'Nandor blinked at his question, almost owlish. “You want to see your human mother?” As if he had another kind.'
A little over a month ago, I explained to all of you that What We Do In The Shadows (WWDITS) is an amazing vampire-mockumentary work of genius that occupies space in my head, rent-free.
It continues to squat and not pay me a penny for its living quarters.
It's Thursday, it's still April, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
All my Micropoetry from March!
...I have literally no clue where either of these came from.
Should I blame the universe again? Yeah, why not let's blame the universe again.
The universe made me write these! Including the haiku! (Lol.)
It's been a little while since my first SamBucky rec list - so I thought I'd bring you some more of the shippy goodness!
(Fandom notes:
SamBucky is a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from the MCU (Marvel) movies etc., especially the Captain America movies, and the The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) TV series.
Shippy = related to ships.
Ships are relationships between two or more characters.)
As always with this kind of list, the Content Warnings will be in the original rec'ing post, which I'll link to.
Also pay attention to the fic author's tags on the fics themselves, and generally take care, dearest nerdlets!
(You can also check the rec'ing posts for whether the fics have SPOILERS or not.)
It's Thursday, I'm not entirely sure where the week went, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Ever heard of a writer called Kafka?
If it was up to him, you probably wouldn't have.
But millions of people know his name - and have heard the term 'Kafkaesque,' which is a fancy and more succinct way of saying 'reminds me of the stuff that that Kafka feller wrote.'
'He had slept every night since they’d defied Heaven and Hell and it was becoming a bit of a habit.'
A lot of Good Omens (GO) fanfiction tends to revolve around the ship 'Ineffable Husbands'
- and this week's fic rec is no different.
It's Thursday, I am very tired, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!
Warning: this post briefly discusses various aspects of the world's clusterf**k, including but not limited to: Ukraine, systemic Transphobia, and Covid 19.
It also breifly discusses poor mental health, and chronic illness (migraines.)
March was... turbulent.
Which I know isn't exactly unusual atm, but still...
Warning: this post discusses brain fog as a symptom of Depression/Anxiety
Disclaimer time: I am not any kind of medical, psychological, or neurological professional. I'm a chick with a blog and some personal experiences - nothing more, nothing less.
Some days, my brain does not work.
Call it brain fog, call it fuzziness, call it extreme mental fatigue.
It's common with migraines (which I get,) and Depression and Anxiety (which I have,) as well as a whole bunch of other conditions - including Long Covid, for which it's gotten a lot of media attention.
'“So that’s why I’m here?” Loki asked. “You think that I’ve become soft?”'
I love this MCU fic - it's so much fun.
So this is FrostIron - kinda - and verging on crack - but not all the way there.
It's really comic-booky - the action is something I could imagine in a graphic novel, and the whole *waves hands* ...vibe feels like it belongs in the panels of a comic book.
Not least because we're dealing with Dr Doom and MODOK - stock comics villains, after all, and pretty common go-tos for fic authors who need villains that aren't embroiled in the main MCU continuity.
It's Thursday, the world is still wacky, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Sometimes, when you're watching a series of nerdy video essays, you realise (about 6 videos in,) that you've become ensnared in an ARG 😅
...and there's no hope after that 😈
ARG stands for 'Alternate Reality Game.'
(Not to be confused with Augmented Reality (AR) games like Pokemon Go.)
They're not what everyone would automatically think of as a 'game'
- they're less like a video game or a sport, and more like a choose your adventure book, especially those Goosebumps ones they used to do. (Shout out to my fellow 90s/00s kids!)
And even that doesn't cover the half of it.
Oh boy does it not cover the half of it...
'John’s gotten sick in plenty of bars, but he’s almost sure that this is the first time alcohol hasn’t been involved.'
Ah, John Constantine.
A moody, broody, British Bisexual warlock and master of the occult, who's a character in my beloved Arrowverse show Legends of Tomorrow? And is played by a Welsh actor (Matt Ryan)?
Yeah, if you know me at all, you know that I had zero chance to resist.
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!
I originally wrote this poem and published it on Medium -
- because Iris B. Stehn over there was doing a writing prompt, so I wrote it for that.
I figured I'd share it here so that you could all see it too, 'cos I'm nice like that. 😊
Warning: this post discusses mental health problems and symptoms
Disclaimer time: I am not any kind of medical, mental health, scientific, etc., professional - I'm a chick with a blog and some personal experience, m'k? M'k.
