#loki series positivity

[artist-issues]

Reminder that making Loki and Sylvie romantic was not a huge mistake. It was very smart and very in-character.

Not because they love themselves. That’s just a very clever writer’s play on the Loki-Trope-words.

Because she’s the most not-him person that there is. He wants to be the center of attention. She wants to live a quiet life left alone. He wants to take thrones and rule. She wants to topple thrones and rulers. He wants to tyrannize and enslave. She wants to set whole realities free. He sets traps to defeat his most hated foes. She just runs up and stabs them. He never shuts up. She’s stoic and quiet.

To people who believe it’s weird or gross because “they share DNA” or “they’re siblings…” Yeah. They share the same DNA, clearly—just like the Alligator Loki! 🙄 And they share parents, clearly—oh, except they don’t, because Loki’s parents were the kind of people to hide his true origins from him, and Sylvie’s parents were as different from that as you can get. They don’t share DNA, they aren’t the same gender, they don’t share memories or a similar history, and they don’t even share a name. They’re not like the same person, and they’re not like siblings.

The places where they’re similar? Like Sylvie’s chip on her shoulder against those who’ve wronged her? They’re all the places Loki has grown out of, or is in the process of growing out of when he meets Sylvie—and she’s been hellbent on avenging herself against those who’ve wronged her for her whole life.

He’s in love with her because of the—say it with me—“Idea of Potential” that she represents.

It’s just like how Ariel is in love with Eric, even before she gets to know him, because all she needs to know is that his character traits match up with everything she’s always hoped humans could be like. All Loki needs to know about Sylvie is that her character traits match up with everything he’s always wished he could be:

Confident instead of pretending to be confident; heroic instead of pretending to be heroic; secure in who he is regardless of what people think of him; able to focus on something bigger than himself; etc. Loki’s never been able to be those things and even convinced himself he’s proud of pretending—but Sylvie genuinely is all those things.

And Sylvie? Since she was stolen from her home and family she has made no connections, had nobody care about her, and focused only on her mission. If she ever had dreams outside of that, it probably revolved around the idea of freedom. Then in comes this guy who not only expresses care for her, but is the type of guy who doesn’t let anybody tell him what he is or what to do—he can relate to her feelings of hurt, and eventually, tries to help her grow beyond them, too.

They both represent something that the other person has always wanted to do or be, and they both challenge each other, and they both have this big existential hole in their hearts of “nobody wants me or likes me” to relate to each other with.

How is this a mistake? It’s literally the smartest way they’ve ever had Loki make a connection with someone outside his adopted family. (Mobius is cool and all but he’s a Thor-stand-in for this Loki, who’s been ripped out of Thor’s timeline.)

I’m going to stop beating the dead horse, but basically, if you think Loki and Sylvie as a romantic couple is weird, try and look at it the way it actually is, instead of superimposing “female love interest bad” or catchy Internet memes like “Loki Show Approves Incest” over everything 🙄

#Honestly #Loki #Loki season 2 #Loki spoilers #sylvie #sylvie laufeydottir #loki laufeyson #loki x sylvie #Mobius #Owen Wilson #Tom Huddleston #sylki #anti sylki #loki series negativity #Loki series positivity

[feral-sylki]

“Her name was Sylvie”

“Because we’re the same”

“See? We’re both selfish”

These three quotes have attached themselves to my brain and won’t let go and so I’m gonna chatter about them because I have so many thoughts and look. I am quite aware there is a focus on Sylvie with these. I can’t help it, she’s my favourite, her tragic backstory, insane grin and absolute commitment to her beliefs have captivated me

Okay so first one: “Her name was Sylvie.” Loki, with the very real possibility she’s been killed, holding the line for her. The identity she forged for herself, the escapism and the rebellion and the individuality that’s so important to her, he not only respects, but holds the line for her. You fell for yourself; no, because she isn’t me, she’s Sylvie. He cares for her, he fell for Sylvie, the fierce woman who teases him and challenges him and fights for life with everything she’s got. And he does reach Mobius. Mobius plays it off mockingly during the interrogation “is that with an ie or just an i?” but he remembers it and he uses it. He says to Ravonna, “Why didn’t you let me interrogate Sylvie?” Like it’s so important to have someone who cares, someone in your corner. There’s so much packed into four words

“Because we’re the same.” The flip side of the individuality is the fact that they are variants of each other and that’s such a fascinating and important and beautiful part of the narrative. Sylvie violently establishes her individuality and separateness from the Loki conglomerate at the beginning, but she choses to reassure Loki that he can do it by using their sameness. Like seriously I cannot express how amazing that character development is there. She’s now so much more comfortable in her identity because of him. Because of him, Loki, fresh off the sacred timeline, who was meant to “cause pain and suffering and death” only, he has helped her feel more comfortable in her own skin, by caring and just being himself. That’s awesome. And it’s also romantic as hell. Win win

