#sylki discourse

Look, the negative fan response to Sylki is valid. It’s honestly fine if you’re pro-Sylki (clearly, a lot of people are), but I’m frustrated with how the anti-Sylki argument is so often dismissed as a petty ship war. As in, Lokius shippers didn’t get what they wanted, so now they’re anti-Sylki out of spite. That’s just not what’s happening here.

To begin with, my not shipping Sylvie x Loki (Sylki) is separate from my shipping Loki x Mobius (Lokius). Though there is undeniable (and rather significant) overlap between anti-Sylki shippers and pro-Lokius shippers, being in one group does not automatically put you in both. It’s also insulting to assume that the anti-Sylki fans are confounding the two distinct relationships. Believe or not, we are capable of compartmentalizing.

Let’s pretend - as painful as it is, I know - that Mobius was never a part of the story (gods, I hate this already). From their first moments together in episodes 2 and 3, Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino’s chemistry on screen screamed chaotic siblings - constantly at each other’s throats, bickering about ideology and exchanging petty insults, but ultimately and undeniably similar. As an audience member, that is how I read their interactions, and my reading/interpretation is just as valid as anybody else’s.

I will maintain that first and foremost, I just didn’t buy into Loki and Sylvie’s romance as a member of the audience. (For the record, I had no trouble believing in Cersei x Jaime or in Dany x Jon.)

I have no problem with Loki, the God of Mischief, getting romantically involved with themselves. In fact, the notion is actually quite funny and fitting. But for how Tom Hiddleston played Loki in this series and how his character interacted with the character of Sylvie, I just didn’t buy into the implications of self-attraction and narcissism. My opinion, I know. But I don’t think I’m alone in how I feel given the onscreen chemistry.

Moving right along - as a metaphor for self-love, I don’t see why Loki and Sylvie’s relationship needed to be romantic. In fact, I’d argue that a romantic interpretation of their relationship actually detracts from the self-love metaphor. Hear me out.

(Note: I will be using cis pronouns in this post as this is how the show ultimately positioned the characters; I am definitely of the position that Loki deserved better genderfluid representation and I’m hoping to see it in future seasons/movies.)

When we talk about self-love and self-care in the context of mental health and personal growth, we don’t mean anything sexual or romantic. It’s about reaching a state of self-acceptance and self-assured fulfillment.

Loki “falling for” Sylvie implies motivations (i.e., sexual) beyond empathetic altruism. Loki’s relationship with Sylvie is a great way for the character to see himself - the good, the bad, and the ugly - from an exterior perspective. Sylvie, with how damaged and hateful and hell-bent on revenge she is, reminds Loki of a not-so-long-ago version of himself. Sylvie is lost and alone, and Loki knows what that’s like: “I’ve been where you are. I’ve felt what you feel.” Loki is in the position to offer Sylvie guidance and mentorship without the added layer of a romantic relationship.

I liken it to a hypothetical scenario in which my current 26-year-old self encounters my 21-year-old self. This younger version of myself was in a dark place and desperately needed guidance and hope. My older self would see this younger self as a little sister to take under her wing - to say “it’s going to be okay. we’ve found our way out of this darkness before and we’ll do it again, this time together.”

At the end of the day, it’s just a show (Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is absolutely one of my favorite characters of all time, so yes it pains me to admit that it remains fiction) and the writers/showrunners made their decisions. My opinion is simply that the show would have benefited from a found-sibling, big brother/little sister relationship that felt more organic and didn’t carry the messy implications of a romantic entanglement.

If you read this far, thanks for listening to me thing aloud. Regardless of how you felt about the direction of the show, hope we can bond as forever Loki stans. ✌️️‍