#he literally made yggdrasil

[treeoflifeloki]

Guess that's why they were calling the timelines branches all along

[pocket-dust-starr]

UM HELLO???

LOKI??

NOW THAT IS A FUCKING GOD

[anthurak]

One of my favorite things about Control is just how completely and utterly nuts/bonkers/GONE the FBC is as one of these ‘secret government blackops’ groups.

Like this is a trope we’re all fairly familiar with at this point; some secret government organization formed to monitor, contain and research all kinds of weird shit and keep it secret from the public. Also they may or may not have kinda gone totally rogue somewhere along the way and might now answer only to themselves at this point in a ‘who watches the watchers?’ commentary on the need for oversight.

But the more you find out about the Federal Bureau of Control, the more it becomes clear they just so utterly past ANY of that by the time the game begins. And have been for basically the last fifty some odd years.

Like here is a basic overview of the FBC that you learn within the first thirty or so minutes of the game: They are a secret government organization dedicated to the containment, cataloguing and research of supernatural artifacts and events. They are headquartered in what they call ‘The Oldest House’, a tall, imposing yet utterly nondescript building in the middle of New York City that is literally impossible for anyone to enter or even notice unless they already know about it. And the interior of the building is actually a twisting extradimensional labyrinth that also opens up to other dimensions/realities and might actually be the World Tree Yggdrasil. It also kind of hates any technology made in the last twenty years. And apparently Number 2 Pencils.

Oh, and the FBC doesn’t really report to the US Government. They report to a floating, inverted black pyramid that exists in a space outside of known reality that might also be the collective human subconscious. The pyramid is colloquially referred to as ‘The Board’ and they are an extradimensional entity/group of entities that appoints the Director of the FBC via the use of a physics-defying geometric gun called ‘The Service Weapon’ that is probably Excalibur/Mjolnir/every other legendary weapon in human myth. They also speak in word-salads and probably know they are in a video game.

See, back in 1964 when the FBC first discovered The Oldest House, they basically decided ‘WOW, this place is cool! Let’s make it our new headquarters!’ and promptly moved in. This was also when the current Director at the time found the Service Weapon within The Oldest House, made contact with/was chosen by The Board and from the point on the FBC really hasn’t answered to the US Government anymore.

Also, the Government basically doesn’t even know the Bureau even EXISTS anymore. Remember how The Oldest House has this kind of ‘Perception Filter’ that prevents almost anyone from entering it or even noticing it, which is how basically nobody can find it despite the fact that it is right in the middle of New York City? Well, after they moved in and became effective ‘residents’ of the house, this filter started applying to the FBC itself. They basically CAN’T be noticed or remembered at this point by anyone who isn’t part of the organization. The reason this secret organization can operate entirely off the grid and can’t be tracked is because they literally have freaky extradimensional reality-warping covering their tracks.

This is what I meant when I said that the FBC is just so far GONE. At this point, the FBC is itself a crazy, supernatural thing in and of itself.

Other fun details about the FBC include:

The Bureau facilities in The Oldest House are not powered by coal, oil or nuclear power. No, instead the lights are kept on by a former director who went a tad power-mad and lost control of his pyrokinesis, so the Bureau locked him up in a giant ‘Sarcophagus Containment’ unit and now use him as a power-generator.  He also sometimes talks through the waste-disposal furnace to try and get people to bring him human sacrifices.

The maintenance sector of the FBC includes an area called the ‘Black Rock Quarry’. The so called ‘black rock’ is an extra-dimensional mineral that, among other things, blocks and dampens supernatural effects and abilities. Needless to say, the Bureau mines the stuff extensively. Now, despite being within The Oldest House, the Black Rock Quarry is an open-top quarry. To space.

One of the ways Bureau personnel get around is via pull-strings that show up all over The Oldest House. Pull a string three times and you are transported to the Oceanview Motel, a quaint little motel that probably exists outside of known reality because no one has ever been able to actually go or see outside the motel. Once you’re there, you just ring the bell on the front desk three times, do some random task and procure a room key. The key opens a door, but only one with an inverted black pyramid. From there, you pull another string and are transported back to somewhere else in The Oldest House. So basically a rather convoluted teleportation system. There are also doors with other symbols that probably go to other realities, but the Bureau hasn’t figured out how to open them. Though one does seem to lead to a void of malevolent darkness that feeds off human creativity and is currently holding one Alan Wake.

Also, the bureau’s janitor is probably a Finnish Sea God.

