Swordtember 2023 Final Collage

Here's the final results for this year's Swordtember! As always it's been a delight to do. When I first saw the prompt was based around owners/wielders (something I knew I wouldn't be drawing) I wasn't sure if I'd like it as well as previous lists. But I'm proud nonetheless of where the ideas have taken me. Huge thanks to all my friends for supporting me and having nice things to say! Until next time.

Here's a link to the master list of every individual post.

Blurbs for all the swords are under the cut.

Witch- This sword belongs to the sole occupant of an eerie wooden hovel on the far edge of a bog. The runes traced on its blade glow unnervingly, and it reeks of indistinguishable concoctions. Though it isn’t wielded by a trained warrior or a paragon of physical strength, this weapon should be respected and feared by anyone who wants to retain their non-frogified form.

Wizard- This sword belongs to a wizard known by many names-  Olórin, Mithrandir, Grey Pilgrim, the Grey, the White, servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor, or simply Gandalf. A relic of the First Age of Middle-Earth, its blue-tinged bladed bears its name in runes: Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer.

Rogue- This sword belongs to a marine mercenary who frequents the disreputable dockside taverns of a port town to ply his trade. For the right price, his services cover everything from larceny to bodyguarding to assassination. His techniques may not be the most refined, but the damage inflicted by the wicked hook of his blade is evidence enough that they are brutally effective.

Dragonslayer- This sword belongs to a reclusive warrior of countless years. Long ago were the days when dragons roamed the sky in great number. This warrior is among the few survivors of the band who came together to drive the dragons into parts unknown. The jade of this sword hums with the energy needed to pierce through any dragon’s magical resistance.

Spymaster- This sword belongs to a royal spymaster and never leaves their side. Though its wielder operates as much in light as they do in shadow, this sword still conceals a few tricks- namely, the hidden compartment in the hilt used to subtly transport written plans or occasionally crucial devices. The symbol on the hilt is used as an identifying sign by their agents.

Knight Errant- This sword belongs to a paragon of the chivalric age. Wandering the lands without castle or title, this knight seeks only to live by the ideals of the code, providing for the unfortunate and thwarting the wicked. It’s rumored that once the knight has wandered long enough to purge their past misdeeds completely, they may at long last witness the incomparable relic they once sought so fervently- none other than the Holy Grail.

Oracle- This sword belongs to a priestess who dwells in an ancient temple. Archaic in appearance, temperament, and vocabulary, she speaks the words of the visions that come to her- not always to the pleasure of those who came seeking them. The sword is her defense against any pilgrim that might unwisely choose to violently object to the sights she sees. In more normal circumstances, the sword itself is used to channel oracular magic through the lens inset in the blade.

Jester- This sword contains the essence of Marx, an innocuous-seeming jester who once schemed to gain ultimate power over the world of Popstar with a wish. Revealed in his true form, his glittering wings reflected prismatically, and the stars of the Milky Way swirled behind him. He was defeated by Kirby, who returned triumphantly home and proceeded to take a nap.

Royal Hunt Leader- This sword belongs to a well respected huntmaster, proud owner of several breeds of hunting hounds. The leather wrapping on its horn hilt matches the leather collars in place on the dog heads carved at either end of the crosspiece. It’s said that between her dogs’ uncanny tracking and her own keen intuition, there’s no place in the royal lands she doesn’t know. 

Healer- This sword belongs to a pragmatic and dependable cleric of a sun deity. The runes on its crosspiece allow them to channel divine magic through the weapon- but, if that well of power is overdrawn, the bandages and spare flask of potion are helpful as backups for tight situations.

Queen- This sword is one of a pair. A more offensively balanced blade, its wielder prefers to make the first move.

King- This sword is one of a pair. A defensively balanced blade, its wielder prefers to let enemies come to them.

Royal Heir- This sword has been passed down from ancient times, but the ages have not dulled its blade or its shine. The gemstone inset in its crosspiece holds a magic that can only be awoken by a member of the Laputian royal bloodline.

Royal Guard- This sword is a hypothetical fusion of the Royal Guard’s Sword and the Master Sword. A sufficiently skilled smith may well have been able to fashion a replica of the latter in the style of the former, if calamity had not struck.

Enchanter- This sword was commissioned from a master weaponsmith and enchanter, who was instructed to provide as many sockets for magic gems as possible. This blade boasts a whopping 16 available sockets, well above the count that would normally be advisable. The fact that the weapon still remains as stable as it does is a testament to the enchanter’s craft.

River-spirit- Infused with the energy of a whitewater river, this sword surges fiercely in its holder’s grasp, and churning spray constantly emanates from it. Whoever would hope to wield this blade must possess sufficient strength to keep the rapids’ coursing power in line.

Forest Spirit- This sword belongs to an elusive guardian of the forest who shows no mercy to trespassers or those with ill intent. Though some believe her to be a human living among the wilds, others are convinced she must be a spirit- no mortal could move as quickly, travel as unerringly, and vanish away so entirely. No encounter with her has lasted long enough to produce a certain answer.

Bard- This sword belongs to Red, previously a lauded singer before her voice was stolen in a botched altercation. She wields this weapon, the Transistor, in an effort to strike back against those who took that from her. A familiar voice speaks from within the blade to to guide her.

Alchemist- This sword belongs to an enterprising alchemist who spends a good deal of time away from their facilities. Rather than carry pre-brewed potions, they've installed an apparatus that can draw from flasks of certain base essentia to synthesize any needed brews on the fly.

Summoner- This sword belongs to a mage tasked with defending a kingdom by calling upon allies from distant worlds. It has historically taken many forms, but has appeared in this day and age as a sword. Its centerpiece forms a socket for the focus the mage uses to summon.

Mermaid- This sword appears to have been assembled using a shattered bowsprit from a shipwreck. It washed ashore and sparked debate on whether it was a prank or if a real mermaid could have made it. If so, the question is: just how big was that mermaid?

Vampire- This sword belongs to a particularly vain vampire noble, who takes every opportunity to show it off. The markings on the blade are enchanted to glow according to the phase of the moon. 

Vampire Hunter- This sword belongs to a well-traveled warrior who has sworn an oath to use the power of the sun to vanquish the creatures of the night. Monsters and dark creatures alike recoil at the sight of this whip-like blade.

Barbarian- This sword belongs to a brash, impatient barbarian who wields it with reckless abandon. Thanks to a combination of heavy use and unwillingness to bother with whetstones, its owner has dulled many blades in the past. He was finally convinced to take up a weapon that could still be effective while unsharpened. 

Inquisitor- This sword is issued to the heavily armored Inquisitors of an unnamed sect. Though their rank is Inquisitor, they actually do very little questioning themselves- instead their role is largely to impose, intimidate, and where necessary, put their heavy blades to use in rooting out dissension.

Artificer- This sword belongs to a tinkerer with an incessant desire for improvement. Its modular design allows it to change forms between longsword and greatsword as the situation calls for it. In its larger form, its crystalline power source is visible.

Assassin- This sword belongs to a lethal covert operative. Its ethereal blade can be summoned or dispelled at will, and makes short work of even heavy armor- the blade passes through it as if it weren't even there.