Are you ever watching a TV show or a movie, or reading a book, and just...
...have to...
...pause...?
'He was hurt alright. That look wasn't a new color on him; Nandor seemed to be hurt quite a lot lately. Laszlo didn't want him to be alone.'
Vampire. Mockumentary.
Do I have your attention?
Good.
It's Thursday, I'm very tired, but we've got lots of comics-y superhero-y goodness, so let's get to it!
Micropoetry time!
*cue imaginary jingle of your choice*
These are a bit more *waves hands vaguely* context-dependent than my usual micropoetry, so a little background info:
The second one (let's start at the end, why not?) is kinda based in all the sh** going down in the world right now.
The first one is very specifically about Partygate.
I actually posted it on Twitter with hashtags calling for Boris Johnson to resign, so yes #political. You know I don't care whether you agree with me or not, and that's fine.
And I'm overly-pleased with myself for the 'Eton mess' bit, which probably makes zero sense to those of you who aren't British, but at least I amused myself!
So here we are, February's Micropoetry!
As always, for those using screen readers, the poetry is in the alt-text with / marks showing line breaks.
Warning: This post is... one of my weird ones.
Expect apocalypses, disasters, war, suffering, general doom, and a whole lot of random existential questions.
'You say the ocean's rising—like I give a sh**
You say the whole world's ending—honey, it already did
You're not gonna slow it, Heaven knows you tried
Got it? Good, now get inside'
- Bo Burnham, All Eyes On Me
Didn't the world already end?
Over and over and over again?
Didn't it end in 1914? In 1939? In 1945? In 1986? In 1793? In 476?
In so many other years that I don't know about because they haven't permeated the collective consciousness of the West?
(Props to anyone who got every one of those references, btw.)
'“Nothing happened.”
“You only had one hotel bill,” Rhodey pressed.'
Want it to come in the form of a fic which, despite the sexting (or near enough to,) is surprisingly wholesome?
Of course ya do! 😉😅
It's Thursday, we're still here, probably, so let's get some superhero-y, comics-y goodness!
(Warning: this post discusses war, the threat of nuclear disaster, injured cats, and blood)
February.
2022.
February. 2022.
February 2022.
...I live in Europe. Edges of, here in the UK, but still Europe.
Y'know, that continent Putin nearly turned into a nuclear wasteland last week?
And no, I'm not over-reacting, Zaporizhzhia is way bigger than Chernobyl, and radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was the reason Welsh farmers had restrictions on selling livestock until 2012.
So... *gestures at Putin in a non-polite manner*
You can donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal here.
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 😅
'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. 😅)
It's Thursday, we're still here, this is Dora Reads, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'The neighbours have come home. I can hear Mr L pulling his filtration system off – the sound seeps through the walls. Our walls are so thin – doesn’t seem like it could keep what’s going on out there at bay, does it?'
About mid-week this story was slammed into my brain, without warning, by the universe.
And I am but a simple writer - the universe calls, and I answer.
So... have this sci-fi-ish/dystopian-ish short story, I guess! 😅
(Bo Burnham's Inside (especially All Eyes On Me,) was pretty much my writing soundtrack for this - for anyone who finds that sort of insight interesting! ...Plus, it, uh, might explain a lot 😅)
Content Warnings:
- isolation
- life-threatening climate/environmental catastrophes
- brief non-sexual nudity and mentions of anatomy
- life-threatening heat and physical stress
- implied physical disability/health condition
- mental health issues/extreme stress
...I've never done a full Content Warnings list like this for one of my stories before, so be careful and tell me if I missed anything that needs to be listed!
'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!
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness, m'k?
Everything I've got for you this week is in the 'Other Stuff' category - looks like Loki's been playing tricks on me again. 😘
Carbon offsetting is sadly not the get-out-of-eco-jail-free card that some people think it is.
Whether you're a frequent flyer looking to make up for the environmental sins of your trips around the world, a heavy-polluting fossil-fuel-based corporation, or just someone who gets their Etsy packages delivered, you've probably heard of carbon offsetting.
But, so that we're all on the same page: what is carbon offsetting?
Well there's no concrete definition - everyone has their own ideas of what 'counts' as carbon offsetting and what doesn't - but I can give you the basics.
Carbon offsetting, as far as I understand it, is where someone - sometimes an individual, but more commonly a business or organisation - attempts to counteract their carbon footprint by supporting environmental projects.
