Madam, a God doesn't Plead

(This is a sideblog. I can’t directly interact with your notes a lot of the time, but I promise I’m seeing them!)

[emptymasks]

Fluidphobia and transphobia in episode 5 of Loki

16 minutes in. “Have any of you ever met a woman variant of us?” “No, never.” “Sounds terrifying.” I don’t even have words for how much that made me want to cry. That’s so unbelievably stupidly fluidphobic. Loki is also a woman, Loki is genderfluid, it’s likely all Loki variants are. So by saying that Loki has never seen himself as a woman is incorrect, it sounding ‘terrifying’ is beyond upsetting, and all of it is fluidphobic. (And also one of the variants with President Loki is played by a female actor anyway so??)

This is disgusting. It’s pure fludphobia. And if this was homophobia or transphobia you all would be talking way more about it. Posts talking against it would be getting more notice. The media would be talking about it. The Marvel team would have to address it. But no one cares enough about genderfluid voices.

And they had the audacity to say this:

It would have been better if they’d just not made MCU Loki genderfluid. I can’t believe I’m saying that. But the fact that they had the audacity to boast about how great they were for doing it, and then gave us fluidphobic representation. Not no representation, bad representation. I’d rather no representation that bad representation. At least no representation can’t create new slurs used against genderfluid people. No representation can’t create misunderstandings about how genderfluid have to shape-shift to be a different gender, how they’re a different person when they’re a different gender. No representation wouldn’t have caused the surge in fluidphobia in the fandom. Just yesterday a tweet was going around and getting popular saying Sylvie can’t be genderfluid because her name is ‘Laufeydottir’… Even though Loki’s is ‘Laufeyson’ and he’s genderfluid you know almost like someone can change what their assgined-at-birth gender is. 

And it goes beyond fluidphobia into pure transphobia when you see “sex: fluid”. Parts of the fandom are now saying “sexfluid” to refer to genderfluid people. It’s not only now basically become a slur, but think about the implications. ‘Sexfluid’ means someone must change their genitalia when they’re identifying as another gender. That’s fluidphobic because of course real genderfluid people can’t shapeshift. However, it’s also transphobic because it implies that in order to be a woman Loki must have a vulva, meaning that one needs a vulva in order to be a woman, meaning that they’re implying trans women without vulva’s aren’t really women. That’s a transmed belief, a transphobic belief. You could look at that and say I’m reaching, or that I’m reading too much into it. But sex and gender don’t mean the same thing and this is how fans are using the word, this is what viewers of the show think the words means. 

I’m not talking about the fans on here, or even the fans on Twitter, I’m talking about the majority of Marvel viewers. Because the majority aren’t part of fandom communities, aren’t part of LGBT+ communities, they don’t go on social media to look at what people are saying about the show, and all they know about genderfluidity is what they see in this show.  And even then, just search “Loki female self” on Twitter and there are hundreds of people calling Sylvie that. The main stream media keep calling Sylvie “Lady Loki’”in their articles. ScreenRant keeps doing it, official Loki merch on Gamestop is doing it.

I’m not sorry if me talking about this and complaining is ruining your experience of watching the show, that just means before you were ignorant to the fluidphobia in the series. I’m not saying the show should be cancelled, I’m not saying you can’t watch it or you can’t enjoy watching it because I’m still watching it, I’m still finding moments I enjoy in it. You can be critical of something and still watch and enjoy it.

EDIT: you know what? “that’s terrifying” is also kinda fucking sexist

[emptymasks]

Adding: because some people seem to think “that’s terrifying” is the fluidphobic line and arguing with me when it’s clear they didn’t properly read this post. The fluidphobic line is Tom’s Loki, our main Loki, saying “Have you ever met a woman variant of us?”. That’s fluidphobic. Loki is genderfluid, she is a woman too, Sylvie is not different from her because of her gender.

Some current things in the replies:

imaginationhyperload “I thought they called her terrifying because she sounded like a bada$$… like Natasha, and Pepper Potts”

escapism-is-my-middle-name "Loki is genderfluid, it’s likely all Loki variants are" um….no. the point is that all of them are different. different species, even. but they all have the same end struggle with self sabotage. just bc classic loki thought it was weird to be female doesn’t make the line fluidphobic. it just means that the classic loki version isn’t genderfluid. and sylvi is fucking terrifying

butterfly123 You think way too much to it, Sylvia is terrifying because she a badass, all Loki is different somehow and all the loki we seen with the expection of sylvi are men so its weird to them

“all the loki we seen with the expection of sylvi are men”. 

You really wrote that and thought that wasn’t fluidphobic? You have the audacity to tell a genderfluid person they’re ‘thinking too much into it’ while actively being fluidphobic. We have seen other female variants. You know who? Loki. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. The main Loki of the series. He is genderfluid, she is genderfluid, she is also a woman, this is exactly the problem with the series and the fandom. (Also literally one of the variants with President Loki is also played by a woman if we’re going to be picky).

