The Loki Dilemma

(Or why I don't write in the MCU anymore.)

Back when the MCU was starting out and getting its bearings, I was coming off of the AC fandom and the Mass Effect fandom (ME3's ending before the DLC Extended ending fix and AC3's ending for Desmond Miles both killed me and made me kind of dillusioned with Ubisoft & Bioware for a while - still am, but Bioware's handling of Dragon Age: Inquisition really killed me from their games).

I wasn't against sad endings so much as if it completely satisfied me - hero arc resolved (or even left hanging b/c of an abrupt death, etc.), and it had to make sense. Anyways, another blog post for another time.

The MCU was starting to get hot and so I joined in the interest. Tom Hiddleston had a very delightful turn as Loki in "Thor" and I immediately latched onto him as both an actor and the character he portrayed. However, what I was supremely disasstisfied with was the way a majority of fanfic writers portrayed Loki in fanfics, especially after 2011's "Thor" and "The Avengers" in 2012. Woobiefied to the point where he was a shell of himself and not the God of Mischief, I remember reading fic after fic after fic and getting disappointed that everyone thought Loki needed the human and American western concept of therapy, that he could just be friends if someone talked with him - that they did not realize that this was Loki we were talking about. A 1000+ year old being who has traversed and seen probably far more horrors and things than a jaunt of meglomania. That to him - it was the old trope: It's Only Tuesday For Me.

So writing my "Trickster Universe" series was not only for me to figure out what would a 1k+ year old "god" do, but how would he go about to right his perceived wrongs and be not only the Norse god of the myths, but also of the Marvel comics.

Anyways, I finished it, got a bit burnt out and by the time I considered writing another Loki fic, better writing had come along and so I was content to read others' take on Loki. Then came Phase 4 and the "Loki" TV series. Which, I'll be honest, was a bit boring for me, but it also made me scratch my head.

You see, I LIKED MCU Loki's death in "Infinity War". I'll readily admit, I watched the rest of the movie in the theatres ready to cry my eyes out, but I thought it was a good wrap of Loki's arc in all of MCU. That there did not need to be a variant, or whatever there was, that this was a good send off to an actor who totally slayed the role 10x over.

I'm rather ambivalent about Phase 4's TV series mingled with the movies style - but I think Marvel and Disney have over extended the shelf life of the MCU a little too much by putting out mediocre quality TV series hat are either too long or not developed enough. Hence why I am not writing in the MCU anymore.

Thanksgiving - Food in C-Dramas

I started watching C-Dramas (Chinese Dramas) when I was really young - not knowing that they were actually C-Dramas. I was more invested in the pretty costuming and occasional arc - but mostly food.

It's also occurred to me recently (and today as the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving and someone in the household has fired up a C-Drama to watch while we food prep), that some C-Drama series have a notable "food" item as the go-to food.

Which incidentally, kind of sells me on trying said food if it is appealing. (Tea does not count - tea is a staple as is the water they attempt to serve as tea in the c-dramas.)

Example:

• A super old Mulan series back in the 80s or 90s had braised cow and pulled noodles as its go-to comfort food for its characters (which is pretty rich for said characters considering they were all military).

• "The Untamed" (CQL) had lotus root and pork soup for the Jiang Sect - more particular, associated with Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian.

• The Long Ballad (Changge Xing) had a bunch of food plates, but these squishy type of cakes that looked like a cross between moon cakes and some soft pastry were like the go-to for just plain eating.

• Whatever is on TV at the house at the moment - some kind of series that takes place in the Qing Dynasty, has been seriously harping on Chinese meatballs (transliterated as Lion's Head - or rather, in this case "Iron" Lion's Head). That better be some great meatballs, cuz it's super distracting to prep and I kind of want some now.

Anyways, basic examples - back to food prep. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and please stay safe! We're in an endemic with COVID, but don't forget to wash your hands and cover your nose with your elbow when you sneeze. RSV and Flu are still out there! Wear a mask if you can!