“See? We’re both selfish.” Painful. Devastating. Beautiful. Harder to pin down why I like it so much because I haven’t had two years to chew on it yet but here we go let’s see. Ok so: it’s an extension of the we’re the same module, and even estranged from him, she’s still willing to accept what he and she share. There’s still care there; it isn’t what they had in season one, but it’s there all the same. She was horrified by the timeslipping and concerned for him, so, she takes him drinking. That’s my hedonistic girl. But the point being that she sees him in pain and is trying to care for him, in her way. So, we get there, conversation, and we get to the other thing that’s fascinating about it: at the time Sylvie owns the “you’re so selfish” when it’s thrown at her like “of course I’m selfish, I want a life, what’s wrong with wanting something?” which is amazing, because I really do love a character who is not only willing to admit to selfishness, but embraces it, owns it, takes pride in it, even. Like fuck yeah that’s my girl. But but but, and here’s the sticker: with this line “See? We’re both selfish.” we see that maybe it did get under her skin, the way that only he can really hurt her like this, precisely because of how much she cares for him, this vulnerability that she has with him, one of the few people who she’s taken down her walls before. But she also can see how low and rough the spot he’s in is right now and she cares about him and wants to help him, so it could be argued she’s using it like she used their sameness to reassure him last season. She says “we’re both selfish” in the same breath that she told him being selfish isn’t bad; so essentially: it’s ok, Loki, it’s okay to want things, we both wants things, it’s normal

So yeah, I’m completely normal about these characters this show and these quotes

#Loki series #loki #sylvie laufeydottir #okay so this was like a multi paragraph I love Sylvie post huh? #oh well I enjoyed writing it #sylki #pro sylvie #loki series positivity #I did think of the you can’t trust and I can’t be trusted but honestly that’s a whole other post

[musclesandhammering]

Ok so obviously TVA!Loki is the most powerful variant, but I don’t think we give og!Loki enough credit for how strong he was (while confined to the timeline). Dude literally overthrew the Allfather and locked him in an enchantment for 4 years with no one knowing about it. That version of him was nerfed to hell in the movies and I’m still mad about it :/

#justice for og loki #og Loki #this is NOT an anti series!loki post btw #I love him #I love him and og loki equally in fact #but I’m just saying #loki in the series got to be badass and magical #while Loki in the movies wasn’t allowed to show any of that on screen #it’s so annoying #loki series positivity #TVA loki #loki meta #infinity war #thor ragnarok

[the-girl-who-sold-the-wxrld]

I don't think we realize enough how rich the Loki series is in meaning and metaphor.

This is actually one of the reasons why I immediately wanted to watch all the episodes and loved this series. And I think it's a shame that not more people are talking about it.

For example, for me, extremely interesting points of the series are the way it portrays a totalitarian regime, and especially the people working for a totalitarian regime and dehumanization.

As someone who loves philosophy, geopolitics, psychology, and history, I've read quite a bit about these topics and was impressed with how the show used these themes intelligently. This tallied perfectly with the words of the philosophers and psychologists I read.

Let me explain: in films, when a totalitarian regime is invented, the people working for these totalitarian regimes are often depicted as monsters. I mean they are shown as horrible H24, with no good side, with 100% black personality, monsters being abominable every hour of the day. And while I understand why people do this, it's not realistic!

Philosophers have studied the question, and it is quite interesting. People working for totalitarian regimes, whether they are members of that regime out of cruelty, believing in it wholeheartedly, or brainwashed by manipulation and propaganda, are still human beings. Awful human beings, but human beings; to quote this text whose author I have forgotten, these people had friends with whom they were sympathetic and had a dog that they adored and with whom they were adorable. Yet they still did and thought abominable things.

We know it's different with the TVA because the people who work there have had their memories erased and have been completely manipulated. They didn't have much space to reflect and detach themselves from the ideas and actions of the TVA. it is therefore not exactly comparable with the real totalitarian regimes or with many of those created in fiction.

However, I love how the show gave these people a nice side despite what they're doing. I mean, Ravonna? She was a judge. She sent a lot of people to their deaths (I think the only ones she didn't convict were the ones she kept to work at the TVA. That's what trials really are for me) and did it without hesitation. Children, innocent people. And yet, when we see her in scenes with Mobius, she is... normal. Friendly. As if she was doing a regular job.

Same for Mobius. His role was to solve cases so people would be pruned. And we've seen him do horrible things on the show, like having Loki tortured. Yet apart from that, he is absolutely nice and funny.

Same for B-15 and even Casey. TVA workers suppress entire realities and cause the deaths of thousands of people, and are not depicted as abominable monsters with totally dark personalities. Crossing them at a barbecue (yes, that's the first thing that came to mind) you would never guess that they are capable of doing this kind of thing. You could never guess what their job is.

Antis will say that it is propaganda and apology of violence but antis have no critical skills so we will not give the slightest importance to that.

