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#the story that I crave is Agent of Asgard
lokitvsource · 2 years
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‘Loki’ star Tom Hiddleston: ‘I was very engaged with the idea of breaking Loki open’
Tom Hiddleston first appeared as Loki in 2011’s “Thor,” but the God of Mischief made a bigger splash, burdened with glorious purpose and all, in 2012’s “The Avengers,” which marks its 10th anniversary on May 4 and has the “Loki” star feeling “very old, basically.”
“I can’t believe 10 years has gone by so fast,” Hiddleston tells Gold Derby (watch the exclusive video interview above). “Amazed, surprised, delighted that I’m still playing the character. I have loved playing this character in every iteration. Loki seems to contain so much breadth and depth, so many surprises for me, for the audience. It’s an honor to have played him for the length of time that I had. Loki’s an ancient character, been around a long time, will be around a lot longer than me. It feels great.”
There have been multiple times when it seemed like the actor was done playing Loki. The fan favorite was supposed to die in “Thor: The Dark World” (2013) until test audiences refused to believe Loki was dead, and he did die in the opening minutes of “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin), completing an arc from big bad to antihero. But the time heist in “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) presented another chance to bring Loki back to life after he makes off with the Tesseract during the Battle of New York, creating a branched timeline off the Sacred Timeline. The Loki of “Loki,” of course, is not the same one who sacrificed himself for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in “Infinity War” — having made peace with himself and his anger toward his adoptive family — but the 2012 version, a charmingly narcissistic “puny god” who craved power above all else.
Revisiting the unredeemed Loki and approaching him in a new way excited the Emmy nominee. “I was very engaged with the idea of breaking Loki open,” Hiddleston says. “Any questions around identity I’ve always found interesting — how we define ourselves to ourselves, the context of the stories we tell about ourselves to other people in order to find meaning in the world. And in so many ways the series was about integrating the disparate fragments of the many selves that Loki is. I think that’s a really universal experience. I think all human beings have to constantly integrate the fragments of who we are to a whole and make sense of that. So the idea of doing that with Loki just seemed a thrilling prospect. He’s the archetypal trickster, the transgressive, the boundary-crosser, the shapeshifter, somebody so expert at changing shape. And so the question we had in our minds was, who is he really? Who is Loki? What makes Loki Loki?”
After getting captured by the Time Variance Authority, Loki is forced to confront his past, future (and future death), other Loki variants (Alligator Loki FTW), and someone who might know him better than he knows himself, Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson). “The great conceit of the TVA is that putting Loki inside this institution strips him of everything that’s familiar — Thor, Odin, Asgard, his magical power, his clothing. And by taking everything away, Loki is challenged to reveal something about what remains — or we were challenged to find what remains of Loki and what the new journey is,” Hiddleston continues, adding that director Kate Herron had “the most wonderful take” on Loki’s Season 1 arc. “When I met her for the first time, within five minutes, I think I asked her what do you think the series is about and she said, ‘I think it’s about acceptance, permission and love.’ And I thought, ‘She gets it!'”
By the end of the first season, Loki is a lot different from the entitled agent of chaos he was at the start — and is also in a different timeline after Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) killed He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) and opened the multiverse. While we have to wait and see what Season 2 brings, another Asgardian adventure is coming first. “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the trailer for which dropped last week, opens July 8 and will be the first “Thor” film in which Hiddleston — as far as everyone knows right now — does not appear as Loki. Or does he?
“At this point, I’ve learned to live with the question,” Hiddleston teases. “Loki might pop up. Loki has range. Loki can be Matt Damon, he can be Richard E. Grant, he can be Alligator Loki. I’m not placing any bets, I’ll say that, but it does look fantastic.”
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explodedjunk · 8 months
Text
I apologize for forgetting to post new chapters.
‘The Avengers’ and the untold conversation, Chapter V
Happy reading.
Story on Tumblr:
Summary:
This story takes place in Disney+ series ‘The Avengers’ and is based off of what happened in this Movie.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Loki is 17, Thor is 24, Hela is 30.
It’s been months since, that day and everyone assumed Loki was dead. As Loki had removed everyone’s memories including the people he met on Earth for it seems as nothing ever happened.
But over on unknown section of space.
“Loki Odinson of Asgard, it is great to have you lead the war party of the Chitauri.” Thanos exclaimed.
“Loki Laufeyson, I’m adopted.” Loki corrected.
“I apologize Loki Laufeyson. Your job is to use the Chitauri and your tricks to gain the tesseract and I get much power.” Thanos explained.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Let’s see if you were born to lead” Thanos rejoiced.
Then Loki created a portal where the tesseract is.
He was then in Hydras base.
“Sir, Please put down the spear.” Nick Fury demanded.
Loki looked at his spear then shot a beam out and flew then slaughtered hydra workers and as he was done, he looked around and saw Clint Barton getting up so he ran to Barton. “You have heart.” Loki said. As he put the spear to his chest taking control over Barton.
Loki smiled and lowered his spear then started walking to another Hydra agent who was still alive as Nick Fury grabbed the tesseract putting it in a box. Loki then began to spoke “Please don’t”. Nick Fury stopped “I still need that.” Loki said “This doesn’t have to get any messier” Nick Fury suggested.
“Of course it does.” Loki replied. “I’ve come too far for anything else.” “I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose”
Erik Selvig stood up, “Loki, brother of Thor.” Loki got annoyed hearing that.
Nick fury then said, “We have no quarrel with your people.”
“Loki hissed back, “An ant has no quarrel with a boot.”
“Are you planning to step on us” Nick Fury added
“I come with glad tidings, of a world made free.” Loki responded.
“Free from what” Nicky Fury questioned.
“Freedom.” Loki replied back.
“Freedom is life’s great lie. Once you accept that in your heart,” Loki then paused to put his spear to Erik’s chest as he took control over Erik. “You will know peace.” Loki continued.
“Yeah you say ‘peace’, I kind of think you mean the other thing.” Nick Fury argued.
“Sir director fury is staling. This place is about to blow and drops hundred feet of rocks on us, he means to bury us” Clint Barton explained to Loki
“Like the pharaohs of old.” Nicky Fury responded.
“He’s right. The portal is collapsing in on itself. We’ve got maybe two minutes before this goes critical.” Erik Selvig reported.
Loki turned his head to Clint and said “Well then” and Clint shot Fury as Fury groaned from the bullet. Then they picked up the case and walked away heading to the cars, as Fury called Hill to tell her that Barton has turned to Loki’s side. They then drove away.
+Time Skip+
Nick Fury asked Agent, Phil Coulson to call the Avenger’s, Captain America, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Bruce Banner to trace the tesseracts tracks.
+Time Skip+
Once all the Avengers are gathered together, They found Loki and Clint in a Gala where Loki push’s someone and shoves a torture device into a doctors eye getting information and letting Clint go inside the building.
Then Loki walks out and transform into his suit. “KNEEL BEFORE ME” the crowd ignored his foolish requests, and Another LOKI appears, blocking the crowd. Loki after Loki appears, they all grin as they raise their spears, encircling the crowd.
“I SAID KNEEL” as everyone becomes quiet and kneeled before him as Loki smiles. Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel. As the words resonate to the kneeling crowd, an elder man refuses to kneel and stands.
Then Loki looks around and says “Let the elderly, be your example as he is about to beam a powerful light to him, Captain America arrives and blocks the beam knocking Loki down. Then Natasha, The Black Widow appears and “Loki drop the weapon and stand down.” Loki of course wouldn’t listen so he blows a beam to the Quinjet in the air then Captain America and Loki start to fight. As then Loki is on top of Steve and demands him to kneel but Steve won’t ever listen to wat Loki has to say and knocks him over then Loki grabbed Steves leg and flips Steve over.
Iron Man then arrived to the scene. “Agent Romanoff did you miss me?” He scoffed. As everyone looked up and then threatens Loki to his weapons and yelled at Loki, “Make your move, Reindeer games.” Then Loki drops his weapon and raises his hands. Then they escort Loki into the Quinjet.
As they were flying Thunder starts to appear and Loki starts to stare to the window.
Steves then messes with Loki, “What’s the matter scared of a little lightning”
“I’m not overly found of what follows” As then a big lightning bolt hits the back of the jet and opens the ramp as Thor grabbed Loki by his throat and flew out. As Tony and Steve are left flabbergasted.
“Greats there’s that guy.”
“Asgardian?” Natasha asked.
“Thinks he’s more of the friendly type?” Steve suggested.
“Doesn’t matter, if he frees Loki or Kills him we lost tract of the tesseract. Then Tony got ready to jump out. Captain stopped him “We need a plan instead of just attack.” Captain suggested. “I have a plan, attack.” As Tony then flew out.
While Thor and Loki, as Thor threw Loki to the ground, and Thor was definitely angry.
“Where’s the Tesseract”
Loki laughed, “I missed you too”
“Do I look to be in a gaming mood?”
“Oh, you should thank me. With the bifrost gone how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here? Your precious Earth.”
Thor picks up Loki and lectures him telling him to come home. Then Tony grabbed Thor as they fought, while Loki laughed watching.
(I CANT FIT THE WHOLE MARVEL SCRIPT IN HERE AS ITS NOT OF MY STORY OR WRITING SO IM GOING TO DO TIME SKIPS)
+Time Skip+
As Loki was caged up, Thor had asked Nick Fury if he could be with Loki for a conversation. “Won’t Loki try to escape” Nick Fury asked. “No, he’s my brother. He won’t do that to me” Thor remarked.
As Thor walked into Loki’s cell, Loki didn’t move and muscle and just stared at Thor as he sat down. “Brother” Thor groaned. “Brother?” Loki was confused a bit but also said it mockingly. “Why on Odin’s beard, you did this?” Thor yelled.
“I’m Loki?”
“No, Loki. Don’t be yourself right now and stop causing trouble as it’s not necessary, Brother.”
“Well it’s already done, Thor.” He said Thor’s name nervously as he never calls Thor by his name and he tried to be sincere but it went the total opposite.
“Loki. I know you were nervous to say my name. So good job. But it’s still brother to you, *pause* Brother, why do you think I want you to come back to Asgard?”
“For the Tesseract.”
“You bullhead, I love you Brother. Asgard needs the Tesseract. But you, you’re my baby brother Loki, and you know it too. You’re 17 now, and you really made me miss your birthday too for you can go into this foolery. “
Loki laughed, “I don’t know you”
“Oh really? I can call up Hela and this will be even worse for you while I tell everyone all your embarrassing childhood.”
“Stop” Loki yelled.
As he used his power and stabbed Thor then used his powers to make him fall. Thor pulled the knife out of his chest and gave Loki that annoyed looked as Loki stood there smiling to how he just knocked Thor down.
