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2025 NYR Roundup & 2026 Goals & Resolutions
Jan. 7th, 2026 01:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_doyleWell, I didn’t blog more this year. Definitely didn’t talk about the books I read - a final count for 2025 of 244 novels, novellas, & graphic novels.
While I wanted 365, I’m happy with what I read. Although I did realize just after Christmas that an awful lot of what I read was just indifferent - I did worse than usual at reading things I actually felt were good.
I wanted to write 60k words of prose & 60k words of RPG book. What I got was 25,881 words of prose, & 15,696 of RPG book, which I kept putting off, because preparing for the next session of the next game I was running was more important.
If I counted my session notes towards my writing goals, I’d have blown my goals away. I’m running ten games, now that it’s my day job, and I probably wrote at least 10,000 words of session prep per game. So I’ve got the habit of regular writing down, it’s just a matter of work-life balance. Putting the words on the projects I want to be putting them on.
I kept admitting out loud when I was wrong. It continues to be good for me.
For 2026, I’m setting the same three goals at the same levels. I’m also setting three more.
First, I want to finish All Gentle Sounds, the eldritch ghost story murder mystery near-future sci-fi slow burn polyamorous romance I’ve been working on since 2020. Towards that end, if anyone would be interested in reading it, I’ll post chapters, locked & filtered. Getting fresh feedback is hugely motivating for me, and my writers’ group, the Unstable Orbitals, hasn’t met since the pandemic started. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to that filter!
Second, I’m going to finish at least a draft of The Callous Corps Officers’ Handbook, the RPG setting book I’ve been only slowly adding to since 2024. Not sure how best to drive my productivity there; I’ll think about it (is that something people would also like to see excerpted or discussed here?).
Third, in February I was diagnosed with diabetes. I’ve made some major lifestyle changes accordingly and saw some great early improvement on my blood glucose numbers, but I backslid quite a bit over the holiday, and I didn’t manage to start any regular exercise. So I want to do that, and make myself accountable for that.
All of those things probably mean more blogging, if only because doing this stuff where other people can see it keeps me honest.
While I wanted 365, I’m happy with what I read. Although I did realize just after Christmas that an awful lot of what I read was just indifferent - I did worse than usual at reading things I actually felt were good.
I wanted to write 60k words of prose & 60k words of RPG book. What I got was 25,881 words of prose, & 15,696 of RPG book, which I kept putting off, because preparing for the next session of the next game I was running was more important.
If I counted my session notes towards my writing goals, I’d have blown my goals away. I’m running ten games, now that it’s my day job, and I probably wrote at least 10,000 words of session prep per game. So I’ve got the habit of regular writing down, it’s just a matter of work-life balance. Putting the words on the projects I want to be putting them on.
I kept admitting out loud when I was wrong. It continues to be good for me.
For 2026, I’m setting the same three goals at the same levels. I’m also setting three more.
First, I want to finish All Gentle Sounds, the eldritch ghost story murder mystery near-future sci-fi slow burn polyamorous romance I’ve been working on since 2020. Towards that end, if anyone would be interested in reading it, I’ll post chapters, locked & filtered. Getting fresh feedback is hugely motivating for me, and my writers’ group, the Unstable Orbitals, hasn’t met since the pandemic started. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to that filter!
Second, I’m going to finish at least a draft of The Callous Corps Officers’ Handbook, the RPG setting book I’ve been only slowly adding to since 2024. Not sure how best to drive my productivity there; I’ll think about it (is that something people would also like to see excerpted or discussed here?).
Third, in February I was diagnosed with diabetes. I’ve made some major lifestyle changes accordingly and saw some great early improvement on my blood glucose numbers, but I backslid quite a bit over the holiday, and I didn’t manage to start any regular exercise. So I want to do that, and make myself accountable for that.
All of those things probably mean more blogging, if only because doing this stuff where other people can see it keeps me honest.
