#year in review : january

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 ✧• ─

𝟏𝟏 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : William wrote the foreword of 'They Also Served: 200 People Who Trained at Sandhurst' being published by the military college. He visited Headingley Stadium for the Investiture of Mr. Robert Burrow and Mr. Kevin Sinfield with the Insignia of Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. 𝟏𝟕 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Kensington Palace released a statement announcing that Catherine' had undergone a planned abdominal surgery and William would be taking a break from his public work as he supports and cares for his family through the time of her recovery. 𝟏𝟖 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : William was photographed visiting the London Clinic where the Princess of Wales was staying as she underwent surgery. 𝟐𝟗 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Kensington Palace released a statement announcing the end of Catherine's hospital stay and thanking the staff and wellwishers on behalf of The Prince and Princess of Wales. 𝟑𝟏 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : William sent a letter to the British Blockchain Association congratulating them on their work and its culmination into the twelfth issue of the journal.

[riddlerosehearts]

gelphie and wicked constantly trending on this site is INSANE because that's exactly what i dreamed of ever since it was announced that we were getting a movie, which was so long ago that i wasn't even on tumblr yet (movie was announced in 2012 and i joined in 2013). back then i thought it probably wouldn't even be all that good but i just hoped that people who were unfamiliar with the stage musical would like the movie enough to make gelphie a bit more popular, and look where we are now!! i hope next we can make gelphie hit the top 10 ships in 2025's year in review. it probably won't happen but it's what they deserve.

[wikiangela]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

Words and Fics

192,761 words published to ao3

2 fandoms (911 and MCU - mcu was like one fic tho lol)

Most recent drop: I wanna spend my forever like that (911, 8.6k, G)

Longest fic: For a holiday (and forevermore) (911, 95k, M)

Top Fics by Kudos

For a holiday (and forevermore) (95k, M)

I can't love you any more (than I do now) (2.6k, G)

I'd marry you with paper rings (3.4k, G)

me, you, our kid and a dog (4.7k, G)

me and you only equals love (6.6k, E)

My fandom fic events in 2023

I don't think I took part in any this year :( maybe next year haha

Upcoming Events and Projects for 2024

well, right now I'm working on a few wips im hoping to get done in the next few weeks/months (depending on time and inspiration lol):

the alive shannon fic - this is my main focus and i hope to maybe finish it sometime next year but who knows hah (I barely started, it's gonna be a while)

buddie coffee shop au - ive been working on this for so long and it's lowkey on hold now but istg i'll finish this

buddie cheating fic

the natalia fic

married buddie smut

another smut I haven't mentioned yet but it's waiting until i finish married buddie smut

bi eddie fic

and probably some more oneshots lol

but tbh, we'll see where the next year takes me, I can't plan too much bc it never works out haha

rules & tags below the cut

tagged by @exhuastedpigeon @underwater-ninja-13 @hippolotamus @jesuisici33 @jamespearce9-1-1 @theotherbuckley @steadfastsaturnsrings @rainbow-nerdss <333

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

no pressure tagging: @malewifediaz @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @honestlydarkprincess @spotsandsocks @loserdiaz @lover-of-mine @disasterbuckdiaz @monsterrae1 @jeeyuns @housewifebuck @giddyupbuck @hoodie-buck @spagheddiediaz @daffi-990 and whoever else wants to <3

[typewriter-worries]

Maybe January light will consume my heart with its cruel ray

I do not love you except because I love you, Pablo Neruda 

[carcarrot]

ok letterboxd update: ive logged everything ive watched since the start of september 2023 however:

im missing januarys movies (will update)

most of the gaps in movie diary months are when ive watched a tv episode (mostly columbo, occasionally mst3k or rare days when ive just watched what was on tv)

i havent counted movies ive watched while commuting/at work yet

[enchantedlandcoffee]

my 2023 art year in review

inspired by and using @londonfoginacup 's template and post found here

[athetos]

I finally (after years of putting it off) watched annihilation and honestly I was pleasantly surprised because while I don’t think it was superior to the book in any way, it served as a nice complement. It took the main themes and vibes and made something enjoyable and unsettling that can stand on its own. I think the metaphor about refraction was a really nice addition, and the many (so, so many) changes from the book were mostly born from necessity as it would be impossible to translate them to a visual medium. I’m glad it didn’t try to just copy the book’s plot and characterization because it would never hold a candle to Jeff vandermeer’s writing.