“Who’s the bitch now?” Loki sarcastically rejoiced.
“What” Thor responded. As he stood up and hit Loki in the face making him fall down, He then placed Mjölnir on Loki’s chest.
“Don’t say that word again,” as he shoved his finger into his face.
“Can you let me pick up Mjölnir?” Loki asked as he groaned to the fact he couldn’t get up.
“I will let you if you stop this foolery.”
Thor then grabbed Loki as he then hugged him. “Who hurt you, My dear baby brother?”
Loki pushed him off. “No one stop.”
“Loki listen to me now, you stop this now or you know what’s coming your way.” Thor lectured.
“Oh, Brother. I wish I could stop it, but it’s already began.” Loki wined.
“Loki you go and call those people who ever you’re with and you tell them it’s over.” Thor argued.
Loki started to tear up at the fact he has realized what he’s done and now.
“You actually crying Loki or is this your illusion” pointing at him.
“Hela is going to kill me, is she not?”
“Not if Father does it first.”
“Your father” Loki corrected.
“If he’s not your father am I not your brother?”
“Yes” he stuttered by saying it.
“You don’t mean that.” Thor smiled.
“Loki, why are your eyes so dark and everything around them” pointing at his eyes.
“Sleep deprivation” Loki said back immediately.
“You can sleep on the chair you know”
“I do, but what if you group stabs me”
“Loki you can’t die from a stab.”
“Still”
“Mother is waiting for you, she said you look like your hygiene gotten worse.”
“Course she would say that,”Loki smiled.
Loki yawned but tried to cover it up by screaming.
“Loki, you can sleep if you want.”
“Where, *pause* this is different. Open communication isn’t are family’s forte and now it is.”
“Shut it”
“Brother,”
“Yes Loki”
“Am I in Asgardian trouble”
“Didn’t everyone tell you to listen to the stupid midgardians and Asgardians”
Loki nodded his head, “that’s your answer” Thor scoffed.
Everything went silent, after a while. “Brother, I presume you’ll be okay.” Thor remarked.
“I missed you” Loki whispered
“So did I” Thor laughed.
“THOR!” Black widow called telling his time is over with Loki.
“Brother, I’ll be back. You’ll be safe” Thor happily said as he went towards Loki and ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss on his forehead and putting his hand on his cheek then walking away smiling at Loki as the cell closed and Thor walked away.
+Time Skip, the Avengers have now beaten Loki+
“I’ll take that drink now” As Loki holds his hands up.
“No” Thor sighed as he was rubbing his eyes.
The Avengers are now walking with Loki chained up and Loki and Thor are about to leave and Captain starts speaking then Loki starts to mock Captain and was mocking and laughing non stop so Thor pulled out a gag and put it over Loki’s mouth as Loki just kept laughing “Shut it” Thor demanded.
As the Avengers are about to watch Thor and Loki leave, Loki is waiting for his brother as he stands there awkwardly but Natasha and Clint are infront of Loki as Natasha whispers to Clint, “Loki probably does this a lot, if Loki looks that comfortable in the gag and Thor carries it around,” she whispered as she laughed and Clint then smiled at the joke and Loki gave a worried reaction as he felt he was being judged.
Thor then went up to Loki and his eyes pointed towards the Tesseract telling Loki to grab the handle, and Loki was so embarrassed he gripped to the handle as Thor looked around and they then went back to Asgard.
Notes:
Thank you for reading <3
I’m sorry Hela is not in this chapter but I’m trying to put her into the next chapter. This chapter took so much thinking and I couldn’t just copy the whole movie so I tried my best, and next chapter will be about Disney+ Series ‘Thor the Dark World’ This chapter, I have mixed feelings about Frigga’s death.
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bushs-world · 2 years
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Sylvie was never as bad as Loki. She did bad things but she did them for survival not because she wanted power. If she wasn't captured by TVA she probably turned out to be a good person unlike Loki.
Anon, that is an interesting question. I rarely need a reason to start rambling so I must warn you about a long answer though.
Let me clear two things about Loki first. a) it is tough to categorise Loki as good or bad. But one thing to keep in mind is that he is not evil. When we meet him at the beginning of Thor he is morally grey. Later he did do bad things, did hurt others. But like he said in episode 1 he didn't enjoy hurting people he did it because he had to. Loki was also in a bad place when we see him at his villainous best. He was having a mental breakdown and as a result could not think clearly. But that in no way excuses his actions. He is responsible for his actions, atleast in Thor. He was a villian and a victim at the same time. Also Loki did change and earn his redemption. He has done many heroic things. Essentially, what I am trying to say is that Loki hasn't alway been a good person (he is now) but he wasn't bad either. And honestly, that's what makes Loki such a complex character. Categorising him as either good or bad takes away that complexity.
b) Loki didn't have a thirst for power, he craved validation and sought it in a throne.
With that out of the way, let's move to Sylvie. First of all, the bad things Sylvie did weren't for survival, but for revenge. She was luring the agents into a trap, killing them and stealing their equipments so that she could kill the timekeepers.
But I get you are talking about her as a child. And it is true that as a child she showed heroism. She played with a Valkyrie, wanted to help the other variant in the TVA and she didn't care about power. That is true.
But for one thing, we have no way to assume that Loki wasn't heroic at that age. He only see Loki once as a child. And it is very tough to deduce how he was as a child based on that one scene in Thor. Even the frog story in Ragnarok indicates Loki's jealousy, not his morality.
The other thing is that the reason Sylvie showed heroism wasn't because she was a better person or because Loki was bad. But because Sylvie grew up in a healthier environment (up until she was abducted by the TVA) that allowed this facet of her personality to surface. From what I can deduce, Sylvie was loved. She knew about her adoption, she had fond memories of Asgard. She definitely had a happier life in Asgard than Loki, who was completely neglected, mocked and always put in competition with Thor. Loki's upbringing made him feel unloved, insecure and resentful of Thor which were exactly the reason why he snapped.
Also, it not like Loki had to turn out bad and Sylvie good. Both of them are capable of turning equally bad or good. I mean look at the series for example. Once Loki was removed from the toxicity of Asgard and allowed a chance to overcome his insecurities, he became a good, even heroic person. In contrast, Sylvie's nightmare of an existence made her incapable of looking beyond her thirst for revenge. In the end, what determined whether they would turn good or bad was their circumstances. And both of them are equally capable of turning good or bad, depending on their circumstances.
Now, would Sylvie have become a good person if she wasn't abducted by the TVA. Maybe. I believe her nexus event was that she was good. If she didn't suffer any major trauma down the line in her life on the timeline, then yes she would have been a good person. But not unlike Loki. Because if Loki was raised in the same environment as her, he would have been heroic too. That much he proved in the series. Also I feel if Sylvie was raised in the same environment as Loki, there is a huge chance she might have turned out just like Loki.
With all this said, I feel this ask is sent in response to my post about the misogynist hatred of Sylvie. And if that is the case anon, then I would like to tell that I wasn't saying that Loki is bad and Sylvie is good. Rather I was showing the double standards in the fandom perception between a male character and a female character. For doing the exact same things, a male character is celebrated as complex while a female character is bashed as a one dimensional villian
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storm-of-muses · 2 years
Text
// Informational Post
Mod Info:
My name is Storm. I'm 21 and I consider myself to be a relatively experienced roleplayer. I use they/he pronouns.
Rules:
No smut. I am not willing to bend this rule. I am sex-repulsed. If you come to me for smut I will block you.
Please be 16+ if you are going to rp with me. Please be 18+ if you want to rp romance.
Please only come to me with fictional characters. I will not rp with real people (yes this is an actual problem that I have come across).
OCs and Canon characters alike are welcome. If you come to me with an OC, please provide me a bit of background info (though you do not have to share everything!)
Please allow me a few days before reaching out. I do have school that keeps me busy so replies may be slow.
When reaching out to me, please specify which muse you would like to rp with.
Please don't be a jerk to me, the mod. Your character can be a jerk to my character, but I will not tolerate you being a dick to me.
I will not roleplay on any other platform.
Muses (under the cut):
Loki - Canon - Marvel
Main Verses: 616, 14412, 199999 (MCU)
616 - Agent of Asgard, God of Stories, Kid Loki, Old Loki, Lady Loki, Siege Loki, Kid Ikol
199999 - IW Loki, Ragnarok Loki, TDW Loki, Avengers Loki, Thor 1 Loki, TVA Loki, Sylvie
14412 - King Loki
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Genderfluid, he/she/they
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Leah of Hel - Canon - Marvel
Main Verses: 616, 15513
616 - Handmaiden of Hel, Loki's Creation
15513 - Leah
Sexuality: Bisexual and Demisexual in 616, Lesbian in 15513
Gender and Pronouns: Cis girl/woman, she/her
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Jane Foster - Canon - Marvel
Main Verses: 616, 199999
616 - Dr. Jane Foster, Valkyrie, The Mighty Thor
199999 - Dr. Jane Foster, The Mighty Thor
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Cis Woman, she/her
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Verity Willis - Canon - Marvel
Verse: 616
Sexuality: Aroace
Gender and Pronouns: Agender, they/she
Indigo Strange - OC - Marvel
Description: Indigo is the traumatized 21 year old genderfluid child of Loki and Stephen Strange (MCU). They are a powerful sorcerer and shapeshifter.
Verses: Main, Pre-Hell, Carefree, Demon
Sexuality: Panromantic Asexual
Gender and Pronouns: Genderfluid, they/she/he
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Regina Mills - Canon - Once Upon a Time
Verses: Young Regina, Evil Queen, Mayor Mills (Seasons 1-6)
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Cis Woman, she/her
Melody/Giselle Philip - OC - Once Upon a Time
Description: Melody is an old and powerful sorceress, though she doesn't look a day over 25. She tends to stay out of conflicts between good and evil, instead thinking of herself as "neutral." They are a fairly serious person. Giselle Philip is Melody's curse counterpart and could not be more different. Giselle works under Sheriff Graham as a police officer. She is a very fun- loving and silly person.
Verses: Young Melody, Pre-Curse Giselle, Evil Melody, Good Melody, Neutral Melody, Giselle Philip, Melody Philip (Seasons 2-6)
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Bigender Nonbinary Woman, she/they
Tumblr media
Castiel - Canon - Supernatural
Verses: Seasons 4-10
Sexuality: Gay
Gender and Pronouns: Cis Man, he/him
Note: I have never actually roleplayed as Cas before, and I'm only on season 10 of Supernatural. Therefore, any rp I do as this character is a bit limited.