[magpie-murder]

*it wont let me edit the poll, but the one with the random parentheses in the middle is meant to read "valhalla and hel are not the only afterlives"

people who dont know much about norse mythology:

i see a decent amount of misinformation surrounding norse mythology (particularly related to loki's family, how many children he has, who he is and is not related to, etc) so i figured this could be a fun game to play to encourage people to both read about norse myths and fact check things before you post them while claiming they're true.

ex: váli is not canonically a lokison, he was an odinson; loki is not related, even by adoption, to thor; loki as WAY MORE than two children and the status of two of them potentially being twins is highly debatable; loki did not have a horse baby for funsies, it was to protect asgard; there's more but these are the MAIN ones i see

this is not to say you shouldn't mess around with norse mythology in your fanon btw!!! i do a bunch of incredibly non-canon things with my loki fanon. i just ask you to fact check when you're talking about actual norse mythology 🛐

[avelera]

Some missed opportunities for Norse Mythology references in the Loki S2 Finale

I want to quickly preface this by saying the Loki show never claimed to be about or even incorporate more than passing nods to Norse mythology, so the following "missed opportunities" are more things that I think could have been cool and were perhaps within reach as references, but that even at my most wildly optimistic I didn't and still don't really expect because the show has been so very clear on this front. It's not fair to say these are flaws because the show never pretended to be about Norse mythology. NEVERTHELESS, because I'm a big nerd:

1) Ragnarok - All respect to Waititi and Thor III, it was a great interpretation of the myth, but I've always longed for something a little closer to the doom and mysticism of the mythology and the Loki S2 finale came tantalizingly close to invoking it, but fell short of actually using the word. Because Ragnarok isn't just about the fall of the gods, it's about the destruction and rebirth of the world. "After [the events of Ragnarok], the world will rise again, cleansed and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors." 

Gee does that sound familiar! Almost like destroying all of the timelines to create them anew! Almost like that's what Sylvie was invoking by telling him it's better to accept destruction rather than accept imprisonment, and to build something new out of the ashes.

That's Ragnarok. That's literally Ragnarok and they invoked it in so many ways there short of actually using the damn word.

Loki, the god destined to bring about Ragnarok, proceeding to directly bring down the current timeline by destroying and then renewing it with a male and female survivor to help rebuild (visualized with Mobius and Sylvie's little chat at the end, even if it's the TVA they helped rebuild not the human population) sure does sound astonishingly close to invoking the story of Ragnarok.

And even though I'm bummed they never called it Ragnarok, I completely understand why! Ragnarok has kinda already happened in the MCU (never mind that Ragnarok itself is cyclical and will come again, but I digress)! I'd even go so far as to guess that earlier drafts probably did make it clearer but the thread, except for its bones and outline, were abandoned or left unnamed explicitly because it would be confusing for those not familiar with the myth or who would conflate Ragnarok with its Thor III invocation. Alas.

2) Loki bound - Already sort of invoked in Thor II with Loki imprisoned, which is why I don't think any more overt reference was made, but Loki was rather famously bound up in mythology. In this case, in a cave with a snake's poison dripping into his mouth. Not saying Loki bound to his throne of time needed to be conflated with how he was imprisoned until Ragnarok in the myhology, but the imprisonment parallel is there.

3) Loki becomes the new Odin, sacrificed upon Yggrasil - "The generally accepted meaning of Old Norse Yggdrasill is "Odin's horse", meaning "gallows". This interpretation comes about because drasill means "horse" and Ygg(r) is one of Odin's many names. The Poetic Edda poem Hávamál describes how Odin sacrificed himself by hanging from a tree, making this tree Odin's gallows. This tree may have been Yggdrasil." (source)

IE, Loki has sacrificed himself upon the world tree for power and knowledge and for the sake of the world. In this, unlike in the mythology where Loki is not Odin's son, Loki ascends to a parallel of his father's throne to follow in his legacy, having finally learned his father's lessons about rulership and self-sacrifice. Perhaps like the mythological Odin, we will learn that in making this self-sacrifice, Loki too has gained phenomenal knowledge and power?

4) Ratatoskr - This is more foward-looking and I don't in a million years think they'll do it but it would be so cool - so cool - if at some later point Loki has a friend or a servant or a squirrel form or idk, something that invokes Ratatoskr, the squirrel that lives in the World Tree and freely travels up and down its branches delivering messages. Please, MCU, give Loki a little squirrel friend??

