Astarion, Emet-Selch, Ifan, Karl, Loki, Severus, Silco,...

... I clearly have a thing for gremlins | NO minors | she/her | infp-t | Year of construction: 1992

[tlematimun]

Thor rushing off to save and/or strangle his little brother.

[justarandomgirly]

Thor FLIES TO PRISONS

Where Loki said “you might wanna get stairs to the left”.

Thats how far away the prison were from palace where Frigga was killed.

When Loki tells the guy to go to the left, he instructs him how to get out of prisons. Not to the palace.

THAT IS ALL ACROSS THE CITY.

So fucking far away Thor must fly there.

So where in the hell you’re getting that Loki killed her?????

He didnt even tell the guy how to get to the palace, only out of prisons! For fuck sake…

[blindtaleteller]

Okay so. I haven’t covered this in depth in a while but yes: I’m going to do it again now.

Because here’s the thing; not only is this stupid idea floating around one of several manipulations, but this one in particular is a flat out lie perpetuated in the series by it’s writers through Mobius? It’s also erasure of the importance of the plot and the role the black actor who played Algrim and Kurse played in it.

What’s more, it’s a blatant lie easily called out by just watching the effing movie the scene is from.

For that matter?You don’t even have to watch the entire movie in order to know it’s bullshit. All you have to watch is literally 20 minutes and ten seconds (If on youtube? watch from time mark 29:21 to 49:31) – though it ultimately starts with the very first, opening scenes.

But, here’s a few more rundowns, if you’re particularly lazy. Let’s start with this.

“ Okay, so who the hell is Algrim? “ you might ask. That would be one half of the character whose importance is being erased here.That is Kurse’s name prior to his change into BECOMING Kurse.

This guy:

Who is played by English actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Look him up even if you don’t click the link to his wiki page. It’s his performance, and his character’s origin, accomplishments and death in TDW being downgraded in the Bob: the Accountant series.

Again, if lazy? He’s a former fashion model who directs, and has been acting for years.

(PS and side note – yes and good god does it show he’s a former model, doesn’t it? Very pretty man under all that make up!! Geebs!)

To name some roles; he was in Oz, Game of Thrones, Mr. Eko, Concussion, Bourne Identity, AND for those of us who follow comic films in particular? This is also the guy who played KIller Croc in Suicide Squad.

Moving on, though. How does that erase his performance?

Because while Phase Four writers and PR teams have been scrambling to try and make the majority of general sheople fans (nope I didn’t mis-spell that, sound it out using the same vowel sounds) forget through PR and interviews stating they’re ‘doing something new with the characters …for the fourth time!! :O!!’ after the fact? Most of us haven’t forgotten that:

            1. Most of us know how counting to ten works, and in turn understand that the reason it’s called Phase Four is because Phases One through Three came before it in story: including these films, creators works, and actors parts in them. (only slightly less important than #2)

            2. Literally the entire reason why the Dark Elves wake up, pre-plan their infiltration and attack on Asgard using Algrim as a martyr-like sacrifice for their twisted-ass cause (which he literally fulfills to the letter,) and are able to be lured away from Asgard at all is because of Jane and what she has. 

And quick, visual reminder of what she has; as the major plot device and motivation for Malekith, the Dark Elves, and yes Algrim/Kurse as one of (if not his only remaining) Officers?

Not only was it at least a mile away from the main Palace, and the dungeons? It was inside Jane; and Malekith (NOT Algrim/Kurse) following his sense of the Aether (Reality Stone) is established and repeatedly stated as the main reason they are there even after having their asses all but wiped out or handed to them by Odin’s father, Bor.

Malekith’s ability to sense it inside Jane: is also the reason why they spring Loki to leave the planet, with the intention of sparing the people another attack that: since Algrim did do his job so well, and disabled the shields exactly as was planned in the previous scenes before they even arrive: They knew Asgard couldn’t weather.

(couldn’t find the gif of the planning scene but yeah, just watch those 20 minutes of the movie I mentioned above. It’s eternally, permanently there for reference in the movie, in that twenty minutes.)

Kurse had the killing blow, only after he had opened the shields as planned; and after he had traveled that distance to catch up to Malekith (who was already there by that stage and engaging Frigga) in order get to Frigga’s quarters to do so.

(pardon some of the quality below: but these are the best I currently have that don’t chop it to an even worse scroll.)