But you know if you’d actually read my post and not decided to talk over a genderfluid person you would have seen in the literal first paragraph “Loki is also a woman, Loki is genderfluid, it’s likely all Loki variants are. So by saying that Loki has never seen himself as a woman is incorrect.” And yes I stand by that it’s likely all Loki variants are genderfluid. As Sylvie said, “We’re the same”, but also Loki assumed Sylvie was also bisexual because she’s a Loki variant therefore it is safe to assume he would also assume other Loki variants are also genderfluid until told otherwise.

I’m sick of people coming in and telling me I’m ‘reading too much into things’. If you’re not genderfluid, you don’t get to say that. I’ve had people say “but I’m non-binary so I can’t be fluidphobic and I say that thing isn’t fluidphobic even though you say it is”. No. Shut up. You can be transgender and fluidphobic. You can be non-binary and be fluidphobic. You can be LGBT+ and be fluidphobic, just as there are biphobic gays, transphobic bisexuals, acephobic trans people. Being part of the LGBT+ community doesn’t mean you get to talk over genderfluid people or argue with them on what is or isn’t fluidphobic, unless you are also genderfluid. And if you are genderfluid and didn’t view the same things I did as fluidphobic, I hope you can at least empathise as to why I and at least hundreds of others do think that and feel hurt and that we should want better representation than this and that we deserve better representation than this.

And to the people in who have reblogged this post and left these things in the tags and in my askbox:

#that line really caught me off guard for someone who’s been waiting to see our Loki’s genderfluidity #I really hope Sylvie isn’t their token for genderfluidity otherwise I’ll be really upset #I really honestly thought we were going to see more women or enby versions of Loki during this episode

#as a genderfluid person. I give you my many thanks on talking about this issue here. for I saw little people seeing the problems with the#portray of genderfluidity or just flat out ignoring it because they aren’t genderfluid themselves.#but in the process. are hurting trans people too by ignoring these issues.#so thank you again for speaking about it and making some people see the problems and listen. knowing there’s people who do care here.#has given me some hope i’m not feeling alone on this all while before I thought I was. <3

So, I hope you know you’re far from alone, although I know it doesn’t really lessen the hurt. I really admire your constant attempts at education. But please don’t feel like it’s something you have to continue doing.

yo thanks for making these posts clearing stuff up it is so upsetting to see people be so ignorant. i’m really sorry you have to put up with that!

You guys keep me going. You prove that making these posts and speaking up about fluidphobia is worth it. Because the majority of people, even within the LGBT+ community, don’t know how to recognise fluidphobia. Even if they support the genderfluid identity, they don’t know the term fluidphobia or they don’t know it exists or how to recognise it. And it’s important to talk about because you know that if this was transphobia or homophobia in the show then everyone would be talking about it, the media would be talking about it, it would be the most popular trending thing in the fandom on Twitter. But because it’s fluidphobia, because it’s about genderfluid people, we’re not ‘popular’ enough to get noticed. And I know me making these posts will never reach Marvel’s ears, as much as I would love the Loki creative team to address the issues genderfluid people have raised, but at least maybe it can make the fandom a little less fluidphobic. Or at the very least make other genderfluid people feel like they’re not alone, because I know I always feel like I am.

[latent-thoughts]

After all that has been said and done about the finale, and I've had time to dwell on it a bit more, I think I have identified what bothered me the most about the Loki series, despite having actually loved it till episode 3. (I still love those episodes, and bits of the other ones.)

So, the thing is, when the series promo began, the creators were very vocal about how they'd explore Loki's genderfluidity, how he'd learn to love himself and forgive himself to start anew, how the show wouldn't have romance because Loki is not ready for it, etc. Tom himself covered these things in the few interviews that I did watch. (I'm not big on watching interviews, otherwise.)

At the end, we neither got genderfluidity, nor the self love (Loki still doesn't love himself, it's more at self reflection right now, and that too, in ways I don't agree with, but I digress), and instead we got the very shoehorned romance forced on us (sylki shippers excepted). Yay for amatonormativity. /Sarcasm.

What bothered me the most was the constant, blatant lying in the promo interviews. Not so much the actual material of the show, but the misdirections.

It was all so unnecessary and unneeded. They could've simply not mentioned these things and moved on. They could've said that the Loki series may hint at a romance. Or just plain refused to answer because SPOILER! That way, we the audience would've known that there was a possibility for it.i

Instead, they answered these questions with lies. They deliberately chose to talk about these issues as though they cared about them. Only to do the opposite in the end.

