Sometimes you just need to take things a step at a time.
Sometimes it's just about putting that one metaphorical foot in front of the other - not doing too much, not trying too hard.
Just. Keeping. Steady.
Because in a universe that tends towards entropy, stasis is progress.
Entropy, just to letcha know, is a scientific concept/rule...
Since F3 is going on its regular break in December, I thought that now was a great time to give you my stand-out fics of the year!
- That's not the same as the best fics of the year.
It's more... the ones I can still remember when stressed and tired at the end of November 😅 (Expect a lot from the last few months, ngl.)
Remember to please check out the orginal rec'ing posts for Content Warnings and SPOILER status.
I'll leave the link to those original rec. posts when I finish up talking about each fic.
It's Thursday, I am existentially tired, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Originally published in the Medium publication Promptly Written, for the quote-prompt '“Some people live just looking for someone to die for.”― Dominic Riccitello' set by Ravyne Hawke.
'O.B’s fingers freeze. He’s quiet for a moment, before moving to turn off his device. He turns to face Mobius.'
The end of series 2 of Loki was stunningly beautiful - and so is some of the fanfiction that's been inspired by it.
Yes, no sooner was the streaming streamed than the fandom picked up pen and pixel and set out to process, explore, enjoy, revel in, congratulate, commiserate, and everything in between.
Living art, right there.
It's Thursday, I am so tired and stressed, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Warning: this post discusses war, death, and atrocities
Some people in the media and politics somehow think that's it's disrespectful to protest for peace on this particular weekend. This post is my response to them.
I love novel-length fanfiction.
I am forever in awe of the dedication you have to show to something to write a full novel-length fanfic (especially if you're not planning on changing the names and selling it as an original novel like E. L. James 😅)
I gave a list (which you can see here,) about a year ago, of 5 of my favourite novel-length fanfics - and I figured it's time for another one! (Because I read a truly horrifying amount of fanfiction, lol.)
Remember to please check out the orginal rec'ing posts for Content Warnings and SPOILER status.
Some of these fics deal with difficult topics, so def. check the CWs!
I'll leave the link to those original rec. posts when I finish up talking about each fic.
It's Thursday, I'm tired, let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!
Warning: brief references to Depression and Anxiety
A lot of the time, when I write, it's not so much a choice as an exorcism.
(Metaphorically, ofc 😅 )
Don't get me wrong - I love writing.
But sometimes it's the case that, if I don't do it, these words are gonna rattle around my head and drive me to distraction.
Not necessarily in a bad way. It's just... they gotta come out, y'know?
'Crowley was out doing... something -- Muriel did not know whether he was actually gluing coins to the ground or whether that was an obscure joke.'
I love Good Omens - which, in a nutshell, is a TV series on Amazon Prime where an Angel and a Demon get up to shenanigans to a soundtrack of Queen music.
...They're also possibly in full M/M love with each other. They have this whole will-they/won't-they/are-they-already-and-just-don't-know-it, thing going on. Canonically.
(Fandom notes:
Canon is the 'official' stuff that happens in the book/film/whatever)
It's Thursday, somehow we've reached November, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Yes, I've been at this, right here on Dora Reads -
(or it's previous name of 'Diary of a Reading Addict' aka DORA - and I do not miss typing the full thing out all the time 😅)
- for a full NINE FREAKING YEARS!
Originally published in the Medium publication Promptly Written, for the following prompt set by Ravyne Hawke:
'Tony froze and leaned back to study Bucky's face. He didn't seem to be exaggerating. Tony felt something dark and cold settle in his chest. He cradled Bucky's face with gentle hands, but his voice was hard as iron when he asked, "Honey, is there someone I need to take care of?"'
This week's fic is random af.
...I'd go as far as to say it's bordering on crack - don't get me wrong, it's not crack. But if you stand on your tippy-toes and look over the fence, you can probably see crack from here.
(Fandom notes:
Crack fics are the most random, surreal, and bizarre of fics. They are cracked (to give it the non-drug-related definition.)
Think terminally online meets Alice in Wonderland, or else the Sasquatch sequence in Tenacious D's The Pick of Destiny, and you're more-or-less there.)
It's Thursday, I am tired, this is Dora Reads - so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
I recently took up spinning my own yarn from wool - because apparently I wasn't doing enough weird old-timey crafts for my brain's liking.
So, yeah, in addition to my previous heritage (i.e. ye olde timey,) crafts - knitting, weaving, embroidery, and cross-stitch - I now also spin wool fibre into yarn.
...Honestly sometimes my brain just, entirely out-of-the-blue, is like, 'we should learn how to abseil while painting stained glass windows!'* and I'm just like, 'yeah, sure, why not?'
