Friday, 23 September 2016

Friday Fics Fix - I'm On Fire

I love the way fanfiction can take an 'incidental' character, and run with it.

True, this is seen most extensively in the Harry Potter fandom - but other fandoms get in on the act too.

This week, my dearest nerdlets, I've picked a fic from the X-men fandom.








Now, X-men - over all media - has a giganormous (yes, it's totally a word dammit!) cast of characters, and yes, this series, more than many others, gives the supporting characters a chance to go 'hey look at me!'

But the movies have struggled, on and off, with the multi-narrative that decades of X-men comics have still only scratched the surface of.





Cee, this is soundin' kinda deep for Fics Fix!




Ah, yes, my nerdlets - but it's part of the wonderful paradox that is life, that the things that seem superficial are the things with the deepest of hidden depths! (Sorry, I'll try to sound less like a lecture from here-on out.)

Anyhow - let me explain a little more about this week's fic:

This week's fic, my dearest nerdlets, is about Pyro.










Who's Pyro? Well, he was actually in X2 and 3 (no, really.) He's the fire dude. Don't remember him? Still? Trust me, he's the fire dude.

And what I actually totally, completely, loved was the way the fic author here has taken the character... and added something so completely unexpected, but so insightful, and so perfect that it's hard not to be impressed.

(Oops, that was a bit lecture-y again!)












Because the Pyro in this story? People think he controls the fire. But the fire controls him.





This week's fic then, is:

Voices in the Fire by Hiril Moon


And yes, the spelling and grammar is a little so-so in places, but this is fanfiction guys!




Enjoy, and check back for more fanfiction goodies next week!





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Thursday, 22 September 2016

Comics Wrap-Up - Live Without Warning





TV Trailers



Marvel's Agents of Shield will be back soon! ...With Ghost Rider.

Yeah... I'm hoping this will work but... yeah... it's an interesting choice.








-0-




Also in the category of 'oh God, please don't have taken this a series too far' is the up-coming series of Arrow.

I love Arrow. Like, really love it - but we've already come to several natural endings to this series. So please forgive me for being a little wary of this latest continuation.












Single Issues



This week I wrote a mini-review of The Sun Dragon's Song #1 by Joyce Chng and Kim Miranda (UK - US.)






It's a beautiful book, and a great start to the series. The artwork is truly incredible.







Other Stuff


Annnnd this Toon Sandwich spoof of the Justice League trailer made me laugh.

There's a bunch of random violence - just to let you know.













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Wednesday, 21 September 2016

The Liebster Award

A little while back the lovely Tina @ As Told By Tina tagged me to do the Liebster award.

This is a tag-type-thingummy that bloggers do to share the bloggerly love :) It's basically all question-y and fun and all that jazz :)












RULES OF THE AWARD
  • Thank the nominator and link back to their blog
  • Answer 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
  • Nominate other bloggers that you think deserve the award
  • Write 11 questions for your nominees
  • Let them know you’ve nominated them





1. What is the last book you purchased? 



I don't know... I get people to buy them for me when possible! I don't have a heck of a lot of cash in all honesty.

Ooh! I know: I bought 4 classics on a cheap multi-buy deal the other day.

So that was two Virginia Woolf books, The Count of Monte Cristo, and a double-volume of Peter Pan & Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.





2. What was the last movie you saw?



Urm... it was probably Suicide Squad actually. I haven't seen many films in a while, actually. Not even on the TV - I've been watching series while reading and/or blogging, and/or working.

(I'm the queen of multitasking dammit!)





3. What inspired you to start blogging?


I can't remember exactly what made me finally go, 'I'll start a blog!' but I do know that I was looking for a way to promote reading - to everyone, everywhere.

Books were the thing that was getting me through some tough sh**. And I wanted to share that. I wanted some little space to write whatever the hell I felt like, and be me again.











4. Do you prefer hardbacks or paperbacks? 


They both rock; who can pick?





5. What was the last TV show you binge watched?



I don't really binge-watch *ducks for cover.* I like variety, so I tend to flit about quite a bit.

But maybe Friends? Because dude, it's always on Comedy Central. Always.

Ooh, and I tend to watch Judge Judy in batches of like 4-6 episodes at a time. Yes, I know reality TV is trash. But somehow it's good for me *shrugs* - sometimes you just need trash. And I love Judy.












