taylor price
Peter Solarz
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Today's Document
★
Origami Around
Stranger Things
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
dirt enthusiast
pixel skylines
YOU ARE THE REASON
Kaledo Art
Acquired Stardust
occasionally subtle
JVL
wallacepolsom
Three Goblin Art
h
KIROKAZE
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from France
seen from Malaysia
seen from Italy
seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from India
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
@birdbrain90
Best MCU couple?
Tony & Pepper
Steve & Peggy
Thor & Jane
Wanda & Vision
Peter Quill & Gamora
Scott & Hope
Bruce & Betty
Bruce & Natasha
Peter Parker & MJ
T’Challa & Nakia
Loki & Sylvie
Makkari & Druig
Fan fiction reviews
Imagine you have a coworker who likes to bake. Every week, they bring in a batch of delicious, homemade cookies and leave them in the break room. Next to the plate of cookies is a sign, “If you like my cookies, could you please just leave me a note and tell me what you like about them? The more feedback you leave about what you like, the more incentive I have to bake.” A hundred coworkers walk by and take a cookie. One person leaves a note. “Great cookies! Bake some more soon!”
The next week, once again there are cookies in the break room with the same sign. Once again a hundred people take a cookie and only one person leaves a note. “Nice! More soon!”
Week Three- Once again, a hundred people take a cookie. No one leaves a note.
Week Four- One hundred people take a cookie. No note.
Week Five- There are no cookies. Someone leaves a note. “Where are the cookies? I loved them. Please, please bake some cookies.”
Week Six- There are no cookies. Ten people leave notes. “I miss your cookies. They were my favorites. I loved the chocolate chips. My friend really liked the way you had almonds in the cranberry ones.”
Week Seven- Motivated by the wonderful notes, the baking coworker stays up late to bake the best batch of cookies they have ever made. That week, a hundred people take a cookie. No one leaves a note.
The co-worker gives up baking for their colleagues.
——————————————————————
Please, if you like the fan fiction that you are reading, let your authors know. Stories are abandoned for a myriad of reasons, but it is very, very hard to stay motivated when you receive no positive feedback. If there is a story that you like, whether it is a completed one or a work in progress, please leave an up-lifting comment or review. By doing so, you’re providing that writer with motivation to spend their time and energy creating more stories for you.
And that way, you both win!
This is the best post I’ve ever seen on this.
Fanfiction writers work hard for free to entertain others, the very least they deserve is a few seconds of your feedback. Please support the writers and the stories you enjoy, you keep them alive and going by letting them know that someone loves them!
Also: don’t leave critical reviews like “these cookies sucked! I hate almonds! These should have had walnuts instead, walnuts are clearly superior!” when A. The cookies are labeled with the ingredients accordingly and B. The person never asked for criticism of their cookies in the first place!
If you don’t like the cookies, it’s totally fine to throw them out and say nothing—that is in fact, much more preferable!
I can't believe i'm talking about this stuff once again. Okay, the Sylki haters, the ones who are set on hating this pairing no matter what, you are not invited to this conversation. Keep Scrolling. Thanks, bye.
I still come across so many haters who keep trying to ruin the Fandom experience for those who do enjoy the canon pairing of the series, its crazy. Listen, dislike whatever you want and ship whatever crack-ship you want to ship, but stop trying to ruin it for the people who do ship the canon pairing, and stop harassing the people who worked hard on creating Sylki's story.
But nah, for these people, just remaining in their Fanon bubble is not enough, they have to hate on the rivaling ship and everyone who is involved with it. So, in order to validate their obsessive hatred, bullying and harassment, they need to come up with the argumentation that could validate them being the jerks. Sophist-wannabes. This is like a veil that hides their misogyny and biphobia.
