a light kiss on his trembling lips and said as he pulled back, "It's about time someone did." He grasped Loki's hand again and said with a wink, " The only thing I miss now is Loki's smile."

Mobius was delighted to see probably one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen on Loki's lips.

A smile that said the happiness of being accepted.

A smile that said happiness to love and be loved.

A smile that said nothing but happiness.

_________

Whole series of oneshots here : X

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

#established relationship #jotun loki #lokius fic #loki #mobius m mobius #emtional hurt/comfort #wowki #moki #loki x mobius #time husbands #time lovers

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delyth88 · 3 years

Text

Episode 6 reaction

Spoilers ahead!

Whoa boy! Yet again that did NOT go in the direction I expected! Overall I really enjoyed that and I’m excited to see what happens next. I can’t believe they left us on a cliff hanger like that!!! I do kinda hope this opens the door to Loki getting to be in the films with Wanda and Dr Strange at some point in the future (I want my magic trio!), but I don’t know if they’ll go there. I keep feeling like they’ll do almost anything but allow him to interact with the Avengers! Lol

So there’s no particular pattern to these thoughts… here we go…

I’m heartbroken for Loki that he lost Mobius in this. Mobius not recognising him just… agh! Can he catch a break?! I guess that makes sense of the odd sense of finality when they hugged goodbye in the last episode. And this comes after he loses Sylvie too. Very different circumstances, but he’s filled with this sense of urgency that they must fix the timeline and then all of a sudden the people he trusts to help him are all just… gone!

That moment when Loki first returns to the TVA. That was heart breaking! While I still don’t buy into the romantic relationship Tom sure can act, and this was so well done. You could see him take a moment to grieve then pull himself together for the greater good – to save the universe. Soul crushing. Ooof.

So yeah, damn. They were going for the romance. *rolls eyes* Ah well. At least I’d had a few weeks to prepare myself. :/

And they went the route of Sylvie betraying our Loki. Now that was interesting. It was something that I really didn’t want to happen, but I actually came out of this thinking that was quite well handled. I thought the idea that they would disagree over the approach to take was quite a good idea. It gave them an opportunity to dig deeper into the differences between these two characters. And I liked that it was a difference born out of their traumatic experiences. I think there’s going to be tons of meta on why Sylvie and Loki made their choices in that moment, and I LOVE that (as of right now – who knows what I’ll think in the morning) I feel like there is actually something to dig in to there, like it wasn’t completely shallow. It wasn’t some stupid repetition of the what’s almost a joke now Loki wants to rule line. And I liked that our Loki was the one who saw the grey areas and wanted some time to analyse it, he wasn’t just hot-headedly set on killing. And I liked that he finally seemed to have some backbone, some drive.

I was wondering where they were going to find some drama from when I saw that the head of the TVA was some new character (who I have to assume is Kang since online is full of how he’s the next big bad). Like how was that going to mean anything to me? Especially when so much of that scene was Loki and Sylvie sitting there listening. (I did love the identical postures with swords across their laps though. 😊) But this worked for me.

And I really thought for a moment they were going to have Sylvie kill Loki. How sad is that that the experience of IW and Endgame has made me fear for the lead character’s life so frickn’ much! Ugh!

One thing that I can see that may have been a problem for some people, and possibly me after I’ve had some more time to think about this, is that the finale had a lot of focus on setting up the next step in the MCU. Now while this is great, especially if it enables Loki to actually participate in events, it does sort of take away from the characters. At this point, for me though, the conflict between Loki and Sylvie worked enough to satisfy me. And then the mad tumble to the end where we get revelation top of revelation was exciting and a very energised way to ‘end’ the episode. But it is definitely NOT any sort of resolution.

And omg what are we going to do knowing where Loki’s at right now for the next months? Years? Till the next season comes out!? Lol

One thing I am grateful for, and again I think it’s a sign of my super low expectations regarding Loki’s treatment, is that I am glad that Loki seems to be relevant to things again. It’s felt so much like they’re trying to ease him out of the universe, so the fact that they wanted to make a second season when they very clearly didn’t need to does make me feel good on behalf of Loki, and Tom.

I felt like Loki had the opportunity to be a little more like my Loki in this episode. Particularly some of his responses while talking to Kang. And I think this just goes to illustrate the point that in the earlier films we’ve seen a lot of time where Loki is in very serious and high stakes situations. And the way this sets up what feels like some big action to come makes me hope that perhaps he might get the chance to be a bit more of that characterisation of Loki in whatever he shows up in the future in.

So, what happened to those shots of Loki in Stark Tower and in Asgard? I am terribly confused. They weren’t in there, right? I didn’t somehow miss them, did I? I thought, when we saw Miss Minutes and her offer, that they might have been moments shown to Loki to entice him to take up the offer. I’m a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to seeing Asgard and Loki in his Asgardian gear again. Did they maybe cut them out for time or some other reason? Were they pieces they filmed pre-pandemic and then decided against using later? If so, why was it in the poster? *shrug*

So no new Loki outfit. ☹ No new Loki powers. ☹ I still feel like the various hints in Episode 5 about Loki’s power really were leading to something and we haven’t (yet?) seen it play out.

Having said that, from the perspective of the end of the season, it now feels like the whole season was a bit of a lull, and bit of a time for Loki to learn about himself (and I would say ‘grow’ but all the talk of Loki ‘growing’ in Ragnarok have made me slightly allergic to that phrase lol), almost as though this is the set up for him to take on something bigger. I dunno. It probably isn’t, it never seems to be, but I plan to enjoy the next however-many-months we have imagining the possibilities.

I liked that Mobius got to have a conversation with Renslayer. That he called her out on all the nice things she’d said but didn’t mean. To me he’s one of those people who it feels worse to have disappointed at you than angry. I also like that he tried to stop her rather than letting her go for some old feeling of friendship or some cliché like that.

So that’s what that pen was all about. So is that a version of Renslayer that Renslayer is protecting? I’m not sure I followed? Or is it just a variant that B-15 found? If so, then why does TVA!Renslayer have the pen?

I get they were going for disarming, contrasting, and just a little mad, but I didn’t particularly like Kang. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays out in the films etc.

I’m here for the multiverse, though!

So, did Sylvie push our Loki into a different multiverse? Does each one have it’s own TVA? Is that a variant Mobius? Or is this some sort of ripple effect that’s changed the course of history, even in the TVA? Questions!!

My list of negative things hasn’t changed much since episode 3 really. I’m still sad that Loki’s characterisation is so different, that they haven’t addressed his time with Thanos or his pain from being Jotun, that he still hasn’t used a lot of magic, and that he never got to see Frigga again. And mostly that he really didn’t seem to be driving the action at all for most of the season. So I think I’m likely to be both happy with this show and disappointed, and apparently completely able to hold both these opinions in my head at the same time. The characterisation and the romance seem to be things I can become more comfortable with on repeated viewings.

I maybe a hopeless fool for Loki, but him having his heart broken and then being thrown into dramatic universe ending peril within the space of two minutes works for me. lol Poor Loki.

Right, that’s enough for me. I look forward to reading other’s thoughts.

Tagging a few folks: @iamanartichoke @scintillatingshortgirl19 @sparklegemstone @pinkpondofasgard @thelightofthingshopedfor @piccolaromana

#loki #loki series #loki episode 6 #loki finale #spoilers #loki spoilers #my review #my reaction #loki series positivity #loki series negativity

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lucianalight · 3 years

Note

Do you think Thor didn’t care about Loki being a Frost Giant, because it only reaffirms Thor’s belief that Loki is inherently inferior to him?

This is such an interesting ask and I thought about it a lot. Because there isn’t enough canon material for it and this issue was glossed over by the movies.

I think Thor considers Loki to be inferior because of Loki’s different ways and actions. Subconsciously, this mindset, Loki being inferior to him, is originated from Odin’s behavior toward Loki and the way he favors Thor. But on a conscious level, Thor thinks Loki’s actions are what make him inferior. The way Loki prefers to solve things with talking,

or using magic.

But the way Thor saw Jotuns is fundamentally different. He saw them as monsters, creatures bellow him who should fear him. That’s a viewpoint Asgard shares too which is clear from the way Loki reacted to the truth about his race. At the end of Thor1, we see that Thor at least has learned that genocide is not OK.

But we don’t know that his racist views on Jotuns has changed or not. This is not sth that a person can change overnight. It takes time, and education which Thor lacks in Asgard’s racist culture(and Asgard is racist. The way Thor looked down on humans at the start of Thor1, Odin’s treatment of Jane, Asgradians calling the prisoners of other races “creatures” in TDW, Frigga calling Malekith a creature, Sif refusing to call a Kree by his name in AOS and her treatment of him are all indications of Asgaridans racism). If anything, the next time someone points out Loki doing sth terrible, Thor tries to separate himself from Loki by saying that he is adopted.

I know this scene is played for laughs. But that’s what it implies. Thor who was defending Loki as his brother two seconds ago, now says he is adopted when Natasha points out that Loki killed 80 people in two days. Not to mention this hypocrisy comes from Thor who killed 145 Jotuns in ten minutes because his coronation was canceled and he was called a “princess”, sth that wouldn’t even be an insult if you’re not misogynistic. And from Loki and W4 reactions we can conclude that was a normal behavior for Thor since they expected it. So what Loki did was probably one of the most Thor/Odin thing to do considering their family history in genocide and attacking other realms.

But then, we also have this line from Thor which shows he still considers Loki as his brother, no matter what his race is.

"We were raised together, we played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?"

However, Thor mentions their upbringing. That being raised as brothers, makes them family. He never mentions anything about Loki’s race. Which brings me to my conclusion.

I think Odin and Heimdall were the ones who in their mind, connected Loki’s inferiority to his race. Heimdall is probably the only person aside from Odin and Frigga who knew about Loki’s true parentage. He is shown to be hostile towards Loki from the start in Thor1 without any reason, and as soon as he was able to attack Loki, he went for the kill. And Odin, wanted to “protect Loki from the truth”.

Which implies that in his mind being Jotun is so horrible that someone needs to be protected from that knowledge about their own race! We later see how this mindset shows itself in Loki’s trial(the picture is from Thor The Dark World Prelude comic which is an official tie-in to MCU). He calls Loki Laufeyson a creature he doesn’t recognize.

I think Thor’s viewpoint about Loki’s race, is closer to Frigga.

"He kept the truth from you so you would never feel different. You are our son, Loki, and we your family."

That he is no different because he is family. Or more accurately, I think Thor views Loki as being different from other Jotuns.

I think this gif from Zootopia(a movie that addressed racism perfectly) sums up the way Thor thinks about Loki. In his mind Loki is never a monster, his race doesn’t matter because he was raised with Thor and as his brother, and his inferiority is rooted in his decisions and actions and who he is.

#90erin #thor #loki #odin #frigga #heimdall #asgard #jotun loki #fantastic racism #thor1 #avengers #thor the dark world #messages #odin's family dynamic

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darkellaine · 3 years

Text

On Loki series

I don't usually write here anything as this is mostly my art blog but I do want to say a few words. If you like the series, you may skip this post bc I appreciate it when people enjoy things as they are and I do not want to inpose my take on the series on anyone.

To the matter.

Now, after the 5th episode has come out, I find myself saddened and baffled at the same moment. Maybe I was victimized by my own great expectations from the show or my headganons grew in my head like a tumours - so big and engrossing that there was no space left to be filled with what seems to be a fresh perspective.

I don't see Loki anymore. He was still there in the first episode yet the more we ventured into the new territory the harder was it to me to understand why he acts like this (sabotages everything he does, has no agenda and is a follower - of Mobius at first and then of Sylvie). Initially I thought his reckless behavior was either a plan of his or just the recercussions of the exposure to his destiny he saw at TVA. Now, after seeing 4th and 5th episodes I see that the show doesn't actually need any explanation to turn Loki into a type person who he himself criticized throughout all the MCU movies. And that is a character who rushes headfast into the fight, who doesn't think, doesn't plot, has a careless attitude. Like Thor. And now Sylvie is smth similar to what Loki was to Thor, except Loki doesn't really have any of the strenghts of the traditional lead hero.

He was shown casually using telekinesis like it was nothing but it didn't move the plot. On the contrary, it created more questions and possibly plotholes for audience that ectually expects some kind of consistency from the narrative. In really needed situations he doesn't do anything similar and I don't see what Tom was so excited about. This showcase was just like his shirtless scene, a superficial fanservice. (Not that we aren't allowed, we certainly do. Yet if you a fan of a character, you can't really escape taking a deeper look into everything.)

His Jotun heritage and abilities. I can't believe ep. 5 missed any opportunity to show a Jotun Loki. It was such a great opportunity to set up a dialogue between them, to point to Loki's inner hate and insecurities he might have. Yet what we got just a bunch of bizzare lokis from some crack fanfiction. I see they were aiming for the humour and lighter tone but maybe they shouldn't have? Not after the first episode and the setting they established. I wonder could it be the result of different scriptwriters thet were forced to attune but still didn't manage to do so.

Loki's bisexuality looks more like a distraction than actual representation. Yes, I know that bi people could be both with men and women, etc. but so far it was again like Joe Russo's gay character in the Endgame. Irrelevant bait everyone took that didn't actually affect the show or plot . Wasn't it for the hype, Ig most of writers would exclude this from the plotline at all as it is just extra.