[zippidi-dooda]

So I finally got around to finishing Loki and I'm gonna talk about it

This isn't anything too deep or a big analysis on the show, just my thoughts immediately after binging season two.

Spoilers I guess if you haven't finished it

First off, loved it

Wasn't sure what to expect when it was announced but I was digging. For snippets of it, checking auditions, updates and posts about it, the date it'd come out, generally keeping an eye out for it since it was announced.

And then I watched the first season and I was intrigued. The concept of Loki essentially getting a second chance, but being his former self and having to see how his life plays out, the results and consequences of his actions? Brilliant, because Loki is pretty complex as a character, doesn't really seem to want to face himself. Then he is faced with himself, literally and figuratively, and we know we're gonna see a change in him just like Ragnarok Loki, if not more. I didn't think I'd be a fan of Slyvie though since she was -before this came out- theorized to be his love interest and I know that romance doesn't usually go so well for Loki -myth Loki anyway- or those involved with him, but I was pleasantly surprised. I liked their banter, she challenged him when he so clearly needed it, and was basically a mirror of himself. And because she is him -a variation of him, another Loki- I like how she also symbolizes the idea him learning to love himself, coming to terms with his faults, accepting how he is and gaining the chance to become better. And it wasn't just her he grew close to, learned to love, he started to notice and pay attention to others in the TVA, like Mobius, other Lokis. He can see people as more than beneath him. He changed for the better all while maintaining all of the mischievous qualities he is known for.

And then comes season 2

(Which I did slack on watching till today but don't worry about it)

This is where we see the extent of how much the people around Loki have changed him, how much they mean to him. He wants to make a difference and is actively trying to make one, not just for him but the world. He and Sylvie are closer than ever, just about to reach the end of their quest, one madman away from getting what they want. But as he hears the guy who is in control of it all give them choices, he hesitates. He begins to think. And we all know he's a smart guy so it's like "what's wrong here?" He tries to reason with Sylvie about their options, he doesn't want the bitter end they aimed for. They share that long awaited kiss. And then he's stabbed in the back. By the one he truly cares for and essentially himself, alluding to how he is the key factor to holding himself back, and he is presented with that reputation of himself who can't be trusted. He'll have to choose to accept that will always be a roadblock for him or continue to fight against it. And at this point I kept thinking back to the myth Loki, thinking of how he acted and the whole world built in that mythology, yggdrasil, the nine worlds, the "stunts" he pulled -and throughout the rest of this season there was jokes pointing back to the myths so I was wondering how this would connect overall. But anyway, he kept on trying to fix things, going back and forth, trying over and over again, trying to gain the "good ending." He showcased his cunning, methodical thinking, persistence and patience. Care. When confronted with "why" is he doing this, he hesitates. I expected him to say he wanted to be the hero, to finally get the chance to be more than he was expected to be. But he doesn't. He admits it's cause he doesn't want to be alone. He finally met people he cared for and was scared to lose them. I was taken aback, but happy to see this type of development in him. It was sweet. He wants to be around them. Saying it out loud though made him doubt if what he was doing was right for everyone. It was what he wanted, but was it what they wanted? He learns it is a good choice and then tries for literal centuries to fix everything. He fixes things. It was a good choice. But not the solution. And he struggles to make the life changing choice. Cause how can one put an end to the one they love. Get rid of the most difficult part of themselves? He wants to find a way out that won't have him lose any of the people he loves. And he finds it. He is the answer, the varient, the one who caused this mess in the first place. If he sacrifices himself, he can give everyone the freedom of choice. As he's walking to his doom, timelines dying before him, I start thinking "they kinda look like roots. And they're different worlds too. Kinda like that tree in Norse myths" And they were, they freaking were!! Loki takes them all, marching up to his final resting place. He sits on the golden throne. And the timelines bloom to life in a burt of vivid green, branching out like they were mean to be. A wide shot appears. And the image left behind is a tree teeming with life. Yggdrasil. It is a happier take on how Loki lives trapped under the tree of life in a loop of pain. In the myths he has Sigyn by his side to try and prevent acid from burning him. But here, he is alone, only able to remember the friends he left behind, to hope they happily lived out the lives they desired, a burden just as difficult to bear. A beautiful, beautiful ending.

Much better than his ending in Infinity War anyhow.

Him essentially becoming a time God was a nice shocker too.

And as much as I loved it, I hope this is the last we see of Loki because things were nicely wrapped up in the end and I don't want to see anything horrible happen to the character.

