#it was a pleasant surprise

[martianbugsbunny]

Let's talk about Loki! Under the cut for the sake of those who have not yet seen Episode 2.

OKay so to start with, overall this episode of Loki was a pleasant surprise. Loki himself got to be serious and powerful and I enjoyed that. He's finally had a chance to shine in his own series. The way he played with magic, especially with the shadows at the beginning, was absolutely stunning, and I'm glad we're finally diving into his magical abilities more. He had just the right amount of menace in his interactions with Brad, and the way he was softer and rather understanding when Mobius flipped out was a wonderful counterbalance. So far I'm liking this version of Loki where he's threatening to his opponents but genuinely caring towards his people, and I think whoever was in charge of writing him in this episode did an excellent job reinjecting some nuance and some authority into his character.

Mobius was a little weird at certain points; he's been an analyst for like a bajillion years or something so I think in-character he should've been able to handle reading the guidebook, but honestly he had a decent showing too. Using him as the levity...it's not a horrible decision if it's not going to become a recurring theme, because I don't want him to get dumbed-down, which he's not so far; his deducing that there was set-up was quite clever and I didn't see it coming. It worked in this episode partially because he was also doing some smart stuff, but also because it was offset by the bits of temper and vulnerability he displayed, which were both very well done in my opinion. It actually added another dimension to his character that I really like, and I think addressing that he's more afraid of "what if the life I was supposed to have is good?" than if it was bad is an interesting take, especially considering he seems to be in the camp of "it may be the life I was supposed to have, but it's not my life," because it's good for the show to be exploring those different avenues for the TVA workers, and because it makes Mobius a more unique person himself. I'm also kind of enjoying his little ruthless streak, ngl.

I like the dynamic Mobius and Loki have together right now. Them eating pie together and talking about Mobius's feelings was a lovely scene, and probably one of the most authentic we're going to see out of the entire season if I had to guess. They're working together very nicely; Mobius sort of letting Loki go off his leash with the magic at the beginning was neat, and I just adore the way their less-heroic tendencies are playing off of each other (such as in the Brad-in-the-box scene). I think that makes sense for them, and I'm not looking for these guys to be heroes of pristine reputation, or even heroes at all, just guys who are trying to hold what little they have left together, so it's really hitting the spot for what I expect of their personalities melding together.

(Also, I'm now pronouncing Casey and Ouroboros a ship, although I doubt I'm the first one. The idea of OB being a celebrity to this one guy, and only this one guy, is pure gold.)

I will say, there's still a little much of the MCU-brand hokeyness in the show for my taste. There doesn't need to be something to laugh at every couple of minutes (not that I'm really laughing, because I'm tired of that style of writing by this point). The story can stand on its own without the forced comedy, and if it can't, then the comedy is only going to annoy people further. This is kind of serious stuff, and although I'm not against having some lighter moments or some comedic relief, I could live with Loki actually taking itself more seriously. But, like I said, this episode did feel more genuine to me, so it's not all jokes and quipping.

I'm still not a fan of Sylvie. Her existence annoys me because the female-Loki premise is obnoxious, and she feels so much like every other female character out there she doesn't really have the personal qualities to redeem the premise. Also, I find Loki's obsession with her strange, as she's mostly only been a total bitch to him and clearly wants nothing to do with him. (Which in itself is weird; her acting all butthurt at him in this episode like he was the one who pushed her through a time-door or something was like...what the heck? If somebody can explain that to me, please do, because I feel like I've either missed or forgotten something that would make it make sense.) I find her "normal life" as an 80s McDonald's employee strange, also, because that's...that's not the kind of normal she would envision. Her "normal" should be something regular on Asgard, because she's not a human dreaming of a normal life, she's an Asgardian dreaming of a normal life, although I do understand that according to the rules of the game there's probably not an Asgard where a Loki is welcome...yet Lokis are shapeshifters, so she could sneak in one anyway. That's probably a little nitpicky, I can recognize that.

So, yeah. There we go. This episode of Loki actually raised my expectations for the rest of the season, which is a nice surprise for me. I didn't think I would enjoy any part of this show so much, because the first season really didn't have a moment like this where I went huh. this is pretty good. I hope this episode being so good isn't an anomaly, because I was a huge fan of Loki in Thor, Avengers, Dark World, Infinity War, and I want to be a fan of him again in this show. If the writing stays this good (or gets even better, perchance?) I may end up considering myself a convert.

[pennyparsnip]

Howdy, Neighbor! It’s Valentine’s Day! Heres some flowers and braided gold for you 🤭💚 We hope you can find a little space for love today! We dressed up as cupids for the occasion!

And don’t forget to be careful with your plushie designs, lest the Onceler think you did too good of a job and surprise you with the mass production of what you made! >:(

[halfagony-halfhope]

i know we’re all still processing midnights but i need to say my copy of 1989 arrived yesterday

[typicalopposite]

do you like dark angel or is it boring

Ok imma be honest and I haven’t even told the Wench this yet. I had next to no interest in this show to begin with. We have a list of shows movies she has recommended and I was purposely keeping it at the bottom. Idk other than having Ackles I just didn’t think I would like it.

You know what they say about assuming tho…

I actually am enjoying it even without Ackles, and have surprised myself.

[discoveryinthedark]

LEWIS TAN!!

[cheridraws]

shout out to my brother in law for being the only other person I know irl who has read warrior cats

[luminarai]

hey, hi, I was just on the former bird app and came across this info from a brand new study and now I cannot stop screaming internally??? what the actual fuckkkk

theres' an article from the guardian here and here is the actual study:

[adinsfire]

I finished FFX recently and really enjoyed it. After playing I watched the short movie connecting FFX to FFX-2, Eternal Calm, and they bring up the fact that W/akka had gotten chubby. Characters teased him about it and one even squished his chub. I loved it! It was all so cute!

[nikoco11]

i had a nice thought today !!!

[weaveintheends]

I’d only ever heard about Sailor Moon from my homophobic church friends growing up. I always assumed it was super het with that tuxedo mask guy. But this is queer af. Every time Usagi finds another protector, every thought she has is so gay.

[mushmage]

shout out to the guy who just insisted he pay for our snacks at the convenience store

[scifigeekgirl]

I just got a new follower that WASN'T a porn bot??? I didn't know that still happened.

[booasaur]

Renegade Nell (2024) - 1x06

[braisedhoney]

none of us are immune to damien propaganda okay

[judyalvqrez]

there was something really jim henson-esque and campy about how some of the non-human races were portrayed in the new dnd movie that i really enjoyed. they could’ve easily gone the shitty cgi route or just not shown those races up close at all, but no, they said you want a bird man? we’re gonna get you a bird man

[magnetic-rose]

lae'zel with the other companions: fools, idiots. you disgust me with your weakling, nonsensical ways. i hate all of you.

lae'zel with gale: hello :)))))) lil buddy :)))) oh? you wanna know more about my people? i will gladly answer everything you ask. :)))