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?!)

Comics Wrap-Up - We're Drawbridges Closing

 

It's Thursday. Let's get some awesome-sauce comics-y, superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Working From Home More? It's Time To Set Some Work/Life Boundaries

(Warning: I briefly discuss mental health problems in this post - it's not graphic, and is written about in the context of self-care and healthy work/life boundaries)

A lot more people are working, at least in part, from home this year - on account of 2020 and all the Lockdowns and everything 2020-ish.

I've actually worked from home for several years, and it's got a ton of advantages - but you also have to be careful to set work/life boundaries -

- especially if, like me, part or all of your income is coming from things which were once solely hobbies - it tends to blur the lines.

Disclaimer: This is the bit where I remind you that I'm not any type of mental health or medical professional.

Neither am I some kind of life or productivity coach (that would be scary!)

I only have first-hand experience of Depression/Anxiety, and using self-care to support myself - and hopefully my experiences can help other people.

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.

Comics Wrap-Up - Be A Burning Star If It Takes All Night

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It's Thursday, I'm tired, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Once again everything is in the 'other stuff' category - blame Loki. Always blame Loki.

Micropoetry - September + October 2020

 

There is Micropoetry! Woo!

...The October pieces were kind of written in a weird headspace so... sorry about that!

The September one is a Haiku because apparently in 2020 I write Haikus! (Seriously, I think I've written more Haikus this year than I ever have before.)

It was also one of those things which just kinda pop into my head, and then won't leave me alone until I do something with them 😅 #WriterProblems

As always, the poetry is in the alt-text of the images for those of you using screen readers, with / marks showing line breaks.

Nerd Church - How 2020 Is Actually An Apocalyptic Rock Opera. No, Really.

 

(Warning: This post discusses various elements of 2020, including but not limited to - Covid 19/Coronavirus, the US presidential elections, racism and police brutality.)

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Whew! It's been a year, right? 

And it's not over yet (though hopefully our supply of Bad News has dwindled sufficiently.)

Over the course of this year, two of my (many - when I love something, I love it!) favourite albums of all time have kind of become my soundtrack to whatever the f**k has been going with 2020.

Some people think we're living in a simulation, but I have a new take: dearest nerdlets, we're in a rock opera!

Friday Fics Fix - Soft But Stabby

 

'The street is just as empty as it’s been all night. “Meow.” And then an orange paw is patting at his boot.' 

Anyone who knows anything about Netflix's The Umbrella Academy (TUA) knows that Diego Hargreeves is stabby on the outside and super-soft on the inside.

He also loves his mam - you gotta love a vigilante bad-a** who loves his mam, ok?

There's a reason he has been memed as a baby duck with a knife. That's it. That's the entire character.

Comics Wrap-Up - To Give You and Me the Ability To Scream Our Voice

 

It's Thursday. It's 2020. Let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Everything is once again in the 'other stuff' category for which we will #BlameLoki (with good reason, this time!)

Everything is also really Queer this week - which, of course, I'm here for. And that's also partly Loki's fault 😉

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Month in Review(s) - October 2020

 

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, and mental health problems)

Well... October was pretty much the same as the rest of 2020 - there were a couple of nice things in there, but overall it sucked.

(I'm still standing though! #ThePositiveSide!)

My local Lockdown became a Welsh national Lockdown, and the anti-Welsh sentiments in some parts of the media and the Interwebs were irritatingly loud. 

*Takes deep breaths* *Resists urge to rant*

(If you want to see me ranting for a whole blogpost against an ignorant RT from the Trumpkin, you can read that here.)

Nerd Church - Remembering Why We Remember

 

(Warning: this post discusses war, loss of life, and pandemics/ Coronavirus/Covid 19)

In the UK, it's traditional to mark Remembrance Sunday - the Sunday that's nearest the 11th November - and also Remembrance Day, otherwise known as Armistice Day.

This has been tradition since just after the First World War, when literally everyone knew someone who had passed away in service. (World War One was basically 4 years of non-stop slaughter on all sides.)

So, for the last century almost every town and parish in this fair(ish) land has had memorial services for the country's war dead on these days.

Friday Fics Fix - The Good Trash, Because Its 2020 and I Need It

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

'Mac slides the rest of the way out, rolling to his knees. Sweat is pouring down his face, stinging his eyes, and when he lifts his hand to wipe it away, he finds his fingers trembling. He stares at them, fascinated.'

 

I'm a big fan of the MacGyver reboot TV series.

I mean, it's often trash - but it's good trash. And I love good trash.

Trash with a genius who can use science to save the world is my kinda trash. (And lead actor Lucas Till is pretty easy on the eyes. It don't hurt. #JustSaying)

The current version of MacGyver started in 2016, with 4 series to date, and contains much less questionable hairstyles than the original 1980s series.