Though I don't know much about Comic Loki so maybe there will be more, who knows.

Overall, I liked how this show was handled, loose ends were tied, seemingly insignificant characters became important, things from episodes ago were remembered and used, the characters themselves were delightfully written and cared about and portrayed, and the visuals were nice.

I liked how they incorporated so much brown into it, don't know if that was symbolic for anything but it isn't used as often in films as much as it was in this.

And in my gut I knew this was gonna end with Loki being stuck in Yggdrasil for some reason. But somehow I missed the biggest hint, the one that Sylvie threw at us, she literally said "it's rotting" referring to the TVA, timelines, etc. And what else rots but trees?

Anyways, on a less serious note, I love Loki. Tom Hiddleston is great. Loki had them Ouran High School Host Club legs. Loved how fluffy his hair looked and the dramatic flips he always does with it, his little laugh, sarcastic quips, impish grin, melodic voice, the wise little book nerd shining though in the end, and him acting all calm yet just about to snap like a father with patience wearing thin for his learning son when giving Victor instructions was magnificent to see. Wearing my only Loki merch as we speak. My love for him has been reignited.

Also, why is it so funny that Sylvie was offered something usually desirable like power, the chance to be God, and she's like "nah I'm okay" and chooses to work at McDonald's instead?

This show was crazy, gave Doctor Who vibes, love it

[therese-lokidottir]

I feel sorry for the series variant, really.

He’s sweet, awkward, and gentle, and has a good heart. And despite people who love him saying “He’s no different from the prime Loki!”, I really think he is. I can’t make myself connect with him like I can the Loki we lost. The sad truth is I found Loki relatable as Hell, but then the series came and….I just don’t related to the variant. I don’t feel the connection I had to him I had to Loki. (I call the series variant Yggdrasil to seperate them when I talk about them.) I see sparks of Loki in him, yeah. But at the same time, he feels different. He feels like an entirely new character. He doesn’t feel like Loki to me at all besides a few character traits, the self hatred, and sharing an actor, and saything this has gotten me screamed at by series stans. (I’ve also pissed people off when I describe Yggdrasil as a variant, even though it’s repeatedly said he is.) So it helps me a bit to remember he’s a variant, I guess.

Also next person who says the “TVA/Mobius/Sylvie are Loki’s found family who showed him love for the first time and saved him from his toxic family!!! 💕💕” is gonna make me eat my hat. No, no, no. They’re toxic, too. I’ve literally seen them use the “But Mobius HUGGED Loki” excuse once. No. They’re not his found family and they don’t give a fuck about him.

oh yeah, the thing about Lacroix Loki is he the only one acting out of empathy and concern for other while everyone else is only pushed to care when it's about themselves.

Lacroix Loki is treated like crap even though everyone else has far more blood on their hand. In every single relationship he has to do all the emotional labor.

The creators wrote Sylvie as someone who doesn't like Loki and yet he is constantly doing things for her, taking her insults and having to appeal to. It unbelievable toxic

Mobius physical and emotionally abuses him, and never apologizes. Lacroix Loki home and family has been wiped out from existence. As damaged their relationship might have been, things can never be made right or have any kind resolution because of the TVA and Mobius has the gall after having him beaten to ask Loki if he can trust him.

I will always say the Loki series didn't change or develop loki. Loki has always been a lonely co-dependent person going to extremes for others approval. This is not healthy development this is the flipside of the same coin.

[simplylupin]

I was watching CA: the first avenger the other day and I saw something which I thought was kind of crazy.

Y'know at the beginning when Red Skull steals the Tesseract, he pushes (or pulls or does something to) the little wooden snake engraving in the wall to reveal it. That snake engraving is at the bottom of Yggdrasil, or the tree of life.

Who does a snake represent? Loki.

Who essentially became/made Yggdrasil? Loki.

What one thing basically kick-starts Loki's assent to the God of Time/The God of Stories? The Tesseract.

Please correct me if I'm completely wrong with this or if someone's already pointed out but I just needed to share.

Also I know they can't have planned this because this film was literally made a decade ago but...

[violation72089]

HI HELLO TUMBLR DOT COM. I’M JUST A SILLY LITTLE MAN AND I HAVE WRITTEN THIS FIX-IT FIC FOR LOKIUS BECAUSE I HAVE NOT BEEN OKAY IN LIGHT OF S2E6

i made this literally to soften the blow of this season’s last episode. it’s literally a “thank u” to the entire Lokius fandom for making this season so good for me. y’all are both FUNNY and hashtag RELATABLE here on tumblr, and many of you are super talented as well!!

if you like this story, please re-blog OvO if not, PLEASE KEEP SCROLLING and don’t be mean >:c i’m not here for the “tHaT’s iMpOsSiBle iN tHe TVA” WHO CARES. JUST LET THEM BE HAPPY.