(I do some non-heritage crafts too. Because I am like this, apparently. 😅)
*Don't panic, it hasn't actually suggested doing that. Yet.
Anyhow, it got me to thinking - we don't know enough about how stuff gets made, about where stuff comes from.
We in the modern world - especially in the West and the global North - have become so far removed from the means and methods of production that we can't even fathom it any more.
(Can you tell I was raised by South Wales Valleys (i.e. Socialist,) working-class hippies? Yeah? Great. 😅)
Who doesn't love a ghost story?
...Don't answer that! 😅 I know they're not to everyone's taste.
But I love 'em - and there are some pretty awesome fanfic ghost stories out there (both spooky and not-so-spooky,) so I figured I'd remind you of a few of my faves
I was originally not planning on making this a specifically LGBTQ+ list, but this is fanfiction...
...so it turned out literally 100% of the fics I picked were LGBTQ+ in some capacity! Woo! Lol. 😅
As always with these rec-lists, check out the original rec'ing post for my full list of Content Warnings.
...Also check the rec posts for SPOILER status for the fics, m'k?
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, it's still looking very 2023 out there, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
September.
(Yes, I know we're halfway through October - I have a lot of metaphorical plates spinning, and sometimes I drop one 😅 )
Iesu Effing Grist, September.
Well, it wasn't the worst month of this year - by a long shot. But it, uh... it crammed a whole lot of stuff in there.
...I am very, very, tired.
Warning: this post discusses all kinds of general horror themes (as you probably guessed,) as well as briefly mentioning mental health problems
I love horror - films, books, whatever, I am there.
Perhaps that's a bit stereotypical, given I'm a Queer millennial smol emo child with mental health problems, but I figure being scared of fulfilling stereotypes just gives them more power over me - and stereotypes can shove it, tbh - so here we are! Lol.
'They were supposed to be roommates.'
So much the SamBucky! Lol.
OK, so as you can probably tell from that, this is a The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) SamBucky fic.
Because I remain TFATWS trash.
It's Thursday, the world is very 2023 out there, let's check out some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
|
| Path descending towards the Rhondda Valley by Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
'His captain just looked sad, like he'd failed Izzy in some way.'
OH MY GOD THIS FIC!!!!
krhguergjopwrgm';¬!
...sorry, had to fangirl over the page a bit there. This fic is so good.
Like - page-turning, stayed up an extra hour to read some more, good.
It's Thursday, somehow we have reached October, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'He had failed them.
He had failed all of them.'
I haven't rec'd The Umbrella Academy (TUA) in a while - which is strange but, *shrugs* sometimes that's just the way the fics fall, y'know?
Also there seems to be a very Five-centric trend in TUA fics atm (or at least the ones I've come across.)
Which I don't have any problem with (this week's fic is Five-centric,) but where is my Queer Queen Klaus?! (Lol.)
It's Thursday, the world is very 2023 out there, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Blogging takes a lot of time and work.
I don't wanna be one of those 'poor me, blogging is so difficult' bloggers, because at the end of the day, if I didn't love it, I could find plenty of other ways to spend my time.
But bloggers do a whole lot more than you might think.
'He’s engulfed in the shadow of midnight wings. In the dim lantern light, Izzy examines the damage.'
Yes, I'm rec'ing an Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fic for the second week in a row.
(You can check out last week's F3 here, if you want.)
It's just what the universe wanted, dearest nerdlets, what can I say? The blogger is beholden to the universe's whims 😅
So, this is the fic the universe gave me for this week.
I don't know why - presumably someone, somewhere, needs to read it. Which is weird, but we live in a weird world, and I was raised by hippies.
It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
'Izzy stared at the doily, trying to imagine where on the high seas they might have stolen that from. Izzy looked up to find Bonnet looking at him meaningfully, then down at the sandwiches. And back.'
First thing's first: it's my birthday today! (15th Sep)
Woo!
If you feel like doing so, you can buy me a birthday coffee here. But don't worry, I'll still love ya if you don't 😘
OK, back to our regularly scheduled fandom-ing:
Yes it's some Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) this week!
It's a well-written fic, and you know I have no choice: I must rec. These are the rules. *nods sagely*
It's Thursday, September is making me melt (ridiculous heatwave here in the UK,) so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
(Warning: this post discusses low self-esteem and self-hatred. It also briefly mentions self-harm.)
With series 2 of Loki creeping ever-closer (eep!), I thought I'd discuss something about series 1 that tends to get missed in the online talky-talks (aka 'The Discourse™.')
Before we go any further though - this post is gonna have SPOILERS for series 1 of Loki.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERRRRSSS!!!!!
