Friday Fics Fix - An Unlikely Friendship

"Nah." Peter is holding Ned's ankles, and every time Coach Jones walks by Ned does a half hearted push-up. "He gave me peanuts and told me he wasn't dead? I think he's lonely."

Every so often, a fic drops into your lap that you weren't expecting.

And I love that feeling. I love it. Not least because it becomes less common as you become more familiar with fanfiction.

I value that reminder that fanfiction can still surprise me! 😊

Comics Wrap-Up - But I'm Not The Only One

An awesome mix of stuff for you this week!  Check it out:

I Liked Avengers: Infinity War, But I Didn't LOVE It. Here's Why. (SPOILER FILLED)

Leaving the cinema after watching Avengers: Infinity War, The Bestie turned to me and said:

'Do you get why I said that once you've seen it, you really wanna watch it again, like, straight away?!'

And me, a diehard Marvel fan, who loves the Marvel films 'til the end of the line, said:

'No... not really. It was ok, though.'

Micropoetry - April 2018

Yes, it's halfway through the month before I'm doing last month's Micropoetry round-up-type-thing, but I have an excuse this time!

Due to my laptop breaking on the last day of April, I got a bit behind on post-writing (and let's face it, I was hardly Ms Punctual to begin with!)

So here we are in the middle of May, looking at April's Micropoetry!

I've done something a little different this month - some of my Micro-poems are in a graphics-type format.

I'm not sure whether this is something I'm going to carry on with, or even if I'll have time to do it again for other months, but I thought I'd give it a shot!

The poems are in the alt-text of the images, with / symbols showing the line breaks, for anyone using a screen-reader. 😊

Nerd Church - IRL?

We're living in a world where the lines between online and offline have become more wibbly than ever before.

So I've been thinking a lot lately about the difference between online and offline life.

(Yes, this post is probably going to meander quite a lot - you've been warned! 😉)

Friday Fics Fix - Just Your Resident Mildly Evil Demigod... and His Lover

'Tony wasn’t sure who’d be unhappier: the team when they found out he was sleeping with their resident mildly evil demigod, or Loki when he found out that Tony would be late for their dinner date on account of being buried alive.'

Yes, that is a quote from this week's fic. Yes, it is awesome.

In my defence, I haven't rec'd FrostIron in ages! I've held myself back for a remarkably long time 😉

Comics Wrap-Up - We Really Are Ants Now

I saw Avengers: Infinity War! I'm hoping to post a discussion-type-thing/random fangirlish thoughts next week - assuming I can keep a schedule for once! 😉

'Til then, let's see what I've got for ya this week:

Month in Review(s) - April 2018

April... ha, so, what's May lookin' like? 😅

April happened. I lived through it *starts singing I'm still standing by Elton John and doing an incredibly embarrassing dance.*

My grandmother is still in hospital - she went in at the beginning of March - but she's definitely improving. We're basically waiting for a social care package in place so that she can go home, because there's no way my 88-year-old grandfather can take care of her.

And on the last day of April my laptop - which had been hanging on on a wing and a prayer, granted - gave up the ghost.







On the plus side, I reached over 3k Twitter followers in April! I love you guys, really! XD

Nerd Church - Viral Reading

Are you ready to be a Bookish Rebel? Cos we're gonna shake sh** up today! 😉

I love my blogging friends - but you weren't originally who I was aiming my brain babbling at (But I still love you!!!! Never leave me!!!! *tugs at your sleeves to stop you going*)

No, when this blog started, it's half-formed, characteristically-vague, ideal was to spread reading like a positive plague across the globe - I wanted, and still want, to make READING go viral.

Friday Fics Fix - The Sense of Things

I found a fic which has synaesthesia in it dammit!!!!

For those of you who don't know, synaesthesia is: a) a melding or running together of two senses, and b) something that I have.

Technical Difficulties - Life/Blogging Update

Hi my nerdlets! This is an impromptu post to let you know that my laptop's broken.

I'm going to be honest, this isn't a surprise. I've literally been sticking it back together with sellotape and model glue for a while now.

What it does mean, though, is that my blogging is going to be limited for a little while until I can get a new one.

At the moment, I have what time I can get on the family desktop, and my mobile phone.

Nerd Church - Please, Shut Up About the Royals

I'm British. But I don't care about the royal family. I don't care about the royal baby. I don't care about Harry marrying Meghan.