ANYWAY HERE U ALL GO

A Bond at the Center of Time

Loki finally had his throne. For his entire life, he had coveted this power that he now held so delicately in his hands.

All at once, Loki felt differently than he’d expected. He knew by now that this wasn’t the power he thought he wanted. Now, sitting at this throne of time, he began to consider how much he had changed.

In the past, Loki was a destroyer. He was easy to blame and easy to hate. Even arriving at the TVA, he had his walls built high and was ready to stand tall to defend himself.

But with one conversation, Loki had quickly realized that his past aggression was all an act.

As he considered that fateful encounter, Loki’s heart sank.

Mobius.

His right-hand man. The person he trusted.

Loki looked down, taking in the sight of Yggdrasil. He had certainly aligned the multiverse as it needed to be, but he knew in his heart there was some things still left unsaid.

He stood up, still conscious of his magic to stabilize Yggdrasil. Simultaneously, his slender hand reached for a particular branch in the timeline.

It glowed, and moments passed while Loki seemed to be looking for something.

His eyes closed, and his head dipped down once he finally felt the energy he needed.

Slowly, he sent a rush of his own energy through the timeline. It was definitely the right one. The link clicked.

If he wanted to, Mobius could respond.

“W-what?” Mobius was saying. “What’s going on?”

Loki could only chuckle, small tears forming in his eyes at the sound of his voice.

He was still alive.

“Mobius.” Loki choked back tears.

“Loki? I— hang on! Just hang on.”

Mobius seemed to be getting away from something, and now quickly headed to somewhere with less noise.

“Loki?” Mobius said breathlessly, “Is that really you?”

“Mobius!” Loki exclaimed. “It’s me.”

“It really is you.” His voice was full of wonder. “How are you even talking to me right now?”

Loki wiped his tears away. “I-uh… I’m a God. I guess I have my ways.”

Mobius laughed. “Still the man of mischief! Wow! How are things going up there in the treehouse?”

Loki laughed now, glad to hear his bad jokes again. “I was hoping you’d come here and see it.”

“Now, look,” Mobius protested, “I personally think risking to get my skin peeled off once was enough. As much as I’d love to, I think I’ll pass.”

“I’m sure there’s a way,” Loki assured him. “Let’s ask O.B.”

———

As time passed, Mobius worked alongside O.B. to create a way to safely visit Loki. After many long hours spent in Repairs & Advancement, they finally invented a type of time box that could travel through multiverse branches. Even with only one coat of paint, the mechanism would surely get the job done.

Mobius was all suited up, moving around impatiently in his bulky attire. He waited for O.B.’s signal, running the plan through his head one last time.

“Alright,” O.B. chirped, “it’s ready to go. All you have to do is think about where it really is that you want to be.”

After a few clicked computer buttons, Mobius braced himself and thought of Loki. The interrogations, the outings, the pies, the talks…

Before he knew it, he was gone.

Mobius woke almost instantly, seeing that he was standing inside in a glowing green box. It was much like the orange time boxes in the TVA— but, this time, this box was meant to protect.

Mobius looked up, seeing Loki from outside the square. He had a fixed smile on his face from his spot on the throne.

“I guess it worked,” Mobius said awkwardly, chuckling.

Loki stood up. His cape trailed behind him as he entered the green box with ease.

They held eye contact, slowly walking toward each other.

“It’s safe in here, you know.” Loki gestures to the radiation suit. “You won’t be needing this.”

“Ah, I guess not.”

They were silent as Mobius stepped out of the giant protective suit. To his pleasant surprise, this green space was just as safe as Loki had said.

When Mobius finished, he stood in his brown suit with his hands folded in front of him. He looked at Loki expectantly, watching him come closer.

“Um…” Loki started, finding his words. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Mobius answered, obviously confused. “What made you want to bring me all the way here?”

Loki lifted his hands carefully, slowly placing them on Mobius’ arms.

The God looked down. As much as he had done to save the multiverse, this somehow seemed like the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

“Mobius,” Loki said finally. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. I’ve sorted through our memories, reliving all our old experiences. To me, I feel a lot was left unsaid.”

