'His captain just looked sad, like he'd failed Izzy in some way.'
OH MY GOD THIS FIC!!!!
krhguergjopwrgm';¬!
...sorry, had to fangirl over the page a bit there. This fic is so good.
Like - page-turning, stayed up an extra hour to read some more, good.
'He’s engulfed in the shadow of midnight wings. In the dim lantern light, Izzy examines the damage.'
Yes, I'm rec'ing an Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fic for the second week in a row.
(You can check out last week's F3 here, if you want.)
It's just what the universe wanted, dearest nerdlets, what can I say? The blogger is beholden to the universe's whims 😅
So, this is the fic the universe gave me for this week.
I don't know why - presumably someone, somewhere, needs to read it. Which is weird, but we live in a weird world, and I was raised by hippies.
(Warning: this post discusses low self-esteem and self-hatred. It also briefly mentions self-harm.)
With series 2 of Loki creeping ever-closer (eep!), I thought I'd discuss something about series 1 that tends to get missed in the online talky-talks (aka 'The Discourse™.')
Before we go any further though - this post is gonna have SPOILERS for series 1 of Loki.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERRRRSSS!!!!!
"He says hi," says Marc. "And he really likes how this alliance is working so far -- new age of the world and all that, very exciting -- but, if you could just...respect the right of the moon to be real frickin' mysterious? Please?"
Before we get into this week's F3 - what do you all think of the new graphic?!
I've been meaning to update the graphic for Friday Fics Fix for a long time - I was still using the one I threw together on a whim around 2015/2016-ish.
I hope you like it!
OK, back to our regularly scheduled fandoming:
This is a Marvel's Moon Knight fic!
I love Moon Knight, and sadly there aren't that many good Moon Knight fics out there (disagree? Please rec!) - but this week's fic is awesome!
Warning: this post briefly discusses Depression
July. Ugh.
Well... let's look at the positives.
Once again, nobody in my life - either human or animal - died, almost died, or had a life-changing diagnosis.
Which is a low bar for a win, but that's the bar that I have - so it's a win.
Warning: As you probably figured out from the title, this post discusses Depression.
Disclaimer Time: I'm not any kind of medical, psychological, or mental health professional. These are my own experiences - nothing more, nothing less.
I love watching tennis.
Like I love it.
It's the one sport that I've followed regularly and consistently since I was a kid.
And for a British kid, there's nothing bigger in tennis than the Wimbledon Championships.
Warning: this post briefly discusses PTSD/mental health problems
'The storm begins while Sam is away. Which means that Bucky is left to fend for himself in their empty apartment...'
We all need some solid SamBucky emotional/mental-health-based Hurt/Comfort every now and then, right?
...I mean.
We all know it's true.
Warning: Vague discussions of mental health issues
Disclaimer Time: I am not any sort of psychological, medical, or healthcare professional. I am a chick with an internet connection: nothing more, nothing less.
Does anyone else find it hard to figure out what sort of self-care they need?
Because it's not all bubble baths and scented candles
- in fact I have to be careful with bubble baths in case my skin allergies freak out, and I don't like lighting candles anywhere near the cats because that's just an accident waiting to happen...
And apart from all that, the consumerist, one-size-fits-all, version of self-care does not, in fact, fit all.
'Ed feels something in his chest, something resembling fondness. He doesn’t know why, he doesn’t even know this guy’s name. And yet, Ed had spent the better part of the last few days thinking of the rich man crying in the rage room, making up stories in his head to justify his presence, his anger, his sadness.'
I mean... it was only a matter of time until I rec'd a novel-length Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fic.
I am trash. We know this, and we love it (...hopefully.) 😅😈😎
If you haven't watched OFMD yet... Gay pirates and Taika Waititi as Blackbeard. #JustSaying.
'Well I wanted something better manI wished for something new
And I wanted something beautiful
And wish for something true'
- The Foo Fighters, Wheels
(Warning: this blogpost discusses low self-worth and mental health problems. It also briefly discusses toxic/abusive friendships.)