I think this series has done a very good job of portraying a totalitarian regime, not only with this depiction of propaganda and brainwashing, with this notion of "we do bad things for the greater good", but also by showing people who seem quite normal and nice to be part of a totalitarian regime. Seeing Mobius makes you really wonder how he could have done such horrible things. They were so brainwashed that they could do absolutely anything without asking questions.

I think it's interesting because not only does it tap into the theme of manipulation and propaganda perfectly, but it also taps into this rather tricky theme of people who've done horrible things aren't always just monsters . I love how nuanced this show is. TVA employees were doing horrible things without asking questions and yet they are far from being just heartless beings.

Which brings me to the other point: dehumanization. I've also read quite a bit on the subject, and the Loki series has managed to exploit this theme to perfection.

The way TVA members don't care about hurting variants, because they don't even see them as human beings.

Even Mobius didn't hesitate to have Loki tortured mentally and physically, nor would he have hesitated to have him killed had he not found out the truth. Is Mobius a monster? No. But TVA's propaganda is so deep and terrible that TVA employees no longer even see variants as beings with feelings and therefore don't care about hurting them, like you wouldn't care about hitting a stone, since it is not a being with a conscience. Many philosophers have wondered about this subject and I have the impression that the scriptwriters of Loki have read them all, really.

Mobius and B-15, for example, do not realize the horror of their actions until they are detached from the propaganda - when they are therefore free to realize that the variants are people like everyone else. This, too, is extremely realistic and well-written. Then, they take the road of redemption.

In summary, I love the way the TVA, its operation and its propaganda are portrayed. It's a great metaphor for totalitarian rule (and the like, but that's for another post) and propaganda. It managed to perfectly describe the fact that the propaganda and the brainwashing go so far that people who seem quite nice do horrible things, that the people who work for these regimes are not always soulless monsters, and succeeded in perfectly describing the process of dehumanization.

Please note: I am not comparing the TVA to the totalitarian regimes that exist and have really existed. I know very well that it's different, first because it's a science fiction concept, then because I absolutely don't want to compare this fictional concept to the horrors that happen and have happened in real life. I am in no way justifying any actions of people working for a totalitarian regime or saying that they were/are not bad people. Moreover, as I said, many factors make the TVA different: the fact that the employees were kidnapped and manipulated, the fact that their memories were erased, the fact that the TVA was built following a real threat (even if it does not change his horrible actions which had to stop) and not following an ideology and a desire to take power, etc. These differences make TVA employees much less horrible and allow us to bond with them and allow them to have redemption. I just want to point out how the show has managed to depict a totalitarian regime perfectly well in a completely fictional, sci-fi setting.

I also really like how everything is nuanced in this show. the notions of good and evil are approached with great complexity and nothing and no one is all black or all white - even more so than in other MCU projects. I find it brilliant.

#loki series #loki show #loki tv #tva mcu #tva #marvel #mcu #mcu phase 4 #marvel cinematic universe #tva loki #pro loki series #antis dont interact #loki disney+ #loki 2021 #loki series positivity #remember that propaganda and brainwashing are bad people #the tva wasn't good at all #but it was well portrayed #yes i know i talk a lot about sylki but there are other things i like in this show haha #i am a pro sylki but also a pro loki series

[sunflowerdigs]

Here's my thing (after watching some of the Thor movies). MCU has queer-coded the fuck out of Loki since his introduction because he has been a villain (it's at Jafar levels, honestly), and now that queer fans are reasonably asking them to put up or shut up because there's a man he's not related to that he's gotten extremely close with, MCU is like "Bisexual? Who is she? We don't know her. Genderfluid? Do they even exist? Male friendship is all that you should expect from us."

Of course, I'm grateful for what we've gotten because it's not nothing. The Lokius friendship has at least been allowed to exist as it is without negative commentary or jokes at its expense (in fact, much of the humor around it bolsters the romantic subtext, like the shots of people reacting to their adorable bickering). But still. Given the amount of feminine-coded and queer-coded characteristics MCU has given Loki in order to, honestly, make the audience other/dislike him from the jump and make their job as creators easier, Marvel could, at the very least, acknowledge Mobius as a positive romantic possibility for Loki. And stop pretending that people who see something romantic there are imagining things, as though Loki being attracted to a man is wishful thinking.

#lokius #it just bugs me #oh we can code the fuck out of him when he's evil #but when he's good and the coding could become more meaningful in a positive way #we're just gonna ignore it #ok mcu ok #loki series

[lucianalight]

A Glorious Culmination

Let's talk about that perfect ending with its beautiful scenes and epic soundtrack, shall we? Here's all the reasons why I loved it:

The ending answered the question "what makes a Loki, Loki?"

"Authority, independence, style". Sure, but that's not all of it. And it's not the real answer.

So who is Loki? A villain? A loser? What defines Loki?

There are many characteristics that define Loki but one of the main ones that truly sets him apart imo is that he is a catalyst for change. Loki when faced with options he doesn't like, or a problem that looks like doesn't have a solution, makes a new way, creates a new solution, chooses an option that didn't exist before.

He has the power to destroy, like the mythological tale of Ragnarok.

