#I always get emotional when tom talks about loki

[in-my-loki-feels]

I'm so glad Loki finally won something in this awards season but I'm especially glad Tom got to accept it. Everyone on that show deserves recognition of their hard work, Tom even more so than others. Waking up and reading his acceptance speech got me all emotional because I'm once again reminded how much time and love he's put into Loki as a character. I can't accept that this is the last we'll see of Loki but I also can't imagine anything topping this exact moment in time for the character, having come so far over so many years.

And the shout outs! Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Ke Huy Quan Owen Wilson and a final shout out for Zawe! I only wish she'd been in the audience. They're such a stunning couple and his love for her is so clear it's unreal.

[lokiondisneyplus]

You might have done a little happy dance upon learning that Ke Huy Quan — who first left his mark on Hollywood in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Short Round and most recently won an Academy Award for his role in Everything, Everywhere All At Once — was joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, when Quan found out an invitation for him to join the MCU was being extended he had to pull over to the side of the road because he was getting teary-eyed and couldn’t see. 

“I’ve been a fan of the Marvel Universe for a long, long time, and I always fantasized about joining the MCU family but that was only a fantasy that I didn’t think it would ever come true, it was a distant dream of mine.” Quan explained. “I watched Loki season 1 on Disney Plus and I thought it was one of the most creative and just best-looking cinematography, costume, production design; everything was just top notch. It was one of the most creative shows that I’ve ever seen in a long, long time.”

After his role in the Oscar-winning Everything, Everywhere All At Once caught the attention of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, he reached out to Quan with an offer. 

“One day my agent told me, ‘Kevin Feige is going to give you a call from Marvel Studios’, and he told me between a certain time, between 5 and 7, and I was so nervous but at the same time I was also very, very excited. I remember I was in a meeting at that time, and I told the person I was having the meeting with, ‘I’m so sorry, but at 4:50 I’m going to have to leave,’ but I didn’t tell them why, so I set my alarm clock at 4:50. And when it rang, I got out of there, expecting this important call from Mr. Kevin Feige. I was just driving home and all of a sudden, my phone rang, and I picked it up, and on the other end I heard this voice, hello, hi, I’m Kevin Feige, hello Ke.”

On the phone, Feige praised Quan’s performance, which tugged on his heartstrings so much he couldn’t contain his emotions. 

“I started getting teary eyed and I was driving, and I couldn’t see. And I had to pull off to the side of the road and we’re talking, and then he said, would you like to join the MCU family? I was ecstatic, I was so happy and to get that call from him meant the world to me.”

Quan now joins the MCU in the second season of Marvel Studios’ Loki playing Ouroboros — or O.B. for short. He works, all alone, in the very bottom basement of the Time Variance Authority, but “he’s super happy with his job, he doesn’t sleep, and he works 24/7.” 

It might be intimidating joining the ranks alongside long-time Marvel star Tom Hiddleston and his on-screen best friend, Owen Wilson’s Mobius. But Quan fit right in. 

“He's a dream, I can't imagine anyone else playing this role,” Executive Producer Kevin Wright explains. “What you see on camera is what we get behind the camera. He slotted right into this team, which is already a fantastic ensemble. He's just a beautiful, inspiring person to work with.”

Wright notes that what Hiddleston and Wilson created with Loki and Mobius is “beloved,” and adding a third person might make for a third-wheel situation. But not with Quan. Quan, “came in with his own kind of unique aspect to that trio. It was just honestly being true to himself, being true to the character. He just adds this extra ingredient that wasn't there before. There's almost this whimsy. He just felt like a natural part of the team.”

It might have been a seamless fit, but that doesn’t mean Quan didn’t come prepared with a ton of questions about his character and the world of the TVA. 

“In the beginning I was quite nervous because it’s such a well-written character and I wanted to do it justice,” he continues. “I had a lot of creative meetings with our producers and with our directors. I would sit down, and I would ask them all these kinds of questions because I wanted to give justice to this wonderfully created character by our writer and producer.”

Looking back, Quan calls the whole process memorable, adding, “Every day I walk on set in a great mood and that’s how I finish the day as well. Every single person — the cast and the crew, has made this journey so memorable.”

And as for where he fits into the larger MCU? Quan’s already passed the first test of not talking about spoilers — not even asking about them. 

“I’m only familiar with what Loki Season 2 is about but I don’t want to know too much,” He jokes. “I want to be like a fan and discover it just the way everybody else does.”

Editor’s note: The following interview was conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, 2023.

[marveliciousloki]

Loki S2 Episode Rant/Analysis

Spoiler ahead, obviously and bear with me I'm not gonna be objective and calm because I am not jokingly not okay.

The beginning is really funny. I was giggling the whole time loop sequence because Tom made it really funny and was super giddy seeing him to wacky things to do things differently.

That lasted until the Loki takes centuries to learn all OB (and I assume Victor) know about science joke. Immediately recalled He Who Remains line of "I'm much older than you think" line and knew this was gonna be a rocky path.

Although I admit seeing Loki being all in control and time science-y while the others were like "htf u know that? "was absolutely delightful, Tom was great acting all that and everyone was too.

Honestly it's super nice to see Loki so overpoweringly... Well, powerful.

And his smile when he thinks they did it? Gosh, Tom Hiddleston is gorgeous.

But of course it couldn't be that simple.

Loki going back to the Citadel and the whole battle loop was heartbreaking because whether you ship Loki and Sylvie or not, he cares about her. He doesn't want to hurt her or even think killing her is the only way. My stomach hurt the entire time. And also I hate HWR even more, but he has a point, it's better one timeline than no timelines.

I gotta say the talk with Mobius was really deep and I appreciated that Loki saw right through him and new that had been him and I felt bad for Ravonna, she's confused, angry, and rightfully resentful at HWR and the TVA, I thought they'd fix it with her, but I guess not.

His talk with Sylvie was very interesting, how he didn't ask her for permission, he asked for advice and to clear his mind. In the end he went to hear out the opinion of the two people most important to him right now. And it was really interesting to hear Sylvie didn't went for self sacrifice given she's too hurt and tired and wants to live. And how she values trying to always find a different solution.

But you know who's infamous for self sacrificing in the most self destructive way? That's right. Loki Odinson, being in the TVA didn't change that I guess.

I genuinely felt nauseous when I saw his clothes starting to decay thinking he had gone bonkers and just went to end it all. The design was really interesting, I didn't like the shoes, the cloak was interesting but I really liked the obsidian horned helmet. I waited 12 episodes Loki for horns.

But at what cost?

Loki's always hated being alone. Literally since 2011 all his actions are pleas for attention and/help. This show had two scenes explicitly dedicated to explain how Loki can't stand being alone.

And he goes to isolate so all his friends get their happy ending.

Trying to be logical, it makes sense since it goes with the topic of the show. Free will is good, but it comes with consequences. And Loki made the choice to sacrifice for EVERYONE everywhere (all at once, heh...). Just as he thought making himself be a killer to get rid what he thought was a threat to Asgard and Odin. Just as he was ready die protecting Jane against the Dark Elves (twice), just as he took rules in silence to make Asgard not Thanos' target.And passing as Odin wasn't happiness, it was Mischief and based on his actions, fear (since he sent the Aether to The Collector so Thanos wouldn't target Asgard), just like when he literally died protecting his brother, or got hurt over and over to try protecting both Sylvie and the TVA.

I admit the walking up the stairs is every emotional, and the tree of timelines is beautiful and a nice reference to Ygdrassil. Consider me impressed there.

I'm so tired of Loki not being allowed a happy ending. We had Ragnarok but that lasted not even the full trip to Earth. . And all for what? For him to be fully isolated for the sake of everyone else. And my biggest source of anger no one seems to care beyond a lighthearted comment? Fuck off.

[queen-of-the-avengers]

ant man: quantumania spoiler review

okay here is my full spoiler review of the third ant man movie after i saw it twice. i will be tagging it so you can block those tags if you don’t want to read about it.

please keep on scrolling if you do not want to be spoiled about the movie.

without further ado, here is my thoughts about the movie!