Ok, lets see what their arguments are. First, and the one that i hate the most, "Loki and Sylvie are related!". No, they aren't. Period. They are the two completely different people on the dna, genetic and molecular levels. They do not share the same life experiences either. Being the Variants of the Same Being means sharing the same role of "A Loki", which means being a Deity of Mischief. Loki and Sylvie have the same soul, thus the same purpose in this universe. This is as far as their relation goes. Sylvie was not born looking like Tom-Loki and then shapeshifted into the way she presents now. She was born a female. Just look at all the Lokis, they all look different. There is no reason for them to shapeshift permanently. The narrative does not give us any reason to assume this. The President Loki and Our Loki could be the same person, which means they are from the universes where a Tom-Person exists and gets to have the title of "A Loki". Other Lokis are not the Tom-Persons.
But even if they were the alternative universe versions of one person, this fictional concept does not work as a neat allegory for the incest. If it is used as such allegory in any work of fiction, i'd say it'd turn out very forced and awkward (compared to vampirism as an allegory for SA).
However, forcing incest or even self-cest onto a relationship that is neither, is very harmful and unethical. Those haters who keep insisting upon referring to Sylki as to the siblings are crossing the line of appropriateness. This behavior is borderline amoral because it might bring the real harm upon the real people who ship Sylki and are the victims of the actual incest or suffer from the intrusive thoughts.
Even saying that Sylki have the sibling-like relationship is weird, because you are basically saying that you perceive the romantically-framed dynamics similarly to the sibling dynamics.
Moving on, the genderfluid-phobic argument. I consider myself to be the androgynous person, but this identity is slightly different from the genderfluid identity, so, i won't comment much. You could argue that the genderfluid character, which is Loki, was not presented correctly. However, i will point out that accusing Sylvie of being fluid-phobic or transphobic character is invalid. Why? Because these accusations are entirely based on the misinterpretation and misreading of Sylvie's character and her story. Sylvie is neither canonically genderfluid, nor is she trans or in any way trans-coded (but you could headcanon her as such). Sylvie was born a female, and grew to be feminine-presenting. Sylvie rebelling against A Loki identity is not a metaphor for transitioning, it just was not intended to be this metaphor and it can't be read as such metaphor. Her rebelling against A Loki identity is a metaphor for rebellion against the fascist/authoritarian regimes.
Next, we have the queer representation argument. Listen, this kind of representation might not be your cup of tea, and that's ok. But can't you leave it at that? Just not liking it? Actively hating on the first canonically confirmed bisexual characters and bisexual relationship is, idk, not exactly a good look. The bisexual feminine-presenting character and the bisexual genderfluid character being together is not even the binary relationship. Just because it is the het-presenting relationship does not give you a pass to invalidate or erase these characters' sexuality or the queerness of their relationship.
Ok, some people have been doing the mental olympics in order to frame Sylki's relationship as abusive, which is so fucking hypocritical considering how most of them ship L0kius or Loki and the Grandmaster. Like, you don't get to complain about the healthiness of the relationship and then go ship a white male cop of a fascist cult-like police with his prisoner. Or a white slave master with a man who has no choice but to be in said slave master's good favors.
Anyways, neither Loki, nor Sylvie were abusive towards each other. Stop throwing the words with such weight around as if they are the mere Fandom thingies. Sylki have the tamest of the mild enemies to lovers dynamic. Loki approaches Sylvie as a stranger who is with the TVA - a fascist police that has been hunting her down ever since she was a child, of course she was going to defend herself, they both kick each other's ass. Then they both hurt one another verbally but not to the point of a verbal-abuse.
The haters saying that Sylvie does not deserve to be with Loki because she is mentally ill and would be a burden to him is ableist as fuck and really offends me since i'm not neurotypical either. Sylvie having the trust issues and the anger issues due to her trauma do not make her a bad partner, especially considering how she tried to overcome her issues when being with Loki.
Loki was not weakened in order for the series to amplify Sylvie's power. He never took their fights too seriously while Sylvie fought for her life. He has helped her out several times. His decision to go after her was his active choice. Sylvie's presence fueled Loki's emotional and mental growth and maturing.
Sylvie was not reduced to the love interest, stop saying that women lose their agency the moment they get romantically involved with a man.
Sylvie did what she had to do in order to survive! She went against a dictator and his fascist/authoritarian organization that basically based their regime on the population selection and indoctrination, took the free will away from everyone, committed the countless genocides across the universes. You might not consider Sylvie to be a hero, but she and Loki are not as villainous as Kang.