6. What is your favourite outdoor activity? 



Shopping? That counts... right? ;)





7. If you could bring any book to the big screen what would it be and who would be in it?


I don't know, honestly. Pass!





8. What’s the best part of blogging? 


Ehrmagad you're killing me with these questions! There are so many awesome-sauce things about blogging...

I've met some amazing-as-all-hell people through blogging (yes, you lot! You rock!) and also got the chance to read so many books that I might not've considered before.

I've spoken to actual authors who I really love and adore, and I honestly can't believe that they'd even bother giving me the time of day.

And, of course, I have a place to talk about books whenever I want :)





9. Do you like to reread books? Why or why not?


I do! Some books I just don't have the chance to reread, and some books I wouldn't want to, but I like returning to an old favourite, or just a book I can't remember much about.

I love finding those bits and pieces of books that you forgot about - or the bits that didn't speak to you then, but speak to you now - or the stuff that you just point-blank didn't notice at all...

Books keep giving, and that's part of the magic.





10. What advice would you give your 15 year old self? 


Hmmm... this is going to be controversial. But I'd tell my 15-year-old self to:

"Get a part-time job immediately, and maybe even leave school at 16 to go full-time.

Don't bother applying to uni - sure, you get in. But your cr*ppy health will stop you from going and it'll make you feel completely useless.

Oh, and you won't be able to remember much from September to May/June of that year. Little heads-up.

Cling to your books and your TV series. Pretty much the only thing you'll remember from that time is the plot of every Haven episode.








It's important to chillax. Dude, the stuff I worried about then? Not the stuff that matters. No, not even grades. Grades don't actually mean sh** in the real world - get some experience. Do stuff - stuff you actually like doing.

Be yourself - I wasted so much time trying to hide who I was/am that it became second nature.

Start a book blog. Appreciate the little things. Write, draw, read, and write some more! Love everything with all your heart, and hang in there.

You, little lady, are one strong cookie! The next several years are going to be tough so hang in there. Remember that you have value. You are loved. You are worth love.

It's going to hurt - a lot - in a lot of places. But you're strong. Just keep swimming, and keep getting up.

Captain America is going to be your hero and your role model - use him; refuse to accept it when Marvel turn him into a Nazi. That makes no sense."









11. Where’s your favourite place to read?


Anywhere, any time!









I'm tagging:

Ely @ Tea & Titles
Emily @ The Paperback Princess
Imogen @ Wandered Souls


Here's my questions for you:
  1. Who is your blogging inspiration?
  2. What's the weirdest book you've ever read?
  3. What under-hyped book do you want to give a shout-out to?
  4. If you could claim an author's back-catalogue as your own (pushing aside practicalities and ethics,) who would it be?
  5. Did you have a plan when you started blogging, or did just make it up as you went along?
  6. Are you a city-dweller or a country soul?
  7. What's the last book you read that could be considered diverse?
  8. Without using names - who was the weirdest/worst teacher you had in school?
  9. What actor/actress would you marry tomorrow if they proposed?
  10. ...and what fictional character would you marry tomorrow if they proposed?
  11. What is the last dream (as in, the kind you have in your sleep,) you can remember having?



As always, no worries if you don't want to do it. Feel free to do it or not do it, or whatever! If you feel like doing and you haven't been tagged then have at it!






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Monday, 19 September 2016

Mini-Review! (Classics Edition!) - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie










Title: And Then There Were None

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Classics, Crime


Amazon: UK - USA





Verdict:

I read this for the Mystery-a-thon hosted by the lovely Ely @ Tea & Titles, which was last week. I decided to only read one book for it because it was my birthday on Thursday and BIRTHDAY BOOKS ;)

Firstly, to the big, galumphing, heffalump in the room (yes, I say heffalump not elephant. Blame either Disney or my mother - both are equally valid,) - I had some major moral/ethical dilemmas with this book.

Largely, this was because of the history of the book's title, and some anti-Semitism and disparaging comments about indigenous peoples (within POV of not-very-nice people.)

I've already talked extensively about my befuddled feelings on the subject, so I won't repeat myself here: let's just say I had some issues with this book that can't be easily dealt with.

So, putting said heffalump back in his corner, having been acknowledged: this book is exceptionally well written and sooooooo atmospheric!

I also liked that there were depths beneath the surface of each and every one of our ten main characters.

They aren't nice people. None of them are nice people. But, all the same, Christie tricks you into a certain level of uncomfortable investment in them.