Self-love plotline. I suppose that Sylvie and Loki love story was supposed to address self-acceptance and self-forgiveness? Well it doesn't work like this. Those two are absolutely different characters. They share only part of the outfit, some abilities and a few memories of Asgard - that's it. I don't feel like they are different versions of the same person. This dynamic would've worked with old!Loki by Richard Grant as he indeed has some things to teach our Loki and to strip him of his defences in order to reveal what in fact prevents Loki from outgrowing himself.

My general impression is that Loki is becoming to be tiring to watch. Idk how did they make it but I now find him quite bland and uninteresting at this point. I don't know who is behind the TVA but without the possiblity that it was old Loki pulling the strings all along I don't really see the further development for him. Looks like everything we got in relation to his identity and past was indeed just the first episode. All of a sudden Loki looks at peace and unperturbed, ready to abandon all his strivings and inferiorities he has been developing through his entire life. While the authors kept underlining the fact that it is 2012!Loki and he is still a villain.

But it was just a few days for Loki, and he says so himself...

The series still good a few good things, though.

Personally, I really enjoyed the second episode as it showcased Loki's intelligence, had nice, witty dialogues, Loki and Mobius chemistry and tempo.

Music is excellent throughout all the show. I daresay music is even more spirited sometimes. I look forward to the sixth episode to finally see what it was all about...

#loki series #loki spoilers #loki series negativity #mcu #dianey+#disappointed but not surprised

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9worldstales · 3 years

Text

MCU “Thor: Ragnarok” - The elevator scene

So I’ve heard that Tom Hiddleston’s interview “Tom Hiddleston Looks Back at 10 Years of Loki | Entertainment Weekly” has sparked some discussion…

…because, when talking of the elevator scene Tom said Thor had been honest in it, sparking the joy of who enjoyed that scene which is one of the few emotional moments of the movie between the two in which Thor says something ‘nice’ to Loki (I think that scene is actually one of the most well known and popular about the movie) and the disagreement of who remembered that Thor used that moment to place an obedience disk on Loki’s back, an obedience disk that basically tortures who wear it once it’s activated… and Thor later activated it when Loki attempted to betray him, and left it activated, abandoning him in that hangar where the grandmaster, which he knows has no qualms to melt people who disappoint him, could find Loki. The fact that Korg finds Loki first and free him from that torture is mere luck on Loki and on Thor’s part as Loki will then bring Asgard a ship large enough to save all the Asgardians.

Long story short, a part of the fandom felt that Thor said such words to cause Loki to lower his guard so that he could place the obedience disk.

So I wanted to share my two cents about it.

But first let’s look at the full script for it.

Thor: Hey, so listen, we should talk. Loki: I disagree. Open communication was never our family's forte. Thor: You have no idea. I've had quite the revelation since we spoke last. [The door opens, revealing a bunch of guards. Thor and Loki heft up two Sakaarian guns.] Thor: Hello! Loki: Hi! [Thor and Loki BLAST all the guards, moving to another door.] Loki: Odin brought us together, it's almost poetic that his death should split us apart. We might as well be strangers now. "Two sons of the crown" set adrift. [A guard tries to ambush Loki through the door. Thor TAKES OUT the guard.] Thor: Thought you didn't want to talk about it? Loki: Here's the thing.

[ELEVATOR. Thor and Loki are going up.] Loki: I'm probably better off staying here on Sakaar. Thor: That's exactly what I was thinking. Loki: ...Did you just agree with me? Thor: This place is perfect for you. It's savage, chaotic, lawless. Brother, you're going to do GREAT here. Loki: Do you truly think so little of me? [Thor pauses, considers his brother. Then:] Thor: Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever. But, at the end of the day, you're you, I'm me... I don't know, maybe there's still good in you, but let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago. [Loki is wounded by Thor's willingness to discard him. Masks his feelings with:] Loki: It's probably for the best that we never see one another again. [Beat. Thor pats Loki affectionately on the shoulder. Hold on Loki. Did Thor just get through to him?] Thor: That's what you always wanted.

Yeah, I included the bit prior to it because it kind of introduced the scene. And as the obedience disk scene is also part of the discussion, let’s look at it as well.

Loki: I know I've betrayed you many times before, but this time it's truly nothing personal. The reward for your capture will set me up nicely. He triggers the alarm. Thor: Never one for sentiment, were you? Loki: Easier to let it burn. [But then Loki sees Thor holding up a fob device. Loki realizes that Thor affixed an Obedience Disk on him in that heart-to-heart moment.] Thor: I agree. [BZZZT! Thor ZAPS Loki and HOLDS DOWN the button. Loki HITS the ground, WRITHING in pain. Thor approaches. Pause.] Thor: Oh brother, you're becoming predictable. I trust you, you betray me. Round and round in circles we go. [Thor continues to "think about it" for a beat while Loki convulses in agony on the floor. Finally, Thor kneels down:] Thor: See, Loki, life is about, it's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just wanna stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more. I'll just put this over here for you. [Thor places the fob on top of the security panel, so close but so far from Loki's paralyzed reach.] Thor: Anyway, I got places to be so good luck.

Okay, now with these scenes in mind, let’s go and see how Tom comments the elevator scene.

The elevator scene, in “Ragnarok.” The dialogue was… was scattered across these different… places as they were trying to escape and find their way through. Taika said: “Guys, do you know the rest of the scene?” and we both said: “Yeah.” He said: “Maybe we should just do... do one where we just do all of the dialogue here in the elevator and you haven't really had a chance to catch up and maybe you should just talk to each other,” and Thor… is quite honest with him. And I think it really affects Loki, he thinks ‘oh actually maybe… maybe I got this wrong, maybe I did have a place in that family. Maybe… maybe this guy is my brother,’ but it was a really enjoyable scene because it was just a very quiet moment with Chris in a very calm space in a big colourful spectacular film. [“Tom Hiddleston Looks Back at 10 Years of Loki | Entertainment Weekly”]

So… is Thor being sincere? Or just being manipulative?

When one look at Thor’s sentence there’s a thing that hit me:

Thor: Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever. But, at the end of the day, you're you, I'm me... I don't know, maybe there's still good in you, but let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago.

At Loki’s question ‘Do you truly think so little of me?’ Thor doesn’t say ‘No, I think the world of you.’ He says he THOUGHT the world of him. As in previously he thought the world of him and we can speculate this previously refers to before he stopped considering him a ‘brother’ something that happened likely in “The Avengers” according to “Thor: The Dark World”, probably when Thor told him they could stop the Chitauri together and Loki stabbed him.

Thor: I don't. Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you.

And I can believe Thor used to love Loki before all that, so he’s sincere in saying that, back then, he thought the world of him.

Now, I know there’s people who think Thor didn’t properly appreciate Loki in “Thor”, especially when he used the pretty unlucky sentence ‘Know your place, Brother’ but also when, in a cut scene, he waved away Loki’s contribute to the victory saying ‘Some do battle, others just do tricks’ but this is exactly the point.

Thor’s ‘sin’ in that moment is his vanity, his arc in the movie centred on him learning humility.

Thor loved Loki, same as Kevin Lomax, in “The Devil’s Advocate” loved Mary Ann. There’s quite a good quote in that movie.

John Milton: I rest my case. Vanity is definitely my favorite sin. Self-love, the all-natural opiate. It's not like you didn't care for Mary Ann, Kevin. You were just a little more involved with someone else: yourself.

Thor also in the first half of the movie was more involved in himself than he was in his brother. Or his friends. Let’s remember Fandral got hurt and it was Loki and Volstagg which helped him, while the Thor is described by the script as busy fighting the Frost Giants, his bloodlust rising, with Loki and Sif both telling Thor they’ve to leave instead.

Loki: Thor, we must go! [Thor, still without his hammer, fights his Jotun foes mercilessly, a man consumed by blood lust. Loki sees the look on his brother's face -- the savage thrill of the heat of battle.] Thor: Then go! Sif: There are too many of them! Thor: I can stop them! [The others hesitate. Jotuns break up through the ice all around them.] Sif: Thor! [But Thor ignores his comrades, continues fighting.]

When they’ll be back to Asgard it’ll be Odin who’ll say Fandral has to be taken to the healing room, not Thor, something that the movie will technically address when it’ll show that Thor, once back to Asgard after he learnt humility on Midgard, will be the one to tell his friends to bring Heimdall to the healing room.

in “Thor”, Thor had to be a bad brother due to his vanity… but this doesn’t mean he was an unloving one, just one who might have thought the world about Loki… but thought the whole universe about himself and thought more about himself than he ever did at Loki… because he was vain.

Sadly although most of the second half of the movie is set up to prove Thor is the opposite of how he was before, they never quite manage to prove he would have an opposite dynamic with Loki. He tries to save him twice, and clearly didn’t want him to let go, he tells his brother not to let go, he’s the one who screams when Loki does anyway, while Odin merely says a quiet no which wasn’t even in the original old script, but, unless we consider the fact he accepted Loki to be the king to exist to be the opposite of ‘Know your place, Brother’, this is maybe the only aspect in which the movie doesn’t prove Thor now has a reverse mentality (I’ve listed all the scenes the movie had or was meant to have that proved how Thor made a 180° turn in another meta if someone is interested).

But whatever, Thor’s ‘Loki, I thought the world of you’ was clearly meant to be the truth, Thor used to think so of Loki, the movie is just skipping on the part he wasn’t so good at showing it because in “Thor” Thor was a vain boy.

And it’s likely also the truth how Thor said ‘I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever.’

In “The Avengers” Thor not only insisted for Loki to come back home but also for them to fight together against the Chitauri.

Thor: Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? Loki: (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stop it. Thor: No. We can. Together.

And the fact they used to fight together is implied in the already mentioned cut scene of “Thor” as well as again, in “The Avengers”.

Thor: We were raised together, we played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?

So yes, Thor for a while thought they were gonna fight side by side forever, then things in “The Avengers” went downhill and by the time “Thor: The Dark World” comes around he refuses to acknowledge Loki as his brother… even though he still needs him.

There’s no lies in Thor’s words, he said something he thought before Loki’s fall, that he and Loki would always fight together, on the same side and, all considered, he had no reason to think otherwise. He had no idea things would take a turn for worse so of course he would think Loki would continue to fight at his side. The old script and the novel implied the original plan prior to the coronation was for Thor to rule and for Loki to be at his side, offering him counsel.

Odin: Do you think he's ready? Frigga: He thinks he is. He has his father's confidence. Odin: He'll need his father's wisdom. Frigga: And his humility? [Odin reacts.] Frigga: (cont’d) Thor won't be alone. Loki will be at his side to give him counsel. Have faith in your sons. Odin: Yes, but Thor's still a boy. He could be a great King...

So yes, in this too Thor is sincere. He assumed Loki would stay at his side. He had no reason to think otherwise.

The last bit though, ‘But, at the end of the day, you're you, I'm me... I don't know, maybe there's still good in you, but let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago’ is just Thor basically letting go of Loki. Loki is not him, maybe there’s good in Loki, maybe he’s just evil but anyway he isn’t going to be a hero like Thor. As he said before, for Thor, place like Saakar, savage, chaotic, lawless, is perfect for someone like Loki.

Is he being manipulative here? He’s rejecting Loki knowing Loki actually needs Thor to tell him he needs him?

Well this is what Hemsworth said Thor was thinking about Loki:

One of the more fascinating parts of the franchise has been the relationship between Thor and Loki… How do you continue that relationship without repeating what you’ve already done before? Hemsworth: Without giving too much away, I didn't want to repeat that relationship either. And Tom felt the same. All of us were like, ‘What can we do again here?’ There’s a bit of reversal as far as... In the first films, a lot of the time you’re seeing Thor going, 'Come back Loki, and da-da-da-da.' [But now] there’s a feeling from Thor that’s just like, 'You know what, kid? Do what you want. You’re a screw up. So whatever. Do your thing.' [Chris Hemsworth ‘Thor Ragnarok’, Embracing the Comedy, the Thor-Loki Relationship and More]

Loki is a ‘screw up’. He’s no more someone he thought the world of. He doesn’t think anymore they would keep on fighting together. He doesn’t care.

And this is what Waititi said.

Hewitt: For Loki, he might actually be the most emotionally independent of the movie, and I love that the big emotional epiphany comes when one brother is essentially electrocuting the other? Ah- Waititi: *chuckles* Hewitt: *chuckling* Yeah. But there’s a speech to Loki that Thor gives about change and about how you should change, that’s the first time I think Loki’s ever really listened. Waititi: Mm-hmm. Hewitt: From what we’ve seen, you know, there are moments in this movie where, you know, the betrayal takes place as you might expect, and then you begin to move it on beyond that and the character actually begins to change. Ah, can you talk about... progressing Loki, I guess, as a character? Waititi: Yeah. Yeah, well I feel like we were- You know, we didn’t want to change him too much because he was so popular and the fans love that version of him. We wanted to keep- we needed to retain who he is, because when you start changing all of the characters and just doing it for the sake of change, you know, people can’t handle that and definitely fans can’t handle that. So you know he was one of the few characters that we, you know, that we changed and so I made sure that- *pause* -that the main changes that were gonna happen there were to do with the brothers, and to do with their relationship, because I think people wanted to see that arc end on a satisfying way and culmination of all these films and all of the events being that Thor and Loki finally found some sort of way of co-existing without Thor always saying, “Loki, stop this madness! Come hooome! Oh, you can do better!” Instead of pleading with him, just, you know, I feel that’s the most mature version of these guys, you know, is to say to him, “Man, it’s cool. You keep doing what you’re doing, I’m- You know, I don’t need to change you. I’ve all the other stuff to concentrate on, that change thing is up to you, I’m not gonna- I’m sick of, like, pleading with you to, you know, to change your ways.” And I feel like giving that decision to Loki and letting him make that decision for himself was actually the most satisfying version of those have been. [“Empire Podcast Spoiler Special Thor Ragnarok with Taika Waititi”]

To be honest most of the discussion more than about the elevator scene is about the electrocution scene and the first part is Hewitt’s interpretation but Waititi does not disagree. Anyway the root of the discussion is that, according to Waititi, Thor isn’t trying to get Loki to change his mind, Thor is just done with Loki, which fits not just with the electrocution scene but also with the elevator scene. It’s not a very loving message.