Druid- This sword was recovered from the remnants of a standing stone circle. Its weathered shape is covered with signs of age, faded mystic carvings, and mossy patches. Its original owner is lost to time, but the one who wields it now gives new life to the ancient druidic lineage.

Paladin- This blade belongs to a zealous warrior who has sworn an oath to bring light to the dark places of the world. Radiant power infuses this blade at all times, causing it to emit a constant glow and a holy aura.

Necromancer- This sword, in the shape of a looming, leering skull, is carried by a wicked practitioner of dark magic. The bite of this blade isn't to be feared, but the withering curse it inflicts on its victims most certainly is.

RIP Tracy Tormé, Creator of the "Holodeck Malfunction Episode" and Sliders

Tracy Tormé’s most enduring legacy in popular culture is that, while a writer on TNG’s tempestuous first and second seasons, he created the entire concept of the Holodeck Malfunction Episode.

Yes, even people who suggest you skip TNG’s first couple seasons say that “The Big Goodbye” is one you don’t want to miss. And there was a very nice tribute to Tracy Torme in an episode of Picard, which had him as the author and creator of Dixon Hill… which he is, and deserves credit for this.

I suppose I should mention I had a personal encounter with Tracy Tormé at a convention. The main thing I remember was that he looked absolutely terrified when someone asked him about what happened with “The Royale,” far and away TNG’s worst episode except the clip show, about the crew getting trapped on a hotel they can’t leave from a badly written book. To his great credit, he took responsibility for the episode not working and did not pass on the problems to the production crew.

The most extraordinary thing about Tracy Torme is that he had a Forrest Gump like ability to appear in the background of scifi culture’s greatest moments.

Not only was he inside the TNG writers’ room in 1987-88, he was around during the production of Terminator with James Cameron. Tormé was the one who, hearing about the production of the film, squealed on it to Harlan Ellison, telling Ellison that it was based on his old Outer Limits episodes, with a visual based on his script for “Demon With a Glass Hand.” In other words, he was the Gavrilo Princip who got that entire conflict started, where two of the most proud personalities in scifi butted heads, James Cameron vs. Ellison. Cameron, to this day, insists that the film company gave Ellison money and a credit because it was easier to pay him off than to go through litigation (which rings true, frankly, for risk averse production companies), and to this day Cameron insists, with his absolutely expected big dick swagger, that Ellison is a “parasite” who received money for nothing, and if it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have given him a dime.

It’s also worth mentioning that Torme also created the TV series Sliders.

Has anyone else noticed that Sliders is an incredibly right wing show? Seriously, watch it again if you haven’t seen it in years. If you haven’t watched this show since the 90s and you were a kid and all that went over your head, it’s kind of amazing how Limbaugh/Newt Gingrich era right-wing Sliders actually was. It made 24 look like Doonesbury. The targets of Sliders were 90s New Right satire: health care systems, infuriating hippies, the nanny state disallowing the public smoking of cigars, California weirdness, the drug culture, the USSR. Torme’s right wing views were less John Millius-style “blood alone moves the wheel of history” stuff, but more like that of a slobby regular joe in the 90s, Dennis Leary’s character in Demolition Man for instance, who mostly just wants to smoke cigars, ogle girls, and eat hamburgers without getting scolded by his wife. He was less “Passion of the Christ” and more “Animal House.”

I am not saying this as a negative, but merely a description. Contrary to popular belief, right wingers driven by bizarre sexual pathology and weird grudges produce amazing art, as Millius and John Swartzwelder show. A lot of Steven Universe fans love to say things like “all good art is about empathy and kindness” and I reject that notion. Good art can also be about reflecting things in the human experience like fear, trauma, cruelty, and paranoia.

For that reason, it doesn’t surprise me that Tracy Torme’s best movie script was a horror film about a traumatic experience, Fire in the Sky. An ominous movie about a vanished ranch hand who was the victim of alien abduction, in the earned finale the film’s tension builds toward, our hero remembers the true cause of his missing time: an abduction by aliens, who’s motives are emotionless and incomprehensible, and who subject him to horrific vivisection that we see in excruciating detail. Travis Walton is treated not with sadism or cruelty, but with icy detachment, by alien superintellects that view him as no different than cattle, and are to him as we are to cattle. The most terrifying detail of the film is that the classic “gray alien” look turns out to be spacesuits, revealing a far more frightening appearance underneath.

I have to confess that I don’t usually pay attention to the colours when I am watching any series. But I thought that it was interesting that while Ai Di was wearing Little Red Riding Hood’s costume Chen Yi was in a gray top and also otherwise was somehow very ‘wolfish’ with teeth-baring smile. He looked like he was ready to devour poor Ai Di.

ANON! You opened a flood gate!

Fun-ish Fact - In Taiwan where Kiseki: Dear to Me comes from, there was a group within the feminist movement in the 80s and 90s called the Little Red Riding Hoods. Their purpose was to call out the "wolves" and bring awareness to sexual harassment. There are several other academic reads on this subject but most are behind paywalls (boo!).

The story of "Little Red Riding Hood" is very symbolic of sexual development and aggression plus a ton of other stuff, so whenever Little Red Riding Hood pops up somewhere, I think "this is the work of a feminist!"

So I was THRILLED when I saw Eddie was our sinful yet sexually maturing protagonist while Bai Zong Yi played the dangerous and transformative antagonist.

Many people's qualms with the couples is the age difference since it's anywhere from five to eight years difference (17 vs. 22?) which would paint Fan Ze Rui as the predator, yet Bai Zong Yi was the one who confessed his feelings first and initiated the intimacy between them.

Then, like you mentioned, there is Eddie, in his bright passionate red running back to Chen Yi who must rescue him from the gang of men trying to hold him back.

But let's rewind! Eddie made fun of Chen Yi for being a virgin and unable to confess his feelings to his boss

but Chen Yi haphazardly responded if Eddie was possible of teaching him . . .

Then quickly dismissed the notion since Eddie is "too young to know it"

This pissed off Eddie, so he hit at the true heart of this discussion - Chen Yi's sexual prowess.

And that caused Chen Yi, who was too drunk to stand on his own let alone walk, to jump up and attack Eddie.

And it escalated in Chen Yi sexually assaulting Eddie (non-consensual kisses are a form of sexual assault)

Eddie fought back and ran away, leaving Chen Yi without any notice of where he was going or how long he would be gone, yet Eddie runs back to Chen Yi only to have to be rescued by him.

And Chen Yi smiled about it.

In earlier tellings of "Little Red Riding Hood" before the Grimm Brothers' version, she rescued herself from the wolf. There was no hunter. So in a story that represents the dangers of sexually awakening and desire, having the lead save herself from the sexual predator is pretty powerful especially because it requires her to face her assaulter.

Chen Yi isn't a horrible person, but if we apply the wolf character to him, the wolf attacked as a form of sexual dominance. Red Riding Hood is in the unknown forest, but the wolf knows the exact layout. The dark scary (sexual) unknown is his territory, so Chen Yi needed to prove to Eddie he wasn't impotent. He normally doesn't prey on Eddie who is younger and, if his questioning was intentional, is also sexually inexperienced. In fact, he rescues Eddie, several times. And he prefers Eddie to not appear as someone who needs rescuing.