And to give life. Like how the Ragnarok he brings, means the beginning of a new cycle in Norse mythology.

-"Yeah it was the best character development. Loki went from wanting a throne to..."

Let me stop you there.

Loki went from not wanting a throne but thinking he must have it to be considered worthy and an equal to Thor, to taking a throne despite not wanting it, because it was the right thing to do.

The fact that Loki sacrificed himself once again for the people he loved and cared about, wasn't a new character development. In the movies Loki risks and sacrifices himself every time when it matters. For Thor, for Asgard, for the world. The only development here was that this time he sacrificed himself for every universe there is.

And his sacrifice wasn't treated as sth he deserved by the narrative because of every terrible things he'd done. On the contrary the narrative acknowledges that this is the last thing Loki deserves. That he is paying for others' mistakes and wrongs. He spends centuries to save the timelines. He spends a long time trying to stop Sylvie without harming her. And when everything seems lost, he makes a decision to save everyone but himself, he creates a different path. He faces his deepest fear, to not hurt the people he loves.

If there is any character development, it's for the narrative and the audience that finally recognized who Loki actually is.

The Symbolism

I have to say my first reaction to the new Loki costume was:" This is the worst Loki costume ever :))))" also me two days later: "I'm gonna set it as my wallpaper." But I loved the symbolism. The biggest horns Loki's ever worn to show the weight of the crown. His cape that was connected to timelines, to show the burden of a throne. The simplicity in his clothes in contrast with his other outfits. Because this wasn't about the recognition Loki always wanted and deserved. This was about the responsibility Loki decided to literally put on his shoulders and feeling the gravity of it.

His shoes though :)))) I mean

Either let him be bare footed or give him boots you cowards :D

The Parallels

The fact that how the ending parallels the first Thor movie and everything came back full circle.

How Thor and Loki destroyed sth at the cost of themselves losing the people they cared about.

Loki doing sth not because of a desperation for acceptance, not because he thought it was sth someone else wanted.

Knowing if he chose the easier way, no one could have fault him for it because it seemed there was no other way.

He did it because he knew it was the right thing to do, because he knew who he wanted to be.

Loki not giving up, not letting go, not falling down from a broken bridge, but ascending, holding on as he fixes what's broken.

He holds and carries the whole universe on his back. It's not only a beautiful Atlassian tragedy, but also parallels Norse mythology in more than one way. Yggdrasil, the tree of life in Norse mythology, the one that Loki holds in his hands in the finale, wasn't the only parallel in the ending.

There's a subtle and beautiful nod to Norse mythology. The tale of Loki being bound till Ragnarok. The myth that says when Loki gets freed, the end of the world begins.

What a marvelous tragedy. And what a glorious culmination.

It's not all tragic though

Loki now is literally the most powerful and heroic character in MCU. He's holding the universe in his hands and keeping it alive. You can't top that.

And it makes his portrayal in the recent movies in which he was unfairly underpowered, even more ridiculous than before and that makes me happy :D

There is also a possibility to see Loki again and I'm not talking about the other variants. Marvel now has the best dues ex machina through Loki. He might be able to appear in any universe as an illusion to warn about dangers or help the characters. He might figure out a way to keep the tree alive without being there himself. That way he can find Thor in the sacred timeline. Or maybe the Loki who survived Thanos and is still in the sacred timeline finds Thor. Maybe there's still hope for a good reconciliation and a good story for Asgardian siblings.

So to sump up this was an epic, symbolic, beautiful and tragic ending. And yet hopeful. I loved it💚

#anyone else was reminded of Elsa when Loki created those stairs? :D #loki never wanted a throne #had to include it because everyone's going with this take and it starts to get on my nerves #just look through the tag if you disagree with me #a lot of people has written metas about it #loki 2x06 #loki s02e06 #loki #loki series #loki tv show #loki s2 positivity #loki gif #thor #thor1 #norse mythology #yggdrasil

[andy-888]

Can we talk about how Mobius seems like the only TVA agent that likes mundane people things like games, jetski, pie... like he has hobbies??? And interests apart from the TVA??? Ik it seems like nothing but every MinuteMen I saw is so mission focused and when they realized the truth they were like "we need to save the TVA" like I don't think I've seen anything like Mobius. Casey didn't even know what a fish was. The only exception i can think of is Ravonna, who collected objects from missions

#mobius #mobius m mobius #loki season 2 #loki series #loki #mobius mcu #marvel #is this a “depending on your job you are allowed to keep X knowledge”? #im actually curious about the dufferent position in the TVA

[indelen]

I'm fairly certain that Loki's story in the MCU is done in terms of character evolution, but I do think he was situated in a way that means he can pop up effectively anytime as a plot device whenever writers need one (and I'm fairly certain Tom will always be down for a cameo). Which is interesting with Young Avengers obviously being lined up.

Like imagine Loki being somehow instrumental to forming a second team of Avengers, but this time the intent and context is completely different. Not a villain to rally against, but a god guide though time and space? The irony of it, the circularity.