If I were to question Hiddleston’s interpretation, I wouldn’t disagree on Thor being honest, I would just find weird that Loki had reacted to such words thinking ‘oh actually maybe… maybe I got this wrong, maybe I did have a place in that family. Maybe… maybe this guy is my brother,’ for two good reasons. One is that Thor spoke not in present simple but in past simple, so maybe that guy WAS his brother, now he doesn’t care about him anymore. As he said in “Thor: The Dark World” Thor has again renounced him. The second is… the electrocution scene, which starts with Loki betraying Thor.

Yeah, I know there are fans who interpret it as Loki not wanting Thor to die fighting Hela which I TRULY love because sometimes fans have better interpretations than the authors on why the character do what they do, but, skipping that the idea of handing him to the Grandmaster who could very well melt him wasn’t that bright (but whatever, Loki could still think he’ll manage to persuade the Grandmaster to let him alive and use him to replace the Hulk), this clearly wasn’t Waititi’s intent.

Waititi didn’t correct Hewitt when he talks about the scene and how that’s the first time Loki’s ever really listened. In Waititi’s intent the elevator’s scene is just an addition, something in which Thor and Loki talk to each other because they hadn’t had the chance to catch up before the electrocution scene that would remark how Loki is again betraying Thor but how Thor this time has grown and can predict Loki’s betrayal and be ready to strike back and even give him the speech that will cause Loki’s change of heart. Long story short, the elevator scene was an afterthought, what was meant to be included was the electrocution scene because on that scene was supposed to be rooted the idea Loki would change.

And of course this is a HUGE problem, because if you, up until a moment before, were willing to sell your brother to someone like the Grandmaster for money, the fact that he electrocute you and leave you writhing in pain on the floor, KNOWING if the Grandmaster finds you empty handed he will melt you… well, this normally wouldn’t inspire you to have brotherly feelings, speech about having the potential for being more or not.

Long story short, the idea that Loki would go to save Thor and the Asgardians DESPITE that, merely due to Thor’s pretty speech, doesn’t really feel that logic at all, never mentioning that something that gives you enough pain to cause you to crumble on the floor and be unable to move might not help you to be an attentive listener.

I’m not even sure why there’s this idea that Thor was always ‘come back, brother’ since in “Thor: The Dark World” Thor definitely wasn’t asking him to come back, he was actually giving up on him in an even more drastic way than he did in “Thor: Ragnarok”…

Loki: You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me? Thor: I don't. Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you. [Loki smiles]

It’s not said solely in the script, this is what Hiddleston said about Loki in “Thor: The Dark World” as well:

…and in a way reverse the arc of the character. Because he’s always defined himself in opposition. Thor has always been offering an olive branch. ‘Come back. We forgive you. Come back.’ And it’s Loki’s kind of arrogant privilege to say ‘No. I still hate you.’ And…in this film I think…nobody’s offering the olive branch. He’s in prison, condemned to be written out of history, forgotten, unseen, unheard, and haunted by his demons. You have to change at that point. So that surprised me. How far further down does he go before he hits rock bottom? Is there one for him? And…could he come back up? [“Nov 2013 Hiddleston Interview: Commentary on the Commentary (and much more)“]

…and yet, in “Thor: The Dark World”, despite his brother saying he previously held back when fighting because he hoped his brother was still there (a clear hint he loved such brother) and that now he no longer believes in such hope, Loki didn’t sell him to the Dark Elves and even stopped the Kurse from killing him, which lead him to be stabbed… and mind you, originally the wound was meant to be fatal… but whatever, this is a discussion for another post.

Anyway basically what Thor told him back then… is more or less the same he told him in the elevator scene so Tom Hiddleston’s explanation about how this would AGAIN affect Loki would make sense if it wasn’t for the electrocution scene that gets in the way.

On another note the Junior novel is apparently based on an older script for “Thor: Ragnarok” and in it things work a lot more better.

There’s no elevator scene or electrocution scene. The two brother had a talk in which Thor bares his soul to Loki and encourages him to change as well.

“You’ll help us free Asgard from Hela’s grip when we arrive? I can count on you?” Thor asked. “Of course. After all, I’m sure you blame me for her resurgence. It’s at least I can do.” Loki appeared contrite. “Although, I am curious, why the sudden change of heart to become Odinson and assume the throne?” “It is what is needed to defeat Hela. Therefore it is my duty,” Thor said plainly. He let out a small sigh, his voice almost apologetic. “In the past I demanded the throne when I hadn’t earned it, and then refused the throne when Asgard needed me most. You stole it. Twice.” “Yet you are always forgiven,” Loki said, trying not to sneer. “My point is that our self-centered conflict over Asgard has ruined our kingdom. We have been so focused on fighting for the top we’ve forgotten there’s a middle and a bottom. If I’m to be king, then I want to be a custodian, not a conqueror.” “Why the sudden baring of your soul to me?” Loki asked. Thor turned to his brother. “Because I want to change. I want to be better. And I think you can, too. Helping us escape has shown you can take strides toward that.” He looked at Loki earnestly. “Make a fresh start, brother. It’s time.” [“Thor: Ragnarok - The Junior Novel”]

While this bit is clearly not perfect (especially since there are some canon mistakes) it contains the same idea that Loki should change and be more that is also in the electrocution speech, but it’s way more love inspiring than having your brother leaving you wriggling in pain on the floor.

Thor doesn’t try to pass himself for a perfect hero but admits his faults as well as the wish to be better. This dialogue continues with the theme of “Thor” in which Thor tries to be worthy and, in opening his heart to Loki and saying they can both improve could have reminded him again they used to be brothers who loved each other and their own country.

But, okay, I’m digressing.

On another note… it’s clear they expected Tom Hiddleston to say something nice about “Thor: Ragnarok”. I know there’s a huge part of the fandom who would just love if it were to respectfully disrespected but, for start, I don’t think that’s Hiddleson’s style and, anyway, he wouldn’t be allowed to do so. Not only “Thor: Ragnarok” was successful but Waititi is now directing “Thor: Love and Thunder”. Marvel clearly counts on it to ride the success of “Thor: Ragnarok” and be successful as well so it’s not like they’ll want us to forget it or allow Hiddleston to speak poorly of it.

Still there are some interesting things to point out.

The first is that Hiddleston spoke about the other movies a lot more than about this one. It’s around 1 minute commenting versus the 1 minute and a half of the other 3 movies and he mentions just that one scene while in the others we see more than 1 (I’m obviously skipping “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” because Loki’s role in the was way too small to discuss it at length).

Long story short, while Hiddleston doesn’t say anything against “Thor: Ragnarok” he clearly didn’t have much he wanted to say. He focused on what to the audience felt a nice moment about Thor and Loki and then moved on.

The second scene is that in the montage of the video they cut part of Thor’s sentence so that all the viewers hear is “I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever. But, at the end of the day, you're you, I'm me... I don't know, maybe there's still good in you, but let's be honest, our paths diverged a long time ago.”

Basically they left out the “Loki, I thought the world of you.”

Maybe it’s a coincidence but still it’s interesting they didn’t realize they were cutting the most emotional line of that bit.

Whatever, it happens.

Anyway, for what’s worth, those are my two cents on the whole thing.

#thor #thor odinson #loki #loki odinson #tom hiddleston #interview #9 worlds study #mcu thor #mcu the avengers #mcu thor the dark world #mcu thor ragnarok #mcu avengers infinity war #mcu avengers endgame #odin borson #frigga

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laporcupina · 3 years

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Any thoughts on the Loki premiere? (Assuming you’ve seen it; if not, feel free to ignore this :))

I have now finally seen the pilot! Yes, there are several more episodes to get through, but it's both the NHL playoffs and my poor Mets are playing games-per-day > 1 and so TV is something for those weird days when neither is happening because I cannot shed my father's rule about no non-sports TV before dinner despite being in my forties.

Thoughts on just the pilot:

* I love the 1960s aesthetic. I'm young Gen-X and can recognize it by sight because it was still part of my childhood. I'm sure they chose it intentionally and I could look up why, but I choose to believe it's because Marvel hit its modern stride then. I'm sure the actual reason is far more pedestrian, like someone watched Mad Men.

* I'm used to Marvel's comics universes having time watchers and omniscient bureaucrats with an inability to see trees while trying to preserve the forest. Welcome to the weirdness, MCU.

* I love the casual diversity of the TVA; Marvel TV/movies are crap on that front in general and tends to send up flares when they do something token (see: first canonically gay character in the MCU... is a no-named NPC portrayed by a Russo Brother) and in Loki it's just there. Eugene Cordero (Pillboi!!!) warmed my heart because the dude's got a niche and Wunmi Mosaku being badass and larger than sample size and Gugu Mbatha-Raw is just always a treat. I hope it continues.

* Owen Wilson's a genuine joy. I am always, always going to stan the unflappable competent character who isn't a superman. (Or, why I spent years writing SGA's Lorne and love MCU/Ultimate Clint Barton.) I look forward to what else Mobius has going on.

* I'm still ruminating on how the show navigates Loki's character. The entire premise hinges on a few facts that don't hang together well at all: (1) Loki was the most popular character to come out of the first Thor movie and thus his return for The Avengers; (2) Loki is an unrepentant villain for the latter and not any kind of anti-hero even if he's a fandom woobie; (3) the MCU tried really hard to massage Loki into an anti-hero as Phase 2 and 3 progressed; (4) the show returns us to the unrepentant asshole from 2012 and erases the massaging and 'growth' the character exhibited. We might have come to like the Loki who died by Thanos's hand, but we're stuck with the asshole who wanted to vaporize a Holocaust survivor to shut him up.

The pilot had to spend quality time addressing the fact that Loki did objectively awful things by choice. Bucky Barnes and his sense of responsibility versus what his actual responsibility is is a far, far easier topic to handle. Loki's arc is darker because he made choices on his own and while some of them were in emotional extremis, he had time to sober up and reflect and stop his bullshit. Instead, he chose to double down on those bad choices and that's always been something to reckon with with the character.

Loki's mischief is occasionally really effing malevolent and that's the case before his life is upended with the revelation of his Jotun origins. The first movie portrays him acting out of a reasonably wise place: he recognizes that his beloved brother is not ready to be heir apparent even if their parents don't see it. He loves his brother and his parents and Asgardia, but he thinks he's cleverer than everyone and he's willing to prove it even if it costs lives because it will save more lives. But he's not going to any of the funerals because he's doing this for science! And then his life and his identity and everything he believed in is blown up and he lashes out. At some point, it stops being a crime of passion and starts being murder.

Loki didn't have a redemption arc per se in the pre-variant timeline. Thor never forgot what his brother had become and Loki never pretended he hadn't done those things or wasn't likely to keep doing similar things, but it got kind of pushed to the side that he'd done those things. They team up because it's expedient and because Loki's had enough time to process events that he can have emotions beyond rage when it comes to Odin and Frigga and Asgardia. But Loki's never redeemed-redeemed. He's on a path toward it, perhaps maybe, when he gets killed. But it wasn't a sure thing.

The show's pilot has to get us from MCU Phase 1 Loki to MCU Phase 3 Loki or else none of this works. He doesn't have Bucky's lack of control -- he doesn't even have Frank Castle's TBI-induced lack of control. He hasn't had time to process his grief in 2012 -- that 'what if I am a robot?' pause is hella meaningful -- and the writers have to expedite that. I'm still not sure how much it worked. Loki seeing his own foreordained death after seeing proof of his indirect responsibility for Frigga's death and proof of his return to the bosom of Asgardia's royal family with his presence at Odin's side for his passing... it requires a lot of wish-fulfillment on the part of the viewer. A lot. Loki is fresh off mass murder and assuring us that he doesn't really enjoy hurting people (but is willing to do it anyway) and really does love his Asgardian family... we want it to work. I'm not sure it does if we're not already pre-sold on it working. Maybe this is developed in subsequent episodes. I hope so.

#loki #mcu #mcu meta #loki meta #dmz bloviates a lot

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alirhi · 3 years

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chapter 25 FINALLY yeesh...

