#i am Mobius TRASH

[bi-mirandalawson]

[inwantofamuse]

I have loved Loki and Tom Hiddleston for almost thirteen years, but I've loved Owen Wilson longer.

LOKI as a series would have been hot garbage trash without Owen Wilson and Mobius.

Who would have been the "it's about who" then ?

I mean, like it or not, stay mad or not. But that man is brilliant and Marvel does not deserve him.

I am not shocked at all that TH is part of What If and OW is not.

Marvel just never learns to use what works.

Anyhoo.

[gyarucoded]

gimme a sec i need to talk about this !!

so i saw a long ass reblog under an anti-sylki blog that started off as something like "actually loki & sylvie has good romance chemistry meanwhile loki & mobius doesn't have any romance chemistry at all"🤓– and in this moment i went "alright best frien i'm not reading all that" then went to block instead of arguing.

didn't try reading that bullshit of a post further either just to anger myself, i know better.

i especially didn't wanna argue cuz i think that was a child..??? (assuming from the miracoulus ladybug theme cuz no adult in their right mind enjoys that trash) but if i'm wrong that just makes it worse tbh, like grown ass ppl who srsly think toxic relationships should be the example of peak romance needs their brain to be studied fr.

i usually try to be respectful for others' opinion but i genuinely can't see where this opinion comes from.

makes no goddam sense to me.

maybe it's cuz i can't view things through a heterosexual lens, maybe not.

who knows?

but...(i won't make this abt lokius but focusing more on the "loki & sylvie" part) this made me wonder like...

what do sylkie shippers even post about?

no i won't check it out myself to spare myself from the headache but do they go "omg today episode's syIkie crumbs was so lovely dovely 🥺" and the crumbs in question is them disagreeing on almost everything and sylvie wanting to avoid loki as much as she can & constantly seeming to be angry at him.

sure, in s1 they did have a couple of cutesy romantic moments like being under blankets despite of them being supposedly immune to cold or the literal kiss but, it truly doesn't take a huge analyzation to realize that this "relationship" became one sided, even in that one little moment when they had to hold hands, sylvie immidiately goes "don't overthink it" like omgggsfg💀😭 and it's also clear that loki eventually got the hint, in ep3 he doesn't try to be with her anymore or gets emotional with her, he silently gave up.

not to mention loki avoiding to mention the kiss, when appearantly the two has nothing to hide? 😕

i don't know where this is gonna be heading off but if they randomly switch up after all this character & dynamic development then i have no hope for marvel's writing team cuz that would basically create a plot hole.

like aside from the psuedo-incest, that used to bother me in season 1 era but now i am concerned more about how this "ship" overall has no appeal, yet some of these ppl genuinely thinks it can work healthily between them and that ppl who are against it are just "petty that their gay ship isn't canon" when there's MORE to this.

in season 2 there's absolutely *nothing* happening with them that would make us, the audience, root for them to be together as a couple like i'm sry.

so yeah you can say i'm doing too much and too crazy over a fictional tv show (yes i know that babes i have full self awareness) but i literally cannot stress enough about how unhealthy it is to think that this is how a good romantic chemistry works.

based on a syIkie shipper's views: we could technically say that me + that one co-worker of mine who we always have disagreements on political stuff with & dislikes me for no reason is my "lover"... since we wanna pretend this is how love works 😀😀 no?

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground Episode 15: Artifact

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

Translation thing here: in my dialect, ‘artifact’ is spelt ‘artefact’. I am absolutely going to switch between the two without meaning to. Sorry.

The plot (for want of a better word): Robotnik claims to have uncovered the spoils of the Mobius spiritual ground Mobo-Pinchu! He tries to sell them off to the aristocrats, but the Sonic Underground have discovered they’re actually old weapons! Can they save the aristocrats and put a stop to Robotnik’s dangerous exploits?

Okay. The last two episodes have been incredibly demotivating. We’re going in with positivity and hope for a proper trashfire, okay? Okay.

“We like to believe the past doesn’t have any effect on us”. WOW. That is not the case anymore and I can’t even blame the writers now I think about it. Things have CHANGED, my friends.

World building, hooray! They’re undercover at a high society party and Sonia is panicking because she knows literally everyone here and isn’t even trying to hide her face. But as Sonic points out, no one even looks at the waitstaff.

I have terrible facial recognition, for the record, so although I do look at waitstaff, I wouldn’t recognise her either. Context matters.

Sonia’s in love with Bartleby +1

Mobo-Pinchu… SIGH. I love it, but SIGH. For the record, Machu-Picchu was an incan settlement with multiple temples, and current theory says it was an emperor’s estate. In Sonic Underground, it’s a lost spiritual centre.

So it’s kind of extremely funny in hindsight that the whole point of this episode is that the Mobo-pinchu artefacts are actually old weapons. It’s probably pretty true to life!

So this whole event is a fundraising event for Robotnik’s SWATbots. “For everyone’s peace of mind and security”. And everyone who doesn’t bid is suspect. Have I mentioned the worldbuilding? Because THIS WORLDBUILDING.

So Sonia apparently attended Mobo University. I remind you, she’s either twelve or sixteen. And she attended university. We smile and nod.

Manic’s black market tendencies Thievery Is A Problem +1

So the artefact is actually a weapon from the ‘last Mobian war’ about 500 years ago. Meanwhile, the other artefact is a still-live bomb that Manic’s contact has just set off. Round of applause for old Mobian tech, still running digital timers after five hundred years.

So the black market contact not only sells to Bartleby (pointing out that Bartleby 100% deals in crime, just quietly), but sells out the triplets because Sonic roughs him up. And he is almost immediately robotocised for it. HAVE I MENTIONED THE WORLDBUILDING.

I love that Bartleby asks Sonia when she’s going to grow up and stop fighting Robotnik. Like this is all teenage rebellion. It’s so perfect on so many levels.

Poor Bartleby’s home… completely trashed by both the Hedgehogs and Sleet. The show implies he deserves it, but I mean… honestly. Poor idiot.

Also, Robotnik threatens Bartleby for going to the black market, not with robotocisation, but telling the other aristocrats he cheated them out of SWATbot protection. The show makes out that this is just Bartleby not being able to go to cool parties, but for an aristocrat who deals in power, this is a HUGE threat. Bartleby is quite rightly horrified at the idea and immediately focusses on going against the Sonic Underground for at least this episode.

Have. I. Mentioned. I. Love. This. Unspoken. Series’. Worldbuilding.

A last minute song to save the day: You Can’t Own Everything. The singing leaves a lot to be desired but the instrumental is a bop! The lyrics themselves are very 80s environmentalism, so we smile and nod.

And… randomly, while escaping, the triplets find the real Mobo-Pinchu. It, unlike the real one, actually is a secret underground temple filled with gold, which the triplets say belongs to the People Of Mobius (and not the Resistance). The implication that I, problem that I am, take away being that they would only claim this treasure once they’re proper royalty again and can use it in actual service of Mobius.

You know, like Robotnik claimed to be doing.