# a very expressive god of mischief
LOKI 1x02 “The Variant”
His eyes are so wide and sparkly here. He's so excited about what he's talking about, and convinced he's onto something. It's adorable. Glorious even. THIS BOY'S GLORIOUS PURPOSE IS TO HELP PEOPLE DON'T F*CKING LOOK AT ME. THIS IS MISCHIEF, NOT WHATEVER THE F*CK WAS GOING ON IN AVENGERS. MISCHIEF =/= MURDER FIGHT MEEEEEE.
SYLKITHECAT: 31 days challenge (29/31)
“I wonder how biology can explain the physical pain you feel in your chest when all you want to do, is be with someone.” — Dan Howell
Fuck I’m at a fencing tournament and literally a minute after I reblogged this my dad told me that he talked to the point people and I’m probably going to win a medal.
BURN BAGEL BURN
OH WHY NOT?
I need to follow up to say I reblogged this last night, and this morning I got some of the best news of my life, like, a life dream come true news thing.
Bagel what are your powers
FUCK, I though it was just another lucky meme but LISTEN. Since a week ago I was waiting a phone call to confirm me if I got a job or not in my university. I reblogged this yesterday’s night “just for fun and because I don’t want any bagel to be mad with me”, and today’s afternoon, while I was losing my time as always, the professor I was supposed to work with called me and asked me for my personal information to start working with her.
THE BAGEL POWERS ARE WAY TOO MUCH FOR THIS WORLD
I GOT A JOB THE DAY AFTER MY QUEUE POSTED THIS THE FIRST TIME AND I JUST REALIZED IT WHEN I SAW IT AGAIN HOLY GOD
The bagel hasn’t let me down yet!
I got a job offer after reblogging the bagel. Believe in the bagel!
Worth a try lol
i could use some good news or even a good girl
Go lil bagle! Show me your power!
Okii then!
THIS IS THE FIRST THING ON MY BLOG
I GOT ASKED OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER I REBLOGGED IT
wait but whats happening with the bagel tho
Giv news
This bagel better do me and my skinnies some wonders.
im passed my drivers test🙏🏽
Oh hope this works, i need some good news in my life lmao
plz bagel plssss 🙏
BLESS US ALL OH HOLY FIRE BAGEL
Bagel, pls
bagel please i need this thank you
And this kids is how you start a cult
I don’t normally participate in these kinds of posts buuut I’m desperately trying to convince my folks to let me get a chinchilla so I’m gonna give this one a shot even if I typiodont believe in these things.
Gotta see if this actually works or not, wish me luck!
I need to try
lmao im interested i wanna see what happens
Reblogging because it's a fucking bagel and I love it
SYLKITHECAT: 31 days challenge (26/31)
abrideoffire: (◡‿◡✿) tall men that look scary and are feared by most people (◕‿◕✿) that fall in love with itty bitty women that can bring them to their knees.
Thor ragnarok deleted scene
The intensity of Loki's eyes in this gifset is making me ABSOLUTELY FERAL. You can see that he's hanging on every word Odin says here, and letting it conflict him and f*ck his entire life up. I want to know why they deleted almost every single scene that humanizes Loki (Telling Thor he loves him, THIS, and more)
“i’m heading to bed, goodnight ☺️”
me in bed:
@sheherlocked
asdhkfgjdgjk STOP CALLING ME OUT 😂
@sheherlocked Would we really be a community of trash goblins if we didn't spend time roasting each other for the same shit we all do?? LOL!
Okay, this is going to be a long rant of me rambling on why i love the Loki series and Sylki and why i think you can't love one without loving the other.
First, lets start with the goofy stuff:
The ship names. We have Sylki - the most widespread and popular one. Lovie - my personal favorite. It just fits them perfectly. The letter "i" is like a small dagger in the word "love" (Lov🗡e) which reminds us of their quote "Love is a Dagger". We also have Lovedaggers, Enchantricks, Sylkie. I love that they have "their" color, Green, and both kind of have the "spiritual animal": Loki - the snake 🐍, Sylvie - the feral cat 🐱.
