#where i can finally dropkick my new ocs at. and they can be their own person separate from a CERTAIN PAIR

[aria0fgold]

I've reached a point in my OC making activities that the majority of my OCs are really just Alec and Ray but a lil to the left and I don't know what to do with that cursed information.

[hazyheel]

WWE Summerslam 2019 Review

So before I get into the show, I am going to try something new on some of these reviews. Sometimes I watch the big shows with my girlfriend, who will now be referred to as HazyHannah, and she wanted me to throw in some of her comments. So at the end of each grade section, imma write down some things that she said during the match. If you want to check out her blog, it is @hanster36. 

Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship: This was the first match of the kickoff show, which was disappointing to see, but something had to be in this spot. Gulak started out with a vicious shotgun dropkick, but the two mat technicians naturally went hold for hold right after that. Lorcan was actually keeping up with Gulak, so he issued a vicious slam right afterwards, then moving back into some holds. Lorcan didn’t actually regain the advantage until he took things to the outside for a hard hitting brawl. Lorcan then rolled Gulak back into the ring, only for Gulak to lock in the Gulock for a quick submission sequence. They then started with a striking contest, which Gulak won with a vicious series of slaps, finishing off by locking in the Gulock, but Lorcan rolled through for a very near fall. Lorcan then picked up Gulak and dealt several slaps and European uppercuts. Lorcan tried to hit the Half and Half Suplex, but Gulak held onto the ring skirt. As the ref went to put it back in place, Gulak nailed Lorcan with a right to the throat, and then a Cyclone Crash for the win. 

Grade: B-. Pretty good match. They are very similar wrestlers so they blended together quite well. The two ripped into each other with vicious strikes, and Lorcan only got madder and madder as the match went on, as he usually does. He was overwhelming Gulak, so Gulak had to bend the rules a bit to get the win. He didn’t outright cheat, but this was far from an honest victory. Interesting to see where this goes. 

Apollo Crews vs. Buddy Murphy: finally, Murphy’s debut match. This should have happened months ago, on TV. Murphy started with an awesome high knee for a near fall right out of the gate. He continued to follow up with various stiff kicks and strikes to a grounded Crews. Crews fought back a bit and they had some back and forth. At one point, Murphy went for a crossbody off the middle rope, but Crews countered with a samoan drop, followed by a moonsault for a near fall. The two continued to fight, and Murphy was able to nail a cheeky nandos kick in the corner, followed by a powerbomb for a near fall. The two then continued to fight on the outside. Murphy then threw Crews into the barricade and followed up with a tope con hilo. After Murphy threw Crews back into the ring, Rowan ran in from behind and started to beat Murphy down. Murphy won the match by disqualification. 

Rowan threw Murphy all around ringside, and wiped him out with a running crossbody. He finished it off with a powerbomb into the ring post. 

Grade: C+. The two were actually having a pretty good match here. Crews is a great striker just like Murphy, with just enough flying between the two of them to have an exciting contest for the pre show. However, the finish was not good. Yes, Murphy won, but he looked weak in his victory. And in his first match, he was beaten down ridiculously afterwards. He was not able to really get over because of it, and I really didn’t like that booking. But I won’t lower it too much because their match was decent. More time would have done them good. 

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: I’m glad that these belts actually got on the card. They deserve better than the pre-show, but they need to be built up a bit more before they can hit the main show. Bliss was dressed as Buzz Lightyear ring gear, which for some reason pissed off Corey Graves to no end. It seems like Bliss is going face after winning these belts, which is certainly interesting. Saxton was defending Cross too, this is an odd switch of character. At one point, Bliss was yelling at Peyton Royce on the outside, and then turned right around into a big boot from Billy Cay for a near fall. Royce followed it up with a really nice shinbreaker for a near fall, and threw a tantrum after. She went to continue the assault, but Bliss floored her with a strike to the jaw. She went up for Twisted Bliss, only for Cay to try and pull her off the top rope. Cross yanked Cay off the apron, and Bliss hit Twisted Bliss to retain. 

Grade: D. This sucked. The IIconics are just bad. I’m glad they lost the belts. Bliss and Cross have yet to really impress me, but they were not what I disliked about this. The IIconics aren’t very good, and the sudden change in opinion from the commentators was very odd. It was about half way through the match when Graves started to talk about how he hates that Bliss went soft. That makes sense, but her liking Disney is no reason to start hating her. 

