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delicatedragonpartysalad · 9 months

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A rant about Loki - Where Mischief Lies

Loki - Where Mischief Lies is probably one of my favorite Loki contents, the book portrays this young Loki and a bit of his life in Odin’s court, it dives deep in his magic and how he feels growing up as a sorcerer in a warrior’s society, it also shows his relationship with Amora, who in the story is Karnilla’s apprentice and heir to the throne of Nornheim, Karnilla is the Norn Queen and Odin’s royal sorceress.

I think I love the book so much because Mackenzie Lee (the author) is not afraid to explain to the readers what’s going on inside Loki’s head. Sometimes I feel like I'm reading some meta analysis of the character (and I mean that as a compliment!), she really understands Loki, what his motivations are and portrays him as this charming young boy who’s so insecure about who he is but is so eager to please his father, to prove himself worthy of the title of prince of Asgard, to impress Amora, to be a good sorcerer, to be a good soldier, a good son, he is just desperate for someone to see his value, even though he doesn’t see any value in himself.

The book is supposed to show us who Loki was before he became the villain of the Avengers, before he embraced his role as a antagonist and in my opinion it does a really good job on that, we see how reluctant he is to accept that in the beginning of the story, but by the end he is sadly ready to take the mantle of The Villain and to become the awful man everyone around him assumes him to be.

Right at the beginning of the story we see a boy who lives under the pressure of being a son of Odin and a prince of Asgard, Loki says at some point:

“He wished he could afford not to care, not to feel like everything he did right or wrong was ticked off in a corresponding column and kept on file for the day Odin would name either him or Thor as the heir to the Asgardian crown.”.

Now, that is a lot of pressure for someone to grow up under, and this bit is specially heartbreaking to me because we as an audience know that Odin has no intents to put Loki in the throne of Asgard, but the boy feels like he has the responsibility to prove himself worthy of the throne, he feels like he is failing his father and his people and he is also so immensely alone, he has no friends in court until Amora arrives and no one in Asgard has a good opinion on her. Loki is very clearly in love with her, I find so sweet the way he describes how he feels when around her, he’s like this teen awkwardly in love for the first time, he sees her as a model of perfection, he wants to be like her, she is everything he ever dreamed to be: confident, skilled with magic, strong, witty and funny.

There's a few moments where he talks about himself and we can see that the self loathing is strong, he despises all the things that make him him and would gladly throw it all away if it meant he could become Asgard’s “ideal prince”, wich by the way is Thor, that’s it, in Loki’s opinion (and apparently in Asgard’s opinion) Thor is the perfect prince, he is blonde, muscular, strong, and an excellent warrior, Loki even says:

“The gods could not have handcrafted a more obvious model of kingship than Thor”.

Loki praises him (not out loud of course) for his appearance and describes himself as

“the scraps of (Thor’s) silhouette, the part that was discarded on the workshop floor to be swept up and tossed into the fire—thin and pale, with a hooked nose and black hair that hung flat to the nape of his neck, where it flipped into an unflattering curl. While Thor’s skin bronzed in the sun so that he seemed made of armor, Loki was pale as milk, and soured just as easily.”

It’s very clear Loki does not think much of himself, he hates pretty much everything that makes him unique and is very sad to see how desperate he is to fit in, to belong. We see his desperation when he talks about Amora arriving at court, he says he had never interacted with another sorcerer besides his mother and states that he thought of Amora as an equal, someone just like him. In his first conversation with her we can see clearly how unsure of himself he is, he wants to be more confident and open but fears she’ll not find him interesting enough to talk to him:

“He wanted to sit beside her, but somehow that felt too presumptuous, a bold assumption that he was interesting enough for her to want around.”

That almost seems like another character entirely, right? Imagine Loki from the MCU, that arrogant man who treated everyone else as being beneath him as a shy, insecure teenager who was scared the girl he had a crush on would not want to talk to him. That’s why I love that book so much, it shows who Loki really was before adopting the persona of the God of Mischief. The way he describes some of their interactions is literally so sweet and relatable, he really was just a boy in love with the new girl in town, there’s a bit where they’re in the gardens and this happens:

“Loki sank down beside her, close enough that their knees pressed together. Even through the hazy gloom lingering from his conversation with Thor, an electric shiver went through him when she didn’t pull away from his touch. No matter how small that touch was.”

This is so sweet, he is so in love with her, is so shy and insecure, he is always nervous when around her, always trying to hide things she would consider weaknesses, it’s clear he considers himself to be weak, as i said before he despises himself and all of his particularities.