What I do care about is that I keep having to hear about them all.

Social and mainstream media are both fawning over all things royal and... *sighs* I don't mind like one news-in-brief report or whatever guys, but everyone seems to have freaking lost it, tbh.

Friday Fics Fix - Severely Severus

I know, I know, Severus Snape is kind of a divisive figure in the online bookish community, and with fans in general.

Lotsa people love him - he's a hero, a tragic figure, a hopeless romantic.

Lotsa people hate him - he's a bully, a sneak, an obsessive and petty man.

Comics Wrap-Up - I'll Stop Wearing Black When They Make a Darker Colour

Tomorrow is Avengers: Infinity War release day!!!!!!!!!!!! 

(Also, I know I've said this a lot, but MAN they need to not f**k this up!!!! Seriously Marvel.)

And say no to spoilers! (Espec. people who have managed to see previews!!!!)

Really Mini-Reviews! - Riot Days by Maria Alyokhina and Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming

I don't read many memoirs.

When I do, they've got be that little bit unusual. That little bit extraordinary.

Nerd Church - Toxic Friendships, and Reclaiming Enthusiasm

(Warning: this post discusses toxic/abusive friendships, homophobia, and emotional abuse.)


I was a weird kid.

At 6 years old, my passions were Beethoven, Renoir, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

I loved writing my own stories and playing games which somehow always involved more witches than princesses (although, combining the two was never out of the question!)

Friday Fics Fix - Show Your Scars

Fanfiction's gonna change the wooooooooorld! XD

Cos fic authors - nerds, fangirls, fanboys, and non-binary fan folks - look at the stigma and the cr*p of previous generations, and say NO!

No to stigma on mental health. No to body image stigma. No to silence on sh** that hurts people!

*takes a deep breath*

Comics Wrap-Up - Lives Become Incredible Now

A mixed selection of superhero goodies for you this week my nerdlets!

The Play's The Thing!

I was watching the BBC version of Hamlet starring Andrew Scott the other day (y'know, the Irish guy who plays Moriarty?) and a thought popped into my head:

Plays should count for the Goodreads Challenge!

(My Goodreads account is private. Sorry.)

Nerd Church - 4 Rules For World Leaders on Twitter

I can't create world peace.

I wish I could, but dude, they won't name me supreme leader of everything.

So I can't do anything about Syria or Russia or chemical weapons or drone strikes or any of that stuff. Much as I'd like to.

What I can do, is explain 4 rules for world leaders using social media (and, let's face it, Twitter in particular,) that will stop us all from escalating things quite so quickly.

Friday Fics Fix - A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far, Away...

I, personally, love the current Star Wars set-up.

There's angst, lightsabers, spaceships and sh**, and a dude with his shirt off - honestly, I don't expect anything beyond that.

(Sorry die-hard Star Wars fans, but let's face it, the stories and dialogue were never what your nostalgia-happy brains purport them to be... Please don't hurt me.)

Comics Wrap-Up - Write Our Names in the Wet Concrete

Some awesome stuff, some fun stuff, we got it all this week!

Micropoetry - March 2018

I'm actually doing a Micropoetry wrap-up before the middle of the month!

(No-one is more surprised that me!)

Nerd Church - Disconnected

This might be one of those times where it turns out I've gotten old. It's highly possible.

Despite the fact that I get ID'd pretty much everywhere, I am actually a grown-a** woman; albeit one that only comes a little over 5ft.

A grown-a** woman who is still as genuinely enthusiastic about the bands and music I love as ever.

At the end of March, I went to see Fall Out Boy for the 4th time (and a year or two ago I completed the Emo Trinity, thank you v. much! 😉 )

I've never quite understood though, why, while I'm bouncing around, screaming my heart out and singing 'til my lungs give out, everybody else HAS THEIR F**KING PHONES OUT!

Don't get me wrong - a few photos, a video or two: there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nice memories and all that jazz.

But if your entire night consisted of FILMING the concert, instead of WATCHING the concert, then - and this is a genuine question - why did you bother to GO to the concert?

Friday Fics Fix - Greek Chorus

Occasionally, I remember that I'm a book blogger (I know, right? Shocker!) and find a suitably book-related fic to recommend to you, my lovely nerdlets.

This week, I was lucky - I didn't have to look that hard.

Some weeks I literally have to trawl through soooooo many fics, and it takes me hours to find one decent enough to rec. to you all (seriously, I love fanfiction, but there's some utter cr*p out there.)