#loki #loki series #marvel #young avengers #loki spoilers #loki season 2 #Tom has been positioned for ultimate pop-in cameo opportunities and i love that for him #those Marvel cheques will put his and Zawe's adorable kiddo through Cambridge or whatever #but it's flexible enough that he can take on other roles as he wishes #he gets to eat cake occasionally and doesn't have to keep up a terrifying regiment if he doesn't want to #do long theatre stints as King Lear or something if he wants to #put the horns back on for a quick cameo to hug Chris Hemsworth in Thor 5 or something #it's all good.

[chokemedaddyloki]

Is their love the greatest power in the universe because I swear my heart just stopped. 💚🗡️🌌

😭😭😭

#loki #sylvie #loki x sylvie #loki series #loki season 2 #tom hiddleston #sophia di martino #moon river #lamentis was a moon with a lake but close enough #if the love doesn't cause a nexus event i don't want it #sylki #sylki positivity

[jocelynmakenna]

I'm. I'm fucking broken. I just watched the Loki finale. Loki's journey from the first episode to now. His glorious purpose, to be the king of the gods. He went from being power hungry to just wanting to protect his friends to understanding what a wonderful glorious burden his true role is. To protect everyone and everything. What a character arc. What a show.

And I'm gonna be so fucking mad when the next project fuckiNG RUINS IT GOD DAMN

#here i am #in the year 2023 #talking positively about marvel projects #holy shit #im awe struck #it was so good #ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT LOKIS FINAL COSTUME #IM GONNA CRY IT WAS SO GOOD #SO PRETTY #IM!!! WHAT #loki series #loki spoilers #loki

[feral-sylki]

I have so many feelings about this scene. Just, the way Loki’s talking about Frigga here, remembering how much she loved him and believed in him, and he’s thinking about Sylvie, his other self, his variant, who has no such memory of her mother, just ‘blips of a dream’, and he goes “Want to see?” This spontaneous gesture, this sharing, it’s so sweet. He’s going: here’s this thing that is beautiful, that means a lot to me, I want to show you, I want you to have it too. And Sylvie’s expression before she tries to dismiss it as “not bad”: she smiles, just a bit, a genuine smile - how often do we see her genuine smile? - and then she looks like she’s going to cry. It’s such a small, soft moment and I love it so much

#sylki #lovie #loki friggason #sylvie #sylvie laufeydottir #loki series #pro sylki #loki series positivity #pro loki series

[musclesandhammering]

Just curious, if I did a post about things I liked about the Loki series, would anyone be interested?

#I’ve done a post like that before but this one would be done with a little more distance and insight lol #trick question though idc if y’all are interested im gonna do it anyway #the tumblr algorithm is screwing me again cause for the past month I’ve gotten like 5 notes on every post #which…. I’m not saying my posts are interesting enough to deserve more than 5 notes but like… #that’s very unusually low lol #anyway #loki series #loki series positivity #loki

[the-girl-who-sold-the-wxrld]

i was thinking about this scene in Thor 1 where Loki finds out that they're adopted, and something came to my mind

do you remember this line Loki says to Odin, that even if Odin pretented to love them, they didn't wanted them to be King because they were a Frost Giant ?

well the beginning of the line is "because no matters how much you claim to love me"

i've never really paid attention to that before, but actually it is an interesting line, because we all know that Loki never felt loved by their father, that they tought Odin didn't care about them, and here, they said that Odin claims to love them.

for me, Odin could totally be this kind of father that totally don't know how to show their affection for their children (yes, i do think Odin loved his children. He was a terrible father and an asshole on many points, yes, but he did love his son, his daughter and his child who is both) on a personal way, by telling them, hugging them, having kind words with them etc. But he was rich, a god and a king. So he could be this kind of rich father that never show any love to their children (and especially Loki) but who tells to everyone how he loves his child, who spend a lot of richess so everyone can see how much this child (and his children in general) are important to him etc... so all Asgard was like "wow, what a great dad", but Loki never felt loved because it wasn't what they needed. They needed their father to show them that they loved them on a personal way. They needed affection and recognization. They needed true demonstration of their father love.

we could also say that Odin never loved Loki and was just pretending to love them in front of his people but i don't belive it. I am not an "Odin apologist" or anything, but i'm just saying that Odin is just a man, so he had many, many and many flaws (i really don't like him. really) but he was not 100% bad.

and i think it's a good thing that Loki, in the Loki series, understood that (og Loki understood it too, but it isn't really said, except for that part where before they died, they say they are "Odinson"). when they talk to Sylvie in the Void, they say that they "betrayed everyone who ever LOVED me" and they add their father to the list of the people they betrayed. there are some other proof of that in the show, but you see what i mean. Loki understood that their father loved them, but wasn't just good at parenting and didn't know how to show it.

i still think Odin shouldn't just get away with it. he has things to say to Loki, things he should do etc, because he made a lot of mistakes with them and is responsible for a lot of things.

but, Loki made peace with their father, and it's a good thing

(Yeah i know my english probably sucks but as i said i slept 4 hours in two days so i am too tired to check and to correct myself 💀)

#loki series #mcu loki #loki #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki odinchild #loki tv #loki disney+ #loki god of mischief #odin #mcu odin #pro loki series #loki series positivity #loki series positive #thor 1 #thor 1 loki

[circuitsofgold]

I’ve been doing some thinking about Loki and his relationship with Sylvie. And as a disclaimer, I ship everything and nothing at the same time. Yes, I am aware that is a paradox. I ship Sylkie in a romantic sense and in a platonic sense. Same with Lokius. Although I like the idea of all three of them together in both a romantic and platonic sense.

