Comics Wrap-Up - Yellow. Costume.

 

It's Thursday, I am tired, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness, right here on Dora Reads.

Nerd Church - Short Story: New Money

This was first published by me in the Medium publication Promptly Written.

This is the first story I wrote which featured a character called Anna Sinclair - to date, I've written three stories about her, and given her her own Medium list titled 'Snapshots of Anna Sinclair.' (She won't leave me alone, so I've given in and accepted it.)

Content Warning: one potential drug reference. (Yes, I said ‘potential’ — it’s a little ambiguous, even to me 😅)

New Money

Image by André Santana AndreMS from Pixabay

Friday Fics Fix - Five Hargreeves Is Ruminating, OK?

 

'Viktor’s book was informative. But there are still things Five now understands himself not knowing.'

I haven't rec'd a The Umbrella Academy (TUA) fic in a while.

But I've still been reading some, obviously.

So, yeah, this week's offering for your humble perusal (lol) is a TUA fic.

Comics Wrap-Up - The World Needs Samuel L Jackson Trying To Figure Out If Something's Cake

 

It's Thursday, we're apparently in July already, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Month In Review(s) - June 2023

June was too damned hot.

I hate the heat - I'm not built for it.

Ugh. It sucks.

Also, the mountain fires are apparently releasing heavy metals, like lead, from the vegetation, due to Wales' past status as lightly smouldering industrial wasteland.

It's potentially getting into the water supply. Fun times.

...On the plus side, maybe the English won't want our water now. (No, I'm not explaining that one - Google 'Wales water exports,' and once you've done that, Google 'Tryweryn'.)

Nerd Church - Internet Pitchforks: The Cases of Elisa Lam and Nicola Bulley

 

Warning: this post discusses sensitive topics, including but not limited to - missing people, unexplained death, accidental death and drowning, murder, internet harrassment, mental health problems

Links may also contain distressing content.

Disclaimer time: I am not any sort of scientific, legal, sociological, or psychological expert. I'm a chick with an internet connection.

Friday Fics Fix - Clint Barton Has No Coffee

 

'The coffee is gone.

"No," Clint whispers, staring at the counter where he left it. "What the... is it... coffee burglar?"'

I would like the record (there's a record, right? Sure, let's say there's a record,) to show that I'm not actually a big fan of time-loop tropes.

...Which you wouldn't think, given how often I rec. them, but there we are!

(All of which is to say that this week's fic is a time-loop fic.)

Comics Wrap-Up - In The Current World

 

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

Poetry: Answers

This poem was originally published by me in the Medium publication The Brain Is A Noodle, for the writing prompt 'unreliable narrator'

Answers

'Everything I've done
I've done for you
I move the stars for no-one'

- David Bowie, Within You (Labyrinth Soundtrack)

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

Friday Fics Fix - He's A Pirate, Why Is This Happening?

'“No, I draw other things, too,” Lucius hissed. He snatched the book back from Ed and flipped through the pages before turning it back around. “Here’s you and Captain Stede, see?”

“Ah well, thanks for leaving my clothes on, mate,” Ed said absentmindedly, staring down at the sketch.'

We all know I'm Gay pirate trash, right? OK, glad we could all agree.

So... this is Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) - because I am Gay pirate trash.

And, deep down, aren't we all a little bit Gay pirate trash? 💃😅

(You don't have to answer that - I'm tired and it's hot as hell here, I'm possibly making zero sense, but I will push on regardless! See? Dedication, right there. 😅 I have no idea what I'm saying any more, so this is gonna be fun!)

Comics Wrap-Up - It Needed Some Serious Art Done To It

 

It's Thursday, it's too damn hot here, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Friday Fics Fix - Magic Moments With Sam and Bucky: A Rec List

When you read as much fanfiction as I do, you start to notice things.

Things like... there are a lot of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) fics which have weird magical aspects.

Or at least... there are a lot of them amongst the ones that I read 😅

So I figured I'd spoil you all and give ya a nice little rec-list of TFATWS magic-related fics.

...They're all either SamBucky, or a hair's-width from it, so, y'know. Bigots need not apply - our boys are Bi.

(...It's too hot here, I think my brain may have melted 😅 )

(Fandom notes:

SamBucky aka WinterFalcon etc. is a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.)

As always, please check the original rec'ing post, the fic tags, or both - preferrably both - for Content Warnings.

Comics Wrap-Up - I Love The Knight-Dude

It's Thursday, it's too damn hot here, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Month In Review(s) - May 2023

May was hard. May was very hard.

But that's actually an improvement as far as 2023 goes, for me.

No-one in my life - including both pets and humans - died, nearly died, or had a life-changing diagnosis, so it's all good.

And, unlike last year, I did not catch Covid, so we're calling it a win.

(I need the win, OK? I'm so tired.)

Friday Fics Fix - Argh, The Angst In This One!

 

'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.

Comics Wrap-Up - Especially Heartening

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

Friday Fics Fix - There Was Magic Involved and Something Went A Little Weird

'green and gold: in my defense, stark, i actually didn’t mean to

green and gold: there was no malicious intent in this'

 

I love this fic, it's so random.

