Friday Fics Fix - Pride Fics Fest: Sandbox Love Never Dies

 

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!

Nerd Church - I Watched Jojo Rabbit: Part 3 - The Bittersweet Tale of Captain K

 

Yes! It's here! The final part of 'I Watched Jojo Rabbit' aka Cee can't stop rabbiting on about this film!

If you want to catch up on Part 1 - which is a general look at the hope and humanity of the film Jojo Rabbit - you can do that here.

Or check out Part 2 - which is me fearlessly facing the uncomfortable facets of history because Taika Waititi made this film - over here.

...Honestly I could've kept talking about this film and issues it brings up for the rest of my life, but let's hope 3 parts is enough!

Nerd Church - I Watched Jojo Rabbit: Part 2 - Facing History

Welcome to the next instalment of I Watched Jojo Rabbit, aka 'Cee rabbits on about Jojo Rabbit!'

(And no, I could not resist the pun.)

While you don't need to have read Part 1 of this mini-post-series in order to understand this part, I do recommend reading it (which I would do, because I wrote it,) to get a more generalised view of Jojo Rabbit as a film.

You can read part one here.

Jojo Rabbit is a funny and heart-warming film, with a dark and deeply uncomfortable edge.

And this post? This post looks at that darker part of Jojo Rabbit - from the controversial premise to the dark nature of this darkest period of history.

We're gonna get uncomfortable, dearest nerdlets, fair warning.

Nerd Church - I Watched Jojo Rabbit: Part 1 - The Survival of Humanity

(Warning: due to the subject matter of the film Jojo Rabbit, this post discusses: war, Nazis, Hitler, the Holocaust, bigotry, indoctrination)

I watched Jojo Rabbit...

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 film written, directed, and starring the legendary Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi.

(It's inspired by, rather than based on, the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens.)

It is a comedy about Nazis.

And yes, you read that right.

It is a comedy about Nazis.

Friday Fics Fix - Bucky Needs Advice... Maybe Not From Them

 

'...“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**. 😎

Friday Fics Fix - Not Ready

 

'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.)

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm Watching You Two From the Closet

 

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

Nerd Church - How I Use True Crime Media To Boost My Mental Health (Yes, Really)

 

(Warning: this post discusses true crime, and though it avoids details of murders, it does reference various topics surrounding true crime. This post also discusses Depression/Anxiety.

Any links to other websites may have further details of true crime, though I've tried to avoid anything graphic; I am not responsible for the content on these sites.)

I find true crime media weirdly helpful with combatting the affects of my mental health problems.

I put true crime shows on the TV sometimes in the evening, to wind down before falling asleep.

I clamour to Netflix true crime to calm my Anxiety.

I watch true crime docs or YouTube videos while I'm working to help me concentrate.

Friday Fics Fix - A Sam and/or Bucky Rec List

There is a permanent corner of my brain devoted to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier right now.

For those who don't know: this is a new Disney+ series set in the MCU (the Marvel superhero movies,) - particularly the Captain America corner where Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes live.

...metaphorically. Although I'm sure they'd think it was mildly hilarious to live on a street named after Cap.

Since I couldn't find any fanfiction based specifically on this series that I wanted to rec., I decided to trawl through my relatively extensive archive of fic recs to pick out a handful of my faves featuring Sam and/or Bucky.

(This is the upside of having a shared cinematic universe - the downside is catching up on content if and when you fall behind so that you know wtf is going on 😅)

If anyone has any recs for fics based on this current series, please send 'em my way!

Also, it struck me that I see far less quality fics about Sam than about Bucky, so if you know of any good Falcon ones, lemme know!

Comics Wrap-Up - You Can't Wake Up, This Is Not A Dream

 

It's Thursday, spring has sprung here in sunny Wales, let's get some superhero-y, comics-y, goodness!

Nerd Church - The Stark Difference Between Disney Villains' Motivations: Men Vs Women

 

(Warning: scratch the surface of Disney films, and there can be some very dark things underneath, so this post discusses: forced marriage, including to underage girls; murder; the fur industry; genocide.

There may also be SPOILERS for Disney films.)

Think of a Disney villain - there are a few great ones, right?

And I'm sure that we all have our faves, our least faves, our problematic faves.

And a Disney villain, at least traditionally in their animated movies, is as cut-and-dry good-vs-evil as you can get.

But I've noticed something lately - the motivations of Disney's female villains are a lot different to the male ones.

Quick Note: Yes, I'm using male and female as gendered terms synonymous with men and women, on account of social and practical interchangeability.

Comics Wrap-Up - They Sell Presentable

 

It's Thursday, it's March, let's enjoy some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

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?

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!

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 - 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! 😉

Comics Wrap-Up - Did You Wanna Be An Icon?

 

It's Thursday, I'm still in local Lockdown, moving into Welsh national Lockdown tomorrow evening... let's get some comics!

Friday Fics Fix - Lost and Found

(Warning: this post discusses Homophobia/general Queerphobia, and negative stereotypes of LGBTQ+ people.)

'Watching David watching him and not really knowing if he was only picturing David there, or if David actually was there.'

If you've faffed around the nerd part of the Internet, or the bookish part of the Internet, or the Queer part of the Internet, (amongst others, I'm sure,) you'll know that it's spooky season, i.e. October leading up to Halloween 👻

A lot of Queer people love horror and/or all things Gothic. I mean LOVE it.

Even if, as a genre, it's always had a somewhat love/hate relationship with us, painting us as either villain or deserving victim in more shameful stereotypes than I have the energy to go into here. 

And even that was often a coding (i.e. implied,) rather than explicitly Queer characters.