But I think Loki wants her to be a part of his life and he wants the best for her because she's him. He sees so much of himself in her. The bitterness and the anger. The heart rending loneliness he felt everyday of his life. Yes, he had a family and "friends". ( I say "friends" because they were Thor's friends who tolerated him because he was Thor's brother. ) He had a home while she didn't. She didn't have Frigga to teach her magic. She doesn't want a throne so much as she wants a home.

As he moves away from that, he wants to help her. Wants to share his found family and home with her. But the obstacle is that that found family is the TVA. He's aware she's trying to build a life in the 1980s and I think some part of him is happy for her. But at the end of the day, he's selfish. ( Though I do like the idea of a sort of compromise. She gets her life in the '80s and he visits her. Claiming he's checking in on her and they catch up on her break. )

I saw a post earlier saying she was "emotionally stunted" and "childish". And you know what? She is. If only because she was taken from her life at an extremely young age, say around 7 or 8, by human standards. I's been long enough where she doesn't remember her life on Asgard. Has no memory of a mother? Since escaping from the TVA, she's hidden in apocalypse events, just trying to survive. That's not exactly the best place to learn social skills. ( Though she apparently has excellent customer service skills if her McDonald’s badge is anything to go by. Though coming from someone who works in customer service, you learn how to act the part very quickly. )

Loki wants the best for her because he wants the best for himself. ( I also think she reminds him a bit of Thor before Thor "went soft". ) She's a part of his "found family".

This has been an incoherent mess. But I think about these two characters a lot. Would I like to see them kiss again at some point? Sure. But only after a heck of a lot of development with both characters in that direction. But at this point, I’d be happy with them just existing together.

If you've read this whole post, thank you.

#sylvie laufeydottir #loki series #Sylvie positive #loki laufeyson #sylkie #tagging the ship name just in case #Loki + sylvie #I really wish we knew what her nexus event was #Even if the fandom theory is she wanted to be a hero/Valkyrie #But no #Renslayer just goes I don't remember

[lucianalight]

Loki S2 Review

I rewatched S2 and I liked it even more on the second watch. I'm giving it a 6 out of 10 in average(8 for the finale). Since I didn't post a review week by week like for S1, I'm just going to talk about the main things I liked/disliked

The Improvements & Things I liked:

The pace and the narrative's tone and framing have changed. While the pace drops sometimes, these moments aren't as boring as S1. Meaning you don't want to constantly check when it's going to end(like you know, S1 and especially 1x06). The narrative is neutral and doesn't villain code Loki and hero code others. It doesn't turn Loki into a clown, a punching bag or someone who deserves humiliation(I guess they've done enough of that in S1). On the contrary the characters are shown as flawed people, with Loki being the most moral, considerate, logical and heroic amongst them.

They stated bluntly in episode 1, that what TVA used to do, were atrocities. That they were killing numerous innocent people who had a right to live their lives as they chose.

The characters were three dimensional, likable or tolerable despite their actions in S1. They showed remorse for the things they had done. Although the way the narrative chose to go about it in S1 still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It shouldn't happen to you for you to realize sth is wrong. But at least it was shown that the characters weren't slaughtering people mindlessly and some of them deep down knew it was wrong. Although the fact that they still did it, because of the "greater good", and "woe is me! It's not a comfort it's a burden" attitude about it is repulsive.

OB, Casey and Timely being funny, cute nerds and fanboys :D

Loki using amazing magical stuff and DID YOU SEE THE GREEN MAGICAL GLOW IN HIS EYES?*incoherent screaming*

No Romance. It was unnecessary and rushed in S1. This time they focused more on Loki needing friends and that was definitely a better choice imo and what they should have gone for in S1 too.

Sylvie's actions and personality framed as what they were. She wasn't put on a pedestal as this amazing different FeMaLe version of Loki. She was framed as a flawed character with wrong and right actions and beliefs.

Loki and Sylvie's talk in the pie land, about change, hope, fixing what's broken and being gods. That sigh before Loki saying "We are gods" with all the weight of the world on his shoulders. Wonderful acting.

The ending and its epic soundtrack.