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‼️⚠️SERIOUSLY KEEP SCROLLING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED⚠️‼️

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Okay, so i really loved the movie. i don’t know why this movie is getting so much hate. let me break down what i loved about the movie and what i didn’t:

i loved kang’s character. i hate that other people are saying he’s supposed to be bigger than thanos and how ant man defeated him, but that is one version of kang. there are other kangs who can be bigger than thanos, and this one isn’t up there

it also has to do with the fact that kang doesn’t know what to do with the quantum realm since he’s never been there (as far as i know. i haven’t read the comics). he isn’t powerful down there, but scott, janet, hank, and hope are. they have the advantage, which is why they beat him so easily

he was exiled there, he didn’t go there by choice

and it’s the fact that kang isn’t dead. scott even says so himself that he doesn’t think kang is dead. he got sucked into the core at the very end, and while i don’t know this character, some people are saying he becomes the beyonder which can be of use to the avengers in the kang dynasty

it’s a good way to start off phase 5, and i can’t wait to see kang come back in all kinds of ways

i loved the quantum people. i thought they added a good balance as they fought for their realm since kang was never supposed to be there

i loved the humor in this movie, especially when ant man was looking at all those possibilities when he was about to shrink the core down. the ant man movies has always been about humor and good banter, so i’m not surprised they used it in this movie

those two end credit scenes have me high on life. i loved seeing all those kangs coming together and plotting against the avengers. i’m not sure what their plan is for the multiverse, but i know it’s going to be good

also, that teaser for loki season 2 had the whole tehater gasping when they saw tom hiddleston on screen. truly so excited for that season!

what i didn’t like:

while i like the idea of modok’s character, i absolutely hated that it was darren cross from the first movie

so, i thought scott had killed him and made him implode on himself, not send him to the quantum realm. darren was a terrible villain, he didn’t have depth to his character, and he was truly the worst thing about the first ant man movie

the fact that they brought him back made my skin crawl. he was about as useful as he was in the first movie. the cgi didn’t do him justice at all. i went to go see it with my sister, and she was not impressed with it as well. we both found it really weird

i’m a fan of kathryn newton (mostly from supernatural), but i don’t know how i felt about her being casted as cassie.

i don’t know why they decided to go with a different actress for cassie when they had one for endgame. the one from endgame (i don’t know her name) looks more like scott, she had a lot of emotions in that film and i felt like she could have been a better cassie if given the chance

with that in mind, i don’t know if i liked the way kathryn took cassie’s character. i get she wants to help and she has a suit now and has been dabbling in the shrinking tech hank had for the five years scott was gone, but i feel like she didn’t bring enough for the character

i know she is being set up as the next ant man for the young avengers film and for future projects, but her acting seemed a bit one dimensional, in my opinion 

WHY WASN’T LUIS IN THIS MOVIE?! i saw a post about someone wanting luis to come in at the end credit scene and explain what happened or explained the kangs by talking really fast. they truly missed an opportunity

i hope they make another ant man movie because i loved this trilogy. scott didn’t die, so there is potential for another movie!

[iamanartichoke]

I have read so many shitty takes tonight that I literally have a migraine, jfc.

[lokitvsource]

'Loki' Creator and Tom Hiddleston on Covering 'New Emotional Ground' in Season 2 (Exclusive)

Following last year’s debut to critical and fan acclaim, Loki has been renewed for season 2. Now, as anticipation builds for new episodes from the MCU spinoff series, creator Michael Waldron and star Tom Hiddleston talk to ET about “getting the band back together” and peeling back even more layers of the titular mischievous superhero.

With production reportedly starting in June, just one year after the series debuted on Disney+, Hiddleston is eager to dive back into the world of the character he’s played since first appearing in 2011’s Thor.

“We’re starting very soon. Almost as soon as I leave this room. Not quite, but it’s around the corner,” the actor said while promoting his new Apple TV+ series, The Essex Serpent, in which he plays the pastor in a small town possibly haunted by a mythological sea serpent.

“We’ll certainly be going in the summer,” he continued, adding that he’s “excited to get the band back together.” That band, of course, refers to his season 1 co-stars, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Owen Wilson, both of whom have confirmed they’ll be returning as Ravonna Renslayer and Mobius M. Mobius, respectively.

Meanwhile, Waldron, who also wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, teases what’s in store for the upcoming season, which he has dubbed in previous interviews as “emotional.”

“Without getting too specific, it’s just a continued evolution of the character. That’s what was always important to Tom and that’s what was important to me,” Waldron said when asked to elaborate on the emotional element of the new episodes.

“If we’re going to continue [the first season story] in a second season, we have to cover new emotional ground,” he continued. “And the great news is that that character keeps revealing new layers of texture and complexity.”

As for how the most recent film installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe influences the future of the Loki series, Waldron teased that after “everything that happened in this movie there’s probably some branches going all over the place.”

“I imagine Mobius is out there watching this on a monitor, having to light up a cigarette and saying, ‘Oh my god,’” he continued, joking that the Time Variance Authority agent might be bowled over by all the unexpected events. “I guess we’ll have to wait and find out what that means for those guys.”

Until then, Waldron said, “It’s really a joy to get to work with Tom and continue to bring Loki to life.”

[jahayla-parker]

Do you think you try writing one of Tom and the reader surprising fans at Comic Con in costume? (Reader can be a new hero or play someone like MJ).

I've watched Tom Hilddlestone's appearance as Loki multiple times and this is where this idea comes from!

Thank you so much! Sorry it took so long, I’ve been moving states.

Hopefully you like it!

Note: proofreading and editing will be done later due to limited computer access at the moment.

Conning Fans at Comic Con: Tom Holland x Reader

“You’re going to be able to blend in so much easier” y/n laughs as her boyfriend Tom finishes putting on his Spider-Man mask.

Tom nods extravagantly, already getting into character by showing emotions with his body language rather than facial expression since his face is covered.

“Ma’am, do you need help?” Tom asks, walking over to Y/n.

Y/n smiles at Tom through the mirror and nods as she continues to struggle securing her headpiece.

Tom reaches up and clasps the edges of her headpiece together so it sits securely in place.

“Thank you” she says, spinning around to face him.

“My pleasure, can’t ignore a damsel in distress” Tom says in his faux New York accent.

“Damsel in distress? Really?” Y/n asks, raising her eyebrow at Tom.

Tom shrugs innocently, “I meant no offense ma’am! We should probably get moving”.

Y/n sighs and checks herself in the mirror, still feeling her nerves on fire for her first Comic Con appearance as y/c/n.

Tom’s gloved hands resting on her waist pulls her attention away from the racing possibilities her anxiety is causing to float through her mind.

“You look incredible” he says, in his normal voice, squeezing her hips.

Y/n blushes and gives him a soft smile through their reflection.

“Besides ma’am, I’ll be there the whole time” he adds, back to his Peter Parker accent.

Y/n rolls her eyes and turns around and kisses Tom’s spandex covered cheek and giggles at the texture she’ll never get used to.

“Thanks, let’s go” she says, grabbing his gloved hand in her’s.

“Always, like I said, no damsel in distress when I’m around” Tom says as they walk, and y/n can hear the smirk in his voice.

Dramatically dropping Tom’s hand, y/n stops walking and turns to face him, hands on her hips.

“I’m not in distress” y/n glares.

“You are a damsel though ma’am” Tom says, pretending to shuffle nervously.

“Hmm perhaps, but whose fault is that?” Y/n suppresses a smirk at her tease.

Tom’s body freezes and while his eyes may be covered, she feels as though she can see his eyes widen.

“You- you want to get married?” Tom asks, his voice back to normal but catching.

“Tom, relax. It was a joke, breathe” y/n laughs.

Tom’s heart clenches at the possibility she may not actually want that. It’s been on his mind a lot recently but he wasn’t sure how to start the conversation about marriage in a few years.