#4
Jan. 7th, 2026 12:31 pmgreen(I am still working on #3)
for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
snowflake_challenge
Challenge #4: Rec Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
This is what I've been looking at today:
Massachusetts "Name a Snowplow" Contest Winners!
School children came up with these wonderful (and punny!) snowplow names, which will be used this winter (2025/2026)
My favorites: Master Snowda and Thaw Patrol
How to Create a Powerful Character Arc by Jerry Jenkins.
I was looking at this as a quick reference for a post I was writing of my own about plotting while pantsing. Hopefully a future post forgetyourwordsout. It's a pretty clear guide for getting started with writing character arcs, as it says on the tin.
(by the way, pledging for 2026 ends January 15, so you don't have much more time if you want to join in a wonderful writing community with GYWO!)
Also, right now I have a tab open with my5soulmates prompt table! I haven't started writing yet, but I've got some ideas percolating.
Another tab I have open is the![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
deterweek themes list. I'm going to be writing one story with whimsicalmeerkat and one solo. At least that's the plan!
for
snowflake_challengeChallenge #4: Rec Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
This is what I've been looking at today:
Massachusetts "Name a Snowplow" Contest Winners!
School children came up with these wonderful (and punny!) snowplow names, which will be used this winter (2025/2026)
My favorites: Master Snowda and Thaw Patrol
How to Create a Powerful Character Arc by Jerry Jenkins.
I was looking at this as a quick reference for a post I was writing of my own about plotting while pantsing. Hopefully a future post for
getyourwordsout. It's a pretty clear guide for getting started with writing character arcs, as it says on the tin.(by the way, pledging for 2026 ends January 15, so you don't have much more time if you want to join in a wonderful writing community with GYWO!)
Also, right now I have a tab open with my
5soulmates prompt table! I haven't started writing yet, but I've got some ideas percolating.Another tab I have open is the
whimsicalmeerkat and one solo. At least that's the plan!
her little boy lost in our little world that hated
Jan. 6th, 2026 06:56 pmmusesfoolBack at work, but thankfully 1. I don't have to commute, and 2. we are having no-meeting week, so I can just cross one major task off my list every day without adding new things like meeting notes or whatever.
I think the thing I've enjoyed most about the ancillary explosion of joy around Heated Rivalry is the two hockey podcasts that engaged fully and open-heartedly with it (well, and the proliferation of "Ilya gets added to the WAG chat" fic). Normally hockey podcast bros are not a species I have time for (aside from not being good at podcasts or audiobooks in general), but the Empty Netters dudes were super adorable in their reviews, and they also interviewed Ksenia Daniela with great excitement and are scheduled to have Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie on soon.
I also enjoyed What Chaos's less in-depth but still positive look at the show, and they have a couple of interviews with Jacob Tierney available that I haven't watched yet. I was also very pleased when, during a discussion about Shane's ginger ale habit, one of the dudes started talking about a restaurant(?) that lets you choose ginger ale or 7Up for your Shirley Temples, and I was like, "gotta go with ginger ale on that" and then the guy was like, "and the ones with ginger ale are great!" Because that is the legit truth, my friends. I'm not saying I won't drink a Shirley Temple with 7UP, but I am saying that the ones with ginger ale are 1. how we made them when I was a kid, and 2. better. I was reminded of how we ordered one every night at the free cocktail hour on that cruise we went on back in 2015, which definitely made an impression on the staff. *g* (Princess Donut also approves.)
So I feel like those were a great extender of joy, if you are in need. It's really lovely to see some cishet hockey dudes becoming fans of m/m romance.
In other fannish news, I just read that Sebastian Stan may be in Matt Reeve's The Batman, Part 2 and I don't want to get my hopes up or get fixated on a specific part for him to play, but like, wouldn't he be a fantastic Harvey Dent/Two-Face??? GIVE IT TO ME.
