#Loki at least has his moral compass and a line to draw at the start of Thor 1

[worstloki]

What is your favorite kind of thorki fanfic? Everyone knows that you read them

okay okay so imagine all the terrible popular fanon tropes that get attributed to Loki. Now hand them over to Thor and do them well—!

[geekynichelle]

So, I saw this tweet, and it started a conversation about the appeal of Harley Quinn, and I wrote this because I was possessed. It’s long so I put it below the cut. All opinions are my own.

Is Harleen Quinzel overrated? Honestly, I don’t know. Nor do I really care. Plenty of people love characters that others find overdone, and that shouldn’t have any bearing on whether or not they are liked on a personal level. You could equally say that Loki or Deadpool are overrated, and while I do believe race plays a role in why all three of these chaos agents are popular, gender is obviously why more people are vocal about finding Harley played out. 

Getting that out of the way, let’s dive into the nitty gritty. What the hell is appealing about this clown to a Black, queer and neurodivergent woman? To start I want to bring into play the idea that what Black women do and don’t enjoy is often put in a narrow box. Growing up I knew my mother liked action movies (even more so than my step-dad- huzzah for breaking gender stereotypes), and in her own words the reason for that is that she likes to see “people who deserve it get their ass kicked”. In our real life, society rarely dishes out justice for Black people the way we deserve, and while the action genre is made up of mostly white dudes, who is good and who is bad are clear cut, and we can always root for someone who punches out racists and misogynists. As a result I should have been less surprised that my mother would like Deadpool, but it still amuses me to this day. 

Deadpool, in his sequel film, has a moment when he with no hesitation shoots a man who he knows to be a child abuser, because unlike a traditional heroic figure there’s no question in his mind that that was the right thing to do. Whether this would be good in the real world or not is irrelevant because the catharsis comes from the fact that to Deadpool the child harmed mattered way more than anything other factors in that scenario. 

This is the appeal of those types of characters in general. Translating this to Harley Quinn in that way is easy. Evil deeds aside, her initial/general backstory is that she was a doctor (of psychology) that fresh out of grad school was sent to talk to the Joker, who in turn manipulated her compassion and convinced her to free him/join him. In the 90s animated series, which is where she first appears, the episode Mad Love shows us that not only was Harley taken advantage of, but also that she is extremely capable on her own. Batman point blank tells the Joker (after he’s hit her/tossed her out a window) that Harley is the only person that’s come that close to killing him. The Joker (who was initially going to leave her for good) realizes that he’s unleashed someone arguably better than him into the world, and like any abuser decides to get back on her good side to maintain control over her chaos rather than let her realize her worth. 

The new animated series dedicated just to Quinn, explores that notion further, and at some point during the second season sees Harley realize that she isn’t a hero or a villain, but rather a reactionary. She seems to have a soft spot for other abuse victims and in the series draws the line at over excessive killing, especially of innocent people. Ivy even states that while Harley is a criminal she is (at least in Ivy’s eyes) a good person. She has after all genuinely helped Ivy, and on occasion has helped save the day of her own free will. 

Obviously, like with any comic book character, how she is characterized depends on the writer, but it’s fair to say based on the media I’ve personally consumed putting Harley in a morality box is a wasted effort. What makes her special is that she resides in those grey areas. As I mentioned earlier her ability to reside there and remain popular of course relates to her whiteness, however I do think it’s important to remember that Harley Quinn is also Jewish and is therefore not a complete stranger to concepts of oppression. She is also in recent years officially considered Bisexual, and while all Batman villains are vaguely mental ill, she does fill up that category as well. 

I came across a tweet earlier today that suggested her whiteness is why many of her fans have turned her into a girlboss and downplayed her violence. I can certainly see where that person was coming from, but on a personal note, based on the above information that is certainly not the case for me. I know that I would enjoy Harley just as much (if not more) if she was a non-white woman, and that her violence and moral ambiguity are apart of what makes her a fun character. I’d never downplay her evil deeds. Granted, what I consider canon has a lot to do with the stories I’ve consumed (i.e I’ve never read anything about her involvement in the Jason Todd storyline therefore to me it doesn’t really exist), but ultimately Harley is no girlboss. She is a mess, and to quote Marie Kondo, “I love mess.” 