So. No. At no time was Loki in any way, shape or form responsible for Frigga’s death. And no, I don’t find it very funny, cute, respectful of the actors’ work or the other creator’s work before them that they did this and don’t just ignore it but downright downgrade and demean the whole like this.

It’s disrespectful of the people who worked hard on that film and every other film made before it. Actors, writers, directors, costume: you name it.

(Except maybe Gagnarok, since they were definitely rolling with Taika “I’m going to screw everything and every creator who came before me’s work and efforts up on purpose and leave it for someone else to clean up after me” Waititi)

It’s disrespectful of every fan including the general sheople eating it up, and yes actual fans of the Thor corner who have been shelling money out of their pockets to watch that continuing story and fix promised in the advertisements and interviews during the two year plus wait for it to air under that premise, only for this utter crap to continue instead: and both main characters to be turned into literal walking meme-worthy shadow versions of their once interesting, original characterizations as formed for the differing MCU universe, from Phase 1 in 2010-2011 twelve years after filming past Iron Man, started.

In closing:

If you’re lying to yourself trying to pretend Disney and Marvel Studios doesn’t know this having created it, and is literally banking millions if not billions on believing you’re too stupid to figure this and all the other issues with the Bob: the Accountant series, SMNWH & DS: MoM out, regardless of their PR attempts to cover the fact that on top of that they added to the issues by bad-faith hiring people like Waldron, Raimi, Herron and her allowed biased buddy hire in Sophia?

 If you’re defending these things, regardless?

If you’re giving people who actually care enough to call it out grief online or otherwise?

Yes, that disrespect, and assumption that you are that dumb: is part of what you’re defending, and helping to promote as something you want more of, instead of calling them out on it.

…also tags. Again.

[inthemoodforblastt]

refuse to portray teenage Severus as a perfect, utterly helpless victim who was left not knowing what to do against four repulsive bullies, because no, Severus Snape was not a perfect victim. Severus Snape was half-muggle and had grown up surrounded by violence and poverty in a working-class neighbourhood where he had probably seen horrible things, and he had far more street sense than people like to admit. He knew —because this is something you learn in those environments— that if someone hits you, you hit back, and if they try to push you around, you’re allowed to push back six times harder.

He was resentful, and he was violent, and he defended himself the way any working-class kid would have. The problem was not that he didn’t fight back; the problem was that his bullies outnumbered him and had money, social capital, and the approval of the adults in charge. And that is what made it impossible for him to truly defend himself, because you can use your fists, but they are useless when the establishment is against you.

So for me, Severus is never going to be a perfect victim. He is a victim, because he didn’t just suffer bullying, he also suffered classism, marginalisation, and social injustice. That makes him a victim. But he fought back. He fought back with nails, teeth, and knives if necessary, because defending yourself does not stop you from being a victim.

[faecaptainofdreams]

Thank you for this. People being angry he didn't just lay down and take it is very disturbing because it translates to other types of violence and our perspectives on them. Hell, it affects me, because i push back when I'm emotionally wounded and because of this, it limits others' idea that i am suffering. No, i became mean to protect myself from something. Where there's smoke there's a fire, and Severus was burning from the start.

[laurelsalexis]

How is Loki a victim instead of a villain when he’s 100% in control of his actions, only choosing them because of what he believed, no one forcing him into such choices. In the Avengers Thor just goes ‘he’s adopted’ when confronted with all Loki had done. He’s a victim of adoption? Wow, then we better start watching all of the adopted kids more closely. I mean, adoption. That’s some serious stuff. Even though his life isn’t picture perfect there is no one wiping him of his agency like Bucky had been wiped of his? 

Bucky was taken in by the USSR/HYDRA (mcu details are fuzzy on what happened when, but they are both horrible) & had his agency constantly stripped from him. While Loki was able to make his choices, Bucky couldn’t. He couldn’t even tell you his name. He was the victim of abuse over and over. He was made into a weapon. When he broke his conditioning, even in the smallest of ways (seen in catws) his mind was wiped again, he was abused again, all so he had no option but do to what he was told. 

Bucky couldn’t choose his path, Loki could. They are not equal.

[justchillandliveyourlife]

Loki is not victim of adoption. He was raised in a society who believed and treated frost giants as monsters. Thor and the warrior three looked so happy and were enjoying killing them monsters(frost giant) just while 2 days before he found out he was one of those monsters . Tom hiddleston conformed that loki had sended the destroyer in New Mexico because he thought thor was going to slay him (I have read another tumblr blog). He is a victim of bad parenting (abusing if you ask me) and a racist society. Not to mention everything that as happened to him in the void. To be honest the list is too long .While I have this much is enough to clarify that yes loki and bucky both are victims not “villian”.