Scarlett Johansson has also been rumored to be involved somehow, and she'd have to be like, Poison Ivy, right? Though maybe they're going with more of a Mask of the Phantasm type thing and she'll be Andrea Beaumont? But I am not sure I buy Battinson as having a girlfriend before Selina, and also, why would you try to compete with Mask of the Phantasm? It's so good, you're just setting yourself up for not measuring up. (I guess she could be Talia, but I hope not.)
I guess we'll see what materializes! I'm kind of sad that they are not in continuity with James Gunn's Superman, because that would be fun to see.
*
I think the thing I've enjoyed most about the ancillary explosion of joy around Heated Rivalry is the two hockey podcasts that engaged fully and open-heartedly with it (well, and the proliferation of "Ilya gets added to the WAG chat" fic). Normally hockey podcast bros are not a species I have time for (aside from not being good at podcasts or audiobooks in general), but the Empty Netters dudes were super adorable in their reviews, and they also interviewed Ksenia Daniela with great excitement and are scheduled to have Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie on soon.
I also enjoyed What Chaos's less in-depth but still positive look at the show, and they have a couple of interviews with Jacob Tierney available that I haven't watched yet. I was also very pleased when, during a discussion about Shane's ginger ale habit, one of the dudes started talking about a restaurant(?) that lets you choose ginger ale or 7Up for your Shirley Temples, and I was like, "gotta go with ginger ale on that" and then the guy was like, "and the ones with ginger ale are great!" Because that is the legit truth, my friends. I'm not saying I won't drink a Shirley Temple with 7UP, but I am saying that the ones with ginger ale are 1. how we made them when I was a kid, and 2. better. I was reminded of how we ordered one every night at the free cocktail hour on that cruise we went on back in 2015, which definitely made an impression on the staff. *g* (Princess Donut also approves.)
So I feel like those were a great extender of joy, if you are in need. It's really lovely to see some cishet hockey dudes becoming fans of m/m romance.
In other fannish news, I just read that Sebastian Stan may be in Matt Reeve's The Batman, Part 2 and I don't want to get my hopes up or get fixated on a specific part for him to play, but like, wouldn't he be a fantastic Harvey Dent/Two-Face??? GIVE IT TO ME.
Scarlett Johansson has also been rumored to be involved somehow, and she'd have to be like, Poison Ivy, right? Though maybe they're going with more of a Mask of the Phantasm type thing and she'll be Andrea Beaumont? But I am not sure I buy Battinson as having a girlfriend before Selina, and also, why would you try to compete with Mask of the Phantasm? It's so good, you're just setting yourself up for not measuring up. (I guess she could be Talia, but I hope not.)
I guess we'll see what materializes! I'm kind of sad that they are not in continuity with James Gunn's Superman, because that would be fun to see.
*
5soulmates table
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:28 pmgreenThis is my prompt table for 5soulmates
5soulmates| Table #0 - Custom | ||||
| 01. soulmates "live" each other's lives in their minds when they bond | 02. empathic connection | 03. first words | 04. only one of the reincarnated soulmates remembers their past life | 05. accidental soulbond |
Dear Purimgifts Author
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:00 pmkassDear Purimgifts Author,
Thank you so much for writing me a story! I love all of these things and I know that whatever you write for me, I will love it too.
In general I am a big fan of: chosen family, happy endings, competence, characters being awesome, theology, snark and banter, kindness. I'm happy with anything that feels right to you given the characters at hand. If you want to cross a given fandom over with Megillat Esther, or with Tanakh in general, that is always my jam. (But you don't have to if you don't want to.)
Write something that makes you happy, and it will make me happy.
Please, no betrayal or unquenchable angst or people being awful to each other or grisly death or anything like that. There's enough of that in RL. Thank you kindly.
In closing: yay Purim! Yay you! Thank you so much!
Kass
( My requests: Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal, Parks and Rec, The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn, Murderbot, The Diplomat, Stardew Valley )
Thank you so much for writing me a story! I love all of these things and I know that whatever you write for me, I will love it too.