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya in a submission match for the Raw Women’s Championship: Nattie came out second because she is from Canada, which is more important than the belt. Naturally, they started with a couple slaps to the face, but Lynch quickly unloaded on her in the corner. Lynch locked in a triangle quickly, but Nattie rolled them to the outside and started to assault the legs. Nattie then gave her a snap vertical suplex, which her leg snapping into the ropes. At one point, Natalya wrapped Lynch’s legs in a sharpshooter on the top rope for a great visual. The only way that Lynch could escape was by falling to the outside. At first I didn’t like that a submission match didn’t have countouts or DQ’s, but it certainly improved the match. At one point, Lynch caught Nattie out of a basement dropkick, and Lynch locked in a sharpshooter of her own. After escaping, Nattie locked in a disarmer, turning the tables and dragging Lynch back into the middle of the ring. As Lynch tried to reverse into her own hold, Nattie had a great reversal into a sharpshooter for an intense submission sequence, where Lynch had to slide out of the ring to escape. Lynch slid back in and locked in the Disarmer for the win.

Grade: B. Pretty good technical exchange to open up the card. Meticulous holds, some nice limb work, just a solid match. The finish was not very dramatic, especially after a much better submission sequence with Nattie in control, but it was certainly the right outcome. The crowd was behind Natalya a lot during this match, so there was a hot atmosphere. It got everyone pumped up, so there was certainly nothing to complain about. HazyHannah (my girlfriend) says: Nattie is a dumb nickname. 

Backstage, Trish Stratus was interviewed, and she said that although she is feeling the pressure, that is when she thrives. She said that tonight, she will prove that those who paved the way for the women’s evolution are just as good as the women of today. Stratus declared herself the Queen of Queens, and left. 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Goldberg: Ziggler cut a promo, saying that he is the best thing in pro wrestling today. He said that Goldberg fears Ziggler, and Goldberg’s music cut him off. He did not whack his head on the door this time around. The two squared off right away, and Ziggler hit a quick superkick, but Goldberg kicked out at one. Ziggler nailed another, and another kickout at one. Goldberg speared Ziggler out of his shoes, and gave him the jackhammer for the win.

After the match, Ziggler got on the mic and called Goldberg a dipshit and said that he hits like a baby. He told Goldberg to fight him like a man. Golderg walked back to the ring, before Ziggler even got back to his feet. He gave him another spear, and another great sell. Ziggler got on the mic again after Goldberg left, and said that anyone can get lucky twice, and said that he didn’t have balls. He called Goldberg a laughingstock, and said that he will never stay down. When Goldberg got in the ring, he threw the mic away, helped him up, and gave him another wicked spear. 

Grade: B+. Everything I wanted it to be. Less than a minute. Wonderful. Above average squash match and Ziggler sold like he was a limp corpse. The extra attacks where what bumped this up to a B+. This was really really fun to see, and even though a legend shouldn’t beat a full time guy, this was an exception. Just some fun stuff. I loved it. HazyHannah says: match of the night. This could have gone on for the rest of the night and I would have been fine with it. “Anyone can get lucky THREE times.”

Before the next match, they showed the international commentators, and they showed the british announce team. It was Carmella and R-Truth, trying to hide. They had an awful accent and it was awesome. Drake Maverick showed up to try to get the pin, but they ran before he got there. Funny stuff, it was nice to see. 

AJ Styles vs. Ricochet for the WWE United States Championship: Ricochet was out in a full jumpsuit, looking like a biker Batman. Ricochet quickly used the OC out at ringside to his advantage, jumping off of them to hit Styles with a flying hurricanrana. Styles quickly got the advantage, and started to take out Ricochet’s base. Ricochet sold the leg like really well, even selling it when he hit his offense. At one point, Ricochet went for a springboard forearm, but only used one leg and got a near fall out of it. Several times as Ricochet went for his high impact offense, his knee buckled out from under him and he couldn’t continue. Styles capitalized on this and locked it a Calf Crusher, but Ricochet quickly transitioned into an Anaconda Vice. Ricochet took the advantage, and he had to fight off Anderson and Gallows on the outside, and Ricochet went for a twisting 450 splash, but Styles caught him in the air and transitioned into a Styles Clash for the win. It was an awesome finish. 

After the match, the OC hit Ricochet with a Magic Killer and gave a Too Sweet. 

