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iamanartichoke · 3 years

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[please blacklist spoiler tags: #loki tv series spoilers, #loki series spoilers, #loki spoilers]

I need to talk about the Avengers.

I just want to express how much I hate that the Avengers aren’t on the hook for all their time travel nonsense bc they were “supposed to” do it and Loki is on the hook bc he wasn’t.

I mean, I am glad that they addressed it right away - that Loki was inadvertantly caught up in the Avengers' time meddling, and that apparently they were doing what they were supposed to and that's why none of them were on trial, but - there are two things going on here that I have issue with. One is, of course, the scapegoating of Loki once a-fucking-gain, but the other is that there's a legitimate problem inherent in framing the Avengers' deeds as The Right Thing So There Are No Consequences, especially because it directly leads to Loki (and only Loki) being scapegoated since, apparently, someone's got to answer for all of this.

Why Were The Avengers Supposed to Undo the Snap??

Of all the possible options they could have gone with (such as reversing time back to just before the Snap happened), going back through time to gather the stones and use them to undo things five years later is, like, one of the worst?? Best case scenario, it implies that the TVA is ridiculously incompetent in managing the sacred timeline and worst case scenario, it implies that the TVA is ridiculously adept in managing the sacred timeline, if their goal is to have it be the worst possible timeline anyone could end up in.

The Avengers may have done an arguably good thing in undoing the Snap - I don't disagree that those people should've lived - but they also royally fucked over a lot of things in the process and left Earth (and presumably many many other worlds) in total post-Snap chaos while fucking off to die be with their families and/or start new lives.

This goes back to the plan itself. One of my many issues with Endgame is that not only is the plan convoluted and, frankly, stupid, but also I have a real problem with the concept of the Avengers just saving the world as they see fit, regardless of whether or not that's actually the best thing to do. (If the Russos hadn't done such a shit job with explaining what the Accords were actually supposed to do, then maybe this could have been addressed somehow - like, okay, together we may have the brains and resources to carry off this plan but does that mean we're the ultimate authority on whether or not we should? Maybe we should check with, like, the UN or something about this? [and it’s entirely possible the UN was mentioned and I have forgotten it bc I’ll be honest, I watched Endgame once and have bitched about it ever since.] I digress.)

The narrative in Endgame and into the MCU beyond plays like the Avengers only care about saving the world when they stand to personally gain from it (they want their friends and family back, they want to feel like they didn't fail, they have unilaterally decided that what they want is the Best Thing for everyone) and once the Good Deed is done and the smoke clears from the battlefield, there's no concern with saving the mess of the world they created.

TFatWS addressed so many of the problems with the post-reverse-Snap, which implies that the MCU (both in-universe and out) is aware that things are fucked up now. People's lives were literally ruined by what the Avengers did. Refugees are displaced. Humans are coming back to a world where they've been dead for five years and their loved ones have moved on and their homes have been sold and their bank accounts have been closed and they have no jobs. And that’s just on Earth. Yet no one (again, both in-universe and out) feels the need to hold the Avengers accountable for any of this.

Plus, what about the people who died as a result of the Snap but not from the Snap directly? What about the planes that fell from the sky when the pilots turned to dust? The cars that crashed and collided when the drivers poofed? Etc. Like, fuck all of those people I guess?

And who, exactly, is "supposed to" clean up the Avengers' mess now that the actual Avengers are either dead, old and living on the moon, or retired? Is it on Sam's shoulders alone (or, rather, Sam and Bucky's)? Is Peter Parker (yknow, the 15 year old Nick Fury went and recruited bc there was no one else) supposed to be fixing things?

The TVA takes responsibility for none of this. They sit back in their nightmare DMV-esque office and claim that all is as it should be but my question remains: please explain to me how the outcome of the post-Snap universe is ultimately satisfactory to anyone besides the Avengers?

There's also the fact that Loki figures out right away that the Avengers were engaging in some time travel shenanigans ("the cologne of two Tony Starks is hard to miss” lmfao Loki you snarky shit). Loki recognizes that there's been an opportunity created of which he can take advantage, but he isn't responsible for creating it. The Avengers messed up and created that opportunity so, even if they were supposed to be doing what they were doing, there are still no consequences for the fact that they made a mistake that allowed Loki to then branch off and create a new timeline.

