It's October everyone!
So I thought we'd revisit 3 horror-adjacent* fics that are novel/novella length for this week's F3 - because I'm nice to you like that 😅
They also all turned out to be LGBTQ+, because fanfiction be like that.
*If it has a ghost, I'm counting it 😎
As always, remember to check the tags and the original rec'ing posts for Content Warnings and other details, like SPOILER status!
Warning: this post discusses mental health problems
'Ed is happy, Stede is happy, the crew is happy. Izzy stands on the sidelines with rope in his hands, watching them all mingle and play. No one seems to notice the shadows under his eyes, how they grow darker, how the purple bruise-like colour seems permanently inked onto his skin these days.'
Every so often, a fic comes along which challenges my golden rule of fanfic-rec'ing.
And the golden rule is, of course: If it's well-written, I must rec.
Now everyone is staring at Klaus, who had chosen to pick at a thread on the shawl he’s wearing. He looks up in the following silence, smiling.
“What can I say, the fans love me.”
I'm currently reading The Umbrella Academy (TUA) fanfiction like there's no tomorrow... which given the current state of the world is a possibility, but let's move on...
So, I'm heavy on the TUA fanfics-reading at the moment.
...Especially the ones that play around with my favourite, fandom-specific, tropes.
'Daniel tips his head back with a sigh. “Okay, so you stole something. What.”
There’s a pause, and then. “I believe it might have been… jewels of some kind.”'
Every now and then I like to rec a fic from a show called Stargate: SG-1.
This is a sci-fi TV show that ran from '97 to '07, and which still has fanfic authors writing new material, because fandom love never dies 😅
'“I'm sorry I made you feel like a burden,” Allison admitted.
“Wow, two apologies in one day! You're definitely breaking a Hargreeves record.”'
We are talking The Umbrella Academy (TUA)!
Because the series has now finished - for better or worse (...a lot of people think the ending falls into the 'worse' category, but moving on...)
And that, of course, means that I need to read a whole bunch of TUA fanfiction to fill the umbrella-shaped (...Klaus-shaped) void. (But not the Void, lol.)
'The first look at his demon had his mind reeling, and he swore softly.
"What in Hel?!"
Anthony Stark gave him a smug grin and a chuckle.'
You know in this house (...blog, shh,) we like creativity, yeh?
We also like FrostIron (Tony Stark and Loki in a romantic and/or sexual relationship.)
So... hopefully you can see where this is going 😅
'And here Bucky was, living his whole life slightly out of step and just now realising it, because no one had ever told him so.
Slightly out of step.
Different.'
Sometimes, you find fics which were written just for you, ya know?
My dearest nerdlets, a fic with Bucky Barnes (from the MCU/Marvel movies etc.) as a sad Queer boi with synaesthesia and migraines? This thing was written for me - no question.
Warning: discussions of Depression and pet loss
...OK, doing this as a two-monthly thing is becoming an unintentional habit 😅
The only excuse that I have is that sometimes Depression messes my memory up - and the fact that I entirely (and I mean, entirely,) forgot to write a post for June coincides with some pretty sh**ty mental health days over the past two months.
So, yeah. I'm blaming Depression. And I don't feel bad about that, because it blames me for stuff all the time 😅
'However, Peter has been called a lot of awful names in the last week for jumping to conclusions – how was he supposed to know that that one mugging was actually Shakespeare in the Park?'
This is a quirky and sweet Spider-Man meets Winter Soldier fic.
(MCU - Marvel movies etc., in case you somehow didn't get the clue from 'Spider-Man.')
At first I did wonder whether I'd even enjoy it, but it definitely grew on me.
'“Loki.”
His mouth quirks in a smile. Ah, yes. That was his name once. Long ago. Or maybe not yet. He can’t remember which description is most appropriate anymore.'
There are a lot of continuation fics based on the Loki Disney+ series, out there in the big wide world.
I must have read a good number all by my lonesome by now - I know I've rec'd some on more than one occasion.
'Daniel wasn’t moving. Or making noise of any kind. And if Daniel wasn’t harassing anyone with questions, that was just a bad sign.'
A bit of a different one for you this time - Stargate: SG-1.
This was a sci-fi action/adventure series that ran from '97 to '07.
I was too young to watch it from the beginning - I'm a millennial, but I'm on the younger side of that - so I mostly caught up with it on re-runs in my teens.
'"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You're a bad liar, Mobius."
"Well, we can't all be Loki, now can we. So do you wanna hear my grand plan or not?"'
We're talking the Disney+ Loki series today dearest nerdlets because IT ENDED LIKE THAT.
...And since I'm clearly not the only fan out there in fandom who has FEELINGS about IT ENDING LIKE THAT, there's a lot of fanfiction.
And long may that state of affairs continue, because Lord knows I need more Loki in my life!
'In the mirror, Cass’s eyes go wide in horror. “If either one of you says that to anybody I know, I’m gonna have to run away and change my name and join the circus. Is that what you want?”
Bucky pretends to think about it. “Would you at least be able to get us free tickets?”'
I enjoyed this one way, way, more than I thought I would.
So, this sees Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) and other Marvel stuff several years after TFATWS ends.
- Enough years, in fact, for Sam's nephew Cass to be going to his high school prom.
And of course Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky volunteered to chaperone - because sometimes Captain America chaperones your high school prom, y'know?
Warning: very brief reference to Anxiety, and a (thankfully unrelated) brief reference to drugging people
'“You can’t stay, the guards’ rounds are random at night and…”
They would have a heart attack if they saw Flash and Supergirl eating cookies in his cell.'
This was sweet and I needed it.
Sometimes, you need the sweetness in fanfic. And this wasn't so fluffy that I get a weird social Anxiety backlash (it's fun to be me sometimes.)