Heheheheh

Anyway. Yes. Thank you, trashfire, I desperately needed this episode after the last couple.

The counters:

Sonic implying less than 100% American heterosexuality: 4

Sonia in love with Bartleby: 4/37

Sonia in love with someone who is not Bartleby: 1/37

Sonia’s got super strength: 3

Manic’s thieving Is A Problem: 3

On to the next.

[allisonreader]

Oh goodness, this just shows how much my brain is Cars trash in accordance to Owen Wilson. I'm watching Loki season 2 and my brain keeps thinking how much Mobius is reminding me of Lightning McQueen and then Loki just had to tell Mobius that "he saw something in himself (Loki), hasn't seen in him (Loki)". So my goodness am I ever just thinking of Mobius as a humanized Lightning McQueen variant.

(@nurfhurdur see where my brain has been lately.)

[lokiinmediasideblog]

The lokius shippers t making me hate mobius more and more. Its like how Taika gpt me to hate korg

Understandable, I'd probably block the tag for him or the ship at that point. Sometimes fandom experiences make you unappreciative of characters. For me, I guess I've experienced that with some Thanos stans I've encountered that constantly trash on Loki.

I don't like Korg either. But I liked Ragnarok and enjoyed the movie when I first watched it after a fight with my brother LOL. I keep thinking of how fitting that was (and we learned we have an older sister around the time the Original Sin (Aldrif/Angela) run was written; I have that in common with them).

I liked that it makes Odin being a shitty parent undeniable. I loved Valkyrie and Hela. I liked the introduction of characters way more powerful than Thor and Loki, such as the Grandmaster, that I can totally use for whump. And it was funny at times. And it seemed like it'd be set up to something cool like Revengers + GOTG. I was pleasantly surprised Loki didn't do something particularly evil, because I was expecting something closer to the comics. And T:TDW and AoU framed Loki's rule ominously. I am still curious at what could have been though.

I do have criticisms regarding TW's humor with the TLAT trailer scene where Thor gets stripped and ogled instead of helped by Valkyrie and Jane. It made them seem like uncaring perverted assholes? I was like, "Thanks for ruining their characterizations. This was gratuitous and unnecessary."

And then I learned there was a deleted scene for Thor Ragnarok where Loki is magically trapped in a portable restroom, can't get out, and men keep entering that I highly doubt the very corporate and family friendly Disney/Marvel asked for and felt spiteful towards the character. Unless there's a receipt Marvel/Disney asked for it, I will consider it spiteful on TW's part rather than Marvel/Disney.

I also liked the deleted scene/alternative to Odin's death more? It's more meaningful, and makes Odin more endearing and seem like he cared about them.

[scribblerlostinspace]

can we just take a moment to appreciate that ✨ the hug ✨ was

ELEVEN SECONDS LONG

loki really went from barely touching anyone to an

ELEVEN SECOND HUG

just like that

[dilfcryptidarchive]

i simply think that in the last episode of loki, mobius should call loki “mischievous scamp” whilst hugging him

[jillianallen14]

My issue with Marvel confirming Loki as bisexual and then immediately putting him in a romance with a woman isn’t because he’s in a relationship with a woman. He’s bisexual. I’M bisexual. So I completely understand bisexuality, and I’m not trying to make the argument that Marvel is erasing his bisexuality. A relationship with a woman would be just as valid as a relationship with a man or a non-binary person. And my issue isn’t with Sylvie as a character or even with Loki x Sylvie as a relationship.

My issue is that the show had already established a flirtatious/potentially romantic connection with a man (Mobius) that was more developed than Loki’s relationship with Sylvie. So them immediately ignoring that to put him in a potential romance with a woman just feels wrong and feels like cowardice. Like they wanted to give representation but only enough to make LGBTQ ppl interested in the show while still relying on so many of the heteronormative tropes that so many other shows fall into.

If Loki had met Sylvie first and they had established a flirtation with her BEFORE they had already established a flirtation with a male character, then I would have no issue with Sylki. But that’s not what happened. They erased what Loki already had with a man in order to introduce this romance with a woman, and that feels wrong to me. That feels like the same kind of crap every other show has done in the past. That’s my issue with this

And if anyone tries to call me biphobic, so help me god. I’m bisexual. I’m a bisexual woman in a relationship with a man who has faced biphobia in my life bc of this. I’m not biphobic, and I’m not angry that Loki’s in a relationship with a woman. What I am is disappointed and angry that Marvel took the opportunity for the first m/m relationship in Marvel that they had already done work to establish and then trashed it. As a bisexual person, I think I have every right to be upset about this. They’re not erasing his bisexuality, but they are erasing an opportunity for more substantial LGBTQ representation.

[illwynd]

Confession: I really like dark ships and messed up content. I was actually kind of excited about the concept of Lokius as a ship till I discovered that for some reason not a single fic is intentionally written as a darkfic. I think Mobius is evil and his treatment of Loki is too. I was ready for the trash party. But his fans treat the ship like it's healthy and what he does to Loki is ok. And I actually find that super triggering. I'm ok with dark content but not when it's presented as fluff!

even though i am pretty much a thorki monoshipper, considering the dark stuff i'm into i cannot criticize anyone for liking dark ships XD plus i mean, thorki can get damn dark too, depending.

and yeah, i hear ya, and i feel ya on how bizarre that is. I did not really seek out fr*stm*ster stuff but i heard that was also a thing that happened with that ship, which baffled the hell out of me and made me avoid it even harder. To some extent that's just fandom for ya, i guess, and you may have to make the content you want to see and just hope that you can drag at least a few likeminded folks along with you. but being skeeved out and utterly confused by horrifying alleged fluff is a fair reaction.

[diamondcitydarlin]

i know its horribly cliche but i am trash and i absolutely need that whole thing with variant!Loki/President Loki/Mobius where President Loki kidnaps or otherwise gets hold of Mobius, uses him as bait to lure Loki and the others to his base of operations (my idea, just a little aside- the void having a centrally located city maybe underground made out of the various detritus and populated by the variants that have fallen through over the years and President Loki presides over this city, luring variants in with the promise of protection from Alioth but then wrangles them into his exploitative work and economy and a city that is ultimately more dangerous than any void dragon) and having sensed the mutual feelings between them uses that knowledge to taunt Loki further while Mobius is like omg don't listen to him but how can Loki not listen to him, this a reflection of himself, of where his darkest impulses led him in a different version of events and it doesn't really matter what President Loki is saying so much as it is him that is saying it, that Loki is essentially having to stand in a mirror and face this side of himself that he both reviles, pities and fears and I'm sure President Loki is well aware he's torturing them both in this way too <3

[fallinwitstyle]

In Your Arms

characters/pairings: Loki / Mobius

rating: general

word count: 4821

summary: Loki and Mobius find one another again in the apolycptic New York and while on the run, share a moment.

Notes: I am such shipper trash and in no way do I think this will happen, ever, but I needed to write some fluff for these two. Hope you enjoy.