[therese-lokidottir]

The thing about characters is they can be both. They can be both victim of others actions and victimize other themselves. There is no equation or point system someone has to qualify for to be a victim, nor do their actions, no matter of bad, undo their victimhood.

Loki is a victim of Asgard and his parents ingrained bigotry and their lies. Lying to Loki, and by extension Thor about Loki race while raising him a society that is prejudice against that race caused Loki trauma, it led to his emotional breakdown and lead to all his bad decision in the first Thor film. Loki can be in “control” and he can still be a victim.

Loki is not a perfect pure person, but how much freedom he’s had is up to question. He was tortured by Thanos and the mind stone further amplified all his negative emotions. No that doesn’t absolve him of wrong doing but it is something to be noted about his character. Loki driven by this by circumstances beyond his control, he was pushed to his breaking point.

Also no Loki fan has ever denied Bucky his victimhood. Fans tend to be pretty locked in that both characters deserved better.

[blindtaleteller]

EDIT and Warning: I went on for a bit, cause yeah. Buckle in, adding pretty and related pictures lol!

Not only can he be both, but and again; if this is MCU we’re talking about? As early as 2010 when T1 was still in production and well after, they had the base plan already: and the creators specifically designed him that way; and hired Hiddleston in particular for the role because he had the acting range to portray exactly that.

Here’s the thing I have to point out though, that isn’t as minor as people like to pretend it is: Thor is lying when he says ‘adopted,’ and knows it too when he uses the term.

At no point in time, did Odin ask or go through 'proper channels’ in the society of the completely different species on the completely different planet he took his armies to invade and murder his way into a temple to steal a baby he knew had at least one parent while still wearing their and his own blood after fighting his way in TO steal the child of his opposition, from.

There is and has been a whole other centuries used term for this act in particular and (well several including kidnapping; but the one that fits more here and has been used for over a thousand years:) that is Fostering.

For those unfamiliar; some might recognize that term from other fictions who weren’t afraid to use it openly or call it’s very specific act and nasty traditional follow ups by it’s name.

As one very popular example: Game of Thrones in particular did this too: with Theon Greyjoy, Balor Greyjoy and the Starks.

In fact it’s so similar, that if you were to focus out the rest; the only difference between the two is that Theon and his father was aware of his fostering; where Loki and Laufey were not until over a thousand years later.

Which okay yeah with Laufey, if you’re gonna steal another political power’s heir and get away with that and raising them to be loyal to you with the intent of using them to replace that king after he’s dead, and have to worry about other interstallar allies or powers squinting at you if not using taht as an excuse for hitting you hard before you target them and THEIR children next when they find out about it (because they absolutely would, lets not pretend: Xandar, the clearly very bloodline oriented Kree [see Ronan’s early scenes in GotG and the fact they’d been at war and around for a couple of milennia too], and yeeah no.) keeping it from Laufey and externals knowing about it makes some sense given Odin’s gross takes in particular.

Not telling Loki however.. eh.

And here’s the other one a LOT of folks like to pass over: Frigga is just as bad, and just as responsible (and in some cases more so) for how bad that went, as the mother who admits and is admitted to have been party to this too, for just as long: and refuses repeatedly in the first two films, to take any responsibility for her part, and her part in not ending that problem far sooner rather than giving out flimsy excuses. Or, for that matter taking her place as queen rather than knowingly putting Loki in that position in her place in T1 while all their dishonesty, misuse and passed over mistreatment put on display on screen was still going on!

She was the other parent, lied as much if not more than Odin did so having and claiming that much closer a relationship with Loki; she was the mentor who taught him the skills to become (in their words on screen) the most powerful sorcerer in his generation (a generation which also bridged hers and Odin’s.)

Odin created that mess stealing and holding that prince captive intially yeah. However: the entire time –over a thousand years of this and pretending to know him at least– he was being raised, taught magic to glamor and shapeshift into whatever he wanted and choose for himself?

Nada.

This scene below wasn’t a surprise to those of us who recognized that; but her lack of ownership, kinda was.

Which says a lot; as to just how disgustingly dishonest using the term adopted or family actually was not just in 2012, but throughout the entirety of his 1500 years up to that point (not five or ten, twenty, or even fifty: but one thousand five hundred years of this and grooming Thor and the rest around them to continue it) and still is all the way up to and even past Infinity War in 2018.