Let's also say that we accept that the Avengers were supposed to undo the Snap exactly as they did. Okay, sure. BUT:

- Was Steve, then, also supposed to decide to fuck back off to the 1940s and marry Peggy (which created two Steves, right? The one who was married to Peggy all along and the one who was in the ice?? The TVA is just okay with two Steves?)?

- What is the actual point of Stephen Strange having the time stone and using the time stone both to gain the advantage over Darmammushumuuyourmom (I’m sorry, I can’t remember his real name) and to look at all the possible timelines to figure out how to defeat Thanos?

- How is it possible that there are 14 million potential timelines in which the Avengers failed if the TVA’s entire thing is that there can only be one true ring timeline to rule them all? The fact that Stephen can look ahead and determine so many outcomes based on the choices they're making would mean that people do have free will and that their actions aren't automatically dictated by what's “supposed to” happen. They had to make the right choices in order to get to the one timeline in which Thanos failed.

- What’s the point of Stephen having to protect the time stone, anyway, if there are presumably a few others in Casey’s drawer?

- On that note, if there are a lot of infinity stones hanging around in the TVA’s desk drawers, what makes the original six the specific, correct ones that Thanos had to collect in order to pull off the Snap and why is it then those specific six the ones that the Avengers had permission to go back through time to get in order to undo the Snap as the Timekeepers intended?

- And actually, in fact, if there’s only one sacred timeline and anyone who fucks it up without permission gets “reset” (aka made nonexistent, along with their timeline branch) then, again, why does Stephen have to protect the time stone? Either anyone who steals it was supposed to, or their timeline gets eliminated and the theft ceases to matter.

- Less significant but also still kinda significant is how Agents of SHIELD figures into all of this. The TVA knows that Loki killed Coulson but they don't know (or don't care?) that Coulson was brought back to life and proceeded, with his team, to go on and get heavily involved in time travel and going back and forth and bringing people from the past into the present? So the TVA is okay with Daniel Sousa leaving his timeline but not with Loki leaving his?

... I have literally confused myself with all of this, so if anyone followed my train of thought here, congratulations and maybe you can explain it to me lmao.

But here's my ultimate point: the sacred timeline that the TVA is tasked with maintaining is not sensical or linear. It's full of gaps and holes and people taking matters into their own hands to determine both their own fates and the fates of others. As a result, a lot of people suffer kinda needlessly based on the events in said timeline, and apparently it's perfectly fine for all of this nonsense to occur so that everyone else has some element of control -

- but Loki is literally the only one who is told uh, actually, no, you are supposed to live a shitty life and die a pointless death and there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it bc it's supposed to happen.

What in the actual fuck kind of logic is that???

Thus, either the TVA (and the Timekeepers) are grossly incompetent, or else they're extremely competent and also really fucking shitty beings who just enjoy the needless suffering of others.

And somehow this is all Loki's fault!!

And then Mobius has the fucking audacity to say, to Loki's face, “you only exist to prop up everyone else and you, Loki Odinsonson Laufeyson mischief god and king of space lol, do not have any inherent worth or value as your own person. You were born to be a scapegoat and you will die a scapegoat and there's no getting around that, if we have anything to say about it.”

To quote Loki, in a very twisted way - yes, it's funny. It's absurd.

Does, uh, does this make sense? At some point I crossed over from meta-writing into straight up ranting and so, well, here we are.

#loki tv series spoilers #loki series spoilers #loki spoilers #loki series: glass half empty #loki series: glass half full #loki pokey artichokey #loki series meta #so. many. tags. ugh #i no longer know what my point was #i'm sorry #so it begins #the rambly nonsensical meta lmao #some of you tell me sometimes that you enjoy my meta and my takes and i just #i love you but srsly who is paying you bc #*waves helplessly at the above word vomit*#loki series negativity #not really negativity so much as criticism (that i think is valid) but yknow fandom #also i recognize all of this as issues that i - if no one else - have a problem with #but i still liked the show????#i am not hating at all #i am just acknowledging that this whole premise is fucked up and i'm not sure if it's supposed to be #or if the writers just don't realize all of the implications in their decisions #to be fair i'm sure that they're working with what they had - ie the original nonsensical endgame events #but is this really the *best* they could do? cause i beg to differ that they were written into this small of a corner #ANYWAY #i gotta go do some actual work now #tag rambles