That's what hurt me the most. And well, took out my trust in them, especially Tom. (Look, don't come at for hating Tom. This is not me hating him. This is me expressing disappointment. I'm not attacking him. I'm simply criticizing him, which I'm allowed to do on my blog ok.) I remember him joking about how Loki needed to love himself first before thinking of romance, when he was asked if the series might have romance. Just...why? 😒

This kind of misdirection didn't happen in other shows' promo, mind you. And I respect the showrunners and actors therein for not lying to us. It shows us that promo can be done without taking the audience for granted, without disrespecting them with baity catchphrases and denial.

Even the trailers were extremely misleading, to the point of having most their footage not show up in the show. The trailers were edited in a very misleading way. TBH, I actually can't recall seeing such thoroughly edited trailers before. I knew Marvel wasn't honest in their trailers, but the Loki series trailers were on another level entirely.

This is mainly why I feel like I watched something else entirely, rather than what was promoted and marketed by the whole team. They didn't have to do it like this. Loki was already an extremely popular character, people were already keen to watch it. So then why?

I don't know why. We may never know. But it hurt me, and others like me. Because I trusted these people to deliver on their word, and they didn't.

Disclaimer: I don't hate these people. I'm simply expressing my feelings here, because I somehow have to get the disappointment of it out of my system. That's all.

[consortofsassgard]

This is an extremely valid take. 

I feel like the toxic positivity culture surrounding things that people like in fandom is a real pain, though, that an uncontroversial post like this needs so many disclaimers to stop assholes from jumping on it yelling about how you “shouldn’t hate real people” over the media they create*. 

Honestly, I’d say individual fans are even very much allowed to hate celebrities or people for lying to them, or doing a terrible job with representation, and express that on their blogs. You’re not sending a real person death threats, you’re just having emotions and expressing them in your own space, where the target of those negative feelings will likely never see them, because someone who’s making tons of money queerbaiting people into watching a terrible show probably isn’t on tumblr. 

It’s also perfectly valid to not hate anyone and to simply be sad or disappointed rather than angry. But it shouldn’t be seen as controversial to be angry or have strong feelings of dislike over being lied to about how well a piece of media is going to reflect nonbinary experiences instead of actively enforcing the gender binary and cis-hetero-normativity. 

*This is just a piss-poor take in general. It isn’t being a fandom anti to be furious with a wealthy, famous writer for promising to explore genderfluidity and then instead portraying it as “cis man but if you pause the show at the right time it says he’s a shapeshifter”. 

[melanimed]

How to be More Inclusive in Your Reader-Inserts

I finally made something for fanfiction writers to use as reference on things to avoid when writing. if you are making a reader-insert story, be sure as most people as possible can see themselves fufilling the role you want them to in your story. 

I became a POC fanfiction writer after years of feeling excluded in reader-insert fanfiction. It’s important as a job as a writer to know your audience—some of which may not always fit in your “view”.

Please take the time to read this to help better yourself in the future. I know I didn’t hit every issue, but I’m willing to update it in the future. 

I apologize if this isn’t the prettiest thing, but it was important for me to create.

[atloki]

Go ahead, judge me and I'll tell you what animal Loki drunkenly transforms into while trying to impress you.

[dzamie]

I like that I left "birds are VERY important" in the text box and got "bird with an attitude problem" as my result

[atloki]

@dzamie Oh my god, I was JUST looking at your text box and was appreciating the irony

[atloki]

Last one of these, I promise. I’m just glad some don’t brought this up:

I’m aware that her name is a slur, and you’re very right to call it out. My mom adopted her sometime around 2000-2002. Honestly, I have no idea if my mom named her that or if she came with that name. None of this excuses the name itself, but it does contextualize it. I try not to bring her up in regular conversation too much because of her name, but she was still my cat and I loved her, so she does come up sometimes

[atloki]

I just want to post 10 of my favorite responses from the free response question in my latest quiz, so here goes!

Congratulations!! That’s so cute and heartfelt and I hope they say yes!

I have no idea what this means but I wholeheartedly agree and I would like to know more.

One of my favorite SpongeBob quotes

I’m gonna start calling my cat this. His name is Cheetoh and he’ll probably hate the new nickname, but he’s gonna have to deal with it lol

I feel you. I’ve been questioning my pronouns for like two years now and I think I like she/they, but I still go by she/her because A) it’s easier and B) if I do change my pronouns I know I’m not going to be terribly bothered by people saying she/her still. My gender is as much of an enigma as the inner machinations of my mind ig

Yes, but have you considered snails?

Don’t get me wrong, I love my college to bits, but it’s also not the *perfect* fit for me. I love the traditions and the student body and about 60% of the professors, but I too struggle with multiple mental crises a year and have very little interest in my major. You’re definitely not alone in your college-induced struggles, my friend. I do genuinely hope that things get better for you too. I believe in you!