Nico Winchester - OC - Supernatural
Description: Nico, originally born Emily, is Sam Winchester's twin. They, too, were given demon blood as a child and thus have similar powers to Sam. They craved a normal life, though unlike Sam, they kept this fact secret. Once grown up, Nico started hunting on his own and, during this time, found a town they loved. They settled down there, getting a job as a cop, since they figured their skills would be best applied in that career. This was kept secret from their family.
Verses: Seasons 1-10
Sexuality: Polysexual
Gender and Pronouns: Transmasc Demiguy, he/they
The Doctor - Canon - Doctor Who
Verses: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, War, Fugitive (sorry, I haven't seen old who, idk where to find it)
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Genderfluid, he/she
The Master/Mistress - Canon - Doctor Who
Verses: Simm, Missy, Dhawan
Sexuality: Pansexual
Gender and Pronouns: Genderfluid, he/she
Tumblr media
Wednesday Addams - Canon - Wednesday
Verse: Season 1
Sexuality: Pansexual
Gender and Pronouns: Agender, any pronouns
Tumblr media
Gwen Stacy - Canon - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Verses: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Trans girl, she/her
Tumblr media
Sheogorath - Canon - The Elder Scrolls
Verses: Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim
Sexuality: Aspec Pansexual
Gender and Pronouns: Genderfluid, any pronouns
Tumblr media
Martin Septim - Canon - The Elder Scrolls
Verses: Mages Guild, Daedra Worship, Brother Martin, Martin Septim
Sexuality: Bisexual
Gender and Pronouns: Cis man, he/him
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lokiondisneyplus · 3 years
Video
'Loki' takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU
Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.
Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.
"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."
After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  
Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.
"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."
The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.
Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.
"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."
Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.
Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."
His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."
Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  
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There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.
"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."
Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."
"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."
Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  
Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  
"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  
But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.
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Credit: Charlie Gray for EW
When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.
"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."
As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."
Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."
“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”
The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  
The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."
To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."
Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.
"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"
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Owen Wilson as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in 'Loki.'| Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios
Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."
As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.
"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.
Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."
While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."
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519 notes · View notes
thesaltofcarthage · 3 years
Text
Loki takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU
from Entertainment Weekly
Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.
By Chancellor Agard May 20, 2021 
Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.
"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."
After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  
Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.
"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."
The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.
Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.
"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."
Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.
Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."
His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."
Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  
There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.
"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."
Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."
"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."
Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  
Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  
"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  
But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.
When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.
"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."
As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."
Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."
“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”
The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  
The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."
To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."
Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.
"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"
Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."
As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.
"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.
Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."
While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."
Additional reporting by Jessica Derschowitz
26 notes · View notes
unqualified-critic · 3 years
Text
With my recent criticisms and somewhat fan chaos, here is Loki related media I absolutely recommend to everyone. I pray we are granted additional installments by these talented folk. Writers and artists don’t profit extensively, so please purchase copies if you can or check your local library; instead of supporting websites that illegally upload content.
Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
(Audio book available)
I adored this book beyond belief. One of the best comic related books I’ve read. Critically speaking, it’s well written. Enjoyability wise, I loved it. This book takes place not long before Thors coronation in the events of the first movie. Loki and Amora get into trouble and Loki is sent to earth to investigate a murder concerning magic; as punishment. This book addresses Loki’s feelings and point of view as Odin’s emotionally neglected son. We also see his softening out from a defensive shell, without feeling out of character or weak. This book also explores bisexuality and gender. This was the first content I’ve seen giving Loki a male love interest and it never felt tokenized or empty. This may be one of the only romances in media that felt genuine and not cringey. I really hope they have Mackenzi Lee returns for more Loki content.
Comics
Loki: Agent of Asgard by Al Ewing
This comic hit one of my all time faves. This comic follows Loki, as he explores a new lifestyle. Focusing on bettering himself yet never feeling out of character. He’s still a witty pain in the butt, however we see a side of sincerity to him. This comic addresses sexuality and gender In depth and giving us the genderfluid representation we’ve craved. We also see many characters from the original comics such as Lorelei and Sigurd. Although I recommend reading Journey Into Mystery prior, I originally didn’t and isn’t obligatory to understand the plot. I recommend this comic to everyone from the show writers to the casual fans. I enjoyed that Loki has a friend and cares for Verity, yet doesn’t see her as a love interest. We get to see many variants of Loki, and his coming to terms with his actions. The self love and acceptance was perfectly executed without awkwardness or confine.
Loki: The God Who Fell To Earth by Daniel Kibblesmith
This comic builds on Agent of Asgard and brings back Verity, my beloved. We see some references to Loki’s character development, genderfluidity, and sexuality. Going through different story themes and time periods was exciting (especially with Wolverine one of my favorites) this comic bases a bit off Journey into Mystery, and War of Realms. I also enjoyed the bringing back the classic villain Nightmare and Loki’s clever way of addressing him. This comic was cancelled only shortly after launch (Marvel you cowards) so show it a little love.
Journey into Mystery (2012) by Kieron Gillen Issues #637-645 follow Kid Loki who first appeared in Thor #615-621, but really you can start with Journey into Mystery and pick up what’s going on. This is the start to Loki’s rise from the ashes, most literally rebirth into a new start. This comic was a fresh take with a more innocent yet still clever Loki. Hated for his past crimes despite not committing them. Ok so I haven’t finished this arc yet, but I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s a good read for those who wish to dig a little deeper.
Double Trouble by Mariko Tamaki
The artwork in this comic was so so fun. It’s fairly hard to make me laugh, but I cracked a few giggles at this comic. Double Trouble is friendly for any age, but don’t let that push you aside as an adult. This story added substance to Thor and Loki’s rocky relationship, as well as exploring their young escapades. I loved watching Loki use their magic and Thor try to save their skins. We get to see Lady Loki and Lady Thor and everything still felt on brand for their respective characters. There’s nothing prior you really need to know for this comic, and is great for casual fans.
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Since it’s Tuesday and we get Loki 1x05 tomorrow and then I’m seeing Black Widow the day after, and I guess I’m doing these now, some thoughts on Loki 1x04.
Hopefully this will be a shorter post due to me not knowing wtf is going on. This show is so chaotic and it’s perfect but that makes trying to predict it impossible. How VERY LOKI OF IT.
NOPE, NOPE THIS IS NOT A SHORTER POST, I have no idea what is going on plot wise but this episode gave me a lot of character stuff to talk about apparently.
Alright, let me get the big one out of the way. I’ve already said this in various places, mostly tags, but if I’m gonna make this post it’s gotta be here. I’m uncomfortable with Loki/Sylvie being romantic. Would prefer for Marvel to stay away from selfcest. PLEASE. I’m kind of hoping and wondering if it’s a fakeout for a reveal that Loki has finally learned to love or at least accept himself through his care of and admiration for Sylvie, which would be VERY Agent of Asgard-esque and I can see it being very probable.
I think giving Loki a love interest of any kind was always going to be difficult to pull off, but especially Loki as he is at the point in time when the show finds him- fresh off his attempted takeover of Earth and probably still deeply reeling from the revelation of his adoption and also likely mentally affected by any torture and/or mental manipulation Thanos might have done on him. Loki’s self-loathing is probably still close to an all-time high here and he’s questioning who he even is. I’m not saying that you have to love yourself before you can love someone else- I don’t think that at all; in fact I think loving someone else would probably encourage someone to value themselves more- but Loki as he is here I think would need to work through some of his own issues before he could get involved with anyone else. I think that Loki would need to learn to love himself first, to accept that he’s worthy of love, before he could genuinely fall in love with anyone else. (Remember this, I’ll come back to it.)
I got major sibling vibes from Loki and Sylvie on Lamentis. Like I said last post, they felt like alternate universe twins to me. They’re the same person from different universe, but also very much not the same- I feel like twins is the closest description? I can admittedly be pretty awful at picking up romantic vibes when I’m not expecting them, but I did not get romance vibes at all.
I also feel kind of annoyed that we would never be having this conversation or having this as a canonical ship option if Sylvie hadn’t been female. Loki is now officially canonically bi, (which means Sylvie is too btw) but in comics Loki is both bi and also genderfluid. Lady Loki is just Loki when Loki is identifying as female. So having Loki fall in love with a female version of himself feels both unnecessarily heteronormative and kind of...awkward in terms of 616!Loki’s genderfluidity, to put it lightly. (Note: I am not genderfluid, this is just my opinion, please prioritize actual genderfluid people’s opinions on the subject over mine.)
That said, after I finished the episode I was genuinely confused if they were actually going there and had to go look up interviews to see what the Loki team was saying about it. I found this interview with head writer Michael Waldron, also featuring quotes from director Kate Herron and from Tom Hiddleston. Relevant quotes below:
“That was one of the cruxes of my pitch [for the series], that there was going to be a love story,” head writer Michael Waldron explains to Marvel.com. “We went back and forth for a little bit about, like do we really want to have this guy fall in love with another version of himself? Is that too crazy? But in a series that, to me, is ultimately about self-love, self-reflection, and forgiving yourself, it just felt right that that would be Loki's first real love story.”
Loki reassures her that while they might lose, they don’t die — they survive. He goes on to call Sylvie “amazing” for how she almost took down the TVA on her own, and it’s clear from the look on his face that even though they’ve only been together a short while, Loki’s already come to admire and respect her. As the moon literally crumbles around them, Sylvie places a hand on Loki’s arm, and that’s when it happens: A branch on the Sacred Timeline. These two Lokis are having a moment they were never supposed to have, which as Mobius puts it, is “pure chaos.”
“The look that they share, that moment, [it started as] a blossoming friendship,” continues Waldron. “Then for the first time, they both feel that twinge of, ‘Oh, could this be something more? What is this I'm feeling?’ These are two beings of pure chaos that are the same person falling in love with one another. That's a straight-up and down branch, and exactly the sort of thing that would terrify the TVA.”
...
“Who’s a better match for Loki than himself?” director Kate Herron chimes in. “The whole show is about identity. It's about him, and he is on a very different path, and he is on a different journey. He sees things in Sylvie that he is like, ‘Oh, I've been there. I know what you feel.’ But she's like, ‘Well, I don't feel that way.’ And I think that was the kind of fun thing about it. She is him, but she's not him. They've had such different life experiences. So just from an identity perspective, it was interesting to dig into that.”
“When Loki meets Sylvie, he's inspired solely by curiosity,” reveals Hiddleston. “He wants to talk to her and understand her and try to discern what was similar about their experiences, and what was different. He keeps asking her questions because he wants to see if his experience was also her experience. I think he realizes, and she realizes, that while they're the same, they're not the same.”
