Comics Wrap-Up - Think Like A Lawyer!

It's Thursday, it's November (somehow,) let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Eight Year Blogging Anniversary!

When I started this blog, the UK was still in the European Union, David Cameron was Prime Minister, and Obama was the US president.

...It's kind of terrifying to realise that that was only eight years ago, but here we are.

And I feel so very old and tired 😅

Micropoetry - August + September 2022

Yes, I know it's the end of October.

It took me a while to sort the graphics out - just the way it goes sometimes, I don't know what to tell you.

(By the way, you will be getting a Micropoetry post for my October Micropoetry soon (...ish))

Shall we get some Micropoetry, though, yeah?

Come on then! (Lol.)

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

Friday Fics Fix - There's A Metaphysical Barn and Everything

'"So that's six ghosts, then. Six angry, murderous ghosts."

"Yeah," Duke said. The foundations of his anger had washed away, and now he just looked tired.'

 

There are some TV series which are truly amazing... until the ending.

Sometimes the ending just isn't up to scratch, y'know?

Sometimes the end is totally unsatisfactory and/or doesn't make goddamn sense.

And that's where fanfiction comes in.

Because Fix-It fics take that cr**py ending and/or plot development, and say 'no - that's not what happened.' And they write their own, instead.

(Yes, I'm talking Fix-It fics on Friday Fics Fix - keep up and don't let your tongue get too tied 😅)

Comics Wrap-Up - It's In The Rules Or Something

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

Nerd Church - Caffeinated Current Events: *Laugh-Cries In British*

It's been something of a week here in the UK - so join me as I attempt a coffee-fuelled explanation of the current situation.

Caffeinated Current Events is a blogpost sub-series where I get jumped up on coffee and explain the slightly/majorly ridiculous state of the world to my darling dearest nerdlets.

Think drunk history without the alcohol, or the benefits of not having to live through this sh**.

This post is one where I'm GOING to get political - you've been warned. Feel free to click away if it's not your thing, I won't even know. 🙈😅

Disclaimer Time: this is written for the purpose of humour and entertainment. It's also opinion, based on the information available to me at time of writing. Don't sue me, I promise it's not worth it.

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.)

Comics Wrap-Up - An Odd Duck

It's Thursday, life is exhausting, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: The Thing I Was Trying To Write

My work-in-progress (WIP) looks nothing like it used to.

I started These Ghosts of Ours - which I hesitantly call a novel - an embarrasingly long time ago, as a teenager.

I've actually probably been working on it for half my life at this point, although I've had massive breaks of years when I didn't do anything on it at all because my life was imploding in various ways, shapes, and forms. 😅

(If I'm lucky I may finish These Ghosts of Ours by the time I'm 100! Woo!)

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!

Month In Review(s) - September 2022

 

September was pretty good, on the whole.

For me - not for like, the Royal family, or the British economy, or the numerous wars and natural disasters etc.

...I'ma get back to me now 😅

Yeah - I kind of trotted along, for the most part, just doing what I do. 

Keeping metaphorically swimming and all that jazz.

Making some progress on this 'n' that, y'know?

...I'm not great at explaining things from my life so that they sound exciting 😅

Nerd Church - Being Exhausted Is Exhausting

I've been trying, lately, to let myself be tired when I'm tired.

Now, that probably seems simple to a lot of you - you lucky folks who get tired and just... accept it.

But me? Apparently when I'm tired, my natural reaction is to do more. 

Which... uh... makes no sense. 

I'm going to assume it's at least partly down to the tiger vs. not tiger thing I've talked about before. 😅 

I.e. my weird little hooman bean brain thinks we're under attack and/or vulnerable in some way when I'm tired, and pushes me to be alert to the dangers/fight the tiger/whatever.

Friday Fics Fix - Bucky Can't Catch A Break

'Bucky turns back to the screen in front of him and can’t help his flinch as the bright light turns into what might as well be an ice pick to his brain.' 

Bucky has had it!

I mean, it's one thing coming to terms with ex-assassin-ing, super-soldier-ing, and being in the actual goddamn future, but now there's all this psychic b*llsh** on top?!

Dude can't catch a break!

Comics Wrap-Up - Goes Without Saying

 

It's Thursday, happy October, let's get some comics-y, superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Caffeinated Current Events: The UK Economy Imploded

OK - the UK's in a bit of trouble with the financials right now.

I'm full o' coffee, so let's lay it all out on the table!

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.

Friday Fics Fix - Whether Flesh or Cybernetic

'Sam nods anyway. “Okay. That’s fine. How ‘bout we use the door though, stead of charging through the window, huh?”

Bucky blinks. Door?' 

I am still very much The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) trash.

What can I say? The fanfiction's just that good 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - Seasoned Nerdish-Types

It's Thursday, monarchy is an outdated and fundamentally flawed concept in a democratic society, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Poetry: The Girl on Stage

This poem was first published in the Medium publication The Brain Is A Noodle (TBIAN), for the prompt 'What do you feel when you or your favourite musicians are on stage?' set by Lucy Dan (editor of TBIAN)

The Girl on Stage

Nerd Church - National Mourning Is Not The Same As Private Mourning

A reporter approaches someone laying flowers outside Buckingham Palace...