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alirhi · 3 years

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Title: Winter's Frost Chapter: 22/? Fandom: MCU Rating: R to be on the safe side Pairing: Loki/Bucky Summary: Loki never told anyone the real reason he became so obsessed with Midgard. Much better to let them think he wanted to hurt his brother than draw their attention to the one thing in the universe that makes the God of Mischief truly vulnerable. Notes: Due to massive levels of incoherent rage at the thought of what they did in Thor: Ragnarok, I have decided to pull from actual Norse mythology again. Everything after The Avengers has been erased in this fic, anyway, so fuck it. Hel and Fenrir are Loki's children as it always should be.

Loki sighed, head resting on Bucky's chest as he basked in the simple joy of hearing his beloved's heart still beating. "I hope you know that you're not allowed to ever die on me again."

"Technically, I haven't died yet at all."

He frowned, pinching Bucky's side and making him laugh. "I mourned you for nearly fifty years, James, and it almost destroyed me."

"Loki..." It was Bucky's turn to sigh as he pushed the Trickster off of him and they both sat up. "Serum or no serum, I'm still human. Eventually, I'm gonna grow old and die. That's just the way it works."

"I don't want you to." Feeling like a child, tears choking him that he refused to shed and Bucky's hands gripping his, Loki shook his head. "I can't lose you again."

With that sad smile he was so sick of looking at, Bucky squeezed his hands a little tighter. "You lived over a thousand years without me, Doll. You'll be okay. You've got Sigyn-"

"I hardly think that's relevant." Prying his hands loose, he wiped furiously at his eyes. "Especially since, if the oaf can't sway Odin, I'll likely never see her again, either. Or my other children."

It was truly beginning to sink in, just how much Loki had sacrificed in his mad scramble to rescue Bucky, and he could tell from the stricken look on his lover's face that it was hitting him, as well. A grown man – a God– and he'd behaved like a reckless child ever since he'd first discovered his soldier alive. He'd succeeded, at last, but at what cost? If his actions left him forever on the run from Asgard, he would never see his wife and sons again; his one consolation was that at least he had his daughters. Hel ruled her own realm and answered to no one, least of all Odin, and Eira... He would die before letting anyone take Eira away from him.

"Jesus, Loki..." Bucky winced, pulling him closer for a hug. "Nari, Fenrir... I'm sorry, I can't pronounce the snake's name-"

That got a half-hearted laugh out of the Trickster, and he laid his head on Bucky's broad shoulder. "Jormungandr. It's alright, love, I'm impressed you remember any of them."

"I get headaches," he admitted softly, "when I try to push too hard, but it's coming back." Arms tightening around the other man, he murmured, "There's a lot I'd rather never think about again, but I don't want to lose a single memory I have with you."

"Don't force it," Loki cautioned as gently as he could, bringing one hand up to tangle in that beautiful dark hair. "It will come back; a remarkable amount already has. Just be patient."

"...Nari," Bucky whispered, shaking his head. "Fenrir, Sleipnir, Jor...Jormun... Can I just call him Joey? I know that's not how the J is pronounced, but his name does start with a J, technically... Right?"

At that, Loki buried his face in Bucky's shoulder and laughed so hard he couldn't breathe. "I would pay to see the look on Jormungandr's face if he ever actually heard you call him Joey!"

"Loki, I'm being serious!"

"About 'Joey'?" He could hear the grin and the suppressed laughter in his beloved's voice, so he didn't feel bad for being unable to contain his hysterical laughter.

"About your kids." He didn't sound amused anymore. With a firm grip on Loki's shoulders, he pushed him back to look him in the eye, and the atmosphere instantly shifted. Expression pained, Bucky reminded him, "What you lost, for me... If you can't fix this, you'll lose your whole damn family. Did you think I was just reciting their names trying to remember them all for a fucking Christmas card or something? Eira's brothers, her sister, her step-mom... Your whole family, everything you built before we met... My God..."

