Another Update (Can Life Give Me A Break?)

Alright. Gonna keep this quick so I can attempt to get a few things done today.

Yesterday, I got the call that my grandmother died. Apparently, it was sometime in the last few days to the last week or so. I don’t know the specifics of when, I just know that apparently she checked out of the hospital against medical advice, got sepsis, and had liver lesions when she died later.

Is that a clinical way of putting it? Perhaps.

I’m currently dealing with the fact that, with her passing, that means that there’s nobody left in the family tree above me. Nobody that really counts, anyway. I technically have an uncle who is an absolutely horrendous person, but that is neither here nor there, as he has never been part of my life.

All my grandparents are dead. Both my mom and my bio-dad, horrible person that he was, are dead. My stepdad, who only met me when I was thirteen, has been basically out of my life since my mom died two years ago. And I’m the oldest child in my generation, neither of my other siblings having kids.

Which means I’ve essentially gone from the bottom of the tree to the top in two years. I’m thirty-six. This shouldn’t have happened this fast.

I don’t know when or if grief for my grandmother will descend. We weren’t that close toward the end of her life, partially due to politics, partially because she got worse to be around. Partially just not with it as much (which is hard to deal with, even though one should be compassionate, and I was as best I could), but also just…nastier. Harder to love, didn’t give as much back, and just…hard.

But what I do know is that I’m grieving the loss of something else. It’s hard to name it, but it’s there.

Without anyone over me, there’s no longer that sense of someone more experienced in the family that might have an answer. There’s no security for when hard questions come in. There’s no sense of the family that might once have given love being there. There’s no previous-generation support left, because they’re all dead.

And it’s not just the loss of that comfort. It’s the reminder that my memory is now the oldest and only remaining collection of my own life that’s as ‘total’ as I can get. There’s nobody older than me that was part of my life to remember it anymore. There’s nobody else that knew me, watched me, understood me to a large extent, and had that large databank of my life in their brains. I have to remember my own life, as fully and completely as I can, because there’s not anybody else that knows me, or at least those parts of me. Anyone that knows me now knows me only as an adult, of how I’ve been online (and somewhat off) since my twenties. Everything else?

That’s up to me.

And it’s kinda lonely in that space, knowing that, well, I’m just going to lose more as the years go by. I’ve had three fucked-up things in rapid succession, after all.

2023: Mom dies and the family splits
2024: I lose another good friend, and my bio-dad dies (not sad for him being gone, but it was one more person that was between me and death)
2025: My grandmother dies, basically erasing the previous two generations

And it just feels like…can life just take a break for a bit?

I guess this was more of a ramble than an update, but that’s where I am at the moment. Just…ugh.

Back to work. More stuff for you guys later.

Hey, everyone, just doing a little birthday post (which you probably already heard me talk about before, but whatever, heh).

The Fifth of November (remember, remember) has come around. 36 years around the sun for me today, and about 15 of which I’ve spent writing for people here and other places. I’ve done a lot with that, and I hope to keep going.

Not sure what I’m going to do with my day yet, but if you want to do something simple for my birthday, just do this.

Tell me something you like, you’ve seen, you’ve enjoyed about me.

If you’re a stranger, talk about my work.

If you’re a friend, talk about something you’ve enjoyed about me.

If you’re closer (or have something in mind), tell me how I’ve affected you. Doesn’t have to be a huge life-changing thing, because that’s overdone, but let me know what me, my work, or anything else about me has done for you. Lifted your heart, given you a good day, just…anything, really.

Life’s been filled with so many moments that make one wonder if they’ve mattered, if what they do means much. Hearing back from others, knowing I’ve been seen, enjoyed, known, is both a great gift and a great way of keeping that at bay.

So, if something occurs, please say something today.

Happy birthday to me.

Hey, everyone.

Just wanting to check in and give another update. It’s been a little bit, so, figure you’re due.

Here’s the basics first. I’ve been very up and down with productivity for the last couple of weeks (obviously, if you’ve been watching the Trello). I’ve apologized for this before, and I won’t sour that by doing the same thing again. You know I’m sorry, and you know I’m working as quickly as I can on your commissions, Kink-Tober, and other things of that nature.