Okay, now lets move on to the main reasons:
The Story. Sylki is a core of the Loki series. It ties in neatly with an overall message and theme of the story: to revolt against the Authoritarian regimes, the self-love, the identity. Loki comes to love himself and the another by loving Sylvie. It is poetic, really. One being but two different people. Them being the Variants of one another means that they share the same Role which is being a Deity of Mischief. They have the same role by sharing the one soul that trascends the universes. What is this if not a definition of the soulmates?
Their relation can not be compared to anything in the real life because it is a purely speculative relation that does not exist beyond the fictional realm. Having the soulmate that reflects your being to you, while being the polar opposite of you. This is a fictional concept with no equivalent in the real life. Yet, it is a multilayered metaphor that anyone can appreciate. Their love story and connection somehow manages to be very deep, profound and human.
Sylki represents the perfect mix of Mythology & Sci-Fi: a weird romance that is as imaginary as it is beautiful.
Honestly, Loki granted me the perfect Mythology & Sci-Fi mash up that i could have ever dreamed of. And what a better way there is than blending these genres together in a mix that ultimately triumphs in the unique and weird love story which was the best part of the series.
Okay, but lets further discuss what are the main themes of the series that Sylki corresponds to:
The Rebellion Against The Authoritarian Regimes and the Revenge. When discussing this aspect of the story, we have to bear in mind Sylvie's life story. I like to think of Sylvie as a co-protagonist with Loki. She is a very tragic hero. Kang and TvA took everything away from her. They erased her family, her home, her culture, her reality and everything she had ever known or loved. Then, the TvA abducted her, she escaped but had to live her life on the run, constantly afraid for her very life, knowing nothing but the danger and horror, existing in a constant state of survival.
Here He Who Remains is a face of the opressor and dictator. He is a charmistic sociopath whose Nazi Police commits the genocides across the universes. TvA is like a cult while Kang is the very convincing and reasonable leader of said cult.
Sylvie's and Loki's story is about finding an identity in a system that dictates how one should live and exist, a system that deemed Loki and Sylvie "unworthy" of existence just because they did not fit into the path that was predetermined for them. Same goes with their love. It disturbs the Timeline that maintains Kang's position in power.
Sylvie's story, Sylki's love story, is a metaphor for rebellion against the opressive authoritarian system, it is a metaphor for the rebellion of those who were wronged by such system and it could be read as the different variations of this theme (like the queer rebellion against the heteronormative indoctrination).
However, this theme ties with the theme of revenge. Many stories deal with the theme of revenge. Is it worth it? Is the free will worth it? Sylvie's revenge is empty and unfullfilling. But she had to free the world of tyranny. There is no scenario where she could have let go of her grudge. This, however, came at the cost. Sylvie was all alone until she met Loki, her killing He Who Remains only brought back the state Kang bestowed upon her when his people took away her life for the first time. In the end, the path of revenge is the path of self-destruction, even if the villain desreves it. The revenge consumes a person, unableing them to move on. Loki has been throught what Sylvie is experiencing. He knows bettar than anybody how agonizing it is to endure injustice. However, Loki moved on from it, he outgrew his inability to move on and hopefully, Sylvie will too in S2.
Loki and Sylvie are the reflection of one another on the narrative level. Loki sees his past self in Sylvie. By loving Sylvie, someone who shares his soul (soul which is basically an esence of being), he comes to love himself and forgive himself. Sylvie loving Loki and being loved by Loki has a symbolic significance as well. She initially rejected "A Loki" persona, by doing so she rejected herself, yet, she reduced her identity to "not being A Loki". Once she saw that her and Loki are actually two completely diffetent people, once she came to love Loki as someone who shares her essence, she stood on the path of accepting herself.
This makes me think of another theme of the series that is not so in your face: the loneliness. Loki and Sylvie are both very lonely people but in different ways. Loki had been self-absorbed narcissist. This was caused by his infiriority complex and envy. He did not want to be "weak". However, we saw Loki grow, re-establish his relationship with others, ect. This does not change the fact that Loki had never shared any profoundly deep bond with anyone. Up until he met Sylvie. Loki accepts Sylvie as someone more than the holder of their shared title, he learns to love another, yet, he learns to love and accept his essence, because otherwise he would not have been able to accept Sylvie.
