Friday Fics Fix - Locked In Space

 

'Across the top of the control panel, the AI’s official designation read: Security and Hazard Emergency Response LOCK (S.H.E.R.LOCK)'

You know I love originality in fanfiction dearest nerdlets.

And I have some more of it for you this week!

Friday Fics Fix - In A Sense

 

'Bucky sucks in a crushed breath. Orange-black and pinned like butterfly wings.'

This fic is so beautifully written.

And you should all know by now that when I find a beautifully written fic, I'm gonna rec it!

Month In Review(s) - February 2021

 

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19 and mental health problems)

We are two months into 2021. Just two months.

I have nearly lost my Nan twice so far in 2021.

Covid (which she had in January) has been so damaging to her health... it's awful. 

If you're one of the people who thinks it's not that bad, or it's a hoax, or it somehow doesn't apply to you, then you can fuck off.

And yes, it kills me to write swear words without *s, but I'm leaving it in.

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.

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]')

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.

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.

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.'

Friday Fics Fix - After The Fall

 

'“Oh, you’re going to be a regular bag of charms, aren’t you?” Mycroft goaded.

“Oh, shut up Mycroft!” Sherlock yelled back.'

 

Sherlockian fanfiction rules, let's be honest.

No-one can work quite so hard as the Sherlockians to turn a positive dearth (...I love that word, shutup,) of canon into a total avalanche of fan content.

(Fandom notes:

Sherlockian = fans (especially fandom-interacting fans) of BBC's Sherlock TV series.

Canon = official stuff in a book/series/film/whatever)

Friday Fics Fix - Slightly-Stabby Protectiveness

 

'Klaus had been… animate when describing each of his siblings.'

 

OK, OK - I know, OK? I know.

...I rec'd an Umbrella Academy fic last week. I know.

I usually try to leave at least one week in between rec'ing fics from the same fandom (no, really, I do.)

Friday Fics Fix - Haunting Metaphors (...and I'm Blaming the Coffee)

 (Warning: this post discusses mental health problems, as well as referencing abuse by parents.)

'Klaus blinked slowly, then nodded. “Yeah, what can I say? Some people just can’t accept that they’re f**king DEAD!”'

Now that I've finally finished watching Series 2 of The Umbrella Academy, it is of course time for some TUA fanfiction!

I'm Umbrella Academy trash, and proud of it! 😂😎

Friday Fics Fix - Avengers! Ghosts! Buzzfeed Unsolved!

 

'“I mean,” Clint cuts back in, “better safe than sorry. If it is a ghost, shouldn't you get the Tower blessed or cleansed or whatever?”'

 

Avengers! Ghosts! Buzzfeed Unsolved!

...To be honest, if that hasn't hooked you I don't know what I can say to convince you to read this week's fic. 

If you're intrigued, read on fair nerdlets! 

If not, go! 

Go now and frolic in peace!

(...I think I'm gonna be like this for the entire post. Just as a warning! The first week of 2021 has picked up where 2020 left off and I wasn't exactly normal to begin with 😅)

Month in Review(s) - November 2020

 

(Warning: this post discusses mental health problems, Covid 19/Coronavirus, and Transphobia)

November saw some rays of sunshine breaking through the end of 2020.

Biden won.

Hope of a Covid vaccine became more real.

As for me, well, I've had some ups-and-downs.

News of local people dying of and/or being ill with Covid. A firebreak Lockdown. The continued anti-Welsh sentiment in the press...

And then there's the Amazon Associate issue *sigh* 

I can't go into it, because I've appealed the decision, but after some problems in November, I lost my UK Associateship in the first few days of December. That's all I can really say for now. 

But it had me super stressy for a bit 😣 still kinda stressy now tbh.

Damn Anxiety always blows this kind of sh** out of proportion.

Update, 8th December:

Please DO NOT use my links to purchase from Amazon UK - my Associate account for the UK was unfairly closed, and Amazon UK will no longer pay me for any purchases made with them.

I will slowly be removing the UK links from 1000+ posts, but it's gonna take a while.