Aside from the parts where Michael Waldron says “...have this guy fall in love with another version of himself...” and “the same person falling in with another version of one another,” everything they talk about in this article could be read as Loki and Sylvie caring for each other in a way that’s not necessarily romantic. Waldron even says that the series is specifically about self-love and forgiving yourself.
(Coming back to the thing from earlier about Loki needing to love himself now.) The way I’d read Loki and Sylvie’s relationship, especially from Loki’s side since we know more of his history, is that this is the first time that either of them actually cares about themselves. Because of their trust in and their love for each other, they’re each able to see themselves as a person worthy of love. I think that’s what the Nexus Event was. I think that’s why Loki and Sylvie’s moment of connection destabilized the timeline. Because Loki’s self-loathing is a deep root of his villainy, and the sacred timeline needs Loki to be a villain, two versions of Loki feeling self-worth, at the same time and place, created a HUGE nexus event. Loki even says it himself in the first episode: he doesn’t enjoy hurting people, he does it because (he feels) he has to, in a desperate play for control. He lashes out and hurts people because he thinks it’s the only way for him to have some control over things.
What Loki starts to speak to Sylvie at the end, he says, “This is new for me,” and references the nexus event on Lamentis. We never get to hear what it is that’s new for him. The episode sets it up to make us think that Loki’s about to tell Sylvie that he’s in love with her. But I think (or hope) that he was about to say something more along the lines of how the time he spent getting to know Sylvie on Lamentis helped him learn to care about himself and see his own self worth. That’s certainly a new feeling for him, since Loki seems to have always been an outsider and been looked down upon. And actually saying out loud that he’s starting to gain a sense of self worth would definitely be new for him. Loki knows that he and Sylvie will figure this out because he’s figured out the nexus event on Lamentis- that when they accept themselves and their own self worth, they can do pretty much anything.
I think it’s also worth mentioning that we never actually hear from Loki himself that he’s in love with Sylvie. We only hear it from Mobius, who’s feeling pretty betrayed by Loki and uses the entire concept to write Loki off as a huge narcissist. That way, he won’t feel as bad about Loki betraying him, or about sticking Loki in a time loop jail. Not that Loki would be the type to shout any romantic feelings to the world, especially in this situation, but the way he kept denying it didn’t seem like it was something he had to lie about.
This episode also called Loki a narcissist a lot; I assume to set up the “reveal” of his feelings for Sylvie and explain why he would fall in love with an alternate version of himself. But while Loki is many things and sure has a lot of issues, I do NOT think narcissism is one of them. When the time loops really start to get to him, he says to Sif: “I crave attention, because I’m a narcissist. And I suppose it’s because I’m scared of being alone.” But that second sentence completely contradicts the whole idea of narcissism! According to a quick google, the definition of “narcissist” is “a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves.” But Loki is the exact opposite. He has such a low opinion of himself that he acts out to get attention, because he’s so used to being overshadowed, overlooked and alone that he’s afraid that if he doesn’t do things for attention then nobody will give him any. He can be arrogant, yes, but even a lot of that stems from well-earned confidence. Loki is very talented magically and is used to being the smartest person in the room. He knows what he’s good at. But he sure isn’t attention-seeking just for its own sake. Any narcissism he’s displayed, he’s done since becoming a “villain” in Thor, and it’s actually been a mask to cover up his massive inferiority complex.
I also think it’s definitely worth mentioning that when Loki calls himself a narcissist, he’s repeating what Mobius said to him earlier. Loki clearly does care about Mobius and his opinion of him and feels bad about how things have fallen out with him. He’s also been through the time loop dozens of times now, and there’s a reason the TVA picked that memory. Because what Sif says to Loki really reflects his deepest fear. He doesn’t want to be alone, but he has such little love for himself that he might very well think he deserves to be. Loki’s emotionally exhausted at that point and just wants things to stop.
Okay. I think that covered most of my character analysis of the episode. I have some theories about Sylvie and the Time Keepers/TVA, etc, but they won’t be anywhere near as long as THAT^ was.
To start at the beginning of the episode: Sylvie’s backstory is SO SAD. I want to hug her. She spent almost her entire life on the run, growing up and living in apocalypses so the TVA wouldn’t catch her again. She didn’t deserve any of that and I’m so upset on her behalf.
Especially because as I said in another post, I think that the reason Sylvie got taken by the TVA was because she was never going to be a villain. Sylvie was kind and wanted to be heroic in the clip we see of her as a child, and she knew she was adopted. She was never going to be the Loki the TVA needed her to be for the Sacred Timeline because nothing would have ever pushed her to do what our Loki did.
The scene with Sylvie and B-15 was so good. Sylvie was kind to B-15, because her natural instinct is to be kind, and I have so many feelings about that. I love Sylvie. And then B-15 coming to the rescue to uncollar Sylvie and Loki and give Sylvie her sword was EPIC. She’s so cool.
Small aside, I got emotional seeing Asgard again in Sylvie’s flashback. I miss Asgard. :(
Also, if a kid can escape the TVA just by biting the agent holding her, the TVA have really got to step up their game. That’s kind of pathetic. Good for Sylvie though, that was very clever of her. The most juvenile yet effective tactic.
The Time Keepers being fake robots was an excellent twist, and one that I kind of saw coming as soon as they didn’t show Ravonna’s conversation with them earlier in the episode. It immediately made me feel like there were no Time Keepers at all. (And I was wondering if the no-robots rule from episode 1 would be plot relevant! I wonder if it has anything to do with the Time Keepers actually being robots?) It was also really clear that Ravonna was lying about what happened to C-20. As of now I think that Ravonna might actually be the real power behind the TVA. Or possibly a designated lieutenant to the real power behind the TVA:
When I was looking up interviews about Loki/Sylvie in this episode, I stumbled across an article about Ravonna’s comic counterpart and started kicking myself so hard for not recognizing her. In comics, Ravonna Renslayer is Kang the Conqueror’s wife. (Now, in my defense, my previous exposure to Ravonna was in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, in which she spends most of her screentime in a coma.) For anyone who doesn’t know, Kang the Conqueror is a time traveling classic Avengers villain. His whole thing is that he time travels, and wants to take over all of time. So it’s possible that Ravonna runs the TVA to benefit Kang somehow (maybe because Kang needs a certain sequence of events to assure a future victory over the Avengers?) or even does it on his orders. Kang the Conqueror is also set to be in Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania. (Aka Antman 3.)
(I don’t know if it’s relevant, but Kang the Conqueror also happens to be the reason the Young Avengers form. The very first member, Iron Lad aka Nate Richards, is a teenage Kang who meets his future self and decides he doesn’t want to be evil, so he travels back in time to get the help of Kang’s nemeses, the Avengers. However, he lands when the Avengers have disbanded and winds up putting together a team of Avengers-affiliated teenagers instead. The team gets bigger over time and a later version of it notably includes Kid Loki. I’m not going to go off on a Young Avengers tangent here but I LOVE the Young Avengers, please read Young Avengers volume 1 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung and all of its associated tie-ins. It’s fantastic. Unfortunately Kid Loki is only in volume 2, which gets a very solid “no thank you” from me but ymmv. Imo if you want Loki, read Agent of Asgard instead; I keep bringing it up for a reason and that’s because it’s amazing. Kid Loki is also in Journey into Mystery prior to his appearance in Young Avengers, and I haven’t read that yet but it looks very good.)
I’m VERY curious as to what the deal is behind the TVA. This could go a lot of different ways but they all seem exciting.
This show is definitely gearing up for a finale in which the TVA no longer exists or at least no longer decides everyone’s fates, which is exactly what I predicted back in episode 1.
Final thoughts on the episode: I was just wondering after Mobius was pruned if maybe the pruning sticks are actually teleporters of some kind, instead of time tasers, and then we got THAT CREDITS SCENE. I am so confused but also VERY EXCITED. I almost screamed when I saw Kid Loki. MY CHILD. I just had this thought but oh, I would kill for a Thori reference. Best murder dog. Classic Loki’s costume looks so terrible, it’s absolutely on purpose, and I love it.
THIS SHOW HAD BETTER END WITH MOBIUS GETTING A JETSKI. AND BOTH SYLVIE AND LOKI HAPPY.
I’ve been wondering since the show was announced if this show would somehow end with a version of the comics Kid Loki + AoA Loki storyline, where this Loki gets reborn into the main MCU as Kid/Teen Loki so he can join the Young Avengers, and I still don’t know how I feel about that, but with how things are going I can still see it happening.
LET EVERYONE WE LOVE BE HAPPY AT THE END MARVEL.
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Don’t Like Crowds
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Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Drinking (Mild)
Summary: After another day of hard work, Tony had invited you to a party at the compound when you should really be working but a co-worker went as well so you thought to go as well. Only to meet a good friend from the 40s.
Author’s Note: I really should be doing other work at home since I still work during this tough time but I just love writing on here. I need a coffee.
Love you!
~~~~~
The night was not what you expected it to be. There were too many people. Why would you expect a small little get-together with the team to celebrate a nice job at work when Tony is a billionaire and wants to have a full-on party.
Tony had forced you to fly from Berlin all the way to New York for this party. In Berlin, you had more important things to do than just party. You worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and you were always called in for work. 
You asked Nick to give yourself some time off and he took it, letting you go out to what you wanted to do.
So you flew over and threw on a dark blue dress that was just laying in your room in the Avengers tower. You heard a knock and you grit your teeth trying to zip up the dress. “Come in!” You call.
The door clicks open, “Y/N?” Natasha calls back, she walks in. “Hey, Nat,” You greet, looking at yourself in the mirror, you hear her high heels click against the floor. 
“Struggling?” She asked. You groan, “Is it obvious?” Nat smiles as she walks over. “Here.”
She grabs the zipper and drags it up. “It’s a cute dress. Special for someone?” Natasha asked with a smirk. You roll your eyes, “It’s something Tony got me, it’s the only thing that was in my closet.”
“But the color, seems pretty obvious who it’s for,” Nat says, “You two are pretty close.”
You turn around, Natasha knew you were one of the first Avengers to meet the first avenger from the 1940s. Nat knew there were some connections between you and the soldier, Steve Rogers. “That’s because Nick gave me the job to babysit him when he woke up.” Nat’s smirk never left her lips, “You have a chance to talk to him. You two haven’t spoken in a while since Washington D.C.,” Nat said. You sighed.
That was the day when you found out Hydra agents were taking over the most powerful ships in the world. That’s how you moved to Berlin. “Maybe after a few drinks, I will,” You replied, knowing you will never talk to him.
“Don’t drink too much or you will expose yourself,” She winks at her and leaves you in the room. You fixed your hair and walked out of the room, hearing the music and laughter down the hall.