Yet Eddie is the one who suggests to Chen Yi to be a predator. Interestingly enough, in a similar color scheme, Eddie in red tells Chen Yi in darker blue, to knock their boss/father out and take him (assault him).

Eddie goes a step further noting that Chen Yi is too weak (double speak for impotent) to knock him out; therefore, he will have to prey on him when he is older and weaker because only then will Chen Yi will be stronger (experienced), which is the reason the wolf eats the grandma first since she won't fight back.

To which Chen Yi responds by telling Eddie to "grow up"

All of this rambling is simply to say that out of all the fairy tales to incorporate within the show, the one about maturity, sexual acts, and consent was the one used, especially when Eddie willingly volunteered to be Little Red Riding Hood who must grow up, deal with his conflicting sexual autonomy, and understand responsible ways to act on his desires.

Because suggesting Chen Yi attack someone deemed weaker did not work out well for either of them.

ace who had a whole ass conspiracy board abt who the other basketball team members are dating vs. Jamiazu being vague as hell, Jamil never talking abt personal info, and neither of them doing a ton of pda (but just enough to make him suspicious) and also florid. Just being them.

Thank you for this amazing ask. Unleashing my ship demons rn to reply to this🙏

The moment Ace sees Jamil giving Azul a TINY genuine smile he already starts suspecting, he tells Deuce and the Ramshackle dorm and they all say he's just making up stuff, Ace keeps trying to explain to them how they're totally dating or they at least have a crush on each other like:

Jamil is completely aware of how Ace knows him and Azul are dating and I can see two outcomes to this:

1- He mentions it one day casually acting like he doesn't know Ace was for months looking like a conspiracy theorist trying to prove their relationship and then he laughs with Azul about it later.

2- Jamil and Azul decide to mess up with Ace. Everytime they're walking down the halls and they see that he's the only one there they hug each other and start acting like a typical overly affectionate couple on purpose. They do this multiple times and then when Ace asks Jamil about him dating Azul he goes "Dating Azul? Try coming up with better jokes next time" Ace loses his mind everytime Jamil says that, he's convinced they're messing up with him but after weeks of gaslighting he starts thinking it might be his imagination.

Now you would maybe ask: why they would do this? Because I think they should be evil/chaotic together. They're already busy enough with their own tasks and they spend a lot of their time together relaxing (like cuddling, talking about their days or stuff about themselves, doing schoolwork together, etc-) they're only missing the being evil together, I want to see them pulling little pranks on people and having fun (Also neither of them had the possibility of doing this when they were kids, Azul was studying all the time and refused to participate on pranks the Tweels would pull, while Jamil had to take care of Kalim and prevent him from dying).

I think that they don't exactly hide their relationship but they don't show a lot the fact that they're dating?) Or at least from Jamil's side. Azul takes every chance he gets to mention HIS BOYFRIEND JAMIL in any conversation he has, he wants to make sure everyone knows that he's dating the beautiful and smart Jamil Viper, but then in public they don't do stuff like high PDA or kisses and shit so people get mixed signals and they think Azul is lying about Jamil being his boyfriend💀 they can believe almost anything that comes from Azul's mouth, but him dating Jamil??? Not in a hundred years.

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With Floyrid it's a slightly different situation. Just like Jamiazu no one really expected them to be dating, not even Ace, he was expecting Riddle to end up murdering Floyd rather than them dating. Worst of all is that he found out on accident, I can think 100 different ways of how Ace found out they were dating but idk which one to write so this is up to your interpretation.

I think I would need to do a whole separate post for them, I have a lot of ideas. Don't trust my word though I might forget to write it💔

Thank you again for this ask!!! It was pretty fun to think about and write, you're always welcome to send me stuff like this :3 Ranting about my favs is my favorite thing so I love this kind of asks.

this is like a deep cut from an old fandom so bear with me.

Man I was scrolling through all the old Achievement Hunter posts. I have stuff going backto like 2012 and even before that. God listening to old audios and videos and looking at old gif sets…

They were everything to me. Michael, Gavin, Geoff, Jack, Ray, and even (yes I’m going to mention him) Ryan. There was Lindsay and Matt Jeremy and Kdin and Adam Ellis. Trevor and Caleb.

The first Vs episode. The first Play Pals. Lazer Team. X-ray and Vav. RWBY. RvB.

There’s so many let’s plays that I rewatch a couple times of year. Play Pals Outlast (1&2). Play pals Super Bunny Man. Let’s play 3d Ultra Minigolf. Let’s Play Family Feud. Uno the Movie. All of the rage quits.

But I forgot how much they were like a family. They genuinely have a shit about each other. Even beyond the Gavin/Michael bromance they all cared so much. And it all went to shit because of Ryan.

I don’t fully believe they would have stayed golden forever even without the incident. They would haves faded just like they are now. Hell Achievement Hunter doesn’t even exsist anymore. It’s been announced that’s it officially retired and they started a new channel.

I watched it live and die. Ray left, and Geoff pulled way back to personal issues. The Ryan incident. Jeremy leaving for personal issues. Gavin pulling wayyyy back (I’m not even sure he’s still involved in any capacity anymore.) Matt being fired (which was bullshit and I’ll die on that hill). Jack is still there.

The amount of shows they started and cancelled. Always open got cancelled again just a couple of days ago. They can’t hold an audience anymore. It makes me sad. Their old videos have 2+ million views on individual videos. Now you’re hard pressed to find one break 100k.

Like idk. Nostalagia is a bitch I guess. To me, they’re stilling in that shitty office with their desks on top of each other. Michael is yelling at Gavin, Gavin is making the loudest bird squawking noise you’ve ever heard, Jack is affectionate laughing while working, Geoff is laughing hysterically in a corner about to piss his pants, Ray is trying to get away from the carnage while also film them, and Ryan is laughing in the doorway wondering what he just walked in on.

I don’t man I wish it was 2014 and they’re was a new Minecraft LP and GTA LP to look forward to every week.

I'm open minded about polyamory for other people and even curious about it myself but I feel can't date non-monogamously in my town because

My dad is poly so I'm (perhaps irrationally) worried I'm gonna like accidentally end up in a polycule with my own dad

I haven't had my sexual debut yet and I feel like coming to the table with a lot of sexual experience under your belt is kind of a prerequisite for being accepted in the community unless you're explicitly looking for sexless relationships which I'm very much not, I want to have sex I just haven't yet

Relating to #2. Given my lack of experience I doubt I'll be very good in bed at least at first and I worry that whoever that happens with will be making negative comparisons about me in their head vs other partners of theirs who can do more for them

I'm not 100% sure what this is asking, since there's not a question in here🤨, but I'll take it as a general "what are your thoughts on this situation"-type thing.👍okay co

Tell your dad hi from this blog, that's cool. And! no worries about whether your dad will be chill with the poly stuff or not! so that's nice. I suppose the relationship could get into weird territory, but honestly, most people date mostly their own age, and there's, like, AT LEAST a 15 year age gap between you and your dad (and like probably more but idk your dad's life👀), so it doesn't seem likely, but you can always make it clear you'd want to know at least the identities of the whole polycule if its something you're worried about. That's a totally reasonable standard to hold 🤷‍♀️no biggie.