Read on A03

They had been running for who knows how long. 

Loki didn't tire as fast as mortals and truly he could have kept running, his determination to escape this hellscape fierce but he was accompanied by a human.

A human man who, by all means, had done very well for himself in keeping up with Loki for as long as he could.

But eventually Mobius was starting to run on empty, his pace slowed and his breathing was far too heavy. 

When Loki looked back at him, his cheeks were red from exertion, and sweat beaded on his forehead. 

He had long since shed his TVA jacket and tie, undid a few buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves.. 

"Loki," he gasped for air and Loki, despite where they were and the situation they were in, still got a little thrill that Mobius was alive and was able to say his name. 

"Loki….hold..." Mobius breathed again and slowly came to a stop and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"Are you alright?" Loki stopped, briefly surveying their surroundings for any signs of danger but quickly turned his attention to his friend. 

He was consistently amazed by how much he actually cared for this man. He could count on one hand how many people he genuinely cared for and all of them, save for Mobius, were gods. 

He had only ever seen human beings as inferior creatures who needed to kneel before him but right from the start Mobius had been different. He never seemed afraid of Loki, he was never intimated, and in fact was almost amused, intrigued and as time drew on, seemed to have some kind of affection for him. 

Mobius panted for a few seconds and Loki watched, his brow furrowed in concern. 

"I just…" he gasped between breaths, and waved a hand. "I need a minute."

Loki frowned and glanced around him. It was getting darker and the other Lokis had warned him of the dangers that lurked in that land. 

They had no protection other than Loki's magic, which could sufficiently protect them but, and he'd be loath to admit out loud, he still felt a little uneasy.

He took a few steps toward Mobius and put a hand on his shoulder and then once more looked around them. 

"Perhaps we should stop here for the evening." Loki suggested, spotting a bit of shelter that would sufficiently keep them safe, at least for the night.

He glanced back at Mobius when the man weakly grabbed onto his forearm. 

His face was pale, despite the pink in his cheeks and his eyes were slightly glazed over. 

"You look like death, Mobius."

Mobius scoffed breathlessly, his lips twitching very slightly at the corners. "Oh thank you."

He wobbled on his feet and Loki tightened his hold on him.

Once Mobius caught his breath, he shook his head, looking up at Loki. "We should keep going."

Loki pressed his lips together and scrunched his nose. "If we do, it leaves me with two options: carrying your dead body or leaving you here. Frankly, neither are attractive options for me."

Mobius blinked up at him and then gave a slight roll of his eyes. "I am not going to die, Loki. I'm a little offended that you don't think I can handle myself."

"I believe you can handle yourself just fine under normal circumstances. However, your body is still recovered from being pruned and we've been on the move for hours. You're only a mortal, you don't have the stamina…"

"Oh spare me the superior god speech…" Mobius breathed out and Loki raised an eyebrow at him. 

"It is the truth."

Mobius continued to glare at him in annoyance and then sighed. 

"If it will make you feel better, then we'll stop."

Mobius came off like he was doing Loki a favor but Loki could see the relief in his face, and felt the way his body relaxed, even slumping forward a little.

"Oh yes, for my sake then." Loki remarked sarcastically and Mobius nodded his head weakly. 

Loki swore the human could sometimes be as stubborn and hard headed as he was, which Loki admittedly admired and the smallest hint of an affectionate smile pulled at his lips, just out of sight of Mobius' gaze as he attempted to straighten himself up and turn.

Loki watched, his brow raised as Mobius began to stagger around aimlessly.

Finally, Loki cleared his throat. "Mobius?"

"Yeah?" Mobius paused and looked back at him and Loki pointed over his shoulder. 

"Shelter's this way."

Mobius grumbled something under his breath and turned on his heel and shuffled back towards Loki. 

The only truly safe space, that wasn't entirely covered by rubble and who knows what else, was a small room just barely big enough for the two of them. 

Mobius immediately took to one wall and let out a groan, his eyes closing, a grimace covering his face as he lowered himself to the ground.

Loki looked around but then decided to take a seat beside him.

Mobius opened his eyes and blinked blearily to Loki. 

"Any more cracks about  human fragility?"

Loki smirked. "Oh I have many. None that I'll say now. For another time perhaps."

Mobius let out a little scoff of a laugh and then leaned forward with a small groan and a large sigh. 

Loki's brow furrowed and he felt an odd pang deep within. Something he was learning was concern. That deep, visceral pain that cut into him. Of course the grief of watching Mobius be vaporized before his eyes thinking he was dead was much worse in comparison but he did care for his health as well. 

Mobius swallowed hard, closed his eyes and tilted his head back to lean against the hard wall. 

"I think perhaps you were right." Mobius muttered softly. 

"Of course.” Loki remarked quickly. “About what?"

Mobius' lips twitched slightly but he didn't open his eyes. "I need to rest. I need to…" he trailed off.

"Rest." Loki surprised himself again with how gentle the command was. "I'll watch over us."

Mobius let out a small hum, but that was the only energy he had left to acknowledge.

Loki kept a watchful eye on him until it seemed he fell asleep. 

Then he let out a small sigh, straightened out his legs and looked out of the small crack in the wall that was letting in what bit of light there was. 

His thoughts drifted - to how they had ended up here, to what the existence of all the other variant Loki's meant, which of course then brought his thoughts to Sylvie.

It wasn't too long ago at all that he was trapped in another apocalypse with her as his companion. 

It somehow seemed fitting he'd end up on some doomed distant moon with another variant of himself and yet somehow wind up on Earth, in New York of all places, with the human responsible for taking him to the TVA in the first place.

Sylvie kept up with him on Lementis. In fact she was very much his equal, perhaps even his superior in some ways. 

She was astounding to him and he wouldn't have minded spending more time with her. 

Having Mobius as a companion was entirely different and by all accounts he should have been annoyed that he had to slow down and take into account a human's shortcomings.

But he wasn't. No, he was entirely too grateful to have Mobius alive to be annoyed with his presence. 

He was extremely irritated, angry even at the TVA and the situation they had put them in but Mobius was just as much of a victim. 

His heart ached at the way Mobius talked about his life before the TVA and how he couldn't remember it. 

Loki vowed to somehow, someway get Mobius to remember. Whether that was somehow finding Sylvie and having her access his memories or learning to do so himself.

He deserved to know the truth. 

Loki suddenly startled when he felt a sudden, solid warmth pressed against his side. 

He turned his head to find that Mobius had leaned in toward him, his head landing on Loki's shoulder, his arm pressing against his. 

Loki stared at the top of his head and his lips parted in slight awe. 

He recalled the brief conversation with Sylvie and how he couldn't let himself fall asleep in her presence because he didn't trust her. 

He knew he had fallen asleep with Mobius before but he was truly stunned that Mobius trusted him enough to not only fall asleep in his presence but seek him out for comfort.

It was a new and thrilling emotion, to have someone so comfortable around him and to be so comfortable around someone else

He had been beginning to feel that way with Sylvie as well but Sylvie was not like Mobius. 

