'He was hurt alright. That look wasn't a new color on him; Nandor seemed to be hurt quite a lot lately. Laszlo didn't want him to be alone.'
Vampire. Mockumentary.
Do I have your attention?
Good.
Dora Reads is the book blog of a Bookish Rebel, supporting the Diversity Movement, bringing you Queer views and mental health advocacy, slipping in a lot of non-bookish content, and spreading reading to the goddamn world! :) (All posts may contain Amazon links, which are affiliate, unless marked otherwise. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. USA ONLY - please do not make UK purchases with my links)
'He was hurt alright. That look wasn't a new color on him; Nandor seemed to be hurt quite a lot lately. Laszlo didn't want him to be alone.'
Vampire. Mockumentary.
Do I have your attention?
Good.
'“Nothing happened.”
“You only had one hotel bill,” Rhodey pressed.'
Want it to come in the form of a fic which, despite the sexting (or near enough to,) is surprisingly wholesome?
Of course ya do! 😉😅
(Warning: this post discusses war, the threat of nuclear disaster, injured cats, and blood)
February.
2022.
February. 2022.
February 2022.
...I live in Europe. Edges of, here in the UK, but still Europe.
Y'know, that continent Putin nearly turned into a nuclear wasteland last week?
And no, I'm not over-reacting, Zaporizhzhia is way bigger than Chernobyl, and radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was the reason Welsh farmers had restrictions on selling livestock until 2012.
So... *gestures at Putin in a non-polite manner*
You can donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal here.
'Richie, who calls Eddie up sometimes in the middle of the night to explain the entire plot of a novel he just read in two hours to him.'
This is a weird one - and not in the usual way that fanfiction is weird.
This is weird because it's so... grown-up.
I mean... grown-up fanfiction, who knew?
(And no, I don't mean in an 18+ sexy-times way - that's way more common. 😅)
'But the lies were out there, circulating, and were made into a movie, which is a really mixed blessing. Let’s pretend this narration is over the title crawl, and cut to our heroine...'
This week's fic is based on the amazing staple of Sapphic culture that is Jennifer's Body.
Jennifer's Body is a 2009 cult-classic unapologetically Queer horror film.
I love it, and, yes, I've rec'd fics on it before. Jennifer's Body fic authors write some interesting stuff!
'"You got a phone? Look up local B&Bs," Sam said to Bucky. "Or whatever Canadian is for B&B."
"I think it's just B&B. They literally speak the same language, Sam."'
Yes, this is a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) fic.
In my defense: I've been totally open that I am trash 😅
And! Also! This fic might be TFATWS, but it's a lot different to the sort of stuff I usually rec from this fandom.
'“I think you’re right. It looks nice on you,” Vanya offers, a small smile curling on her lips when Klaus lights up.'
Argh the bitter-sweet angsty cuteness here!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ahem*
This fic got me in the feelings, OK? 😅
January was the perfect example of pandemic time
- it simultaneously lasted five minutes and three thousand years.
(Not that my experience of time as a concept ever manages to be one speed, but this is especially marked.)
So, this is 2022.
...I feel like it's best not to tempt fate by saying any more than that 😅
'“Um,” said Sam, looking from Bucky to the golden retriever, “Do you know the dog?”
“Uh,” said Bucky, picking the honestly very large dog up, and walking around Sam, “Sort of? Could you… wait a moment? Watch the soup.”'
This is a weird fic.
Like, it's completely batpoop.
...And you know I love that 😉😅
I've been reading a lot of mission fics lately, so I figured I'd take the time to revisit a few of my faves
(...and take you all along for the ride, ofc 😉)
So, let's slow down and rewind so's everyone's on the same page: what is a mission fic?
A mission fic is a piece of fanfiction that's based around an episodic-style storyline - not dissimilar to a monster-of-the-week/murder-of-the-week style vibe.
They're usually (but not always) written about fandoms which involve a lot of action/adventure hijinks - especially if they contain characters who are in the military, or are military-adjacent.
'The night wore on, and Merlin still hadn't found anything. The words were beginning to blur together on the page no matter how much he tried to clear his vision, so he finally gave in and went over to wake Lancelot.'
I love the BBC TV show Merlin - and even years after it ended, it has a thriving fandom online.
...which, lucky for us, means that there are fic writers busily scribbling away to this day.
'Sam’s hand hovers near his arm again, just in the corner of his eye. Just in case he collapses without warning or something. Bucky hates that he has to bite his tongue and accept that as a legitimate probability'
This week's fic appealed to my emo goblin spaghetti-brain.
I regret nothing.
'“My guess is it’s got something to do with serotonin,” he says.
“Or magic,” Loki points out.
“Don’t spoil my fun, dear.”'
Let's start 2022 as we mean to go on:
...with Gay superhero fanfiction. 😅😘
OK, this post is a bit later than I intended, but December's hectic at the best of times, so... let's just do this -
November's over, and here I am standing in December wondering how we got to the end of 2021, when it feels like it never really got started in the first place.
This year's felt like the hangover after 2020, and never really moved past that.
Or is that just me? How has your 2021 been, dearest nerdlets?
'Thor was… strangely prone to crying lately, which Loki didn’t appreciate but had to endure nonetheless.'
Angst time! Angst time! Time to have an angst fest! 😅
...I'm random, but ya love it 😜
'Slowly, Klaus’ scarf begins to take shape. It’s a little wonky in places, the occasional stitch has been dropped, the loops are not very neat - but he’s improving with time.'
The Umbrella Academy (TUA) fic time again!!! Woo!
And yes, as you've probably guessed, this fic is firmly front-and-centred on m'boy Klaus Hargreeves.
'“So let me see if I’ve got this straight. You think a witch has lured us here to her cabin so she can fatten us up with fast food, then kill us and eat us for Sunday brunch?”
Sam blinks. “Yes?”'
Not entirely sure what I just read...
But then, reading the author's note... they're not entirely sure what they just wrote either - so at least we're all on the same page!
This is a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) SamBucky fic. Because this is my blog, and I choose the fics. 😎😅
(Fandom notes: SamBucky is the name of a sexual and/or romantic relationship between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from the MCU (Marvel movies etc.))
'The flicker catches, spreads, a surge of certainty that this, all of this, is wrong, that there’s something missing, as though he’s been looking at everything through a blur, like the heat-haze above an open fire, ever shifting and obscuring the truth.
Tony grabs Loki by the collar, shoves him, not nearly as hard as he’s capable of, but hard enough.'
It's been a surprisingly long time since I rec'd FrostIron.
It's time to rectify that 😉
(Fandom notes: FrostIron is a sexual and/or romantic relationship between Tony Stark and Loki from the Marvel movies. After the initial 'WTF?' you will realise that it actually makes a lot of sense.)
(Warning: this post discusses grief, bereavement, Covid 19, mental health, and general existential crises.)
October was not the easiest month I've ever had - but then, it was far from the hardest, so that's a plus point.
We've been dealing with some of the last admin of my nan's estate, and every time I feel like I've come to terms with her being gone, it's like another gut-punch.
Because I hadn't seen her in-person for so long due to Covid, sometimes it kind of still feels like I'm just waiting for the pandemic to be over, to be able to visit her.
Accepting that I'll never be able to hug her again, after waiting over a year to be able to do so is... difficult.
'The first time Michael saw him after it happened was on the boardwalk. Three months, two days.'
This is the last Fics Fix of October, and Halloween is just a few days away, so it seems like the perfect time for some Queer vampires!
So this week we're talking one of my faves - the film The Lost Boys. (Which, yes, is Queer af - deny it all you want, you can't change the truth.)