"He says hi," says Marc. "And he really likes how this alliance is working so far -- new age of the world and all that, very exciting -- but, if you could just...respect the right of the moon to be real frickin' mysterious? Please?"
Before we get into this week's F3 - what do you all think of the new graphic?!
I've been meaning to update the graphic for Friday Fics Fix for a long time - I was still using the one I threw together on a whim around 2015/2016-ish.
I hope you like it!
OK, back to our regularly scheduled fandoming:
This is a Marvel's Moon Knight fic!
I love Moon Knight, and sadly there aren't that many good Moon Knight fics out there (disagree? Please rec!) - but this week's fic is awesome!
It's Thursday, it's September, this is Dora Reads, and CWU is back back back! So let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Warning: brief mentions of mental health problems
August.
...August actually wasn't that bad.
Which is freaking awesome as far as I'm concerned!
(In case you don't know: my 2023 has sucked.)
I mean, my mental health hasn't been brilliant - but so much better than in July - and I had a migraine which is really not fun.
But honestly given what this year has been like, and that my migraines are linked to changes in stress levels, it's really not surprising.
Yes, you read the post title correctly - this is the Micropoetry wrap-up for May and June.
Yes, you are correct - it is August.
Why am I so late with this?
A combination of 'haven't got around to it,' and 'just plain forgot.' (Sorry! 😅 )
The first one is written in my accent/dialect, because that's the way it was rattling around my head, so that's the way it got posted.
...It was the only way to stop it from going round and round in my head, OK?
I don't think it's that incomprehensible but then... it's also how I talk. So... *shrugs*
(And yes, I do say 'aye' to mean 'yes' sometimes in regular conversation. Many people here do. #NowYaKnow)
Here we are then, May and June's micropoetry:
As always, for those using screen-readers, the poetry will be in the alt-text of the graphics with / marks for line-spaces.
Warning: this post briefly discusses Depression
July. Ugh.
Well... let's look at the positives.
Once again, nobody in my life - either human or animal - died, almost died, or had a life-changing diagnosis.
Which is a low bar for a win, but that's the bar that I have - so it's a win.
Honestly, I have no idea. This is one of those posts that just kind of... happened. 😅
General Content Warning for... I don't know. The state of the world? You'll see.
It can feel like you're shouting at the clouds, with the world burning down all around you.
...Who made the world this way, do you know?
Because all we're doing is fighting within systems in systems in systems - and all it does is benefit those few at the top, who've always been well off.
The only division that should matter is between love and hate - and there is a right answer (hint: it's not hate.)
I don't understand how the world can be so beautiful and wonderful and yet...
And yet.
'The crew stared at him, and at Lucius behind him who was gesturing emphatically at the leather pants.'
This fic made me laugh - and I think we could all do with that, yeah?
(Well, it's what we're getting!)
It's Thursday, July is swiftly fading, let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Warning: As you probably figured out from the title, this post discusses Depression.
Disclaimer Time: I'm not any kind of medical, psychological, or mental health professional. These are my own experiences - nothing more, nothing less.
I love watching tennis.
Like I love it.
It's the one sport that I've followed regularly and consistently since I was a kid.
And for a British kid, there's nothing bigger in tennis than the Wimbledon Championships.
Warning: this post briefly discusses PTSD/mental health problems
'The storm begins while Sam is away. Which means that Bucky is left to fend for himself in their empty apartment...'
We all need some solid SamBucky emotional/mental-health-based Hurt/Comfort every now and then, right?
...I mean.
We all know it's true.
It's Thursday, life is hard sometimes, this is Dora Reads, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!
Warning: Vague discussions of mental health issues
Disclaimer Time: I am not any sort of psychological, medical, or healthcare professional. I am a chick with an internet connection: nothing more, nothing less.
Does anyone else find it hard to figure out what sort of self-care they need?
Because it's not all bubble baths and scented candles
- in fact I have to be careful with bubble baths in case my skin allergies freak out, and I don't like lighting candles anywhere near the cats because that's just an accident waiting to happen...
And apart from all that, the consumerist, one-size-fits-all, version of self-care does not, in fact, fit all.
'“I think I’m gonna faint now,” Stede says. He nods to himself. “Yes, I think that’s it for me for a while.”'
Are we all recovered from the shock of AO3 going down earlier in the week? Yes? Good.
I really wish there was more than one fanfiction site with AO3's usability, range, and download feature. But I suppose that would be greedy. 😘😅
(Fandom notes:
AO3 = Archive Of Our Own - the biggest and probably most widely used fanfiction site.)
So, with AO3 safely returned to its rightful place on the interwebs, I have some Our Flag Means Death (OFMD) fanfiction for ya!
(It's been like... 3 weeks since I last rec'd OFMD. #Restraint.)