Idk if its because of your dad's relationship or because of the internet or where exactly you got the idea polyamory is inherently hyper-sexual, but... poly relationships can largely function like mono relationships. Now, people are still worried about the big "virginity" thing in mono relationships, too, don't get me wrong. But frankly? That's all bullshit. In whatever relationship. By and large, people aren't going to be weird about it (and if they're the type of person to be weird about it, probably not a great first experience anyway! So just move on!). In all likelihood, here's how the subject should go. You meet someone 🤝, you go on a date 💐or two🎥. Someone asks what the other person wants from the relationship💗?🍆?, for your piece, you bring up that you're new to the sex stuff but you're looking forward to it (just like you did in this ask) and if you can, provide a rough timeframe (you wanna jump right in? you wanna give it a few more dates? do you wanna try "smaller" things before you jump to Losing Your Virginity™️and whatever that means for you and your orientation?) and then if that person has any reservations they mention it and you guys figure it out. The same conversation in a poly relationship probably includes to what level the rest of the polycule is involved and stuff, but otherwise the process should be about the same whether you're dating a mono or a poly person. If you're "joining a polycule" as in "dating one is dating everyone" (which isn't all of them) then you might have to have this conversation a few times or in some sort of group? But its going to be hard to get into a "dating one is dating everyone" situation without actively trying to, and if you're just "open" to it, I see no reason to try for that lol

Bruh. Listen, babygirl, I get that urge, but your performance matters less if they can be sexually satisfied by someone else. That gives you the ability to completely fuck it up the first couple times without worrying that this person is just stuck in sexual frustration! You're free! 🕊️ Plus, a poly person has more considerations with scheduling time with you than your standard mono person (partner doesn't want them out of the house too much, or no free bed to do stuff in, etc), so things kind of can't move super fast a lot of the time. But also, as someone who is in the game. I'm 🔫shooting completely straight with you by saying there is A LOT more to sex than someone being "technically good" at it. There's affection and mood and kinks and preferences and spit viscosity and-- and most importantly you get something different out of it with everyone. Poly people especially aren't looking for the same thing every time. Sex is really, really, really personalized, and you can't escape that. You won't be able to do everything exactly like that person's other partner(s). But the other partner(s) also won't be able to do things exactly like you. And what you learn that's good for that partner, someone else is going to hate. Send an ask off-anon if you want specifics (promise not to look at your profile, just don't want to give everyone free smut😜😏) but I promise you even the things "everyone likes" has a significant following of people who would just as soon never have that happen to them. Being good at sex is not so much learning specific things and applying them to everyone as it is learning what your partner likes and applying it to them specifically. I prommy. I literally cannot emphasize enough that having had a lot of sex does not make you better at it with a new person. There have been actual studies according to a community college professor I had. ALL you need to worry about at first is communicating what you're comfortable with trying, and making sure your partner's cool. That's it. Everything else will work itself out I SWEAR🙋

If all this is that big a deal just... don't date a poly person. Like you just don't gotta. Easy fix. We're happy to have you if you're here, but its not for everyone and that's fine. Even if you want it eventually, you can semi-casually date mono for awhile first. This is all fine. Quit yo stressin'.

ive never actually watched a stardom match and im really bad at learning new things, so how would you recommend watching matches? and do you have recs for what matches to watch first?

AHH I'm so so happy to hear you're even thinking about checking them out I love getting asks like this!

Okay so idk what your familiarity is with pro wrestling but if you've like never watched wrestling at all my friend wrote a guide to starting with Japanese pro wrestling here. It's targetted towards people also learning Japanese and much more comprehensive promotion wise than just Stardom so the part you'd want to read is the one labeled "How プロレス storytelling works".

As for how to watch Stardom like the literal steps of how to find Stardom matches, I answered that in my sort-of beginner's guide here. (I talked about a couple other companies as well but me being me it's mostly Stardom.) tl;dr kind of the only way to watch Stardom matches in full and in decent quality is just paying for a sub to Stardom World. There are pirate sites but they tend to only have big shows and top out at 15 year old cellphone quality, and there are highlights (though I think those have become more rare?) and the weekly show on youtube if you're really not sure about the like $8, but World has everything.

As far as specific matches I have sort of two answers for this. I did, pretty recently, recommend a bunch of random matches in this post right here, and stand by those as matches I really enjoyed. Also I have since watched the QQ vs OT cagematch I mentioned there and can confirm it owns and I think the emotions will still come through even if you didn't follow the whole story.

However. That is where the second answer comes in - following stories. To be quite frank I think watching old wrestling matches is overrated, I think most of the fun is in following along with wrestling; wrestling is something happening right now. This is probably an ironic answer from someone who is like chronically a month behind bc I can't stand to ever skip a show but I am who I am. Maybe it's more accurate to say I think rewatching matches is overrated.

But anyway the simplest way to put it is my rec for matches to watch first is matches that you think look interesting that have happened pretty recently. Natsupoi and Saori Anou had a strap match on July 2nd, which is just as gay as it sounds but not in the way it sounds, I haven't watched it yet but I've heard good things. The 5 Star Grand Prix, Stardom's yearly big singles tournament, just began last weekend on the 23rd, and is a great way to get introduced to most of the wrestlers. I know the time commitment of a wrestling show can be daunting, I'm very familiar on a personal level with the way it eats time, but I think you can still get a lot from just watching a little if you can't get through everything. If you pick one person in each block and only follow their matches, you'll still get a little snippet of every other competitor to see if they hook you, y'know? Caveat if you do begin with that show though that the main event ended with a real injury, which obviously isn't fun to see happen.

If you decide you're enjoying it and want to try and start following along, my translation blog is here (it's not exhaustive and I'm behind with some stuff but I do what I can) and my asks and DMs are always open if you have questions about any stories or characters or anything.

Thess vs Impositions

I need to take a break to vent about a thing. For once, not about work.

So my email pings while I'm working away. It's from my stepfather, saying, "Guy's coming in to Do Things to the fuse box on 27th November, probably all day (8am-5pm). The electricity will probably have to be off all that day. Even then, he might have to come in on the 28th if things aren't finished, but he'll try really hard to be done before you have to start work."

So ... a few things.

I did not find out that anything was being done to the electrics at all until yesterday afternoon, when he interrupted my work day to bring this guy into the house to look at the fuse box. He said that work would be done on it "at some point". I did not expect it to be this month.

I did not get asked if this was convenient for me. I did not get asked to choose dates. If I'd just been asked, I probably would have been fine with the 27th. The fact that I'm getting this dumped on my plate without even the remotest bit of input is just starting to get annoying now, because he keeps doing it. Every time he wants to do something in the flat, I get told, not asked. I get that this is going to make things better in the long run, but I should at least get some input.

The entire point of me moving into this mess of a flat was that they were supposed to finish the entirety of the other flat, then let me move into it while they worked on this one. So why are we doing major electric works when I'm trying to live in this place?

There was zero offer to help with logistics like, for instance, where the fuck I'm supposed to put all the stuff that's in my freezer. A couple of hours while he's rewiring shit is one thing, but all day? Do you have any idea how much food that's going to waste? I'm not going to finish it all in a little over two weeks!