You met the party and there were too many people. You were hoping no one will see you and begin to talk to you. If Tony-
“Y/N!” Tony shouts over the music, “Glad you could join us!” You look over to the pool table where Sam and Steve stood at, he was leaned over the table aiming for the ball in the center, only to have his eyes on you.
Sam gently slapped Steve’s arm to hit the ball breaking your gazes from each other and you walked over to Tony. James, Thor and Maria stood by him. “Nice dress, who’s it from?” Tony smiled at you. You roll your eyes.
“Any way, champ, have you heard about his War Machine story?” Tony asks, pointing at James. You forced a grin, “I believe I have a while ago...” You lied. “I think I need a drink,” You add.
Thor walks over, “I can escort you over there, Lady Y/N.”
“I think I can do it, thank you-” You slightly yelped as Thor guides you over to the bar. “I insist.” You sighed heavily as Thor talked about his recent battles with goblins and warriors on your way over there.
God, it felt like hours when you finally got there and you interrupted his story, “Thank you, Thor. I can handle myself here, now. I think those men over there would love to try your new drink that you brought from Asgard.”
Thor smiles, “You think so, Lady Y/N?”
“Yes.” Thor walks off to the elder men as you puffed out a sigh and sat down. You were never liking the crowd, you hated it so much and Tony would bring you in it a lot. Sure, the fights and missions felt different but to have others talk to you and tell them about your story was not your thing.
You hated parties.
You wanted to get that off your mind so you looked over to Steve at the pool table. Sam and their friends laughing as they hit the balls in the holes. You needed a drink, something to drink as you watch them laugh and walk around that table. Sometimes Steve would lean over the table and you would get a glimpse of his behind.
During the game, he slid off his leather jacket and placed it on a nearby chair. You didn’t realize your mouth was gaped. “You craving for some bloody mary or scotch?” Someone spoke. 
You turn to spot Natasha behind the counter with a smile, “Usually when I see a woman look like that, they could use a bloody mary.”
You laughed softly, “I wasn’t looking like that-”
“I’m a good liar but I’m also a good reader. I’ve known you for a while Y/N, I know when you really want to rip someone’s pants down-”
“Natasha!” You hissed, she smiled and pulled out a glass, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell him. No one doesn’t really know. You tell Tony, he’s gonna cause a scene.” You shook your head.
“When does he not?”
Natasha knew what was wrong with you. She knew you didn’t like to be at parties, almost everyone knew you. You were the light to the parties. Everyone loved to talk to you because you always smiled and joked around. Now, it was too much and you just shut everyone out except your friends.
You heard her slide you a bloody mary. “Drink, it’ll help,” She says. “You didn’t spike it, did you?” You asked. Natasha shakes her head, “I wouldn’t do that to a friend. Unless I wanted you to make a move on him already.”
You shook your head and took a sip, enjoying that taste of bloody mary. Natasha smiled in approval when you softly nodded your head. “You should be a bartender.” Natasha smiles. “At least I can earn a few bucks,” She winks. You lightly laughed.
“I’ll be back,” She says, you watched her leave the counter and walked off so you went back to your drink and took another sip. Lightly tapping your finger on the dark counter.
The music continued to ring in your ears as you kept your eyes low. “Guess you’re not much of a party person like Tony,” A voice spoke, you turned your head to see Steve at the other end of the bar, leaning on the counter with a grin.
You tapped your finger on your drink, “Guess we’re not really siblings then, are we?” You asked. Steve reaches for a beer over the counter and you thought he’d just grab it and walk off. He walked over to you, “Don’t like crowds?” He asked. You pulled your glass up to your lips again. 
“Not much of a talker,” You said. Steve smiled, “You were much of a talker when you had a mission to help me through this new life.”
“I’m not someone who can help another live through their life.”
“You got into mine,” He says, you turned your head to him again. What did he mean by that? You turned away to hide a blush.
You leaned on the counter and then faced him, again after you regained control. “Are you trying to flirt?” You asked. Steve shakes his head, “Just starting a conversation. Why, you want me to? I might be horrible, it’s been 70 years since I’ve flirted with a woman. I don’t usually have conversations with women a lot.”
You laugh lightly causing him to smile. His gaze looks down at your dress, “It’s a beautiful dress.” You look up again to meet his blue eyes. Your mouth gaped and he noticed the shock expression. 
He gave a gentle smile, “Sorry.” You shook your head, “No, I just-... thank you.” You hear loud laughter coming from James group in the distance from what he said about his little war machine story causing the two of you to look over. 
“Do you wanna go somewhere else? Somewhere more quiet?” He offers, you glanced at him before you said no more and took a beer from over the counter. 
.
“You really can’t get drunk?”
“Yeah. It’s like a regenerative thing, so I can’t have a bit of fun with friends who are.”
“Kind of boring then, right?” You asked, you two walked up to the railing on the balcony. The party was just behind you guys on the other side of the glass. “Not a word I would exactly use. It’s entertaining, but it feels better to just have your fun just a bit drunk. You don’t as much laughter out of you when you’re not drinking.”
“I hear you,” You tilted the bottle up to your lips and sighed. “Anything else special about you? Besides your regeneration thing and shield mastery.” Steve chuckles, taking his gaze out to the city. “Nothing special about me. Just a guy from Brooklyn.”
“Who met my father back in the 1940s. I bet you had more conversations with him than he had with us,” You said. You remembered when he used to talk to you. You were so little when he treated you like you were the only girl in his life along with Tony who was just treated a lower rate than yours. 
Sad to think Howard enjoyed you more than him.
Steve nods, “He was a good guy. Not much that I knew of him.” You look out to follow his gaze to the bridge in the distance. The sirens wailing through the city along with the cars honking and music in the back filled with laughter.
“I wanted to thank you...” Steve says, looking down at his beer in his hands, “For what you did when I woke up. Would’ve taken it much worse if you hadn’t been there.”
You look over to nod at him reassuringly, “I know it wasn’t easy. I would’ve been scared if I woke up 70 years later.” Steve looks over to you with a soft smile. You’ve been on a few missions with the Avengers, sometimes you’d clean up the mess after when Nick Fury tells you so. Basically you were the parent for these kids.
Steve was such a gentleman. When the aliens came, you two were friends and Tony clearly didn’t like that and then the toddlers had their very first fight. You remembered Steve removing Tony’s hand off his shoulder on that ship.
Talking a bit more about what you’ve been doing out of your career lives, Steve offered to walk you back to your room. The music was just a bit softer than it was inside.
You liked that it was just you and him. It was so much quieter.
The two of you stopped at your door, “Well...” You turn to him with a smile. Steve grins at you, “I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” He says. You chuckled, “I guess you will. And thank you for-you know... chatting with me.”
He shrugs with a nod, “It’s something to get you out of the corner. You keep that up, someone else might come up and say hi,” He said.
“Maybe next time, I will and when someone does, you can come up and snap at them.” Steve smiles at you, “Do I look that intimidating to others?” He asked.
“Do you even look at yourself, Rogers?” You asked, he laughs, looking down at his outfit. You laugh with him as well and the two of you gazed each other.
Your smile never leaving your lips as his face drops into an expression you can’t even explain to what he’s gonna do next till he pulls you in for a kiss.
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You reacted instantly and reached over to caress the back of his neck and kissed back. The taste of alcohol on both your lips but it didn’t feel like you two were drunk. Steve can’t get drunk and you barely drink. Your heart was banging against your rib cage as the two of you pulled away and Steve grins. “That was...” You began to trail off.
You laughed on his lips, “Late,” Steve says. You pulled away to look into his eyes. “Not the word I would exactly use,” You say. He smiles and removed his hands from your waist.
“You should go back to your friends before they start looking for you, Cap,” You say, he takes a step back, turning his body a bit before giving you a big grin. “It’s really a nice dress. I’d like to see it more often.”
You gave him a cheeky smile, raising your finger at him, “You know, I’m gonna ask Natasha to help you work on your flirting skills,” You call out to him. He turns, “I’m 96, I’m still learning.”
“Okay, pops,” You joked, watching him turn the corner back to the party. You smiled and stepped into your room, letting out a big sigh.
He does need to work on his flirting skills.
~~~~~~
This one kind of sucked but it worked. I’ll find some more ways to use Steve
TAGS:
@jtargaryen18​ @chrisevans-imagines​ @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​
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kaimaciel · 3 years
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15 & 22!
15 - A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?
Either Outsider or Start Anew, the first because it's a reconciliation story between Batman and Red Hood which I still crave (what the hell are you doing, DC?) and the other it's sorta my wish-fulfillment fic for Loki after the ending of the Loki Agent of Asgard series left me so angry and disappointed, and I'm genuinely proud of my writing on that one. We got a new Loki series soon so let's see what we'll get.
22 - Have you cried while writing a fic?
Yes, I cried while writing Outsider, and Watch me cry all my tears. Family drama gets to me for some reason.
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mylifeisadeceit · 3 years
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It’s a metaphor for overcoming self hatred. It’s healing and honestly beautiful.
Ok I know I often come out as rude, so since this anon wasn't rude I'll try not to be either, sorry in advance.
Also this is WAY too long
Before the read more I'll put the
[Td;lr
This is a bad metaphor (I can hardly call it a metaphor) and there are infinity better way to explore a character]
Ok, first of all, I understand but it's onestly so funny.
Because that would be both the most in-your-face metaphor ever while also being super complicated but for the wrong reason.
You know that you can show a character that has always been broken since the first time we've seen them, can change, better and understand themselves without having a romantic relationship? A romantic relationship with themself.
The serie thus far has already been... Not subtle, everything was clear and in-your-face, they talked through everything and all the evolution was through talking.
In the first episode they literally went: "ok it's therapy time, no you don't have a choice"
And it was fine
All the first talks with Mobius the understanding and bettering began.
The next step would've been to accept the flaws within themself and everything that led to them existing.
Since they are a variant, an error that shouldn't exist, someone that made a wrong decision.
And you should remember this thing in particular because even if he did made a wrong decision, he played by the rules all the other times, can he really say that he's himself?
This is why the serie is so lacking thus far, like there is a whole "oh the god of mishief and I-do-the-fuck-I-want seems to be transformed into the god of I-am-always-manipuled"
The thing should be that he accept himself, you know? That he did chosed to do what he did, that he doesn't need to live up to someone else, that he's not a role and he's free.
People explained better than me why a relationship like that wouldn't work.
I mean... They were trying to do an "Agent of Asgard" kinda thing, with all the other universes and stuff.
But why the romantic part?
There's hardly a metaphor to it, honestly.