He is also always seeing other people as being superior to him, is always looking down on himself and trying to be someone else, someone he thinks is who he should be. He wants to be accepted so bad, he wants to be loved, wants to know that he belongs in his family, wants to be just a good prince as Thor is, wants to feel seen by his father, this may sound silly but he just wants attention, he is tired of feeling inadequate, he is desperate for Odin to acknowledge his value and to consider him worthy of his attention.

Loki is almost obsessed with his father, everything he does he does to impress him, sadly he never succeeds, each time he creates a scheme to praise Odin he fails and his opinion on Loki only gets worse, Odin starts to see Loki as this corrupted man with darkness in his soul, with an evil and calculating nature and a danger to Asgard.

What he fails to realize is that Loki at his core is just (as Mobius himself put in the series) a scared little boy, he needs guidance and validation from the person he considers the most, he depends so much on Odin’s opinion of him, he lets it define who he is, he is not strong enough to stand up against this perception of himself, probably because he hasn’t got a single friend, no one he can be vulnerable with without fear of judgment, he bears his burden alone and is nearly falling apart under the weight of everything he has on his shoulders, he really needs someone he can be real with, but he probably will never feel comfortable enough with anyone to let his guard down.

He doesn’t even allow himself to be in love, when he realizes he’s starting to become too fond with people he immediately pushes them back, he puts on the act of the cold, bad guy, but at the same time he is desperate for connection, contradictory fellow innit?

Loki struggles with his need for love and acceptance and the fear of showing his true colors to people around him, he views himself as weak and he’s not willing to show weakness to anyone, he needs a friend he can be real with (and I feel the Loki series has hit the nail in the head with Mobius, he is exactly the kind of friend Loki needs), a friend who sees the man behind the mask of villainy and is willing to accept Loki for who he is.

I couldn’t help but feel impotent reading the book because at some parts you really wants to jump on the pages and hold him close to you, whilst telling him everything will be okay and that he is enough, that his worth is not tied to Odin perspective of him and that he is capable of doing everything he ever dreamed and more.

Well, that was quite a long post, sorry if I talked too much, this book is so important to me as a Loki fan, I could rant about it for hours!

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kortsitron · 5 months

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I finally got my lazy and unmotivated ass to read Loki Where Msichiej Lies (I'll be starting 20th chapter tomorrow, don't you dare leave any spoliers) AND I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH LIKE OMG 💚

If I start spamming random thing related to the book, don't be surprised

#loki #loki where mischief lies #where mischief lies

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enchantedlokii · 4 months

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i came here to find theo and loki fanart and discovered that you all like to call them “frecklefrost” instead. not even mad.

#loki and theo #theoki #frecklefrost #loki #theo #where mischief lies

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penultimatestalematewithdeath · 9 months

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Loki?? In the Victorian era?? Oh please, to have a Where Mischief Lies reference?? ahhh??

#loki #loki season 2 #where mischief lies #i have such low expectations #but i have hope!

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queer-book-character-tournament · 2 months

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Character, book, and author names under the cut

Loki- Loki- Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Nathan Allan- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Dekka- Gone series by Michael Grant

Ouyang- She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

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nyxlaufeyson · 9 months

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The Morning Endeavors of the Immortal

Loki Oneshot Masterlist - Main Masterlist

POV: Third

Ship: Loki/Amora

Type: Fluff

Wordcount: 358

TW: None

Synopsis: Loki and Amora morning fluff ^^

A/N: You don't need to know anything about Amora really, you could read either the comics/book to know who she is- or just view her as a new character.

Day 2 of AU-gust: "Immortal" Also my first time writing Enchantricks, since I haven't even finished reading everything she's in... but here's this anyways. :)

The fates had granted the couple many wonderful times together, but they had also had their fair share of foul moments in their lives.

For example, there was that time when they were younger where they had shattered the Godseye Mirror, which they had snuck into Odin’s vault to see. That certainly wasn’t their proudest moment, especially after Odin found out.

But the pair managed, continuing to be best friends, and at some point they developed into something more.

Since they both were practically immortal, they had been together for centuries. Sure, they had their fights, as did any couple, but they always managed to rebound and make up.

“Loki…” Amora groaned, rolling over on the bed as she pulled the blanket over her head. Loki stood in front of the window, gazing out at the flowers Amora had planted around their place in the Plains of Ida.

“What is it, my love?” Loki asked, turning to Amora on the bed. “Close the curtains, it’s too bright in here.” She said, clearly still half-asleep.