It's written entirely in chat/text messages, and I literally laughed more than once.

I mean, Iron-dad and Spider-kid with some fluffy FrostIron tossed in for the hell of it?

Hell yes!

Comics Wrap-Up - Aesthetic Hang-Ups

It's Thursday, somehow it's June, let's get some of that awesome superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Is This A Book Blog, Though?

 

...aka she's back on that existential crisis train again.

Is Dora Reads a book blog?

I mean, yes. But...

Is it, though?

Certainly, I've been calling it a book blog for the past 8+ years, but that doesn't automatically make it one, does it?

I write very few posts which actually, actively, talk about books.

My last review was some time last year, (a mini-review of Klara and the Sun, which you can see here, if you're interested - gotta get that self-promo in!) and I rarely write book lists or discussions.

(For the record, I always intend to write more reviews, and even more lists and discussions, but life has this knack of getting in the way... 😅)

Comics Wrap-Up - What You Do With That Information Is Up To You

 

It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, so we should probably get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Is 1.5 Still Alive?

Warning: this post may have a negative affect on people who experience Climate Anxiety

As part of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the world made a commitment to stopping the rate at which the world was warming at 1.5C by the end of the Century.

...Which was always going to be a big ask, because, sadly: people.

People and capitalism and governments and big oil and all of that.

Comics Wrap-Up - Yes, The One With George Clooney

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

Nerd Church - Short Story: Crystal Clarity

 

This story was originally published in the Promptly Written publication on Medium by yours truly, in response to the prompt 'Either dream or reality' from editor Ravyne Hawke.

Crystal Clarity

Image by meineresterampe from Pixabay 

He stepped out onto the crystal deck. Unable — unwilling — to look through the refracted layers of light beneath his feet.

It seemed so fantastical. A miracle of modern craftsmanship and engineering, they called it. He hated it.

Layers of quartz and glass melded into one another to create this sturdy viewing platform, over the crater. It didn’t seem real. And yet… it was strong beneath him. Physical.

He wouldn’t look down, through the surface, the prism, the light. Instead he looked across at the crater itself, ragged, raw, a bleeding wound on the landscape.

They told him the platform was very beautiful — stark contrast, they said, with the catastrophe it looked out upon. But he kept his eyes resolutely ahead, away from the glimpses of sublime achievement beneath him.

Beauty had no place here — not like this. No matter how much the tourists clicked and clacked across the quartz and crystal, oohing and ahing, he would not look down.

He wondered how many of them had even taken a videogram or a panoramiograph of the real attraction — the reason the platform was even here: the ugly crater which once held so many hopes, dreams, lives. None of them seemed to care.

They’ll tell people they visited this place. Not quite the truth.

If you enjoyed this story, please consider buying me a coffee here.

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 Short Stories on Dora Reads:

• Nerd Church - Short Story: The Midday Sun

• Nerd Church - Short Story: A Broken Princess

Sharing and commenting is a welcome boost to my fragile writer's ego! 😅

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Month In Review(s) - April 2023

Have I mentioned that 2023 hates me?

Because 2023 hates me.

I'm having the worst year. And that's saying something.

Comics Wrap-Up - Giving Off Original Power Rangers Vibes All Around

 

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

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: I Just Wanna Write Something Beautiful

(Warning: this post briefly discusses Depression)

'Well I wanted something better man

I wished for something new
And I wanted something beautiful
And wish for something true'

- The Foo Fighters, Wheels 

Comics Wrap-Up - The Few Brain Cells Which Might Be Present Go Right Out The Window

 

It's Thursday, it's May, this is Dora Reads, and Comics Wrap-Up is back!

Nerd Church - Basic Levels of Niceness

(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?

Friday Fics Fix - I Want The Queer Pirates, So You're All Getting The Queer Pirates

 

'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.

Nerd Church - It's Bannau Brycheiniog, Deal With It

In the spirit of friendship with our English neighbours, before we start I would like to wish you all a Happy St. George's Day! (Which is today - 23rd April)

You wouldn't think that a Welsh location having a Welsh place name would be controversial, but here we are...

Wales is full of mountains.

Like, there's so many mountains that most of the time we don't even notice they're mountains, let alone know what they're called. Most of them contain the scars of human industry and/or habitation.

But there are a few mountain ranges - a few national parks, in fact - that aren't untouched by humans, or even untouched by industry, but have kept enough of their own character, and enough tether to the natural world, to be classified as 'wild.'

Like Y Bannau Brycheiniog.

Friday Fics Fix - Not Incompatible With A World In Which Buttons Exists

'...Lucius shrugs. “Yeah, well, you weren’t ever unclear on that being a likely scenario. Also, like, we’re pirates?”

Izzy opens his mouth, then snaps it shut. The logic, simple as it is, is flawless.'

This is an Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) crack fic -

- in so much as you can get a crack fic for this show, given that if the actual canon were written by a fan creator, it would most definitely be classed as a crack fic.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, OFMD is also known as The Gay Pirate Show - because it has gay pirates. 