To put this further in perspective, when I was a kid I didn’t even know Bisexuality was a thing, but I did know that I liked when Harley and Ivy were together, and now as an adult who is out, seeing them officially canon affected me a bit more than I thought it would. They might not be good people, but I don’t think representation needs to always be about being squeaky clean. And ultimately that’s the rub isn’t it? Harley isn’t exactly like me and I’m not exactly like her, but she represents a level of chaos that yeah, as a marginalized person I’m not allowed to express. She can be a good person, but she can also be extremely outrageous. She shows that being the victim of abuse isn’t about how smart you are and that it can happen to anyone. She also shows that you can leave that behind and get stronger mentally and physically. In the case of the new animated series she does this without motherhood/babies thrust upon her, but through good friends who love her. 

Why Harley Quinn? Well, for me my current answer is because she’s complex. If you asked me as a child though, I’d probably say it’s because she was goofy and fun, and I wanted better for her than the Joker. Either way she’s currently being written by a Black, Disabled, Queer writer and as a long time fan, I absolutely look forward to the nuisances that’ll be added to the character as a result.

[foruneyti]

Pt. I Greetings. This is all Foruneyti-centric but I hope it is helpful in general. —EA

Hithere! Thank you so much for sending me such a detailed report haha,it really helps me out! Because it was such a lot I will respond persection. I hope you don’t mind!

Pt.2 Somethings that I like in your writing: >Your dialogue. It iswonderful and truly witty at times, and it flows so naturally. It isa joy to read. I wish I could converse in real life the way Healerdoes in the story. So many writers resort to blatant awkwardness inconversation to move a relationship or friendship along; instead, youmake your characters clever and intelligent enough to get out ofunusual places in conversation. I appreciate that so, so much.I’m really glad that this is the case! I love writingdialogue and I’ve come a long way since I started writing (whenever Iread my older stories the dialogue is something that stands out to menegatively) so hearing from other people that it is witty and flowsnaturally is absolutely wonderful; thank you. Pt.3 >Your descriptions: in general, your descriptions are a goodbalance between “telling” and “showing”, which like yourdialogue make the story flow quite well. >Your originalcharacters. They are actually characters, unpredictable in some ways,not merely mouthpieces for ideas or story exposition (Kari of Yllgardis a great example here). Meeting them and getting to know thembetter feels worthwhile, rather than distracting.It’sa relief that those things are also going well! I really aim to givemy characters more layers so that they won’t be one-dimensional andboring, but with so many characters in the casts it’s hard to keep itbalanced and sometimes I even forget one or two exist hihi. Pt.4 >Perhaps first and foremost, I love that Healer is her ownperson, with useful skills and the ability to be simultaneouslycompassionate and an independent thinker. She does not brook abuse(of anoyone else or of herself) mildly; she is morally centred andstands up for her moral beliefs (I would like to add here that(Pt. 5) I think it would be appropriate for the deaths Loki hascaused to trouble her more than it does; I understand her reasons forforgiving Loki himself, but to some extent I would expect Healer’snatural compassion to extend to the many, many families Loki hasdestroyed). Though she is lonely at times, she is not just a hollowshell waiting for some other person to fill her with emotions andexperiences.This is also a big part of what I wanted! ThatHealer would be a character of her own, with feelings and thoughtsand memories of her own, and that without Loki she would still grow –though their growth is definitely amplified by one another. I wantedher to be independent so that their love and relationship could growand blossom healthily. As for the deaths Loki caused, it’s truethat I am kind of letting it fade to the background. I wanted tofocus more on the person Loki was becoming than the person he hadbeen, and since I believe he was not fully in control or didn’t havemuch of a choice during most of what happened back then I didn’t wantto make too big of a deal of it. Now that Healer has to grieve forher own she wouldn’t have the energy to grieve for the many livesthat were lost years and years ago.