"Yes." His attempt at a snarky, slightly cheesy retort fell flat even to his own ears, but Loki still tried. Prying one strong hand from his shoulder and cradling it between his own, he told him, "I am your God. As for my children... Sleipnir was already taken from me long ago. I'm not sure he even knows I'm his mother."

"Christ, Doll, that makes the rest of this worse!"

"I haven't 'lost' anything." Freyja, how he wished he believed what he was saying. All that mattered at the moment, though, was that Bucky believed it, and so he soldiered on. "Not yet. Odin is a stubborn old fool, but he is old. Worst case scenario, if I can't return home without ending up in chains while he lives, well... he'll die soon and Thor will take the throne despite my best efforts – I really had a lot on my plate when last the Sergeant and I met – and because he's sentimental and forgiving, I'll be welcomed back with open arms."

"'Home'?"

He blinked, confused. "What?"

For someone with such a remarkably expressive face, Bucky could, on occasion, be difficult to read. With the most curious look that Loki couldn't quite identify, he pointed out quietly, "You still call Asgard 'home.'"

He scoffed and shrugged. "Force of habit, I suppose. Best not to read too much into it, darling."

"Right." There was a brief moment of tense silence, and then Bucky, bless his strange mind, smiled and nudged him. "Look, thanks to the serum, I don't really get sick anymore. So as long as the purple menace doesn't lop my head off, you've still got decades before you have to worry about me croaking on you."

Though he appreciated the effort, Loki couldn't quite bring himself to share his love's optimism. After all, what were decades to a being who would live for millennia? Rather than point that out, though, he focused on the other troubling fact: "James, Thanos is dangerous."

"Why, because he kicked your skinny ass?" he teased. "Or, to be more accurate, his minions kicked your skinny ass. Did Thanos actually do anything? How do you know he wants anything nefarious with these magic doohickeys?"

"Because one man amassing ultimate power has never been for the benefit of others, no matter how they delude themselves for the sake of remaining the heroes in their own stories." Giving him a bland look, Loki grumbled, "One would think a World War II veteran would understand that better than most."

Still clinging desperately to his attempt at humor, Bucky shrugged. "Hey, I'm still holding out hope on the kitten theory. You can't deny the world would be a better place if everyone had their own adorable kitty to spoil."

Finally, finally Loki chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll tell you what, darling... Survive what's coming with sanity intact, and I'll get you a kitten myself."

Bucky snorted. "Oh, baby, the sanity ship has sailed. Are you kidding me?"

"The best you can manage, then," he amended with a soft, sad smile. "Just stay close to me, so I can keep you safe."

Watching the other man's expression crumble and all the humor immediately vanish as if it was never there at all, Loki wished he'd never spoken a word.

"No," Bucky told him quietly, but firmly. "I'm sick of constantly being rescued and protected."

"It's not that I think you're weak-"

"Do you remember what I told you when you wanted to stay and fight just so we could be together?"

He did, though he failed to see its relevance. Still, to prove to Bucky that he was paying attention, he dutifully recited his own words back to him. "'You're outside of all this and that's where I need you to stay.' But neither of us is 'outside' of this one-" He was interrupted by his lover snorting and rolling his eyes. "What?"

"Not that part." Shifting position slightly so that he and Loki were facing each other directly without either having to twist, he took the Trickster's soft hands in his own - one rough and callused, the other chilly and unyielding - and reminded him, "'You make me weak. If I see you out there, you'll get me killed.' Well, babe, this time neither of us gets to walk away, so we both need to be focused on the enemy, not each other. Don't waste energy trying to protect me. Having to protect Eira got you both captured. When the war comes, just fight it, and trust that I can look out for myself."

That was a terrifying proposition. Enhanced by mad science or not, Bucky was still only human. The thought of him standing alone and fighting Thanos or one of his psychotic minions with no powers was enough to make Loki sick to his stomach. Perhaps it would be best to leave Bucky in New Mexico with Darcy and Eira; after all, run-of-the-mill human dangers didn't simply vanish because a bigger threat loomed. They would need someone to look after them, as well, and Bucky could certainly handle some random thug looking to cause trouble.