It was just really nice, y'know?
Warning: pet death, grief
Did I intend to make this a 2-month wrap-up?
No. No I did not.
Did it become abundantly clear that I wasn't gonna get April's post done by the end of May?
Yes. Yes it did.
April was awful.
Really.
You know how my criteria for a good month is one where no-one I care about - human or animal - dies, almost dies, or gets a life-changing diagnosis?
April was not a good month.
My beautiful cat died, dearest nerdlets.
And the world feels off without him. There's a hole in my chest.
So most of the rest of April + May has been trying to get used to life without him.
...It still hurts like hell.
That boy was my everything, and I have cried every single day since I lost him.
But I kept going, despite the urge to stay in bed and wail.
(Turns out I'm frighteningly good at wailing - with frighteningly being the key word. I... did not know I could make that kind of noise. I freaked my parents the hell out.)
So, y'know, if you've got the chance to check out the posts I somehow managed to write despite the separation of my soul from my body, that'd be great... 😅
Comics Wrap-Up
Was Not Expecting That! - Wenglish in Marvel's Echo and more
Iconic and Irreplaceable - Joker: Folie a Deux and more
I Can Already Tell - X-men '97 and more
My Fangirling Heart Is Singing Right Now! - Deadpool & Wolverine and more
You Learn Stuff, I Guess - Chibird and more
The Freaking Chaos - Marvel's What If...? and more
Actually Quite Lovely - X-Men '97 and more
Gracing The Waves of the Interwebs - Deadpool & Wolverine and more
Wholesome and Positive - The Cursed Princess Club and more
Friday Fics Fix
The Nature of the Void - A The Umbrella Academy (TUA) fic exploring the nature of death, grief, and the Void
Most of You Aren't Gonna Read This - A The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) horror novella that is extremely well-written. I loved it. I hated it. It's so good.
Because I Am Trash - A TFATWS fic where Sam and Bucky are stuck in an industrial freezer. I stand by my life choices.
Cyberpunk Stucky - In a nutshell: Stucky (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes from the MCU in a relationship,) as detectives in space. But it's so much more than that. I would legit. buy this as an original novel - it's that good.
Vampires and a Smidge of FrostIron - Everything's better with vampires, right? Plus a little bit of Tony Stark/Loki love.
Klaus' Ghosts In A Specific Trope - I like the fandom-specific trope of Klaus literally showing his demons to people who deny or minimise them - the emo goblin spaghetti brain very much likes, OK?
Bucky's A Literal Demon and Sam's A Literal Angel - TFATWS
So. Freaking. Beautiful - A TUA Klaus/Dave fic with Klaus noticing that, in some lights, Dave's eyes are the exact same shade of blue as his powers, the ghosts, etc. etc. Which leads to a whole lot of introspection from both of them and... it's beautiful.
Nerd Church
Can Books 'Talk' To Us? - Do you think books can send us messages?
It's OK (Just Keep Going) - Brought to you by the art of giving myself a pep talk and then posting it on the internet 😅
My Heart Is Broken... - My beautiful boy is gone. 💔
Random Audiobook Ramblings - Walking is boring and books are awesome
Unpopular Opinion: I've Never Liked Gavin and Stacey - Sorry, not sorry. It feels uncomfortable - like Wales through an English lens.
What Does 'Enough' Even Mean? - Has anyone ever reached ‘enough’?
Things Happen When They Happen - I'm trying to remind myself that, so long as I'm working on things, they'll be ready when they're ready.
I Quit Google AdSense - Because this is way too many hoops to jump through for £7
Other Non-Review Posts
Month In Review(s) - March 2024
So, that's April and May for yours truly.
How was yours?
Talk to me! 😊💬
You can follow me on Twitter @CeeDoraReads, on Pinterest, and on Dora Reads @ BlogLovin. For more ways to support me, check out the Support Me page
'But, anyway, the point is….The vibes were off. Of this, Klaus was certain.'
Yes, this is The Umbrella Academy (TUA) again.
Because I'm complete trash and refuse to feel guilty about that 😅
'Sometimes, Klaus can’t look at Dave.'
OK, now that the trailer's out for the very lastest series of The Umbrella Academy (TUA) - for which I am both excited but also sad, because, lastest - this week's F3 seems super relevant.
...Happy coincidences, and all that jazz.
(Or maybe I need to read fanfiction from a wider range of fandoms - rec 'em in the comments if you got 'em!)
'The first time Bucky laid his beady yellow snake eyes on Sam, however, he knew none of the other demons’ vices held a candle to his own.
He fell in love with an angel, after all.'
I don't know whether I liked this week's fic.
...I mean, it's good. I just don't know whether or not I liked it.
Happens sometimes *shrugs*
'Five was scowling, “Try harder. We’re trying to figure out-“
“Blah, blah, how to get home. I know .” Klaus rolls his eyes. “I’d like to see you try to listen with all this noise.”'
I love it when there are tropes that are specific to the fandom.
Like, someone -
(or several someones, separately, in fandom harmony,)
- will come up with an idea - like, for argument's sake: Klaus from The Umbrella Academy (TUA) makes the ghosts visible to his siblings and they Freak. The eff. Out. -
(If you're new here - I can't swear, because my mother. If you're not new here - I still can't swear, because my mother. I can only swear in fiction, I don't know why. 😅)
- and then fandom will take this idea to their beautiful, nerdy, hearts, and freaking run with it.
'"Science waits for no man, Steve! Also Loki there's a welcome basket on your coffee table, let me know if you need help with anything!"'
This is some good, ol' fashioned, Avengers fanfic.
...Only Tony Stark is a vampire, because why not?