...And Taika Waititi, y'know, in case you needed more incentive. 😅😉

Nerd Church - Short Story: The Midday Sun

 

I have a bunch of stories from Medium that I was thinking about posting here once a month-ish, because why not? (Possibly gonna regret asking that! 😅)

This story was originally published by yours truly in the Promptly Written publication on Medium, for the following prompt, set by Ravyne Hawke:

‘Write a ‘moody’ piece around the following:

— a monumental decision
— confusion
— a fork in the road’

The Midday Sun

Image by Ruben from Pixabay 

Friday Fics Fix - Sometimes Things Just Happen That Way

 

'So, for twelve years, all Klaus and Ben had was each other.'

I don't know what it is about this fic...

I can think of dozens of fics just like it, and yet... it stands out.

Sometimes things just happen that way, I guess.

Month In Review(s) - March 2023

 

March 2023 was like the rest of 2023 so far - it effing sucked.

This year is really going down as one of my least favourites atm, and I've got some bad years on record, y'know? *sighs*

Anyhow, a good neighbour - a neighbour who'd been my neighbour since I was a toddler - passed away suddenly.

They were always there, y'know? They came to my brother's wedding and everything.

So that, on top of everything else I've been dealing with this year, was pretty damned horrible.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: When the Words Won't Go Where They're Supposed To

 

You know when you're trying to write something specific, but things just won't quite click?

Like, the thing you're trying to say refuses to come together - you might get close, but you won't get there. You can't quite manage to get the concept across, to communicate what it is you're trying to communicate.

Like... you can feel the thing, lurking in a corner of your brain, trying to free itself. But it just can't quite make that leap.

...That's one of the most irritating feelings you can have when writing.

Or at least, that's what it feels like to me.

There's a special kind of frustration - as a writer - when the words WON'T GO WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO!

Friday Fics Fix - Random and Slightly Absurd

 

'“We need to go to the park. There’s a wizard there: it’s his fault.” It is hard to know if Ben intends this to be helpful.'

I'm pretty sure there's time loop fanfiction for every fandom.

And ironically, despite being not that into time loops (aside from Happy Death Day, of course,) I keep reading time loop fics (over and over and... 😅)

(If you want to check out some SamBucky in a time loop, check this post out here. You're welcome.)

Nerd Church - The Black Phone: The Film Adaptation of A Horror Masterpiece

 

The Black Phone is one of my favourite short stories of all time, from one of my favourite authors of all time, Joe Hill.

I've read the collection 20th Century Ghosts (where The Black Phone appears,) more times than it's truly a good thing to admit to - it's my comfort reading, don't judge me.

So I love this story. It's a masterpiece.

Not perfect, no - it mentions how fat the villain is at least six times too many, for a start - but a masterpiece, all the same.

And I'm fully prepared to admit that I'm entirely biased when it comes to this story. So be aware of that. 😅

Friday Fics Fix - That Particular Soft-But-Warped Tone

 

'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.)

Comics Wrap-Up - They Have Yet To Hire Me As A PR Gal

 

It's Thursday, I can't work out the clocks changing, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Poetry: Created

 

This poem was originally published by me in the Medium publication The Brain Is A Noodle, for the writing prompt 'writing as a breathing organism'

Created

‘There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.’ — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

 

Nerd Church - Short Story: A Broken Princess

This is a (very) short story, first published by yours truly in the Medium publication EwhyE after I found it languishing in an old notebook.

Content warning: refs. to violence/murder. 

Also whatever spell my mother put on me to stop me from swearing doesn't seem to work on fiction, so this is quite sweary - and without *'s for once!

Image by Ruth Archer from Pixabay 

Friday Fics Fix - It Just Keeps Getting Colder

'Sam is pretty sure he won’t be getting up again.

“It’s not that bad,” Bucky says, his lips pressed together.

“Bad enough,” Sam rasps.'

Who wants super-angsty SamBucky?

...well that's what you're getting dammit!

The emo spaghetti goblin brain wants what the emo spaghetti goblin brain wants 😅

(Fandom notes:

SamBucky is a romantic and/or sexual relationship, also known as WinterFalcon, between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from the MCU (Marvel movies and TV shows - especially The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS))

Comics Wrap-Up - A Goddamn Cliffhanger

 

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

Nerd Church - The Little Things Are There To Enjoy...

 

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.

Friday Fics Fix - In Typical Hargreeves Fashion

 

'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.

Comics Wrap-Up - Somehow, Again

 

It's Thursday, (somehow, again,) this is Dora Reads, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Month In Review(s) - February 2023

 

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.

Nerd Church - Sometimes, This Is OK

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. 😅 )

Friday Fics Fix - That Kind Of Angst

'Though he can barely recall most details from his childhood, and his entire 20s are a blur, Klaus’s memories of Vietnam are so vivid that he can still feel Dave’s rough fingertips on his skin when he closes his eyes...'

 

 

In my defence - 

which is always a great way to start a blogpost

- the level of angst in this fic is such that originally I wasn't going to rec it.

But then the fic that I was going to rec turned out to be unavailable, so I thought 'f**k it, they're getting the angst!'

Comics Wrap-Up - Not Expecting This Level of Wholesomeness

It's Thursday, I am juggling metaphorical plates (cos I'd drop the real ones,) so let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!