Friday Fics Fix - My Stand-Out Fics of 2020

 

It's December in a matter of days, which means that Friday Fics Fix will be going on its annual Christmas holiday.

...So what better opportunity to look back on the fics that've really stood out to me in 2020?

(Don't answer that. It's rhetorical. I'm gonna do it anyway. 😎)

2020 has been 2020.

So, I've totally been reading a butt-tonne of fanfiction as self-care. 

Because fanfiction is excellent for all the self-care purposes - whether you need deep and angsty, or sweet and fluffy, or you want to fulfil some very um, specific, tastes: fanfiction has it all!

(I don't judge. But if I never read another pumpkin sex fic, it'll be too soon. And yes, it happened again in October - how do they keep finding me?!)

Friday Fics Fix - Peter Parker Is Not OK

 

'Peter didn’t remind Mr. Stark of their plans, not after lunch, not after dinner and not when they were all sitting (or rather lying) in front of the TV later that evening.'

Fanfiction can make you laugh, make you cry, or make you go AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

...We're dealing with the third option here.

The kind of option where the feels are so complex that AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! is pretty much the best  descriptor available to you.

Friday Fics Fix - Soft But Stabby

 

'The street is just as empty as it’s been all night. “Meow.” And then an orange paw is patting at his boot.' 

Anyone who knows anything about Netflix's The Umbrella Academy (TUA) knows that Diego Hargreeves is stabby on the outside and super-soft on the inside.

He also loves his mam - you gotta love a vigilante bad-a** who loves his mam, ok?

There's a reason he has been memed as a baby duck with a knife. That's it. That's the entire character.

Month in Review(s) - October 2020

 

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, and mental health problems)

Well... October was pretty much the same as the rest of 2020 - there were a couple of nice things in there, but overall it sucked.

(I'm still standing though! #ThePositiveSide!)

My local Lockdown became a Welsh national Lockdown, and the anti-Welsh sentiments in some parts of the media and the Interwebs were irritatingly loud. 

*Takes deep breaths* *Resists urge to rant*

(If you want to see me ranting for a whole blogpost against an ignorant RT from the Trumpkin, you can read that here.)

Friday Fics Fix - The Good Trash, Because Its 2020 and I Need It

  ***All Amazon.com links in this post are commission links. This means I earn commission from purchases made in the US*** 

Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

'Mac slides the rest of the way out, rolling to his knees. Sweat is pouring down his face, stinging his eyes, and when he lifts his hand to wipe it away, he finds his fingers trembling. He stares at them, fascinated.'

 

I'm a big fan of the MacGyver reboot TV series.

I mean, it's often trash - but it's good trash. And I love good trash.

Trash with a genius who can use science to save the world is my kinda trash. (And lead actor Lucas Till is pretty easy on the eyes. It don't hurt. #JustSaying)

The current version of MacGyver started in 2016, with 4 series to date, and contains much less questionable hairstyles than the original 1980s series.

Friday Fics Fix - Clint and Bucky Undercover

 

'"Oh god, please tell me you’re not Hydra," said Clint, because he was entirely done with this whole thing now.'

Soulmate AUs are a popular type of AU in fanfiction - I tend to avoid them because they're often exclusionary of Asexual/Aromantic people.

This week's fic isn't - which is why I'm recc'ing it! 😉

Friday Fics Fix - Returning to Haven

  ***All Amazon.com links in this post are commission links. This means I earn commission from purchases made in the US*** 

Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

'Duke’s grateful for the small loading dock in the back of the Gull, with its concrete ramp and rolling service door. They rarely take shipments large enough to even warrant having the thing, but it’s remarkably useful for smuggling grizzly bears into the building'

I love (and really miss!) the TV show Haven - a gothicky, horror-y, sci-fi (and SyFy,) series that ran between 2010 and 2015.

It's ostensibly based on Stephen King's novella The Colorado Kid - I've read The Colorado Kid, there are very, very, few similarities.

Instead, it's like a kick-a** mash-up of random elements of Stephen King-ery. Which I love. So much.