In general I am a big fan of: chosen family, happy endings, competence, characters being awesome, theology, snark and banter, kindness. I'm happy with anything that feels right to you given the characters at hand. If you want to cross a given fandom over with Megillat Esther, or with Tanakh in general, that is always my jam. (But you don't have to if you don't want to.)
Write something that makes you happy, and it will make me happy.
Please, no betrayal or unquenchable angst or people being awful to each other or grisly death or anything like that. There's enough of that in RL. Thank you kindly.
In closing: yay Purim! Yay you! Thank you so much!
Kass
( My requests: Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal, Parks and Rec, The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn, Murderbot, The Diplomat, Stardew Valley )
Do more text, dumdum.
Jan. 6th, 2026 12:53 amgoodbyebirdsenmut's post at cultivativity about considering why you make what you make and what you enjoy about it, made me think of icons and text. The more icons I made, the less text they had, because I'm straight up terrible at text. Best outcome to hope for is it doesn't actively make the icon look like crap. But text is fun though! I'd really really like to make a return to being a bit more of a smartass in my iconning. And get some more quotes in there! Maybe that'll be my iconning resolution for the year?As a reminder to myself: ( icons slathered with text )
(no subject)
Jan. 3rd, 2026 09:09 pmgreenjust spent two and a half hours setting up a new phone for my mom and getting all her new contacts in it and everything...
I'm EXHAUSTED from this. she was so anxious about it and over my shoulder the whole time. omg. OMG. I need to sleep for a WEEK now.
I'm EXHAUSTED from this. she was so anxious about it and over my shoulder the whole time. omg. OMG. I need to sleep for a WEEK now.
his mobility is untrammelled
Jan. 3rd, 2026 07:00 pmmusesfoolI keep thinking I will have more brain to post about stuff but it keeps not happening, even with 2 weeks of vacation (back to work on Monday *sob*), so here are some brief thoughts about a variety of things:
- Miami Mika!!! Hopefully he is also Milano-Cortina Mika because after the bullshit snub of Jason Robertson by Team USA (in favor of JT Miller??? REALLY??? I've watched him play - badly (he's injured) - all season so idk what Bill Guerin is thinking there [I can see a role for Trocheck, who seems like a slightly less egregious choice to me than Miller, but still pretty bad, and I like Trocheck), I am in the bag for Sweden (or Finland) and hope Team USA doesn't even make the medal round.
- Speaking of hockey, I finally watched Heated Rivalry and I enjoyed it. I laughed, I cried a little, I predicted many lines of dialogue because I have written similar fic, and I'm probably one of the few people who wished for more hockey in the gay hockey show. I don't feel feral about it like most of fandom, but I kind of didn't expect to. It was lovely, though, and I'm glad it exists. Also, Connor Storrie needs to play Alexander the Great in something, or, since I texteddevildoll immediately with that thought and she replied, "Achilles," he should definitely play Achilles in something. I am just saying. I would like to see ( minor spoiler )
- The Stranger Things finale. Without spoilers, I liked it. I have quibbles but overall I found it emotionally satisfying. Also, while I appreciate Joe Keery and love Steve Harrington's arc, I have never found him particularly hot, per se, but ( spoilers )
- I'm enjoying season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I love Percy as a character and narrator, and I just enjoy spending time with him and his friends. ( spoilers )
- The Muppet Show returns!!! This is not a drill!!! I AM EXCITE!!!
*
- Miami Mika!!! Hopefully he is also Milano-Cortina Mika because after the bullshit snub of Jason Robertson by Team USA (in favor of JT Miller??? REALLY??? I've watched him play - badly (he's injured) - all season so idk what Bill Guerin is thinking there [I can see a role for Trocheck, who seems like a slightly less egregious choice to me than Miller, but still pretty bad, and I like Trocheck), I am in the bag for Sweden (or Finland) and hope Team USA doesn't even make the medal round.
