Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: You Don't Have To Publish Everything

 

Warning: brief discussions of Anxiety/mental health issues

This is a reminder to any of you fellow writers/bloggers/whoever-s out there who need it:

 

You don't have to post everything.

You don't have to publish everything.

Friday Fics Fix - Because I Said So

 

'Daniel tips his head back with a sigh. “Okay, so you stole something. What.”

There’s a pause, and then. “I believe it might have been… jewels of some kind.”'

 

Every now and then I like to rec a fic from a show called Stargate: SG-1.

This is a sci-fi TV show that ran from '97 to '07, and which still has fanfic authors writing new material, because fandom love never dies 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - You Can't Tell Me You Didn't Know, Marvel

 

It's Thursday, the world remains a dumpster fire, this is Dora Reads, so lets get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Prioritise Small Steps

 

...brought to you by me, once again, giving myself a pep-talk and posting it on the internet 😅💪

Listen, the world is rough and tough and kind of awful sometimes. 

It feels like everything is crashing and burning and we live in a frankly batpoop timeline.

Friday Fics Fix - Almost Like Adults, But With More Insults

 

'“I'm sorry I made you feel like a burden,” Allison admitted.

 

“Wow, two apologies in one day! You're definitely breaking a Hargreeves record.”'

 

We are talking The Umbrella Academy (TUA)!

Because the series has now finished - for better or worse (...a lot of people think the ending falls into the 'worse' category, but moving on...)

And that, of course, means that I need to read a whole bunch of TUA fanfiction to fill the umbrella-shaped (...Klaus-shaped) void. (But not the Void, lol.)

Comics Wrap-Up - Just Watch Us Run Bois

 

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

Month In Review(s) - August 2024

 

August reached my bar for a good month 

- which is admittedly so low it's practically touching the floor, but I'ma take it as a win 😅

Unfortunately, August was also pretty damned bad in terms of hay fever

- like, I've had hay fever a lot (more in recent years, because climate change,) but I've rarely felt this unwell with it.

So, yeah, that sucked. 

Wales got it's first woman First Minister with Eluned Morgan.

...Which would be a lot more celebration-worthy if her predecessor, Vaughan Gething, Europe's first Black leader of a nation, hadn't been forced out after deeply unfair (imho) and personal attacks, which crossed the line into racism more than once.

So, mixed bag.

Eluned Morgan, btw, fully supported Gething until the end of his short tenure - so the blame shouldn't be placed at her door for this.

In other parts of the UK (England and Northern Ireland,) there were racist riots.

...So not a good look for the UK in general in August, racism-wise. *Sighs*

People suck sometimes.

My regular series (Comics Wrap-Up, Friday Fics Fix, and Nerd Church,) went on break in August, and I didn't post much all-in-all.

- I try to do that every so often so that posts don't start feeling like too much of a chore. 😅

All three are back in action now, though. So September's post-list will be a lot longer than this one.

'Other' Posts

Month(s) in Review(s) - June + July 2024

Poetry: An Echo

So that was my August - how was yours?

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

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Nerd Church - Celebrity Birthday Buddies!

 

It's my birthday today (15th Sep) so I figured I'd have a little fun.

(...of the nerdy sort, because that's on-brand, let's be honest.)

So, y'know that thing where people talk about their ideal celebrity dinner guests, either living or dead, fictional or real?

This isn't that.

But it is somewhat adjacent to that.

I thought that instead I'd talk about my celebrity birthday party list - with the twist that they also have to have their birthday on September 15th. Just because it's an awesome date, let's be honest.

So, here's my celebrity birthday buddies:

Friday Fics Fix - What's A Desperate Mage To Do?

 

'The first look at his demon had his mind reeling, and he swore softly.

"What in Hel?!"

Anthony Stark gave him a smug grin and a chuckle.'

You know in this house (...blog, shh,) we like creativity, yeh?

We also like FrostIron (Tony Stark and Loki in a romantic and/or sexual relationship.)

So... hopefully you can see where this is going 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - The Recent Reputation

 

It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, so let's get us some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Short Story: The Lady Klara, The Prince Matteo

This is a fantasy short story that first appeared in the 'Promptly Written' publication on Medium, in response to the following prompt by Ravyne Hawke:

Conceptual theme — Villain
Twosome — Dreadful and Deadly

I'm actually quite proud of this one, so I hope you like it! 😅

Warning: general violence (mostly of the stabby kind,) blood, injury, murder, implied war, loss of autonomy

The Lady Klara, The Prince Matteo

Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay

Friday Fics Fix - Some Lovely Steve and Bucky Goodness

'And here Bucky was, living his whole life slightly out of step and just now realising it, because no one had ever told him so.