So my entire restful Monday, which I need to actually recuperate enough for a week of work, is now shot. I can't sleep in, because there's going to be this person doing fucking electrical work - which is apparently going to involve removing and replacing two fuse boxes, so a lot of power tool noise. Nothing in the flat is going to work, so no food, no coffee, no internet, no TV, no video games, and given how dark it is by 4pm, at least an hour of no book. I don't know if my stepfather is going to be there, so either I can't vacate because I can't have a stranger wandering around the flat on his own, or I have to leave and let my stepfather deal with everything and also wander around the flat more or less on his own.

I feel like my space is being invaded with no opportunity to even have any input. The worst part is, I feel like I have to accept it because I don't really own this flat. It's my mother's flat on paper; she's just letting me live here. Not to mention that I should be happy he's getting any shit done at all, given he's spent two and a half years doing absolutely nothing on either flat. I'm assuming he had the electrician do work here this month because this guy's done work on the other flat and it makes sense to him to get both done at once. But I'm still fucking annoyed.

So currently gritting my teeth and wondering what the consequences would be of saying, "I'm grateful for everything you're doing with the flats, I really am. I would just really appreciate it if you could be more respectful of my time and at least ask for my input on things that are going to be that much of a barrier to anything I might have needed or wanted to do on any given day." Because this is bullshit.

And also upstairs is back to using the power tools. Thank the gods it's Friday and I'm not working next week.

...But I am working now, so I'd best get back to it. I don't feel better. I'm still fucking angry, and I just want to punch walls, thanks.

Tag Game to Better Know You

tagged by the very lovely @zozobruh thank you SO much for thinking of me <3

What book are you currently reading?

it WAS Time is a Mother, the poetry collection by Ocean Vuong, but it's currently lost on the london subway :( next on the list though is Secret History, my friend got it for me for christmas and I really wanna start!!!

what’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year?

I'm ngl I don't think I've been to the cinema yet this year!! But I'm very excited for Asteroid City (which I might get to see this week) and Barbie. I am becoming very unhinged about Barbie tbh-

I will say though, I REALLY wanna see Banshees of Inisherin that u mentioned in ur own post!!!

what do you usually wear?

monochrome (with the occaisional splash of red or blue), short skirt & long jacket (like the cake song), lots of jacket pins. I wore a dress on saturday that was a bit risky in terms of my dysphoria but i FUCKING LOVED IT ACTUALLY. I also adore my new barbie crop top-

how tall are you

5 foot 10-ish I think??

what’s your star sign? do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

I'm an aires and I have the same birthday as Nathan Fillion, Mariah Carey, Christine Sydelko from Vine & apparently a bunch of tiktok stars I've never heard of lmao

do you go by your name or a nickname?

my name, Envy. A couple of people have tried V against my will, I hate it tbh

did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

When I was a child I did not even know I was a girl lmao. I wanted to be a rockstar and I *am* in a band though, so????

are you in a relationship? if not, who is your crush if you have one?

oh boy lmao (I'm single and mostly fine with it. I think I need to figure myself out a bit before I think too much about this one)

what’s something you’re good at vs something you’re bad at?

I am good at playing guitar. Not great, competent. I lack the focus to really grind out the practice to break the barrier into being Really Really Good at something. So I guess I'm bad at learning??? But my actual answer to that is I'm bad at picking up on social queues/figuring out where I stand with people

dogs or cats?

I love them both, I love going to someone's house and they have a dog, but I'd personally rather live with a cat

if  you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite  picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this  year?

A lot of what I've written this year are song lyrics that are NOT ready for anyone else's eyes lmao. You can have this little snippet from an Our Flag Means Death fic I'm working on though:

The dull Toronto sky barely seemed real as Ed stared gloomily out of his studio apartment window. The whole city felt fleeting, a hastily-painted backdrop to an imitation of life that looked as if it could start peeling away at any moment. He remembered coming here with his mother as a teenager, resenting the city’s skyscrapers for blocking his view of home, all the friends he had to leave behind. It was childish to feel that way again, Ed thought, but he also knew he couldn’t help it. Stede made him happier than he’d ever thought possible, and everything that came between them was cruel in its indifference. They hadn’t arranged when to see each other again – that was normal, Ed needed to know his schedule before he could commit, and he normally called from a payphone once he had something to offer. But the wait until then didn’t make it any easier.

what is something that you’d like to create content for?

I want to make a video game lmao. I started designing a top-down shooter a while ago to see how it felt and I. It activated all the special interest neurons in my brain I want to make game mechanics and spend ages making little pixel art icons bc I will get v obsessive about the art style and- but that's not really what the question was lmao. Uh. I've only recently started getting into writing fanfic and stuff, I'm writing for Our Flag Means Death right now but I had some ideas in high school for Doctor Who fics that I might dust off at some point-

what’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

YuGiOh, our flag means death, whatever Ryan Gosling has going on right now

what’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

my year has NOT been going how i expected it to at all and some of it stings a bit, I won't lie, but that's unfair of me because things are really, really good when I get over myself and really think about it. I am happy, I'm just a little bit insane, but I'm leaving the place that is making my mental health tank in about a month so things are looking up!! and they were already good, I just!!!

what’s a hidden talent of yours?

I am good at So Few Things, I would not hide a talent, I am trying to seem like a good hire

are you religious?

No, but I think the sense of community and catharsis and connection to something so much bigger than myself I get when I see my favourite artists at a concert is close to the feeling I think a lot of people are chasing, and can feel, when explorign their faith. I would say I'm some kind of spiritual but I think that feeling just comes from Us, not because there's something Bigger out there

what’s something you wish to have at this moment?

A reason to leave this island Right Now I'm moving up north to be with my friend in a month and I could NOT be more excited but this is going to be the longest month of my life lmao

going to tag @school-marm-charm if u fancy sharing!! No pressure though <3

ICEBREAKER by HANNAH GRACE

review! | some spoilers under cut!!

Title: Icebreaker

Author: Hannah Grace

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance (Mature)

Year Published: 2022

Chapter Count: 50 + Epilogue

Page Count: 114

Synopsis: Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.

Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him.

But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried…because she could never like a hockey player, right?

BREDLYN SPEAKS..

Alright so I absolutely love this book, genuinely. This is probably one of the first “booktok” books that I’ve read where I was wholeheartedly enthralled the entire time; granted, the only other book I’ve read strictly because of tiktok was by holleen coover so… enough said on that.

I love both Nathan and Anastasia a whole bunch, and I think that they balance each other outstandingly well. They’re both very supportive to each other, and they definitely have the type of relationship that makes you feel all fuzzy and shit. Hannah Grace is a phenomenal writer and she does a great job in including side characters in the story, I personally hate a book where a character is mentioned once and then completely disappears off the face of the earth.. if you hate that as well, this book is def for you.

I’ve seen reviews of this book where people shame it for a few reason.

Too much / too frequent spice.

The amount of filler chapters it has.

The ending.

Let’s address these from my perspective, as someone who accidentally read a review before actually reading the book.