But these are, to some extent, excuses. I am clearly failing on a number of levels and not measuring up to the past speed and focus that I’ve had for the services I’ve offered. I want to be better, but at this point, I’m not sure how.

I know that my work has been declining in speed, reliability, and regularity for a while. It took a definite dive in 2023 when my mom passed, but even after COVID, it was on the downturn after having to rev up and do as much as I did then.

I want to get it back to where it used to be, but then I think of how much of a workaholic I was then, how much that consumed my life, how that was all I was doing, and I wonder if I could even come close to that without going into a depression. I was pretty lucky that I didn’t go into that to begin with, looking back on it.

I do plan on getting some therapy – hopefully – at the end of this year with some help, but who knows how much that’ll shift things. Probably at least a little bit; I’ve been living with a certain level of existential dread for a while now and I’ve been shaky whenever death stuff comes up in media and other things, and that’s gotta be doing something to fuck with my ability to be creative and reliable.

Honestly, I guess this is more of a ramble about how I am at the moment than any real updates. I wish I could offer some timetable of when things are going to be done, when you’ll get what you’re owed, when you will be able to have your product, but every time I’ve started to settle in, I get whammied down again and the schedule goes off and I feel shitty about it. So, I’m going to keep powering through, doing what I can, and I’ll get it to you with as best update on timing as I can.

I said I’ve already apologized, but I have to say it again. I’m sorry for failing on this as often as I have. I want to be better, and I’ll seek ways to get better.

Thank you for your patience. It is endlessly appreciated.

Well, kink-tober slots are almost all taken. There's only one slot open (slot #20). If you want to have it, go to the link below:

https://www.furaffinity.net/view/62608079/

and claim it in the comments. As for who has the other slots, here's the takings so far.

1.  RoflLion
2.  akimitsusevecan
3.  NerubianKnight
4.  Aggron
5.  NerubianKnight
6.  Zzap262
7.  Franco731
8.  Damiekinz
9.  akimitsusevecan
10.  Shorkieshork
11.  Damiekinz
12.  Arkto
13.  Tarnish.exe
14.  Dreixes
15.  SchnuppeFloof
16.  criticalshot1239
17.  NerubianKnight
18.  Damiekinz
19.  Dreixes
20.
21.  Vanrixie
22.  RayO_Elgatubelo
23.  Huntingdon
24.  Dreixes
25.  Franco731
26.  akimitsusevecan
27.  Zzap262
28.  SuperDuperDog
29.  hazrondo
30.  xaviouswolffe
31.  hazrondo

If anyone has not sent me an email to spencer-gorman[at]hotmail.com with character info, preferences that I need to know, and your invoicing address, please do so now.

Wow, didn't expect people to be that eager for the stuff on the Kink-Tober list, though it's really nice to see.

If you haven't looked yet, you can find it here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/62608079/

Currently, the only ones left are slots 1, 20, 23, and 30. No idea how long these will last, so if you genuinely want one, you might want to consider getting it sooner than later.

Time for another update journal! Let’s divide this into commissions, future plans, and personal, shall we?

Commissions

I’m still making my way through the list. Since getting back and getting over a hell of a flu or cold or something, I’ve knocked the remaining comms down to:

 Harute11 4 chapters
 Franco731 4 chapters
 Togswitch 2 chapters
 JCFoxman 1 chapter

And 13 (hopefully 12 by end of day) splurge chapters to go.

With the current progress and the speed at which I hope to keep going, I should have all the stuff in the current queue done by Monday, October 20th. If anything changes with the queue, I’ll make sure to let everyone know.

That said, the raffle for comms – and something else – will be open before then, probably around October 12-ish. That way, everyone can get what they need put together before I get started with another cycle.

Thank you for your patience on this one. I started out doing a few stories while overseas, but it ended up being as impossible as ever. I really should learn my lesson from this. Well, at least I’m not staying over there for two months anymore and letting things really pile up.

Anyway, moving on.