(Side note, if you weren’t aware: With the exception of Captain America: TFA, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange and Endgame; MCU movies were crafted to be happening the same year/time as their release. Initially, the television series’ also followed this format until the studio basically disowned their stories.. which apparently they’ve gone back on since; but yeah that’s also why some of the TV series out of the Defenders lineup Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones etc [and yes Shield, Inhumans linked with it, and Agent Carter too] fall out of synch at differing points with the main MCU. Because they basically ditched them: and now have been trying to selectively patch them back in. Which storywise hasn’t been going so great, but yeah.)

Ultimately, we’re back to.. not only can Loki be both, but again he was designed and aimed to be in the MCU: and it was very clear that with how they set his character up as the first person they presented to us that Thanos used, and how they set that up using all that plus the torture an dstated manipulation to push him the extra and into the role? That he wasn’t supposed to stay in that role in the MCU any more than his comic counterpart did, or has.

That complexity of character and universe building was and remains why the early films succeeded, and continue to succeed: even over their more recent dumbed down and forgetful 'continuations’, if you can call them that.

Most of us who have been around since 2007 when Iron Man was first being mentioned and pitched to the public, and 2008-9 when the MCU was confirmed after it’s success?

Can’t call them that, for the fact we do remember and understand these things; and the purpose that the Committee that used to keep these things straight was dismissed instead of re-staffed with the same goals of quality and direction rather than, well.. what mess was made of it after, starting with Jenga Block Boy Waititi.

Again he chose that term and nickname knowing and still going forward with it with his handling of Gagnarok, and knowing full well it would affect both Infinity War and Endgame.

In case you don’t want to follow teh link, here’s the TLDR out of his own mouth:

These are some of the reasons why many people who actually care or cared about the franchise (and especially the Thor corner in which Loki had his planned side by side introduction into the universe pre-Avengers) don’t like Ragnarok : myself included.

It (and Waititi, along with those in teh studio who supported him, Waldron, Herron and more who continued Waititi’s hateful and awfully dumbed down set of takes) completely ignores the efforts of dozens if not hundreds of people (and dozens of actors including Hiddleston who was well documented as being publicly mocked by the series staff and co-stars for trying to get his character’s named title back on track during production and filming) who crafted that complexity in both characters and the foundations of the universe and worlds they lived on/in.

The problem here honestly lies in the misunderstanding that complexity of any character is bad or above understanding; and the too common unwillingness to even attempt to try and understand, while complaining about it.

That isn’t a slap or anything of that nature.

That’s a statement based on years of experience in living through that; having been involved as someone who has been following this mess and also been given the proof of experience through interaction, and downright threats and harrassment that myself and many others here have been subject to in bringing up these very well established and documented facts that yes, several attempts to PR cover or excuse them have been made over the years since: and allowing it to spread to pretty much every corner of the MCU since rather than fixing it: or join in calling for those fixes.

As an example: the mess that was P4’s uncontrolled 'Multiverse’ stints in particular absolutely could have been and still can be used to put out the dumpster fires, and go back to quality characters complex and otherwise very very quickly? (and less cheap story and character wise than some of especially the collection of D+ series went) And was not just fumbled in the same flavor, but made worse by the lack of control and basic rules a multi-universal story of any kind absolutely needed for it to work.

The problem is the lack of follow through and effort to do so, and the lack of understanding of the most basic reason why the phases were made a thing from that start and have numbers: combined with allowing individuals like Waititi incapable of getting over their own arrogance to get the job of continuing that part of the story done which were hired to do in the first place.

Ninety percent of the confusion and growing distaste and disinterest in the over all franchise as well as parts of it from us their audience, would have gone away if that follow through and hiring people with that intention had remained a thing: or they had fixed it right away when they realized it, rather than eleven to twelve years after the fact.

Little bit of a rant there at the end, and definitely not all of it after this long.

But yeah, all that does contribute.

And especially to the subject at hand, given that the Thor corner and the mishandling of Loki and other characters in it was where the whole mess started? And why this far out? Questions and conversations like this are still going eleven years after Gagnarok’s release; twelve after it’s production: and 16-17 years after T1.

There have been a few good bits here and there; but very little memorable for anything other than defecating on the foundation, lighting it on fire, and then them complaining about the results of, surprise: that not going over well with the audience that was paying to see those stories finished or continued genuinely.