The spice scenes are in fact very frequent in this book. They aren’t extremely graphic in the sense where Hannah Grace doesn’t explain every single detail, so the scenes themselves don’t feel too prolonged. If you’re someone who reads spice in novels regularly, this won’t be a problem for you. And if you’re newer to reading spice then i’d say this is a good start, especially if you become embarrassed easily while reading this sort of thing. Nothing more to say other than… uh… I thoroughly enjoyed it. So yeah LMAO

Okay I’d like to preface this point by saying that I’m someone who loves the little corny shit that romance novels have to offer. If you are someone who loves when novels stick to the plot 100% of the time, this book is probably not for you. While ‘Icebreaker’ does follow a specific plot, there is many many chapters in the book where the characters are just eating literal shit (aka literally doing nothing). Wether it be an entire chapter of Anastasia and Nathan cuddling, or one of Anastasia and Robbie cooking Indian food together, etc. Again, I am a SUCKER for these type of plot scarce chapters, they are my fav and I am completely unapologetic about it.

The ending wasn’t that bad.. truly it wasn’t. People are so overdramatic ohmyDAYS!!!! The Epilogue takes place a couple-ish years after the last numbered chapter, fast forwarding to a very-much-prego Anastasia talking to her therapist about how her in-the-belly-but-very-ready-to-pop baby makes her have to pee. She narrates a few things, just filling us (the reader) in about some stuff that’s happened in the 2 years that were skipped, and then her and Nathan are at dinner yadda yadda yoooooou. Again, people are dramatic, the end was not half as bad as they’re making it out to be. Does it seem slightly rushed? Sure, but that’s because of the contrast between the pace of the actual story vs. the info cramming of the Epilogue. I was satisfied so it didnt rlly bother me idk.

Now that that’s addressed, one thing I really want to point out is the outstanding character development in this book. I’m obsessed with seeing how the characters stress about their problems, and then seeing as the chapters progress, how they overcome their own dilemmas. Hannah Grace’s integration of real world problems in this semi-lighthearted semi-angsty book, it’s so so good.

The way Anastasia tackles her eating disorder, and the way that she reacts to realizing she even has one.. It’s all very spot on and realistic, which is something I can definitely appreciate. I feel as if sometimes authors slap on certain mental health problems to these characters just to create the illusion of depth or dramatics; and a lot of the time they don’t portray said mental health issues accurately. i.e. it’s mentioned once, maybe twice, and is never touched on again, only for it to be implied later on that the character overcame the issue. It’s all very weird and halfhearted. But ‘Icebreaker’ and Hannah Grace do it phenomenally well.

pic taken from @maddiesflame

BREDLYN’S FINAL THOUGHTS..

Literal beaut of a book, I genuinely enjoyed every moment that I was reading this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 | 5 stars.

Very much recommend!

Breddy Out!

The Genesis of Misery review

5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: sci-fi, space operas, prophets, false prophets, political intrigue, LGBTQ+ rep, morally gray characters Big thanks to Netgalley and Tor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! I found this book to be really intriguing in a multitude of ways. For one, the stone bending and holystone stuff is interesting to me and I liked puzzling out holystone vs normal/dead stone, and I kind of like that the distinction is left to the reader to figure out. I also liked the interplay between an advanced sci-fi civilization that, at the same time, has bans on things you would typically think of when you think of 'sci-fi.' Then there's the religion aspect. All of this put together makes for a book with a lot of layers to what's going on, all of them complicated. I've seen in a couple places that there's a Joan of Arc aspect (retelling?) in the book, which I can definitely see, though it isn't super obvious if you aren't aware and/or if you aren't familiar with Joan's story. I can see the parallels between the war in this book between the Heretics and the Faithful and the real 100 Years War. The religions are obviously different, but there are veins of the same stuff in an altered form, which I found to be interesting. I really liked Genesis (she/they). She's gotten herself caught in this big lie about being a messiah in order to avoid being arrested for a crime. Naturally she knows she's lying, but most everyone else is eating it up and so she plays along. I thought their attitude toward what's going on was very relatable and realistic, and I enjoyed how they were able to use their practiced smooth-talking to come across as this wise and all-knowing mystic. She does kind of tip in an interesting direction toward the halfway point, and there's some stuff that's revealed to Genesis that makes her uncomfortable and she does react to that in a way that I'm not sure I like. I definitely like their character, though by the end I have mixed feelings, but I'm 100% interested in seeing where the next part of their story goes. I also particularly liked Ruin, who has all sorts of interesting ideas and advice. Is Ruin a delusion? An angel? Something else? Who knows, Misery certainly doesn't. Ruin is in parts a helpful guide and an annoying near-constant presence for Misery, but I liked hir mysteriousness and attitude. I do hope Ruin will be in the next book. Lady Lee Alodia Lightning (she/her) is also an interesting character. A princess, she gets wrapped up in what Misery is peddling and ends up as one of the mech pilots in Misery's group of 'outlaws and outcasts.' She's quite antagonistic for the first half of the book, angry and defensive in different parts. But she opens up more to Misery and becomes a staunch ally. Lightning also makes for a fantastic liar, and her fast talking has been created at the hands of a monarchy, which makes her a good person to have on your side once she decides she's on it. The cast of characters is pretty decent in size, and while not all the characters get the same attention, I did feel like they each had a backstory and life of their own. I would've liked to get a better feel on Ghost, who I feel like gets mentioned once or twice but is otherwise looked over. Also Tank is someone I'd like to know more about, so hopefully we'll see more of her in the next one. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one. There were some things that felt a little predictable or obvious, but that kind of happens with every book, so it didn't really take away from things. Misery makes for an interesting main character and they were enjoyable to read.

UR ART IS SO COOL!! i love how expressive it is and how the characters all look so distinct and unique from each other!! its also pretty cool to see there are still some ppl into deh and stuff wkshdjd.. i hope ur doing well and things become great for u!!! :D

oh thank you! i especially love when Expressiveness is seen as a defining quality b/c that's my main focus / inspiration / motivation, and in addition to like, the general construction of an expression, i definitely also focus on the fun challenge of making people look distinctive / successfully capturing/evoking distinctive traits so as to be recognizable / true to whatever source. evidently i love Faces & efforts get focused there, so people specifically enjoying those elements is extra rewarding lol

and yeah whew the [rotating deh in one's mind] grind continues, there's so much going on in that thing lol and even if it's been a little while since some post or reblog about it, i've certainly been thinking about it in that interim haha, for real having a conversation heavily featuring that topic at this moment lol of course. can sure hang on to an engaging topic for years, not to mention have these resurgences manifest after something's been on a low simmer for a while, not to further mention just getting into anything anytime, like, i was "late" to deh by a couple of years vs. it really being that peak hot topic its first year on broadway, and i know of course some people may be first arriving on the scene now / more recently than that, which like, no problem, b/c yeah Other people also maintain an interest for years / make posts about it / have a revival after a latent period / get into things for the first time even when it's not like, peak traffic for [the most ppl talking about it w/the most frequency] like aw who cares. i mean i guess some people do feel like their experience is diminished if they missed the peak popularity train for something, but [typing autistically] like i'm gonna be on the periphery posting about whatever whenever it has me by the scruff of my neck regardless, and it's a fun alignment i'm sure for whoever also happens to be into it at the time lol, partake of my posts

that sure didn't need an extensive paragraph but that's simply also part of my personal output lol, Thank You for going the extra mile to send a nice message about it, it's fun to get voiced feedback about people enjoying things i've made, whether via tags on specific posts or asks about the overall experience, love Enthusiasm resulting from my own Enthusiasm about whatever that lets me draw about it in the first place lol, very kind and thoughtful 🙏

Hello !