However, with all that said, there are two glaring detractions. Firstly, the ending was disappointing. If I had the ability to change just one detail, it would be to make it ambiguous as to whether the shimmer truly disappeared, or if it advanced to encompass the entire planet. That alone would be much more interesting. Obviously I don’t expect them to tackle questions like “what IS the shimmer” because even the novels don’t really answer that question (I mean there’s a 4th book in the works so MAYBE but c’mon it’s Jeff vandermeer he’s not going to give a definitive answer).

The second major criticism I have is that there’s no tower or crawler! I know they kind of merged the tower with the lighthouse but it’s a pretty weird omission to me since the tower is the most significant part of the first book and whenever I think about them, I always picture the tower and the nonsensical but chilling scripture first. I do understand why it might not have been included for budget and set purposes but I’m so distraught over this…

I guess the last two, smaller criticisms I have is that they had to throw in a contrived affair (why does every other movie feel the need to do this) and that they didn’t explain what annihilation meant. I won’t spoil it for people who haven’t read it but it has a very specific meaning that gave me chills when it was explained. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention the psychologist using any type of hypnotism or mind tricks on them at all. It adds a lot more to Ventress’ character even without the backstory for her we get in the other two books, and it would play way more into the “are we being manipulated to turn on each other” question that arose.

Other than that I think most of the changes made sense from a filmmaking perspective. Lena is ex-military so they can show her shooting big damn guns. They let them bring electronics into the shimmer because finding a videotape left behind is way more interesting to the audience than reading a journal entry. They gave the other survey members backstories to make the audience get more attached to them. They let Kane live because they needed another ��changed’ person for the ending. Kane (presumably the original) committed suicide because it was a great way to show the plot twist. Etc etc

I also want to address that there is whitewashing in this movie but it seems to come from a place of genuine unawareness. The main character is Asian and the psychologist is indigenous in the books however they’re both white in the movie, but their races are never touched on until the second book, which was being written and cast at the time of the script’s writing (the rights for the film adaptation were acquired before the first book was even officially released!) I truly don’t think anyone involved was aware of this information, as it just wasn’t available. I don’t know enough about the filming process to know if they could have altered it after the second book came out or if it was too late in the process, so that’s all I have to say, but I don’t think it was done with malicious intent at all.

TLDR: it was a good movie and I recommend it but I recommend the books way harder go read them right now

[emachinescat]

A Year in (Book) Review: My 2024 Reading Journey 📚

#6 - The Legacy of Yangchen by F. C. Yee

Fantasy / Chronicles of the Avatar #4 / 336 pages / published 2023 / Finished Jan. 11

One Sentence Review: Even better than its predecessor, Legacy enriches the world and history of the Avatar world even further, ties up all loose ends, mends the rifts that were so distressing to me in the first book, expands the political complexities of the world, and gives all characters a satisfying ending.

Favorite Quotes

"Everyone wanted to write history, but there was only so much ink to go around."

*

"Maybe the world, blithely dancing along the precipice, needed to know what it was like to fall."

*

"You are so deep in my pocket, you're covered in lint."

*

"The true mind could weather illusions without being lost. The true heart could touch poison without being harmed."

*

"The work would wait for you, no matter the ragged tear in your spirit. Work would be a lover in your bed as you wept, ever present and steady, cradling you when you woke up soaked in your sweat, unsure of how long you'd lost consciousness. You still have me. You always have me."

My rating: 5/5

A Few More Thoughts (Spoilers)

If the first book was incredible, then this one is a masterpiece! It's exciting, smart, challenging, and, much like the show it comes from, offers a beautiful redemption arc that is hard won. It also kept me guessing at every turn. The ending is perfect, and the relationship between Yangchen and Kavik is life!