Grade: B+. Good stuff from these two, good selling from Ricochet. They had a nice strike based match that was interlaid with some great leg work. Still probably not the best that they can do, but it was fun. That finishing spot was badass too. Really good stuff, but still not as good as I expected. HazyHannah says: Ricochet looked like a robot, and they hid his gorgeous muscles. When a man has that much muscles, you let ‘em pop.

Backstage again, we saw the Street Profits putting over Summerslam and Toronto. As they were talking, Ric Flair came up and they started to dance around with him and wooed a whole bunch. It was cute. 

Bayley vs. Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. The two started with a bit of grappling before getting into some nice striking. Bayley worked over Moon’s neck and back with various suplexes. Bayley even locked in a weird reverse boston crab, which looked painful but odd. Moon was able to fight back with some of her very interesting offense, kipping up for a hurricanrana and then a superkick. But when she went for a suicide dive, Bayley countered with a stiff strike to the face. Bayley tried to capitalize with a superplex, but Moon nailed a super hurricanrana, and then a spinout codebreaker for a near fall. Bayley won a bit out of nowhere, with a Bayley to belly off the top for the win.

Grade: B-. They had some good interactions, but it felt like they just started to go from move to move randomly, without much story or reason. Moon looked good though, and got a big pop during one of her near falls. So people like her a lot, she could be big. But it makes sense that Bayley won, this isn’t quite the match where it is her place to lose. I hope they do more with moon in the future, because she is great. HazyHannah says: Ember Moon looks like someone’s first D&D character. 

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon, if Owens loses then he quits: Before the match started, Shane got on the mic and called out Elias as the special guest enforcer. Shane rolled out of the ring right away, and Elias prevented Owens from attacking him. Eventually Shane got the first hit, and the two teed off on each other in the corner. At one point, Owens went to attack Shane on the outside, but Elias distracted him and allowed Shane to chuck him off and into the barricade. At one point, Shane tried to go for a Sharpshooter, but Owens pushed him away and nailed a pop up powerbomb, but Elias hopped on the apron and made sure the ref couldn’t count. Elias then threw a chair in the ring, which Owens nearly used, but opted not to. Shane then accidentally nailed Elias with a forearm, so Owens nailed a superkick, aa swanton bomb and a frog splash, but Elias pulled the ref out of the ring and stopped the count. Owens then gave Elias a cannonball off the apron, hitting both Elias and the ref. Owens opted to beat down Elias with a chair while the ref was down, taking him out of the equation. The ref got back in the ring and threw the chair away, so Owens gave Shane a low blow and a stunner for the win.

Grade: C. The overbooking of this match made it better than expected, but it still wasn’t very good. Fun to see some comeuppance. The low blow was satisfying. But this was just fun enough to be okay. HazyHannah says: I just don’t really care about this one. 

Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus: the two started with a classic staredown, but Trish came out swinging with a Thesz press. Charlotte quickly gained control by throwing her into the apron. Stratus was very much overwhelmed in this match. at one point she was hit with a big boot off the apron. Charlotte then held the ring ropes open, and then ambushed her as she entered. She was constantly jaw jacking with Stratus, who would constantly get too frustrated and get a couple shots in. At one point, the two battled on the top rope, and Charlotte nearly landed a super powerbomb, but Stratus countered with a hurricanrana for a near fall. Flair targeted the leg afterwards, giving Stratus a bit more respect. Stratus then locked in a figure four of her own to a huge pop. She even bridged into the figure 8, prompting Corey Graves to say “it’s not fair to flair.” Stratus then hit Stratusfaction, but Charlotte still kicked out. Stratus then tried to keep fighting, but Charlotte put her down with a big boot, and locked in the figure 8 for the win.

Grade: B+. This was quite a solid match. Stratus delivered a much better match than a lot of people expected, and I think that she could have another run in WWE if she wanted to. Charlotte was awesome here, playing up the “legend not good enough” angle. Her trash talking was great, and the second that she realized that Stratus was dangerous, Charlotte got serious and put her down. Good story and a good match. HazyHannah says: why do they have to wear extensions? Just let them put their hair up. Vince is a disgusting old man who loves blondes.

Backstage, Bret Hart gave Seth Rollins some encouragement. 