Title: Winter's Frost Chapter: 25/? Fandom: MCU Rating: R to be on the safe side Pairing: Loki/Bucky Summary: Loki never told anyone the real reason he became so obsessed with Midgard. Much better to let them think he wanted to hurt his brother than draw their attention to the one thing in the universe that makes the God of Mischief truly vulnerable. Notes: I kinda really hate that they gender-swapped Laufey in the MCU, so now I have to do the same with Farbauti. The main reason I have a problem with this is Loki's name – it was one of the very distinctive things about him. In a rigidly patriarchal society, Loki's surname is matrilineal. I don't know if Marvel misunderstood or changed it on purpose, but they basically erased a detail that makes Loki a feminist icon. Also, I'm drawing from actual Norse mythology again, a little.

"Whoa."

"Welcome home, Your Highness."

Hiding a smile at his lover's childlike wonder, Loki nodded cordially to Heimdall. "How have things been here?"

The Guardian of the Bifrost chuckled, watching Bucky wander slowly about the room. "Tense, as I'm sure you can imagine. Your wife and mother ask after you daily."

"And what do you tell them?"

"The bridge is rainbow!" Bucky was leaning against the far wall now, peeking out at the world beyond the open door. "It's actually rainbow! And super shiny... Is it as slick as it looks? That doesn't seem safe."

"He's adorable," Heimdall murmured, making Loki cough to mask his laughter. Clearing his throat, he returned to the topic at hand and told the Prince, "I tell them that you're well, and that your brother is aiding you in clearing your name so that you may return home."

Loki snorted. "Oh, is that what Thor is doing? When I left, he was playing cards with Stark, Banner, and Miss Potts."

"If it makes you feel any better, he's losing."

"It does, actually," he admitted with a grin. "A bit."

"This is Jotunheim?" Eyes hilariously wide and never settling on one thing for more than a second, Bucky approached them. "It's not as cold as I expected."

Loki chuckled and held his arm out, pleased when his beloved immediately cuddled up to his side. "No, darling. This is Asgard."

"Asgard?! I thought-"

"We can't linger," he explained, somewhat surprised by the melancholy ache in his heart at the thought. "Heimdall has been kind enough to agree to open the Bifrost to us; I didn't want to risk harming you by teleporting between worlds after how you reacted to being transported between continents on your own world."

"I appreciate that." Bucky glanced around again, the awe and curiosity in his big blue eyes reminding Loki vividly of their daughter. Eira truly did take after her father. "That's a lot of gold. Is that actual gold, or just paint?"

The Aesir and Jotun both opted not to answer him. While Loki fought not to laugh, Heimdall reached for the Bifrost sword and told him, "Be careful, Your Highness. This isn't a fight you can win with deception."

He sighed. "Wait a moment." While the Guardian smiled and dropped his hands, Loki stepped away from Bucky and turned to face him. "I'd better show you now so you aren't shocked when we arrive."

"Show me what, Doll?" The words were barely out of his mouth before it dropped open as he watched Loki's disguise fade away. Loki tensed, seeing the look of stunned disbelief on his lover's handsome face, but Bucky quickly came back to himself and laid his fears of rejection to rest. "How in the Hell did you just get more beautiful? Are those tattoos? Or... No, they're markings. Were you born with those? They're gorgeous!"

"Y-yes." He cleared his throat, glancing helplessly at Heimdall's fond, patient smile before returning his attention to his beloved. Immediate, enthusiastic acceptance was... not exactly the response he'd been expecting. "Yes, I suppose I was born with them."

Grinning, Bucky closed the gap between them and tugged Loki into his arms. "You look good. Ready to get this over with?"

With a soft, amazed chuckle, Loki hugged his love and kissed his scruffy cheek. "You are a wonder. And yes, let's get on with it. Heimdall?"

"Be well, my Prince." As he twisted the blade and opened the bridge again, Heimdall assured him with a smile, "I'll assure your wife that she's in your thoughts, and that she will see you again soon."

"It's nice that someone there is on your side-fuck it's cold!" Bucky cringed, rubbing his hands together as his lover snorted and conjured him some warmer gloves and another jacket. "After this, we take Eira to the Caribbean, yes?"

Laughing outright at that, Loki conjured him a hat, as well. "We'll see. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll live." He held up his left hand, looking a bit perplexed. "You know this one doesn't feel anything, right?"

The Trickster shrugged, already turning and heading away from the Bifrost site. "Take the glove off, if you wish. Honestly, I'd forgotten it was metal."

"How? I could use it as a disco ball!"

"Well, if it isn't the little Princess."

Loki stopped, shifted to female form, and smirked. "Well, some of the time." Standing straight and doing her best to ignore the unnerving height difference, she stared the guard down. "I'm here for an audience with your Queen."

"Why do I doubt that she's expecting you?"

He was staring openly at her, taking in the fur-lined Asgardian armor, the diminutive stature, the blue skin marked with swirling designs... She allowed it; after all, she'd dropped the illusion that she was Aesir on purpose, to get their attention. Small or not, under Odin's magic and then her own, she was Jotun. She belonged in this frozen wasteland about as much as she belonged in Asgard.

For the moment, she chose to ignore what a low bar that was.

"I am Loki," she reminded him as she switched back to male form. He was perfectly comfortable either way, but as a man he was a little bit taller; still tiny for a Frost Giant, but he'd take what he could get. "Son of Laufey and rightful King of Jotunheim."

The guard smirked. "King Helblindi will be quite surprised to hear that."

Loki stalled out for a moment, stunned. He'd forgotten that he actually had biological brothers, not just a very annoying adoptive one. No wonder he'd been cast aside; his father had other sons to replace the worthless runt.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned. Bucky's wide blue eyes were locked on the guard, who the flustered Prince had just belatedly recognized as his other brother, Býleistr. Visibly steeling himself for a confrontation, Bucky sucked in a deep breath and addressed their amused audience.

"Prince Loki is used to having to boast and take an offensive position to be heard. I'm sure you're familiar with Odin and his unending pomposity?" Grinning when Býleistr chuckled, he continued sweetly, "Obviously, your people are much more refined; couldn't you look past his boorish Asgardian upbringing and see that he only wants to talk to his family?"

Laughing red eyes drifted from Bucky to Loki, and Býleistr nodded. "I like this one, little brother. Very diplomatic, for a Midgardian. Come. I'm sure Mother would like to see you."

As he turned and walked away, Loki paused to gape at his lover. Bucky was lightly bouncing on his toes, though Loki wasn't sure if it was from pride or cold. Just in case, he conjured him a warmer coat and a scarf. "You truly are a wonder, James!"

"Hey, I listen when you talk!" he teased, prodding him lightly until they were both moving, hurrying after Býleistr. "I know what a total asshole Odin is. Seemed a safe bet that the people he's been oppressing for centuries would agree that he sucks."

Loki chuckled, draping an arm over the other man's broad shoulders. "I did tell you that you're brilliant. I love being proven right."

___________________________________________________ Next Masterlist

#fanfiction #loki #bucky barnes #winter's frost #mcu #avengers #thor #captain america #winter soldier #m/m #loki/bucky #sebastian stan #tom hiddleston #heimdall #idris elba

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positively--speculative · 4 years

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Let’s Talk About Racial Coding, Shall We?

First and foremost, let me start off by addressing the very thing that inspired this post. This character...

...is not “POC-coded.” I’ve talked about it at length in this post. The short of it is this: to properly code a character as one of color, you must cast an actor of color, and obviously, Tom Hiddleston is not a man of color. Also, him having blue skin does not make him a person of color, and to suggest such means you do not understand race or racism. As others and I have pointed out, given his backstory, the potential for him to be coded as a person of color was there, but that’s simply not what the writers wanted to do with his character. There is little about him that audiences of color can identify with.

Now, if you want a good example of a “POC-coded” character, look no further than this adorable sweetheart:

You might remember Wilt from the CN show Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends. Let’s start by looking at his character design. Do the colors and their pattern look familiar? They should:

There’s an intentional similarity to the Harlem Globetrotters uniform, and Harlem, by the way, is 61.69% Black or African American. Also, he was created by a Black child named Jordan Michaels (notice the reversal of the name...obviously, this is a reference to the famous BLACK NBA player Michael Jordan), and it stands to reason that his creator based his appearance partly on himself--his BLACK self. Plus, it helps that the character is voiced by Phillip LaMarr. And as a Black teenager watching this show, I was able to quickly identify this character was Black, because he reminded me of my own Black relatives and my Black friends.

Now, on to another example...

I really don’t like the movie Avatar all that much mostly because of the “white savior” trope, but look:

Avatar was a movie that did focus a lot on the horrors of racism and colonization, and as much as I have my problems with this movie, someone--whether it was James Cameron himself or someone who worked with him--realized it was important to cast actors of color to portray a race who were meant to represent people of color. And unlike Loki, the differences between them and the human invaders were obvious and clear throughout the movie. There were no Navi who were led to believe they were human for their whole lives only to find out it had all been an illusion, and if that was the direction the writers wanted to go, if you take out the CGI, you would clearly see the actors were BLACK.

The “POC-coded” label doesn’t work with Loki, because there is little about him as a character that references any specific people of color. He is only blue for a brief few moments in the first movie, and other than that, he appears as a white man, and as I said in an earlier post, he is not hated or disliked by other characters because he is blue or Jotun, he is disliked and not trusted because he nearly starts a war that would put the Asgardians’ lives at risk, he kills people, and he invades earth and attempts to take it over in the ways of a fascist. Thor, Heimdal, and the warriors never make reference to his heritage. With all this in mind, if he was meant to represent audiences of color, the writers failed miserably.

I had to write this down, because I’m seeing some Loki fans (mostly white fans) throw this “POC-coded” label around so carelessly, and it’s ironic that many of them vilify Heimdal of all characters to further argue that he is meant to be seen as a person of color, but the truth is this: Black members of the audience have two characters to identify with: Heimdal and Brunhilde (Valkyrie)--

And Asian members of the audience might see themselves in Hogun (just wish this handsome character was given more to do and wasn’t killed off the way he was in Ragnarok):

Is the representation perfect? No. Could it have been better? Well, of course it could have been...but all of these characters are actually characters of color, and it is just so, so, so very wrong to vilify them, strip them of that title, and give it to your fave just so you can make him the victim and actual characters of color the bad guys.

In short, if you want to analyze, headcanon, and interpret your fave to not actually be a villain, have a ball. If you want to make him a romantic charmer in your fanfiction, go right ahead, but don’t start assigning him labels that you know little about. He doesn’t get to be a person of color just because you want him to be...just because you want to absolve him of his wrongdoing. Please take the time and actually educate yourself before you continue to make yourself out to be a racist fool.

Thank you.

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worstloki · 3 years

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"I don't want to be [king], I was born to be."

OH HMM WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT ISN'T IT INTERESTING HOW ODIN TELLING HIM HE WAS BORN TO BE A KING SINCE HE WAS A CHILD MADE HIM UNABLE TO ANSWER A SIMPLE YES OR NO QUESTION ABOUT WHAT HE WANTS.

Wild how Loki phrases his answer to "you want to be king?" as a "no, i don't want to be king," and then gives the reason the answer is yes which amounts to Odin's lies verbatim.

"The first and most oppressive lie ever uttered was the song of freedom."

I like the continuation on talking about freedom in Avengers 1, adds to attributing similar concepts in his yelling in Avengers 1 after being stuck first with Asgard's culture and then with Thanos :)

The line actually kinda reminded me of this panel of kid loki in Loki (2019):

"For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty, and regret. There’s a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken."

can we talk about how this was part of the projection speech Loki gave? Because he's essentially admitting his choices make him ashamed and uncertain and even regretful, that he always sees himself as taking the wrong path when it comes to decisions. which i think is important to note because a lot of the time people argue that Loki doesn't show these things, so he's proud and enjoys what he does?

This fits right in with how he ain't malicious for the sake of it along with the established moral compass in Thor 1 and how he ignores it after finding out he's Jotun because he feels he has to hurt people, to put on a show and have them be afraid, or they won't respect him.

Says lots about Asgard too, because we know strength is a constant theme in their culture and as warriors they have a set definition of it.

"The Time-Keepers have built quite the circus, and I see the clowns are playing their parts to perfection."

I LOVE how Mobius asked whether what he's saying applies to himself and Loki's immediate reaction to being called out is to laugh condescendingly and immediately change the topic by calling the man a clown to his face

#i'll do a proper analysis later #for now take some thoughts #i want them to address the jotun thing more now #his file in the end credits (i think?) said his race is Frost Giant so i want them to elaborate on that 👀#but ye #the Loki show #loki spoilers #loki show spoilers #fun #can TVA stop blaming loki i dont care if they're doing it manipulate him drag thanos into this right now #like #literally tortured #could mention it a bit 🥺#marvel stop being cowards and bring up how loki doubting his identity and worth led to attempted suicide in thor 1 #go and connect that to WHY loki was acting out and puts on the whole display of power to cover his own weakness #tell us why it's important that he does it

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imagine-loki · 4 years

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Beauty and the Beast

TITLE: Beauty and the Beast CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 41/? AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki is under a spell that will return him to his Aesir one if he learns to accept himself for who he is RATING: T (so far) NOTES/WARNINGS: Also on AO3 here

Loki spent months on Jotunheim, rebuilding and restructuring the court and society. It took a lot of work to rebuild Jotunheim to what it should have been for centuries and Loki threw himself into his work, trying to forget everything else. He tried to forget Morgan, tried to forget the Avengers, his home, his beloved mama.

He failed miserably.