And yeah, Thor and Loki’s stories, creators and actors in particular have definitely struggled and suffered the most for that disingenuous change of direction.

Just sayin’.

[aquilacalvitium]

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

[aquilacalvitium]

Please keep interacting with this post because when I come to tumblr to procrastinate, this shows up again in my notifications and guilts me into writing again

[aromansoul]

Boxer Silco.

[lodesta]

Considering that he was a miner, he must have considerable strength.

[raifenlf]

Why Loki’s Sylvie Is A Mary Sue

So I am firmly in the camp that Sylvie on the Loki series was/is a Mary Sue.  The last episode made me feel better and like maybe the show was doing a thing where they were faking you out that she was a Mary Sue only to show she was actually sort of a bad guy and I liked that.  But all the recent interviews make me think the show wants to go back to her being a Mary Sue.

But I feel like when I call her out for being a Mary Sue people tell me what are you talking about, she’s not a Mary Sue, bad things happen to her, etc.  But that doesn’t actually make her not a Mary Sue.  

Also, before we start, I know some people find Mary Sue sexist.  But I personally use the term for guys and girls. I don’t use the term to belittle women.  I use the term to criticize a poorly written character.

And I know Mary Sue is often used to describe fanfic characters.  But to me, this series is kind of like a fanfic because the writers took a character who had been in canon MCU material for ten years and then created characters around that character.  So, I kind of review it like I would a fanfic.  It’s very different than if the writers had created a brand new show with all of their own new characters.

Anyway, if you are not totally familiar with the Mary Sue term, then check this out:

I know the term Mary Sue probably means different things to different people.  But I have always used these guidelines when I write my own fanfic to make sure my characters never come off as a Mary Sue.

This article really gives you a full scale of what a Mary Sue is.  If you start reading it, you’ll immediately see why Sylvie is.  But I’m going to take out the parts that most fit Sylvie just to highlight why I believe she is a Mary Sue.  I apologize for this being so long.

Mary Sue Character Traits

Personality

Erm… what personality? The typical Mary Sue doesn’t have one per se, because she isn’t meant to be a character; rather, she’s an entity by which the author makes cool stuff happen.

I feel like that is Sylvie in a nutshell.  She doesn’t have a personality.  I feel like even though she ate screentime, I still don’t really know her at all.  The writers love to say she’s badass.  That’s not a personality.  

Sometimes when I am writing stories for fun and creating new characters, I like to take surveys as my fictional characters.  Like the kind of surveys you’d see in a magazine, like personality types, what’s your dating style, etc.  I figure if I don’t know what my character would do in any of those situations, then I need to keep working on my character.  And if I was trying to fill out a survey pretending I was Sylvie I would have no idea what to answer because she doesn’t have a personality.  She’s just “cool”.

What little personality a Mary Sue has isn’t as important as how other characters react to it. No matter how shy or socially awkward Mary Sue is supposed to be, other characters will be inexplicably drawn to her

This is so Sylvie.  Loki falls in love with her…why, exactly?  He falls in love with her in the big Nexus event moment…why?  Because she had a tough childhood?  Mobius spends like two seconds with her in a car and goes from hating her to saying she’s his favorite Loki.  For. No. Particular. Reason.

She’s extremely persuasive; everyone finds her opinions to be better than their own

She enchants Hunter B-15 and then immediately Hunter B-15 makes it her whole entire life mission to back Sylvie up.  

And occasionally she’ll be a complete asshole…This can manifest itself in several ways…The author wants to write a badass but doesn’t know how. This leads to a character who mistreats everyone around her and is never called out on her abrasive, casually abusive behavior.

Sylvie talked down to Loki and treated him like garbage for all of episode three, but it was never portrayed as a bad thing and we never got any impression Sylvie later felt bad for the way she treated Loki

The author doesn’t know how to hold back the character, meaning that she will succeed at practically everything. This means that when she encounters rules or authority figures who would otherwise prevent her from doing what she wants to do, she rolls right through them (and they praise her for her “boldness” in defying regulations). If a bad guy is violent and aggressive, she can beat him by being more violent and aggressive (with all that entails). It’s impossible for her to go overboard because she’s protected by Protagonist-Centered Morality.

Sylvie is shown as a kid to immediately be able to grab a Tempad and run away.  And she can kick ass way better than Loki, for no known reason.  She is always able to fight back against the TVA when they attack her.  And she can kill lots of innocent TVA agents but it’s okay because TVA bad, Sylvie good.