Slightly out of step.

Different.'

 

Sometimes, you find fics which were written just for you, ya know?

My dearest nerdlets, a fic with Bucky Barnes (from the MCU/Marvel movies etc.) as a sad Queer boi with synaesthesia and migraines? This thing was written for me - no question.

Comics Wrap-Up - Written Into A Corner

It's Thursday, this is Dora Reads, so let's get us some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Micropoetry From A Whole Bunch Of Months

...Specifically: October 2023 + December 2023 + April 2024 + August 2024

Yes, I know this is a weird combination of months.

Honestly? I kept forgetting to make the graphics, and it just ended up this way 😅

Those with screen readers - the poetry is in the alt-text of the graphics, with forward slash marks for line breaks

Poetry: An Echo

Originally published in the Medium publication 'The Brain Is A Noodle' for the prompt '#WritingPrompt #ShansPoetryPrompt: polaroid moments, write a poem about a moment you wish you’d captured' set by the lovely Lucy Dan



Warning: grief

An Echo

‘Looking for pieces of broken hourglass

Trying to get it all back, put it back together

As if the time had never passed’

 — Fall Out Boy, Bishops Knife Trick

Image by Jürgen from Pixabay

Month(s) In Review(s) - June + July 2024

 

Warning: discussions of Depression and pet loss

...OK, doing this as a two-monthly thing is becoming an unintentional habit 😅

The only excuse that I have is that sometimes Depression messes my memory up - and the fact that I entirely (and I mean, entirely,) forgot to write a post for June coincides with some pretty sh**ty mental health days over the past two months.

So, yeah. I'm blaming Depression. And I don't feel bad about that, because it blames me for stuff all the time 😅

Nerd Church - You Pick Up Little Pieces of Yourself

You pick up little pieces of yourself, scattered through the world.




Pieces that belong to others too

 — point, say, ‘look, it’s both of us;’ a modern manifestation of Emily Dickinson’s Nobody.

Friday Fics Fix - Spider-Man and the Winter Soldier (...And Some Nuance)

 

'However, Peter has been called a lot of awful names in the last week for jumping to conclusions – how was he supposed to know that that one mugging was actually Shakespeare in the Park?'

 

This is a quirky and sweet Spider-Man meets Winter Soldier fic.

(MCU - Marvel movies etc., in case you somehow didn't get the clue from 'Spider-Man.')

At first I did wonder whether I'd even enjoy it, but it definitely grew on me.

Comics Wrap-Up - That Terrifying Monster Thingy

 

It's Thursday, the world continues to be a very weird and wacky place, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Write Through

 

Warning: this post discusses Depression

I have not had a good week, mental-health-wise.

I had some very bad Depression days, and was generally not very good, mentally.

The thing is that when my mental health is poor, I really struggle to write. 

Anything. Like, coherent sentences are a problem.

Let alone the *Writing* I really need (I explained the difference between writing and *Writing* here, if you're interested.)

Friday Fics Fix - Out There In The Big Wide World

 

'“Loki.”

His mouth quirks in a smile. Ah, yes. That was his name once. Long ago. Or maybe not yet. He can’t remember which description is most appropriate anymore.'

There are a lot of continuation fics based on the Loki Disney+ series, out there in the big wide world.

I must have read a good number all by my lonesome by now - I know I've rec'd some on more than one occasion.

Comics Wrap-Up - Heavy on the Explosions

 

It's Thursday, it has once again been an effing week, so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Sometimes You Need To Take Things Slow

 

Do you get the feeling, sometimes, that everything out there in the big wide world is kind of... rushed?

It's kind of fast, kind of hurried, kind of urgent.

Friday Fics Fix - I Make No Excuses

 

'Daniel wasn’t moving. Or making noise of any kind. And if Daniel wasn’t harassing anyone with questions, that was just a bad sign.'

A bit of a different one for you this time - Stargate: SG-1.

This was a sci-fi action/adventure series that ran from '97 to '07. 

I was too young to watch it from the beginning - I'm a millennial, but I'm on the younger side of that - so I mostly caught up with it on re-runs in my teens.

Comics Wrap-Up - You Can't Just Do These Things

 

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

Nerd Church - Short Story: Unwitnessed

Originally published in Promptly Written on Medium, for this prompt by Ravyne Hawke:

Write a ‘moody’ piece around any of the following:

— a fresh perspective
— a lingering thought
— a lost moment in time

Warning: implied violence

Unwitnessed

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Comics Wrap-Up - Much the Excited

 

It's Thursday, I'm not having a great week, so all the more reason to get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: When Is A Writer Not A Writer?