Sylvie, on the other hand, was wronged throughout her entire life. She developed several unresloved issues like pathological trust issues, anger issues, ect. Sylvie was all alone until Loki. She was not meant to exist. She survived but existed only in this constant state of survival. One could say, Sylvie's story is about identity and all the existential dread that comes with it. I think there is something beautiful about Sylvie being loved by Loki, a person who shares her being. It is as if by accepting Loki, Sylvie accepts her self, not trying to run away from it anymore, but also accepts her own uniqueness because she sees that not two people, even those who share the same fate, can be identical.
In short, both Loki and Sylvie were able to love another by accepting their essence, not rejecting/hating themselves anymore (Loki completed this journey, Sylvie still has a lot to work on, since she represses her feelings and is not able to move on yet). Their love, just like their existence itself, was going against The Sacred Timeline, thus it is the rebellion of free will and the right to exist against the authoritarian nazi regime. However, we see the cost in dedicating yourself to a revenge mission. We are also left with hope that Sylvie will find in herself what Loki found in himself.
Romance. I love that Marvel finally allowed a love story to have this much significance to the plot. It is rare because the romantic genre is looked down upon as the ladies' genre. The love stories are considered way too "girly" to have any value after all. If there is a romance in a superhero movie it's a heteronormative cliche pairing where a woman has no agenda and is an accessory to a male character.
I mean, usually, you could just take out the romantic storyline and this would not impact the overall plot which is not exactly the best way to build an interesting story where everything is interconnected.
Romance has never been a heart of any Marvel film/tv before.
No, Thor (2011) was not a love story. One could change things up, making so that Thor did not fall in love with Jane, falling for the human kind instead, and the overall plot would not have changed at all. Other Marvel ladies were simply the love interests for the Marvel leading men (WandaVision is not romance. It is about the family and grief). They were like the perfect accessories for these men. These relationships were not integral. Treating romance in such way is the reason why we perceive it as inherently heteronormative.
Loki 2021 changed the game. Sylvie is not simply Loki's love interest. Loki is just as much of a love interest for Sylvie as she is for him. If Sylvie is reduced to being a love interest, then so is Loki. But neither of them is reduced to that role because they are equally important to the overall story since it happens so that the overall story is strongly intertwined with Sylki as a love story.
This is the kind of a romance treatment that i have been waiting for a long time. Their love story is a metaphor, a concept even, the perfect mixture of the Mythic and SciFi motifs. Loki and Sylvie are equal in every way and this is how Loki 2021 subverts the heteronormative treatment of Romance.
Why should we not exclude romance and the het-presenting pairings at all? Well, because we need to explore the dynamics of the het-presenting pairings from tge new lenses if we want to reform and subvert the hetero-presenting love stories.
We won't be able to adequately utilize the female gaze if we exclude a feminine presenting characters as well.
Dynamic. Loki and Sylvie's dynamic is my favorite part about the series. It is my favorite m/f dynamic since i'm usually drawn to the f/f relationships.
Loki and Sylvie's relationship offers us a different take on the m/f dynamics. Their relationship avoids all the toxic and outdated cliches while manages to ecompass all the beloved tropes: enemies to lovers, the soulmates/twin flames, ect.
It should be noted, however, that Sylki does not "flip" the traditional gender roles. Loki is an example of healthy masculinity that is the result of growth and maturity. Loki does not get "fixed" by Sylvie, he just learns how to care and communicate with people he loves properly. He is brave, he is very protective of Sylvie, he is caring and attentive. Loki does not want to be closed off anymore because feels connection with Sylvie that he does not want to lose. His feelings are clear for him and he does not repress or hide them. He made a conscious choice to stay beside Sylvie. Loki being shown as such a "noble" character does not happen on expense of Sylvie's capability. She is determined and a survivor. However, she has flaws, like not knowing how to deal with her trauma yet, being quick tempered, and stubborn. She also shows her tender side several times. She is a very empathetic person.
