hindsightseeing (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hindsightseeing) wrote2025-12-31 01:20 pm
hindsightseeing) wrote2025-12-31 01:20 pm
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Can't end the year without doing at least ~one Year-In-Review.
Slipping this one in right under the wire, before the ball drops later tonight...
Your main fandom of the year?
In terms of actual fannish creativity, it has to be GLOW. I made a cursory attempt to write for a few others at the start of the year -- and one day I will probably get around to finishing that almost-done Lohse/Sebille DOS2 fic I started on a whim back when I was drowning in the void -- but for the most part, I've been pretty mono-fannish. Five completely new fics this year for a total of 210,000 words, plus I tweaked and reuploaded the two I'd posted and then immediately panic-deleted last year.
Your favorite film you watched this year?
Not counting the obligatory annual Bound rewatch... probably Dances With Wolves. We went on a very brief little Costner dive in the autumn, after watching Hidden Figures (also great), and that one really stood out to me.
Your favorite book read this year?
The Green Mile. I read a bunch of King books this year, and will probably read even more next year, but this one was the first, and -- other than a couple of points in Misery -- was the only one to make me bawl like a baby.
Additional shout-out to the final part of Tasha Suri's Burning Kingdoms trilogy, The Lotus Empire -- I was really not enthused by how they dealt with the central romance (though, TBF, when am I ever?), but the supporting cast was incredible, and the main plot outside of its romantic elements was fantastic. Suri's latest book is right at the top of my to-read list for next year.
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
Songs:
1. Kim Wilde -- "Stones And Bones"
2. Volbeat -- "Acid Rain"
3. Rise Against -- "Ricochet"
4. Halestorm -- "Everest"
5. Matt Nathanson -- "Whitney Houston's National Anthem"
Albums:
1. Mountain Goats -- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
2. Lily Allen -- West End Girl
3. Brandi Carlile -- Returning To Myself
4. Kim Wilde -- Closer
5. Rise Against -- Ricochet
Your favorite TV show of the year?
Girls5eva, and it wasn't even close. It is not often that a show feels completely and utterly perfect at every single step, but this one managed it. A near-entire cast of Broadway royalty? Check. Complex, messy, fucked up, and wonderful women, all over the age of 35? Check. The single most accurate and realistic depiction of an actual lesbian character ever put to screen? Check. Also, multiple episodes directed by GLOW alum Kimmy Gatewood, so... y'know, go watch this show, it's amazing and funny and heartfelt and delightful.
Minor shout-out to Wheel of Time, since I won't get the chance to do that again. Notwithstanding certain -- very well-documented at this point -- issues, S3 was fantastic.
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The closest I've come in nearly 25 years to the feeling I got when playing Final Fantasy X for the very first time. Really didn't want to buy into the hype for this game, but, like, the second it dropped on GOG... good grief, was it worth every second. Seriously hyped to finally clean up endgame and dive into NG+ in the new year.
Will I also be writing Sciel/Lune in the coming months? No idea. I have a tonne of Other Stuff to wade through first... but it's nice to have Thoughts for a new universe, whether they be fruitful or fleeting.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
S2 of Andor. There were a handful of things I loved -- Kleya! Luthen! Mon Mothma! Saw Gerrera! -- but they were overshadowed by the things I didn't like. The final scene, and Bix's storyline in general, was so obscenely tone-deaf and horrible, and Cassian remains such a wet dish-rag of a non-character in general that the whole season just felt exhausting far more often than it felt inspiring.
Also, not finishing Silksong. Like, I know I'll get there in time, as I did with Hollow Knight, and it can be fun to chip away at a game slowly, over several months, rather than mainlining it in a week or three, but... holy moly, I was not expecting to have to rage-quit so many times, and was wholly unprepared for the -- I don't want to say 'unfairness', but... ruthlessness(?) -- of some design choices.
And the platforming. So much frelling platforming. Like, the White Palace was torture enough, you know? I was not prepared for a whole entire game of that.
Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
Kev Hamlin from Girls5eva. Andrew Rannells, my beloved.
Also, Renoir from Clair Obscur. ANDY SERKIS THE MAN THAT YOU ARE.
Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Gloria McManus, the most authentically wonderful old dyke ever put to screen.
Also, y'know, Sciel. Because, despite the Angsty Het of it all, I am predictable.
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
Silksong release day, I guess? Hasn't really been a big year, squee-wise.
The most missed of your old fandoms?
I mean, I always miss Legend of the Seeker, the truest and purest fandom of my heart (and yes, please do ask me all the reasons why and how Debbie/Ruth hits every single one of my Cara/Kahlan buttons on every conceivable level)... and since my one long-standing friend in the New Legends of Monkey fandom stopped updating her WIP back in May, I have been missing those goobers like crazy too.
I'd consider a rewatch, but I'm not sure I'm ready to dive back into the space that produced -- and then promptly lost, in Ye Great AO3 Purge Of 2023 -- the single highest number of works, and words, I've ever produced in my life.
The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Hmm. I am, I will admit, tempted to try writing something for Clair Obscur... but am I ready to let go of my GLOW girls? Definitely, definitely not yet. And if there is one thing I have learned from my stupidly high number of years in fandom, it's to never let go of something that still has gas in the tank.
If you mean something I'd like to watch or play that I haven't yet... really, not much at all. There's some video games on my GOG wishlist that I'm curious about -- Rain World in particular -- but that's just about all I can think of.
Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Still need to watch the second Wicked movie. New season of Bridgerton, possibly?
IDK, I don't really connect so much with modern TV and/or movie media -- the current 'all binge all the time', 'six episodes per season and three years between seasons' thing... it's exhausting and difficult to keep up with and, honestly, painfully counter-productive when it comes to creativity and inspiration and resonance. So... not much, probably. I'm happy in my old, existent, beautifully quiet fandom(s).
That said, I'm really -- quietly, cautiously, nervously, fearfully -- hyped about rebuilding a modest little fannish space for myself here on Dreamwidth. So... yeah, for sure, definitely that.
And with that done... I shall return in 2026, for a new season of Snowflake!
Your main fandom of the year?
In terms of actual fannish creativity, it has to be GLOW. I made a cursory attempt to write for a few others at the start of the year -- and one day I will probably get around to finishing that almost-done Lohse/Sebille DOS2 fic I started on a whim back when I was drowning in the void -- but for the most part, I've been pretty mono-fannish. Five completely new fics this year for a total of 210,000 words, plus I tweaked and reuploaded the two I'd posted and then immediately panic-deleted last year.
Your favorite film you watched this year?
Not counting the obligatory annual Bound rewatch... probably Dances With Wolves. We went on a very brief little Costner dive in the autumn, after watching Hidden Figures (also great), and that one really stood out to me.
Your favorite book read this year?
The Green Mile. I read a bunch of King books this year, and will probably read even more next year, but this one was the first, and -- other than a couple of points in Misery -- was the only one to make me bawl like a baby.
Additional shout-out to the final part of Tasha Suri's Burning Kingdoms trilogy, The Lotus Empire -- I was really not enthused by how they dealt with the central romance (though, TBF, when am I ever?), but the supporting cast was incredible, and the main plot outside of its romantic elements was fantastic. Suri's latest book is right at the top of my to-read list for next year.
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
Songs:
1. Kim Wilde -- "Stones And Bones"
2. Volbeat -- "Acid Rain"
3. Rise Against -- "Ricochet"
4. Halestorm -- "Everest"
5. Matt Nathanson -- "Whitney Houston's National Anthem"
Albums:
1. Mountain Goats -- Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
2. Lily Allen -- West End Girl
3. Brandi Carlile -- Returning To Myself
4. Kim Wilde -- Closer
5. Rise Against -- Ricochet
Your favorite TV show of the year?