“You think?” Mobius quipped, smiling.

Loki exhaled a small laugh, meeting his eyes.

“When I met you, I wouldn’t shake your hand,” Loki began. “You prodded my brain like any other criminal. You even went so far to throw me into a time cell.”

Mobius knitted his eyebrows. “Hey, I thought we made it past all that.”

“It is in the past,” Loki agreed. “But I’m not finished just yet.”

Mobius opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again.

“I came back to the TVA and you didn’t know who I am,” he continued. “But… I never forgot who you were. You helped me fix my time slipping, and since that day I felt things start to change.”

Loki paused. The two of them kept looking at each other.

“There was something I wanted to say then,” he continued, “do you remember?”

“If you didn’t make it back?” Mobius laughed nervously. “We see how that ended though, didn’t we?”

“For sure,” Loki nodded, looking away once more.

This was it.

“What is it?” Mobius’ voice was a whisper now.

Loki cautiously glanced back up at him. The tug came again at Loki’s chest, and this time he knew what it was.

“I love you.” Loki paused. “That’s what I wanted to say.”

Mobius’ eyes grew wide. Then, he smiled.

The two of them naturally closed the distance between them. Mobius started to grab Loki’s cape, but the God took his hands gently instead.

“I love you, too,” Mobius answered, looking down at their hands intertwined between them. “Wow, I… who would’ve guessed? You almost wish this had better timing, though, don’t you?”

Loki laughed softly, small tears of joy forming again in his eyes. His hands grabbed Mobius’ face, and he pulled him in for a kiss.

This surprised Mobius, but his eyes fluttered closed. He kissed Loki back, moving delicately against his lips. His hands found their way to Loki’s sides that he always loved to touch.

When the kiss ended, they both caught their breaths. The kiss had been tender and slow, but all the emotion they’d built up for an immeasurable amount of time had finally sparked and started to burn.

Now, they couldn’t let each other go. They held each other, feeling like everything finally made sense.

“What now?” Mobius asked, leaning against Loki.

“The same thing, I’m afraid,” Loki answered sadly. “I have to focus constantly on preserving this tree.”

Mobius frowned.

“It’s harder to do when you’re here, but… I still can.” Loki kissed Mobius’ forehead. “What do you say you come up here to see me sometimes?”

“An occasional trip out to the cosmos? I’m in,” Mobius said. “I admit, with this now I’m sure you won’t be able to keep me away.”

“Not a chance I’d ever try.”

Mobius and Loki backed away, looking each other now with a sense of knowing.

“Let some time pass, and come back to me soon. I’ll miss you,” Loki said softly, just before exiting the time cell.

Mobius looked down, holding back his tears. “I’ll miss you too.”

In an instant, Mobius was safely returned to the correct moment on his timeline. His life looked the same— his same suburban house and unkept lawn. Even so, he knew nothing would feel the same to him ever again. Not after today.

Loki felt the same way, now sitting on his throne with a smile on his face. He realized now there was nothing wrong with wanting something.

[flowersfortony]

(loki ep6 spoilers)

ok but another favorite part of this episode is the Yggdrasil reference. he made it himself, put his whole soul into it, literally, and it all came together with his past as well. i really enjoyed that.

[tremendoushideoutfun]

"Loki's desperation is palpable in this episode, as he tries anything he can in order to not only save his friends but save all of time. When confronted with the inevitability that Sylvie must die, he returns to the branched timeline from the last episode, before Sylvie can spaghettify, and freezes time to tell her what he must do. It's there that Sylvie confronts him, telling him that allowing He Who Remains to live robs existence of free will — and she's right. Even with just a Sacred Timeline, existence is still full of death, destruction, suffering, and injustice. And in that moment, Loki understands the choice he must make".

"Without Sylvie's connection to Loki, it would have been easy to allow He Who Remains to live in order to save all of time and space. But Loki's love for Sylvie keeps him from making the hard choice, even if it means saving literally every single life. His love for her also makes him understand that the only choice is to sacrifice himself rather than anyone else. Loki has called himself selfish and untrustworthy, but in the finale he not only selflessly takes on the mammoth task of becoming the person who must hold together the strands of time, but he also is who all existence has to thank for being able to exist. Although Kang is the villain of this era of the MCU, the impact of Loki's transformation into literally Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of life, seems like a story destined for the big screen".