In the beginning of the story I always thought that maybe Addison actually wasn’t Addison… considering she has twins I thought maybe she might be a twin herself… twins have the same DNA but they don’t have identical fingerprints… so if she had a twin her DNA would still match. Maybe the real Addison didn’t know about her??? But the parents were introduced into the story and they never mentioned any sibling so I don’t know anymore… but there are so many questions ! Like… Sam identified the body, how is it that he got his wife’s identity wrong??? Who is actually buried at Addison’s grave…?? But I don’t know if this storyline is feasible anymore but who knows ! What are your thoughts? The whole book has been a mess in my personal opinion. So many unanswered questions.

Hey, anon!

First of all, THANK YOU so much for sending this to me! I Apologize for getting back to you so late, but please know that I appreciate any and all Asks, but I adore discussing TNA stuff!

There are a ton of unanswered questions about this book, and when Addison threw out the custody case, I was really ticked at PB. They literally just built up this story... for nothing. Just kidding, folks! How are we going to solve this drama? Pretend like it never happened! Addison will have a change of heart. Case closed. Ugh... so much wasted potential for some delicious drama...

But let's bring it back to Addison. She is literally a character I don't know if I should be rooting for or if I should be hating her. And you're right; there are a ton of holes in her story, in her interaction with the Daltons... it's just a mess.

I never even really bought into the whole "maybe she's a twin" thing that a LOT of people were suggesting just because I personally though that was an easy out for PB (and that is NO offense to anyone who thought this). But also, here are a couple of things to consider:

Are Mickey and Mason supposed to be identical twins? I seriously can't remember if they ever mentioned that. Still, if they are identical, this isn't a familial trait; fraternal twins is genetics. So, if M&M are fraternal, sure, Addison being a twin is plausible.

But let's say she is an identical twin... (Keep in mind, I am not a geneticist) though identical twins share a genetic make-up, some genes can morph due to extrinsic factors. The variation, if any, is very, very small, but it makes me wonder: to a woman that is almost in her 40s who is an identical twin herself, how much of her DNA can be identified as her own make-up vs. the original make-up she shared with her twin sister? Like say for criminal cases?

Okay, so let's keep going with the twin thing: you hit the nail on the head. If there was a twin, why doesn't anyone know about this twin? Why isn't anyone bringing up this twin?

Can you imagine... can you imagine! Your best friend, your sister, your cousin, your mother, etc... She has been missing for 5 years, and oops! Just a case of mistaken identity! TNA mentioned that she was disfigured from the accident, but still... how did Sam, the love of her life (and vice versa) not realize it wasn't her? Did they use dental records? Do blood tests? Did Sam maybe ask for a second opinion because he was so grieved?

SPOILER ALERT: this reminds me of the book/movie Rebecca. If you know, you know. LOL I don't want to give it away.

What was the point of Jordan coming back? To shock us?

I still want to meet Aditya's wife. I loved that guy at one point, but now with his involvement with Jenny and that mess, ugh... But I want to know why the writers threw in there some sus looks he would give at MC...

VIVIAN DALTON! What was she going to say before they went live on air earlier in the book?!

Ugh...

But... Buuuuuuuuut... I am very pleased that they made an attempt to really redeem Robin.

Alright... I guess let's get ready to say, "I do."

Happy wedding day to you, Anon! 👰🏼👰🏽👰🏾👰🏿👰🏻

[...] This is the last one ☝️ I promise 🤞🙇‍♀️ I have Giovanni's Room by Baldwin in my wishlist and I know nothing about it!! 😃 How's he writing style? Is it too refined? Don't know anything about him not gonna lie, but I've heard/seen his name around multiple times. Do you have favorites? Or a recommendation from where to start? 👩‍❤️‍👩 Definitely go read Fight Club 🙆‍♀️ I highly recommend reading it at one sitting (especially bc it's short) even tho it's been a couple years since I read it and, nowadays, I don't think it would get to me as much ― honestly, barely did back then; but the consumerism as a sort of coping mechanism was something that def made me police how I spend money with stuff that I want vs stuff that I need and the whole Individual Image & Society bit I got from it. Hope I don't get a Tyler Durden bc of insomnia, it would piss me off 🙇‍♀️🧘‍♀️

I have to check your Bobby Book Club tag to get some different stuff to look at, bc I remember when you posted a picture that included Gay Bar and my guts yelled for me to read it, but 1) english only and 2) I don't know where to find it. When my guts yell I know something is waiting for me, bc I BELIEVE IN INSTINCTS 🏄‍♀️🔮 Watchmen has been in my radar since 2018 when a friend mentioned it, but a copy is hella expensive!! You mentioned the backstory and world building and it made me want it so bad, bc those are some aspects I CRAVE in books 🙆‍♀️ if one day I get to it, I'll let you know — mark my words!!! 🧎‍♀️ Last one: the Beautiful World Where Are You ― I've seen some people say it was a disappointment but I still want to read it, what turned you off the most? But I'm pretty sure I'll end up not liking it that much, it's a feeling AN INSTINCT 🏄‍♀️🔮

Damn, do I talk a lot 🫥 at least I’m exercising my english skills ― but I hope I make sense too 🥴

THE FINALE 🎬

I've only read one fiction by Baldwin (Go Tell It on the Mountain) but i really loved it! Then again I think I'm just a sucker for the intersection of coming-of-age and religion and repression, the hypocritical layers of morality and all that good stuff 🍽️ My knowledge is limited too (I think I've only read 2 or 3?) but I have yet to be disappointed. Personally I'm trying to read in chronological order bc I like to see the evolution of the Craft 🤌 but I don't think you can go wrong with any of it! I think he's very indulgent with his exposition and writes in his train-of-thought— all very thorough and maybe even a little rambling which can kinda make it difficult to follow certain sentences/paragraphs Because there is so much to follow, but in the end I feel like it helps his points come across that much clearer like he really leaves no room for misinterpretation if you take the time to work through and unpack it all 🧰

GAY BAR IS SO GREAT!!! Im surprised there's not a translation yet bc I feel like it's gotten so much critical acclaim? But maybe I just live in my little naive bubble 🫧 & I'm surprised Watchmen's still expensive bc it's been decades?? LET IT GO ALREADY 🗣️ jk I get it & im sure it's a hot commodity with comic book collectors or whatever.... definitely avoid watching the movie then (if you haven't already seen it) until you read it 💭 (but also maybe avoid watching that movie in general bc it was just pretty awful period 🤭)

I do like Sally Rooney's style of writing and would probably read just about anything by her bc I do enjoy the conversations her characters have & the sort of processing of politics and current events in a very digestible/millennial way (as repetitive as it's gotten this point) BUT I think by this point I'm also kind of like, this can't be all there is!! The story & characters themselves are going to have to do it for me too, and I thought the character developments were so weak and disappointing? Truly bizarre and rushed ending too, though I don't really know what kind of ending would've saved it anyway. OH WELL. My friend openly hated it and I still read it / thought it was worth it even if just to fully form my ability to shit on it LMAO so if you're curious you should defo still check it out!