Loki chuckled, watching as Amora readjusted herself under the blankets. “Life is far too short for us to waste it away by sleeping.” He teased, and Amora lifted up one of her hands to flip him off.

“We’re literally thousands of years old, so I think I deserve to sleep for another few hours.” Amora said, not getting up.

Loki sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I made breakfast.” He said, and Amora lifted the blanket to reveal her head, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “What did you make?” She asked, and Loki smiled. “Vafler*, with all your favorite toppings.”

Amora shot up from the bed with a grin, pushing her messy hair out of her face. “Well then, you should’ve just started with that!” She said, standing up and stretching a bit before racing to the kitchen, leaving Loki to follow.

Upon seeing one of her favorite foods, she spun around and gave Loki a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, love.” She said, and Loki rustled her bedhead with his fingers. “Your welcome, my dear.”

*Basically Norwegian waffles

#amora the enchantress #Amora #Loki #Loki oneshot #Loki/Amora #Enchantricks #loki fluff #Enchantricks fluff #fanfic #loki fanfic #marvel #loki friggason #loki laufeyson #where mischief lies

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virgo-dream · 3 months

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why did no one tell me “where mischief lies” was for the gays?????? do I have to find out reading the book and having my soul vibrate out of my body from the excitement?

#where mischief lies #I’m about to read 200 pages in one go bc I need to know if Loki and Theo are gonna fucking kiss in this

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enchantricksbot · 1 year

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Amora and Loki best lines from Where Mischief Lies.

Readmore for text

Chapter 1

“sensing the inappropriate duration of Loki’s gaze, glanced around. She caught his eye, and offered her crooked finger of a smile. Loki felt his ears go red, and he almost looked away, like that would negate the fact that she’d caught him staring. Instead he offered her an exasperated eye-widening, to which she responded by pantomiming hanging herself.”

💚

“he had suggested it half in jest, hoping he would impress her with the boldness of the idea and creative use of spell weaving without actually having to execute it. But Amora had to see everything through to the end. Everything that could be tried had to be, no matter the consequences. And there were always consequences, whether a whack on the back of the head from a wearied tutor or a private summons to Karnilla’s chambers. Amora did it all anyway. Loki felt the burn of jealousy at her fearlessness—“

💚

“But Amora was allowed to wear her powers on her sleeve and flaunt them as part of her training for her future position in court. It wasn’t because her long hair was the color of honey and she wore it wrapped around her head in an endless loop that looked like snakes winding together. It wasn’t because of those slanted features or that crooked smile.”

💚

“She stroked the spine of the book, appraising him. She seemed to be made of smoke the way her body spiraled and swooped with the shape of the windowsill….She offered him a smile, one that felt like a dagger drawn slowly from its sheath, that dangerous hum of scraping metal in the moment of stillness that preluded a strike”

💚

“Months over which Loki and Amora had knit themselves into an inseparable duo that the servants whispered about and the courtiers disapproved of. Even now, in the Great Hall on a feast day, Loki felt their eyes glancing at him, trying to determine whether his partnership with Karnilla’s headstrong apprentice had altered him in a way they could see”

💚

“Thor had never offered a direct opinion on Amora. No one had— they just whispered about her behind her back the way everyone always had about Loki. Too unpredictable, too strong, shouldn’t be allowed out of Nornheim, even if the king and his sorceress thought the structure and rigidity of the royal court would temper her strong will”

Chapter 3

“Trickster. The nickname used to make him blush. Now every time she called him that, it felt intimate and secret, a name only she used for him. ‘If I’m a trickster, you’re an enchantress,’ he had said the first time, and he was delighted by how caught off guard she looked. Amora was almost never undone, or if she was, she didn’t show it. Enchantress, she had said, and he could hear the pleasure in her voice. ‘So much prettier than witch, don’t you think?’”

💚

“Her smirk didn’t fade, but her face softened around it. When she looked at him, he could feel her gaze caress his face. He wished she would touch him again, even just another strand of hair tugged from its place.”

💚

“But Amora was fearless. She was brash. She was off-putting, a word Loki had heard applied to him, too. Yet they felt like opposite sides of that coin. Amora said too much; he stayed silent. But both of them were strange and otherworldly, disliked by most for nothing but a skill they hadn’t asked for.”

💚

“she could feel at his pulse point the way his heart beat faster when she touched him. She was staring down, and he was sure she sensed the flush running across his skin and was about to say something about it. But then she asked, ‘Are those my boots?’

“Oh. Um...” They both stared at his boots. “I saw you wearing them yesterday and thought they looked nice.”