Future Plans

As some of you might have noticed, certain things have fallen a bit by the wayside, such as the weekly streams. I used to do those every single week, but ever since moving out, I’ve struggled with having the energy to do that reliably, particularly with any kind of other work during the day. Other things – themed parts of the year, charity work, and other things – have also fallen away.

I want to bring some of that back, so here’s some hopeful plans.

Kink-Tober

First one will be Kink-Tober. Starting late? God, yes, but better late than never. My kink-tober will be spread over the last bit of October and the start/middle of November. The themes will be announced before the 12th, but will be put up as slots to buy around that time. If you want to get a discounted 10-pager, that’d be the time to go looking.

Charity Work

I doubt that I’ll have the time and space to get the charity work done for Christmas this year, but I think that January should be far enough off for me to be able to find a charity, set up a comfortable bank for myself, and then get to work on a charity auction to help someone out. So, no Christmas charity this year, but January should still happen.

Themed Streams

I’ve learned that I’m not going to be able to do these in the same way that I used to, so we’re going to try a few different ways of doing themed streams going forward. These include:

-Week of Streams: Replace the regular commissions with themed streams, ranging from 3-6 pages per person. Takes advantage of the fact that I have more energy in the morning than the evening, and maybe make it more fun. (Not doing this very often)

-Floating Streams: Experimenting with themed streams on different days of the week to try and find days where I have more energy and can do it properly.

-A Story A Day: Taking sign-ups on Sunday and doing 1 3-pager a day throughout the week, allowing for more sign-ups and less immediate work investment.

Not sure which I’ll go for, will probably experiment with them all at some point, but wanted to let you know I was still thinking of them.

And now, finally…

Personal

Last part of the update, just a couple of personal things that I’ve been thinking about since I got home at the end of September.

First off, I’ve learned that I’m quite a bit more of a routine-based person than I ever really realized. Being in the UK from the end of August to the end of September completely fucked my routine, and that meant that I was kind of depressed despite finding a number of fun outlets while there. The fact that my routine focuses around my kitchen and my people (my roommates and some online people only available in my time zone) means that it’s a lot harder to recreate that elsewhere. It’s been a little reminder to prioritize the things that I love, because otherwise I can get real miserable real fast.

Secondly, and mildly contradictorily, I’m finding myself wanting to go and see things, particularly locally. Earlier this year, me and my roommates took a trip around the Olympic Peninsula, and that was about as beautiful as it gets in certain ways. Seeing Cape Flattery, going through parts of the Hoh, and going past Ruby Beach and La Push was honestly awe-inspiring, and I want to explore more of my neck of the woods. So, yes, travel, but not so far off, and not so long-lasting for a bit. This will likely lead to momentary work interruptions, but considering how I am a plan-for-everything bitch, that’ll mean that I know it’s coming, and I can give you guys heads-up when it’s happening.

Might post pictures, too.

Last of all, I’m starting to think of an approaching date: November 5th, AKA my birthday. No idea what I’m going to do for it yet (other than take the day off from work) but I’ll figure out more as it gets closer to the date. Might try something special for creative stuff, no idea. At any rate, if people wanted to know when this dragon celebrates his birthday, that’s the day.

Anyway, there’s your updates, thought I’d keep you current. Back to work for me.

Hey there, everyone. I thought it's past time for an update of everything that's going on. Let's recap real quick where we've been up to.

First off, the journey overseas to the UK is over and done now. I got home last night for those of you that weren't following me on bluesky (and if you aren't, why not, you can find me here: https://bsky.app/profile/dracthewriter.bsky.social), and it's honestly just so relaxing and nice being back home and being able to just get back to my normal life. Having my friends around, being in the right time zone, having my cat, and my kitchen - oh, god, my KITCHEN, I've missed it - has done nothing less than miracles for my mood.

Second, commissions. As of right now, the stuff that's still left to do is as follows:

-2 chapters for  Togswitch
-1 10-pager for  a-lycotonum
-4 chapters for  Franco731
-3.5 chapters for  Engy
-4 chapters for  Harute11
-1 10-pager for  JCFoxman

Plus 14 slots for a splurge client.