Let's take agent of asgard for a minute, at the end of the story we see two Lokis, one that chosed a pat and ended up like his old self, stagnant and alone, and another one, who chosed his future by himself.
The "free one" gives a kiss on the forehead to the other one, saying "it's gonna be fine".
The metaphor is quite clear, acceptance of oneselfs etc etc
And you know why there's a "free loki" in this situation? Because he wasn't alone, along the story he had a friend, a trusted friend called Verity.
That's it, he had a friend.
THIS is the "thing he's not used to", he's not used to not being alone.
"You can always better yourself, but you don't have to do it alone, having someone on your side that believes in you it's important too"
Now tell me the big and beautiful metaphor in Loki trusting only himself, loving only himself leading to him being alone, in the end.
And that wouldn't even be himself, ya know?
Sylvie is like a version of Loki but... Better.
She IS indipendent, she was able to escape all on her own and survived despite everyone being against her, when no one looked up for her.
She IS confident, she was able to almost "find" the time keepers alone, and even after what I assume are millenias (seeing how much asgardians live?) she didn't give up. And like... Sylvie is alone because people forced her to be while "our" Loki is alone because he wasn't somehow enough for people around him (bif oof).
Sylvie doesn't crave attention, you know? She knows what she wants and she's gonna get it, she knows she can, she barely even lies and when she does it's only for "plan porpoise", never to cover up something she's missing (like... A plan).
And she has style, which is not that important but seeing how he ended up this is kinda telling.
So he fell for a better version of himself, ending up metaphorically alone and ALL of this can only lead to a stagnating future, in which he would be depending for validation from the only person that never abandon him: himself.
What
This is not even something a self assorbed person [not narcissistic (this is not the right word and people should stop throwing it around like it's free candies)] would do, this is just pathetic
And sad
LIKE I DON'T EVEN WANT TO HIM TO BE WITH THE OLD DUDE I DON'T CARE FJDJSJEJE this is not a "ship war" this is just me being "wtf"
And like, you can do whatever you want, why should I care?
What's the worst thing people could do by shipping them?
Normalising clone-fucking/ clone-kissingyouonthemouthbecauseyou'reveryepic?
Also they've known each others for like a day so even if you're one of those "they're not technically the same person", well then they're victim of the "male and female presenting characters are two second in the same spot so now they're love-interest" which is "why did they do this" vibe too.
But again, I don't care, but this is what I think:
I'm getting repetitive but I'm sick and I don't have anything else to do right now because I'm dying:
This relationship doesn't work:
Metaphorically
Story-wise
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dabblinginmarvel · 5 years
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Loki Laufeyson Masterlist
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This post contains a list of the links to all stories about Loki Laufeyson and will be ever-growing.
Current count: 32
Coming soon!
Mortal – The Asgardian refugee ship lands on Earth and you are assigned to keep an eye on Loki – who has allegedly lost his powers. (Multi-part)
-
Afraid
Loki returns to your side after years of being absent to find that you gave birth to twins - his children.
Asgardian Wedding
Take a peek inside the wedding between the reader and Loki.
Been A Long Time
Loki met a Midgardian as a child and is determined to see them again after many years.
Can’t Hear You
Reader is bored and starts to bug Loki. Loki temporarily takes the reader’s voice away, but it doesn’t stop the reader.
Choose Me
Loki gets jealous at a party.
Clocks
When you met your soulmate, you didn’t know it was him. Your clock hadn’t stopped – but his had. Maybe the universe had decided that you both weren’t ready to be together, but he deserved to know who it would be when you both were.
Darkness
Reader has darkness powers that get out of control and Loki tries to bring you out of it.
Darling
After the reader, Tom Hiddleston’s girlfriend, gets shit from some immature people, Tom takes matters into his own hands.
Dear Y/N
Imagine Loki chooses the Infinity Stone over you.
Escape
You’re stuck on the refugee ship when Thanos comes by and all hell breaks loose. Loki is insistent you stay hiding.
Eye of the Beholder
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but when everyone sees it differently, you think that Loki will be just the same as everyone else and not see you for you.
Frigga’s Garden
Loki returns to the coordinates of Asgard after Ragnarok and is surprised to find something there that warms his heart.
Happier
Based upon “Happier” by Ed Sheeran.
Humor Me
It’s Loki and the Reader’s first Christmas as a couple and Loki is confused about the holiday.
I Don’t Understand
Reader has pregnancy pumpkin spice latte cravings at three in the morning.
I Am Yours
Reader has to return to Earth on a business trip and Loki tries to put a stop to it.
         Part 1
         Part 2
I Have My Reasons
Loki has found trouble on Sakaar that he just can’t keep himself away from in the form of you.
I Have You Now
Loki and the reader are desperately in love with each other, but they are both oblivious to the other’s feelings.
Jailbreak
Loki returns to Asgard after a hiatus to find that you, his significant other, has been wrongly imprisoned, and busts you out with Thor’s help.
Joy (Word Prompt)
Loki learns the joys of the holiday season.
Magic and Illusion (6 Parts)
Thor takes the Reader, a SHIELD agent, to visit Asgard as Loki takes the throne under the guise of Odin. The Reader discovers Loki is playing tricks and you come to an agreement - Reader keeps his secret and Loki doesn’t banish you.
         Part 1
         Part 2
         Part 3
         Part 4
         Part 5
         Epilogue
May I Come In
Loki comforts a depressed reader.
Prompt 19
Reader tells Loki to put the Tesseract back where he picked it up from.
Prompt 24
You and Loki talk about kinks (warning: sexual talk).
Prompt 35
Loki doesn’t like you’ve been keeping secrets from him and is hurt by it.
Sakaarian Warrior
Loki has just arrived on Sakaar and the Grandmaster introduces his best warrior and daughter – you.
Self Esteem
Your boyfriend Loki gives you reassurance after you have self-esteem issues thanks to class finals.
Sensitivity
Loki sees the reader after years of thinking that they were dead and it breaks his tough exterior.
Stronger Together
Loki arrives in Asgard before his brother and hurries to evacuate you, but gets caught up in the search for Hofund, Heimdall’s sword to open the Bifrost.
There’s Something About Him
Reader is dating a man, who turns out to be Loki. This is new information to the reader.
Toast
You had met Loki when you both were much younger and now, after many years, the two of you have to face the next challenge: your parents.
The Soul World
Reader sacrifices themselves to the Soul Stone to find Loki after Thanos is defeated.
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heart-shaped-hell · 5 years
Text
I’m Sorry, I Can’t Do This...
*Trigger Warning: If you’re sensitive about topics regarding ed, suicide, anxiety, depression, or other Mental Illnesses, please don’t go on to read after the “Keep Reading” bar, or read at your discretion. There are explicit details, so again, if it’s triggering to you, ignore this post.* 
I don’t know what it’s wrong with me and I’m tired of pretending that everything is fine, when it’s not. I tried to be positive about it, but I can’t pretend that it is, when it feels like a nightmare. Two weeks ago I made a post about Loki, trying to convey how heartbreaking it was and still is for me to accept how he was treated in the MCU. How hurtful it was to not see him in the present, my present and instead deciding to have him in another timeline of 2012. 
How much I was still grieving and the responses I received from that post were really overwhelming and made me a bit emotional to see how much people in this Fandom are supportive and it was comforting to read people who agreed with me and people that shared their care for Loki.
I don’t know if it’s my severe depression and suicidal thoughts, or if I’m just in utter denial over what happened.
I tried to convince (almost force) myself to accept my own canon and that he’s alive, but I’m struggling so hard. It hurts and I don’t even know why. I know I can write about him, decide for myself what he is to me and that he belongs to us more than it ever did to them (except for Tom).
At the same time I can’t even bring myself to accept my own canon, when I can’t even look at him. I’ve been ignoring everything regarding him on every social media, every now and then liking a post or two, but not being able to actually look at him, or hear him talk. I tried to read some stories, but I can’t even focus on them. I just can’t do it. I’ve been trying to keep myself busy, so I don’t even think about it and while I know that’s not healthy, it’s the only way for me to not go full mental.
Because If I do I’ll have a mental breakdown per day, I know I would. I-I can’t do it. Whenever I catch a glimpse of him my mood switches in seconds and I feel down. I struggled to eat for days and sometimes when I do I feel sick. I just don’t feel like eating at all and I’ve also had problems with Ana/Mia that I still have with me, so the whole thing hasn’t been fine either. Two days ago I ended up at 5 am crying like a fucking idiot in the darkness of my bedroom during one of my many insomniac nights, because for a moment I wanted to see him, I craved that voice, but I stopped because I just…couldn’t do it.
Two weeks ago while I was looking at some comics regarding Bucky, I ended up searching “Agent Of Asgard” and clicked on the first issue. I scrolled enough to see him and then I stopped to read a page where Thor knew the bully that he has been towards him and Loki being actually aware of how bad it probably was, and in that I saw for a moment the Loki that I know already planning an escape from the cell they were both kept in. I ended up crying for no damn reason like a stupid idiot.
I told (almost forced) myself to not get attached to another character ever again, even more so in the same fucking universe that did that to him. These last two weeks I unintentionally ended up liking Bucky Barnes, another character that I noticed is getting a similar treatment by them and I can’t just ignore how many people feel it was unfair, because I know what it feels like to be in that position, being attached to Loki, but he didn’t came back.
I can’t stop comparing them, even thought I know I should stop. Sometimes while I see Bucky use knives (mostly in TWS), I think of Loki fighting in Svartalfheim. How much both of them have struggled so much about their identities, in different circumstances; how much both of them suffered and have been tortured and brainwashed in different ways by their own abusers.
It’s incredible how much Sebastian Stan and Tom Hiddleston, two very humble and talented actors who are also able to speak with their eyes and expression without saying a word, are getting their characters screwed over and tossed aside, treated as useless because they’re not the Hero. Almost as if they were never there to begin with, even if people love them while they didn’t get much screentime as the others.
Both Stan and Tom deserved much better, than to be treated as dumb because the writers couldn’t spoil the movie, so they decided to give the actors specific scripts without mentioning what happens in the scenes they’re supposed to actually act in. They literally told the actors involved that the funeral scene was actually “a wedding”. Just like they did with Tom Holland, who didn’t even know who he had to fight, or any detail regarding the scene they were filming. This is not how serious and talented people work.
When it comes to Loki I feel guilty for liking another character who isn’t him. I feel like I betrayed him too and I’m aware it’s not supposed to feel like that over a character. I still like different characters from different sources, it’s not like I erased any of them, but when it comes to this I don’t know why I feel guilty, as if I’m choosing someone else because I just can’t deal with the problem. I spent years of my life feeling like any other person is better than what I am and I know I’ll die alone, because nobody would fucking want to deal with me and that I’m a fuck up. A disappointment. I feel like I’ve let him down.