💚

“Well, not everyone can pull off tight-fitting clothes,” Loki said. “We aren’t all blessed with a figure like yours.’ He wasn’t sure if he imagined it or if her cheeks colored a little when he said that. If they did, she covered it up with a sly half smile and a wink that sent him blushing. “I am rather divine, aren’t I?”

Chapter 4

“You’re far too pale. Greens and golds would bring out the complexion much better.” “What does that have to do with my illusion?” “Nothing, just a general observation. Second, you forgot to change your fingernails.” Loki glanced down at his black nails. They looked opalescent inthe dark hallway, like he was capped in jewels. “No one noticed.” “I did.” “Yes, well. No one looks at me quite like you do.” She shoved her shoulder against his, her armor clanking softly. “Stop it, you’re making me blush…”

💚

“And she was never prettier than when she returned to herself, shimmering and changeable as a flame for those few seconds before she settled into her own skin, an eagle landing with its wings unfurled.”

💚

“So. About the boots. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed that they look better on you. You can have them, by the way. My treat.” He glanced over just in time to catch her casting an appraising gaze up his legs. His spine prickled.”

💚

“tossing her across the room like she weighed nothing. She struck one of the columns along the wall with a crack, collapsed at the bottom, and lay still. Suddenly Loki felt a different kind of fear entirely—his fear for Amora greater than his fear for himself ever could be”

💚

“Loki wanted to follow Amora. He wanted to chase down the soldiers, demand her release, or throw himself into the cell after her, surrendering the protection she had just granted him. But he couldn’t move.”

Chapter 20

“Ripping off her veil so that her hair tumbled out of its fastenings and down her back. “Loki,” she said, and he didn’t know what to say in return. Even her name would have felt like too much. He couldn’t make his limbs move, so she came to him, pressed her hands to either side of his face as she stared into it. “I can’t believe it.” “Amora.” And finally he found himself again. He opened his arms and when she fell into them, he could remember no words, no sound, nothing in the Nine Realms but her name. The smell of her hair. The feeling of her pressed up against him. He had not realized the depths of his missing her until she was here with him again”

Chapter 21

“I wish I was king and could bring you out of banishment and back to Asgard.” “To practice simple spells and be a docile queen, like your mother?” “To be a sorceress,” he said. “The most powerful sorceress in the Nine Realms. To never have to hide your strength.”

💚

“suddenly he realized how close their faces were, how beautiful her hair looked, puddled around her fair skin, how long he’d wanted to know what her mouth felt like to be pressed against his—not in a way that was accidental or quick. He’d never truly kissed her—not even when they spent every moment together in Asgard, when he’d thought of it as often as breathing. He’d never been brave enough”

💚

“How long had he missed her? How long had he wanted her? How long had he been certain she was the only person who knew him, the only person who would ever know him or understand him? The only person with the same fire in their blood, but hers buoyed by a current of certainty that they were made of gemstones and light, made to shine brighter than others? As he looked at her shadowed face in the pale glow of the gaslights, he almost believed it too, all the things that had made him feel strange and outcast turned to gold by the strange alchemy of being near her again.”

💚

“May I kiss you?” he asked. She leaned forward and closed the space between their mouths, still and gentle for a moment before her lips parted against his, teeth playing with his tongue, and then she rolled over on top of him, her legs straddling his hips and his hands pinned in hers. She was intoxicating, like sweet wine. He’d be drunk before he realized she’d refilled his glass. Had it always been like this? Even when they were children? Had he truly never noticed, or was it easier to ignore because she was the only person who made him feel like he was worth noticing? Any sort of attention had become water in the desert after being so long neglected by his father. This, he thought, and released a deep breath against her mouth. As his heartbeat swelled, the stage lights flickered and died, leaving them gasping and moving together in the darkness.”

Chapter 30

“And you’d come with me?”“I’m never leaving your side again.”He felt light-headed. This close, he could smell her perfume,something with citrus and spice. It wafted over him as her head canted to the side”

💚

“He had thought of it for years. Him on the throne. Amora at his side… he leaned forward and kissed her. “Let’s lead an army to Asgard.”

💚

“She leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his chest, and he let his arms fold around her, holding her to him. “I want to be home.” “So do I.” “I want to be with you.” She tipped her face up to his, and he felt himself pulled to her mouth, almost beyond his will. “Soon,” he said, then again as she leaned up and kissed him so the word was lost in her mouth. Soon.”

#marvel #loki #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #amora #mcu #amora the enchantress #comics #the enchantress #enchantricks #where mischief lies

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