Girls5eva, and it wasn't even close. It is not often that a show feels completely and utterly perfect at every single step, but this one managed it. A near-entire cast of Broadway royalty? Check. Complex, messy, fucked up, and wonderful women, all over the age of 35? Check. The single most accurate and realistic depiction of an actual lesbian character ever put to screen? Check. Also, multiple episodes directed by GLOW alum Kimmy Gatewood, so... y'know, go watch this show, it's amazing and funny and heartfelt and delightful.
Minor shout-out to Wheel of Time, since I won't get the chance to do that again. Notwithstanding certain -- very well-documented at this point -- issues, S3 was fantastic.
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The closest I've come in nearly 25 years to the feeling I got when playing Final Fantasy X for the very first time. Really didn't want to buy into the hype for this game, but, like, the second it dropped on GOG... good grief, was it worth every second. Seriously hyped to finally clean up endgame and dive into NG+ in the new year.
Will I also be writing Sciel/Lune in the coming months? No idea. I have a tonne of Other Stuff to wade through first... but it's nice to have Thoughts for a new universe, whether they be fruitful or fleeting.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
S2 of Andor. There were a handful of things I loved -- Kleya! Luthen! Mon Mothma! Saw Gerrera! -- but they were overshadowed by the things I didn't like. The final scene, and Bix's storyline in general, was so obscenely tone-deaf and horrible, and Cassian remains such a wet dish-rag of a non-character in general that the whole season just felt exhausting far more often than it felt inspiring.
Also, not finishing Silksong. Like, I know I'll get there in time, as I did with Hollow Knight, and it can be fun to chip away at a game slowly, over several months, rather than mainlining it in a week or three, but... holy moly, I was not expecting to have to rage-quit so many times, and was wholly unprepared for the -- I don't want to say 'unfairness', but... ruthlessness(?) -- of some design choices.
And the platforming. So much frelling platforming. Like, the White Palace was torture enough, you know? I was not prepared for a whole entire game of that.
Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
Kev Hamlin from Girls5eva. Andrew Rannells, my beloved.
Also, Renoir from Clair Obscur. ANDY SERKIS THE MAN THAT YOU ARE.
Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Gloria McManus, the most authentically wonderful old dyke ever put to screen.
Also, y'know, Sciel. Because, despite the Angsty Het of it all, I am predictable.
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
Silksong release day, I guess? Hasn't really been a big year, squee-wise.
The most missed of your old fandoms?
I mean, I always miss Legend of the Seeker, the truest and purest fandom of my heart (and yes, please do ask me all the reasons why and how Debbie/Ruth hits every single one of my Cara/Kahlan buttons on every conceivable level)... and since my one long-standing friend in the New Legends of Monkey fandom stopped updating her WIP back in May, I have been missing those goobers like crazy too.
I'd consider a rewatch, but I'm not sure I'm ready to dive back into the space that produced -- and then promptly lost, in Ye Great AO3 Purge Of 2023 -- the single highest number of works, and words, I've ever produced in my life.
The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Hmm. I am, I will admit, tempted to try writing something for Clair Obscur... but am I ready to let go of my GLOW girls? Definitely, definitely not yet. And if there is one thing I have learned from my stupidly high number of years in fandom, it's to never let go of something that still has gas in the tank.
If you mean something I'd like to watch or play that I haven't yet... really, not much at all. There's some video games on my GOG wishlist that I'm curious about -- Rain World in particular -- but that's just about all I can think of.
Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Still need to watch the second Wicked movie. New season of Bridgerton, possibly?
IDK, I don't really connect so much with modern TV and/or movie media -- the current 'all binge all the time', 'six episodes per season and three years between seasons' thing... it's exhausting and difficult to keep up with and, honestly, painfully counter-productive when it comes to creativity and inspiration and resonance. So... not much, probably. I'm happy in my old, existent, beautifully quiet fandom(s).
That said, I'm really -- quietly, cautiously, nervously, fearfully -- hyped about rebuilding a modest little fannish space for myself here on Dreamwidth. So... yeah, for sure, definitely that.
And with that done... I shall return in 2026, for a new season of Snowflake!