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship: As the match started Orton tried to give Kingston a pancake, but Kofi was not having the disrespect. Orton tried to push the champion, but Kingston was not just going to take that. He pushed right back and stood up to his old enemy. Early on, Orton pushed Kingston off the top and sent him flying into the barricade. Orton then slowed the pace down attacked each limb. Kofi fought back, giving Orton a boom drop and calling him stupid a bunch. Kingston then tried for trouble in paradise, but Orton caught him and gave him a brutal neckbreaker. on the outside, Kingston gave Orton an awesome flying clothesline to the outside, but he didn’t keep control for long. Orton gave him a hangman’s DDT, and tried for an RKO, but Kofi fought out. Kingston pushed him away and went for a splash, but Orton caught him with an RKO, but Kingston rolled to the outside. Orton then followed him to the outside and went to embarrass him in front of his kids, but Kofi fought back with a flurry of strikes. Then ref called for the bell for a double countout, ending the match in a stupid and BS way, which the crowd definitely agreed with. 

Kingston destroyed him with kendo stick shots to the back. He shattered the stick, and every time he hit Orton, the crowd chanted stupid. 

Grade: D+. This wasn’t too exciting. The action was slow, they didn’t incorporate the story into the match at all, and the ending was dumb and unnecessary.  Kingston should have won and just finished the feud. Summerslam is a place to cap things off, not start new things. This feud didn’t need to continue, but now it well. Not a good match. HazyHannah says: I fucking hate Orton. He is so boring. When they called him a brick wall, it is only because he has no personality or charisma. He has cool tattoos though. 

Finn Balor vs. The Fiend: Wyatt’s entrance was awesome, it was creepy as all hell. He had a lantern in a severed head, and a remixed version of his music. It started with the firefly funhouse but slowly morphed into the darker fiend color scheme, with “Let Me In” showing up word by word on the titantron. He was getting Holy Shit chants the second that he got in the ring. The Fiend changed up his mannerisms to be creepier and more sadistic, and was powering him all around the ring. He delivered wicked strikes to his head, neck and back. He nearly hit sister abigail, but Balor fought out of it with some quick strikes and attacks. Finn went to the top for the Coup de Gras, but the Fiend caught him in the mandible claw and got the pin.

After the match, the lights went out and The Fiend was illuminated with strobe lights, and then he was gone, leaving Balor alone in the ring. 

Grade: B-. A perfectly cool squash match. Exactly what it needed to be. It was creepy, showcased a new cool character, and got over with the crowd right away. Now we just need to see how the book the Fiend from here. I hope he isn’t wrestling every week on TV, because he needs a mystique around him. Keep up the firefly funhouse stuff, and let him be cool for a while, at least until he has a story that he needs to lose in. HazyHannah says: Finn looks like he is wearing a diaper. It is really distracting. But it’s a good thing he is wearing one, cuz the Fiend probably made him piss his pants. 

Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship: Rollins came out with his ribs taped up. Lesnar targeted the ribs, and Rollins sold like he was shot every time. Early on Lesnar went for a German suplex, but Rollins flipped out of it and nailed the curb stomp for a near fall. Rollins then nailed a flying knee, a pair of superkicks, but was caught in an F5 when he went for the curb stomp. Lesnar then picked Rollins up by the wrapping on his ribs and threw him across the ring. Lesnar kept control for a long time, delivering loads of German suplexes. He tried to give Rollins an F5 into the ring post, but Rollins slipped out and shoved him into it. Rollins tried to keep it up, but Lesnar continued with the German suplexes. He even busted out a bear hug to continue the attack on the ribs. Rollins fought back into it and delivered a pair of suicide dives, but Brock caught him on the third and ran him into the ringpost. Lesnar then went for a move through the table, but Seth countered and got him on the table with a superkick, giving him a huge frog splash through it. He and Lesnar got back in the ring, so Lesnar nailed him with another frog splash, and hit a Curb Stomp for yet another near fall. Rollins then went for the curb stomp again, but Lesnar got him up for an F5. Rollins slipped out and nailed another superkick, finishing the match with a Curb Stomp. 

Grade: A-. This was a really good match. They had a lot of big spots that were mixed in with working over Rollins’ ribs, and they did a really good job of convincing us that Rollins couldn’t win this. He was doing a great job of being in peril, and it made for a great match. Awesome selling from both guys, and Rollins once again overcame the odds. Match of the night. HazyHannah says: this is the best match of the night and it’s only been 5 minutes. 

Overall Grade: B-

Predictions: 9/10. Although the finish of the WWE Championship was dumb.