Sylvie and Loki validate each other. They do not see in one another something there is not. They love each other for who they are, nothing more, nothing less.
Representation. People will always have the conflicting opinions and feelings regarding whether the rep is good or not in a particular piece of media. Personally for me, Loki coming out as bisexual and genderfluid while Sylvie also came out as bisexual, having these bi character in the romantic relationship, has been nothing but an absolute delight.
Most of the criticism comes from (sometimes intentional) misreading, misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the context. Sylvie, for example, was never trans-coded. She was born a female. We do not know what her gender identity is for sure, but she is feminine-presenting. The TvA did not mind her being born a female or her presenting as femme. Sylvie never transitioned or was punished for doing so.
So, yeah, Loki is the first canonically confirmed queer masculine-presenting character in mcu, Sylvie is the first cononocally conformed queer female character in mcu, Loki and Sylvie are the first queer relationship in mcu.
We bisexual people know just how invalidating and demeaning everyone becomes towards us once we enter a het-presenting relationship. I have came across so many monosexuals dictating who gets to be a "proper" bisexual, what words and spaces we can use, calling us "straight-passing" or "spicy-straight", saying that we have the straight privilege while ignoring the fact that the bisexual women get sexually assaulted the most.
Loki is bi, so is Sylvie. It is a fact. Canon. Putting them in a het-presenting relationship resulted in two things: it exposed an unfortunate biohobia in the Marvel Fandom but also made many bi people feel validated.
Execution. Sylki interactions have been beautifully executed through the feminine gaze. Their interactions have been framed romantically, intimately and their dialogues have a good amount of lines that subtly imply and underline their feelings towards each other. The series utilized every element of storytelling in order to tell the love story while incorporating Sylki, their presence, in everything that this series is about.
Submit your votes for the People's Choice Awards.
Loki Series was nominated for the PCA in 'The Show of 2021' you can vote on the website or using the hastags:
I vote #Loki for #TheShow of 2021 #PCAs
Y'ALL BEST BE OUT HERE VOTING FOR YA BOI LOKI PLEASE THANK YOU.
Sylki Blanket Scene + Shipper Subtitles
Just two chaotic idiots awkwardly flirting with each other and tiptoeing around the fact that they like each other.
Loki could’ve said “I love you”. He could’ve said “I don’t want the throne, I want you.” But he chose to say a simple yet selfless and heartfelt: “I just want you to be okay.” Because he loves her enough to put her first instead of himself.
Hiddles Nonsense at its finest
TOMATHY WHAT IS THAT TINY LITTLE MUG IN YOUR BIG MAN MITTEN PLEASE SIR
I saw someone say that Loki and Sylvie have an awkwardly written romance or smtng. This statement is simply lazy at this point and is just repeating the popular take of the Fandom's loud corners.
But i don't get it, how can the main and obvious points fly over some people's heads who then go and talk so confidently about the series? Loki and Sylvie's interactions were supposed to be kind of awkward and they were supposed to be anxious around each other because:
1) they literally started off as the enemies, Loki working for the TVA, the organization that obliterated everything Sylvie ever had and that was hunting her down, and Sylvie was Loki's "target". 2) they are the variants of the same being which is the unknown and weird territory for them to explore romantically. 3) Sylvie grew up all alone, deprived of an affectionate human interaction. She had no friends whatsoever. All she knew was a threat from others. All of this means her developing feelings for Loki are very new for her. She is very reluctant to put her guard down and let herself accept him as a friend and a potential partner. 4) Loki has had many lovers and has established the familiar relationships in his lifetime, but truly and selflessly loving someone and having them as a priority is new for Loki too. He understands Sylvie and is considerate of her trust issues. 5) the directing ensures that their blooming feelings are displayed in the subtle ways in order for us to understand their inner conflicts and to ensure "slow-burn" even though they get established by the end of the season.
However, i also think its because people are so used to romances as seen through The Male Gaze. Lovie's love story subverts The Male Gaze, but it is not "A Reversed Male Gaze", if you know what i mean? Its all about the subtle intimacy. People are also used to this unrealistic idealized love stories where everything is perfect and the characters' first kiss looks so flawless, as if they have practiced it 300 times before.