Pt6 or 7? Somethings that I do not like in your writing (save the firstcomment, I am trying to be usefully critical here):>The sex. I amnot here for that; honestly I just think it is gross. It is nothingagainst your writing particularly; I just do not enjoy that sort ofthing in stories, ever. When I found Foruneyti, I was looking for aninteresting story that explored a Loki redemption arc in a believableway; many kudos to you for drawing me in despite the sex.Itotally understand! I personally enjoy sex as well as writing aboutit and so for me it is part of a healthy relationship, which is why Iadded it to the fic. You can expect more to come. I’m glad that youstill enjoyed the rest of the chapters though! Sometimesyou do strange things with grammar tenses. For instance, the lastsentence of the fifth chapter of the most recent instalment of “InHer Loving Memory” goes, “The man rose his sword, and sheclosed her eyes.”I am fairly confident that “rose” is anintransitive verb, and “raised” is what you should use whensomething is actually being done with a specific object. Pleaseunderstand that this little nitpicky sort of thing is an indirectcompliment; the rest of your writing (dialogue, descriptions, etc.)is so well-balanced that it is little things like this that throw meoff. Ah!I’m incredibly sorry for that. I can’t really use the excuse of notbeing a native English speaker anymore, but sometimes things likethat still slip. Things like raise and rise, lay and lie; but alsothings that even I think are super silly. I often type reigns insteadof reins, or mix up expressions. I check chapters three to sixtimes before uploading them and I still stuff like that when Ire-read it later. Feel free to point it all out on a chapter when yousee it, so I can immediately change it. Pt7 or 8? >Very occasionally you claim that something clever happensand then you drop the ball. The scene in chapter 14 is a goodexample. The passage goes:“…Should you try to introduce him tothe conversation? Ask him if he had ever experienced such battles?You listened intently to what they had to say, but every question youasked steered the conversation(Pt8 or 9?) in the direction you wanted to go. It was masterfullyexecuted manipulation, and neither of them noticed, until theopportunity came for which you had been waiting and you turned yourheard to the side, glancing at the prince from the corner of youreye. “How about you, then? Surely you must have great tales totell.” …That is abrupt and jarring, not masterfully manipulative.I think this is a more serious mistake where you should have changedthe scene so that it was appropriate(Pt9 or 10?) for the Healer to be so abrupt, or else thought through thescene more thoroughly to give Healer something truly clever to say.Another example would be when Healer tricks Yllva into confessing tothe murder. That seemed unrealistically stupid, even for a spoiledprincess of evil.Ihope you don’t mind that I will defend myself on this one. The lines’Youlistened intently to what they had to say, but every question youasked steered the conversation in the direction you wanted to go. Itwas masterfully executed manipulation, and neither of them noticed,untilthe opportunity came for which you had been waiting (…).” Aremeant to convey that time passed, that she has been conversing forquite some time, asking more and more questions that subtly got herto the point she wanted: a break or pause in the conversation thatallowed her to drag Loki into it. In that break or pause it wasappropriate to ask Loki about his tales without making it seem likeshe didn’t care about the other soldier’s stories. If I had to writeout all the stories the soldiers told, and all the questions Healerasked, it would have made the chapter far too long and far too slow.As for the part where she tricks Ylva, keep in mind that thegirl is not the smartest. She tried to murder Healer with poison sostrong it would no doubt cost quite a lot of money. That way it wouldbe traced back to her sooner or later, and with a devastated andenraged Loki (as well as Thor and all the other soldiers in thegroup) in that scenario she wouldn’t have benefited from it at all –and the consequences would have been dire. When she noticesHealer doesn’t die she gets more reckless and directly poisons herfood. She could have done it herself, in which case people (mainlyservants) would have seen her going to the kitchens where shedefinitely never comes, or, more likely: she had a servant do it forher. That means at least one servant knows its her, and so when thestaff would get questioned by the at that point merciless Loki itwould come out sooner or later as well. Either way: dumb. So,now that we’ve established that Ylva is not very bright, she is inthat moment set on defending herself however possible. When she heardHealer semi-accuse her of something she hadn’t done she had to denyit to try and save her hide – and she hadn’t really thought aboutthe words with which she chose to do so. In her panic she blurted outthe first that came to mind and so fell right into the trap. Ofcourse, it’s fanfiction, and so I’ve taken a few liberties on howrealistic things are, but in my opinion it makes for a far moreinteresting story than when the investigation starts and it takesthem two more chapters to just confirm what we already know: the girlhad truly tried to murder Healer. Ona final note, not concerning anything critical: I would just like toadd that as an addition to the Foruneyti universe “In Her LovingMemory” works incredibly well. What an emotionally powerfultale. (Lastpart) I read the scenes at the tree (Healer’s and Loki’s) and wasstruck by the aching sadness in both. I look forward to seeing whereyou go with that tale. May your writing (for Foruneyti and elsewhere)proceed excellently. Sincerely, EA