“I would like to talk about this later” Tom says, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Alright Tom, sure. But, we really should head to the fans” y/n says, grabbing and squeezing his hand.

Tom nods and tightens his grip on her hand as they walk to the dressing room door.

“It is probably a good thing you’re more in disguise, you suck at secrets” y/n teases quietly as they near the exhibition room door.

“Rude. True, but rude” Tom whispers back, a soft chuckle follows.

“Ready?” Tom asks, opening the backstage door.

Y/n nods reluctantly and shifts between her knee high boot covered feet as she waits for her cue.

Tom squeezes her hand before rushing over to hook himself into to the harness so he can swing into place upon the cue.

As they hear the cue begin, Tom looks over at y/n and nods encouragingly.

Knowing it’ll take a bit longer for her to walk onto the stage due to her nerves, Tom waits for her to begin her approach before he signals the attendant to pull him up so he can begin his entrance.

The second someone caught a glimpse of y/n in costume, the screams erupted.

Just as y/n reaches the center of the stage, Tom swings down and lands next to her.

Camera flashes and screams cause a blinding sensation for y/n as she proudly takes in the moment despite her nerves.

“Y/c/n and Spider-Man?!” The actor for the latest MCU villain declares as he “notices” the two of them.

Y/N’s character and Tom’s exchange a knowing glance before they begin their battle with the villain.

Upon finishing their scene, Tom rests his arm around y/N’s shoulder, facing the screaming crowd.

——

“Shush Tom” y/n laughs as they get into place behind the photo backdrop.

Tom places his gloved hand over his nonexistent mouth and nods.

“So, who is your favorite new character?” The photographer asks the group of fans taking a photo together.

“Y/c/n no doubt! She’s such a badass” one girl says.

Y/n silently goes to stand behind them and listens with a smirk on her face.

“I want to say her too as I love y/n, but I think America Chavez would beat her in a fight” her friend argues.

“Well, it’s a good thing we are on the same side then” y/n jokes, making her presence known.

The first girl let’s out a high pitched squeak and falls to her knees in shock.

“Oh I love you!” The other fan says, waving.

Y/n smiles and waves back, approaching the girl on the floor.

“I think we may need some help in here” y/n says, signaling Tom to enter.

The girl’s eyes widen as Tom makes his presence known as well.

“This is the best day ever” the second girl whispers.

“Would you guys mind doing a few photos?” Y/n asks, helping the girl off the floor.

“You’re asking us?! We were going to ask you!” the first fan laughs in shock.

Y/n blushes and nods.

“I really wanted a photo with both you guys but it wasn’t an option. Now I know why!” The second girl says, fanning herself with her hand.

Y/n and Tom laugh and Tom pridefully watches as y/n listens to the fans continue to gush about her and her character.

Upon the conclusion of the event, Tom smiles at y/n as he helps her get out of her costume.

At this point they’re both exhausted so neither one says anything.

However, their emotions are clear in their silent interactions and body language.

Y/n is feeling more secures in her new role in the MCU and Tom couldn’t be happier.

He is so glad she’s feeling confident and he can’t stop thinking about the conversation they need to have tomorrow about their future.

He would do anything to be able to keep doing this with her for the rest of their lives.

—-

Tag list : @galaxyholland @spideysbae  @mcushvft @fishingirl12 @raajali3 @justapurrcat @users09

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I think there's something some people don't fully grasp about the Loki show.

There are many things that can happen in the series, good and bad, the problem comes when the framing is there to convince you that the bad things that happen are good.

The session with Mobius is bad but it's framed in a way we're supposed to think it's good for Loki. We see the title character being lied to and gaslighted. Can the title character of a show be lied to and emotionally abused? Yes, of course. As long as you make it very clear it's wrong. The Loki series does not do that, it does the exact opposite in fact.

Ep1 ends with Loki fully cooperating after he's told he's responsible for his mother's death (that's a lie) and is told by someone who has the power and authority over him that Loki's only purpose in life is to cause pain, death and suffering while those around him achieve greatness.

Would that have been acceptable if by the end it's shown that Mobius has lied to Loki, gaslighted him and tortured him? Yes. But the very second you frame that session as good you're justifying the abuse.

Now the basis of the show has been made clear: you can abuse Loki all you want, until he's fully cooperative and submissive he will be blamed and called names. And the rest of the show is the same shit.

In ep2 when Loki leaves Mobius to go after Sylvie that action is framed as a betrayal. You'd think that after ep1 and the way he was treated it makes all the sense in the world for him to want to escape, and yet it is framed as bad. He runs after a villain, he betrays his friend (the fact that Loki's and Mobius' relationship is framed as a friendship is yet another problem in and on itself), he's wrong again for running away from the people who have kidnapped, lied to and gaslighted him - and threatened with killing him.

Again, framing is the issue. We're suggested working for the TVA is good (despite these people kidnapping innocents, pruning realities, etc) they're still hero-coded. Loki is deemed a villain for escaping them.

In ep4 we hear Mobius talk about Loki 'softening' in the time loop with Sif when the truth is she's physically hurting him over and over again and he's only allowed to leave when he's kneeling on the ground and begging Sif to stop while calling himself a horrible person. This whole scene is framed as good because Loki's state (humiliated, beaten down, submissive, self-loathing) is shown to be a moment for growth.

"You are alone and you always will be". Only after Sif says that Mobius appears "Okay Loki, are you ready to talk?".

Mobius could have sat with Loki in that room and talked, asked him what happened. And yet what he does is send him off straight into that loop until he's submissive. None of this is framed as bad. If anything we're led to feel Mobius' pain, he feels betrayed (some people read it as jealous, I don't but it's up for interpretation) and we feel it's justified of him to trap Loki into yet another moment of physical and emotional torture - because he's bad, you see. He needs to change.

Then here comes the last episode and at the end, even though we have seen everything that transpires towards the end of ep5 and the whole ep6, when Loki runs for Mobius he says "we". "We made a mistake", "we freed the timeline". Even though it was Sylvie who did that, he's taking blame for it. And now the writers and Tom are giving interviews saying he made a mistake, he's trying to make it right, he's the direct responsible for the multiverse.

Again, he's framed as the bad guy and the one to blame for the end result even though he did nothing.

If the writers had been willing to frame all this shit as bad I'm sure most of us wouldn't be so mad and upset at the show. But they didn't, in fact they double down every time there's any criticism and I'm sick of reading the damn "he deserved it because he was bad".

Sylvie murders countless minutemen in the first two episodes and enchants people whenever it suits her (some of them survive it, some don't, she doesn't care). The TVA kidnap, torture and/or murder innocents - and keep whatever variants they want as mind-wiped slaves. Those agents torture the variants as they please to try and get whatever they want out of them.

And even though we're shown all of this in the show, at no point in time it's made clear all this is bad. The framing chooses to swift the focus to something else (or rather, someone else) just so they can gloss over the fact that these people are far more villainous than Loki while making it quite clear that he deserves all the shit thrown at him because he's bad.

Personally that's the thing that I hate most about the series and I find it hard to understand when the first Disney+ show we saw was WandaVision and Wanda was treated with dignity and respect, we're shown her past and all the shit she's gone through, and we understand her pain and grief - even though she's never justified in what she does to Westview.

If only they had done that with Loki...