I know that he’s a fictional character, that I’m probably making a bigger deal out of this than it actually is, but I feel like a screwed him over by not being able to accept what happen and move on like everybody else who is writing about him after End Game. I didn’t thought it would have been so hard and it’s not like I had any hope in EG, but I don’t know why it hurts twice as much now that it came out. That is “permanent”.
They gave him a timeline, an alternate universe in which he’s alive, but I don’t feel happy about it. It almost seems like a lot (not everyone, but a lot) just accepted it in a blink of an eye, forgetting completely how he…died. He’s been murdered in front of my eyes, afraid, with a broken arm and strangled, using a fucking knife to defend himself, when he had his own powers and the tesseract and could have escaped long before that happened. I get that people want to cling to that hope for the series, but I can’t. I don’t trust them and never will. Some are even “glad he’s dead” and it’s heartbreaking every time I come across those comments, because he didn’t deserve it.
I fucking prayed that he might have done that to defend Thor, while being an illusion to distract Thanos and made him think that he wasn’t part of the picture anymore; that the Trickster and Silvertoungue that I cared about was indeed more than a trickster. What I got is the past where he disappears into a portal to never be seen again and never mentioned after that daungeon scene in TDW.
The fucking sun never shone on him.
Bucky is not and will never be a replacement for Loki, because I care about them both, without feeling the need to use them when it’s convenient, only to toss them aside after I’m done with them. Yes, I’m talking about MCU/Marvel.
I felt like I could relate to them both and that fucking hurts, because while I dissociate majority of the time, I still see a bit of me in them. While one gets to live with the reputation of now being “dangerous” and that “no one would trust him with a weapon”, the other one got brutally murdered because no one could accept him even being there in the first place.
I fucking know how it feels to not trust your own self, or your own mind. I fucking relate to the pain of not remembering things your past and not being sure if those things actually happened or it was just a nightmare. God, I know how it feels to feel your hands dirty, not knowing what happened and not trusting yourself enough to wanting to know if it was just your mind fucking with you. I know what it’s like to feel afraid, even of your own self; worthless, or decide to sacrifice yourself because you’re afraid of hurting the people around you.
I don’t remember my last 19 years of life, except some fragments and I’m scared to death to know if certain events really occurred or if I’ve just gone crazy at this point. I take so many photos even of sunsets, because I’m afraid to not remember what they were like moments after I see them and much of the time I do and it’s scary. It doesn’t feel like a lived this long, just the present time and I know it doesn’t even make any sense. It’s fucking scary to feel like you don’t belong anywhere you go.
During one of my ideation moments, that only people who have been in a dark place knows what I’m talking about, I saw in Loki’s death…my own. Both times in his suicide and in IW I saw my death in his.
Last month I attempted suicide again after badly injuring myself, failing miserably and crying after because it didn’t come to a long waited end. I spent that time silently sobbing while laying down looking at the dark ceiling, slowly chocking myself to death and feeling my head hurt so much that I could barely breathe. In those moments I didn’t care anymore, about anything or anyone. Pure numbness. I felt like freedom was in my hands, a peace that I desperately seek. I spent the moments after opening my eyes and hurting, because I was just so fucking tired. Tired. I wanted to scream, to hurt myself for failing again, for procrastinating even my death. I never felt like I belonged anywhere since I was 8, next thing I know I’m 11 years after that without even being aware of existing.
I fucking know how it feels to be there, the pain that brings you to actually do it, to feel like a monster, unworthy and hopeless, because no matter how much I fucking tried, it didn’t work. It hurts, because I saw myself in him and even he couldn’t do it. He ended up laying down bleeding, chocked to death and I’ll never be over that.
While I’ve had many resurrections, he didn’t have one.
He didn’t get to wake up, feeling numbness and pain caused by the wounds and quietly getting to the bathroom to take a shower, preteding to wash everything away. The blood, scars, pain, delusion, the shame, the desperation. He didn’t get to have another day. He was showed that no matter how much you fight, how much you try to survive in a world that lied to you since you were born, you don’t fucking get to have a Happy Ending.
Same for James “Bucky” Barnes, it doesn’t matter if you have PTSD and probably depression, you’re an evil person who shouldn’t talk about your problems or try to cope with them in a healthy way. You’re broken, accept it. You don’t get to rest, you’re dangerous.
Tony Stark after all the fears and panic attacks deserved to see his daughter grow up, spending the time he lost in The Snap with Peter being alive and to be with Pepper, not die to have a worthy closure. Natasha Romanoff deserved to have a proper burial, not tossed aside because “it wasn’t part of her characterization” and I say this while not being a fan of Black Widow.
You can close a character’s arc without having them die to be considered a Hero. Characters shouldn’t die to be considered Heroic.
While I’m here, he’s not. I’m not happy about it. I’m not laughing with millions in my credit card. I don’t go around excited about a possible future for him, when they are the same people who robbed him from it, describing him as an important character only to toss him aside later, when he wasn’t useful anymore.
I’m not fucking okay. They shouldn’t get to have a laugh on my account, or a taste of pretty sweet tears from the people they screwed over. I can’t even look at them or at Marvel without wanting to hurt them, just like they did by not taking their job seriously and acting over petty jealousy and narcissism. Because if the d-bags (CH & TW included) involved in directing and “acting” in these last three “movies” (TR, IW, EG) were actually talented, Loki would have ended up being in that battle, not murdered to show the new “Great Villain”.
I know those people are part of a big company and there will always be people that will go to see movies for entertainment anyway, because the writers and directors (except a very few in the past) don’t care about the characters except how to make money off of their presence. They release tons of movies every year and it’s on people that get attached to the characters to not accept everything they put out as facts, but this doesn’t make it any better.
They wanted to erase one of their biggest characters out of pettiness and narcissism, using him to gain profit, instead of actually care that he got a proper development because a certain someone in there got jealous. Loki would have been still alive if a bunch of those didn’t get involved to begin with. 
I’m aware that in EG not everyone was meant to survive and of course everyone would want their favourite to live, but to treat the characterization of each of the characters as if they meant nothing shouldn’t have been the way to close an 11 years arc.
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bakerstreethound · 5 years
Text
Another One of Those Days
Part 2
Pairing: Dr. Strange x reader
Warnings: cursing
Summary: Reader has a bad day & to top it off gets a headache, therefore becoming frustrated & irritable. Dr. Strange guides her & tries to help after searching the Sanctum & finding her in the library.
All writings belong to me @bakerstreethound
Okay…so this story changed quite a bit from the (intended) summary, so please let me know what you think. There’s most likely going to be a part two.
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“By the seven realms combined I’ve missed you.”
“Oh my dear, the real question is, what will the Dr. think?”
"Dont worry, all I need is you..." my breath hitches.
"Does he know that your heart belonged to me centuries before you knew him? Does he know of your immortality and that you'll never grow old and watch him struggling against the shadow of death?" his warm breath lingers in my ear.
"I wish that I'd never met you sometimes," I sigh.
"Oh but you love it, you've craved me continuously, you can't stop thinking of me, your desire is...intoxicating." his body presses into mine, shoving me against the cold steel wall.
"I-i can't do this to him, he loves me more than I deserve," I whisper. "You don't deserve this mess of a woman I have become."
"Now, now, hush my kitten, relax please. I care for you so, so much."
The atmosphere of the room grew darker as he presses me harder into the wall extolling his need and undying affection for me.
Before I know it, soft familiar lips press against mine, and denying the searing thoughts screeching through my head, I welcome them and drawn them in closer.
Suddenly, a vibration in my pocket stops me, ringing uncontrollably.
"I should..."
"Take it, we have time," he grins, disguising his disappointment in a smirk of mischief.
"Hello? This is Agent Strange."
"Ah Mrs. Strange, I thought I'd never hear the sound of your pleasant voice this evening. Where have you been? Is Stark making ruthless demands again? I'm worried about you and all these late office hours you've been keeping," the familiar chuckle of my husband resonates.
"I'm fine Stephen, I was just finishing up some paperwork. I'll drop by the Sanctum in 10 minutes."
"Love you."
"Love you too," I chirp as I click the end call button.
"I think I should go," I huff as I head to my desk to grab my things.
As I walk, the same familiar hands previously wrapped around my waist slapped me hard on the bottom.
"Ouch! Really? Its fucking on," I hiss as he picks me up, settling me on top of my desk. "We don't have time for this."
"Yes we do," he kisses me hard, tugging at my pants which easily slide off. "You can't contain your cravings for me; oh how you've missed this," he plunges into me going hard and fast. "Now I want you to scream my name with that filthy little mouth of yours and let your husband know who you've been seeing."
"L-loki, I-i've got to c-cum!" I yelp as I ride through our release, our bodies heaving, breath fogging up the air.
"That was enjoyable, but you must go now. Goodbye my queen, I'll see you in Asgard soon," he smirks snapping his fingers, gone in a put of smoke.
*12 minutes later*
"Stephen darling I'm home!" I smile happily, climbing the stairs of the Sanctum to find my beloved.
"Hey there Mrs. Dr. Strange," the familiar baritone voice of my husband whispers behind me. "You look utterly exhausted. Here," he snaps his fingers and a cup of tea appears in my numb hands.
"Thank you so much. Oh this is so good," I sigh collapsing in my favorite chair.
Stephen stares as I finish my tea but stops me before I head into the portal heading to my room.
"Did you ah happen to...ah...never mind, have a good evening. I'll be here if you need me."
"Stephen, I will always need you," I step closer sealing off what little space is left between us. "Don't let me or anyone else lead you to believe that I don't need you; you are my life and I love you."
"You love me enough to fuck another man," he mumbles almost incoherently.
I stop dead in my tracks. "What did you say?"
"I think you heard me loud and clear, and you will accept your punishment," he smirks opening up a portal and shoving us in.
The room is dark and void of life, but when the lights finally turned on, there was a comfortable bed with clan sheets which jus begged me to envelope myself them.
"Do you want to sleep on this luxurious bed my sweet?" Stephen's voice graced my ear. "I know how tired you are and you want to sleep for eternity but..." his voice breaks. Next thing I know, he's sprawled across the bed in all his glory.
I roll my eyes. "Always the showoff," I smile sitting on the edge closest to him. "But not enough to tempt me."
"Damn right, I always am," his envelopes me in his arms pulling me into a passionate kiss as each article of my clothing is being stripped away.
"You're going to be begging for me by the hour and I will fill you up more that that god ever could. Who is the only one that makes you fee this good?"
"You are Sorcerer Supreme!"