Thankyou so much! I really hoped it would, and emotionally powerful was(and is still) the goal. For it to affect your feelings is all Icould have wished for.  

Again,thank you for leaving such extensive feedback. If you want to discuss anything I’ve said in this post just send in another ask, I really love talking about my work. For anyone elsereading this post: do you agree, disagree, or do you have somethingto add? Feel free to respond to this post or to send me an ask ofyour own! (anonymous if you want). The more opinions I get the easierit will be for me to see what things I will need to focus on more! ❤

[imagine-loki]

To Rule A Kingdom

TITLE: To Rule A Kingdom  CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 1  AUTHOR: inadequatelycontent ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Loki’s father decides to give him a chance so he tells him he must marry for the sake of an alliance. Odin sends him to your country where you are the crown prince(ss) and he has trouble adjusting to your differences in culture. Especially knowing that he can only be your spouse, and not a full king. RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS: I was originally inspired by the above imagine, but i have decided to change it slightly to make things more interesting! Hope you enjoy! 

Chapter 1: Stand Down

Tensions were rising in the Kingdom of Asgard as whispers of a revolt against the royal family were being held by the common folk. It didn’t come out of the blue, nor was it a surprise to many who resided within the palace walls. If it were not for the glorious and beloved Queen Frigga, there was no doubt that the people of Asgard would have already made their move.

“Father, you are becoming old and spineless! Please allow for a successor,” Loki, the dark Prince pleaded with his father in the privacy of the royal office. For months now the youngest son of the King had been begging for his father to step down. It wasn’t a matter of pride anymore, this was a matter of life or death. If the people were to start their attacks upon his family Loki knew it would be only a matter of time before they reached the throne room and captured each of the royal members. The fear of being decapitated or exiled was strong among the residence of the palace and it angered Loki that his father wasn’t willing to pay heed to those around him.

King Odin the wise; that’s what he had been known as for most of his life, at least up until the past two years. After going to war with neighboring Kingdoms he lost a lot of land and risked the lives of men that shouldn’t have been called into battle ended up leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the commoners. The crown Prince Thor, seemed to be no better. Although Thor was a skilled fighter, he had no knowledge of strategy, law, order or leadership. Instead, he lived a life of opulence and splendor, taking what he wanted without a second thought; there was a reason Loki had so many bastard nieces and nephews. However, Loki knew that Thor was favoured for the crown, not only because he’s the eldest, but for his great strength. Thor didn’t have a great mind for leadership or the self control to rule a Kingdom of thousands, but Loki knew he was easily influenced and persuaded so if he was granted Kingship then Loki would work as his hand, seizing the power he felt should have been his.

“You would know all about being spineless wouldn’t you, boy?!” King Odin spat back to the brooding young Prince that was stood before him. The King grew angered and tired whenever he found himself conversing with his youngest son. “I will step down at year’s end and give my crown to Thor. He has a lion’s heart and a fire within him that could win wars,” Odin explained proudly as he sealed a scroll and put it in his desk draw. He always made sure to appear busy whenever Loki was around, it was a way to try and scare him off any desires he may have of trying to deceive him and take what he thought was rightfully Thor’s.