He opened his mouth to suggest it, but his thoughts must have been showing on his face. A metal hand clamped over his mouth before he could utter a sound and Bucky snapped, "You're not sidelining me. Purple Space Hitler calls for all hands on deck, so deal with it."

With a sigh, Loki batted his hand away and shook his head. "You really are the most stubborn creature, James."

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

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sserpente · 5 years

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Mischief and Ice (Chapter 3)

Synopsis: Thanos’ cruel attempt to wipe out half of the universe failed and the titan is dead; but his actions came with grave consequences. Tears and cracks in the universe, all across space and time formed wormholes within the nine realms and beyond, giving old enemies a vicious opportunity to strike again. When the Jötuns invade Earth and the Avengers assemble to defend the planet once again, it is the help of none other than the former war criminal Loki they are reliant upon to drive the icy warriors back to their own realm. But then the God of Mischief encounters a young woman abandoned in the cold—your body mangled and altered with Jötun blood, a lab rat to the Frost Giants. He decides to take you with him and nurse you back to health, unable to comprehend the confusing affection he begins to harbour for you.

Find all chapters on my masterlist!

A/N: I’m receiving your requests and I’m ready to write away! ;-) In the meantime, finally, enjoy this new chapter, my lovelies! ♥

Your human instincts kicked in the moment you heard someone entering the farm house, the urge to hide growing. What if they had come back now to kill you or even worse, torment you some more? There was no one close within miles. Who else could possibly know about this place? Was it another refugee, someone else who survived the invasion of the Frost Giants?

Hope mixed with pure terror, clawing at your guts aggressively. You were worn out, hungry and tired. There was no energy left in your body to feel such emotions.

Swallowing thickly, you wrapped your arms around your body and sneaked out of the frozen bedroom upstairs into the hallway where you carefully, quietly, peeked over the rail, holding on to the cold metal to prevent yourself from slipping.

There was a man standing there. Tall, with raven hair, a stern expression and icy blue eyes. He was handsome… beautiful even—but most importantly, he was not blue.

Almost fascinated, you watched him explore the ground floor, gaping into the frozen rooms and around the corners, always on high alert. He looked like someone who would be able to protect you. Someone who would take care of you and defend you with his life, you did not have to see him fight and kill for that.

Still, there was something about the stranger you could not quite put your finger on, your tortured gut screaming at you to run from him.

For some peculiar reason you seemed to have developed a radar—or perhaps it was the chilly Jötun blood pumping through your veins—Frost Giants were pure evil and you could usually sense when one of them approached to harm you. He did not look like a Frost Giant though. He looked… scarred.

Holding your breath with wide eyes, you took a step back. Maybe, if you were lucky, he would quickly notice the house was but empty, abandoned. A cold and dead reminder of the cruelty of the alien race that had invaded your country…

The wooden floorboard underneath your bare feet screeched when you stepped in a puddle of molten ice, freezing in the process. You flinched the moment the stranger’s cool, calculating and scrutinising blue eyes locked with yours.

Your heart skipped a beat. Gasping for air, you were forced back into the very role they Jötuns had pushed you into. You were prey again. You were prey and the stranger was your predator, ready to devour you. You didn’t know what it was that he wanted from you—whether the Frost Giants had sent him to kill you and get rid of their mistake or his own, wicked curiosity had brought him here. What he would do to you if he got you all to himself.

The first floor wasn’t at all spacious. There were only three rooms and a narrow hallway. Two bedrooms, one of which you had been hiding in, a storage room full of eerie old farming tools and a bathroom without any water supply.

Your chances of escape were ridiculously little. Unless you jumped out of a window and got yourself killed in the process, he would have you cornered soon.

Panicking, you burst into one of the bedrooms, eyes darting around frantically in search for a place to hide. Under the bed? He would be able to tell immediately. The wardrobe? He would most likely open it first.