Breya touched Loki’s arm to get his attention one afternoon while he was on the throne. Her eyes had that glazed look of someone in the middle of telepathic communication. Loki gave her his attention, knowing she didn’t demand his attention lightly, especially while he was working. “The guards have apparently found an Asgardian in our realm,” she told him, her voice slightly dazed, as she was holding two conversations at once. Loki was used to the signs from his own knowledge of telepathy.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her words, confused. “Why would an Asgardian be here?” He asked as he adjusted one of the gold coins on the belt at his hips. He’d learned to wear the Jotun fashion while he was king here. It was still strange to show so much skin when it was all but blasphemous to do so on Asgard, but he wasn’t on Asgard anymore. Asgard wasn’t home anymore.

He had to keep lying to himself about that particular point.

Breya shrugged, drawing Loki’s attention back to her. “I don’t know, but that’s what they say they’ve captured,” she replied. She didn’t have to question why there was an Asgardian, only report on it. “They want to kill it,” it was statement, but stated as a question, asking if she should let them kill the Asgardian.

“No. Bring them to the palace,” Loki replied on the off chance it was someone he still cared about, despite what he pretended to the court.

Breya nodded and her eyes glazed again as she gave the order to the guards. It didn’t take long before the prisoner was brought before Loki, bound in chains. Her form was slight, especially compared to the frost giants around her. She looked even smaller in the chains, a frail former-Midgardian. A blind one at that. Her gaze was nowhere near his throne, staring straight ahead as she was shoved into the petitions spot before the throne.

Loki stared in shock and horror at seeing her, his heart fell. She shouldn’t be there. How the Hel was she there?

Fuck.

Of all the things Midgardians had created, the word ‘fuck’ was definitely among the best and most useful.

He had left her to protect her.

Fuck fuck fuck.

How the fuck was she on Jotunheim?

She was fucking blind!

And too damn resourceful.

Loki had to fight hard to school his expression as he addressed Morgan. He couldn’t show weakness, couldn’t show her that he cared. He had to keep this a clean break, for her life, for her safety. “Asgardian, how did you get here?” He demanded coldly, with ice in his tone.

Her head whipped up at the sound of his voice. She tried to pinpoint him through her blindness. She wanted to run to him, but couldn’t with the frost giants guarding her. He’d been gone for months and he nearly didn’t sound like himself, but she would recognize the sound of his voice anywhere, even with the unfamiliar ice in his tone. Loki watched her carefully. He saw the wariness in her eyes at how formal and cold he was being to her. She finally spoke and he saw the effort it was taking for her not to shiver, not to appear any weaker than a blind girl already did on Jotunheim.

“A portal between the worlds and a locket,” she replied carefully. The wariness was in her voice, in her very being. She’d reverse-engineered the tracking spell in the locket he’d given her with his hair in it in order to find him.

“Why are you here? There is nothing here for an Asgardian,” he informed her coldly. It killed him to do it, but if he broke her heart thoroughly, he could make sure she didn’t do anything this stupid again.

He sounded so cold and distant that it threw her. She didn’t know what was going on or how to respond to him. She finally spoke again, stating the obvious. “I came to find you,” she finally said, doubt in her voice.

“Shall we kill it, sire?” one of the guards asked, a bit too gleefully at the prospect of killing the Asgardian, especially a defective one like this handicapped girl.

Loki shook his head firmly. “No. Take her to the dungeons. I will speak to her privately. No harm is to come to her,” he growled the last, a warning to any who might dare defy him.

“Yes, sire,” the guards replied, though sounded disappointed. They dragged Morgan away by her chains before she could so much as protest.

Loki groaned and sagged in his throne, though he didn’t have the luxury to do so. He recovered quickly. He had to. He ordered Breya to clear the court for the day. He had matters to attend to. Breya looked up at Loki after the throne room was empty of everyone else. “Everything ok? I can go deal with her for you. Send her back to Asgard?” She suggested. Loki was clearly upset by the blind girl’s presence.

“No. I need to speak to her myself. I will get her off world once I do. She doesn’t belong here,” Loki said, though it hurt to say. He didn’t want to send her away, but he couldn’t risk hurting her again. Breya nodded and let him leave.

Loki made his way to the dungeons, trying to figure out what to say to Morgan as he went. He found her in one of the cells, as ordered. Her chains had been removed and she was sitting on the floor of the bare ice covered cell, knees to her chest and breathing frost. The dungeons weren’t heated and were as cold as the outside of the realm of ice. She clearly hadn’t heard him approach over the other sounds in the dungeon so he had a moment to observe her. He saw the black handprint on her wrist hadn’t vanished or even faded.

He moved to stand in front of her cell. “What are you doing here, Ana? It isn’t safe,” he couldn’t keep the love and gentle caring from his voice, no matter how cold he tried to be.

She scrambled to her feet to address him. Her gaze was slightly off. She was out of practice talking to him. “Wou vanished without a word to anyone. I came to find you,” she was more open when he was talking more normally.

“You should not have come. Jotunheim isn’t a place for Asgardians. I left for a reason,” Loki told her firmly. He saw her expression fall, then steel itself. He recognized her backbone as coming from Tony. They could both be stubborn as Hel.

“I love you. Of course I came. You left all of your friends and family without telling anyone why,” she replied firmly. She wasn’t giving up on him, no matter how much he wanted her to. “We’re worried about you. No one knew where you went or what happened to you,”

Loki looked away from the fierce determination in her eyes. He had to break her heart again. He had to send her away. He had to keep her safe. “I cannot go back with you. I will have a few of my guards take to the bifrost circle and you will return to Midgard. I have a duty here,” he told her.

“Loki, no! Please. I don’t want to lose you!” She protested from her side of the bars. It was easier on Loki to not touch her. So he stayed out of reach. She came so far and had worked so hard to find him, to make sure he was alright, to bring him home. She wouldn’t give up now.

“Look what I did to you! I’m not safe. You are better off without me. You will be going back to Midgard, Morgan. I’m sorry. But I have to stay here. My people need me,” he said with a snarl. He couldn’t go home with her. He couldn’t risk her.

He loved her too much.

“It was an accident!” Morgan insisted. “I love you, Loki and I’m not better off without you. Nor am I giving up on you,” the stubborn streak was back. She wouldn’t give up. She would come find him again and again if she had to to get him to see reason and come home.

“Morgana, no,” he said with an exasperated sigh. She was impossible to argue with, much like her father. “You should not have come.”

“Of course I should have. We’re all worried about you,” she reminded him that she wasn’t the only one who cared. Thor and Frigga were worried too.

“You shouldn’t be. I’m fine. I’m where I should be,”

“I don’t want to lose you,” she repeated, reaching a hand through the bars toward him. She’d nearly touched him, but he was just out of reach.

He stared at the black handprint on her wrist and backed up, shaking his head. “Don’t touch me, Morgana. It isn’t safe. I will not hurt you again, accident or not. You will be going back to Midgard. Inform my brother that I am fine but I have a duty to Jotunheim now. You will not return,” he told her, the cold edge returned to his voice.

She withdrew her hand, looking hurt for an instant before she glared up at him. “And how are you planning on stopping me? I’m not giving up on you,” she had far too much faith in him.

“Give me the locket, Morgana. Now,” he snarled. He couldn’t keep going through this, couldn’t keep letting herself put herself in danger.

It finally hit her then that he didn’t want her anymore. Heartbreak filled her eyes. But he made himself clear when he demanded the locket back, knowing what it might cost her if she didn’t have it, didn’t have his protections. She hesitated a moment, but Loki’s resolve didn’t falter. She would be safe without him, without the locket. Or so he tried to tell himself. She was in far more danger from him.

Defeated when he didn’t relent, she took off the locket and tossed it through the bars in his direction so he didn’t have to risk touching her. Loki caught it, but couldn’t bring himself to look at her, couldn’t face her heartbreak. He was too much of a coward for that. His silver tongue turned to lead and betrayed him. He couldn’t just end it cleanly. “I do love you. That will never change. But I must do what is best for you and for the realm,” he said softly before he turned his back on her. “I’m sorry, my love, my Ana. But this is the only option,”

“I will always love you, Loki,” was her only reply. Her voice was defeated, knowing she’d lost him. Despite his words, he didn’t want her. He wouldn’t listen or change his mind. He was stubborn and insistent on breaking everyone’s hearts for his own stupid reasons.

Loki sighed heavily and left the dungeons as fast as he could. He stopped two of the guards and informed them to take Morgan to the bifrost circle, commanding them not to touch her or they would die horribly by his hands. Once that was done, he headed to his room, sealing himself inside. He couldn’t deal with people after having to send Morgan away.

/She’s gone/ Breya tells Loki awhile later.

/Good. You will continue my duties for today. No one is to bother me./ Loki replied firmly. He would not be interrupted.

/Alright, brother/ she replied, worry in her tone, but she wouldn’t press him for answers, not when he sounded so heartbroken and hurt.

He cut the connection to Breya and the dam of emotions finally opened when he was well and truly alone. He managed to fall into his bed before the floodgates opened and he sobbed out his heartbreak.

#Loki #Lover #Submitted fic #submission #beauty and the beast #chapter 41 #nekoamamori

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iamanartichoke · 3 years

Note

I haven't watched any of the Loki episodes yet (I'm procrastinating) but I keep seeing vague stuff about some big chasm between how Tom sees Loki and how apparently a lot of fans see Loki. Could you give me some specifics? Other than Loki mentioning his interest in sexes other than female I've heard nothing that could cause this kind of discourse.

I don't know if I'm the best person to ask, as I know others have articulated it much better than I can, and who may feel more strongly than I do that their Loki and Tom's Loki don't align so much anymore. Not tagging anyone bc of reasons (but feel free to comment/reblog if you wish to talk about it).

But, I do know a decent amount, so I'll proceed to write five thousand words try.

My understanding overall, is that Tom has always spoken very eloquently about Loki as a complex, fractured character who was functioning from a place of deep pain as opposed to any real villainy or evil.

(cut for length)

He was never saying any of it as an excuse for Loki's actions but as an explanation of where Loki was coming from and how he ended up in that place to start with. This mostly refers to the 2011-2013 era Loki, before the "reboot." Because so many fans viewed Loki the same way - as complex, as broken, as coming from a place of pain - there was validation, I suppose, in knowing that the actor who played the character (and whose performance was largely responsible for the character being so enigmatic and appealing in the first place) shared this view.

After the reboot with TR, Tom seemed to lean more heavily on the "god of mischief" aspect of Loki - he'd often say that his job was to have fun bc Loki was always mischievously having fun. While Loki had always been funny in a snarky, sardonic kind of way, and the "mischief" he'd get into was always just for fun and relatively harmless, after TR he was more silly-funny or slapstick funny ("funny") and his mischief was framed as a little more malicious (such as using magic to trick and then stab Thor when they were children).

So it seemed like a big departure from the previous Loki that Tom always spoke so eloquently about, and I think it's notable that when promoting TR, Tom didn't really delve into the psychology of Loki much at all when he'd talk about the character - just the "fun." So there was that. At the time, people figured it was bc he had very little control or say in what the director chose to do with his character.

Now, though, Tom has a lot more creative control (although I don't think he actually has all that much, certainly not as much as some people think he does, tbh), but while he's once again talking about Loki's psychology and identity issues and trauma and whatnot as context and backstory, he also still seems to be leaning into the "god of mischief" parts and the silly-funny parts. The show furthermore has yet to address what Loki experienced with Thanos in between Thor 2011 and Avengers, has failed to address his identity crisis after discovering he is Jotun (a throwaway 'I was adopted' line doesn't really count), etc.

So there's a lot that Tom has spoken about in Loki's story that is very much not being included in the series. Furthermore, while Tom discusses Loki's complexity when doing press, he has also said things that imply he has an idea of humiliation being a core aspect of Loki, or that Loki is someone who constantly needs to be knocked down a few pegs, or that he thinks he's profound but actually isn't, etc. I know in the past he's also made comments about Loki's mental health and how Loki might go about recovering from it, but his perspective on that whole area didn't ring true to a lot of Loki fans who also suffer from mental health issues.

So all of these things together, to some fans, makes it seem like Tom's current idea of Loki - whether it's bc he wants to do something new, or has changed as an actor, or whatever the case may be - is still a departure from the 2011-2013 era Loki and, thus, does not align with their own interpretation of Loki. Hence, a chasm appears.

^^ All of this is for context, which I tried to give as objectively as possible. Now, as far as discourse about it goes, I can't speak to that very much. Nobody that I know is angry at Tom or "betrayed" by Tom or feeling anything negative toward Tom as a person. They are, however, feeling that they may need to re-evaluate how much of Tom's interpretation they put stock into as they engage with the character, and kinda where to go from here. But I can't emphasize enough that no one acts like this is Tom's responsibility or that Tom somehow did them dirty. I also can't emphasize enough that there's nothing wrong with Tom's version and he genuinely seems to be enjoying what they've created here, and that's fabulous. There's no wank about that, at least not that I've seen from my fandom corner.

