Friday Fics Fix - My Stand-Out Fics Of 2022

Hello 2023 nerdlets! 

For this first Friday Fics Fix of the year, I figured I'd take a little look at some of the fics that stood out for me last year (2022 - in case we've all forgotten already 😅)

These aren't necessarily the 'best' fics - just the ones that stuck out most in my brain, for whatever reason.

I hope you find something you enjoy here! Or that destroys you emotionally (in a good way) - as fanfiction often does. 😅

And remember to check the original rec'ing post for the Content Warnings, and also the fic author's own tags.

'“Just give me a—hint, Loki. Jesus,” Tony says, panting when Enchantress’ fire trails a scorching path all around the exterior of the suit. At least that’s solved the weather problem, he thinks, as he unibeams her in the face.'

 

that one last tender place by oopshidaisy

So the whole *waves hands vaguely* deal with this fic is that Tony and Loki (from the MCU, in case you've stumbled onto this post by accident) have been linked mentally and emotionally in a sort-of-soul-bond type-deal-y.

Because magical shenanigans.

This is FrostIron. Because I am trash, and I don't care.

I just love Tony and Loki together *shrugs* - it weirdly works.

Via Giphy

(Fandom notes: 

FrostIron is a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, and Loki, from the MCU (Marvel movies.))

Is there angst?

Well, this is me rec'ing it, so yes.

There's a butt-tonne of angst and hurt/comfort, and emotions every-goddamn-where.

What stood out to me about this one is just the whole interweave and dynamic between Tony and Loki, but also the actual plot being pretty damned good!

Original rec'ing post: Friday Fics Fix - Magical Shenanigans With Tony and Loki

'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...'

Anita's Voice by tangentti

Jennifer's Body is a 2009 cult-classic unapologetically Queer horror film.

This fic imagines an AU where the film Jennifer's Body is actually an adaptation of a true crime story

And Needy Lesnicki - the main character - still in the wind and on the run several years later, has seen the movie. She has some thoughts.

(Oh, and it should be obvious from the premise, but in case it's not: this fic is full of SPOILERS.)

Via Giphy

(Fandom notes:

AU = Alternate Universe)

As a true crime fan that tries to stay on the less-exploitative side of the media I consume, I kinda love the way it's played with in this fic.

It has some stuff to say about the lengths that true crime devotees and culture takes the celebrity and even mysticism bestowed on infamous killers.

...And you know I love me some fanfiction-based social commentary 😅

This one sticks in my head for the ingenuity and creativity involved - as well as a huge understanding of Needy herself.

Original rec'ing post: Friday Fics Fix - Needy Lesnicki: In The Wind and On The Run

'“Who is he?” Clint asks.

Sam shrugs his shoulders. “I don't know. He broke in, only thing he's really said is Steve's name.”'

Split Lip by Mjazilem

Via Giphy

AUs can be an incredible way for fic authors to play around with the characters and situations involved in the canon.

...and the best AUs are often the least fantastical.

(Fandom notes:

AUs = Alternate Universes.

Canon = the 'official' stuff in the book/film/whatever) 

Basically, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers (from the MCU/Marvel  fandom, dearest potentially-lost nerdlets,) used to be foster brothers, until they lost touch and Steve heard that Bucky passed away.

Bucky had not passed away.

And now, at the worst possible time cos Steve's out of town, there's a bleeding teenager with a knife in Sam and Steve's kitchen.

The way the fic author commits to this AU, and manages to integrate the characters into it without it feeling forced, really made it memorable (plus... I couldn't stop reading it, OK? It was very page-turn-y!)

Original rec'ing post: Friday Fics Fix - Dealing With The Stabby Teenager In Your Kitchen

'“Alex,” he said quickly, his voice strained. “I need you to overrule security protocol and allow me access to a cell in the basement-level holding facility. Please listen carefully, I require several apparatuses to ensure my escape is at its lowest likelihood-”'

 

Present, Past and Future Hunt Me by Namesake

I had to include this one in the list! 

Just the whole... *waves hands* -ness of it!

Via Giphy

It's like a whole-a** season arc of Supergirl.

It's incredible, and at just under 500 pages and, according to the author's notes, taking two years to complete - it shows some goddamn dedication!

And it has everything.

Action? Check.

Angst? Check.

Plot twists? Character interactions? The power of freaking love?! Check, check, check!

And not only do we have OTP Brainy and Nia taking front and centre in the fight against one of Brainy's evil ancestors, we also get Kara and J'onn being super superheroes, and Alex and Kelly doing their whole kick-a** Lesbian action hero schtick!

Oh and Lena! Lena's here too.

Honestly, if you're a Supergirl fan, you're gonna love it!

Original rec'ing post: Friday Fics Fix - Like A Whole Season Arc of Supergirl

'“Who would be controlling it?” Joaquin asked. “And why our camp?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Why those six kids in the movie? It’s just entertainment, right? Entertainment doesn’t need a big message with metaphors and motifs.”'

These Things That Would Eat Us by Elisabeth Monroe

SamBucky are (teenage, camp counsellor,) Couple Goals™.

Sometimes you just want fics to be fun - maybe a little silly - and a lot entertaining.

(Fandom notes:

SamBucky, also known as Winter Falcon, is a sexual and/or romantic relationship between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes)

OK, so, hear me out: horror movie summer camp with teenage MCU characters.