And it's the interplay of characters, the sense of things unsaid, and the atmosphere of the prose, that will keep you reading.

The writing is truly masterful, and I can only thank the BBC adaptation for inspiring me to read it, despite my muddled feelings on some of the distasteful aspects.















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Sunday, 18 September 2016

Nerd Church - Mae Hi'n Bwrw Eira

Dear trolls, bigots, and assorted jerks,

Hi! I'm Cee. I'm an SJW special snowflake. And I'm proud.










Yes, I'm an SJW.

To me, that's a badge of honour. I'm a Social Justice Warrior. This means I stand against injustice. And I'm proud of that. I refuse to take it as an insult - it's a sign of courage in the world we find ourselves in my friends.





Yes, I'm a special snowflake.

There's nothing wrong with snowflakes - they're beautiful and unique, hadn't you heard? Plus, they're pretty too. #TrueStory










No, I don't look for things to be offended by. But I don't like jerks.

I will support diversity whenever and wherever possible.

When you attack people for their sexuality, their ethnicity, their religion, and whatever else you feel like pulling out of the woodwork, you are acting like a jerk.





Please refrain from doing this. Apparently no-one ever taught you, but it's actually not a very nice thing to do.

I'm sorry you're so angry at the world, and hurt inside. Making others hurt won't solve that. It will just make things worse.





So damn right! I'm a snowflake cariadau - I'm a warrior too. I get to be many cool things, it's not my fault if you're jealous of my awesome snowflake-warrior shine ;)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be over here making the world a better place ;)





(Killjoys, make some noise!)





Oh, and to my dearest nerdlets: don't be afraid to block, report, etc. those nasty trolls.

Seriously, you have to put yourself first; if there is a literal Nazi threatening sexual violence with a bicycle pump (yes, that happened. To me. Today - which is your yesterday,) then I think you're totally within your rights to block and report the b*****d. #JustSaying

Look after yourselves guys!









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Saturday, 17 September 2016

Mini-Review! (Comics Edition!) - The Sun Dragon's Song #1










Title: The Sun Dragon's Song #1

Author: Joyce Chng, Kim Miranda

Genre: Kids, Fantasy

Series: The Sun Dragon's Song

Release Date: 21 September 2016

Amazon: UK - USA





Verdict:

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publishers, Rosarium Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I know I normally write full reviews instead of mini-reviews when I have an ARC, but this is only a single comic issue, so I figured a mini-review would give me enough time to talk about it. :)

This is the first issue in 'The Sun Dragon's Song' series - and it's a promising start.

First off: the artwork. THE ARTWORK. SERIOUSLY, THE ARTWORK.

It's stunningly beautiful. I would frame any page from this book and put it on my wall. Wow. Just... WOW.

I also liked the slow pace to this first issue, it's very gentle, but not at all boring - which I really like.

Pretty much the only criticism I can make of this book is that some of the dialogue felt a little overly-exposition-based, and perhaps a little forced...?

But overall, that really wasn't a big problem. And I'm being a little nit-picky now, I know; but that was really the only thing that I could criticise.

I just hope the rest of the series is this beautiful! Seriously, it's hard to exaggerate just how stunning this comic was visually.

(And dragons! I mean... dragons!!!!!)

Hopefully our little hero will get closer to his dream of being a Sun Dragon Rider, and prove the a**-holes who make fun of his disability wrong! (Yes, I'm invested in this... very much so!)














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Friday, 16 September 2016

Friday Fics Fix - Bookish Fix

Hello dearest nerdlets!

A quick post this week because I've been uber-busy and am currently full of birthday cake (nom!)








So, you'll have to make do with a much shorter version of my usual irritating insanity pithy commentary I'm afraid. Poor you ;)





(Yeah... I don't know either...)




With some adult humour and swearing, this week we have the clever, bookish, and unusual situation of an AU (Alternate Universe) where the Avengers are librarians, and Tony Stark fancies the pants off of Bruce Banner (quite literally.)

(I'm allowed to revert to the Marvel fandom - it's my birthday... Well, by the time you're reading this, yesterday will have been my birthday, but it counts dammit!)

I also like the way this fic touched on mental illness and PTSD without either romanticising or demonising - nice & refreshing :)








So, this week's fic is:

Judging By The Cover by heyjupiter




Enjoy the bookish rom-com-ness, and I'll see you next week for more fandom randomness!






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