"It's hard to imagine a more fitting ending for the series. And while I personally would have enjoyed a couple more scenes between Loki and Sylvie, the way the show was stitched together deserves some praise. Season 2's finale brings together all the elements of the series and of Loki's life. While the ending itself is poetic, it means that the weight of literally every world now rests on the shoulders of our favorite Norse god".

[metanarrates]

what do you think about the implications that the fourth wall/dokkaebi king is Jesus

i'm not sure it's an important piece of information in itself, frankly! i believe that someone COULD draw out that piece of info and construct a lot of meaning from it, but to me, it's just a fragment of the larger idea. the dokkaebi king is not just jesus - he is a representation of every founding myth and story in all the world.

so he is jesus. he is god. he is lucifer. I'm sure he is also yggdrasil, or the fates from greek mythology, or any other mythological idea that explains how the world is founded. or any important myth, too. I haven't read the epic of gilgamesh, but I would bet real money that something around him at least references it.

it's not even that any of these figures are his real identity, either. it's implied he doesn't quite have one. the way orv's universe functions, everything is just another incarnation of an older and deeper story. the dokkaebi king himself doesn't know where he originated. he is a representation of the concept of "the founding story," if you will. a story that seems responsible for the origin of everything, but is, in itself, a text whose origin is slightly shrouded in mystery. a final boss who seems like he might be responsible for all the world's evils, but who is ultimately a character in a text, and who by definition cannot be the author or reader who made the constructed reality of the fictional world.

I suppose you can draw a savior/jesus story out of his role as the fourth wall, but I also personally don't see it that way. the dokkaebi king represents not just the text of twsa, but literally all literature and mythology. and while he does protect kim dokja in this role, it is not an unambiguously good or healthy thing, as jesus allegories tend to treat the concept of saviorism. since kim dokja uses fiction itself as a coping mechanism to dissociate himself from daily life, the fourth wall becomes his shield. this makes it so the fourth wall represents both fiction itself AND fiction as a coping mechanism AND fiction as a way of understanding and interpreting the world. its a very multilayered allegory. and while orv ultimately settles on his usage of fiction being an overall good thing, it is HIGHLY nuanced and not afraid to point out how the thing that saves him can also be a hindrance at times. which is sort of antithetical to a jesus allegory lol

[medievildead]

Thinking for a moment about it though- Because the events of gow are a separate universe, the death of certain gods happening sooner than intended changed the trajectory of how mythology played out. Because Baldur died earlier than it did in the OG myth, fimbulvinter happened early. Everything happened early. We know that in the dimension of Yggdrasil, the reign of mankind is still blossoming and the age of the vikings has yet to prosper and- by proxy, mortal classism has not yet become heavily implemented among midgardians.

The tale of Heimdall/Rigr's sons occurred when mortalkind was thriving and beginning to form an economy, and Heimdall took it upon himself to visit the "realm of man". During the events of gow, this has not yet happened. In fact it feels implied Heimdall hasn't even stepped foot in midgard yet as he has no need to. So, evidently, Heimdall's sons have not been born. Because they have had no reason to be, there is no current midgardian class system present in the realm for Heimdall- or his unborn sons- to enforce.

It's like a break in spacetime. Because of the premature death of Baldur, certain things haven't happened. Because the real tyr has been locked up all this time, certain things haven't happened. Because Laufey didn't mother Loki until Kratos came around, so many events among the aesir played out differently.

Among these things that bent myth, Heimdall's sons are among the unfortunate cast that never existed. Because Heimdall died in the canon of gow much sooner than anticipated- Midgard never began a proper social class system and economy, so he never got the chance to take the role of Rigr in Midgard, and he never got the chance to seek shelter in mortal homes, and therefore never got the chance to grant children to the women of each home.

So Heimdall's children don't exist. Simply because they never got the chance to in that specific universe. Quite literally, Kratos stepping foot in Midgard changed the trajectory of life forever. Much like how Kratos changed the fate of the olympian gods, he changed the fate of the aesir gods too

And actually, going by this theory, because Karl, Jarl and Thrall have never existed to represent and enforce the socioeconomic-ness of Midgard- in killing Heimdall, Kratos may have inadvertently made the Midgardians communists. And frankly that is the funniest thing to come out of this theory

[apathyandmischief]

I think one of the things that bothers me most about Loki's ending now that I've had time to simmer is that it was just so passive. We get all of this beautiful character development, all of this raw power that he refines over the course of the series (though it was rushed in the last episode in a way that made it feel too convenient, I wish more of the season explored honing his skills), only for him to get a stupidly passive ending. I'm okay with the sacrifice, I'm okay with the solitude. But for him to climb the steps into unknown only to sit on a throne, literally holding together the fabric of time at the center of Yggdrasil? They effectively made our beloved into a zip tie

Edit: my bad. I guess he's a battery. Which is somehow worse?