Yes, Mayday is also Beltane! Immediately after I finished with my school’s Mayday celebration, I went and celebrated Beltane with a pagan/witch friend or four :)

Your friend sounds like the kind of person I could be friends with

YOU DID WHAT?????

[atloki]

Go ahead, judge me and I'll tell you what animal Loki drunkenly transforms into while trying to impress you.

[atloki]

Shoutout to the person that left me this response. I’m not at Snow College, I’m actually in New York. But I totally see the logical connection there and I give you props for the sleuthing!

[atloki]

Go ahead, judge me and I'll tell you what animal Loki drunkenly transforms into while trying to impress you.

[thirsty4villains]

Which Loki is one you'd fall the hardest for? Choices are: Loki from the first Thor film, the Avengers, Thor: the Dark World, Ragnarok, or the Loki show.

Y’all I made a uquiz

[atloki]

I don’t even have this account set up yet, but I was inspired by @lowkeyorloki‘s uquiz game, so I made one of my own. Take this quiz to find out how you meet Loki. Each result has a unique blurb fleshing out the story of how you met!

[lowkeyorlokificrecs]

Hi there! I’m Vee, and I run the lowkeyorloki blog! I’m so happy you were inspired by my quizzes. Yours was super fun, and I got “You’re A Distinguished Warrior” as my result! It seems very fitting, and I wouldn’t mind meeting Loki in battle 🗡️

Anyone who enjoys my Loki uquizzes should totally take this one! OP, I hope you’re doing well :D

[wrenhyperfixates]

“You’re a Merchant in the Village”

Awesome quiz!!! And you wrote like a whole little drabble as part of the result? Amazing!!

[dame-morrow]

nice.

[dame-morrow]

And thank you @atloki for making this quiz and making me discover the band The Amazing Devil, they’re amazing!!!

[atloki]

@mewmewmarw thank you for taking my quiz!! And I’m glad you’re liking The Amazing Devil, they’re one of my favorite bands!

[atloki]

I don’t even have this account set up yet, but I was inspired by @lowkeyorloki‘s uquiz game, so I made one of my own. Take this quiz to find out how you meet Loki. Each result has a unique blurb fleshing out the story of how you met!

[lowkeyorlokificrecs]

Hi there! I’m Vee, and I run the lowkeyorloki blog! I’m so happy you were inspired by my quizzes. Yours was super fun, and I got “You’re A Distinguished Warrior” as my result! It seems very fitting, and I wouldn’t mind meeting Loki in battle 🗡️

Anyone who enjoys my Loki uquizzes should totally take this one! OP, I hope you’re doing well :D

[wrenhyperfixates]

“You’re a Merchant in the Village”

Awesome quiz!!! And you wrote like a whole little drabble as part of the result? Amazing!!

[dame-morrow]

nice.

[atloki]

Ngl, I was zooted when I wrote that quiz. I was worried people weren’t going to like it or that I’d come down and realize that nothing that I said makes sense, but I’m very glad that people seem to be enjoying it! I’m sure I’ll be making more quizzes soon!

Here is the quiz, for anyone else who wants to take it

[atloki]

I don’t even have this account set up yet, but I was inspired by @lowkeyorloki‘s uquiz game, so I made one of my own. Take this quiz to find out how you meet Loki. Each result has a unique blurb fleshing out the story of how you met!

[lowkeyorlokificrecs]

Hi there! I’m Vee, and I run the lowkeyorloki blog! I’m so happy you were inspired by my quizzes. Yours was super fun, and I got “You’re A Distinguished Warrior” as my result! It seems very fitting, and I wouldn’t mind meeting Loki in battle 🗡️

Anyone who enjoys my Loki uquizzes should totally take this one! OP, I hope you’re doing well :D

[wrenhyperfixates]

“You’re a Merchant in the Village”

Awesome quiz!!! And you wrote like a whole little drabble as part of the result? Amazing!!

[atloki]

I don’t even have this account set up yet, but I was inspired by @lowkeyorloki‘s uquiz game, so I made one of my own. Take this quiz to find out how you meet Loki. Each result has a unique blurb fleshing out the story of how you met!

[lowkeyorlokificrecs]

Hi there! I’m Vee, and I run the lowkeyorloki blog! I’m so happy you were inspired by my quizzes. Yours was super fun, and I got “You’re A Distinguished Warrior” as my result! It seems very fitting, and I wouldn’t mind meeting Loki in battle 🗡️

Anyone who enjoys my Loki uquizzes should totally take this one! OP, I hope you’re doing well :D

[atloki]

Ahhh! Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I absolutely love taking your quizzes and I hope to provide that same enjoyment :)

[atloki]

I don’t even have this account set up yet, but I was inspired by @lowkeyorloki‘s uquiz game, so I made one of my own. Take this quiz to find out how you meet Loki. Each result has a unique blurb fleshing out the story of how you met!