[lokisprettygirl]

Okay I'm gonna make an official post for new year now

*Drum Roll*

I have been here a little less than three months and the way I have made such cute supportive friends in such less time, somehow I have 700 followers?? 😭😭

@the-wounded-healer05 you absolutely were the first person I had a chat with here and I absolutely enjoy our conversation and your reblogs on all my fics 😭 and I miss you when you're not here🥺 ily💚❤️

@sharklover927 beautiful, kind, you inspire me to write more with your comments and messages and I look forward to read your comment on lisik always and I can never not be thankful for that 💚❤️

@karuna11 Just an absolute sweetheart to me , also one of the first mutual I had💚❤️

@vbecker10 and @asipofwineandfandoms with your gifs and pictures of tom and loki and your sweetness you both make my day and my dash looks so pretty because of you two, 😭💚❤️

@lokiprompts another sweetheart sunshiny soul I got to know here, my soft loki enthusiast 😍 wishing you the best ever new year 💚❤️

@christineblood I love your writing and I love your comments on my fics, it's because of you and few other readers lisik has reached like 46 parts (it was supposed to be 5 part thingy 😂)

@colifower your long and lengthy comments on lisik and hmbomt makes my day, I enjoy reading your thoughts on it, and I look forward to see what theory you'd have about the newest chapter😍 absolutely love love love it 💚❤️

@rat-p1ss first of all that username always makes me laugh 😂😂 the way you just send me an ask appreciating me randomly for no reason 😭😭 I adore you 💚❤️

@3ddiebrock we just started to talk but I absolutely love it and I'm officially encouraging you to write more 💚❤️

I'm gonna tag everyone who have showered me with unconditional support here, support I never thought I would have or deserved..sorry if I'm forgetting someone..I absolutely don't want to..it would break my heart 💔but I know I'm going to miss some people so I'm sorry in advance and even though we don't talk much outside the fics discussion or comments , just know that it means the world to me like I genuinely get so emotional to see you people in my notifications

@lokislovingvalkyrie @agentkinghorn @not-anotha-loki-fanart-acc @mary1raven @geeky-politics-46 @snigdha-14 @huntress-artemiss @lokiswildheartcantbebroken @daddylokisqueen @limiworld @chaotics17 @fallingfor-30minsover-hiddleston @salinawhite07 @offgoodluck

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Let's talk about tone.

Episode one has two distinct tones, which I'll call the opening tone and the true tone. (I'm calling the second the true tone because I really hope that's the case.) The opening tone is a bit comedic, and sometimes it seems strangely so; the true tone, which really begins after Loki reaches his breaking point with Mobius (starting when he's shown his mother's death--when he spits out "Liar," we've hit the true tone) is much more grounded and somber. The comedic beats come much more rarely, and the expression of emotion is much more genuine.

Not gonna lie, the opening tone was all over the trailers, and I picked up something odd about it then. I wasn't off-base: in both the trailers and the first part of the episode, Loki felt a bit out of character to me, which seemed particularly disconcerting since Tom had a large degree of creative control with this series--it felt like he was almost intentionally overacting, in some cases, with more exaggerated emotions and facial expressions than we're accustomed to with Loki. (Honestly, I think this is because Loki just fundamentally does not work as a comedic character. He is, in his genuine form, actually quite reserved with how he expresses himself, because being obvious with what you're thinking shows your hand. He can be dramatic, but he isn't obvious about what he's really feeling. This is my issue with Ragnarok as well--but Ragnarok didn't even try to respect his character, so it is much worse of an offender in my book.)

In any case, I was, and to a degree still remain, concerned that the opening tone is going to be a more pervasive one than would really work for this character and series. I didn't really feel comfortable watching the first half of the episode, since it felt like Loki wasn't quite "right"--the scrambling for his ticket, for example, seemed too forced, and some of the dialogue just didn't feel genuine--and even the later jokes sprinkled in within the true tone don't really land with me. I understand why the show can't go full-on angst and dark and sad etc. etc., especially in the pilot, but I do want the tone to be consistent from here on out.

Now, at least for this first episode, I can see a justification for the mixed tones. Initially, Loki is putting on an illusion of confidence, which is directly tied to the tone of the show. The opening is somewhat comedic--even seeming somewhat strangely so--because Loki is posturing, pretending that nothing that's happening is a big deal or out of his control. He's not openly taking things seriously, so neither is the show. But when he can't maintain that "illusion of control" (👀) anymore, the show gradually starts to become more somber.

But on the other hand, I was very frustrated to see Loki seem to begin to take things seriously (with the delivery of the "Now get out of my way," line being so intense) and then get smacked in the face in order to get some laughs from the tonal bait-and-switch. This is always a rough joke for me, as it feels humiliating to the character, and they do it again in the TVA court (although not to the same extent). And, honestly, after his treatment in Ragnarok, I am a bit sensitive towards his character not being taken seriously. I get it if he isn't actually as powerful as he thinks he is and needs to be taken down a notch, but there are ways to do it that don't undermine him as a character. For example, in the Avengers, he is very distinctly framed as a formidable foe, even if he is a vulnerable one (see the tears-in-his-eyes scene, the talking to Tony scene...basically any scene...). His faux confidence is attacked several times, but usually not in a way that makes the audience laugh, and we do get to see him actually hold his own in a fight. He's established to be competent enough that he's not just a joke.

Now it seems like, if the true tone continues--which, now that Loki is being genuinely open, and even admitting his weakness and how he hides it, would be appropriate--this shouldn't be too much of a problem. We do have some snippets from the trailers of what look like some truly epic moments (several fights, and oh my gosh the "Come and get me!!" scene! I am now starting to think he does in fact escape the TVA and that they are the real antagonists but that's another theory lol), so it isn't unreasonable to think that they'll be giving him some time to show his competency. They've already begun doing something similar by addressing common misconceptions about him, through having him admit that he doesn't enjoy hurting people, and honestly by just laying him bare for the audience to see. Although I worried his crying scene was going to end by being played for laughs, we actually got to see a genuine expression of Loki's grief over his family, his terror at seeing Thanos, and his disappointment and bitterness towards himself. It was respectfully done, and gave me much of what I've been looking for for a long time.

And like I said before, the tonal shift may well have been intended to serve as a contrast between who Loki pretends to be (and who viewers think he is) in the first half, and who he actually is (and how we will see him in this show) in the second half. I'm thinking particularly of the repetition of his mother's line, "Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself" before the full tonal shift, and Mobius' comment, "You do know yourself!"; clearly, we're supposed to see that this is now a more open, more genuine Loki, so maybe that means his further portrayal will also feel more genuine, as it does in the second half of the episode.

But I am still only tentatively optimistic. This is a character that's hard to do well, and while I understand that you need to loop in new fans and keep the character fresh, you absolutely must not sacrifice the integrity of the established character for a few cheap laughs (á la Ragnarok). That's the fastest way to lose audience engagement.

The other fastest way to do that is through inconsistent tone, which is why it's critical that after this episode, the show picks one and sticks to it. FATWS and WandaVision both had pilots that were rather different from the actual show, and did a solid job of harmonizing things tonally as they went (especially impressive for WandaVision given the amount of shifting it had to do); in order for the show to be successful, Loki needs to do that too. That doesn't mean no jokes, of course--humor is important, and the other two shows were quite funny at points. But if the jokes, or the comedic framing of the characters, continue to cause inconsistent tone, the only laughable thing will be the show (although mostly, it'd probably make me cringe). This show is something that the vast majority of the viewers are going to take seriously, so despite the history of Loki being involved in too-serious projects, a bit of gravity is appropriate.

I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it next, and I am heartened by the fact that the opening-tone-filled trailers were largely made up of clips from the first episode. (Actually, there were so many from the first episode that I felt like I knew half of the scenes already!) But what can I say? I guess I'm "not big on trust"--they'll have to do a little more before I can fully believe they'll handle a delicate character like Loki with the careful nuance he needs.

In any case, we'll have to wait and see!

[inwantofamuse]

I've held off on saying this for almost a year, but I cannot be silent any longer.

I think Owen Wilson is a better "emoter" than Tom Hiddleston. A better actor ? I don't even think that's a fair comparison, because Tom has gotten mostly dramatic roles and done Shakespeare. Owen got Hansel. I do think when given a chance, Owen knocks drama out of the park.

Owen being better at emoting, though...I mean he knows how to express painful emotions in a subtle way. He doesn't cry every time there's something unfortunate or sad. I love my Tom H, but....he DOES cry, or seem on the verge of tears, in almost every emotional scene. No matter the character. But especially with Loki.

What's wrong with that ? Nothing much, it just takes away from the emotional impact.