- Speaking of hockey, I finally watched Heated Rivalry and I enjoyed it. I laughed, I cried a little, I predicted many lines of dialogue because I have written similar fic, and I'm probably one of the few people who wished for more hockey in the gay hockey show. I don't feel feral about it like most of fandom, but I kind of didn't expect to. It was lovely, though, and I'm glad it exists. Also, Connor Storrie needs to play Alexander the Great in something, or, since I texted
- The Stranger Things finale. Without spoilers, I liked it. I have quibbles but overall I found it emotionally satisfying. Also, while I appreciate Joe Keery and love Steve Harrington's arc, I have never found him particularly hot, per se, but ( spoilers )
- I'm enjoying season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I love Percy as a character and narrator, and I just enjoy spending time with him and his friends. ( spoilers )
- The Muppet Show returns!!! This is not a drill!!! I AM EXCITE!!!
*
#2
Jan. 3rd, 2026 01:52 pmgreenChallenge #2: Pets of Fandom
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
Gotta say my favorite 'pet' from my fandoms is Diefenbaker from Due South. But I'm gonna go with a more obscure one and then some from my own stories, instead.
Prada is Lydia Martin's canon dog from Teen Wolf. He's a six-pound black and white Papillon. He was onscreen once (in season 2's Frenemy) and then mentioned a couple more times later on.
I love animals, but I don't write original pets too often. I have in the past, though. Let's see if I can remember...
( behind a cut because I include snippets of my stories plus pet pics )
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
Gotta say my favorite 'pet' from my fandoms is Diefenbaker from Due South. But I'm gonna go with a more obscure one and then some from my own stories, instead.
Prada is Lydia Martin's canon dog from Teen Wolf. He's a six-pound black and white Papillon. He was onscreen once (in season 2's Frenemy) and then mentioned a couple more times later on.
I love animals, but I don't write original pets too often. I have in the past, though. Let's see if I can remember...
( behind a cut because I include snippets of my stories plus pet pics )
(no subject)
Jan. 3rd, 2026 02:25 pmgoodbyebird+ Before I forget: My (lackluster) StoryGraph 2025 Reading Wrap-Up:( Read more... )
+ Snowflake Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
Working at sea, I can't have any pets and that is the saddest thing, woe me. However, in delightful news, my dad has turned into a complete dog dad. He's wheeling them around in a stroller when they go to the mall!
Here's their official 2025 Christmas pic!
And then my brother has two big floofs, but I could only find a picture of one. This is Luke (Leia is missing in action):
+ My new memory foam pillow felt way too hard and high when I went to bed last night, but this morning I woke up to a soft, fluffy cloud. I may just have to wedge it under my back for a couple of minutes to warm it up in the evening (my bedroom is an icebox and I like it that way).
+ Did my Mystery Box challenge forretro_icontest, the color being orange, and obviously that means Scully and her royal mantle of hair!
H E R E atspankulert <3
( It's not quite Friday anymore, but have some X-Files fanart recs anyways. )
+ Snowflake Challenge #2: Pets of Fandom
Loosely defined! Post about your pets, pets from your canon, anything you want!
Working at sea, I can't have any pets and that is the saddest thing, woe me. However, in delightful news, my dad has turned into a complete dog dad. He's wheeling them around in a stroller when they go to the mall!
Here's their official 2025 Christmas pic!
And then my brother has two big floofs, but I could only find a picture of one. This is Luke (Leia is missing in action):
+ My new memory foam pillow felt way too hard and high when I went to bed last night, but this morning I woke up to a soft, fluffy cloud. I may just have to wedge it under my back for a couple of minutes to warm it up in the evening (my bedroom is an icebox and I like it that way).
+ Did my Mystery Box challenge for
retro_icontest, the color being orange, and obviously that means Scully and her royal mantle of hair! H E R E at
spankulert <3( It's not quite Friday anymore, but have some X-Files fanart recs anyways. )
Agent Mulder believes we are not alone.