Sylvie was like him and he admired her strength, her determination, her cunning, and wit. She seemed to be the very best parts of him.

Mobius was different- he was human, he was kind, he was good, almost irritatingly so but it was also admirable to Loki and he felt himself drawn to Mobius in a way he had never experienced before. 

He hated the look of disappointment on Mobius' face when he chose to follow Sylvie through the time portal. He hated the anger and betrayal and hurt that Mobius tried to hide when he accused Loki of working with Sylvie...of being in love with Sylvie. 

A ridiculous notion. Loki scoffed to himself and he was loath to admit how much Mobius words to him had stung. Of course he cared for Sylvie. If he knew what love was he might even admit to loving her but not in that way. In the same way he loved his mother. Another being on the same level as him who understood him in a way that no one else could. That was Sylvie.

Sylvie was connected to him, a part of him and he didn't want to let her go but he knew what he felt for her was anything but romantic or even lust, though she was incredibly beautiful, but that was to be expected, as she was, of course, a Loki. 

No, what he felt for Sylvie was nothing like lust and nothing like the warm, soft feeling deep in his belly when he looked down at the man sleeping peacefully on top of him. 

He took a shuddering breath and cleared away those thoughts before he allowed his mind to go there. Those thoughts were frightening and just a little too much to deal with. 

He'd much rather just enjoy this rare moment of peace and comfort beside a man who seemed just as content to be with him. 

He knew he promised Mobius he would keep watch but as the hours drew on, and he reveled in the warmth of the body beside him, he slowly found himself drifting. 

He used just a little bit of magic to shield their little shelter and then closed his eyes, his head leaning to the side until his cheek was pressed lightly against Mobius' soft hair. 

He inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of smoke and sweat and the faintest hint of the most bland shampoo in the universe. 

He tensed only for a moment as Mobius shifted against him but he only moved closer, his hand lightly falling against Loki's thigh. 

A small smile tugged at the corners of Loki's lips and he allowed himself to get lost in the moment, even if it was just going to be just this once. He clung onto it and sank into it, the feeling of Mobiua warm beneath him and slowly drifted off to sleep. 

--

Mobius felt like he was hit by a train. 

He had had particularly arduous missions that left him tired, chasing Variants through time but nothing like this. 

His mouth and throat was so dry that it hurt to swallow.

His whole entire body ached down to his bones and he felt completely drained. 

His head pounded as if there were a thousand hammers trying to knock out his skull.

He now regretted ever having anyone pruned, not only because of what the TVA was, how they had stolen his life, but because it was not an experience he would wish on anyone. 

Yet despite all of this pain, he felt strangely comforted.

His eyes seemed glued shut so he dare not try to open them yet.

As his mind woke up he began to feel his surroundings, it was hot and humid, and there was a tinge of smoke in the air. 

He could feel that he was lying against something solid, yet soft and warm and there was a comforting pressure against his head. 

Loki. He suddenly realized and his chest tightened. 

He finally managed to crack open his eyes and blinked past the initial blurry vision. 

His eyes scanned the area, dimly lit by that smoky haze. 

He vaguely remembered stopping there for the night, but he had been so far past the point of exhaustion that everything was a blur. 

He cast his gaze downward and his heart leapt when he found his hand rested on Loki's thigh and what's more, Loki's hand lightly covered his own. 

He realized then that while he had fallen asleep against Loki, Loki had also fallen asleep against him. 

He was beginning to feel the ache in his neck and back from his position but he didn't want to move. He knew as soon as he did Loki would also wake up and he wanted to marvel in this moment for a little while. 

Loki - the God of mischief. The variant he took control over, the narcissistic, infuriating being who tested his patience at every turn.

Loki had fallen asleep in front of him before, a few times in those early days when they were scouring through files, searching for the other Loki variant. 

However, Loki had never fallen asleep beside him, holding him even. Protecting him, just as he said he would.

Loki's promise had suddenly come to him and his chest tightened again. 

He'd never forget Loki's cry as he was pruned, never forget the look of awe and relief on his face when he saw him again, the smile that lit his face. 

Whatever transgressions Loki had committed against him, the betrayal of leaving him to chase after the Variant - Sylvie - were all forgiven. 

The last thing Loki had said to him before they were confronted by the TVA was the promise of friendship and this time, perhaps despite his best instincts, he believed him.

And so far, Loki hadn't done anything to lose his trust. He stuck by his side, made certain he was alright and watched over him, all the with the air of genuine concern.

Loki easily could have made his escape. Left him behind without a second thought but he didn't. He sat down beside him and went to sleep, holding onto his hand like he wanted to do the very opposite of run away - as if he was holding onto Mobius with all he had. 

The thought warmed something inside of him - sparked the ever growing flame of fondness he was gaining for this Loki. 

Someone good. 

He knew he could have stayed there for hours, his head rested comfortably on Loki's chest. 

That is where he was, he realized, when he became aware of the soft thumping of Loki's heart beneath his ear. 

He couldn't remember the last time he had been this close to another being. Certainly never at the TVA and before that…

His stomach twisted at the harsh reminder that he knew nothing of his life before the TVA. His only memory was that of a jetski and it only came in his fascination with them. He didn't know if he had ever ridden one. 

Finally the ache in his neck became too painful to stay where he was and he slowly lifted his head. 

Just as he suspected, Loki's head shot up, his body tensing as he leapt to the defensive. 

"It's only me." Mobius croaked and winced at his scratchy and sore throat. 

Loki turned his gaze downward to him and instantly relaxed.

Mobius was still aware that their hands were still together on Loki's lap but he couldn't keep his eyes off of Loki's face. 

His eyes were tired which put just a touch of humanity in him but he was most certainly a god and most certainly looked like one. 

Mobius took in a breath and finally broke their gaze and slid his hand away into his own lap. 

Loki's brow pressed together, his lips pursing as he looked down at his own lap. His fingers stretched where Mobius hand had been under his and then he clenched them in a slight fist. 

He forced a tight, small smile to his lips and looked back at Mobius.

"You stayed." Mobius said quietly, looking back up at Loki and his breath caught again at the look in his eyes. 

His gaze had softened, a rare look on Loki but one he had been seeing more and more often, particularly directed at him. 

"Of course." Loki answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, like he hadn't been known for consistently stabbing people, Mobius included, in the back. 

There was a smirk on Loki's lips but he said with utter sincerity, "I'm not going to abandon you."

Mobius mouth went impossibly dryer and he couldn't speak, just stared at this marvelous being in wonder. 

"Not when you cannot fend for yourself." Loki continued and Mobius released a breath. 

"You still look utterly horrible."

Mobous clenched his jaw and attempted a swallow but his throat was like sandpaper and he only winced and Loki frowned. 

His hand lifted and hovered in the air, almost looking like he was going to reach out to grab Mobius but then his hand fell back to his lap with a small sigh. 

"I'm fine." Mobius insisted, his voice barely recognizable to his own ears and he knew that he wasn’t. His whole body felt like it could combust any moment if he moved.