I had no idea that the stabbing and torture scene with Kavik was a ruse, nor that it was Kavik's idea in the first place. I was also completely tricked into thinking that Yingsu was dead. I suppose I was also surprised - and impressed - by all that these characters went through. I did not expect Nujian to die - that hurt!

This book teaches that peace and prosperity do not always come easily. In fact, sometimes healing can only come after everything we love, feel, or believe is lost, sacrificed, or put to the test. Also, the pressure of being the Avatar is far too much for one person to bear.

[swag-system]

yeah im what they call a pro gamer

[garygoldenbignaturals]

the first time i bought & installed bloodlines i actually didn't understand the game like how how does anything work here in this fuckass game (i was a fool who skipped the tutorial). but the main theme was so good i put it in my vgm playlist anyway and listened to it for months without even knowing what the game was really about

[author-a-holmes]

Preface

This year was a year where I learnt a lot about myself. As many of you know, I released my debut novel, Changeling, in March. This was a literal dream come true for me, and I spent the majority of January, February and the first half of March editing the final files, and organizing the release.

All while trying to continue writing Darkling.

And then I burnt out. Hard. I wouldn't call it a mistake, I've learnt a lot about myself and the publishing process, and what my limits are, but it took me quite a bit longer than I'd have liked to recover from that burnout, and so my stats for this year, once I take a look at this, probably aren't going to be a steady as I'd like.

And what I mean by that is there were several periods where I tried to push forward, but had to let it go and continue just recuperating.

It's only been in the tail end of 2023 I've begun writing semi-regularly again, but I digress. Let's dig into some statistics for 2023...

Projects Worked On

Darkling 77,136 words (This year! Total manuscript is almost 100k right now) - Bonus Scene; 1,109

Flash Fiction Pieces 1,264 words over 4 pieces of flash fiction

Fanfiction 825 words over 2 pieces of fanfiction Fandoms: @night-market-if's The Night Market Interactive Fiction

Total Words Written in 2023: 82,415 Total Time Spent Writing in 2023: 71 hours 40 minutes

First Quarter - January-February-March

Words: 19,428 Time Writing: 19 hours 30 minutes Time Editing: 11 hours 20 minutes

This period I was hyper-focussed on getting ARC's of Changeling out to readers, finalising formatting, particularly for the Hardcover, reviewing proof copies, setting up all the various sales channels, and most of the time I logged in January was Editing Time as I needed to review the notes left my by Editor before release.

Once the editing was finalised, I tried catching up with Darkling in between everything else and this is where I really began struggling. I'd thrown myself into my self-edits in December of 2022, and in hindsight I really needed a break but, with a deadline approaching, I just couldn't take one.

Second Quarter - April-May-June

Words: 5,224 Time Writing: 2 hours 20 minutes

April and May I wrote absolutely nothing. Not a single word. And while I never announced it publically, June was supposed to be the original release date for Darkling.

Which meant I had to cancel my editor slot, and re-evaluate where I stood on what I could reasonably accomplish. This is really where I began to recognise how hard I'd pushed myself into a burnout.

After writing nothing for two months, June was where I tried to do a complete reset, and start from scratch building up my daily wordcount and, well. I just wasn't ready yet. I managed 2 days in June, on the 3rd and 4th, and then crashed back into writing nothing.

Third Quarter - July-August-September

Words: 1,346 Time Writing: 1 hour 20 minutes

After crashing in my reset attempt in June, I knew I had to just ride the burnout to it's end. Pushing was only going to make it last longer. I also knew I had a long-awaited holiday set in September. It was my first holiday in about 15 years, so I decided to not set any goals for this quarter. If the mood to write struck me, I'd go with it, but otherwise I was concentrating on reading, on preparing for my holiday, and on outlining other ideas, worldbuilding, and anything to do with my books that wasn't actually putting new words down on the page.

One of those things was figuring out a bonus scene to give away for Darkling Preorders, and I did try working on that a little in August. That's where most of my words for this quarter landed, but most of my time was spent outlining.

And the thing is, the holiday actually really helped. Where I went on holiday happened to be a very similar landscape/enviroment to one of the location in Darkling, and I found around the middle of the holiday I was handwriting in a notebook. I'd not done that in a long time.