Topics & Things That Could Have Been Handled Better:

The Topic of New York Invasion

"Sometimes a rage builds up and you just gotta let it out. Do you remember that time I was so angry with my father and my brother, I went down to Earth and I held the whole of New York city hostage with an alien army? Tried to use the mind stone on Tony Stark? It didn't work so I threw him off the building. It wasn't tactical. I lost it"

On the surface it looks like Loki's saying that's why he attacked New York and probably most people accept this without a second thought.

But the context of the scene matters. We see during the interrogation Mobius loses his temper. He was worried about Loki getting angry, but he was the one who loses his temper and hits Brad. Loki tries to calm him down by sympathizing with him to try and see what caused his behavior. It's the same thing he did for Thor in the first movie, before coronation and after it, while Thor was nervous and angry. What he says about New York while isn't the whole truth, it also isn't untrue. He was angry with Thor and Odin but as we know his anger and thoughts were influenced by the scepter. We also know Loki doesn't like to talk about his time with Thanos or being tortured. Instead he uses a half-truth, sth that is in character for Loki.

So the scene can be rationalized by this analysis but it's still annoying that this analysis is even needed. They should have been clear about the scepter's influence especially when mcu confirmed it.

Loki thinking about Thor's change as being a weakness. While both Thor and Loki were groomed and taught to consider being soft as a weakness, that wasn't Loki's true feelings. At least I don't think someone who prefers words and magic-that are considered a weakness in Asgard-over brawn thinks like that. His goal in the first movie was to goad Thor into fighting him. So the line should have been sth like this: "Asgard taught us being soft is a weakness, so I used that against Thor to goad him into a fight. I said he's gone soft…"

Plotholes and things that weren't explained.

Why Loki and Sylvie weren't sent to their original timelines like others? And why neither of them showed any interest in seeking their family? You're telling me Loki wants to see these people he knows for 10 seconds more than Frigga or Thor? OOC.

Sylvie's sudden mastery of magic since 1x06 isn't explained. She didn't know much, but then suddenly could do everything Loki did. I mean I can headcanon that her and Loki linking their power taught her some things but these sudden developments without any explanations are annoying.

Loki's genderfluidity. No mention of it at all. Although I believe that no representation is better than bad representation. And you should leave a topic alone if you don't understand it, otherwise you're gonna mess it up. Because bad rep can be more harmful. And so maybe it was a good thing mcu let that one go. But they could still fix it with some shapeshifiting, explaining its difference with illusions and Loki confirming that he is comfortable in her female form.

Loki's clothes. It's probably not that important in comparison with other issues but I really hate that beige suit. Why Sylvie who doesn't even want to be Loki and wasn't in Asgard since childhood changes into an Asgardian outfit for a fight and not Loki? Yeah I get it. It was because of the last reveal and transformation and finding his identity blah blah blah but at least they could have gave him his old Asgardian clothes or he could change the suit's color ugh

Criticism & Things I didn't like:

The ooc moments for Loki in some comedic scenes. Especially in episode 5. While the character has a comedic potential, it's not based on clownery or clumsiness. The best humorous moments for Loki are the ones where he outwits others, use sarcastic language or he is being outwitted despite his careful plans.

Certain emotional stakes aren't clear from the start. The audience know that saving TVA is the right thing because it protects all the freed timelines but they don't know why they should care? Or more accurately why Loki is so emotionally invested in this goal. That gets answered in episode 5 and while Loki's talk with Sylvie is a good emotional scene, the fact that it's stated so late in the story, makes the first few episodes boring when it comes to saving TVA.

The main reason the emotional stakes aren't clear(at least for me), I believe is because most of the people Loki call them his "friends",  haven't done anything to either deserve his friendship or aren't close enough to be considered a friend. Let alone someone Loki tries to move heaven and hell to be with them, instead of for example trying to find his brother and family. It is an issue which again is rooted in S1 and carried to S2. What happened in S1 wasn't therapy or a healthy friendship.

However, Loki being loyal to anyone who show him an ounce of affection or him being moral enough to try to save people are in character for him and that's sth good about it.

The torture scene.

The trick Mobius and Loki pulled was predictable as hell. I didn't even doubted Loki in TDW, let alone here. And even though I didn't believe for one second that Loki's actually going to hurt the guy, and he wasn't shown enjoying it, I still hated that he went along with the torture idea Mobius had come up with. Especially considering the fact that he was a victim of torture himself and never shown any sign in canon that he would torture someone. So yeah I hated that scene.

And why that scene was even necessary? Loki could get into X-5's mind when they weren't in TVA. We know he is capable of it. He did it both through mind stone in Avengers and in TR. how else they were going to delve into Mobius' problem though smh

But alright let's say they needed a scene like that. Still the whole Brad believing Mobius is against torture, and Loki's the one who would be in favor of it, is so fucking ridiculous. Any way you look at it, it has always been TVA and Mobius who did any torture we've seen during the two seasons. The tortures that Loki endured might I add. Even in the previous scene, it was Loki who didn't hit Brad and only tried to intimidate him non-physically by acting as a villain. It was Mobius who hit him, who was shown more affected by Brad's insults. So logically the scene they had planned to fool Brad, should have been played completely the opposite way. By having Mobius do the torture. At least it was recognized that the torture idea was from Mobius and both he and Loki gave the credits for it to Mobius.