Yet still he tried. He attempted to push himself up but his head spun and his legs shook and he fell back down. 

Loki's hand did move that time, pressing a steady hand to his back which then slid around his middle to rest on his side.

Mobius closed his eyes tightly, holding his breath while the world spun around him and his stomach churned. 

"I very much doubt that." Loki commented but he could hear the concern in his voice. 

"What do you need?" Loki's voice was quiet at his ear and though he dare not open his eyes to look at his companion, Loki's presence was comforting. 

"Water." He rasped and rested his head between his knees as waves of nausea rolled over him.

"Right." Loki muttered and then his hand was gone from Mobius. He sat in silence, concentrating on his breathing and trying not to throw up, vaguely wondering where Loki was going to find water.

He jumped, letting out a painful screech as suddenly ice cold water poured over him like the heavens had opened up in a personal rain cloud above him.

His head shot up and he ignored the splitting headache and glared in disbelief at Loki. 

The god was standing beside him impishly, his hands hovering in the air where he had conjured the water. 

"To drink, Loki." Mobius hissed at him as the water trickled down his back.

Loki raised his brow. "But do you not feel better?"

Mobius opened his mouth to yell at him but instead took a few seconds to take in what he was feeling. The cold water not only cooled his body but shocked his system back to somewhat functional. His head was still pounding but he no longer felt nauseous and could focus on something other than his pain. 

He huffed, pressing his lips together and ran a hand over his face, pulling the water down from his hair and towards his chest. 

"A little warning would have been nice." He grunted. 

Loki merely shrugged but then waved his hands again and in them appeared a small container of water. 

He extended it toward him and Mobius eyed it suspiciously. 

Loki rolled his eyes at his hesitance. "I'm not going to poison you Mobius. If I wanted you dead there are a million other ways I'd do it."

Mobius lifted his eyebrows at that.

"I won't." Loki quickly added. "But I could."

"I don't believe you would intentionally poison me." Mobius said and the surprised look of what might almost be joy in Loki's eyes made his heart soar. "But in case you haven't noticed, we're in an apocalyptic wasteland. I don't think anything is safe to consume here."

Loki gave him a small smile and extended hisnhand further. "Trust me."

Mobius' got a taste of the water that dripped off his nose onto his bottom lip and was too parched to think about it further. There were worse ways to die he supposed.

He eagerly grabbed it from Loki and at first took a cautious sip but once the cool water hit his throat, he guzzled the rest of it down.

"Thank you." 

He looked back up at Loki and Loki's hand was still outstretched, now palm up for him to take. 

He placed his hand into Loki's and Loki helped him up. He got a brief flash of memory of their first day at the TVA and how Mobius had done the same for him. Their eyes met and Mobius could tell he was remembering the same moment. 

"Like I said…" Loki started, his eyes never leaving his. "I don't feel like carrying around your dead body."

Mobius lifted his brow, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Is that the only reason?"

There was a flash of something in Loki's eyes that made his stomach flip. Then Loki blinked and his smirk returned to his lips. 

"Should there be another reason?"

Mobius shook his head slightly, pulling his hand out of Loki's and moving it to his hair. He quickly rubbed the water out of it and got a little burst of amusement at the droplets of water that sprayed across Loki's face. 

Loki shot him a faintly annoyed look, a few drops of water rolling down his cheeks.

Mobius chuckled lightly and taking a quick, deep breath, then moved to swiftly wipe then away with his knuckles.

Loki reared back in surprise at the sudden contact and Mobius swore he could have heard his breath catch and stutter. His eyes widened slightly and his eyes followed Mobius' hands as he then patted Loki's chest. 

"Well, friends do typically care for each other's needs."

Loki visibly swallowed and his eyes drifted back to Mobius’ and his gaze softened once more and Mobius felt his heart ache just a little.

Loki always seemed so surprised by gentle, intimate, genuine touches and words and Mobius made it his goal to make sure he did those things more often around Loki. Especially if it earned him the look Loki was giving him now. 

"Yes." Loki murmured slowly, as if he was just realizing this fact.

He realized then that his hands were still resting on Loki's chest. He gave Loki another small knowing smile and then began to pull away but Loki's hands quickly shot up and brought them back. 

Mobius blinked at him, his eyes widening slightly and Loki stared back at him, just as wide-eyed. 

"Mobius….I…" he choked over his words, his mouth hanging slightly open and Mobius smiled at him. 

"I understand Loki. You don't have to say anything."

Loki's brow pressed together and he shook his head. "But I do because I've...I've never had anyone to ever say anything to and now that I do…" he trailed off again and something warm flourished inside Mobius chest as he stared at the god in anticipation.

Loki's face scrunched in slight frustration and he tilted his head up as he searched for the right words. 

Feeling just a little bit daring, Mobius lifted one hand to Loki's cheek and pulled his attention back to him. Their eyes locked and Mobius gave him an encouraging nod. 

Loki was silent for another few seconds, his eyes exploring his. 

"Whatever you need to tell me, Loki, I'm listening."

Loki opened his mouth, taking a breath and then closed it again. His eyes quickly darted back and forth as he clearly argued with himself about something and then he quickly grabbed a hold of Mobius' shoulders. 

Mobius brow shot up and he opened his mouth to question Loki when he was suddenly silenced by Loki's mouth upon his. 

He froze in pure shock but then quickly felt himself melting into the kiss. 

He wouldn't deny that it had crossed his mind once or twice what it would be like but all of his fantasies paled in comparison to the feel of the pressure of his lips, the burning of his hands against his shoulders, the heat that grew within.

It was over just as nearly as it had begun and Mobius was left wobbling on his already weakened legs. His mouth still hung open as he blinked up at Loki. 

His eyes were alive with a spark of desire, and awe and surprise of his own actions. His intense eyes burned into him and he was breathless as he stared back. 

"You are perhaps one of the most irritating and stubborn humans I've ever met." Loki said and mobius blinked a few times, trying to connect his actions with the words. 

"Extremely complimentary Loki…" he breathed.

"I'm not finished." Loki cut him off and Mobius shut his mouth, staring at him silently. 

"I have never encountered a man like you before. You never give up - even on someone like me."

Mobius pressed his lips together in a slight smile. "You're worth it." He said quietly and Loki's eyes widened and he took a breath. 

"You are the only one to ever think so." His voice broke a little as he spoke and Mobius' thumb brushed across his cheek and Loki shuddered beneath the intimate gesture. 

He took a steadying breath and grabbed Mobius’ hand in his. 

"I've never cared about anyone, not really, but somehow you...you...you and all your ridiculous human quirks…." He shook his head and lifted his head. "I find myself caring more than I ever thought I could and it's...very unusual."

"It's good, Loki.” Mobius countered. “Embrace it. You don't have to hide your feelings with me. I promise, no matter what, you are safe with me."

Loki stared at him in awe, searching his eyes for any sign of deception but he'd find none and his eyes began to glisten. 

"You know…" Loki spoke finally, his voice slightly raspy. "I rather think I like you."