Fourth Quarter - October-November-December

October Words: 2,439 Time Writing: 2 hours 45 minutes

November Words: 51,841 Time Writing: 43 hours 45 minutes

December Words: 2,273 Time Writing: 1hour 40 minutes

I came back from my holiday re-energised and knew I wanted to dive straight back into Darkling while still riding that high. I spent some time writing in October, before I hit a few snags and realised I needed to get a birds eye view on the plot.

So I stepped back from writing again to rehash my outline. I now have a timeline of events stuck to the large cupboard in my living room, but it set me up for success in November's Nanowrimo.

My original goal for Nano was 75k, which would have completed the Darkling Manuscript, but November Nano's are always hard, and I've only just pulled myself out of a 6-month burnout, so I had no intention of pushing myself too hard. I did win Nano, but with 51k and change.

Which left me just December to finish the final 20-25k. I'm always a little slower in December. A reaction to a fast Nanowrimo/November, combined with family and holiday seasonal stuff pulling at my time, so I didn't get as much done as I'd have liked, before Christmas prep took up all my free time. I did still managed a few thousand words though, so I was happy enough with that considering how the rest of 2023 had gone.

Goals for 2024

I try and keep my goals vague and loose, because I know I can't always commit to things, especially long term, but in general I'm just going to try and make self care a priority this year, while still making progress and moving forward with my writing.

Make my health a priority

Pace my writing and editing time to avoid burnout

Publish Darkling

Complete the Fey Touched manuscript

Send out my newsletter regularly

Books Read in 2023

I do consider the books I read part of my process. Something to refill the creative well, so here's a list of books I've read over the course of the year too...

Lux by Rae Else (My Review of 'Lux') .

Shut Up and Write The Book by Jenna Moreci (My Review of 'Shut Up & Write The Book') .

Fernweh Saga Book One (Interactive Fiction) (My Review of 'Fernweh Saga Book #1' on Steam) .

A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick (My Review of 'A Rival Most Vial') .

Changeling by Arista Holmes (Yes, I did reread my own book!) (Goodreads Reviews of Changeling; 4.58 Stars) .

The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff (Tradpub) .

The Night Market Book One by Zinnia Demitasse (Interactive Fiction) (My Review of 'The Night Market Book #1' on Steam) .

Wrath and Wraiths, Chronicles of the Dawnblade Book Four by Andrew Claydon (My Review of 'Wrath and Wraiths') .

The Signature Move by Cassandra Diviak (My Review of 'The Signature Move') .

City of Souls by Mel Harding-Shaw (Reread!) (My Review of City of Souls) .

Shards of Stasis by Mel Harding-Shaw .

Shrine of Stars by Mel Hardin-Shaw . And my current read it;

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (Tradpub)

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ CATHERINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW : 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 ✧• ─

𝟗 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Catherine celebrated her 42nd Birthday. To mark the occasion Buckingham Palace released an unseen photograph featuring her from the Coronation last year. 𝟏𝟔 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Catherine underwent a planned abdominal surgery at The London Clinic. 𝟏𝟕 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Kensington Palace released a statement saying that Catherine had undergone a planned abdominal surgery and will be taking her time away from her public life as she continues her recovery.. 𝟏𝟔 - 𝟐𝟗 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Catherine was admitted at The London Clinic, as she recovered from a serious abdominal surgery. 𝟐𝟗 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 : Kensington Palace released a statement announcing that Catherine had returned home following her hospital stay and thanking the staff and wellwishers.

[servuscallidus]

I might actually find enough articles to write a systematic review instead of a tesi compilativa??