So that's the situation from the tumblr side. However, because Tom has been the "face" of the Loki series all this time, and because he's been hyped up as having so much say and influence and ideas to contribute, a lot of people got the idea that the Loki of the series would be exactly the Loki that Tom wanted to play. And when, inevitably, the show went in directions that people didn't like (my understanding is that this is mostly coming down to shipping nonsense, which I'm not even going to touch), Tom was blamed. And that's where this "discourse" is coming from, as far as I know. I don't have any real first hand facts, but people are saying that Tom's been getting death threats on social media from fans who are outraged about the Sylvie thing, or outraged about how the bisexual component is being handled, or whatever. Since this is pretty much par for the course in fandoms, I believe it.

But it seems like the shipping nonsense has gotten all tangled up in the dissatisfaction in the aspects of Loki's story that aren't being told, and in the difference in Tom's comments about Loki now vs back then, and it just ends up being a recipe for discourse, wank, and drama. So to answer your question, the chasm between Tom's Loki and some fans' Loki is the result of ... *gestures at massive wall of text* this.

#thank you for the ask!#sorry it's so long #asks #charlotte replies #tom hiddleston is my favorite unicorn #tom hiddleston has the best loki meta #not using critical tags bc i feel like this is pretty ojective #objective*#re tom. his opinions. and pre-post ragnarok. but i mean #take it as you will

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fadingcoast · 4 years

Text

Death Of The Lie || Chapter 25: History

AUTHORS: @fandom-and-feminism & @fadingcoast

Summary: Odin and his daughter Hela are the perfect conquerors of the universe. The nine realms fall one after the other into their clutch. After Odin takes a second wife and has a son with her, he doesn’t need Hela anymore. Hela abandons her father and ends up marrying Laufey, a sworn enemy of the Aesir people. Not long after, she becomes pregnant with Laufey’s child. Odin cannot let that son be born, but against all odds, the boy survives. Odin is forced to bring him back to Asgard to be raised as his own until he could make further use of him. The half-Jotun-half-Aesir boy grows up to look and act a lot like his mother, which disturbs Odin, and makes him treat the boy horribly. Odin’s lies are deep and complex, but one day the boy will find out the truth about everything he is.

PAIRING: Multi RATING: Teen

MASTERLIST

Feedback is always appreciated and reblogs are encouraged!!

Chapter 25: History

A loud bang sealed all doors leading to the hall. Hela barely had time to register the clamor of dozens of soldiers trying to knock the doors down, as she realized where she was.

The throne room was nothing like she remembered. The golden walls and bright colored paintings depicted the current royal family. Drawings of Thor, and Frigga, of Odin himself sitting on his golden throne, Gungnir in his hand, the image of a benevolent magnanimous god, surrounded her.

It made Hela sick.

“How many more lives did it cost to pretend I was never born, I wonder?” She muttered to herself. She seemed not to be paying attention to Loki, or his blade on her neck.

Loki stared at Hela intently, trying to read her expression. What he found was rage, disappointment, contempt, and pain… so much pain. He lowered the knife and made it disappear, releasing Hela from his hold.

She did nothing, she didn’t even move for a moment, looking around the throne room trying to find some familiarity. There was none. All the walls had been repainted, all the pillars remodeled, all the tapestry replaced. Everything that was there before was erased, covered up. Tossed aside, locked up and forgotten, just as I was.

Hela clenched her jaw, and walked slowly towards the throne, the one thing that remained almost the same. Loki stepped back and gave her some room.

“The truth, my dear Loptr, burned Odin so badly that he had to cover it up with lies,” she spat, running a finger over the arm of the golden chair. “The truth would have destroyed everything he ever knew. And he would have set the Nine Realms ablaze before yielding to that fate.” Hela stopped right in front of the throne and closed her eyes. One solitary tear ran down her cheek. “He burned my entire existence to ash instead.”

The war room was buzzing with the murmurs of the generals, while Odin heard yet another account of Frost Giants being spotted by Midgardians. Hela had been sent by the King himself to find why the Jotuns were so interested in Midgard all of the sudden. What she told him did not please the All-father. After all, Midgard was Asgard’s to protect, and to exploit.

More than that, Hela knew Odin wanted to be persuaded into war. The Frost Giants were a thorn in Odin’s side, one he would use any excuse to get rid of. But he had to be smart about it if he wanted his men to follow him to battle.

Losing her patience and tired of hearing Odin dismiss yet another peaceful approach, Hela stood up. “I would like to speak to my father alone,” she addressed the soldiers.

The Hersir looked at the king, surprised by the Princess’ tone, but obeyed anyway, nodding his head as he left the room, followed by the other divisions’ generals.

“Father, the Jotuns are NOT trying to invade Midgard! Why are you still not telling that to the Hersir?”

Odin scoffed, deflecting the question. “Are you going to let yourself be fooled by their lies? I thought I had taught you better!”

“You know what I am saying is no lie. Jotunheim is dying,” Hela said, with an exasperated sigh. “Soon, they will have no home at all.” She paused and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Midgard is wide and large, it has vast cold regions where they can settle without disturbing or be disturbed by Midgardians. All they want is your blessing-”

“No! I will not allow those monsters to invade Midgard!”

“Are you not listening to what I am saying? They do not want to invade Midgard.” Hela pressed, repeating what she had told Odin too many times by now. “You are the Allfather, the protector of the Nine Realms!” She emphasized the last words, making Odin flinch. “If you deny them the chance to leave their home, to rebuild their lives somewhere else, you are dooming them to extinction!”

“One less enemy to worry about!” Odin growled.

“They are not our enemies anymore! Will you drop your pride for one second and realize that?”

Odin pounded the table with his fist and stood up. “Do you forget what they have taken from us?! From you?!”

Hela bit her tongue, knowing forgiveness didn’t have room in Odin’s heart. She knew the story, not because she remembered it, but as it had been recited to her a million times, of how her own mother led the fight, how she was imprisoned and executed by the Frost Giants. The story, she had learned much later, wasn’t exactly as Odin told it.

She stood defiant in front of Odin. The King no longer intimidated her, for as powerful as he might have been seen by Asgard and the realms, she knew better. She knew about all the skeletons in his closet and the secrets swept under the carpets.

After all, she was the Goddess of Death. And death spoke to her.

“Laying waste to Jotunheim, murdering the Jotuns and letting their planet die will not bring my mother back,” she stated. “And even if that were possible, you have already found and wedded a replacement,” she added bitterly. “I don’t see what more vengeance you could possibly want.”

Loki had listened in reverent silence to Hela’s recounts. He tried hard to remember all the books he had read - he knew there were some mentions of a previous Queen, but it was never elaborated. His grandmother’s name had been erased from Asgard’s memory, as was her daughter’s.

My very blood has been covered with black ink.

“I left Asgard for good after that day,” Hela continued. “He sent out soldiers to search for me, only for them to find me exactly where he knew they would find me, on Jotunheim. That’s when the rumours and stories started.” She walked to stand in the middle of the foyer, her eyes squinted closed. “They were told I was violent and unstable. They were told I was out for blood, eager to conquer the universe itself. They were told I was consorting with the enemy to bring down Odin’s bloodline, and Asgard with it. They were told I would usurp the throne for our enemies. And they listened.”

As she spoke, Hela summoned several swords and threw them to the ceiling, creating cracks between the paintings of the royal family. The blades wedged deep in the plaster, but remnants of Odin’s magic kept it in place.

“All of it was, of course, a lie. Odin’s new young wife had already given birth to a baby boy.”

“Thor,” Loki said, and Hela nodded.

“The moment the boy was born, my destiny was sealed. He had another heir, his bloodline secured. He had a fresh, new mind to twist to his will. I wasn’t needed anymore.”

Hand raised in the air, she willed her magic to counteract that which was holding the ceiling together. Her swords vibrated and a bright green light emanated from them, spreading through the cracks and loosening the material. Large pieces of plaster fell around them. The old paintings that were revealed were very different.

Hidden behind the saintlike paintings of Odin, Frigga, and the Princes were images of war, of bloodshed and tyranny and death. Odin, on his eight-legged horse beside Hela herself, who was mounted upon a giant wolf, riding into battle together. Hela, at the head of a dark army of Einherjar, fire consuming the background. Soldiers wielding whips while emaciated citizens build a castle of gold. Odin and his Queen, a raven-haired beauty with bright eyes and a wicked smile.

The painting that made Loki stumble in shock was poised above the throne, the biggest one of all. Hela and Odin stood side by side, arms raised, with soldiers surrounding them and necroswords protruding into the burning sky. Odin had his spear, while Hela proudly held Mjolnir aloft over her head.

Hela broke the silence, watching Loki carefully. “I was raised to be Queen of the Nine Realms. With my mother gone, all I ever knew was what Odin told me. I would come to realize, after it was too late, that I was lied to and manipulated to follow in Odin’s steps. I made my own way, educated myself, found out things for myself. I was banished for refusing to fall in line, for daring to question him.”

This pattern was familiar to Loki, for he had been punished for rebelling against his so-called father too. At least Odin was consistent. Hela walked around the broken plaster, while Loki followed, staring at the images on the ceiling. A tiny glimpse of what was missing from the archives.

Hela came to a halt, right under a very vivid picture of her mother riding into battle in Jotunheim. The image of a fierce and powerful Queen, her long black hair braided in the warrior’s ways. An army of Valkyries rode behind her.

“I too grew up with tales of the savagery of the Frost Giants, fueled mainly by the battles we fought and the people we lost.” Her conflicted stare was fixed on her mother’s face. “The giants surrendered to Asgard after a bloody battle where Odin managed to kill their King, leaving his only son and heir, Laufey, to take the throne. Laufey didn’t want more bloodshed, he wanted peace for his people. But Odin would not budge. He wished to end their race, burn it to the ground, no matter how long it would take him. All he needed was an excuse.” Hela turned to Loki, a deep sadness in her hardened gaze. “You were the excuse.”

Loki gulped, as a shiver ran down his spine with the weight of those words. The betrayal, losing control over Hela, the political implications of joining Jotunheim and Asgard, what it would mean for Odin, Asgard and the Nine Realms to have a Frost Giant halfbreed sitting on the throne.

“The Casket wasn’t the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?”

“No,” Odin admitted quietly. “In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple, and I found a baby. Small for a Giant’s offspring - clearly abandoned and left to die in the cold. Laufey’s son.”

In his mind Loki saw clear as day that conversation with Odin, right after he had discovered the truth. How the All-father didn’t even flinch when telling him the story. His hands began to shake with fury.

“What of my mother? Had she no say in my fate?”

“Laufey had not publicly taken a Queen. I don’t know who your mother is, or if she even lived through your birth. For all anyone knew, it could have been any random female he wanted to take.”

Loki now knew better. Odin knew all along who his mother was, and that she did not have a say in his fate was Odin’s own doing.

“I wanted only to protect you from the truth.”

Lies!

I was the living embodiment of his mistakes.

His hands started to turn blue, just as they had that day when he held the Casket. His chest felt heavy with the weight of the lies he had been poisoned with throughout his life. His own past was being unveiled, his history, his heritage, his family… his real family, and he could barely cope with it. The images on the ceiling started to spin, as if they were trying to communicate, tell him everything. The air felt too hot, too humid, and he could not breathe. Ghosts danced and swirled around him and he had to wonder if he wasn’t speaking the dead into life.

“Rindr,” Hela suddenly said.

Loki had not noticed she was now by his side. The touch of her rough hands on his was almost tender, and brought him back to himself. “What?” he croaked.

“That is your grandmother’s name.” Hela looked at the ceiling again, the image of the former queen seemed to be looking down at them. “Queen Rindr of Asgard, General of the Valkyrie Army, protector of the Nine Realms.”

Loki took a deep breath and looked up. He had heard the legends of the Valkyries since he was a young boy, but he never imagined that one of their generals was his own blood. A hint of pride blossomed within him. My bloodline is more powerful than I thought. No wonder Odin wanted to keep me under wraps.

Hela remained silent, allowing him a moment to take it all in. When she spoke again, disdain had crawled back into her voice.

“I’m guessing the throne room isn’t the only thing he, well, redecorated.”

Loki shook his head. “I can’t speak for any other part of the castle being altered like this, but I’ve seen the damage done in the library. Books were torn, enchanted, vandalized…”

Hela shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t surprise me at all. He had to make sure no one ever knew about what happened. Couldn’t tarnish his precious image.”

A loud banging interrupted their conversation. The palace guards we trying to breach the throne room, and Loki knew it was only a matter of time before they broke through his magic defenses. He searched his mind for a solution, but everything he imagined would end in bloodshed. The soldiers would fight to their last, and Hela could obliterate them one by one without breaking a sweat.

What if there didn’t have to be a fight?

“You want your throne, and it is yours to claim, but the Hersir won’t recognize your ruling,” Loki said. “Odin saw that every shred of your life was erased. These soldiers haven’t been around long enough to have known you.”

Another bang, and Loki could feel the magic barrier thinning. Hela nodded her head and raised her hand, holding a temporary second barrier against the door. It wouldn’t last long, but it would buy them a bit more time to think.

“Then we have to find people who will,” Hela said. “Is that wretched traitor Heimdall still around?”

Loki shook his head. “He escaped.”

“The head healer, Eir?”

Loki shook his head again. “She retired after Frigga died, and left the realm. There is a way we could track her down, as she has settled in the mountains of Vanaheim now, but-” Loki stopped mid phrase, as if something had clicked inside his brain. A frantic smile spread across his face. “I know someone… I know where we can get the information you need!”

Hela looked at Loki cautiously, sizing him up.

BOOM!