[bladesofkyber]

I can’t remember if someone else has talked about this, but i’ve got a brain worm so it’s gotta come out:

I cannot stop thinking about how impossibly cruel it is that Freya was banished to midgard; separated from her people, humans, and even her own twin. Freya, as a goddess of fertility, beauty, love, sex, war, gold & seiðr, as well as a leader of the Vanir, would have been surrounded by others. I can’t remember if this is canon or just my HC that i’ve adopted as actual canon, but Freya might have stolen away from her duties as a child to play among the flowers in Vanaheim. It would be a poetic tragedy if the activity she chose as a child became the bane of her adult life.

When Odin bound Freya with the roots of Yggdrasil he took everything from her. Everything that made Freya, Freya was taken away and locked up or given to someone else. She was [just] the Witch of the Woods when we met her, Odin took her entire identity. Her people believed she abandoned them for Asgard; that Freya, ever loyal to Vanaheim, chose the tyrants over her own. No one in Vanaheim knew she was trying to escape back home when Odin trapped her in Midgard.

By the time of the Journey, Freya’s been bound to Midgard for 120 years (per Atreus’ timeline in Lore & Legends.) Almost two whole lifetimes without anyone except Hildisvíni and Chaurli. Stripped of her home, her titles, her friends, her family and her ability to defend herself, Freya is nearly entirely alone and trapped in a realm that is not hers. That’s 120 years without human contact, without touching another person. The woman is literally touch starved, and for a goddess of love, fertility & war? That is devastating.

In Norse mythology, Freya gets half the souls that die in battle and, correct me if i’m wrong, she gets first pick of the souls too. and our Freya no longer has her warriors in Fólkvangr or her valkyries. She is alone. (Sans Chaurli & Hildisvíni, of course)

With her “warrior spirit” taken from her, Freya’s alone & defenseless sans magic to hide herself. She’s been almost neutered in a sense, a forced sterilization as punishment for having the audacity to leave. This leaves her no choice but to further isolate in order to protect herself. The desolation, begun by Odin when he corrupted the valkyries, means the only inhabitants of Midgard are essentially raiders and draugr.

And Freya cannot fight anything. Not even to defend herself.

The cruelty of this act cannot be understated.

[1-xo-xo-xo-7]

Omg, I just got an idea... What if, a Yggdrasil's Chosen AU for our -as of now- favorite God of Mischief?

For some, you all already how he ends up AND THAT DOESN'T BRING ME ANY CLOSURE! At. All. Yes, he may have finally understood his glorious purpose BUT HE JUST WANTS HIS FRIENDS BACK??? HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE ALONE ON HIS THRONE????? He never wanted a THRONE. He just wanted to be someone's EQUAL.

And so, I have come up with an -albeit poorly made and rather erratic- idea. Where Loki is Yggdrasil's Chosen.

During 2012, he already BECAME Yggdrasil to protect everyone he loves, which is great character development, and so, I propose an idea:

BEFORE everything. BEFORE Thanos, Hela, The Dark Elves, and Ultron. BEFORE Thor's coronation. Literally, when Odin picked him up from Jotunnheim, he has seen everything, from his Sacred Timeline's future to his mishap in New York when The Avengers time-traveled, to his Variants future.

...

Loki was already The God of Stories, only Yggdrasil or maybe an external force has chosen him to be given a second chance at finding happiness and closure for his joy-begotten life.

AM I MAKING ANY SENSE?! T-T

Basically, Yggdrasil has chosen her successor to be given at another chance in his life to find happiness. Resulting in a sometimes Jotun-sometimes Aes baby Loki being eerily self-aware of everything from his adopted parents to his very young brother to his very young brother's very young friends and to his surroundings.

But Loki isn't exactly aware of what he knows, he just seems to know certain happenings before it happens and it all just leads to one Odin being confused yet ACTIVELY trying to understand his boy yet it seems his wife already understands so he isn't too worried -Frigga IS known to be The Greatest Sorceress In All The Nine Realms [MY HC], with a penchant for divination- while Thor is just being a doting big brother to his new younger brother despite also being very young himself.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING??? HELP?!?!

I may just snap and write a story of my own. I'm not kidding. I'm THAT desperate. T-T