Jan. 1st, 2026 03:25 pmgoodbyebird+ Two days into the new year, two episodes into season 1 of The X-Files. I know we all agree Gillian Anderson is hot stuff, but are we talking about it enough?? Also, I remember being very annoyed at Scully's reluctance to believe in the supernatural as the show went on, given how much she'd experienced by then, but WOW does she have the patience of a saint in the beginning. Mulder is lucky he's cute. Also also, they really did smoosh these two together like a pair of dolls they wanted to kiss right from the start. Shippers must have been eating the wallpaper by episode five.
Can't wait for less UFOs, more bizarre horror cases.
+ Went to the local mall with my mom today, and I am now the proud owner of a 50% off memory foam pillow. Fingers crossed I vibe with it.
+ While my mom was looking for things for her calendar, I happened to spy a shiny new hardback of Mona Awad's Bunny, with funky pink bunny endpapers and sprayed edges. And so, silly me, with the goal of reading my damn physical books, came home with yet another physical book. Le sigh. At least I'm 98% sure I will vibe with this book something fierce.
+ Just did the final tagging for the last check in post ofrec_cember. I'll be tallying the recs and fandoms covered tomorrow but spoiler: it's A LOT. If you're looking for something to read, I highly recommend having a look at the tag set. We got a really good variety.
+ Stranger Things has finally ended. I feel like they yanked Nancy out of the fic I recommend a couple of days ago and shoved her in there, and that was endlessly amusing. I just sat there squinting at it for a minute, going full headtilt. They very much indulged in a lengthy wrap-up that some will hate and others appreciate very much *cough* fandom *cough*. The final battle was extremely 80s. Also, what was the costuming department smoking? ( I am saving this quote for later. )
+ It's Snowflaking Time yay!
#1 The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
Just going to nab my sidebar intro real quick: Spoiler-adverse. Migratory fandom gopher. Vids occasionally, but never finishes. Also nursing a PhotoShop addiction. #1 fandom is awesome ladies.
Honestly just hope to see more people around ♥ (195 comments on the challenge post already, so that seems very likely lol) Not sure if the Create A Challenge Challenge is rolling around again, but if so, I am plotting.
Can't wait for less UFOs, more bizarre horror cases.
+ Went to the local mall with my mom today, and I am now the proud owner of a 50% off memory foam pillow. Fingers crossed I vibe with it.
+ While my mom was looking for things for her calendar, I happened to spy a shiny new hardback of Mona Awad's Bunny, with funky pink bunny endpapers and sprayed edges. And so, silly me, with the goal of reading my damn physical books, came home with yet another physical book. Le sigh. At least I'm 98% sure I will vibe with this book something fierce.
+ Just did the final tagging for the last check in post of
rec_cember. I'll be tallying the recs and fandoms covered tomorrow but spoiler: it's A LOT. If you're looking for something to read, I highly recommend having a look at the tag set. We got a really good variety.+ Stranger Things has finally ended. I feel like they yanked Nancy out of the fic I recommend a couple of days ago and shoved her in there, and that was endlessly amusing. I just sat there squinting at it for a minute, going full headtilt. They very much indulged in a lengthy wrap-up that some will hate and others appreciate very much *cough* fandom *cough*. The final battle was extremely 80s. Also, what was the costuming department smoking? ( I am saving this quote for later. )
+ It's Snowflaking Time yay!
#1 The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.
Just going to nab my sidebar intro real quick: Spoiler-adverse. Migratory fandom gopher. Vids occasionally, but never finishes. Also nursing a PhotoShop addiction. #1 fandom is awesome ladies.
Honestly just hope to see more people around ♥ (195 comments on the challenge post already, so that seems very likely lol) Not sure if the Create A Challenge Challenge is rolling around again, but if so, I am plotting.