Plus, you know me, I love bringing you things which make you think - new takes on characters and storylines, deeper examinations of events, diverse rep. that we often just don't get in mainstream stuff.

Comics Wrap-Up - I Was Just the Only Child of the Universe

Welcome back after last week's Comics Wrap-Up break - it's time for all the superheroes!!!! XD So much the superhero-y goodness this week!






Film Trailers



More Infinity War trailerssss!!!!!!!!!!! (Albeit the mini-TV-style-y ones.)

Warning: flashing images in all

Month in Review(s) - March 2018

March. Ah, March.

March, for yours truly, was one of those months with too much trouble, and too little time to deal with it.

There was some good, incredible, awesome stuff - like a Fall Out Boy concert last week (completely awesome!) and hitting 200k page-views on Dora Reads (I LOVE YOU MY NERDLETS!!!) - but there was also a lot of stress, worry, Anxiety, etc.

There's a lot of personal stuff going on atm, including my grandmother being in hospital since the beginning of the month - and thanks so much for your support my dearest nerdlets! You rock, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

2018 Fanfiction Reading Challenge Update #1

First update time! Woop!

I've read 63 chapters/parts in the first 3 months of this year!

My goal is 300-399 or 'Tuxedo Cat,' so I better get reading. Not too shabby though, if I do say so myself 😎

Nerd Church - Pressure, Obligations, and 'Good Enough'

Sometimes, you need to accept things for what they are.

Not always! No way! Sometimes what you need is to dig your heels in and kick and scream.

But there are many situations where we simply have to accept things and move on.

I'm terrible at this.

Friday Fics Fix - Overloaded

Sensory overload can occur with several different disabilities.

Most commonly, it occurs with ADHD, Autism, Fibromyalgia, and Anxiety Disorders. It can also occur with migraines and many other conditions.

I get it with migraines (and I'm going to be honest, the Anxiety and the synaesthesia probably don't help with this.) It is a freaking b**ch.

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm Here At The Beginning of The End

(Expect extreme fangirling in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...)

Review Time! - The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse

Nerd Church - Duality's Duel

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction - Newton's Third Law of Physics

Does that work in society too? If we swing in one direction, is there an equal swing in the other direction?

Does one extreme lead to another? And can we ever be happy with extremes?

(I'm gonna be honest, this is one of those posts that wanders here and there. Because I'm kinda just musing here, there is no plan.

Those who need there to be a plan may wanna bail out now. Those who like life on the Bookish Rebel side, come along for the ride. #JustSaying)

Friday Fics Fix - King Arthur. Sexually Fluid Fluff-Master.

OMG I love this fic!!!! Like, dudes, can I climb into this fic and live there?!

(Yeah, I'm really tired so I apologise for the possible randomness of this post!

I'm at that stage where I *really* have no idea what I'm talking about.

That stage comes *after* the 'talking like a 19th Century novel' phase, and *before* the 'fell asleep while standing up' phase.

Usually, anyway. Sometimes there's another 19th Century phase in there somewhere. OK, I need a nap, clearly.)



(Although, it's entirely possible that you won't notice the difference to how I am normally. #TrueStory.)

Comics Wrap-Up - And The Silence Is So Deafening, It's Like Picking at a Sore

I'm super-tired this week, so if I'm spouting nonsense and/or using verbiage and syntax usually found only in 19th Century novels (a weird habit I have sometimes when I'm tired,) then that's why! 😅

Micropoetry - February 2018

Yes, I know, I know, I always end up posting these half-way through the next month. But it's because I'm awesome, obviously 😎

There's a huge mix of poems this month, because my head is clearly a randomly varied place 😅

Here's my Micropoetry, then, from February:

Nerd Church - The Women Who Made Me

Since it was International Women's Day on Thursday, and it's Mother's Day today in the UK* t'boot, I figured I'd talk just a little bit about the amazing women that came before me :)

*I didn't mean to rhyme, but am childishly pleased that I did! Lol.

Friday Fics Fix - On Witches and B**ches

Yesterday was International Women's Day, so why don't we get feminist for this week's Fics Fix?

Too often, we dislike female characters - not least because their authors and/or creators make them unlikable.

Comics Wrap-Up - She Said My Boy It's Dagger

Let's see what I have for you this week...

Month in Review(s) - February 2018

You remember, in January, when I said I was getting the hang of the whole life-balance deal-y?