Plus I think 3 brainstorms (will double-check that).

So, I have a lot of work to get through. Once we're through all that, however, I'll be opening up for a sort of delayed Kinktober list, plus regular commissions.

Fingers crossed, and best wishes to us all.

Third and finally, thanks for giving me the time to get through a fair bit of stuff. I still have more things to sort out, and uploads to put together, and all that, but I have every intention to get to that as soon as possible. Thanks for being patient, supporting me, and doing all that you've done, here on FA, on the discord, and everywhere else.

Thank you, all of you.

Hey, everyone. I thought I’d give a few updates since the dental issue earlier this month, both about that and about life in general.

First off, the dental stuff. I got an exam, and they said that there’s no new breaks or damages to my teeth. Could do with a cleaning and replacing a few fillings – which I’ll get started on as I can save money for it – but there’s no new breaks to be worried about, or any apparent infections or anything like that. So, good news on that. So long as I keep up with keeping them clean and don’t go crazy on harder, damaging foods, I’ll be fine until I can pay for those to be topped up.

Second, spent part of August hosting a friend and going to the Seattle WorldCon, which was…an experience. The hosting was nice – not perfect, but nice – and the con…not so much. I kinda figured out that this is just not my thing. Fur-cons to an extent can be really fun, but the WorldCon stuff is just…I’m in that niche where I know too much to get into the shallower stuff, but not deep enough to get into the fan-fan stuff. So, not really my thing, and it’s too expensive to really throw that much money at it if I’m not getting a lot out of it.

Third, I’m in the UK now (a trip planned out since February-ish and part of a tradition I’ve kept up with the friend I hosted for WorldCon), and will be until September 23rd. It’s…going okay? I’m trying to do work and I’m doing more than I have done in the past, but I have to admit that my focus is completely shot and it’s hard to get more than 8-10 pages done a day.

I’m also going to be honest and admit that I’m kind of in this weird, semi-depressed sort of state at the moment. Being unable to stream, unable to write regularly, and most of all, not be able to do my regular routine until the 23rd is kinda pissing me off and leaving me unable to recharge the way that I normally would. Without that routine, I kinda can’t recharge to more than about a third of a tank, which means every day is a bit more ‘meh’ and draining than it should be. Being a little concerned about not getting work done as fast as I’d like to and keeping an eye on how much I do over here is also a thing, but ehhhh.

Anyway, just an update on how I’m doing, mental state, etc., and letting you all know if you didn’t know already that I’ll be back late on the 23rd.

Much hopes and best wishes to all of you.

Just a heads-up. I’ve found myself with some tooth trouble over the last day or so, and I’m looking for a dentist to take care of that. I’ll be a bit quiet for a bit while I try and sort that out; it’s not bad YET, but it’s giving warnings that are saying “Take care of this NOW.”

Currently searching around for a dentist (gotta love THAT kind of fun), but hope to sort this relatively soon.

Wish me luck.

Now, still got a few things left from the other cycle that have to get done, and I will be doing a splurge thing alongside this, but here's the winners.

 a-lycotonum for 1 10-pager
 TogSwitch for 2 miniseries chapters
 Ultilix for 3 miniseries chapters
 Franco731 for 4 miniseries chapters
 Engy for 4 miniseries chapters
 Harute11 for 4 miniseries chapters
 JCFoxman for 1 10-pager

In addition, we have potentially 3 brainstorms for later on.

While this is more than the 14 slots that I meant to take on, I wanted to get more in and hopefully keep people happy while I'm going abroad.

If anyone that did not get picked wants to be put on a wait list in case I get through more comms during my time abroad than expected, leave a comment here and I'll have you first in line for when the rest of the stuff is done.

For everyone else, congratulations, can't wait to get your write-ups. Please fill out the form found here and send it to spencer-gorman[at]hotmail.com . Thanks!