This support often comes in the form of... (paying to make the problem go away) ...investing.
This might be an investment in a green energy scheme, such as a wind farm or tidal energy project...
'"You got a phone? Look up local B&Bs," Sam said to Bucky. "Or whatever Canadian is for B&B."
"I think it's just B&B. They literally speak the same language, Sam."'
Yes, this is a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) fic.
In my defense: I've been totally open that I am trash 😅
And! Also! This fic might be TFATWS, but it's a lot different to the sort of stuff I usually rec from this fandom.
It's Thursday, we're still here somehow, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Here we are with more of my micropoetry!
Woo! (Lol.)
I have absolutely no idea where the first one, in particular, came from - it was just one of those things that wouldn't leave me alone, y'know?
And the best way to deal with that is to get it out and into the world, in my experience!
It's also written partially in my accent (which is why it's don' le' instead of don't let,) because it just didn't feel right written in full - I don't know why, I think it threw the rhythm off or something *shrugs*
And the other poem I've got for you this month is a haiku.
- Just because, really 😅
As always, for those using text readers, the poetry is in the alt-text of the graphics.
Line breaks are marked with a /
'Three in the morning is never the time to try and sort out your life.'
- Matt Haig, Reasons To Stay Alive
Most of us have been there - it's a ridiculous time in the night, you're utterly shattered, and you're still trying to get things done.
You inevitably make a mistake -
because you should be sleeping
- and you decide that your entire life is a sh**-show, and you need to leave everything you know behind and move to the mountains and breed chinchillas or something equally random.
(...Unless that's a long-held ambition of yours, in which case don't let me stop ya!)
'“I think you’re right. It looks nice on you,” Vanya offers, a small smile curling on her lips when Klaus lights up.'
Argh the bitter-sweet angsty cuteness here!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ahem*
This fic got me in the feelings, OK? 😅
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Everything this week is in the 'Other Stuff' category - #BlameLoki
January was the perfect example of pandemic time
- it simultaneously lasted five minutes and three thousand years.
(Not that my experience of time as a concept ever manages to be one speed, but this is especially marked.)
So, this is 2022.
...I feel like it's best not to tempt fate by saying any more than that 😅
(Warning: this post discusses Covid 19 (which you probably guessed from the title), death, and grief)
As I write this post, Boris Johnson is still prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (to give us our long and official title.)
Who knows whether he'll be prime minister by the time this post goes live, but for now he is prime minister.
He should not be.
I don't pretend to be able to predict the future - I think we've all given up on trying to foresee what comes next - but I hope he resigns.
As he should have done already. So many times over.
'“Um,” said Sam, looking from Bucky to the golden retriever, “Do you know the dog?”
“Uh,” said Bucky, picking the honestly very large dog up, and walking around Sam, “Sort of? Could you… wait a moment? Watch the soup.”'
This is a weird fic.
Like, it's completely batpoop.
...And you know I love that 😉😅
It's Thursday, it's February, this is Dora Reads - let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'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
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.
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Just a few things for you this week - and everything is in the 'Other Stuff' category, for which we will, of course #BlameLoki
One of the many things that makes me tired in this beautiful trash-fire of a world is that some people think that everything - everything - has to be a superlative.
What's a superlative? Well there's a couple of meanings to the word, but I'm talking about this one:
'In grammar, the superlative form of an adjective or adverb is the form that indicates that something has more of a quality than anything else in a group. For example, ' biggest' is the superlative form of 'big'.'
- COBUILD Collins English Dictionary Online
And the world? The world isn't actually comprised solely of superlatives and extremes.
Good Lord, she's gonna talk about nuance on the Internet! Someone stop her!
(Note: don't stop me. 😜😎)
'The night wore on, and Merlin still hadn't found anything. The words were beginning to blur together on the page no matter how much he tried to clear his vision, so he finally gave in and went over to wake Lancelot.'
I love the BBC TV show Merlin - and even years after it ended, it has a thriving fandom online.
...which, lucky for us, means that there are fic writers busily scribbling away to this day.
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, let's get some comics-y, superhero-y goodness!
Wanna see how far you can run? Wanna train to run a marathon or a 5k or whatever it is running-people do?
Find a tree.
'Sam’s hand hovers near his arm again, just in the corner of his eye. Just in case he collapses without warning or something. Bucky hates that he has to bite his tongue and accept that as a legitimate probability'
This week's fic appealed to my emo goblin spaghetti-brain.
I regret nothing.