Comics Wrap-Up - I've Got All These Demons Hiding Underneath

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It's 2020. Lord knows what's going on now. Let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Once again everything's in the 'Other Stuff' category #BlameLoki

6 Years of Blogging At Dora Reads!

 

It's Halloween, which means that it's my blog anniversary!

- Which in turn means it's time for my annual ramble about this blog, and blogging in general, and all that stuff, while trying not to repeat the stuff from previous blog anniversary posts too heavily!

Woo!

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 - Careful As I Write Her Name On the Corner of the Page

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It's Thursday, it's still 2020 - let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Everything is once again in the 'Other Stuff' category (dammit Loki!)

Nerd Church - 5 Things That've Kept Me Going In 2020 (So Far)

 

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, Lockdowns, and Depression/Anxiety)

Since I'm once again in Lockdown, and now it's not just local but national for Wales, I figured I'd have a vague ramble about some of things that've been keeping me going through the weirdness that is 2020.

Friday Fics Fix - Returning to Haven

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

'Duke’s grateful for the small loading dock in the back of the Gull, with its concrete ramp and rolling service door. They rarely take shipments large enough to even warrant having the thing, but it’s remarkably useful for smuggling grizzly bears into the building'

I love (and really miss!) the TV show Haven - a gothicky, horror-y, sci-fi (and SyFy,) series that ran between 2010 and 2015.

It's ostensibly based on Stephen King's novella The Colorado Kid - I've read The Colorado Kid, there are very, very, few similarities.

Instead, it's like a kick-a** mash-up of random elements of Stephen King-ery. Which I love. So much.

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

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

Nerd Church - Hate Crimes Are Bad, Right?

(Warning: this post discusses hate crime and bigotry, including racism and Transphobia.)

Last week (ending yesterday) was National Hate Crime Awareness Week in the UK.

Which means that there's been a lot of very productive hashtags -

(no, I'm not being sarcastic - it's possible for hashtags to change the world, and you know it,) 

- and shows of support from various institutions. 

And it's largely been a very nice, if sometimes luke-warm, effort by said institutions to show solidarity with marginalised groups. Which is good, obviously.

Or... at least I thought it was obvious. 

Because I thought it was obvious that hate crimes are, y'know, bad.

But apparently that isn't obvious to everyone.

Because someone, somewhere, dearest nerdlets, will always find a way to be a jerk. 

Never more so than on social media.

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.'

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

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.

Comics Wrap-Up - Like A Secret In Your Throat

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It's Thursday dearest nerdlets! Let's get some comics-y goodness!

(Everything is in the 'other stuff' category again. #BlameLoki)

Month in Review(s) - September 2020

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, Transphobia and JKR, and mental health)

September was weird. I think that goes for much of 2020, but September felt especially 2020-ish.

In August, Wales was down to a very small number of Coronavirus cases. We had it in control. 

By the end of September, over half of our population was in Lockdown, and remain in Lockdown. That includes yours truly.

Nerd Church - Mr Trump, The USA Would Be Lucky To Look More Like Wales

 (Warning: this post discusses the Coronavirus/Covid 19, Lockdowns, and Donald Trump.)

Some little-known American politician named Donald Trump retweeted a journalist(..?) named Laura Ingraham in which she said: 'Your future under Biden: "'Rolling Lockdowns' will become norm in Wales"'

She then linked to a BBC article about the problems we're having with Coronavirus, and that we may be in and out of local lockdowns for a while yet. Which... yeah? We might.

I'm currently in Lockdown. I make no secret of that.

OK, my darling nerdlets, let me tell you a little open secret: Wales will always prioritise the lives of the Welsh people.

If there ever comes a time when we don't, we will have truly lost ourselves.

It's sad that the idea seems so strange to some Americans.

Friday Fics Fix - Don't. Touch. The Artifacts.

 

'Peter had never told him about this. 

Tony took in a deep breath and charged forward, he phased through the rubble, like it wasn’t even there, because it wasn’t.'

Is there angst? Yes, yes there is.

It's adorable angst though, so I hope you'll forgive me!

Comics Wrap-Up - Oh, We Can Beat Them, Forever and Ever

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

It's Thursday, it's still 2020 - let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Everything I've got for ya this week is in the 'Other Stuff' category - as always, we'll blame this on Loki.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Oh, the Melodrama!

 

(Warning: this post briefly discusses overthinking and Anxiety/Depression)

In its previous life, my WIP, written by teenage-Cee over a decade ago, was melodramatic as f**k.