Skills

She will always be superior to the canon characters, regardless of what canon has established they can do or whether it makes any sense.

Whose skill was needed to defeat Alioth?  Sylvie’s.  Of course.  Sylvie needed to teach Loki her skills in order for him to succeed (!).  And again, she is literally called the superior Loki.

Relatedly, there’s no effort to her skills. She never actually trains or learns anything to become more powerful; she just wins the Super Power Lottery, or is a freakish natural learner, or is just Inexplicably Awesome

We’re told Sylvie literally taught herself magic.  She literally taught herself to enchant people.  That. Makes. No. Sense.  Like, I have so many questions.  Like, why would it even occur to her to teach herself that?  And how????????????  This is really lazy writing.

Canon Character Relationships

Mary Sue is often designed to hook up with another character, often as a form of Wish Fulfillment. This isn’t that bad in and of itself (okay, it is kinda weird), but Mary Sue accomplishes this without any sense of realism. She just grabs her lover’s attention straight away, and their relationship will never face any obstacles or tension; it’s true love from the start and nothing else. The biggest giveaway is if the love interest is explicitly the author’s favorite character, and she essentially “cures” him of all the angst that ails him (at the expense of his characterization).

Yeah, so…this one should be pretty obvious to anyone who watched the show.  Loki literally falls in love with Sylvie immediately, and then he suddenly turns from “villain” to “hero” just because of loving her.  And this was definitely at the expense of his characterization.  And Loki just knows he falls in love with her.  There’s not even any moments of hmm what do I feel for this person?  It’s just true love, immediately.

She will be related to a canon character in some way. This (marginally) helps explain such phenomena as her being a Copy Cat Sue and other characters accepting her so easily.

Sylvie is a Loki variant.  They use this to help explain why Loki is drawn to her and why their falling in love immediately “makes sense”.

Most characters give her more heed than they normally would. The good guys never stop praising her

Seriously, it was so over the top and OOC for Loki to gush over her.  He literally tells her she’s amazing.  They don’t even make it subtle.

Characters’ previously established personalities change in reaction to her. Proud, arrogant gimps suddenly acknowledge her superiority in everything. Reckless youths will listen to all her advice. Responsible leaders will defer to her instead. Villains will obsess with her to the detriment of all else. Extremely competent characters will become stumbling buffoons who require her help to do anything. Sweet, mild-mannered characters whom the author doesn’t like turn evil and insult her. They all become unnaturally focused on her in some way.

Again, Loki’s whole personality changed in reaction to her.  He became a buffoon who needed her help to enchant the Alioth because of course he couldn’t do anything without her!  Hunter B-15 goes from doing whatever the TVA said to fighting the TVA just because of Sylvie.

Story Elements

Mary Sue is without exception a single-person Spotlight-Stealing Squad. The entire story hinges on her existence; if you removed her, there would be no story. 

Sylvie undoubtedly drove the whole story this season.  It all became about HER meeting the TVA heads because of HER trauma.  Loki’s life was only saved at the beginning because the TVA was trying to capture HER.  And SHE was the one who started the whole multiverse (!).

Mary Sue is The Chosen One, even if the setting already has one. There are many ways she can accomplish this: she can be a Sailor Earth type who “shares” the position with the canon hero; she may be vaguely “destined to help the destined one fulfill their destiny” (i.e. do all the work except the final blow so that the prophecy is still technically correct); or the canon hero may be revealed to be a Fake Ultimate Hero all along. Being the Chosen One doesn’t necessarily involve her being a God-Mode Sue, especially as authors become aware of the phenomenon and try to avoid it, but it does make her critically important to the world and allows her to continue stealing the spotlight without the “god mode” label.

HWR wanted Sylvie to come with Loki in the end, like she was chosen all along right alongside Loki.  Like one of the most important characters in the entire MCU is now this character who we only met a few episodes ago.

Most Sues have an unusually Dark and Troubled Past. It’s often used to create a Sympathetic Sue, but any type of Sue can have one

They tell us, over and over, how hard Sylvie’s life was because she was kidnapped by the TVA in order to create sympathy for her.

She almost never does anything wrong. In the rare instance that she does, it’s usually; (a) a way for the author to disclaim her being a Mary Sue by introducing a single imperfection (that has no bearing on anything anyway), and (b) designed to show her smarts by making her feel instant remorse, and she’ll be Easily Forgiven anyway:

So this one hopefully will not come true, as a lot can change between now and when the show is taped. But if the show goes on the way the behind the scenes team is talking, Sylvie immediately felt remorse for betraying Loki, and Loki has already forgiven her and is desperately looking for her.  Ugh.