"...I'm just devastated!" they howl. There are genuine tears on this random person's face.

The reporter says something about the whole country feeling the loss deeply, being in mourning, grieving, everyone's lives being touched by the late Queen - really laying it on thick - and... nah.

Just, no.

The Queen died.

That's not a happy thing. And my thoughts are with her family and those who knew and loved her.

They lost someone they loved, so yeah, I feel for them.

But I am not mourning. Not personally, as an individual.

I saw her once, when I was a kid, and strangely pro-Royal (but then, I was like nine or ten, and she was an actual Queen,) - I was one of those kids they bus in to line the route and wave flags as she passes in her car, y'know?

Yes, they actually bus local kids in for that - I got selected and everything, check me out! Lol. 

And we got Welsh flags as well as British ones, because dragons rock.

Friday Fics Fix - This Fic Understands Mental Health Problems

Warning: this post discusses eating disorders, general mental health problems, and realted symptoms and themes

'Normally, when Mac had a problem, all it took was some spare parts and a Swiss Army knife...'

I thought, before reading this, that I wouldn't ever end up recommending it.

Honestly? I figured from the syopsis and tags on AO3 for this fic, that it would probably be trauma porn - which I've been known to indulge in when the need arises, but wouldn't y'know, recommend to anyone. 

Not least because trauma porn is often really poorly written, exploitative, and gratuitous.

I was wrong. This fic is freaking amazing.

And the fic author saying this was the first fic they started... wow!

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm All About Those Existential Crises

It's Thursday, the UK is on its fourth prime minister in six years (anyone for a fifth?), let's get us some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Month In Review(s) - August 2022

(Warning: this post briefly discusses mental health problems)

August was... OK, I guess.

And for me, this year, OK is freaking fantastic!

So, it was still too hot, but it was cooler than July which -

 - yes, please, thankyou, more of the lack of heat melting my brain, if at all possible, thanks!

I do not function in the heat. At all.

Frighteningly, we now have an official drought in much of Wales. 

If you don't know Wales and our verdant, fertile, valleys all that well, you might wonder why that's frightening.

Basically - you know the stereotypes that the rest of the world has about it always raining in London? Yeah? Well, I would consider London to be quite a dry place.

And we have drought.

(And now London possibly wants our water - but if I start getting into the long and exploitative history of water politics between Wales and England, we will be here all day.)

Climate change is real, and it is here.

Nerd Church - Constantly Consuming Content

 

'We've got mountains of content
Some better, some worse
If none of it's of interest to you, you'd be the first'

- Bo Burnham, Welcome to the Internet

There's a lot of content out there, a lot of media, a lot of art, a lot of whatever you wanna call it.

There's a lot of it.

My TBR is over 900 books, and I've given up ever taming it. 

My web bookmarks and favourites can only be described as chaotic. 

My Netflix, Disney+, Sky box, and YouTube are overflowing with things I want to watch, only to get distracted by something else on the home page and end up watching that instead.

There are so many excellent people whose work and art I wanna see on blogs, socials, whatever...

Friday Fics Fix - Bucky Isn't the Problem In This House

 

'“Huh,” Sam said. “You’re the ghost.”'

It seems like I'm drawn to gothicky SamBucky lately.

Not sure whether this is my fault or just the way things are... nah, let's be honest: it's my fault. I am trash. 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - So. Unnecessary.

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

Poetry: Who Is She?

 

This poem was first published in the Medium publication The Brain Is A Noodle (TBIAN), for the prompt 'is writing a source of income for you? or more a hobby? or both? How do you balance these roles?' set by Lucy Dan (editor of TBIAN)

Who Is She?

Image by Artie_Navarre from Pixabay 

Nerd Church - Writing A Full Blogpost In 32 Minutes

 

Turns out, I can write a whole-a** blogpost in 32 minutes.

...I know - I was surprised too!

OK, so I was kinda brain-foggy this week, and ended up writing both this week's Comics Wrap-Up (CWU) and Friday Fics Fix (F3) posts the day before they were due to go live on the blog.

One day, I will be a blogger that can schedule content well ahead of time, but that day is a long way off 😅

Friday Fics Fix - Adorkable Lokius Fluff

'“That’s incredibly dorky.”

“I learned from the best.”'

 

Let's get some Loki fluff - just because, really.

(There's also a fair edge of angst, because I have an emo goblin spaghetti brain.)

Comics Wrap-Up - The Biggest Target

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

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Thinking Way Too Much About Poetic POVs

 

I've been writing a lot of poetry lately -

(mainly over on Medium, but don't worry - it all gets cross-posted here on Dora Reads eventually, I promise!)

- And it led to me thinking (as I do,) about the Point of View (POV) in poetry.

See, the 'I' in poetry is called the 'speaker' - because that's the person who's speaking.

But the speaker is not always the same as the poet. 