Pros: Nattie vs. Lynch; goldberg squash; style vs. ricochet; charlotte vs. stratus; fiend debut; main event

Cons: owens vs. shane; kingston vs. orton

[naysaltysalmon]

I’m back!

Upon my return from China, I noticed there were a lot of things weighing me down... that I can just throw the fuck out.

I could expound upon all of these in great detail, but it really would be pointless. And I wouldn’t be able to cover it all anyway. So instead I’ve decided to make a post of every icon I’ve used for my online persona over the years.

The reason for this is... at the end of the program I attended, we had an entire week of silent meditation. We weren’t allowed to talk or communicate with anyone in any way, including gestures, eye contact, or physical touch. So, during this time I had the realization that the stories I’ve been interested in have been my main source of comfort over the years. No person, place, or thing has felt more permanent to me than this.

However, permanence is an illusion, as the Buddhists say (I stayed in a Buddhist monastery in China, in case you’re wondering). My interests have changed over the years -- from the first fandoms I got obsessed with, to my interests now. I may still adore the series that I enjoyed as a child, but definitely not in the same way.

Coming home, I realized... I no longer want to attach my identity to one character or series. That’s why I’ve decided to make this post. I want to reflect on all the egos of my past, on what they have meant to me, so that I can let them go. I’ve been clinging to a folder of them for too long.

To anyone who’s been here since the very start of my blog, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is an acknowledgement of my transformation from then until now.

And so:

Breadward Elric. My first Internet icon, which I had for 2 and a half years from May 2011 -- 2013. My blog was originally entirely FMAB content, created in January of 2012, and while this format didn’t last the entire time that I had this icon, Breadward saw me through the majority of my early anime and video game obsessions. He jump-started my personality on the Internet as a fanfic author, a blogger, and an artist. I will never forget him... ;~;

Comrade Führer Tamama. I had this icon for 8 months in early 2013 -- early 2014. What can I say? Tamama’s passionate personality resonated with me, especially when he was finally able to be in control (in the episode this particular screenshot is from). Gotta get those cola oceans pronto!

Yokoso waga tainai e [Welcome to my Womb ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]. I had a phase during the summer of 2014, okay. But I still love this maniacal snake’s crusty ass, fite me. I admire KagePro immensely for the popularity and development it gave characters in song format. Of course, favorite of those characters was Kuroha, a snake whose only desire was to keep granting wishes so that he could survive. Add a touch of murderous intent and you have the complete package -- I won’t deny he appealed(appeals) to my wild side -- okay moving on.

KeroTama hugge 👀. I had this icon for about 4-6 months in 2014 before the Hunter x Hunter phase hit. God, I shipped them so hard *facepalms* It was funny though, it’s like KagePro hit me like a hurricane during this summer and then I went right back to being KeroTama trash. Amazing.

Softly Smiling Pika. I kept this icon for at least 9-10 months at the end of 2014 -- early 2015, until I found Owari no Seraph. Kurapika was definitely my bae at the start of my HxH phase -- and in many ways he still is. The current arc gives me this sense of nostalgia of being a 15-year-old again, deeply in love but too in denial to see it. Watching him as a young adult, I see how far I’ve come, how I could have ended up... since I believed myself to be most closely alike with Kurapika at the time. And now I know that’s not the case... I remember debating between many other Kurapika icons and finally choosing this one because I dearly wanted to believe I too could find my happiness in the friends around me, even if it seemed all was hopeless behind the scenes.

Yuu babe. I had this icon for 4 months in the middle of 2015, I remember. Yuichiro Hyakuya was an underappreciated dorky genius at the time, much like how Gon is in HxH now, except... Now in the series... *deep sighs* *clenches fist* I still love his piercing citrine eyes and the dynamism of this icon/pose though.

Cuties T^T (MikaYuu edition). Mmm I kept this icon for a while, something like most of 2016, at least 6-8 months, probably more like 9 or 10. Looking back, I still wonder how/why the author was a fucking coward and didn’t make MikaYuu happen. We coulda had it aaallllll...... Anyway, this is when I was writing Ebony & Ivory, my most popular fic to date, so I was reveling in the reputation I gained from that. This icon was me accepting that while I was no longer friends with my best friend from middle school to 11th grade, I would still pursue my own happiness in the perfect relationship that I saw in MikaYuu. *nods* It’s fitting.