Mobius laughed quietly and glanced down wrinkles and then back up at him. "I rather think I like you too. For everything you are, Loki."

Something flashed in Loki's eyes again and he leaned forward toward him when a large explosion suddenly shook the small, faulty shelter they were standing in. 

They fell into one another, Mobius pressing himself against Loki's chest while one of Loki's arms surrounded his back and the other slid to the back of his head securing him to him. 

They closed their eyes as rubble fell around them and Loki created a bubble of protection around them. 

"I think we'd better keep moving." Loki said, once they opened their eyes and found themselves standing in a pile of rubble, now exposed to the smoky open air. 

Mobius frowned as he looked around them, suddenly reminded of where they were and how much danger they were in. 

A brand new cloud of smoke was billowing in the distance, rising from the explosion caused by who knows what. 

"I think you're right."

Loki turned to him, a serious look in his eyes. "I will get us out of here, Moby. Whatever it takes."

Mobius' heart flipped at the nickname. Loki certainly wasn't the first one to use it but it held something special coming from him. 

Mobius nodded hisbhead and lowered his hand, grasping Loki's in his tightly. "I'll be right by your side through it all."

Loki's eyes flashed, a mischievous glint that Mobius had seen countless times but it was accompanied by a certain fondness that was absent before and then he smirked, tugged at his hand and they were off again, prepared to face anything together. 

[discoscoob]

I also think, if Mobius was played by anyone else besides Owen Wilson, he might not have gotten to be the fan favorite or at very least, Lokius would not have been such a big crack ship.

Like, so many of Loki and Mobius's scenes together underline and empathize the uncomfortable power imbalance between the two of them. And Mobius' treatment of Loki (while Loki was his prisoner) was exactly the most ethical.

Plus, their connection was not really that special and deep, i see them as those middle-aged co-worker kind of friends (its not me trashing Lokius, shipping them is ok but i do think some stans exaggerate their bond or make it out to be something it is not).

But Owen Wilson is just so very charming (i got reminded of my teenage crush on him yup) that the problematic nature of Mobius goes over the stans' heads.

Same goes with Jonathan Majors who was just fantastic. He pulled Kangs' "chill and goofy" act so flawlessly that even the audience decided this literal dictator was cool and right (I'm telling you, he is the only mcu villain i have been so intrigued by).

That’s undeniable. Especially if Mobius was played by a woman. I am not against their friendship but I agree with you that it isn’t all that deep and I think that the interest relies on fans adding their own context to their scenes. Such as Mobius sending Loki to the time cell, I lost count of the amount of times fans were like “he could’ve sent Loki anywhere, but he sent him to Asgard 😢” he sent him to be repeatedly hit in the family jewels and told he would always be alone, I’m not trying to sound anti or anything but realistically I just can’t see what kind about that? If he truly cared in the nature which they suggest he could’ve sent him to see his mother telling him he could be whoever he wanted to be or something?

But I have to praise Jonathan’s acting abilities, he is definitely going to be the most intriguing and interesting marvel villain to date. I love Kang already, but I love him for how unhinged and terrifying he is, I can still recognise that he is 100% in the wrong for what he did and there is no justifying it and honestly anyone who tries to justify it is just repeating facist ideologies so check yourselves on that one.

These people on twitter and stuff appear as though they strive to be as left wing as they can be, yet I’ve seen a surprising amount side with a fascist tyrant over a rebel who wanted to bring down his regime.

If a situation like this happened in real life, they’d be calling people siding with Kang problematic, they’d be the Sylvie’s. I’m confused how the concept went straight over so many people’s heads, just because of Jonathan’s charming and charismatic performance.

[mostthingskenobi]

I am totally annoyed that I can no longer research things about ancient Atlantean brothers, Norse gods, and Mobius strips without having to sift through a massive trash pile of Marvel and DC content. Our historical culture and mythology has been appropriated by a million different Disney mini series.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

If You’re a Robot and You Know It, Clap Your Hands

Fandom: Loki Characters: Sylvie, Ravonna, B-15, Mobius Rating: G Word Count: 1774

Summary: Sylvie faces off against Ravonna while Mobius hangs out in post-prune purgatory with... himself?

“You’re more stoic than he was,” Ravonna noted, nodding at the empty air between them where Loki had lately stood.

Why the taunting, Sylvie wondered. Who was there left for Ravonna to impress? Her subordinates were all dead or unconscious, Loki was gone, the animatronic lizards who were not in fact ruling rigidly over time sat slumped in their seats. There was only Sylvie. Even when she had been a child, thin arm in the grip of a stone-faced woman in black armour like the shell of a beetle, Sylvie had not felt so alone with Ravonna as she did in this moment. It made her very angry. She would much rather have been alone with herself.

“How do you know how stoic Loki looked?” Sylvie spat. “You pruned him in the back!”

Ravonna tilted her head, glowing baton still raised.

“I don’t mean in the face of his own erasure from existence, I mean watching someone he cared about disappear.”

Sylvie’s expression had been hard—more than once, to get by, she’d imagined herself protected by that beetle armour from her childhood, closing her vulnerable parts away behind a scowl—but it slackened slightly in confusion.

“Agent Mobius,” Ravonna explained impatiently. There was a twitch of her eyelid that Sylvie caught and homed in on.

“They were friends,” she said slowly. Then, she stared hard into the Judge’s eyes. “You were friends. You and Mobius. You killed him?”

“I didn’t! I—”

“You had someone else do it?” Sylvie narrowed her eyes scornfully.

With an irritated groan, Ravonna lunged for her, but Sylvie hopped backwards over the head of the fake Time Keeper. She looked down and Ravonna followed her gaze, distracted from her attack by the sight of rubbery faux-flesh and protruding, crackling wires.

“And this?” Sylvie asked quietly, trying not to spook the woman with the weapon. “Did you have a hand in this deception? I never sensed it in you.”

Ravonna scoffed and looked away from the head on the floor.

“You were a child.”

“I was a Loki,” Sylvie snapped back.

Saying that name—the name she’d rejected but never forgotten, the name that had also been his—jolted her into action once more. She wedged the toe of her boot beneath the Time Keeper’s decapitated head and flipped it up, striking Ravonna in the stomach. The Judge folded forward and defensively swept the baton in a wide arc. Sylvie stepped out of the weapon’s path, not anticipating the way Ravonna swung her arm quickly back to hit her with the non-pruning end of the rod; she hadn’t been a Hunter in who knew how long, but she clearly hadn’t lost her skill with the tools of the trade.

The blunt end thudded into Sylvie’s ribs.

She was knocked back, but when Ravonna advanced, Sylvie’s hand shot up to grab the baton, hauling the Judge forward. Unbalanced, Ravonna was no challenge to send sprawling at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Time Keepers’ dais. She landed awkwardly. Sylvie breathed hard as she wrenched the baton completely free of Ravonna’s hold and went to retrieve her sword as well.

As she then moved to assess B-15, who was rising shakily to her knees, Sylvie never put her back to Ravonna. Pruned in the back. What a Loki death.