I read an article once with some director (can't even remember who) who said he preferred his actors hold tears in. He said if the actors held it in, the audience would cry FOR them. That's why it's always such a gut punch when you see an actor tear up but ONLY tear up. Or flat out refusing to tear up and show any emotion, even though it's obvious they're in distress.

Like, the scene in Father Figures (spoiler alert )

Where the brothers find out their birth mother died giving birth to them, and the camera shows Owen's reaction and his EYES.

Or even in Loki, in the car with S**vie in the void, when they are talking about what Mobius did as part of the TVA and you can see the tearing starting.

I just feel it more when an actor doesn't go into full on melt down mode. Give me subtle emotions, and someone who can convey so much with just their eyes.

Owen Wilson doesn't get enough credit about what he can do, acting wise, and I felt like giving him some props.

With that said, Mobius is due a full on Richter scale melt down. Past due. Wouldn't mind seeing it, if only for a minute.

[iamnmbr3]

The whole premise of the show is that he’s finding himself after struggling with trauma from his daddy issues and torture during the first avengers. I guess that’s not what you wanted but I think he can still be a badass Viking god while battling his identity crisis. Just give the show time before you judge it.

Oh absolutely he can still be a badass Viking god while battling his identity crisis. My issue is not with the premise. It's with the execution. If I’d just read the interviews about the focus being on identity I'd be absolutely thrilled and eagerly looking forward to the show. I love stories that explore topics like that in general and I particularly love digging into all that where Loki is concerned.

My problem is with what i’ve seen in the trailers. And what I haven’t seen; namely, I haven't seen Loki. Where is he? I see a completely different character who happens to be played by Tom Hiddleston and be called Loki but otherwise has nothing in common with the character that I find so fascinating and emotionally evocative. If I didn’t know what show this was from I’d assume the clips were from Tom Hidldleston in a different role. A VERY different role.

There is nothing about TV!Loki that feels like the original character to me. Just watch the tv trailer and then watch these clips of him from Dark World or this clip from Avengers and you can easily see the stark difference even though it's supposed to be a show about TDW/Avengers era Loki.

Movie!Loki always stands with a straight posture, as befits his royal background. His expressions and the way he emotes are also very subtle. He tries to hide his true feelings and the feelings he does reveal are often to a certain extent performative in order to deflect from deeper issues. There is a stillness to him. He has tremendous economy of movement, even in a fight. He has a confident, artful speaking style. There is tremendous depth to him; he rarely says what he means but you can see all that conflict flickering in his eyes. He affects an insouciant manner. He makes a great show of being externally cool and collected and has a dry wit. He exudes charisma.

In the trailers TV!Loki has none of this. He doesn't stand straight and command the room. He doesn't exude charisma. He's not still at all; he constantly flails about, making grandiose over-exaggerated gestures that might work in a comic panel but feel awkward in live action. His facial expressions aren't subtle at all nor is he guarded with his emotions. Instead he pulls clownish, comedically exaggerated expressions that are really only suitable for slapstick comedy. He doesn't hide his vulnerabilities but instead openly shows fear, surprise and alarm, in a manner that is meant to be silly and comedic. He also doesn't talk at all like Loki. He uses casual earth slang like "gonna" and "crap" - things Loki would never say even in Ragnarok which gave the Asgardians a somewhat more casual speaking style. There is also no real depth.

TV!Loki in the scenes that have been shared is not performative in his emotions. He just openly shows what he's feeling at the moment. He's not cool or collected or confident, nor does he pretend to be. He yelps in alarm. He gasps in annoyance. He grimaces and gapes in clownish fear. He doesn't feel otherworldly or dangerous or regal. He doesn't snap and snarl when challenged but rather gapes like a fish because he can't think of a comeback. He just feels like a regular guy who is out of his depth. A very human guy. Except he doesn't even ring true as a human because the performance is too slapstick and comedic and over the top. He feels like a caricature.

This complete tonal and characterizational break with movie!Loki is what concerns me. The character in the trailer doesn't feel like Loki to me. He doesn't stand like him or react like him or talk like him or move like him or emote like him. Other than the name and the actor they have nothing in common.

To me this new character isn't Loki because other than the name he doesn’t behave at all like the character I know. If Loki had been characterized like this from the beginning I would have taken no interest at all in his character. All Disney has to do to get me to watch the show is to show me some footage that actually feels like Loki. I want a show exploring the identity of Loki, not the identity of some boring buffoonish clownish caricature who happens to be played by the same actor and have the same name as the character I liked.

I will be delighted if the trailers are not at all reflective of the show. My problem is not with the premise. It's the fact that the show is called Loki but I have yet to see any sign of him in the footage released.

[lokiondisneyplus]

The first scene filmed for Season 2 of Marvel Studios’ Loki was the one from Episode 6, specifically when Loki time slips back into the Time Variance Authority to speak to Mobius. It’s a mirror of the scene directly pulled from the first episode of the first season, where Mobius has brought Loki to a time theater to interrogate him about some of his past transgressions. Loki, way back when, does not want to partake in any of this and threatens to burn the place to the ground. But now, at the end of Season 2, the scene takes on a different tone as Loki has returned here to ask for help, and essentially say goodbye to his best friend.

While getting ready to film this scene on set on Day 1, in a behind-the-scenes interview, Tom Hiddleston reflected on what a full circle moment it was for him and the character.

“Loki has to go back, right back to the beginning of the story, to see if he can find an answer to a question in his mind,” He explains. “He needs to go back to where it all began. It reminds me of that T. S. Eliot poem, the “Four Quartets,” ‘and the end of all of our, oh no we shall not cease, we shall not cease from exploration and the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.’”

All season long, Loki has been on a mission — across the timelines — to try and save the TVA and his friends. It hasn’t worked out in his favor so far. He’s eventually faced with an impossible task and begins to slowly realize what he must do, but not before slipping back to talk to Mobius one last time. He wants to say goodbye. 

“I think structurally we felt as soon as Loki gets back into the Temporal Core control room, the story's got to pick up, and you're going to move into this fully different thing. There's no time to stop down and have that sort of goodbye with Mobius,” Executive Producer Kevin Wright explains to Marvel.com. “When you start talking about, OK, we need to carve out some way that we can get somewhere and have a goodbye with Mobius. And Mobius doesn't know it's a goodbye. Literally, in his timeline, he's just meeting this guy. But to Loki, this is the goodbye.”

Head Writer Eric Martin viewed the scene as one last time for these characters to have one of their tried-and-true conversations across a table. “Loki already knows what he's going to do. He already knows what he has to do. So, when you sit down to write that, it's just like, all right, we have to have him express where he is right now and get what he needs out of Mobius, but he's engaging emotionally, too.”

As Wright notes, unlike the scene in Season 1 Episode 1, the script is flipped on the integration this time, as it’s Loki who’s asking Mobius all sorts of questions. It’s at this point that Loki, and viewers, learn Mobius’ own origin story with the TVA and some of the hard choices he’s had to make over the years. Loki, staring down his own hard choice, needs to hear some of these things himself.

“That was always really important, revealing more about Mobius than maybe we ever realized in two seasons, what his past was, and it was sort of then a flip of that season one interrogation, where it was so antagonistic, and this time it's Loki going back to try to get advice on how to handle a really difficult situation,” Wright continues. “This Mobius doesn't even realize that's the conversation he's having.”

The two men talk for a bit, but it can’t last forever. Loki asks about what it’s like to make hard decisions, and eventually, Mobius tells Loki exactly what he needs to hear: “Most purpose is more burden than glory, trust me you never want to be the guy who avoids it because you can’t live with the burden.”

With tears in his eyes, Loki shakes Mobius’ hand and says thank you before he slips away, again. If you’re emotional, know that that emotion you’re seeing between the two men on screen is real.

“It's a special thing, because Tom and Owen, they have a real connection on screen,” Martin adds. “That chemistry is there. It's there in person. They work so well together. I think it's touching for everybody on set because you're just feeling a little bit of magic. It's the last magic that everybody will see.”