For the ask game, what about number 2, calloused hands in soft hands? 👀 (I don't remember if this one was already picked, if so, please ignore it >.<")
@eithniel Y U P here you go! Because I'm awake at 5am and inspired, so yay flash fics! The ending felt a little wonky, but I hope you like it!
“My hands are so gross…” Sylvie muttered, looking down at her hands. Finally free of the fingerless gloves she wore for what felt like eons, she flexed her fingers, looking displeased.
“What?” Loki looked up at her, having spent the past half hour dozing peacefully on the couch, his legs stretched out over her lap. “No they’re not.”
“Yeah, look at them. They’re all rough and horrid. Not very ladylike is it?” She held up a hand, and he opened his eyes. Her hands were covered in callouses. Rough points where her hands carried the most pressure. Life on the run lent itself well to working and fighting with hands, and hers were every bit of evidence to prove it.
“Sylvie in the past day I have watched you start a bar brawl and win it, destroy ten pints of ale and belch louder than anyone else, and use your teeth to open bottles of hard cider. What exactly about you was overtly ladylike to begin with?”
“Oh piss off!” She yelled in a huff. “I’m every bit a fucking lady as anyone else, thank you very much.” Her foul language only served to make him laugh out loud, taking his legs off her lap and rising from the couch. He walked away from her into another room, so he would never have seen the hurt look cross her face as she looked back down at her rough palms. It dissipated quickly when he walked back into the room carrying a small bottle. He sat back down next to her and held out his own hand.
“Come on then, let’s have it.” He flexed his own fingers, “give me your hand.”
“Why? Maybe I don’t want to now that you’ve insulted it…”
“Sylvie darling, I was merely stating facts. I know you’re as much a lady as anyone else. I’ve seen the softer side of you.” He had. He’d seen the shyness in her when she walked into his embrace. He’d heard the gentle mewling noises she made when his hands wandered places they shouldn’t. He bore witness to her tears on the very first night her emotions became too great to bear by herself. “I was only teasing you. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”
“You didn’t. Shut up.” A light flush crossed her cheeks as she thrust her hand out toward him. He dispensed a thick liquid from the bottle before taking her hand in his. “Ew, what is that? It’s all greasy. Is that lotion?”
“Yes.” He stated simply as he massaged the lotion into her hands.
Sylvie’s eyes fluttered involuntarily. Loki’s hands were impossibly soft and delicate. The direct opposite of her, his life as a pampered prince left him with soft hands that she knew for a fact betrayed his physical strength. He had long, elegant fingers that danced along the rough pads of her own. He paid excruciating attention to every curve, hill, valley, and rough spot on her hands. Eventually he took both thumbs and began applying gentle pressure to the palm of her hand, causing her to emit a small moan. “I like that part, don’t stop.” She loved when he would massage her. He was painfully good with his hands.
“Every callus on your hand tells a story.” He put more lotion on his own hand, and switched to massaging her opposite hand. He ran his fingers over the roughest patch on the flat of her palm. “Every time you gripped onto the fleeting promise of hope, clutched your destiny, fought for the right to live in this world and ran rings around those who would see you destroyed, it’s all here. Don’t hate them. They’ve made you who you are, and galvanized you as the indomitable Sylvie. My Sylvie. Lady Chaos herself. These are the rough hands I love, and even more so I love and admire the one who has used them enough that every time I look at them I can read the life story of someone phenomenal.” He looked up when he heard her sniffle, and he saw fresh tears run down her face.
“Loki shut up..” She whimpered. He smiled gently, curling her fingers around his own and kissing the knuckles. She hated the way he made her feel. He made her insides turn to jelly, and her heartbeat quicken when he so much as uttered her name. He had such a way with words, and he seemed to always know what to say to shine the hopeful light of dawn into the dark cracks of her very soul. She reached her newly softened hand out and cupped his cheek, watching his own eyelids flutter under her touch. Maybe her hands weren’t so wretched after all…