Via Giphy

...Do I have to say more? Oh, I do, OK - how about this: there's Sam, Bucky, and Steve, as well as Joaquin Torres, Kate Bishop, and Yelena Belova AND America Chavez, Peter Parker, and Kamala Khan!

Just, this whole fic really sticks in my brain for it's perfect horror camp schtick, y'know? I love it.

Original rec'ing post: Friday Fics Fix - Horror Movie MCU

What fics stood out to you in 2022?

Have you read any of these?

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

Previous Friday Fics Fix posts:

• Friday Fics Fix - There's A Surprising Lack of Angsty Ash Tyler Fics

• Friday Fics Fix - We've Established I'm Trash By This Point

Sharing and commenting makes me believe you wanna keep reading these posts! 😅

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Friday Fics Fix - Five of My Fave Novel-Length Superhero Fics

I love novel-length fanfiction!

I know, I know, it's not exactly a secret at this point.

...I didn't always; love novel-length fanfiction, that is.

I used to prefer the shorter the better.

But somewhere along the way my reading habits changed, and now I can't get enough of the novel and novella length stuff.

Friday Fics Fix - Needy. After.

'Something about her made his skin crawl.'

 

I can't let an October go by without visiting the fandom of Sapphic masterpiece Jennifer's Body, now, can I?

For those who are (sadly) unaware, despite the resurgence in its popularity, Jennifer's Body is a 2009, explicitly Queer, horror movie, starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried.

(Yes, explicitly Queer. Don't let people 'Gal Pal' Jennifer's-freaking-Body: it is Sapphic, Harold.)

Friday Fics Fix - You Have Until Sunrise

'“You gotta stop dying on me.”

“Okay? Sure”, Daniel snorted. “Anything else you need, dear?”

“Yes. Help me stay alive.”'

Let me introduce you to Grace Le Domas:

Via Giphy

- this is her wedding day. 

Today she married the man of her dreams, Alex Le Domas, a family member of the Le Domas boardgame empire.

And tonight, in-keeping with Le Domas family tradition, she'll sit down with her new in-laws and play a game.

This is the horror film Ready or Not.

Comics Wrap-Up - Pretty Imminent

It's Thursday, this week has gone uber-fast, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Friday Fics Fix - It Works Weirdly Well

'She walked over to Thea and pulled one of the games out of the box. It was an old fashioned wooden box with the game’s name actually carved into the front. “Jumanji?”

“I’ve never heard of that one,” Ollie said. He joined them to take a look.'

 

Sometimes, you gotta give points for creativity, y'know?

And there ain't no-one more creative than fic authors! 😉

Comics Wrap-Up - No More Reasons At This Point, Just Enjoy!

It's Thursday, it's the end of September, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Dylan Sprouse In A Dress Is Living In My Head, Rent-Free

 ...yes, that Dylan Sprouse.

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, brother of Cole, Dylan Sprouse.

In a dress.

In my head.

Comics Wrap-Up - It Doesn't Make A Whole Lot of Sense

 

It's Thursday, the UK is hot as hell (again, ugh,) so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Friday Fics Fix - This Version of Captain America is Unnerving

 

'...superheroes are great for preventing the destruction of the earth, but they don’t seem to give a damn about high rise apartments or coffee shops or the disastrous economic catastrophes they leave in their wake.'

Honestly, what is this fic?

I have no idea what I just read.

It might be some great literary piece, doomed to languish on the Internet because it was published on a fanfiction website and not in The New Yorker (or wherever high-fallutin' things get published - I dunno,)

 - or it may be trash.

It may be complete and utter pulp trash, comparable with the crackiest of crack fics. (It's even tagged 'Crack Treated Seriously' by the author.)

(Fandom notes:

Crack is fanfiction that is so bizarre that you wonder what substances the author may or may not have been imbibing in (#Don'tDoDrugsKids))

Comics Wrap-Up - In Awe of Her Blue Nail Polish

 

It's Thursday, we reached May, this week's post is huge, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Friday Fics Fix - FrostIron Schmoop (Don't Judge Me!)

'“You mortals are truly horrendous at naming constellations.”'

This week's fanfiction is short and sweet.

I fully admit it - this be schmoopy af.

No angst as far as the eye can see. (...Which is highly unusual with me involved, obviously 😅)

Comics Wrap-Up - Very Much A Mood

 

It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Comics Wrap-Up - No-one's Around To Judge Me

It's Thursday, I'm very tired, but we've got lots of comics-y superhero-y goodness, so let's get to it!

Nerd Church - Beethoven and Barbies: Smart Kid Characters From the Perspective of An Ex-Smart-Kid

 

Whenever someone's complaining about the attitudes of small children, and says something along the lines of:

well, you know what kids are like...

 

- my brain has a moment of confusion where it's like:

...Beethoven fans?

 

And then I realise that they don't mean that at all.

I've made no secret of the fact that I was a weird, precocious, little kid.

At the age of six, I loved fine art and classical music and reading reading reading.

My parents had only the barest knowledge of classical music, and none of fine art. So it's safe to say it was a learning experience for them 😅

Friday Fics Fix - IT and Walt Whitman

'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. 😅)

Comics Wrap-Up - Might Not Help, But Still, It Couldn't Hurt

 

It's Thursday, we're still here, this is Dora Reads, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Friday Fics Fix - Needy Lesnicki: In the Wind and On the Run

 

'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!

Nerd Church - Of Monsters, Mice, and Men

 

'Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.'

- Holocaust survivor Primo Levi

Friday Fics Fix - Superhero Mission Fics

 

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.