You bit your lower lip so hard you could taste blood as you ran out of options, fearing that this was how your life would end now. But then, your gaze found the little balcony. The windows in the bedroom were partially broken, it would be easy to open them. Of course, it was no real balcony but the platform would be broad enough for you to press yourself against the wall until the stranger gave up and left. Unless… unless he decided to stay.

No. Your heart almost leaped out of your chest when you heard his calm and threatening footsteps behind you, almost as if he had taken all the time in the world to chase you. Quickly, you lunched forward and towards the window, right when he turned around the corner and spotted you.

You whined, turning around so fast you slipped on the ice, your elbow colliding with the window sill painfully before you sank to the ground, shaking so badly you feared your brain would shut down and let you die. Within the matter of a second, the raven haired stranger had you cornered.

Loki had jumped after you the moment he had realised your attempted flight. Whoever you were, you might know something about the Frost Giants and their next moves… He could tell you posed no threat to him. In the worst case scenario, he would have to kill you because they had brainwashed you to work for them—unless you had sworn your loyalty to them out of your own free will. Disgust washed over him.

Looming over you like an executor, hatred filled his body as he looked at the bluish veins standing out under your pale skin, and the slight hint of red in your eyes. You were cold to the touch when he grabbed your upper arm to heave you back on your feet, he could feel there was a lack of body heat clinging onto you like a thin, invisible layer of ice. Oh yes. Hatred for this race he had been raised to despise only to find out he was of their kind, abandoned as an infant.

And yet… when he looked into your eyes, your softness and innocence almost knocked him back. Frowning, he tilted his head and stepped closer, determined to examine your mind rather than your mangled Jötun body.

“Where are they?” He demanded to know, his smooth and dark voice sending shivers up and down your spine. He sounded intimidating, allowing no contradiction—and predicting that there would be pain if you refused to cooperate.

“T-they… l-left…” You were shaking, barely able to talk. There was no point in showing any hostility. You were done fighting your tormentors… not until you had regained your strength to do so.

“Left where? Why did they leave you behind?”

Because I am dying… Swallowing thickly, you attempted to shrug. You failed pathetically but the stranger did not let go, bombarding you with even more questions you were all unable to answer.

“What are you? You do not strike me as the typical kind of monster you would find in the cold of Jötunheim.”

What would you tell him, after all? Pressing yourself into the wall, you bit your lower lip again, suppressing a sob. “I don’t…. know, I… W-who… are you?” You managed to whisper, looking up at him as if pleading for mercy, not knowing if he would grant it to you. “A-are you h-here… to k-kill me?”

While you expected him to give you a deadly glare, he instead began to smirk. Two of his long fingers came up to lift your chin for him to look you in the eye, sending waves of electricity through your body. And finally, he let go of your arm again. His touch was numbing in the most delicious ways, ways your body reacted to and which you did not understand.

“I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am not here to kill you. I will—“

Your eyes widened, making him halt. Loki… Loki of Asgard… of Jötunheim. The lost prince… Loki was the rightful heir of the throne! The Frost Giants had told you about the infamous son stolen away from Laufey all those years ago, by none other than the Asgardian king, Odin Allfather. Before he could finish his sentence, you dropped to your knees, lowering your gaze.

Well, was it not easier to just give in to men and allow them to do with you as they pleased? It wasn’t right. But if you wanted to survive here, it was the only thing to do… for now.

“You… y-you are the r-rightful king. I-I’m s-sorry, I c-couldn’t h-have k-known…”

Loki narrowed his eyes at you, utter confusion prominent on his face. It should feel right. He should be happy. Finally, there was a mortal woman willingly kneeling before him to show him the respect, awe and admiration he deserved by birth right.

So why wasn’t he? Why did it feel so wrong to have this helpless, freezing and terrified girl cowering at his feet? For the first time in a long while, compassion spread in his cold chest, warming his tainted heart which he had locked away so well to heal. This woman—whatever they had done to you—was in need of his protection, not his superiority.

“Get up,” he snarled before he could change his mind. “I am not your king.”

“Y-you a-are. Y-you are t-the rightful k-king of J-Jötunheim!”

You were right, of course—what he preferred to learn instead, however, was how you, or the Frost Giants for that matter, had found out about his heritage in the first place. Back when he killed Laufey, not even he had known. That was certainly something he would have to look into. But for now, you were his priority.