As in, there were kidnappings, and murders, and guns, and a secret child, and... if you can think of a plot-twist, it was probably in there. Plus a few more for luck.

And while the current version of These Ghosts of Ours is much, much, less ballistic, the memory of that previous version has left me constantly questioning the emotion-y bits and plot developments.

Friday Fics Fix - The Detective's Dreams

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

'The mirth drains from his eyes, his face. Lowering his mug, his eyes following it, Sherlock asks, “What if your worst days are your fault, and only yours? Would you deserve it then?”'

Ready for some semi*-emotionally-healthy BBC Sherlock fanfiction?

Well, whether you are or not, that's what you're getting. 😛😉

*Look, it's emotionally healthy compared to the series, but there's still a sh**-tonne of co-dependency and poor coping mechanisms, ok?

Comics Wrap-Up - Fabulous Kids Today, They're All Being Who They Were Born To Be

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

It's Thursday. It's October 2020. Let's get some comics-y goodness!

Everything I have for you this week is in the 'other stuff' category, for which we shall blame Loki.

Review! - Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of The Faun by Guillermo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Title: Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of The Faun

Author: Guillermo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke

Genre: Media Tie-In, Horror, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales (-ish,) Magic Realism(-ish,) Young Adult (Maybe? Maybe just adult with YA appeal. It's kind of difficult to gage the age range here!)

Amazon USA

Nerd Church - Covid 19: Locked Down Again

(Warning: As you can probably tell from the title, this post discussed Coronavirus/Covid 19, Lockdowns, and people acting like petulant children)

I'm in a local Lockdown.

...Along with nearly half of the population of Wales, and nearly a quarter of the population of the UK as a whole.

(Yeah... the government's working so hard to avoid a nationwide lockdown that the entire nation may well end up in 'local' lockdown.)

Friday Fics Fix - Fluffy Legends

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

 

"Huh, who would have guessed a warlock of your measure could be swayed by snacks? And here I thought my charms were your only weakness,” she said.

Who wants some fluff?

I think we could all do with fluff. Especially when it's superhero fluff!

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm Your Type of Metal

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

It's Thursday, my area is back in Covid lockdown, and we could all do with some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - On LGBTQ+ Own Voices

 

If you follow me on Twitter, you might've seen my thread about the current discussions surrounding #OwnVoices LGBTQ+ content.

If you haven't seen my thread, and/or don't understand a word I just said, then don't worry - I'm about to break it down for you, and also expand - because I'm just that nice to you.

Friday Fics Fix - Tony And Bucky In A Horror Trope? Why Not, I Guess!

 

'“Oh, my God,” Tony hisses. “Aren’t you like the greatest assassin the world’s ever seen? Why are you struggling so much with a stupid knot?”'

 

I actually have no idea WTF I just read - but I kind of love it.

That's one the fab-est things about fanfiction, dearest nerdlets, it's so very, very, random. 

And it can surprise you. Even when you've read what has to amount to thousands of fics.

Comics Wrap-Up - I Sell The Fact That I Can't Be Bought

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

It's Thursday - which means it's time for some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Entirely unintentionally, everything I have for you this week is either Batman or Batwoman related.

It's all also in the 'Other Stuff' category - Loki moves in mysterious ways, dearest nerdlets!

Nerd Church - I'm Not (Totally) Lovin' It: Why I'm Not Entirely Happy (Meal) That They're Ditching The Plastic Toys

 

Recently, I saw that McDonalds are gonna stop supplying hard plastic toys in their kids' meals in the UK and Ireland.

This was due to a petition from two smol eco-warriors, who were annoyed at the lack of recyclable-ness. 

And good on them. We all need to be working on cutting down on the amount of plastic we use.

But when I heard the news, I wasn't entirely happy. 

Of course, I was happy that there'd be less plastic thrown away and ending up in landfill or the water system!

...But I still had some reservations.

Because I knew how much it would hurt a lot of kids whose families are on low incomes. 

Friday Fics Fix - Padfoot and Moony's Guide to Raising Harry Potter (Ft. Diverse Representation!)

 

Note: For the foreseeable future the only Harry Potter fanfiction I'll be rec'ing will have Trans+/NB+ characters. 

I understand if you don't wanna read any posts about Harry Potter whatsoever, and I hope I'll see you when I'm rec'ing from a different fandom.

“Sirius, when is the last time you slept? Or ate a proper meal? Or took a bath? Don’t even bother answering that last one. You smell like something died in your hair..."

 

To rec this fic, I basically just wanted to go:

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...until you read it.

But I realised that's both exhausting and requiring of context. (Dammit!)

Comics Wrap-Up - Make the Sounds We Try To Hide When People Are Around

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

It's Thursday, let's get some superhero-y and/or comics-y goodness!