Hiddleston knows that what he’s got with Wilson as a scene partner is special, and that’s what makes this goodbye so much harder. “Owen is kind of elevated the whole series, he’s so intelligent and imaginative and witty. Mobius and Loki are kind of an odd couple but, they found a friendship. They make each other better.”

[skylarmoon71]

Loki Laufeyson (Marvel) Chapter 23

"Loki."

He must be going mad.

"Tom, did you eat something at the restaurant? Maybe you need to sit down."

You try to lead him to a chair, but he pulls away. He's a bit frantic, erratic almost.

"You're not listening to me (Y/N)."

"Tom I-"

"My name isn't Tom!"

He takes notice of the way you're now a bit guarded. Loki knew the moment he entered your consciousness that it wouldn't be easy to sway you. The will you were using to keep up this illusion was remarkable. He could feel the pull the second he realized.

He'd been sucked into it for almost two days. Playing the role you designed. That kiss, it's what had brought him out of the trance. Better late than never he supposed. Even if time differed here, he could tell you were nearing your limit. It was only a matter of time before this perfect picture world evaporated. When that happened it would be too late.

For both of you.

"You have to remember. Think about it. Why are you always exhausted on Friday's? It makes no sense. Why just that one day consistently. It's unnatural. (Y/N) the day you went into a coma was Friday the fifth. The headaches when you recognize something out of place. What do you think it means? Your body is screaming for you to wake up, listen to it!"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

There is indignation in your voice now. Loki notices the look on your face has changed as well. You're no longer looking at him like a hysterical maniac.

"You feel it, don't you (Y/N)."

Of course you do. This may be just your mind's shield, but you're still in control of it. Scaring you into belief is the wrong way to go. Fear is what used to trigger your abilities. But you're no longer that person. Like he'd told you before, there are many other emotional stresses. Positive ones.

"I'm in love with you (Y/N)."

The shock is prominent on your face. Though he's just confessed his love to you, he looks utterly defeated.

"I'm not worthy of your love, or anyone else's for that matter. I'm the reason you're in so much pain. I'll always be the cause of your biggest pain. I'm the one who created this disaster. I wish I'd died that day at the bifrost. Then I could have prevented all the hurt, devastation....death.."

The tear that streams down your cheek just makes Loki's heart clench tighter.

"I'm a broken man." You take a shaky breath, and he approaches.

"There's so many things that I regret in my life (Y/N), actions I can never take back. " His thumb brushes away the tear from your cheek.

"Please, don't let this be one of them. Please." You close your eyes, and his gaze drifts as the room he stands in starts to change. The walls slowly lower around his body, and now the space he stands in is nothing but a warm blue.

"Loki."

Your eyes reopen, and the recognition makes him choke out a laugh. It sounds closer to a sob, but relief all the same.

"I'm sorry Loki."

"Shhhh, you have nothing to apologize for." His hands comb through your hair, and he kisses your forehead. Once you've calmed down just a little, he knows it's time to focus.

"(Y/N), we have to get out of here. Your father is doing all he can to keep me tethered here, but I don't think it's enough. Your powers are strong but they aren't stable. If we stay here-"

"I'll die." You figure as much.

Loki is the last one who wants to deliver this news, but it's his responsibility.

"I can't leave."

"(Y/N).."

"Not..not on my own. I need your help Loki. "

"Of course, I'll do anything I can just tell me what it is." You have a feeling he won't be as willing once he finds out what his help entails. You take his hand, and he's a bit worried at the look you send his way.

"This is what you have to do."

[babybluebex]

can I please request a sebastian stan imagine where sebastian and the reader are both dating other people but they end up liking each other after filming something together, and the rest is up to you? xx

distance [sebastian stan x reader]

➽ pairing: sebastian stan x fem!reader (y/n) ➽ word count: 1.9k ➽ summary: see above!  ➽ warnings: explicit language, mentions of tom hiddleston x reader, angst, pining ➽ a/n: enjoy!

Jealousy was new to you. Sure, you turned green every so often, but it wasn’t a usual occurrence. It happened infrequently enough that you forgot the way it felt every time it bubbled up again. Recently, though, you were familiar with jealousy. 

You weren’t quite sure when it started. Maybe when you first met Sebastian. It was at the premiere for Avengers. You had been in it, playing Tony Stark’s daughter Lucy, who was kidnapped by the crazed Loki. In filming your scenes with Tom Hiddleston, you had grown to appreciate him, and the premiere was a sort-of announcement that you were dating. By that point, you already knew that you would be in the next Captain America movie, and you were thrilled to work with Chris and Scarlet again. On top of that, you were excited to meet Anthony Mackie. 

You didn’t know that Sebastian would be in Winter Soldier until he approached you at the premiere. He looked handsome, suit and rings and slicked hair, and he congratulated you on an amazing performance. “Oh, I loved you in First Avenger,” you told him with a smile. “Bucky was my favorite by far. I cried when he died.” 

Tom wrapped his arm around your waist and nodded in agreement. “She was truly a mess,” he said. “We had to pause the movie.” He shook Sebastian’s hand, and the force of it wasn’t lost on you. 

“I got emotional during your scene together in the Tower,” Sebastian said. “Lucy begging for her dad, and Loki’s unrelenting cruelty. I just… Wow. It blew me away!” 

“Thanks,” you said. “Are you gonna visit the Winter Soldier set?”

Sebastian laughed and bit his bottom lip. Full and pink. He was so totally handsome, and you felt lightheaded even being in his presence. “Well,” he started. “I’m actually in it.” 

You gasped. “What? How? Bucky died!” 

“He was rescued,” Sebastian said slowly. “By HYDRA. And he comes back.”

“Oh, my God,” you laughed. “Oh, you just made my entire night. Wow! I-I can’t wait!” 

Sebastian nodded, and he looked to his side. A few meters away, a woman was talking to the press, and she quickly came and kissed Sebastian on the cheek. You recognized her as one of his co-stars from Once Upon A Time, and you felt that unfamiliar jealousy bubble in your stomach. Why were you jealous? You were on the arm of one of the most talented and successful actors, and, besides that, you loved your boyfriend. 

So why did you want more? 

Filming for Winter Soldier started, and you quickly found out your character’s storyline. She was working with Steve and Fury to help in reparations of the New York fiasco from Avengers, and she was the first one to encounter the Winter Soldier. She wouldn’t recognize him and would tell Steve about her encounter with a super-soldier, and Natasha would tell the story of the Winter Soldier, how he was a myth and a ghost. The directors, the talented Russo brothers, had told you that an arc would extend past the movie and into the sequels where Lucy helps break Bucky Barnes from his brainwashing and they would eventually fall in love. But, they assured you, that was several films off. They didn’t even plan for Lucy and Bucky to kiss until the next Captain America movie. 

You and Sebastian became quick friends. Despite the metal-like prosthetic and long hair and heavy makeup that he wore on set, you found comfort in him. You couldn’t explain it, but you felt at ease with him. Between takes, you could be found laughing and jokingly sparing with him. 

One night, after filming, you called Tom. He was on a press tour for Dark World at the same time, which meant that your schedules never lined up. That night was the first time you had properly talked to him in weeks. “Hi, love,” you said. “How’re you? I miss you like crazy.” 

“I miss you too, darling,” Tom told you in his smooth baritone. “I’m alright. Tired as hell, though.” 

“I’m sorry,” you said softly. “Anything I can do to help?” 

“Just talk to me,” Tom sighed, and you imagined him leaning his head back. “Tell me about filming.” 

“Well,” you began. “A lot more physical than what I’m used to. A lot of running around and everything, ya know? My legs are sore all the time.” You laughed, and you listened to Tom’s scratchy laughter. “But I’m surrounded by great people. The Russos are awesome, and of course, Chris and Scarlet and Samuel are fantastic.”

“And Sebastian?”