Alternatively, she is more than capable of doing something wrong, be it in general moral terms or something that goes against whatever code she abides by, and she maybe even frequently does so, but don’t expect the other characters or the narrative to ever acknowledge or comment on it in any real capacity. If the other characters do call her out, expect them to be treated like they’re the problem for daring to criticize her at all.

Mobius calls her out for killing people, but Sylvie immediately says he’s a bad person and then Mobius agrees, because, of course.

She will often suffer from Special Snowflake Syndrome; i.e., she has a trait or backstory that sets her apart from her group or race.

She is the only female Loki, thus making her the special one among all the Lokis in episode five.

Presentation

In visual media, the camera just can’t stop staring at her.

The camera would follow her in fight scenes rather than Loki.

Mary Sue Tropes

Okay, so there are specific Mary Sue tropes that Sylvie is.  One of those is Copy Cat Sue, which I think was referenced before.

Copy Cat Sue

A lot of fanfic writers…start to write something because of their passion for this character, but they find something about the character that doesn’t mesh well. Maybe they’re the wrong gender or are otherwise not close enough to the author’s expectations…In any case, rather than put them through the Possession Sue process, they just get a Clone-O-Matic™ and out pops a Copy Cat Sue…the character might be intended as a replacement for the canon character, but without whatever icky traits the author hates. They’ll then rob the spotlight, prove the canon character to be unworthy of his/her position, and either relegate the character to obsolescence or, perhaps, even remove them entirely.

Sylvie is basically a clone of Loki, she is a variant.  But she absolutely robbed the spotlight of Loki’s, and they literally call her the superior Loki.  I mean, they are literally not even being subtle about this.  And there was a feeling by myself (and a lot of other viewers) that Sylvie might ultimately replace Loki in the MCU. 

Black Hole Sue

Much like a black hole, this is a Mary Sue who “sucks in” the plot and characters to her. Characters will behave outside their personalities, logic will be defied, and rules will be broken for her sake.

Sylvie really does suck up all the plot and Loki definitely behaves outside of his personality just to fit the Sylvie show.

Jerk Sue

A Mary Sue who is mean or maybe even cruel, but are still treated as an ideal person.

Once again, Sylvie is basically a jerk all of episode three, but you’ve got Loki falling over himself to call her amazing in just the next episode.

Relationship Sue

A Mary Sue who exists to be the perfect mate for a specific character…this character has everything in the plot conspiring to enforce this One True Pairing…in Fanfiction, they are the perfect beloved of a canon character.

They literally have Mobius speculate that Loki falling in love with Sylvie is so extraordinary that it causes an entire Nexus event, that’s how huge this One True Pairing is (!).  And Sylvie is the love interest of Loki, the only character who had been around before the beginning of the series

TLDR: Sylvie has all the tropes of a classic Mary Sue character.  So calling Sylvie a Mary Sue isn’t being sexist or just randomly hating on the character.  If you use common Mary Sue characteristics to examine the character, she just has too many of these characteristics to ignore.

[lokistans]

wow. i knew she was a mary sue i just didn’t realize just how explicit and clear it was. like, i thought these descriptions of a mary sue were written with sylvie specifically in mind. it’s insane.

[latent-thoughts]

Very good analysis. I’ve been calling her a Mary Sue for a year now, after that ridiculous finale aired. I’m glad to see that others are writing well thought out meta about it too.

[gooseworx]

Would raghata make out with me? Or anyone? But me in particular. Just curious

Ragatha would only make out with SamTriesHerBest on Twitter.

[gooseworx]

If your takeaway from this is to send death threats to my friend, and not "Oh that's an obvious joke" then I think you need to die. Some of you guys aren't old enough to be watching cartoons I swear to God.

[radiobarf]

Character design slaps so hard it was my warm up for today.

