September was... like a see-saw.
...And yes, I partly mean that it had ups-and-downs.
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)
September was... like a see-saw.
...And yes, I partly mean that it had ups-and-downs.
'Bucky’s knife skills are like a well-choreographed dance, smooth and dangerous and beautiful. He moves like water, the knife a true extension of his arm, and it’s all Sam can do not to let his mouth drop open like a goddamn cartoon character.'
To the surprise of probably no-one by this point, I'm here to rec you some more The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) - specifically, more SamBucky.
(Look, the inside of my head is essentially a big ball of tangled spaghetti, the confusion of which is relieved by the presence of various fictional characters, who have taken their spots rent-free, and who fight each other for dominance.
Right now, Sam and Bucky are winning. 😅)
(Fandom Notes:
SamBucky is a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Sam and Bucky. Hence the name, lol.)
It's Thursday, the UK has entered the 'fuel shortage' stage of whatever apocalyptic media it is that we're currently inhabiting, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!
'"What’s the plan?" Diego asked.
Five rolled his eyes. "Stay out of my way."'
Last week I brought you a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) mission fic, this week it's the turn of The Umbrella Academy (TUA).
Even though we barely see any actual missions in the TUA series, because the Academy is more-or-less defunct by the time we properly pick up the story, mission fics are still a fave of this fandom.
'...he’s able to slink into a shadowed Pottery Barn. He makes it past the faint light cast from the skylights in the atrium, then the pain crashes over him.'
I love a good mission fic.
Especially when it's a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) mission fic.
Especially when it's a TFATWS mission fic with much Bucky whump and lots of hurt/comfort.
And it was my birthday on Wednesday, so I get exactly what I want 😜😘
'The great fairy incident of 1822 was depicted in many paintings, the most famous of them being The Seelie Siege of London by an unknown painter with a penchant for alliteration.'
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is a behemoth of a book.
It's over 1000 pages of alternate history, set in a world where the titular characters are bringing magic back to England, against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.
It's Thursday, it's September somehow, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'“...That’s why, if I wanna make sure someone knows who I mean when I’m talking about Bucky, I just say: my brother-in-law.”
Sam heaves an exasperated sigh and puts his head in his hands.'
This is The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) - and I know I have no excuses for how often I read TFATWS fics, but neither do I need any 😉😅
Fangirls are gonna fangirl dearest nerdlets, and I am most definitely a fangirl.
It's Thursday, Comics Wrap-Up is back, this is Dora Reads, let's get an absolutely huge helping of comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'Klaus claps his hands together. “Yay, sibling bonding time!”
Diego levels a stare at the medium. “We’re hunting a serial killer.”'
We return to The Umbrella Academy (TUA) dearest nerdlets!
It turns out that there's a tiny corner of my brain which isn't entirely absorbed by Marvel superheroes, and the Hargreeves siblings from Netflix's adaptation of TUA have reclaimed their residence.
(As they should.)
'Bucky's voice in the back of his head told him they both knew that really Steve wasn't going to just leave a kid in a gas station parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Who was the Bucky voice to tell him that? He was right, but still.'
Honestly - and you know I'm always honest with you dearest nerdlets - I don't know what exactly it is that I read, with this fic.
I don't know what exactly to make of... *waves hands to encompass entirety* the whole thing.
I wrote a Sam and/or Bucky rec list a little while back, but I've rec'd a few The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) fics since then - so I figured it's time for a mini-list highlighting some specifically SamBucky fics!
Because in this house, Bucky Barnes is Queer af, OK? OK.
SamBucky, sometimes known as WinterFalcon (though SamBucky is generally preferred - at time of writing anyway - by most fan-creators,) is the name of the ship between, well, Sam and Bucky - which is kind of self-explanatory, really.
‘But as the days wore on in the TVA, blending together as they did, Loki realized that what they missed was magic.
And the freedom that came with it’
And we're here! It's the last week of my Prides Fics Fest, where for the month of June, I give Friday Fics Fix over solely to LGBTQ+ fics!
Which isn't much of a change, because fanfiction is Queer af, but this month has focus and everything! 😅
'Needy wraps her hands around the smooth wood handle and takes a deep breath. Then she raises the shovel and stabs it into the earth.'
Jennifer's Body is a, thankfully renaissance-having, staple of Sapphic culture.
For years, this Queer horror classic was maligned by A-hole, Allocishet (non-LGBTQ+,) male critics and audiences, who didn't effing get it!
Welcome back to Pride Fics Fest! That period in June where I stop pretending straight and fanfiction have anything to say to each other 😉
This post contains SPOILERS for Gentleman Jack, series 1
SPOILERS!!!! OK? SPOILERS
Gentleman Jack is a truly amazing BBC historical drama, based on the life and diaries of 18th/19th Century English Lesbian, landowner, and businesswoman, Anne Lister.
Anne left extensive, coded, diaries - many of which were fairly sexually explicit.
I love this series - a well-written, well-acted, period drama about Lesbians who are complex, flawed, genuine, people. It's so good!
Yes, it's another week of Pride Fics Fest, where I stop pretending fanfiction is anything but All the Gay™.
(You can check out last week's post here!)
I figured it out, Marvel!
You just didn't know how to give us Bucky Barnes as a Bicon! You were afraid of messing it up! That's what it was!
How cynical and misguided of us to think that you were Queerbaiting with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) - extensively - rather than trying to find a way to express Bucky's Bisexuality.
Yes, it's June! Which means that here on Dora Reads I stop pretending that fanfiction is anything other than Queer af, and go all-out with my Pride Fics Fest.
What better way to kick off this year's Pride Fics Fest than with superhero TV show The Umbrella Academy (TUA)?
TUA is super Queer (pun very definitely intended,) and more than willing to give us two canonically Queer main characters in our superhero family ensemble.
Because this is fanfiction, I'll be looking at IDs which are both canon and not canon.
'...“Not in a bad way! Just, y'know, since you started dating him you guys are like a package—”
“I'm not dating Sam,” Bucky stops him.
Peter’s mask’s eyes narrow up at him, confused. “Really?”'
Yes it's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS). Again.
Yes it's Queer. Again.
Because in this house we allow Bucky Barnes to be his Achillean, Queer-a**, self, with the actual full-on, representation, and not the Queerbaiting b*llsh**. 😎
'As good as she is at anticipating his family’s actions and decisions, everything always gets a little skewed and unpredictable once the bullets start flying'
I love quirky horror movies with kick-butt heroines - which brings us to the film this week's fic is based on: Ready or Not.
Ready or Not is a super-quirky horror film about Grace, who is marrying Alex Le Domas - a member of the rich Le Domas family, who made their money in board games.
(And yes, there is a vibe here that feels very akin to Knives Out, but that's more of a crime film than this - this is def. horror.)