You hesitated to talk about Sebastian. You hoped that your boyfriend hadn’t caught onto your infatuation with him, but that’s all it was. It was just a crush on a hot guy. “He’s cool,” you said. “Really funny and friendly. Most of my physical scenes are with him.” 

“I know you can’t tell me much,” Tom said. “But do you get to snog him?” 

You laughed, but bit your cheek all the same. “Not yet,” you chuckled. “That’s not until the next Captain America movie.”

“Oh,” Tom said quickly. “I was joking, but… Do you and Sebastian have any scenes like that?” 

“Not in this movie, love,” you assured him. “Are you jealous?” 

“Just a bit,” Tom admitted. “I just wish that it was me that you were kissing.” 

You sighed. “That’s the nature of our jobs, huh?” you said. “I wish I was kissing you too.” 

Tom was quiet for a moment, then he mumbled, “I think maybe we should take a break.” 

You wanted to be shocked, but you knew that it was coming. It was several months in the making and, with nothing concrete keeping you two together, it was inevitable. You weren’t hurt at all. “Me too,” you said softly. “We just… I can’t do long distance. It sounds cliche, but it’s not you, Hidds.”

“Distance is supposed to make the heart grow fonder,” Tom sighed. “But…” 

You nodded. “I understand,” you said. “But please, if you ever need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to call me. Alright? I still care about you loads.” 

“Same to you, darling,” Tom whispered. And the call ended. 

The next day was weird, to put it plainly. You felt ill all morning and you couldn’t figure out exactly why, but, the moment you saw Sebastian, you understood it. Your boyfriend’s jealousy was powerful. As much as Tom wanted to blame it on something else, you knew that it was the green monster that had prompted the break up. “Hey,” Sebastian said cheerfully, placing a playful jab to your arm. “You seem tired.” 

“Gee, what a nice thing to say to a lady,” you chuckled. “No, I’m just…” You sighed. “Tom and I broke up last night. I’m a little weird today.” 

Sebastian’s face soured. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said. “You guys seemed so happy together.” 

You shrugged. “We were,” you said. “‘Distance is supposed to make the heart grow fonder’... But I guess it doesn’t.” 

Sebastian frowned deep, and you pulled you into a tight hug. “I’m really fucking sorry,” he whispered. “Is there anything I can do?” 

“No,” you said, pulling out of his strong grip. Even without the actual metal arm, he was strong as hell. “Just a hug is enough.” 

“I’m glad I can do that,” Sebastian said. His eyes sparkled, and he added, “I understand what you’re going through. Jennifer and I broke up a few weeks before filming started.” 

“Oh my God!” you exclaimed. “Seb! I had no idea! I’m so sorry.” 

Sebastian shrugged. “It was for the best,” he said. The hug had yet to break, but you didn’t mind. Even through the layers of his costume, you could feel Sebastian’s heartbeat on your cheek, and it was soothing. 

Filming finished several weeks after your breakup with Tom, and then it was time for your own press tour. Marvel paired you with Scarlet for most press junkets, but sometimes you were put with Sebastian. Those days were your favorite, mostly because absolutely no work got done. You two were forever laughing and making fun of each other, and you always saw edits of your interviews on social media. 

Finally, the premiere came. You and Sebastian had already agreed to be each other’s dates, but you were blown away by him. His hair was short and styled, and he looked breathtakingly handsome in his expensive black suit and matching black tie. “Oh my fucking God,” Sebastian laughed when he saw you, though. “You look… Holy shit. So beautiful.” 

“Oh, God, stop,” you groaned. Your dress was a beautiful thing, custom Dior, red silk that hugged your body just right, and you shivered when Sebastian’s warm fingers trailed down your exposed back. “You look even better.” 

“Well, that’s not possible,” Sebastian scoffed. “You’re gonna steal the show.” 

“When I’m next to you?” You asked. “Everyone’s gonna be focused on your pretty blue eyes.” 

Sebastian smiled softly, his hand finally settling on the small of your back. “I have something for you,” he said gently. 

“Oh, Seb!” you groaned. “You did not buy me something. You know I hate that!” 

“Aw, c’mon, you’re gonna love it,” Sebastian said, and he reached into a pocket inside his suit jacket. He pulled out a small box, just big enough for a pair of earrings or something equivalent, and he opened it. You gasped. A ring. Silver metal, two diamonds with a ruby nestled in the middle. It was dainty and gorgeous, and you felt tears pricking at your eyes. 

“You piece of shit,” you sniffled. “I just had my makeup done and now you’re ruining it!” You hugged him all the same, though, and you whispered in his ear, “It’s so gorgeous, Seb. Thank you.” 

When you pulled out of the hug, you looked at Sebastian, admiring him. He was truly a gorgeous man, and you felt your chest grow hot at the look in his eyes. Were his pupils blown from love? Lust? Something else entirely? 

He answered the question. Sebastian placed his hand on your cheek and tugged you into a kiss, the hand on your back pulling you in against his body, and you held onto the back of his neck. He was everything you thought he would be: his lips were soft and tasted so nice, like cinnamon and whisky and all things wonderful, and, when the kiss broke, he rested his forehead against yours. “I…” he started. “I’m sorry, Y/N, that was-- I shouldn’t have--“ 

“Stop,” you whispered firmly. You knew that Sebastian, the man you were able to call your best friend, was prone to anxiety, and you didn’t want a single anxious thought about you to cross his mind. “Don’t apologize. If you hadn’t kissed me, I would have kissed you. Thank you.” 

You saw Sebastian’s hands shaking as he slid the ring onto your middle finger, and you smiled at how perfectly it fit. “Bucky,” you whispered, admiring the ring. “Silver and red… Right?” 

“Glad you caught that,” Sebastian chuckled. “Look, I know that I’m just your date, but I just really like you. I feel stupid because I’m so nervous about it, but… Seeing you upset over Tom just made me feel so horrible. I never want to see you like that again, and if I can help to make your days better, then I want to. Can I?” 

You touched your hand to his cheek, and you nodded. “Of course,” you told him. “I’d love nothing more, Seb.” 

[lokitvsource]

You came into the show with the idea of Loki clashing with the TVA already in place. How exactly does this kind of arrangement work at Marvel? Michael Waldron: There was a creative brief that was 20 pages or so that basically said: “We want to do something about Loki running up against the TVA. Here’s some different avenues that might be cool to explore.” It was really serving it up for writers as a jumping off point for us to put together our pitches. Then I went off and really worked on the idea of Loki being brought in to hunt another Loki, and that becoming the heart of the show, and the Loki/Sylvie relationship. The big thing that I did in my pitch — even as early as pitching it to Kevin [Feige] — I really walked through the six episodes, kind of similar to what they were. I knew I wanted Episode 3, for instance, to be a little bit of a Before Sunrise, with Loki and this character walking across this apocalyptic moon. But Marvel had the initial, probably the most important spark of genius, which was just Loki and the TVA.

Where did the idea of the variant being a female Loki come from? That was one of my ideas, that we then confirmed in the writers room. Yeah, we knew from the get-go that it was going to be Loki falling for another version of himself.

Why was that appealing to you? I love writing any romance; it’s fun. Especially, it hasn’t been done a ton in the MCU. There’s an obviously self-reflective quality to it. And a show that’s quite literally about self-love; it is Loki getting to see parts of himself. At the start of the show, he kind of hates himself. He assesses himself to Mobius as a villain. And then he meets Sylvie, and he sees her as someone on a heroic crusade. He sees the good in her, and is able to see the good in himself.

Mobius suggests that, of course, Loki fell in love with his own variant, because he’s a narcissist. Do you think he’d be capable of falling in love with someone who is not a version of himself? [Laughs] I don’t know if he didn’t fall in love with himself first. Maybe after that, but the first time he falls, maybe this is what it had to be.