...Handmade vs AI mass production.

Have you ever, when out shopping, come across an item — a necklace or a piece of pottery, perhaps — and noticed that it’s marked ‘handmade’…

…and it’s so intricate, so beautiful, that you just think -

Wow.

Friday Fics Fix - Loki In Slo-Mo With Zero Warning

 

'"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're a bad liar, Mobius."

"Well, we can't all be Loki, now can we. So do you wanna hear my grand plan or not?"'

We're talking the Disney+ Loki series today dearest nerdlets because IT ENDED LIKE THAT.

...And since I'm clearly not the only fan out there in fandom who has FEELINGS about IT ENDING LIKE THAT, there's a lot of fanfiction.

And long may that state of affairs continue, because Lord knows I need more Loki in my life!

Comics Wrap-Up - That Infamy

 

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

Nerd Church - I'm So Tired Of The General Election

 

I'm so tired of the election.

...That's the UK election, by the way. 

Which is happening on July 4th, the date of which apparently led to several people from the Conservative party using insider knowledge to place bets. Classy. (Allegedly.)

Friday Fics Fix - Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky

 

'In the mirror, Cass’s eyes go wide in horror. “If either one of you says that to anybody I know, I’m gonna have to run away and change my name and join the circus. Is that what you want?”

Bucky pretends to think about it. “Would you at least be able to get us free tickets?”'

 

I enjoyed this one way, way, more than I thought I would.

So, this sees Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) and other Marvel stuff several years after TFATWS ends.

- Enough years, in fact, for Sam's nephew Cass to be going to his high school prom.

And of course Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky volunteered to chaperone - because sometimes Captain America chaperones your high school prom, y'know?

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm All About The Nerd Humour

 

It's Thursday, me and a squirrel made each other jump yesterday, let's get these comics-y superhero-y things, m'k?

Nerd Church - Migraine Trips

 

You wake up and go downstairs, pausing mid-way down.

The lines of each individual stair seem to waver for a moment.

The stairs themselves seem vaguely Burtonesque - all slanted lines and moving pieces.

Your head hurts and you close your eyes.

Friday Fics Fix - Arrowverse Sweetness

Warning: very brief reference to Anxiety, and a (thankfully unrelated) brief reference to drugging people

'“You can’t stay, the guards’ rounds are random at night and…”

They would have a heart attack if they saw Flash and Supergirl eating cookies in his cell.'

 

This was sweet and I needed it.

Sometimes, you need the sweetness in fanfic. And this wasn't so fluffy that I get a weird social Anxiety backlash (it's fun to be me sometimes.)

It was just really nice, y'know?

Comics Wrap-Up - I'm Not Complaining

 

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

Month(s) In Review(s) - April + May 2024

Warning: pet death, grief

Did I intend to make this a 2-month wrap-up?

No. No I did not.

Did it become abundantly clear that I wasn't gonna get April's post done by the end of May?

Yes. Yes it did.

April was awful.

Really.

You know how my criteria for a good month is one where no-one I care about - human or animal - dies, almost dies, or gets a life-changing diagnosis?

April was not a good month.

My beautiful cat died, dearest nerdlets.

And the world feels off without him. There's a hole in my chest.

So most of the rest of April + May has been trying to get used to life without him.

...It still hurts like hell.

That boy was my everything, and I have cried every single day since I lost him.

But I kept going, despite the urge to stay in bed and wail. 

(Turns out I'm frighteningly good at wailing - with frighteningly being the key word. I... did not know I could make that kind of noise. I freaked my parents the hell out.)

So, y'know, if you've got the chance to check out the posts I somehow managed to write despite the separation of my soul from my body, that'd be great... 😅

Comics Wrap-Up

Was Not Expecting That! - Wenglish in Marvel's Echo and more

Iconic and Irreplaceable - Joker: Folie a Deux and more

I Can Already Tell - X-men '97 and more

My Fangirling Heart Is Singing Right Now! - Deadpool & Wolverine and more

You Learn Stuff, I Guess - Chibird and more

The Freaking Chaos - Marvel's What If...? and more

Actually Quite Lovely - X-Men '97 and more

Gracing The Waves of the Interwebs - Deadpool & Wolverine and more

Wholesome and Positive - The Cursed Princess Club and more

Friday Fics Fix

The Nature of the Void - A The Umbrella Academy (TUA) fic exploring the nature of death, grief, and the Void

Most of You Aren't Gonna Read This - A The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) horror novella that is extremely well-written. I loved it. I hated it. It's so good.

Because I Am Trash - A TFATWS fic where Sam and Bucky are stuck in an industrial freezer. I stand by my life choices.