“You alright?” she asked B-15 softly.

The Hunter grunted and allowed Sylvie to support her into standing.

“Better if I knew where to go from here.”

“Let me worry about that,” Sylvie said.

Ravonna struggled to her own feet and Sylvie held the baton at arm’s length between them, keeping the Judge at a distance while B-15 opened the door behind them.

“Ah ah ah,” Sylvie warned archly, chin and eyebrows raised in impish caution. “You stay here and play with your robots.”

“This is temporary,” Ravonna said as Sylvie edged back through the open door.

Sylvie performed her signature cocked head and smirk.

“Isn’t everything?”

The second they were out of the Time Keepers’ chamber, B-15 slammed the doors and leaned into them, as if Ravonna would imminently begin trying to break them down from the inside. Which Sylvie supposed she might. She really almost admired Ravonna—or would have if the Judge hadn’t ruined her entire life.

She stared at the door handles, then at each of the weapons she held in her hands. Sword or baton, sword or baton? With a deep breath, Sylvie jammed the blade of her sword through the handles to bar the door, electing to keep the baton close. Though it was a less familiar weapon, she was nothing if not highly adaptable. Besides, touching the glowing end of the rod to a person was certainly more efficient than dispatching them with a blade. She wasn’t sure how many TVA workers they would encounter before they were out of here. This place and this time. Keeping the baton was the right choice.

She stole a last glance at the sword. Another little piece of herself left behind.

At the sound of reinforcements headed towards them, she and B-15 hurried away from the chamber.

“She used to be a Hunter,” B-15 said, shaking her head as they strode down the corridor, “like me.”

“I suppose she might have been like you at some point,” Sylvie said. She was interpreting the words a little differently. “I wonder when she stopped.”

“Do you?”

“Not really. I can trust you but not her.” Sylvie shrugged as she walked. “That’s about all I need to know.”

“Do you trust me?”

“I have to.”

“Same for me. Though I can’t say my faith in allies hasn’t been shaken recently,” B-15 said sarcastically. “The Time Keepers aren’t real, Ravonna’s been helping to cover up the truth, and I wasn’t even created here! I probably had to go through that degrading process of having my clothes zapped off!”

“Probably. I didn’t think you’d want to see that as a prioritized memory,” Sylvie said, half-apologetic. While they’d stood in the torrential rain outside Roxxcart, she’d allowed a highlight reel of memories to flash through the Hunter’s mind.

“You know, I always found it kind of strange that one of the few tests we run in this department is to judge whether or not someone is secretly a robot. I guess whoever designed the Time Keepers got paranoid.”

“Whoever that person is, paranoia is the least of their worries.”

“True,” B-15 agreed as she produced a TemPad. “Now, they’re going to have to deal with us.”

“If they’re still out there somewhere and not dead like Loki and Mobius,” Sylvie said bitterly. She flipped the TemPad open and programmed their destination.

“Maybe they aren’t dead. We’ve been misled about everything else. Maybe everyone who’s ever been pruned just ends up someplace… else.”

“It’s no place I’ve ever been.”

“Yet,” B-15 said.

The Time Door appeared before them. Pounding footsteps raced against Sylvie’s accelerating heartbeat as she prepared to step through and leave this place behind. They had to go now, her and her one ally. She couldn’t get above one ally these days. It was better than none.

“Yet,” Sylvie agreed.

—

Meanwhile in Jet Ski Land…

“That’s why I always felt such an affinity for that Earth actor,” Mobius said. “I am Owen Wilson. Or was.”

He dug his bare toes deeper into the slightly rocky beach and watched the slow wash of trash along the shore. It was almost nice here, but not quite. Not a place to stay. Everything inside him had already been screaming that. A lifelong (in this life, anyway) bureaucrat, he’d never felt such restlessness.

“Am… was… what does it matter?” the man next to him asked rhetorically.

He was also Mobius. No, Mobius was him. No, that wasn’t right, they were both Owen Wilson. Variants of him. But this man had shaggy blond hair where Mobius had been grey for as long as he could remember. Also, he appeared to be the only Owen Wilson in sight who had a mustache and he was a little proud of that. Probably stupidly, but it was helping him hold on to his sense of identity in the presence of so many hims.

They were on the beach around him, sitting in the dunes behind him, swimming in the water in front of him. One of the Owens was freaking parasailing through the air up above while another Owen drove the boat that towed him.

“How long have you guys been here?” Mobius asked in awe.

“You know, it’s hard to say,” Owen said, folding his arms thoughtfully. “It’s tough to figure out exactly how time flows here. A little like what you were describing, with your experience at the TVA.”

“Have you gotten to know everybody?”

“Oh yeah, they’re good guys. And all of us Owens are naturally social.”

“What about that one?” Mobius asked, pointing. He could hear the raw admiration in his own voice as the geriatric Owen he’d indicated revved his jet ski, bouncing over the low swells of the turquoise water.

“One of our actors. He was in the middle of filming a movie in Indonesia before he ended up here. Played an international, jet ski-riding spy in sort of a buddy comedy. Eighty-three years old and still a star.”

“What? That sounds incredible! What the heck happened?”

“Well,” Owen told him with a grimace, “the tsunami of 2051.”

“Right,” Mobius said, recalling the list of 21st-century apocalyptic events he and Loki had so recently sifted through together.

“He wasn’t supposed to survive the wave. The film crew had tethered him to the jet ski for safety while they were shooting and, as far as Owen can guess, that should’ve been enough to kill him. That’s what the TVA was counting on. They had to bring him in when he didn’t drown.”

“What a story though! That old Owen is one tough nut!”

“I know!” Owen gushed proudly.

Mobius shook his head in amazement, scanning the water. His gaze landed on something he couldn’t immediately understand.

“And what’s that?” he asked.

“That’s jet-ski Owen.”

“I thought the old guy was jet-ski Owen.”

“Nah, that one’s Owen on a jet ski. This one’s Owen as a jet ski.”

The riderless craft surged across the water until the speed had its front end lifting high off the surface. With a glorious final burst, it escaped the water entirely, executing a barrel roll in midair before touching down once more.

Mobius felt the praise leave his own lips and heard it echoed up and down the beach by all other versions of Owen Wilson in attendance: “Wow.”

[qwanderer]

Loki in the Hall of Mirrors

This story is complicated. Not, like, as a plot, not particularly, but philosophically and thematically. It's got that great play of hero against villain that I love about the Loki story in general and that makes it all so divisive and messy. And I love it even more than I did on first watch.

The first time I watched the desert landing scene, I was like, "Wait? What happened to Allspeak?" because the people who live there don't seem to understand him. But on the second watch, I realized it could be a lack of context, rather than a break in translation. These people probably have an even chance of knowing nothing about Norse myth. Like, what if an alien came up to you and said "I am Boogle of Bofgar, I carry a burden"? You would still have questions like "What the hell is a boogle and why are you carrying your shit here?" So the basic dynamic of Allspeak is probably still functioning, and Loki probably understood their questions, but he was still trying to figure out how to answer when he got distracted by the TVA people.