Rug belongs to @gooseworx

[mlarayoukai-archive]

(affirming myself in the mirror) if that fictional man was real he would fuck you. He would fuck you. You're his exact type. If he saw you he'd get a boner instantly. He would fuck you he would fu

[picchar]

😉Library might not be the best place for certain… activities, but…

[jester-junk]

🩸 Writer's Tag Game 🩸

Thanks for tagging me @bludazey <3

⭐ do you prefer writing… ⭐

on your computer | on your phone It's beyond me how some people can write entire stories on their phones and even EDIT there. I need a fullsize keyboard or I'll go ballistic.

one-shots | multichapter One-shots are certainly easier but I prefer multichapter overall. I want long-term development. :)

<5k or 5-10k | >10k words per chapter I really have to try my hardest to even reach 2k per chapter. Less is more. #copium

chronologically | jump back and forth I'm currently trying to write whatever scene I have ideas for, but I generally like to keep things organised (maybe too organised).

planning things out | winging it I tend to overthink everything, so while I certainly feel more comfortable planning EVERYTHING, I do get more stuff done by just winging it. Might be shit, though. ;)

drabbles | plot | character study I am most interested in specific characters (and slowburns involving them lol), the plot is important but doesn't have to be epic to keep me hooked. The characters however have to be interesting and show development over the course of the story.

dialogue | action I like dialogue, but considering the aforementioned point, a lot of character insight can be gained by what remains unsaid.

romance | comedy I adore it. There can be angst in the middle but there has to be a happy end for the main couple. There's enough sadness in the world, let me have this.

mystery | horror I don't think I'm smart enough to write a good mystery, but I certainly prefer it over horror. The latter would probably just set off my anxiety.

alternate universe | close to canon You can bet that if the character I hyperfixate on died in canon, I will accept NOTHING BUT alternate universes. But they're also quite interesting in general and give you the opportunity to look at something from different angles.

writing new content | editing your work I have such a problem with over-editing and not writing. I do try to focus on writing first, editing later, but refining sentences is just... fun. If I do it for too long, though, the doubts might set in whether what I'm looking at is any good.

⭐ extra questions… ⭐

How long on average do you spend writing 1 chapter? I'm basically a newbie, so it's difficult to say, but if I truly focus on a chapter and know what's supposed to happen, I can get it done within a week. But that's a big if.

How long do you spend editing? I'd say a couple of hours per chapter, I tend to delete and re-write entire sections.

Favorite thing to write? I don't even know yet! Introspection? Inner monologues?

Hardest thing to write? There's something that's easy to write?!

Fic/story you are most proud of and why? I can't say I have much to show for yet, but if I had to choose I'd be proud of two things: Fruits of Labour -- An Arcane oneshot focusing on Silco and his inner fears pertaining to becoming a father. It is an AU and in that sense unrealistic, but I still like how I've portrayed him. The other story would be More than meets the eye -- a Kpop Demon Hunters fanfic focusing on Abby and my OC. While it's super self-indulgent and not nearly finished, it is probably the first multi-chapter story I was brave enough to post and intend to keep writing for. Even if the story itself might suck, getting to the point where I can eventually call it finished will be a very proud moment for me.

[jester-junk]

🤍🤍 send this to 5 fanfic writers who you love and appreciate!! KEEP WRITING!! love you so much!

you're too sweet!! <3 love you tooooo

[mentoskova]

my shayla

requested by one of my Patreons

[mentoskova]

I CAN BE YOUR SANCTUARY

[jester-junk]

holy fuck!!!

can I get this as a print??

[jester-junk]

Kpop demon hunters?

Kpop demon hunters.

Started writing a fic about it.

Check it out. Or not.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[wulff13]

If you've ever wondered as to what color best matches your writing style, this is the quiz for you! I hope you enjoy!

So I got tagged by @iamamythologicalcreature to do this quiz and it was pretty fun! 

I tag… @quietscribe-blog, @thewandererabovetheseaoffog, @thechaoticcheese, @gratia-illi-puella, and @ghostmoon1

[ghostmoon1]

I got this :3

Thank you for the tag!! Hmm I’ll tag…. @on-a-lucky-tide , @the-greywarren , and @laswells-ashtray

(I had an entire brain fart trying to think of people who write gosh)

[the-greywarren]

Thanks @ghostmoon1 for the tag 🫶

Honestly this was pretty fun, I guess I never really think this much about my writing lol

Also, love green, so very happy about that

I also can’t remember who writes so I’ll just tag @uhohdad and @ijustwannaasksomething

[ijustwannaasksomething]

Dear @the-greywarren tagged me. I think it’s quite accurate:>

Tagging @lobo-chan and @jester-junk

[jester-junk]

lmao wouldn't say my language is poetic, but I do like tea.

[ancunins-juicebox]

I'm still writing something weird

Second chapter up. It's so niche, but I'm having so much fun :D

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Check it out if you're into BG3, Dammon and Isekais.