Friday Fics Fix - Bucky-Barnes-Based and Weird

Warning: this post discusses mental health problems and symptoms, specifically those related to Depression

'Trouble starts before they even get out of the city. Bucky’s car is a disaster. It’s not as bad as his apartment, but still messy enough to be very embarrassing and not helping in convincing Sam his assumptions about him are wrong.'

Yes, it's Bucky-Barnes-based. Yes, it's a weird one.

I was honestly looking for something different this week, but sometimes, amongst all the fanfiction I consume on a weekly basis, it just ends up coming back - again - to Bucky Barnes.

...and I'm OK with that. 

I am trash. And you know this. 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - Good-Natured, While Also Being Hilarious

It's Thursday, it's still too hot, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness right here on Dora Reads!

Mini-Review Time! - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

 **This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.com; purchases made through these links will earn me a small amount of commission**

Title: Klara and the Sun

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Sci-Fi(-ish)

Buy now on Amazon.com 

Nerd Church - Some People Will Always Add A Sneer

 

I don't get people who seem to find fault with everything.

(No, I'm not gonna give examples - so if you're here for the tea or shade, you're not gonna get it. Sorry. 

But hey, stick around a bit if you like - you may begrudgingly enjoy yourself anyway. 

Or you can just find a YouTube drama video, I don't mind. 😅)

Don't get me wrong - it is vitally important that people are able to discuss the shortcomings of media and art, whether that's a book, a film, whatever.

...But some people seem to actively seek out those shortcomings. 

They seem to want them to be there. 

They want the book to be naive, the film to be disjointed, the song to be superficial - just so that they can tear into it.

(Some will, on the flipside, be annoyed when the book is too complex, the film too flowing, the song too deep, for their tastes - you can't please all of the people all of the time.)

Friday Fics Fix - Horror Movie MCU

 

'“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.”'

This fic's a fun one.

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

Plus I'm a sucker for a unique and/or quirky premise - we all know this.

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!

Month in Review(s) - July 2022

July wasn't as awful as June.

Which is a heckava low bar, but one that's worth having!

My energy levels still weren't at their tippity-toppest after having Covid, and then the heatwave came.

Dear Lord, the heatwave came.

I am one grumpy bear in the heat - like, I get so pi**ed off, at pretty much everyone and everything - and we had record-breaking temperatures here in the UK. Again.

It was relentless, and climate change is both real and horrendous. London was on fire. I don't mean that metaphorically.

Nerd Church - We're All Just Muddling Through

 This is a weird one... I regret nothing. I regret everything.

We're all just muddling through.

We don't know, do we, how things are supposed to go, how we're supposed to be, what we're supposed to be?

Do you think we're supposed to know?

It would be nice if someone did, I guess - if someone seemed to have a clue how to steer this whirling, swirling, careening force of nature that is humanity heading slow-quick to...

...wherever it is that we're heading.

I hope it's somewhere nice. But that would be something of a surprise, given our current circumstances.

Does anyone ever have a plan go to plan?

I'm not sure I ever have.

No matter how well-constructed, all my plans seem to burn to ashes, blow away on the wind, or whatever other metaphor you want to use.

Not that I'm complaining. - I'm not sure I have any grounds for complaining. I'm not sure I don't, either.

We're all just muddling through.

The entire freaking human race crawling through the future in uncertainty.

And it's ugly.

And it's beautiful.

And it's oh-so messy.

We're all hot messes. 

Each and every one of us. 

All so scared of other people seeing how messy we truly are. It would be funny, if it weren't so sad-sweet-sad.

We're all just muddling through.

Doing our best to put one foot in front of the other.

And hopefully that'll be enough.

...If anyone ever figures out what 'enough' is meant to be.

I'm blaming this one on the universe 😅

Whatcha think?

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 Nerd Church Posts:

• Nerd Church - Some Reminders To Myself (And Maybe You, Too)

• Nerd Church - The Devil Wears Double-Standards

Sharing and commenting is always appreciated! (Especially when I'm not sure what I just wrote.)

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Friday Fics Fix - Like A Whole Season Arc of Supergirl

 

'“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-”'

Good Supergirl fics are like buses (which ironically do feature in this fic) - you wait what feels like forever for one to come along, and then two come along at once!

OK, you might remember a couple of weeks ago I recommended a Supergirl fic.

...And I'm here to do it again.

...From the same fic author.

They deserve it, OK?! 😅 They're good fics!

Comics Wrap-Up - If It's Got The Rock, It's Cool

It's Thursday, it's apparently August, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Some Reminders To Myself (And Maybe You, Too)

 

It's been a rough week, mental-health-wise.

So I figured I needed to remind myself of a few things - and hopefully some of them will be helpful reminders to you, too.

Disclaimer time: I am not any kind of mental health, medical, or psychological professional. I'm a chick with a blog.

Friday Fics Fix - This Is An Angst-Fest

 

'Tony Stark had, until now, been having a good day.'

 

 

I'm not gonna lie: this is an angst-fest.

This is pure, premium, 'should we be worried about fic authors?' angst.

...Which is why I love it, ofc. 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - What More Could Anyone Ask For, Really?

 

It's Thursday, it's been a tough week, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!