Caught Child². I shared this and the next couple of icons with a friend that I met online, who used the Gon equivalent. I think we shared this one for about 3 months of 2016. This is when I became re-obsessed with Hunter x Hunter and realized how much I had changed between 2014 and 2016. It’s an obsession that’s more or less carried onto now, and redefined my adulthood, as I see my progression as I refer back to HxH for guidance to this day.

Content Chompy Boye. I love this icon. I kept this icon for a long time, something like 5-6 months in December 2016 -- mid-2017. The colors of the background contrast with Killua’s white hair, pale skin, and dark muscle shirt... I still used this icon on other websites until just a few days ago (when I most recently changed my icon) because I thought it looked the best backdropped against the format of other websites. I love this scene in the series, though; while (human) Palm is chattering on about her worry that Gon and Killua will be able to defeat Knuckle and Shoot in time, Killua continues to eat without a care in the world. It’s a mood I feel at least once a day, whether while eating or getting a back massage -- as if that ever happens -- 11/10.

Pizza Devil Brat. I like this icon a lot and kept it on a few websites for longer too, but with the way I edited it, the green background becomes a little too headache-inducing if you stare at it too long, so 8/10 -- okay no more out of 10 ratings, this isn’t that kind of post. I believe I kept this icon for about 3-4 months in 2017 and possibly early 2018 as well. From the same scene the previous Kurapika icon came from, this remains one of my favorite scenes in the entire series for its serious undertones over the light happiness that underlies Gon’s, Killua’s, and Kurapika’s (and Leorio’s -- but he’s not in this scene) interactions with each other throughout the series.

Grumpy Gem Gremlin. I was sharing the last three icons with that friend, including this one, with the Phos equivalent (more or less). I think we only kept it for about a month or month and a half in 2017 or beginning of 2018 before switching to the next one. Cinnabar’s desire for a purpose and closeness to others despite her poisonous nature... is definitely something I can understand and relate to.

Sad Gem Child. Damn, I think we’re all still waiting for the day Gormie realizes Aechmea’s a creepy sugar daddy and dropkicks his ass into the ocean where the Admirabilis can decompose his cloudy body like he doesn’t deserve. When will Land of the Lustrous return from the war? I’m still waiting, Ichikawa. Anyway I think we kept this icon for about a month or maybe two in 2018, not long at all.

Gay Childe™. Look, this is one of the gayest scenes in the entire series and it’s right after my favorite episode(s)/scene(s) in the entire series (so far) and it’s not even acknowledged by anyone. Just. Holy Fuck. Anyway I think I kept this icon for about 6-8 months to cap off 2018. And this is where the Big Breakup happened, where my friend decided to choose an icon that deviated from mine, but I kept this icon for a lot longer due to what this scene means to me, placed after/during my favorite episode. ;v;

And finally, BoMH (Blood on My Hands) Pika. I used this icon for 8 months from the start of 2019 until just a few days ago (approx. 8 months). This icon was originally the cover for a Kurapika fic that I started back in 2015 and ended up discontinuing because it was pretty slow-paced, and thus unpopular, which made it become difficult for me to write. But I got all the way up to 97k words before I quit, simply because of the freedom and joy I felt in creating all the OCs that I fit into Kurapika’s journey as he searched for the Kurta eyes after the Yorknew City Arc. Looking back, I’m proud of the planning and commitment that I succeeded in undertaking with this fic -- it was about halfway done by the time I stopped writing it -- and I feel I want to return to this concept one day. Even if the arcs were pretty formulaic at times and, well, boring, I wanted this icon at the start of 2019 to be a new person separate from my recent past matching icons; a representation of my ability to reconnect with my past, but to no longer be afraid of it; to be proud of it, but still recognizing the not-so-good parts, laying it to rest by no longer avoiding it.

My icon now, as I’m sure you can see... is nothing like those I’ve used thus far. I definitely have no intention of moving away from anime or my past. I simply wish to redefine who I am in relation to them, rather than being defined by them.

...I’ve discovered a lot about myself over the past 2 years since college started, more than I ever thought possible. I discovered a lot while in China, too. And I need my online persona to reflect that in every form, as I’ve done every time there was a change.

Thank you all for being with me on this journey: for following me, for reading my posts, for liking my art, for talking with me and blowing up my notifications on every platform...

I’ll be pursuing the next chapter(s) of Human, TIDU, and other works soon. ^.^