What’s the key to telling a time travel story that takes advantage of the concept without confusing the audience? I think it’s doing a lot of work that the audience never sees. It’s really understanding the logic of this thing, building out the TVA as a real organization that actually exists in our minds. Our writers room, we had a TVA handbook, encyclopedia, what they do and why they do it, a glossary of terms. And then you want to only give the audience the absolute bare minimum to understand the story, and to just get swept up in the emotional stakes of everything. If the sci-fi of it all, if the time travel logic of this show did not hold up week to week, then that would have distracted from the emotional journeys of the characters. So I’m glad that even though everyone had to take their medicine a little bit, along with Loki, in episode one, I’m glad it didn’t distract from the story we were telling. And we had the benefit of Loki being the audience’s eyes in. The audience is learning as he is.

There’s a funny scene in Avengers: Endgame where the Avengers start arguing about exactly how time travel works in the MCU. How much did you have to study what other Marvel movies had done with the idea to make sure your rules were consistent? Fortunately, Endgame was the main one, and that’s how they understand it. The TVA is an organization that understands time travel on a deeper level, probably more comprehensively than the Avengers do in Endgame. We wanted to make sure we were staying true to any rules that they laid out, but sort of establishing our own rules. It’s a time travel show. What was I thinking? A movie’s one thing, but a show is hard.

How many Loki variants did you have on the writers room whiteboard at various points? Hundreds. So many different Lokis. There was one Loki, actually maybe it was a version of Mobius that took off his glasses, and he just had really tiny eagle eyes, like he could see everything. There was stuff like that all over the white board. Tom Kauffman, who wrote that fifth episode, he’s an amazing comedy writer, and was on the first three seasons of Rick and Morty. His first draft of that episode was just bananas.

Was there a variant, or a crazy idea in general, that you really loved but couldn’t ultimately do? There was so much different stuff that we wanted to do in the Void. But the truth is, I don’t want to say any of it, because you never know. The ideas that I want to do the most may pop up elsewhere.

Okay, so let’s stick with a variant we did see. Was Alligator Loki actually a Loki, or just an alligator that happened to be wearing a Loki’s crown? A magician can’t reveal his tricks, man. That’s the great debate. Let it rage.

What was Alligator Loki‘s origin story on your side of things? Who pitched him and how was that initially received? That was maybe my very first meeting with the producers at Marvel, Kevin Wright and Stephen Broussard, talking about the show, and me saying, “When we’re doing this, you can encounter lots of different Lokis. You could have an alligator Loki. Why? Cause he’s green.” And us all laughing about how stupid that was. I think I made the point that it’s that energy of what we can do with the show. We can have something like that, but let’s play it straight. Alligator Loki, you get a laugh out of it, but by and large you try and play it straight. That was the fun tonal balance that we tried to strike in the show.

There’s been some conflicting information out there about whether the big bad was originally just going to be He Who Remains, who’s a different comics character altogether from Kang, and whether the casting of Jonathan Majors changed the plan. From your point of view, what happened? The character was always written as a version of Kang, as early as the first draft of the script, we knew in the writers room, relatively early on. He Who Remains, that’s the guy behind the curtain with the TVA, and we saw an opportunity to fuse that mythology with the Immortus mythology. And that was just really compelling. It was a way to elevate, it just felt right for Loki, because Loki was there in the first Avengers, he’s the one who brought the Avengers together, and here is directly related to the exploding of the multiverse, this event that will drive the events of Phase Four. Certainly, when Jonathan came in, it allowed us to step on the gas of just how eccentric and charismatic this character could be. I was inspired in the writing of He Who Remains by Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia, trying to give it that Frank TJ Mackey energy a little bit. He captures that and then elevates it to something else that’s different and weird.

You just said how important the multiverse is going to be to Phase Four of the MCU. How challenging is it to have to set up this big thing for the larger Marvel endeavor while also serving the needs of the particular story you’re telling on this show? It’s a challenge in the sense that it’s all a relay race, and you’ve got the baton on this thing, and you want to do a great job. The name of the game over at Marvel is with each movie or TV show, make it the best it can possibly be. And they’re really supportive of that, and trust that it will organically fit into the larger blueprint of everything. We were excited about introducing a version of Kang, because yeah, to introduce this new big bad was cool for our show. I was aware, and cautious, of the thing I read in your review, that it might not be the most sound storytelling to introduce a new character at the very end that we’ve never seen before as the big bad of this thing. Obviously, we had the benefit that people know who Kang is, and there’s a meta thing where a portion of the audience knows Jonathan Majors is going to be playing Kang in Phase Four. But the finale was only ever going to work if He Who Remains, in a compelling way, serviced the Loki and Sylvie emotional story. That was the most important job that that character did in the finale: he laid out a very compelling conflict that ultimately drove the two of them apart.

There has also been some confusion as to exactly when you knew that there would be a second season, as opposed to you just making a limited series. Initially, in the writers room, we were not operating as though there would be a second season. And the whole way through was, this should be a story that should stand on its own. I referenced The Leftovers and Mad Men all the time. I think about those seasons, they pushed the overall stories forward, but you can pull any one of those seasons and look at it on its own as an individual story. I wanted that to be the case here, whether we did a second season or not. I think we always felt that we would want to propel Loki forward into the MCU after the conclusion of our season. The only question was, would that be in an appearance in a movie, or would that be in a second season. And it was only over the course of development that the stars aligned to make a second season.

But that end scene, where Mobius no longer recognizes Loki and the TVA is filled with Kang statues, wouldn’t have been a satisfying conclusion to a limited series. That is an ending that only works if there’s going to be a second season. So there is another conclusion to the story that I wrote that exists out there, that I guess is just for me. My own little play, that I perform with my action figures.

What was Sylvie’s original plan, before Loki hijacked her to that dying moon? It was to empty out the TVA. The entire bombing of the Sacred Timeline was to create a diversion. She’s not going to be able to create a multiverse from doing that. Ultimately, the TVA has the manpower to get out and take care of these events, but they’re going to have to scramble a lot of their minutemen teams, and it leaves the Time-Keepers significantly less guarded than they would have been otherwise. That was her plan.

You didn’t come into this as a big comic book nerd. So was there someone on staff who could tell you, “Well, there’s this giant cloud called Alioth that eats time,” or, “Well, one time Thanos had a helicopter,” or maybe someone assigned to you by Marvel? I’m constantly reading the comics but trying to not be so beholden to the and do our own thing. I charged our writers assistant, Ryan Kohler, with, “You’ve got to become the authority on all things TVA, all things Kang, and all that.” So he and my assistant, Sophie Miller, became a support staff who read a ton of these comics and became a wealth of knowledge for the writers to turn to. And then the Marvel producers, obviously are very well versed in the comics. It was Kevin Wright who came in one day and was like somebody throwing down a blueprint in an asteroid movie, going, “Alioth! Look at this!” And we were like, “Ohmigod, this is perfect!” The best thing about working on these comic book shows is that if it’s from the comics, it doesn’t matter how much of a deus ex machina it is, it’s just cool, like, “I can’t believe you pulled that from the comics.” Alioth, that was a big breakthrough that unlocked the last two episodes for us.

That is not a famous comic book that introduces Alioth. It’s an obscure Nineties miniseries, with really ugly art. But you look at it and see what it could be. You say, “If we do this, and it feels like Twister, it’s going to be really cool.”

Was Mobius’ love of jet skis there simply to illustrate his character, or did you have a grander idea in mind? I will come clean: I’m a jet ski guy. I’ve spent a good amount of time on jet skis in my day. I used to tow a jet ski to a lake and ride it in college. So it probably was me. Loki, I was just becoming a steward of that character. Mobius was a character I really felt I got to create from nothing. There’s not really anything to that character in the comics. So bits and pieces of me found their way in. I just think there’s something so poignant — here Mobius is, a guy who is literally fighting to preserve all of time in the multiverse, and yet his interests are maybe the most humble, human, terrestrial, unremarkable thing you can think of. Just a jet ski. And when you’ve got Owen Wilson playing him and it’s just that much better.

Will you be back in some capacity for Season Two? [long pause] Time will tell.

‘Loki’ Head Writer Michael Waldron — and ‘Rick and Morty’ Alum — on MCU, ‘Heels’ and More