“For the final time, retreating from a war we were bound to lose and not meant to take part in is not spineless!” Loki explained in a matter of fact way. To begin with in their confrontations Loki made sure to always remain respectful and would often soften the blows of his exchanges with his father, but after months of being ignored Loki chose not to sugar coat things. “Besides i’m not asking to be King, i’m asking that you step down so that Thor and I can start rebuilding the relations between the crown and the people,” Odin couldn’t help but scoff at everything Loki was saying. This had been an ongoing occurrence within their meetings and it irritated Loki to no end, he often thought he was the only one who cared about the Kingdom at all.

“Thor has said that once he is placed in power he will ask his oldest friend Fandral to be his hand,” Odin produced this fact to Loki with a gleeful smirk. This was the first time that Loki had heard of this supposed plan, and it wasn’t a very welcomed idea to the youngest Prince. For as long as he could remember both Thor and he had spoken about what would happen once their father passed, and even Thor agreed that his younger brother is best suited for the responsibility as hand. Then again, a lot has changed since they were in adolescence, and the rift caused between the two brothers seemed to be larger than Loki originally thought. “You do not seem to be impressed with the news i give you, have you not discussed what was to become of you after his acquisition of the crown?” The smug look upon Odin’s face at what was unraveling before him was betrayed by the slight sound of worry in his voice. The King had always favoured Thor over Loki, and it was never much of a secret but Loki was still his son, and he still cared about the outcome of the dark haired boy.

“It is a shock i will admit, however this changes nothing, i am still a Prince of Asgard, i would be the third inline for Kingly power while Thor rules,” Loki says to his father. For Loki his crusade to dethrone his father had nothing to actually do with power, for him it was all about the betterment of the Kingdom. As a young boy Loki was forced to take a pledge that stated that he was to uphold and protect the laws of his home for the people, and he took this pledge very seriously. Although Prince Loki was a notorious wordsmith and would often find loopholes and ways to manipulate people, he found an odd desire to be honest about this particular pledge. He was the last line of defense, and in his mind no one seemed to understand his constant worry of what would happen should Odin make another mistake. It could be fatal. “I would become the crown Prince once Thor accepts the Kingship up until he produces a legitimate heir,” Loki explained to his father who simply shook his head.

“Thor has many heirs, just because he has yet to find out about any of them does not mean that they will not one day take to the throne,” Odin explained but Loki couldn’t believe what he was hearing. King Odin was the first of many to ignore the fact Thor had heirs, in fact he openly said that they were no grandchildren of his, so for him to go on and say that Thor’s bastard children have more of a claim than the legitimate Prince was a huge slap to the face. “Thor could still very well find out about them, track them down and name them as his children.” It was a very real possibility and Loki understood that. Thor was many things, but he had a moral compass and he would never allow for his family to go without, so there was almost no doubt in Loki’s mind that Thor would go about legitimising his many sons and daughters. This was why Loki had gone about finding ways to keep them all a secret, although at the request of both his parents. Loki had tracked down three women who all had children after spending a night with Thor. Loki informed each mother that the crown would offer child support up until their 18th nameday, and he gave each mother a story to tell to their children growing up about their father. This was the best for everyone and he explained it all to the woman, each ended up bursting into tears. Loki was never an overly emotional man, but seeing these women as heart broken and sad as they were really changed him. He had to watch and clean up his older brothers recklessness and it wasn’t easy. Because of it he would visit the children once a month, to make sure they are doing well. It seemed only fair, especially after the reaction of his father.

“I love those children and we both know that none of them would be able to handle the pressure of such a job, they were not raised to take on the throne, you disowned them!” Loki said, his voice now raising. Loki had many negative thoughts on the bastard children, but he would never voice them. Children should never be punished for their parents sins, and Loki would often remind himself of this and it resulted in him becoming rather defensive of the kids. “However, this isn’t about me wanting to be King, and it isn’t about power, it’s about fixing your mistakes!”