Instinctively, both summoned weapons to their hands in an automatic move, and Hela was forced to drop her magic.

“And why you are going to help me, when just moments ago you held your own blade to my throat?”

“There are many things I still don’t know,” Loki simply said. “You’re the key to unlocking the truth.”

Hela looked surprised, but she had no time to respond. The wooden doors were beginning to splinter, and in just a few seconds hundreds of Einherjar would be upon them both.

“Norns, she is going to kill me for pretending to be dead and not telling her,” Loki said out loud to himself. He reached out to grab Hela’s arm. “We’re going to Alfheim.”

<< Chapter 24 – Chapter 26 >>

@nikkalia @xalgaliareptx @christy-winchester @silverhart93 @honeybournehippy @unseelie1963 @manager-of-mischief @angryowlet @thelittlestlittlecutiepie @moonlightprime @velvetzybanshee @bengalaas @damalseer

#Loki #Loki (marvel)#Hela #Hela (Marvel)#Loki Helason #Loki Laufeyson #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #marvel fanfiction #DOTL #death of the lie

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tarithenurse · 5 years

Text

On my mind , in my soul - 16

Prompt: “Love your work, On my mind in your soul!!! Prompts: A collar, a chair, and “Movement” by Hozier. Hope this works for you ♥️” That’s the words of a wonderful Anon whom I’ve decided will be the instigator to…well…you’ll see ;) Pairing: Loki x Burglar!reader. Content: Swearing as usual, loneliness, isolation, tiny bit of angst, jealousy, possessiveness, Jotun, lemons with “leashes”, some fluff ? A/N: All I wanna say is...it’s not my fault. Anon made me do it. Please reblog if you liked! You know the drill by now.

Of halves and wholes

You move silently, body tight and breath shallow as you navigate the halls of the Stark Tower on your own. Dressed in your own training gear (which Romanoff had picked up at your place – without being asked to or told the address) the plan is to locate the gym because sitting cooped up is starting to drive you crazy. It’s been ages since Loki left with most of the Avengers. More than a week at least! After a heartbeat to count, you correct the estimation: three. Days. Shit.

This is worse than expected. The tower isn’t your home, and not even a thirsting curiosity can distract you from the discomfort of being somewhere that takes your freedom and control away. Not to mention the people. Despite some shady backgrounds here and there, the Avengers stand for law and order and although they don’t put the letter of the law before the spirit of it…well, shared interests aren’t exactly plenty.

It’s more of a feeling than anything else that makes you duck into a spin where your water bottle is launched through the air. But instinct or not, the container nearly finds a target below the belt of the only one of the heroes you can talk to: Barton.

“Close call,” he mutters, but there’s a smile on his lips, “guess ye’re not much safer to sneak up on.”

You push to your feet, a bit frazzled. “At least I’m not carrying weapons all the time.” Yeah, I’m not gonna feel guilty about this.

“Anythin’ can be a weapon.”

Barton lops the bottle back in a gentle arch, probably confident that you don’t stand a chance at beating him. Which you don’t. But still.

“That sounded like the Russian duo.”

The smile breaks with a snort of laughter. “Only one’s Russian. Sorta. But yeah, I see yer point.” He walks on the way you’d been headed. “So, let’s see what else yer capable of other than tamin’ an Asgardian and throwin’ bottles at nice guys’ private parts.”

It’s all junk.

Silently appreciating that you’ve got a guide now, you follow the archer down a few levels and into the private and (according to Stark) little gym.

Little my ass. Filled with the best equipment money can buy, the place is bigger than any training center has a right to be and sports several pit-like areas which probably are meant for sparring. Of course there are also an actual boxing ring, several machines where the pins in the weight still are at uncannily high numbers…not to mention an actual stack of sandbags by the wall. Bikes, treadmills, you could go on and eventually not even know what to call the different options for physical exercise displayed before you. At least the smell’s like it should be. Musty leather, dry sweat, and sanitizer. Your nose wrinkle at the familiarity, and a bit of the alienation you’d felt seeps away into the floor, leaving you calmer than you’d been for…since I got here.

“Alrighty, what ye know already?” Barton has found sports tape and wraps while you were ogling and is now waiting for you to hold out a hand.

You gingerly extend your left. “In terms of…what?”

“Self-defence. Martial arts.” He’s obviously done this before because his fingers move nimbly and without hesitation.

What do I know? Sure, you’d taken a few classes and generally kept in shape enough to impress any common thug or rich client getting handsy. Then there was the stuff you’d tried to teach yourself like when Loki was…the memory makes you sigh quietly at the realization that that isn’t so long ago even though it feels like a lifetime. Things could have been so different now if you’d made other choices. Would your life have remained what it once was? Would it have been smarter if you’d run away…or simpler if you’d given in to the demands of the Asgardian? He would never have opened up to you, bared his soul the way he had done when he explained why the Avengers forgave him…

“Hey?” Barton’s voice breaks through the storm of thoughts. “Where y’at?”

Both your hands are wrapped comfortably. “Sorry,” you mumble, “uhm…no experience worth mentioning.”

“Cool. Blank slate.”

You follow him into the nearest pit, finding that the floor is slightly padded. “Tabula rasa.”

“…s’that like Hakuna Matata?”

… Loki’s PoV …

What use is a wizard if he will not even ensure the quickest travel? Finally out of the dreadful confines of the jet, Loki can feel his body thrumming with impatience. The Jotun part of him is itching to break free from the restraints of the illusion and to be only with people he trusts unconditionally. And no, Thor - who is hollering after the raven-haired brother - does not exactly fit that bill.

Long strides bring him to the door that leads to what can be considered Loki’s quarters when he has to stay at the Tower. The god prefers his own home, but even he is a slave to practicality sometimes. And this time? A part somewhere in his chest does not disagree quite as much with returning to this place.

Without knocking, he barges in and is met with nothing.

A second stretches like elastic as Loki takes in the surroundings, finding no signs of foul play. The closet is ajar, a pair of jeans slung across the back of a chair next to it which has [Y/N] shoes tugged beneath. The wardrobe itself is near empty because neither resident had brought a lot with them.

This time the steps are rushed and nothing but pure self-restraint keeps the god from breaking into a running pace. Self-respect. Dignity. Loki tempers the roiling desperation, not wanting to let anyone else know exactly how great the urge to hold his mortal in his arms really is. But where is she? Stopping, he realizes that he simply has stormed off in any random direction which is a perfect example on how not to search for anyone.

“Jarvis!” the god snaps, for once appreciating Starks love for the disembodied servant.

...

I still watch you when you're groovin' As if through water from the bottom of a pool You're movin' without movin'

The Asgardian supposes he should be thankful for the facts that [Y/N] is learning to defend herself properly and for the fact that it is Barton teaching her rather than any of the others. The two men do not have a friendship, far from, but the archer had been the first to accept that Loki’s actions on Midgard had not been entirely of his own volition. And so a sort of unspoken understanding keeps them on common ground. Still, looking at the way the two sweaty bodies collide and wrestle for dominance awakens a jealousy within Loki.

Why do I stay in the shadow? It would be simple, stepping forward and claiming the woman he has come to consider his. [Y/N] would be furious if I treated her as a possession…and the god stays in the shadows to watch. And what a sight it is.

With careful perfection, she copies the trainer’s movements. Already, her motions are fluid and lithe, a show of confidence that empowers the once-upon-burglar more than Loki thought would still be possible, and he could swear on the Norns that no other sight is as captivating. Sleek muscles dance under glistening skin of back, arms, and shoulders with each strike or block. Strong thighs (that have been wrapped around his waist as pleasure wrecks the perfect body) powers each step as [Y/N] drives forward in a tantalizing onslaught. Full of potency and with satisfaction showing on the curved lips. My warrior.

A change in movement, bodies too close for Loki’s liking as the archer wraps the woman in his arm before spinning her away. Only as Barton backs out of the sparring match, does the Asgardian realize that he has marched to the pit. He can feel the jealousy spread like ice over his skin but can hardly find it in himself to stall the transformation…and either way: the bowman is leaving already.

“Loki?” The female voices reaches him through a fog of rage. “What’s up?”

She is so soft in his clawed hands, so pliable as lips meet with a force that clicks their teeth together. “Mine,” Loki mumbles in between the hungry kisses.

“Mm!” He does not allow her to break away fully. “M’not…a thin’…oh…you own!” Even so, she is returning each demanding action with a vigour.

“Still…mine…” [Y/N]’s skin is scalding on his lips as he trails the elegant jawline before latching onto the tender spot below the ear. “My pet.”

Nails scrape against his scalp, sending shivers down Loki’s spine. “No pet…” she whimpers, arching into him in response to the hands stroking her body, “got no collar.”

Finally pulling back, the god is met with a lust-blown gaze. Mouth half-open and chest rising and falling rapidly, she looks so prettily ruined. “Oh, but my dear…you do have a collar.”

And as he speaks, it appears in a shimmer of sparks: thick, green velvet edged with gold and no buckle or joint anywhere for [Y/N]’s probing fingers to find. He sees the challenge rise in her eyes, but simply decides to scoop her up onto a shoulder and carry her away.

… Reader’s PoV …

Without anything sharp, there’s no way you can get the new accessory off and slung over the Jotun’s shoulder (Must be his “thing”) you really can’t do anything about anything. Instead you wait patiently. Almost patiently. With each step, Loki brings you closer to his room. With each step, he tells you all the dirty things you’ve been longing for while he was gone, making you squirm to prolong the contact as he massages your ass and legs, ghosting close to your clothed pussy when the nimble fingers explore the inside of the thighs.

But when the door finally does close, he doesn’t drop you on the bed, but perches you on a hard chair and before you know it, your ankles are tied to its metal legs and you wrists connected behind its back.

His face is so close you can recognize a turquoise shade in the sea of red. “I might not own you, love, but you’re still mine to do with as I please.” A large hand wraps loosely around your neck, thumb stroking the collar. “If you’re a good pet, I’ll reward you.”

I’ll show you “pet”. Like a dog wanting to lick its owner’s face, you try to rush forward but are stopped by resistance from the neckband. What the –? His smirk chases away the confusion – the bastard has tied the collar to chair too. You can’t move more than a few inches, leaving you completely at his mercy. There’s no doubt in your mind that he would set you free if you truly wanted him too…but you don’t.

When you move Honey, I'm put in awe of somethin' so flawed and free

Instead, you watch as he straightens before you, deliberately slow as he peels off one layer of clothes after the other before he stands naked.

“God,” you moan, following the ridged lines across his shape with your eyes.

His hand drops to stroke his growing cock lazily. “Correct. Your god, am I not?”

A nod is enough. And one more when he’s kind enough to ask if you want to taste him. Stretching as far as you can, you meet him with your mouth, tongue guiding him closer until you sit relatively comfortable again.

It’s messy at first, almost every lick and nibble along the shaft makes his erection bob up and down as if it too is nodding, but when Loki grabs the base the balance in power shifts slightly in your favour. Groans and subtle rolls with the narrow hips as your lips draw his cock in inch by inch until you nearly gag on it. Sure, size isn’t all and the dimensions of the Jotun erection can seem intimidating if it wasn’t for your intimate knowledge of how talented Loki is with it. Right now, however, you’re spellbound by the sinful sounds and twitches as you trace the ridges with your tongue and suck greedily to create a slobby vacuum.

“Such a…good pet…” His breath is ragged and thighs trembling as he dig the clawed hands into your hair for stabilization.

It’s hard to smile with a face full of cock and your jaws ache at the strain. “Mmmmm-mmm?” you hum before circling the crown with your tongue to lap up the salty taste of precum.

With a pop, he pulls out, stumbling back a step to take in the view of you there, drool dripping to your chin and a devilish grin because you may be tied up but aren’t powerless. Innocently, you bash your lashes up at him, making a deal out of admiring the athletic form. Damn, so fuckable. Your clit throbs with each heartbeat and you try to shift on the seat to soothe the need for some release.

Red eyes lock on the movement, glimmering with decisiveness. “Yes,” he whispers more to himself, “and good pets are rewarded.”

Falling to his knees between your legs, the cold of his body soothing on the hot skin, he kisses and licks the worst of the saliva from your face before tracing a path to the neckline of your top. Even through the layers of fabric, Loki can see the puckered nipples to bite them just hard enough for the sting to make you moan with want and distract you from the appearance of a blade. Rrrrrrrrp, and the front of your clothes splits to reveal your breasts and stomach. You would’ve scolded him if he hadn’t been so talented with his tongue and lips, making you arch your back and tilt your hips harder into the hand he’s holding onto you with.

When the god reaches the top of your shorts, there’s no denying the dangerous cold of the blade as it slips between skin and elastic fabric, but this time, you couldn’t care less that more clothes is ruined as long as it grants him access. Scraps fall to the floor, hand reach under your ass to lift and tilt your pelvis a bit and then…gooooods!

… Loki’s PoV …

Move me, baby Shake like the bough of a willow tree

Such sweet sounds with each stroke of his tongue, a danced melange of broad, slow, piercing, and fast until her lust is dripping onto the seat. [Y/N] has fallen back and her entire body is undulating with power that is building up within, like water behind a dam waiting to be released. Fine.