Yeah... well, regular service has resumed. My life is back to Milo-Murphy's-Law-levels of randomness.

If you haven't seen Milo Murphy's Law, this is what I'm talking about:

(Warning: flashing images)

...I relate so hard it scares me.





Typical example: I had a scratch on my hand. Not unusual?

It was from the cat. Still not that odd?

It was because the cat was squirming, trying to stop me, from stopping him, from climbing into my big brother's sling (which he was wearing at the time,) which he has because he broke his arm roller-skating.

This is my life.

Nerd Church - The Value of Reading

Why should we value reading?

Because it's important. Because the literacy of teenagers in the UK is Not Good. Because reading opens the mind to new ideas, new perspectives, other cultures.

Because reading - and comprehension of what you're reading - is more important in the digital age, where we're bombarded by texts, tweets, posts, and online forms, than it ever has been before.

Friday Fics Fix - Shuri, Girl-Genius

If, like me, you're currently obsessed with all things Black Panther, and want MORE dammit! - then you're in luck.

This week's fic is, indeed, more from the characters from Black Panther - and, more specifically, Shuri.

Comics Wrap-Up - You're Gonna Hear Me Roar

Firstly, my dearest nerdlets, Happy St. David's Day/Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus! You can check out some Welsh-language music in a blogpost I wrote on Sunday to celebrate.


Yes, I have now seen Black Panther! It was totally awesome-ful! XD (And most of what I have for you this week is Black Panther-related!)


And this week is one of those weeks where everything I have for you comes under the 'other stuff' category. Blame Loki. #AlwaysBlameLoki

Anxiety vs Blogger

(Warning: This post is about depression and Anxiety, and the demonstration of a negative thought spiral.)

First off: I'm OK. I've had a rough-ish few days (not too bad, but bad enough,) but I'm OK.

There is no need to worry about me.

Sometimes, much as blogging has saved my life, it can contribute negatively to my mental health.

I don't need to take an extended break - honestly, I'm fine. I love blogging just as much as I ever have, and, overall, it's good for me.

And the problem wasn't really blogging - it was the Anxiety.

But I did need to 'write it out.' This is the result of that.

Nerd Church - Some of My Favourite Welsh-Language Music

It's St. David's Day/Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant on Thursday, so I figured I'd give you guys some of my favourite Welsh-language music to listen to :)

I originally wrote this list on Twitter, for Welsh Language Music Day/Dydd Miwsig Cymru, on 9th February/Chwefror - but it's a pretty good list, if I do say so myself, so I thought I'd share it here too.

(And yes, I love Yws Gwynedd - they are most definitely Roc a Rôl as far as I'm concerned 😎)

...in case you hadn't noticed! Lol.

(Via Giphy)

Friday Fics Fix - Something Trashy

Dumpsters! Friendship! Diversity! What more could you want?!*

I've told you before, my dearest nerdlets, about the awesomeness that is the 'dumpster brothers' meme/trope/sub-fandom/whatever!

But, in case you need some refreshment: Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and Matt Murdock (Daredevil) combine their odd habit of ending up in dumpsters to become friends!

(Yes, it's usually as random as it sounds!)

*Don't answer that.

Comics Wrap-Up - My Heart Is In Danger From Shadows and Strangers Now

No, I haven't seen Black Panther yet - I'm going to go see it Monday, hopefully! :)

So on with the rest of this week's comics wrap-up:

Mini-Review! - An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

Title: An Untamed State

Author: Roxane Gay

Amazon: UK - USA

Verdict:

This book is an open wound.

It is raw. It is powerful. And, somehow, it finds a way to be beautiful.

Nerd Church - America, Don't Blame Mental Health Problems For Your Useless Laws

(Warning: this post discusses mental health problems, stigma, and gun violence including school shootings.)

America - what the actual f**k?

Look, I'm probably preaching to the choir here - but in case any of you out there are pro-killing-machines - let me explain some things:

1. There are mental health problems all over the world
2. School shootings aren't the norm in pretty much any country other than yours
3. Your gun laws are the problem

Friday Fics Fix - Let's Be Random

I have the flu, so if I'm making even less sense than usual, then I totally blame that. 😷 😅





Every now and then, (or maybe a little more often than that,) I love reading completely random fics.

...The kind of fics where someone's taken one tiny detail of a fandom, and just kind of... run with it!