2022 Fic Writing Stats

I found this a couple months ago and tossed it in my drafts, because I was proud of how much I’d written in 2022. Of course, that all stopped when I started playing FFXIV...but I still wrote a lot in the first part of the year!

Word count on AO3: 40,279 across two accounts Number of fics on AO3: 21 Average Words Per Story: 1,918 - about right, I’m a shortfic writer! Fandoms written for: DC Comics, mostly Batfamily Total Words Written: I have too many drafts for this. But I would say there’s at least 15k unpublished I wrote this year.

More under the cut, contains discussion of explicit content.

Shortest Story: Cut Open by Your Hand, 772w, some quick knife and blood play

Longest Story: Omegaverse harem heat porn, because I had to write so many people having sex! But only just over 5k.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? Well the end of the year got sidetracked, but I definitely wrote more though a lot didn’t get published because I agonized over editing.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write most? My descent into DC Comics and the Batfam continued, as did my descent into problematic smut writing. Let’s just say I really let my preferred kinks fly.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? I’m glad I got to write a Green Lantern fic! I know the overarching fandom is overrun with Batfam, so I’m glad I could contribute a little and sneak in some Guy/Arkillo.

Did you take any writing risks this year? Let’s just say there’s a couple of kinky smut fics that have 0 comments and leave it at that.

Do you have any fanfic or general writing goals for the new year? The nature of MMO subscriptions makes me want to get the most bang for my buck, so I don’t know what my writing looks like for the next year. I have some stuff I want to finish, but maybe I’ll dip my toes into a new fandom? I might have to make a third AO3 account for readerfic.

From the past year of writing, what was your...

Most popular story of this year (by kudos): Smut: omegaverse non-con somno fic. Gen: little vampire Dick Grayson in Bit Off More Than He Could Chew, which got a nice bump from the DC vs Vampires comics giving us Vampire King Dick.

Personal favorite: TimRa’s enemies with benefits in With the Enemy (For Good Reason), because people just don’t write the pair how I’d like so I did it myself.

My favourite fic to write: Bit Off More Than He Could Chew, how to introduce Batman to the idea he has a smol vampire in his house

Most fun to write: The Temperature’s Hot Enough to Hatch a Stone, But Will It Hatch an Egg was very fun. Just a bunch of silliness.

Story with the single sexiest moment: Oral cock warming into face fucking. Like I said, I let the kinks fly this year, oh man.

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story: Probably that omegaverse noncon somno fic I mentioned earlier. It also comes with a side of underage, incest, and forced mating.

Most challenging to write: I have this unpublished fic that’s gone through about three rewrites at this point...it includes multiverse shenanigans and lots of feels, so the limited 3rd POV I normally write in didn’t seem right, tried a different POV, tried combining into 3rd omni, and that’s where I left it. I will get it done!

Funniest fic: Temperature’s Hot Enough, accidental baby acquisition but it’s an egg instead is great

Fluffiest fic: Bit Off More probably, I just think baby vampire Dick is so cute

Saddest fic: I don’t do a ton of sad, the closest is probably the accidental incest fic (they didn’t know they were related but one of them learns)

Fic I’m proudest of writing: Temperature’s Hot Enough, like I said, more non-Batfamily stuff!

Least popular fic: Well, Temperature probably because it’s the only thing that doesn’t include a Batfam member. 

Biggest disappointment: tbh, the zero comments on my werewolf boyfriend smut.

General writing reflections: Ignore the readers, write the things you love! Clearly these readers don’t have good taste. (Ok, there are some lovely commenters, but I wish they’d show up on some other stuff!)

Ok I’m too lazy for the rest of these, but I’m leaving them in maybe for next year. But overall, a good year! I’m glad I could really get back into writing. I do hope I can rededicate some time in 2023.

Favorite character to write: 

Favorite opening lines:

Favorite closing lines:

Other favorite lines:

Colin's Deep Thoughts

I was texting with a couple of people this morning. About the future of comics. It was good enough to share, so I will summarize some of it here. Marvel: What happened to the architects? The people plotting the course of the Marvel U? When was the last time you were genuinely excited about a book coming out that you wanted to get to the store early so that it wasn’t spoiled for you? How do we get back to that level of excitement for comics? I opened during Civil War and I definitely saw that excitement. The person I was talking to said Secret War. That was a while ago. Several marvel books that were critical to AXE (X-Men and Avengers) have had post AXE issues come out before the story ended, so the “threat” seems not that great. Yes, it will be nice to see how they get out of it, but, it would have been nice to feel there was a little danger. But at least Marvel has variety. DC is so Batman heavy, it is ridiculous. It was mentioned on a message board that DC only has 4 ongoing titles right now that are not Batman related: Action, Superman (rebooting), Flash and Wonder Woman. That is just nuts. Yes, lots of mini-series, but weird only having that many ongoing books. I am also concerned about the volume of Batman stuff. I see in the November book, DC is adding 2 more Batman titles. Come on guys. This concern led me to another problem. DC has 2 BIG books that they are promoting and want us to order big on: Batman/Spawn by Todd McFarlane and Batman & Joker by Marc Silvestri. a) Its really tricky to promote two books at once, especially from one company. Dark Crisis is doing much better that Flashpoint Beyond because people only have so much attention. Let alone other company stuff. b) they are both essentially vanity projects for the creators. The more I thought about it, I realized that these are both people whose height of popularity was 30 years ago. How do I pitch these to a 20 yr old? Has Silvestri done anything of note in their lifetime. Not trying to be critical, just realistic. You also have a creative director whose best years were 30 years ago. And their big event in November is the 30th Anniversary of the Death of Superman. And they are doing 90s variants. Why are they pushing books to 40 to 60 year olds? How are they garnering a new audience with this strategy? What I truly hope is that after Dark Crisis and Lazarus Planet they decide to revamp their entire line. Leave the Bat-verse alone. Its fine, but maybe no new books there for a while. Look elsewhere. Hopefully, along with the new JSA book, we get new JLA and Justice League Dark type books. A new Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Supergirl. Legion. Aquaman. Teen Titans/Young Justice. Hawkman (gosh, he’s in a big new movie), Dr Fate (ditto). There is so much more to the DCU. They are hyper focused on Batman. I get it. It sells well. They are now uber-corporate and need to hit numbers. But chances need to be taken with more than minis. I love Human Target and Dark knights of Steel and DC vs Vampires and the idea of Danger Street. But the idea of a big universe of characters is also really important. Minis are great, but they are really hard to find your numbers on for a store. You normally get it right around issue 3, so on a 5 issue series, you are just guessing. And we guess low. Customers are more liable to trade wait a 5/6 issue story. Ongoing books develop longer stories. You can branch new characters and books out of them. Its just crazy to me how little variety there is at DC right now. I really hope that there is a plan to use Dark Crisis as a Multiverse rest and they really let creators run with it. I hope. Because another Bat-family book is not going to get anyone excited. And we need more excitement right now.