Never stopping the delirious torture, Loki only needs a thought to undo the bonds - although the collar stays (he likes the symbolism of it). And before she understands what is happening, he lifts her to the bed. Only then, as he lays down on his back, does his mouth leave her folds so he can see her captured in his grip above him. Perfect. Eyelids flutter and breasts rise and fall rapidly against the tension of being on the verge for so long, already the woman is reaching for some way to find release. Mine.

The Jotun physique is domineering and raw in its need, but Loki manages to move agonizingly slow as he lowers her onto his cock and then setting a snail-like pace for the next dozen thrusts until she whimpers in frustration.

“Pleeaase!” The mortal’s gaze is clouded with lust and desperation.

How can he deny her? Rutting upwards, the speed and depth of each stroke are increased, and the much smaller hands hold on with all they can to his much bigger wrists. Pretty cries fall from her lips, growing louder as a warning, together with the tightness of her cunt, of the impending ecstasy. There! All of [Y/N] seizes and shudders with bliss. Back arched, breasts pushed upwards, and the sight is beyond anything the god could ever want.

Rolling clenches of her core pushes him over the edge with such a force that everything disappears in a darkness where the only reality is the blurry shape of the woman. Her heat and his cold mingles, and Loki knows he must have cried out her name, but it is not until he comes to his senses with the mortal in his arms that he realizes it. Never another.

“Mine,” he whispers into her hair.

The god can feel her smile against his chest. “Yours.”

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loki-godofmischief-myking · 5 years

Text

Love Is For The Foolish (8)

Loki x Asgardian!Reader

Warning: Mild Suggestive Content

<== Previous | Next ==>

Chapter 8: King Loki

Loki awoke to the contrasting feeling of warm flesh against his. Your soft embrace was always ideal for comforting him. It was all the more effective when you were unclad and spent from a night of passionate copulation. He began gently running his fingers through your silken tresses as your arm draped lazily over his torso.

As dawn broke Loki thought only of you. How you had accepted him despite his mischevious reputation, his lies, his history of conquering women... Now you had forgiven him for taking advantage of your powers.

He was King of Asgard.

Finally, he had claimed that he had been raised to believe was his birthright. As fate would have it his true birthright was similar with only the difference of realms.

You had recklessly accepted his newest and truest form as a frost giant, an abandoned Jotun prince. He had never known it was possible to feel so loved. Sometimes he felt he did not deserve you.

In your slumber, your arm finally fell to your side setting him free.

Loki did not hesitate to immediately guide your arm back onto him. “Thankfully I am a selfish man,” he muttered into your hair simultaneously kissing the top of your head.

You hummed contently cuddling closer into him now only half-asleep. “How am I to get a proper amount of rest when you keep me up so late only to wake me when the sun begins to rise?”

“If it were up to me you would never have a moment’s peace. I’d have you writhing with pleasure every waking moment.”

“How tempting,” you mused all the while your fingers drew the familiar patterns of his Jotun markings onto his chest. You had memorized them by now. “However there are urgent matters to attend to this morning.”

Loki smirked catching your painful expression when a jolt of pain caught you by surprise upon attempting to stand. He had purposely postponed easing your pain.

You cursed his name but the pain had you voicing his name in almost a seductive moan due to the near-crippling ache that began at your thighs and shot up to your core. By morning Loki would usually have you feeling only a mild discomfort- after all, what was the point of claiming you if no reminder was left.

It had been some time since you were the target of his mischief. He felt you needed to be reminded of not only his love but his essence as well. “How intriguing.” Loki nonchalantly got out of bed with ease using his magic to dress as he made his way around your marital bed. “My queen, goddess and master of darkness, has yet to surpass the basics of healing.”

You scoffed before looking up at him with a smirk. He enjoyed the image of you on your knees a bit too much in your opinion. “Let us see how jovial my King is at the end of the week when he has been denied all carnal pleasures.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It is a promise.”

You bit down on your bottom lip suppressing the boundless urge to wince as you stood. Your hips were riddled with bruises from an overly zealous husband., bruises you planned to conceal with one of your finest dresses. And although you hated to us magic for such menial tasks you lacked the capacity to physically dress yourself.

Loki sighed giving in to you. “One neither of us would benefit from.” He intended to relieve you of all discomfort from the very beginning. But, not before evoking a final whimper from your lips after having harshly pulled you in by the waist.

Your grip on his shoulders loosened as you recovered. “Why must you always get a rise out of me?”

“Because I love you,” Loki kissed you. HIs tongue prying your lips open far too in need to give you a sweet loving kiss. “Your voice, the sounds that pass these heavenly lips...” his index and middle finger brushed the plush of your bottom lip before kissing you once more. “Are absolutely sinful.”

“Just as the man who invokes them.”

Everything seemed right in your world until the day you were confronted by Sif with extremely alarming information. “Are all of you in agreement about such blasphemy against your King?”

“With all due respect Lady Y/N-” Hogun stopped when he was elbowed in the gut by Fandrall. His friend reminded him you were no longer to be addressed this way but he did not care to correct himself when they were facing a crisis. Besides, as of late you seemed to be just as content as Loki. They could no longer trust you if you too were benefitting from Thor’s banishment. “The only person worthy to rule with the Allfather in Odinsleep is Prince Thor.”

You did not take kindly to his words or his actions when he stormed off. To some extent Loki’s paranoia was justifiable. He had warned you that some may question his rule. Even going as far to single out Sif and ask that you keep watch of her. “Lady SIf?”

Sif sighed, “Look princess it is time to rid yourself of the bind that blinds you.” There was no doubt you were an honest and powerful person but your loyalty, while a formidable quality, stood to be your greatest flaw. “Your love for Loki shields you from the truth. He may be loyal to you but he is not honest. He has always been jealous of Thor. His mastery of magic makes him the only one capable of sneaking Frost Giants past Heimdall.”

Eyes shifted as you recoiled in the guilt of her false accusations. It was your magic, your dark seidr, that allowed the Frost Giants undetectable passage. Had you been more careful in not allowing him to venture off with it, had they known it was meant as harmless entertainment for Loki who was bitter about being overlooked. You sighed knowing they would not care to see it your way. To them, Loki’s mischief was nothing short of tactless. "I assure you Lady Sif, I assure all of you,” Your eyes narrowed in on them as a collective as your shadow spread out from under you. The darkness engulfed the entirety of the floor which they stood on keeping their feet planted to the ground unable to move any limbs. “I am not my husband’s marionette. Loki is King whether you agree to it or not, his mother, Queen Frigga entrusted him with the title. If you dare commit treason, Loki will not be the master of magic you must fear.”

Hogun returned when his companions failed to meet him.

Your eyes landed on him, the dark instantly following your line of sight. Going beyond your warning with Hogun by making him kneel.

Hogun tried to resist it but it was futile. Volstagg and Fandrall shared a look of alarm towards their companion but similarly were unable to ambulate towards him.

“I’ll have my eyes on you all.” You turned your back to them before rescinding your shadow and revoking your hold on them. You did not order it but it was without saying that they were dismissed.

Lady Sif was the only one to delay her leave. She was left horrified by your unrelenting loyalty to the god of mischief. “He refused our request to lift Thor’s banishment.”

You remained unmoved already knowing about their meeting with Loki. Although he did not specify the entirety of the discussion with you- it was enough to know he had his reasons. Personally, you did not agree with his decision. Thor had been nothing but open and kind with you. “May I remind you Odin was the one to banish Thor, not Loki.”

Sif was not one to be silenced. “Do you know where he is?”

Your head turned slightly so you may glance over your shoulder at the female warrior.

The action was telling of your response. Although you would never tell her of Loki’s doing you would certainly assert yourself. The lack of denial was also constant with her assessment of you. Despite how enamored you were with Loki, how you had begun to mimic his actions, and now abilities- you were still honest. “You can not lie, your highness.”

As soon as the throne room doors shut you stomped your foot on the ground with a loud groan. The emotions you had been bottling up finally overcame you. The action caused a small tremor in the palace that everyone felt. Some ran out with worry to question what it was while others simply dismissed it.

“Seems our queen is just as unstable.”

\\\

You had been here many times before, watching the Alfather in such a vulnerable state filled you with question. He always seemed like someone who would never-

Frigga watched you silently look on at Odin. There was clearly something on your mind and she would interrupt those thoughts so you may share with her. “What troubles you, my dear?”

“I suppose I still can not wrap my mind around it all.” For one, you were still unclear about Odinsleep but that was the least of your troubles. Lately, Loki seemed less like himself spending a vast majority of his time secluding himself from you. You got the feeling Loki was not where he said he would be.

She got up to sit beside you, placing her hand atop yours on your lap she smiled. “Thank you.” When you stood to question she silenced you and continued with her “Thank you for helping Loki through such difficult times. I know it was a lot to ask of you.”

Frigga had only heard good things about you from the maids and guards in passing. You had managed to handle her day to day affairs so she may focus on tending to her husband.

“I only hope I can do everything half as good as you Allmother. I always knew you did much for the people of Asgard but in my short time as-”

“Queen, do not hesitate on your title.”

You sighed letting all the accumulating stress take its toll. “I hesitate greatly because I do not think I deserve it.”

“I’ve never known you to diminish your worth. What has you questioning yourself?”

You did not want to disclose your meeting with Sif and the warriors three or the fact that they questioned Loki’s rule. Or the more pressing matter- that you were harboring guilt for playing part in Loki’s secret portal.

Thankfully you did not have to. A maid came looking for you at that precise moment providing you with a means to drop the conversation. “Pardon the intrusion Allmother,” the maid curtseyed to Frigga. “But your Highness is urgently needed.”

That was your queue to will all previous troubles from being shown and get back to the task of running a realm. You and Frigga exchanged a knowing look where you promised to visit again.

Frigga knew it wasn’t right to let you leave like this. She held both your hands in hers offering a few words to calm your ever-growing worries. “I trust you to make your own decisions.”

Her words resonated within you the day Loki froze Heimdall and sent The Destroyer to Midgard. His actions seemed far more extreme than they should have been.

He had shouted orders for you to be taken away after you continued to argue over his actions.

“Loki stop this!”

Loki sparred a momentary glance in your direction otherwise he remained unmoved atop his throne. “This does not concern you Y/N now listen and go with the guards.”

The guards apologized as they took hold of your arm trying to lead you out.

You used their own shadows to pin them in place while you stepped past them. Loki wanted you to blindly follow him but you would do no such thing. He had yet to tell you of his trips outside the realm- something told you this was all related.

“If you do not stop The Destroyer- I will!” You whipped your hair back over your shoulders when you turned your back to him.

The guards were individually released as you passed them by. They dared not so much as look at Loki after witnessing your quarrel.

Loki slammed his hands down on throne causing a loud bang to echo off the walls. “You will do no such thing!”

Although his outburst did startle you there was no looking back. In fact, you walked faster carelessly grabbing your skirt to the point where you were permanently creasing the beautiful glittering material with your strength. The regal appearance you had been trying to uphold until now was broken.

Too deep in thought you were unable to react in time when Loki suddenly appeared before you. You stepped on your dress as you crashed into his open arms.

Irritated and annoyed by the oversight your hands lay on his chest pushing him away. “Let go of me!” you demanded but his arms remained restraints around you. He was much stronger than he looked and you much smarter.

You let your body go limp feigning to accept you had come to a dead-end in your revolt against him. “Why Loki? Why must you go to such extremes?” It was hard however you managed to conjure up some tears. Preying on your husband’s love for you, you sought his comfort.

Loki’s hold loosened thinking he had hurt you in his bid to stop you from ruining his plans.

This was your chance and you seized it. You freed your hands, held his face in them to bring him eye level with you. “I need to know,” you pressed your forehead against his in a bid to read his mind.

HIs mind was vulnerable in this chaotic state. You managed to see what he had done, the lies he told to Thor. His entire trip to Midgard was at your mercy. When you began to see Jotunheim and Laufey he did something he never thought he would do.

Loki stabbed you.

The pain immediately brought you back to face the present Loki with a gasp of pain. You held your side where Loki’s dagger remained. Far worse was the pain you felt in your chest of betrayal. “Loki-”

Loki was just as shocked by his actions.

The pain was like nothing you had ever felt before. You had been stabbed at your side yet the pain felt as if it originated elsewhere. Where you could not say. You cursed your inability to heal yourself once again when you felt faint.

Loki caught you before you could fall. He held you tightly as he teleported you to your bed. There he worked in deafening silence to heal you.

Through half-lidded eyes, you managed to see the conflict of panic and anger on your raven-haired King’s face. You felt the roughness of his dry lips graze your cheek and forehead multiple times. His bottom lip had been victim to his anger transforming his once soft lips.

He was clearly remorseful of his actions but you did not doubt that part of him felt successful. He had healed you, put you out of danger’s way yet you felt drained of all energy.

“Rest my Queen,” Loki placed a final kiss to your velvety lips. The memory of having purposely inflicted pain upon the woman he loved would haunt him for the rest of his life. However, he had managed to stop you from running towards danger.

The Jotuns and Laufey were due to arrive soon as per Loki’s plans, he had to make sure you were safe. He had to keep you away from them or anyone who would harm you. He knew how hypocritical a thought it was yet he stood by it.

“You’ll be safe here.”

-end-

A/N: Yeah so... did you see that coming? Also, thank you so much to those of you who asked to be on my Tag List!

Tag List: @drakesfiance @sweetacp @fyeahlitaajpunk @cosmicsskies

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