“That I am…” He murmured absentmindedly, pulling you back on your feet. “What did they do to you?” Fascination hid in his smooth voice, combined with tragic condolescence. He did not need an answer from you, not quite. Pure terror was reflecting in your eyes when his gaze met yours once more, his long fingers coming up to lightly touch your reddened cheeks.

Loki was not cruel, he never had been. He knew to protect his pain, to hide his vulnerability when necessary and he did not hesitate to strike back like a wounded snake when needed. Mortals were beneath him but not for the same reasons Odin dismissed them as lowly creatures. They were merely… weak, naïve, petty. Their intelligence was visionary but limited, their own ignorance digging them their graves and their lives… so sweet and short. That was why he did not bother. That was why he refused to befriend them like Thor was in the habit of doing.

And yet, whatever it was he saw in your (Y/E/C) eyes, sparkling mysteriously as you looked up at him devotedly, with salty tears streaming down your face, he knew you would be different. He just might overthrow his own principles just this once. Loki nodded. A gesture he himself did barely notice, let alone his opposite. He would help you.

“I believe there is a lot more explaining you will have to do for me. But for now, my little dove, you are coming with me.”

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thelightofthingshopedfor · 5 years

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Endgame spoilers again

on mobile so here’s some spoiler space instead of a cut, sure wish you could use cuts on the app

but seriously it's ridiculous though, like when I first looked up spoilers I was really upset, first because for various reasons I ended up with more faith that Marvel would fix it than I thought I had (like, surely "the sun will shine on us again" meant something, surely the whole scene meant something or it made no sense, right? and Loki getting his own "avenge the fallen" poster and everything? even just from a perspective of telling a decent story, surely they were going to do something with that?) and they didn't, which was bad enough. and then I read more speculation--that I didn't know was speculation because at that point a lot of this was third-hand and people were making assumptions based on other people's assumptions--and thought it was even worse, that the events of TDW and Ragnarok had been overwritten with a mostly offscreen but evil Loki who still died, and I was furious and hurt about that because it felt so deliberate, like the Russos had teased us with what we'd wanted for so long and then ripped it away and pissed on it because that was how much they wanted to punish the character for being popular and his fans for liking him. so, you know, that was fairly awful, that something I'd loved so long turned out to hate me so much and I was just as powerless to do anything about it as I seem to be about real-world awfulness, and I was about ready to be done with the MCU except for fan content, and also I'd just gotten my period so my emotions were all cranked up to 11 and I was nauseated and shaky about it for most of a day (that probably would've happened anyway) and even spent several hours actively struggling not to cry (that part was unusual).

but then the Shark Week emotions chilled out a little bit, and I talked to someone who'd actually seen the movie and found out it wasn't the worst-case scenario of "they made him evil again and still dead", it was actually a lot more ambiguous than that, nothing was actually overwritten, Avengers!Loki is almost definitely still alive, and not only is there a ton of room to explore it in fic but there remains the possibility that something satisfying can be done with Loki in his show or a potential Thor 4. so that was a relief and pretty much let me complete a speedrun of the stages of grief, and I was okay with it because it was so much less bad than what I originally thought had happened. like, what's there is basically a cameo, but at least it still leaves things open for more and it isn't 100% awful.

BUT more people have seen it now and I've read more reaction posts and gotten a better idea of the movie as a whole, and now I'm upset again because for real why would you have all that apparent foreshadowing for nothing, and apparently Thor never mentions Loki (just aside from Thor's grief and trauma being played for laughs, what the fuck), and Loki isn't in the last final battle against Thanos even though literally everyone else is and Loki has just as much reason to be there as anyone else, and now I'm kind of back to "you knew this character was incredibly popular and you strung us along for our attention and money only to reward us with basically nothing, why does everyone else get something and we get scraps"

which sucks because I would really rather be okay with it, or at least okay with it enough to focus on fic and the possibilities of the Loki show, instead of getting mood whiplash and miserably fixating again on how unfair it is

#endgame spoilers #endgame critical #avengers: endgame #marvel cinematic universe #loki #menstruation cw

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