“Loki! Watch your tongue, i am still King and your father….just,” Loki visibly tensed at what was said. It was true, Loki was adopted. He found out many years ago on accident after an unfortunate encounter with his mother. People had tried to raid the palace, and Frigga being the strong woman she is decided to fight off some of the attackers, it lead to her almost being killed. If it weren’t for Loki fighting his way to her and killing the men that had begun to surround and hurt her, then she probably wouldn’t be here now. She was bleeding out all over the stone flooring, her blue dress staining crimson red. Loki held her tightly and began to use his healing magic, and it was then during what she thought were her last moments that she told Loki he was adopted.

“Fath- My King,” Loki began, “I do not wish to fight with you, i simply want what is best for everyone, surely you understand that?” He sounded pained now. This typically happened when Odin brought up the fact that Loki was not his true son, often times Loki thought that it explained his favoritism for Thor.

“You are dismissed.” Loki looked down to the ground for a moment to collect himself, Odin had won this round. Not only had he managed to get a rise out of Loki by bringing up the children, he also managed to emotionally wound him with the remainder of his true parentage. Loki quickly recovered though, he learnt at a young age to bounce back fast. Holding his head high and with perfect posture he began his bow to his father before exiting the office. Once again his meeting with the King had gotten him nowhere, but he did find out that he wasn’t as important to Thor than he first thought. 

-

“I’m not sure mother, this whole situation is less than ideal and it’s not like i can confront Thor about it either,” Loki sighed loudly as he followed along with his mother while she went about tending to the roses in her personal garden. Queen Frigga had a major green thumb and seemed to have a particularly strong connection to plant life, something that Loki was always so impressed by.

“Although it is also the first i have heard of this news, it isn’t exactly a surprise is it?” She responded to Loki. She stopped clipping some dying leaves from a bush to turn to face Loki, “The period of time where everyone adjusted to the news of your adoption was tough, and Thor surprisingly seemed to be just as devastated as you did,” Frigga reminded Loki. Loki couldn’t help but grunt out in frustration. Frigga was probably one of the only people in all of the 9 Kingdoms that could talk freely and openly to Loki without having to worry about upsetting or hurting him. Loki valued his mothers insight and he cared for her very much.

“Why do i find that so hard to believe?” Loki said as he ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back from his face. Frigga simply smiled and continued tending her large wall of roses. She always knew that Loki was a special boy, and as he got older it only proved her point more. He would always be given a task or set a quest that he shouldn’t have been able to complete, but every time he exceeded any expectations. It got to the point where Frigga had even begun to skip asking either Odin or Thor to do anything, because she knew it would never be done at even half the quality that Loki produced.

“Thor went insane when you ran away,” Frigga admitted. This caused Loki to pause for a moment. After Frigga was well again and all attackers had left Asgard; Loki had run away from the Kingdom, he was gone for a few years and never let anyone know what he was up to or where he had gone. During that time was when Asgard had started it’s chaotic descent. Loki was never informed about what took place during his absence, but it took a great toll on his elder brother. What was even worse was the anger and hatred that Loki exuded towards Thor on his return to the palace. Loki was simply jealous of Thor and his true connection to their parents, but no matter how many times Frigga had explained that to Thor it couldn’t help with the rift that eventually separated the two loving brothers.

“Be that as it may, i clearly mean nothing to him anymore. I’m simply a piece of furniture at this point,” Loki sighed as he walked up to his mother and grabbed the clippers from her hands. It caught her off guard but she turned to better face her youngest son and looked up at him curiously. Frigga could always tell what Loki was thinking or feeling by looking into his eyes, he was always so emotive through them and it helped her a lot being able to do this as he was growing up. Loki tossed the clippers to the side and frowned to himself for a moment before quickly pulling his mother into a tight hug. He was never really one to show much emotion or any affection if it did not gain him something out of it, but in that moment Frigga knew that Loki was struggling with all that he had been informed about in this last meeting with her husband.

“Oh Loki, be strong and stay positive, i am sure the Norns will bless you with the opportunity to show everyone your full potential…then they will all see you as i do,” She whispered into the ear of her son as he held even tighter onto his mother, the only person he truly loved.