Nerd Church - The Serpent and Herman Knippenberg

 

(Warning: this post discusses the details of a real-life crime, as such it contains details of murder, drugging, and a serial killer)

This week, I finished watching the eight-part BBC series The Serpent.

Starring Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle, and Tahar Rahim, The Serpent is a drama based on the real story of a serial killer preying on tourists in a variety of countries along the Asian hippie-trail during the 1970s.

It's an excellent series, even though it’s not exactly easy viewing.

This blogpost is gonna have a few SPOILERS for The Serpent series, OK? 

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!!!!

Don't say I didn't warn you!

Friday Fics Fix - I Am Utter Trash and Do Not Care To Hide It

'...“But when he doesn’t show up for pancakes it's good practice to make sure he hasn’t fallen down a manhole or something,”

Klaus resists the urge to hiss.'

You know I love novel (or novella) length fanfiction.

The beautiful dedication that it takes to write a piece like this always makes me smile.

Comics Wrap-Up - For Of Sugar and Ice, I Am Made

 

It's Thursday, it's February 2021, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Popular Vs Pretentious: I Read Martin Scorsese's Essay So You Don't Have To

 

Why are popular films, and popular media in general, somehow seen as unworthy?

Who decides what counts as Art anyways? 

Cos being asked to locate the grand-high judge of all things artsy films would not have me running to call Martin Scorsese (...who would totally take my call, because let's face it, I'm awesome and stubborn as a mule persistent.)

In a pretentious burst of overly-descriptive prose, Martin Scorsese's essay in Harper's Magazine was published this week to the irritation of many fans of superhero blockbusters and popular films.

Why? 

Well, Scorsese previously ran his mouth about Marvel movies in 2019, and it seems that even in this current piece about the artsy Italian director Federico Fellini, he couldn't resist some entitled barbs at films that people actually like watching.

It's titled, 'Il Maestro: Federico Fellini and the lost magic of cinema' because... why not? I guess?

Friday Fics Fix - Keep Calm and Carry On

* = commission link

'The massive box of 64 crayons calls to me, every one of them waiting to be picked and pressed to a page. (I could have gone for the box of 120, but that seemed like too much.)'

This week's fic is from a fandom that is super-popular, but also not especially well-known outside its core fanbase.

 ...which is why I'm going to do a very brief explanation of Carry On* aka the Simon Snowverse just so's we're all on the same page.

(I realise that a lot of die-hard fans are probably screaming that how could anyone not know about Simon Snow?! But we do not gatekeep here at Dora Reads, dearest nerdlets.)

(Fandom notes:

gatekeeping - also a non-fandom term, when used in fandom this typically takes the form of 'you're not a real fan of [insert fandom or genre or author, etc.] unless you've [insert arbitrary benchmark]')

Comics Wrap-Up - Bite the Lightning and Tell Me How It Tastes

 

It's Thursday, somehow it's only February, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Everything is once again in the 'other stuff' category (dammit Loki!)

Month in Review(s) - January 2021

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19)

On a personal level, January sucked. Bad.

My beautiful Nan got Covid, and combined with her other health problems, despite the fact that she had very few symptoms, we nearly lost her. 

There are very few things more distressing than watching someone you love slowly fade away via video link.

Honestly? If you're STILL not taking Coronavirus seriously, you can fuck the hell off.

And, dearest nerdlets, you know how upset I have to be to swear without censoring myself. 

I really wanna delete a few letters and add *s, but I'm not gonna, cos despite the fact that I'm a nice well-brought-up Welsh girl, that's how annoyed I am, and how much you suck if you're one of the selfish people who still isn't taking precautions.

Nerd Church - The Only Valentine I Ever Got

 

The only Valentine I've ever actually received was when I was five or six years old.

It was on the back of half a birthday card, which I still oh-so-clearly remember the flowers on, and I believe was written in red pencil. 

It was definitely some form of pencil - maybe my brain just made up the red part, I dunno.

Friday Fics Fix - Being Everything You Are

 

'Klaus pushed down the nagging thought that maybe he was scared of judgement from Ben, if he let him in.'

Some fics are beautiful.

Maybe not because of how they're written - although there are beautifully written fics, of course, and I always highlight them to you, dearest nerdlets, when I come across them - but because of what they are.

This week's fic is beautiful, because of what it is.

This week's fic is an arm around the shoulders of Queer readers - this fic says it's OK, just to be you.

Comics Wrap-Up - I Can't Bring Back How It Used To Be

 

It's Thursday, the world is a weird and wonderful place, let's get some comics-y, superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Depression Is...

(Warning: as you can probably tell, this post is about Depression. It also includes brief references to ableism, suicidal thoughts, suicidality, and passive suicidality.)

Disclaimer time!

I am not a mental health or medical professional.

I am someone with personal experience of Depression and Anxiety, and this post is based on my own experiences only. 

Mental health problems are intensely personal and therefore have a range of complex, varied, and valid experiences.

If you need help - PLEASE seek help. Getting in touch with a doctor or other help is scary, but so totally worth it - YOU are worth it. Please take care.

If you're in the UK or ROI, you can talk to The Samaritans about anything at any time. Check out their contact details here.

If you're not in the UK or ROI, you can check out this list of international suicide helplines.

Friday Fics Fix - Metaphorical Dirt Angels

 

'Klaus also had a tattoo on his arm of an umbrella inside of a circle. That image was the symbol of the Umbrella Academy, a group that had caused a whole lot of dissension among the Avengers.'

Comics Wrap-Up - Got Called An Alien For Bein' Myself

 

It's Thursday, it's February, let's get some comics-y, superhero-y goodness!

This week's is unintentionally super-queer (ha, super 😎) and is once again all in the 'Other Stuff' category (#BlameLoki).