It could even be an innate psychic ability rather than a magical one, as he seems to understand everyone in the TVA, including the man who can't be fluent in all languages like the field agents because he has never heard of a fish and the seemingly nonverbal robot. (Which of course makes me want Loki talking with Dum-E and the other shop bots! But I digress.)

Okay. I want to start talking about the next-level manipulation shit the TVA are pulling on Loki here. Time, as they say, moves differently in the TVA, and one might even assume that they can avoid having to deal with more variants at once than they can handle. And yet we see them dealing with exactly two other troublemakers during Loki's onboarding.

The first, I'm going to call little echo man.

Little echo man is incredibly annoying to Loki, because he does and says everything Loki might find himself inclined to do and say if he wanted to be difficult. Little echo man does these things in little annoying undignified ways, making them look silly and petulant. Little echo man protests and questions and pushes back, in his business suit and his long dark hair and pale skin, and clearly thinks everyone should treat him as important even though every indication is that he is an annoyance and an afterthought.

Perhaps he's a plant, and perhaps he's just a variant of an annoying but predictable regular they see who they lined up at the same time on purpose. But he is on purpose. Everything he does screams directly at Loki, "Don't do this."

We'll get to the second convenient intersection later.

The most obvious layer of manipulation is simply the beraucracy. They put him up against a series of obstacles which he needs to deal with to get anywhere else, and nothing he does can get him past those obstacles except compliance. All of these obstacles have personality, but they are not personable. They treat Loki like a bag of trash they have been tasked with taking to the curb. Annoying, distasteful, but ultimately routine. His silver tongue isn't going to get him anywhere because these people simply don't care.

I think a lot of these he just goes along with to see where it gets him, since at this point he still believes he has his magic in reserve. But the fact that he steps through the robot fryer even though he thinks he might be a robot without knowing (as others have pointed out, he spent thousands of years as a frost giant without knowing it, and he's recently spent time in the control of the being who shaped Nebula) is a testament to how deep they've already got their hooks in him.

They treat the robot fryer like it's routine, but come the next obstacle, they kill little echo man like it's routine, too. Because he didn't comply.

Loki is slowly being ironed flat to thread into their compliance mill.

And then - I love this, because it reminds me of one of my favorites among the multiplicity of Lokis, GoS!Loki - they put this line in as punctuation between the impersonal, compliance, don't phase of their manipulation and everything that comes after it.

When he's set before the judge, someone actually paying some attention to him, this is his chance to use his silver tongue on someone who will listen. But, although the judge listens, she treats him the same as all the other obstacles have - like listening is a distasteful chore she would like to be done with.

So it seems like the perfect moment for a dramatic escape. Except his magic is gone.

"It's not your story," the judge says. "It never was."

That hammers in all the worst things Loki has ever believed about himself - that he stands in the shadows of others, that he will never have the central place he was raised to desire, that he is, and always will be, a villain to be vanquished rather than a person with choices and agency.

Enter Mobius.

Mobius is a big echo.

He draws all the attention in a room. He is everything that Loki wishes to be - he is powerful, informed, prepared, in control. Capable of charming the judge. And most importantly, he is actively interested in Loki.

At this point in Loki's journey - both in the show and in his life - that has to be irresistible.

So Mobius is in a perfect position to wrap Loki right around his pinky finger.

He listens to Loki without shutting him down, the way all the obstacles have. When Loki tells Mobius he's going to burn down the TVA, Mobius suggests a couple of places he might want to start. One concrete, small, mischievous. One an indication that he's open to Loki doing larger, more significant things here in the future.

He shows Loki his own past and future - but carefully edited, to paint a particular picture.

So many echoes, so many reflections - Loki is in a house of mirrors. Lost, disoriented. Distorted one way, then the other. Magnified and examined.

Loki snarks, and Mobius comments, "Makes you sound smart." Affirms Loki for that little mischievous bit of personality.

Mobius shows Loki some of the most terrible things he's done, and questions them. Pushes Loki away from them. Then changes direction before he can get too heavy-handed, to basically fangirl over the DB Cooper adventure. That's mischief. That's good. I like that.

Punishes him for a small infraction, just to remind him who is in control and that even looking threatening could be seen as a problem.

I think it was at about this point that I got hard reminded of the dynamics of the show White Collar. It's a buddy cop show on a basic level and sometimes the relationship can be very sweet, but sometimes Peter spends one too many times reminding Neal that he can send him back to prison any time he wants and the power dynamic shows its messed up edges.

Mobius is part of the machine, and the machine is doing terrible things to Loki, but I have at least a sliver of hope that the relationship could gain more balance - more genuine balance, not based on the faux freedom that Loki has gained by the end of the episode. There's something to be said for making changes to a system from within that system, but for that to be meaningful change, Mobius would have to change as a person.

Anyway, this current nastily powerful Mobius pushes Loki as hard as he can, and then is conveniently interrupted by the actions of another variant, leaving Loki alone with his remote.

It could easily have been on purpose. The only thing Loki learns by escaping that room is that the TVA is more powerful than any force in the universe, in his experience.

Let's talk about the other Loki variant for a minute. It took me until the second viewing to realize the symbolism of leaving a small child the only survivor in a place of worship, then giving her something to turn her blue.

Odin said he found Loki in a temple, in the aftermath of a battle.

It's actually frighteningly easy to imagine how a distraught Loki could get to a place where he feels the need to genuinely burn down the TVA, and kill every agent in it. Because the TVA put certain clips in his little future show, focusing on the death of his mother, the way his own actions affected it, and the futility and brutality of his own death at the hands of Thanos.

They don't show him the destruction of Asgard, his own role in helping save the evacuees, and the way Thanos decimated the population of that transport before it could even reach Earth. They don't show him the devastation of his home or his capacity to do good.

A Loki who knows that the power of the TVA exists and that he has the capacity to be Asgard's heroic savior would do anything to get that power and save his people.

But we haven't met that Loki yet. I'm sure we will, and it's going to be exhilarating.

This Loki is being taught the importance of control over little things, and so when he gets his collar off and onto that guard, he toys with her, just to see that he can. They have been toying with him and it's oh so satisfying to turn the tables. But it's still compliance in its own way, the petty little mischief that Mobius has been steering him towards.

Loki has been given just enough freedom, just enough choices, that it seems like his own choice to watch the rest of the slide show and come to the obvious conclusion - there's no "out" to go to. His life has gone on without him, and ended. And there's really no point in his trying to fix it. No putting things back the way they were.

So he admits to Mobius - the person who has listened hardest, probably, besides his mother - he admits that he is small and scared and lashing out. That he doesn't know what to do.

Of course, this is when Mobius introduces the task the TVA has for Loki - to take down his other self.

Oh, I can't wait for the next episode! I want to know where this is going.

(I've popped in some panels from Loki: Agent of Asgard because it's my favorite and the show is giving me feelings about it.)