Cyberpunk Stucky - In a nutshell: Stucky (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes from the MCU in a relationship,) as detectives in space. But it's so much more than that. I would legit. buy this as an original novel - it's that good.

Vampires and a Smidge of FrostIron - Everything's better with vampires, right? Plus a little bit of Tony Stark/Loki love.

Klaus' Ghosts In A Specific Trope - I like the fandom-specific trope of Klaus literally showing his demons to people who deny or minimise them - the emo goblin spaghetti brain very much likes, OK?

Bucky's A Literal Demon and Sam's A Literal Angel - TFATWS

So. Freaking. Beautiful - A TUA Klaus/Dave fic with Klaus noticing that, in some lights, Dave's eyes are the exact same shade of blue as his powers, the ghosts, etc. etc. Which leads to a whole lot of introspection from both of them and... it's beautiful.

Nerd Church

Can Books 'Talk' To Us? - Do you think books can send us messages?

It's OK (Just Keep Going) - Brought to you by the art of giving myself a pep talk and then posting it on the internet 😅

My Heart Is Broken... - My beautiful boy is gone. 💔

Random Audiobook Ramblings - Walking is boring and books are awesome

Unpopular Opinion: I've Never Liked Gavin and Stacey - Sorry, not sorry. It feels uncomfortable - like Wales through an English lens.

What Does 'Enough' Even Mean? - Has anyone ever reached ‘enough’?

Things Happen When They Happen - I'm trying to remind myself that, so long as I'm working on things, they'll be ready when they're ready.

I Quit Google AdSense - Because this is way too many hoops to jump through for £7

Other Non-Review Posts

Month In Review(s) - March 2024

So, that's April and May for yours truly.

How was yours?

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

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Nerd Church - Short Story: Gravel-Crunch

This is another Anna Sinclair short story - if you don't know what that is, then you may or may not want to read the previous stories first.

If you do, here they are:

• New Money

• Living the Dream

If you don't - the briefest of re-caps:

Anna Sinclair rocks, she swears a lot, and she's got some kind of feud going with some rich boys called Miles and Tony Addison, relating to some money. At least some of said money is currently down Anna's bra.

Now you pretty much know everything I do about her 😅

Warning: alcohol

Gravel-Crunch

A short story about one Anna Sinclair.

Image by André Rau from Pixabay

Friday Fics Fix - Consulting With The Little Girl On The Bike

'But, anyway, the point is….The vibes were off. Of this, Klaus was certain.'

 

Yes, this is The Umbrella Academy (TUA) again. 

Because I'm complete trash and refuse to feel guilty about that 😅

Comics Wrap-Up - The Essence of Venom

 

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

Nerd Church - Whatever Else Happens, Trump Is Guilty

 

Whatever else happens, Trump is guilty.

Finally there are criminal, legal, marks next to his name which can be - have been - proved.

Friday Fics Fix - So. Freaking. Beautiful

 

'Sometimes, Klaus can’t look at Dave.'

OK, now that the trailer's out for the very lastest series of The Umbrella Academy (TUA) - for which I am both excited but also sad, because, lastest - this week's F3 seems super relevant.

...Happy coincidences, and all that jazz.

(Or maybe I need to read fanfiction from a wider range of fandoms - rec 'em in the comments if you got 'em!)

Comics Wrap-Up - Wholesome and Positive

 

It's Thursday, I miss having a boy cat around (no shade to my girl cat - she rocks,) let's get some superhero-y comics-y goodness!

Nerd Church - I Quit Google AdSense

I’ve been using Google AdSense here on Dora Reads for quite some time — at least two years, but honestly, I lose track.

It’s probably more like 5 or 6 years at this point. (I am nothing if not persistent.)

In that time, I earned about £7  — which I couldn’t get to, because the minimum payout threshold is £60.

Friday Fics Fix - Bucky's A Literal Demon and Sam's A Literal Angel

 

'The first time Bucky laid his beady yellow snake eyes on Sam, however, he knew none of the other demons’ vices held a candle to his own.

He fell in love with an angel, after all.'

 

I don't know whether I liked this week's fic.

...I mean, it's good. I just don't know whether or not I liked it.

Happens sometimes *shrugs*

Comics Wrap-Up - Gracing the Waves of the Interwebs

 

It's Thursday, I am totally not writing this last minute (shifty glances,) so let's get some comics-y superhero-y goodness!

Nerd Church - Things Happen When They Happen

 

I'm trying to remind myself that, so long as I'm working on things, they'll be ready when they're ready.

I'm an impatient person by nature - I want things done yesterday or earlier, thanks very much - but that's not the way to get sh** done in the long term.