*2 hours later*
"Let me go Stephen I have work!" I groggily shake my husbands tight embrace to no avail. "Tony is going to be pissed if I'm not at work."
"Don't worry about it I'll call him and tell him you're sick."
"Fine."
"We have more important matters to discuss anyways," he smirks kissing the crook of my neck.
@bakerstreethound @disneymarina @sherlocks-mind @the-cumberbatchs-stupid-penwing @cumberbatch-biscuits @destiel1597 @birdiecurry @cumbergirll @doctorstrangeaskblog @buckysblacksheep
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portraitoftheoddity · 6 years
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Ik this is out of the blue, but if you wanna talk about Loki I have a question. I'm having trouble writing him because he seems to always do things that are contrary to what he wants. He wants Thor to love him so he... Constantly betrays Thor and tries to kill him. It's difficult to get potential friends/love interests past the barbed wire fence he's put around himself. I was wondering what you think of that? Because I just really like hearing you talk about Loki. If you want.
*cracks knuckles* Awwwww, yesssss, here is my jam.
(I’ll be focusing on MCU!Loki here as comics!Loki hasn’t been stabbing Thor all that much lately so I’m guessing he’s not the subject of this ask.)
You’ve already touched on a really core component of Loki’s character, anon, which is that he is a great big mess of Contradictions with a capital C. He wants to be loved. He wants to be feared. He wants to destroy and he wants to be a savior. He wants the throne, and he just wants to be an equal. His methods and actions often seem at odds with his stated desires and goals. And for all that he’s depicted as the ‘god of chaos’ because of the results of his villainy, you could just as easily make an argument for the chaos being internal.
Frigga, who probably knows Loki best of anyone, makes a very poignant observation when she notes that Loki is “always so perceptive about everyone but [himself].” And I think this gets at the core of Loki’s character in a lot of ways – After having his world fall apart from under him in the first Thor movie, Loki has no idea who he is, what his role is, or what he wants. And in that state of conflict, he’s prone to undermining himself at every turn. He ‘wants’ to take over the Earth, but then forms a strategy for the invasion that’s easily thwarted. He ‘wants’ to be loved by his family, but constantly pushes them away. Possibly because he’s so angry and bitter that spite motivates him more than his own best interests. Possibly because he has a lot of self loathing (“I’m the monster parents tell their children about at night”) and subconsciously punishes himself. And possibly because he’s terrified of successfully getting what he thinks he wants and still being unhappy – which… given his plan in Thor did successfully get Thor out of the way and Loki on the throne and still wound up being one of the worst weeks in his life, is a rather understandable fear. He also seems to be acting out of fear anytime someone gets too close and is in a position to help him, as Loki subsequently turns on them almost defensively, like he’s trying to pre-empt any betrayal they might inflict on him by inflicting it on them first (See: “Sentiment.” / “You’re not.” / “Easier to let it burn.”)
A notable constant in Loki’s characterization is that he craves attention. So much of his bitterness comes from being constantly eclipsed by Thor his whole life, and feeling unseen (“I remember a shadow”). In Avengers, Tony recognizes that Loki is “a full-tilt diva.” At his trial in The Dark World, Loki is all about putting on a show of snark and bravado, because even negative attention is still attention – and while Odin gives him the satisfaction of yelling at him, his sentencing is a cruel outcome for Loki, since he’s imprisoned and left to be forgotten; something far worse, to him, than the drama of a public execution. We see this love of attention even more in Ragnarok, where he’s obviously indulging in making statues and plays commemorating himself, and then working his way into the Grandmaster’s inner circle. Whether he’s loved or hated, Loki is desperate not to be ignored.  
And I think that need for attention plays into a lot of his antagonism of Thor. He resents Thor for monopolizing what feels to Loki like a finite amount of love and attention in the universe. But he loves Thor all the same, as his brother and as a fixture in Loki’s life. And if he betrays Thor over and over and hurts him and gets Thor to hate him – well, it’s not as good as love, but love is almost too good to hope for and feels too fragile and ephemeral to someone with Loki’s insecurities. If he can’t count on Thor’s love, he’ll bet on his hate, because either is better than indifference. (Which is ultimately why Thor’s show of indifference toward Loki’s betrayals in Ragnarok is so damn effective – Thor not caring one way or the other is the worst outcome for Loki, and something that drives him to make a change after his plan obviously backfired.)
Another notable aspect of Loki is the degree to which he adheres to narrative roles. In the first Thor, Loki tries to be the hero – the one who kills the monsters and saves Asgard by ending the war with the frost giants, once and for all. This backfires horribly and he’s told that no, he did wrong; he realizes he’s the villain of his story, and then embraces the villainy – because if he’s gonna be the bad guy, then he’s gonna go all out when it comes to filling that role. If he’s the monster, then he’ll be monstrous. So the Loki we see in Avengers has decided that fuck it, if everyone is going to expect the worst of him, then he will be The Worst™, and be it with style. This creates something of a reinforced feedback loop, where Loki acts like a villain, people expect villainy of him, and Loki plays to their expectations.
He gets to break out of that loop in some ways early in Ragnarok, when he’s ‘dead’ and able to change the narrative around himself. As “Odin,” he reshapes his [Loki’s] story into that of a hero, and not a villain. Everyone expects him to be Odin, not Loki, so with no expectations of villainy on him, he behaves…. Well, a bit selfishly, totally hedonistically, and a little negligently, but not particularly villainously or maliciously. He slides back into that villain role for a while on Sakaar (he gets almost performatively villainous when Bruce shows up – I think, again, playing to the expectations of his audience), but then Thor challenges him to do better, to be different, to break out of that role.
Interestingly enough, Loki still adheres to a narrative role at the end, but it’s the one he actually wanted from the start, which is that of ‘Asgard’s Savior’ – the role he wanted when he tricked Laufey, the role he gave himself in his plays, and the way he’s actually wanted to be seen all along. Loki may not want to be a hero for selfless, altruistic reasons – but he does love Asgard, however mixed his feelings are about it, and is willing to risk his life for it. And while he revels at times in playing the villain, performative villainy is more of a consolation prize he gives himself for not being able to enjoy the adulation of heroism. 
Getting back to the idea of Loki not knowing what the hell he wants – ultimately, I think Loki is at his best at the end of Ragnarok because Thor challenges him directly to actually figure out what he wants and who he wants to be. Plus, Loki’s had time to calm down and heal a bit from his earlier traumas, so the betrayal and villainy he exhibits at that point is less of him lashing out in pain and fear, and more just… habit. Breaking that habit becomes a choice he’s given.  
(Side Note: If you want to read some amazing meta-textual exploration of narrative roles vis-a-vis comics!Loki, Loki: Agent of Asgard is an incredible series and well worth checking out.)
So, when it comes to writing Loki – I think a lot of your characterization is going to be dependent on which point of Loki’s story you’re setting your fic in. Thor-era Loki who is having an identity crisis and lashing out near-mindlessly, frightened and angry and desperate to be the hero? Avengers-era Loki, who has decided he’s going to embrace being a monster and wear his monstrosity like armor before anyone can use it against him? Dark World-era Loki, who is bitter and desperate not to be forgotten forever in the bowels of Asgard’s dungeons? Or Ragnarok Loki, who has realized he doesn’t have to be universally reviled and has the ability to change his own story, if he can get the hell out of his own damn way for five minutes?  He goes through a lot of changes, and a lot of different traumas that affect him differently. So considering your setting is important.
Another thing to think about is what does your Loki want, and what does Loki think he wants? A great narrative arc can involve getting Loki to actually realize what his success means, and whether or not he’d find any joy in it (“satisfaction is not in my nature”) – and what, on the other hand, might actually make him happy.
Regarding Loki’s relationships with other characters – you’re right that it’s tricky, what with the walls Loki puts up, and how prickly he can be. Loki’s response to having his trust shattered in Thor was to pretty much quit trusting anybody, so you’ll have to think about how that other character earns his trust. I’ve personally enjoyed playing with the idea of another character rehabilitating Loki by expecting good of him, and leveraging Loki’s tendency to play to expectations in that way. Also, while Loki acts the way people expect him to, he also forms a lot of expectations of others, so keeping him on his toes by letting the characters around him act in ways he doesn’t predict can be a way to get under that armor. Extremes of situation such as dire peril and injury are, of course, other popular tropes for putting a walled-off character in a vulnerable position where their usual defenses are not in play. And when it comes to Loki’s satisfaction (or lack thereof) – Ragnarok Loki, when given the opportunity to play the hero instead of the villain, and the opportunity to be a part of a team instead of going it alone, ultimately seizes that opportunity. I think that speaks to the desire he has, deep down, to be loved and accepted and admired over hated and feared and lonely, which another character in your fic could tap into, with enough patience and persistence. 
Loki’s a complicated mess of a character, whose identity and motivations can be difficult to grasp, largely because his own grasp of them is so tenuous and changeable. But it also makes him a really fascinating and compelling character, with a lot of layers to explore. There’s a lot of ways to interpret him – mine is just one of many interpretations, and certainly not gospel! – and I encourage you to have fun with exploring his psychology and characterization in all its messy glory, in whatever way makes most sense to you.
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evenaturtleduck · 2 years
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Tag game!
Tagged by: @volchitsa-of-winterfell (this was fun! Thanks!)
Favorite color: Red or turquoise. Actually both together is pretty much the best thing ever
Currently reading: Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty, Loki: Agent of Asgard, and Mark Waid's run of Daredevil.
Last series: Daredevil on Netflix. Not going to actually get through every episode before it gets taken down at the end of the month, so I've just picked out a few that look especially satisfying for different reasons.
Last movie: I don't usually watch movies, just because I have trouble focusing on a story being told at someone else's pace (part of why it's taken me so long to get through Daredevil---I have to be in exactly the right mindset). That said, the last movie I watched was Frozen 2. We showed it to the Sunday School students before church a couple weeks ago and then our pastor gave her sermon around it. Also there were donuts. It was a good morning.
Sweet, savory, or spicy: sweet!
Craving: nothing at the moment, but that's because I just ate a handful of Tagalongs (the peanut butter girl scout cookies) and they're the perfect balance of salty+sweet+crunchy. I could eat an entire box by myself.
Currently working on: building a new Dnd campaign I'm tentatively calling "Dinosaur Train 2: Electric Boogaloo" (the previous campaign was developed when my kids were stuck at home during covid lockdowns and we were watching a lot of pbs kids) and trying to turn the characters I invented for Oldest Child's bedtime stories into a cohesive novel-length thing. I also just spent all my birthday money on art supplies, so I'm experimenting with those.
Tagging: any mutuals who want to try!
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