Verity Willis. Hunter B15 unlike the Verity in comics, doesn't have a close friendship with Loki or truth detector powers. Not having a good friend like comics Verity for Loki, was such a wasted opportunity in the series.

Mobius saying to Loki "You're a man of action...". That was such a stupid, unnecessary line. As if the main difference between Loki and Thor wasn't Thor acting before thinking, and Loki thinking and planning before acting. While Loki is also a man of action, he is first and foremost a man of strategy. The only plausible explanation imo is that Mobius said it to not feel useless in comparison with Loki and his skills.

"Thor's not that tall". Yeah, no. I don't think Loki's reaction to seeing Thor and Odin's statues would be that. Knowing his brother and family were murdered by the very same people he's working with now. Remind me again why he's considering them "FrIeNdS"? Someone really needs to explain the concept of friendship to Loki. Or rather the writers of this show.

And while we are at it. Let's talk about how Loki's past and identity issues were completely swapped under the rug as if they were all magically fixed and didn't matter anymore. As if those weren't the most important part of his journey. Another issue rooted in S1.

Final Thoughts(for now :D)

Season 2 was definitely better than season 1. Not perfect, and not for those who care about OG Loki's issues. They set him on a completely different path in S1 and they messed up any chance to actually delve into his problems. So in S2 we're having a character that we're supposed to accept has moved on from certain issues, and now tries to find what he wants and where he belongs. Still, I think that they listened to the criticism for once as they tried to fix some of the problems of S1. After many years it didn't feel like that the creators hate the character, or using him as a prop, or a plot device. It was a story about Loki. A bittersweet story for the god of stories.

#me: i liked this season #also me: here's a list of all its issues :D #loki s2 review #long post #loki #loki series criticism #loki s2 positivity

[overleftdown]

so, here’s the thing about loki S2.

i was a S1 hater. i went to war over this series. i despised the direction they took my favorite character, i despised the actual characterization, and i despised the way they seemed to retcon everything that made him a substantial character. not to mention the hollow, corny, soulless background characters, the odd themes and plot devices, the depiction of friendship/relationship dynamics- wow. it was a mess.

however, as i’m seeing more loki blogs double down on this criticism with S2, so to speak, i’m actually appreciating this season much more. not only is the actual cinematography miles above the cheap “classic superhero franchise film” shots, but the dialogue and framing of scenes is much more pleasant. S2 seems to have an entirely different aesthetic. the graphics, especially the temporal shredding/time slipping, has consistently left me visually pleased. the side characters are incredibly more dynamic and nuanced. loki’s relationship with said side characters are genuinely reciprocal. seemingly above all else, loki FEELS like a main character, this season. he felt like a main character even before this massive OP power addition in Ep5.

i fucking loved loki’s Ep5 brief emotional monologue. it sprinkled in a tasteful description of what many loki fans have consistently been thinking; no, loki is not narcissistic. he genuinely just wants to be loved, to feel less alone. although the show has neglected to truly callback to loki’s problematic family dynamics, this seems like a sort of red-thread moment to loki’s entire MCU arc. i don’t see this as some stupid “character growth 😛” bullshit, either. i don’t think loki suddenly wants to have friends, and never did before. where the growth comes from, for me, is loki building trust. that same “trust” seemed plastic, ingenuous, and redundant in S1 because it lacked any realistic foundation. we have a supposedly very mentally unstable loki variant surrounded by untrustworthy people, and he,,, what? followed his captor around like a puppy? nah. this season, however, feels different. the dynamics can be flawed at times, but there is a genuine sense of community and reciprocal care. i just wish S1 wasn’t such a bad foundation for everything good about S2 so far.

that isn’t to say i don’t have criticism and pipe-dreams for loki as a character. i wanted to see his gender fluidity. i wanted to see, especially, his struggle with his jotunn racial identity. direct references to his familial trauma (show-dont-tell, of course). i have to admit, though, that the plot itself is winning me over from these grievances. the sheer enjoyability of this season is addictive. if i want incredibly detailed loki character studies, i have fanfiction for a reason. while i wish some things were represented more in-canon, i have to admit that S2 has been so fucking fun to watch.

final note is that i am, unfortunately, being indoctrinated into the lokius agenda. i know, i know, 2021-me would kick now-me in the nuts. this change of interest is genuinely based on the in-canon dynamic shift. they seem much more like colleagues and friends. the weird power imbalance is much less apparent. i’ve been getting through S2 by sidelining everything from S1 except for necessary plot points, tbh. S1 was such a waste of space.

and that concludes my tangent.

#loki #loki series #loki series negativity #??? #overall positivity #loki series criticism #proud loki apologist #loki apologist #i jus think this show is cool #in a non-critical way #god of stories #god thats so cool #im still a big ol taika waititi hater