[cloudsspoke]

First of all, I don't know just how far a Goalie can do dirty tricks during a penalty shoot-out before the Referee books them with a card. If throwing/kicking the ball away, or randomly asking for a handshake all being done to disrupt the opponent are okay, why then both Lloris and this 🇳🇱 Goalie (Noppert) didn't do it toward the Argentina squad when that’s exactly the thing Dibu did to their teammates 🤔

p.s: credit for this 🇳🇱 player because Dibu failed in distraughting him  (ft. creepy pyscho smile of Dibu that terrified the shit out of me)

The things that I did notice is funny how the one who did the intimidation was the 🇳🇱 players. Here Fide ran right away to guard Enzo from the 🇳🇱 player, while Dibu helped Enzo by making sure the ball was ready for him after fought for it when Weghorst tried to snatch the ball from Dibu's hands (during the Final against France, Dibu did the same to Lea), for me it’s a little gesture but meaningful what Dibu did to them.

Again, several 🇳🇱 players tried to intimidate Lauti, but the Scaloneta guys knew very well that Lauti won't get affected by it (unlike how so protective Fide toward Enzo), but Ota was split second ready to protest/defend Lauti but got back to his position when he saw the referee about to book the 🇳🇱 player. And at last!, Noppert tried to intimidate Lauti but who the fuck he tried to kid? He should do that from the start ever since Dibu blocked Virgil’s. Now it’s just too late for toying the ball cuz he's helpless against Lauti who coldly pushed him back before El Toro even pushed the ball right to his face. 

The rest is history 😂 Ota mocked the Flying Dutchman squad is exactly what they deserved.

And big mad props to Messi who was the only player who ran toward Dibu while all the players ran for Lauti.

And for the record, we probably should thank 🇳🇱 goalie for being so generous (or naïve?) toward the La Scaloneta squad because he did no such a thing as play with the ball to taunt 🇦🇷 player (did it to Lauti, but again, too late), nor he did help his own teammate when it's their turn to kick because after Messi, Lea, Montiel, and Enzo took the shot, Dibu took the ball and that’s how Dibu got a chance to show his ‘mind games’ toward the 🇳🇱 player 😂

the end.

[sabraeal]

20, 30

20. Share your favorite ending line

“No? Come now, Mistress Shirayuki.” Izana is not one to cajole, but it is worth it to see her scowl; if they were beasts in truth, her ears would lay flat along her head. “Wouldn’t you enjoy having me at your beck and call again?” “Beck…?” She blinks at him owlishly. “You hardly listen to a thing I said!” “I had other concerns at the time.” Trying to secure an alliance with Arleon’s younger sister, for one. “But this time, I promise…” His lips unfurl into a lazy grin. “…You will have my full attention.”

From Come to Heel, Chapter 1

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

Already answered this one, but I suppose one of the ones I'm really looking forward to in January is getting a crack at the Nanami/Bakery Girl fic, since that thing has been percolating in my head since I started watching JJK in October. NANAMIN SHOULD GET SOMETHING NICE, OKAY.

2023 in Review

[stardustandrockets]

Do you have a favorite book with bisexual rep?

I read Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell last February for the @rainbowcrate book club. Did I understand everything in the book? Not at all. Did I love the absolute chaos of the characters and their journey? For sure!

This political intrigue space opera follows Prince Kiem, who has an arranged marriage bomb dropped on him, and Jainan, an ambassador from another planet whose partner just died and who Kiem is betrothed. What happens next is a string of communication issues, problems due to the miscommunication, an investigation into Jainan's late partner's death, a few attempts at effective communication that go... not so well.

Usually, books that are extremely political are hard for me to follow and I lose interest, but that wasn't the case for Winter's Orbit. The world building was so well fleshed out and I loved how big a role culture plays. In this universe, sexuality is a fluid thing and gender expression is shown through the items they wear. No one questions it. This made for such a refreshing reading experience!

I adore Kiem and his chaotic bisexual energy so much! He was

incredibly kind and perceptive—the perfect match to Jainan's careful guardedness and intensity. And, while the miscommunication trope usually incites me with rage, it paid off so well in the end. Don't get me wrong, I was still absolutely screaming in my car while listening to the audiobook. That's what happens when you get both POVs.

Seeing Kiem and Jainan connect on such a deeply emotional level was everything. I adored watching them grow, uncover the past, and move past it together.

CW for past abusive relationship (mental, physical, gaslighting) discussed between characters and seen in flash backs, violence, torture

• For a full list, check StoryGraph