"Oh My God! You remembered!"
She's holding the chocolate orange, still partly covered by reindeer wrapping paper, like it's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.
"Yeah?" - of course I did, she and our friend spent a good half an hour a month or so back discussing how sad it was that no-one ever gets them chocolate oranges, how much they love chocolate oranges, and that they hadn't had chocolate oranges in forever.
So, when I was buying their Christmas presents, I bought a couple of chocolate oranges. No brainer; no biggy.
"You're so sweet!"
...Am I?
'Bonnet looks at him questioningly. “Concussion?”
“Truth serum.”
"Ah, that'd do it..."'
Somehow this month I've ended up rec'ing only The Umbrella Academy (TUA) and Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fics.
I did have a blogging-related existential crisis when I realised that I was gonna end up rec'ing an OFMD fic again (only the cool people have sub-labels of existential crises, OK?) - but then I decided I didn't care.
'Edward froze, glancing to the corner Stede had gestured to and seeing nothing there. Stede clearly saw something though, because he kept glancing over there...'
I finally got around to watching Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) - it will come as zero surprise to most people that I utterly freaking ADORE it!
And what I do with things I adore, once I run out of canon material, is read fanfiction - let's be honest, I am nothing if not predictable. 😅
(Fandom notes:
Canon is the 'official' stuff in the book/film/TV series/whatever.)
It's good to remind ourselves - as often as is necessary - that the little things are there to enjoy.
...By 'ourselves' I obviously mean me - we need to remind me. 😅
Warning/Disclaimer Time:
I very briefly discuss mental health problems in this blogpost.
I also give opinions on what can contribute to people's mood, so: I'm not any sort of scientific/medical/psychological professional - I'm a chick with personal experience of mental health issues and an internet connection. OK? OK.
The little things contribute so much to our lives.
Our beautiful, messed-up, everyday lives are made up of the bracelet you wore this morning, what you had for breakfast, whether you tripped over the doorstep on your way out, what song is playing on the radio... etc. etc.
'Klaus applauded. No one joined him. No matter. He beamed brightly.
“So. Who wants to kill me?”
His siblings’ horrified faces peered back at him.'
Warning: this post briefly discusses suicide, in relation to the content of the fanfiction discussed.
I love the way fandom creators use source material.
I love their interpretations of both characters and plot points. I love it when they write novel-length fics, and I love it when those novel-length fics are written well.
It's just... breath-taking, isn't it? How characters and stories have their own lives, away from the source material. How the interaction of fan and material can create something new and special.
What can I say about February?
As February tends to do, because of the length, it kind of zipped past.
It was not as bad as January for yours truly (because that, unfortunately, would take some beating,) but it was still full of more downs than ups, really.
I struggle when the people I love are struggling, dearest nerdlets, I really do.
And I tend to turn those feelings back on myself - like if I was just 'good enough' then things would be better, if I knew what I was doing with my life then things would be better, if I was just fundamentally 'better' then things would be better.
Objectively, I know that is a pile of b*llsh**.
Subjectively, I feel it.
I don't know what I'm writing but I hope it'll turn out OK.
I'm literally just typing things and hoping it turns into a blogpost at this point.
Wish me luck.
Thoughts are hard to form, sometimes.
Let alone trying to write something insightful, pithy, witty, or just plain worth it.
Sometimes I put way too much pressure on myself and on this blog.
Not everything I write has to have some deep meaning behind it.
(I know - you wouldn't think it for by reading some of my posts on such heavy-weight topics as fanfiction and weird superhero videos I found on the Interwebs. 😅 )
'Klaus was used to the floor tilting under his feet.'
I finished watching series 3 of The Umbrella Academy (TUA) this week - so obviously I'm now in desperate for more TUA content.
Because - as is well established by this point - I am trash.
'“It's been a year, Buck,” he said. “I hate seein’ you like this. When was the last time you talked to someone other than me?”
“I talked to Nat last week,” Bucky muttered, knowing it was a poor excuse.'