Everything this week is in the 'Other Stuff' category (dammit Loki!)

Month In Review(s) - August 2020

 

August was way too hot - I'm too Welsh for this cr*p!

Seriously, I melt above 24C. That's plenty enough for me. So between 27C and 30C is literal hell to me. Thank God it's cooled down a butt-tonne now.

Anywho, I cut back on blogging in August (and you can see how that went here,) but I somehow wrote more reviews and bookish content than I have in a long time *shrugs*

I wrote 2 whole reviews dearest nerdlets! In one month! Lol.

Nerd Church - I Scaled Back on Blogging In August. Have I Learned Anything?

I don’t know why I need to keep learning the same lessons in order to actually, y’know, learn them, but…

I do? I guess?

Good habits are much easier to break than bad habits, dearest nerdlets! 

So anyway, let’s back up and rewind and all that jazz -

In August, I decided to scale back to about one post a week, instead of my regular 3 or 4 per week. I also took a break from my regular series – Comics Wrap-Up, Friday Fics Fix, Nerd Church.

This was so that I could have chance to do some goddamn blog admin for once, and try to get a handle on my socials, make something that at least vaguely resembles an actual posting schedule, make a plan for updating old posts, etc. etc. 

Friday Fics Fix - Klaus and Ben's Guide To The Parenting Of Dead Children

 

'Ben started laughing too. “What’s the matter, Klaus? Nonbinary ghost child should be right up your alley.”

That laughter was contagious, and Klaus gave in. “You know what? You’re right. Nonbinary ghost child is right up my alley. Good for you, kid!”'

Yes, we are talking Umbrella Academy...

But hang on a sec -

!! Please do NOT the SPOILERS !!

I'm only about half-way through series 2 of The Umbrella Academy, so please no spoilers! 

Diolch yn fawr iawn fy nghariadau!/Thanks v. much my loves!

Comics Wrap-Up - Traded My Honda For A Panther, I Just Got A Crib In Wakanda

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Whew! A whole month without any Comics Wrap-Up posts, dearest nerdlets! Didja miss me?

You know the drill: it's Thursday, the world is a dumpster fire, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

We got a whole bunch of stuff this week, due to online conventions/reveals/all that jazz!

From My TBR: 15 Young Adult and Middle Grade Books By Black Authors

 

(Warning: this post references racism and police brutality)

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

There are three important reasons for me writing this post:

1. Black Lives still Matter.

2. It's always a good time to highlight diverse books.

and 3. There are so many amazing Black creators out there, who don't always get the recognition they deserve.

So here's a small selection of some of the Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade (MG) books on my TBR list that were written by Black authors.

For those of you who don't know the book-blog lingo - a TBR is a 'to-be-read' list. Mine is immortal and cannot be stopped. Send help.

For those of you who are British like me, and/or haven't heard the book blogging term, Middle Grade books are those aimed at (roughly) ages 8-12, or 8-14, depending who you ask.

(Quick disclaimer: obviously, I haven't read these books, just their synopses, so I don't know what they're like in terms of content, quality, etc.)

I hope you find something to add to your own TBR, and remember to support Black authors, and other Black creators.

There're so many talented Black authors out there who deserve our attention!

Review Time! - Queer As A Five-Dollar Bill by Lee Wind

(Warning: this post discusses Homophobia and bigotry, including physical violence)

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Please do not use my links to make UK purchases.

Title: Queer As A Five-Dollar Bill

Author: Lee Wind

Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBTQ+ (Gay & M/M)

Amazon: USA

Review Time! - Can Everyone Please Calm Down? by Mae Martin

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Title: Can Everyone Please Calm Down?: A Guide To 21st Century Sexuality 

Author: Mae Martin

Genre: Non-Fiction, YA (NA crossover appeal), LGBTQ+, Memoir(-ish)

Amazon US

Month in Review(s) - July 2020

July was a month that happened.

Is it bad that all of the months have just kind of squidged into one and I can't remember what happened in July vs what happened in June?

Can I blame the Dyscalculia for that, d'y'think? Or is it just me? (It's probably just me.)

Anyhow, this is your reminder that the Coronavirus situation is NOT over, and you need to keep taking all the hygiene and distancing precautions.

(People who think 'it's all over' are... ARGH!) 

#StaySafeDearestNerdlets

Friday Fics Fix - The Trick of the Detail

 

'...it was possible that they hadn’t thought through all of the consequences of Loki joining the team. They certainly hadn’t anticipated this one.'

You know (or maybe you don't, in which case, lemme inform you,) I have a love of random-a** Avengers fics - add Loki to the mix?

Hell yeah, I am there!