By now, I'm sure that you've heard of what's happened with itch.io and Steam. The dramatic shift by both companies to de-list and block games and other media that 'doesn't agree with their payment processors' has been as staggering as it has been reprehensible, and it follows no clear thread other than 'This might offend a puritan with their hand on the button'. NSFW materials, as well as media that only mentions the existence of LGBTQ+ people, have been made impossible to search for.

Steps are being taken. People are listing the numbers for Visa and Mastercard (the primary power-holders in this push) to call, annoy, and remind them about the consequences of this choice. Likewise, there are email addresses being passed around for those that cannot call but can send emails (phones seem to be better for getting a message across, since it tends to tie up a real person for longer and affects the company bottom line). You can find those below:

Mastercard (US): 1-800-627-8372
Mastercard (Int.): +1-636-722-7111
Visa (US + Can): 1 800 847 2911
Visa (AUS): 1 800 125 440

Mastercard support email:
customer_support[at]mastercard.com

Visa support email:
askvisa[at]visa.com

If you wish to join in, adding your voice to the roar, maybe we can make a difference in turning that around.

But if you're not able to do that, or feel like there's no point, or just feel too worn down to do anything about that, then here's something else you can do.

Talk to the creators you follow. Show them that they matter, and more, show them that they're worth something when the rest of the world is trying to tell them they're worthless and need to be shut down.

You might not have the power to push back the tide, or the energy to leap in there, but I bet you have a few kind words and thankful details to share with the people making the stuff you love. Go tell them.

Okay, since there was some enthusiasm regarding the new ‘custom world’ thing that I was talking about in the other journal, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

First off, here’s the other stuff I offer so you know what it is, and so you can compare to what I already charge.

1: Wheel of Fetish: A brainstorm for a client that delivers 3 one-paragraph story summaries a little vague on character that can be adapted for future use/commissions.

Cost: $5
Turnaround Time: 30 minutes once started
Client Effort: List of gender pairing, species preference, setting preference, and 5-10 kinks

2: General Brainstorm: A more in-depth brainstorm focused on developing the plot and characters of a story, ranging from 10 pages to a splurge-length story. Focused on building up primarily plot, character, and some kink. Client may receive write-up afterward if they prefer me to put it together.

Cost: $20 per 30 minutes
Turnaround Time: However long the client pays for
Client Effort: Bringing a base concept to be built up and developed, as well as being honest about whether my suggestions are hitting the mark or not

As you can see, the results of both are relatively straightforward. The longest I’ve had a General Brainstorm go is about 4 hours, but that was for a series that was going to cover 280 pages, so that wasn’t too surprising. The average brainstorm for a 10 pager barely takes 30 minutes, and a longer series can be brainstormed and figured out within 2 hours, most of the time. The write-up can take up to 1 hour of work to completely pull together.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s talk about the new product.

The Bespoke World

I’m a worldbuilder. I love worldbuilding. I like the process of making a whole new world, whether that’s SFW or NSFW, and I absolutely adore getting eyes on it and putting stories inside of it.

I also know that there are lots of people with ideas for stories that need a world that suits them, and people that would love to have a world that has stuff baked in that allows for all kinds of fun.

That’s where we can make a deal.

What I’d offer is setting-making, ranging from city-size to world/plane size. What I’d ideally be able to offer while building this up is:

-Culture
-Government
-Magic (if applicable)
-High-Tech (if applicable)
-Kink-effect on culture/devices/public (if applicable)
-Up to 10 major characters
-Major locations for interesting times/belonging to key characters
-Major figures of influence
-Local/regional religions
-Rough Map of certain areas

And so on, all wrapped up in a document with a table of contents that goes between the different sections for you or others to reference in the future.

The basic idea with this is to give someone a sandbox to play around in, have multiple characters to work with in the setting beyond their own OCs, and make sure that they can enjoy various scenarios that allow for their desires, fantasies, hopes, and dreams to be viable.

Superhero setting? Could be a city or a full world. Done.

Crossover of earth and Hell? Let’s come up with the crossing point and work from there. Done.

Fantasy realm that’s low magic but high corruption? That’d be fun as hell to imagine. Done.

But the main thing that I don’t know yet is how much to charge for this, and whether it’d be a flat-rate, an hourly rate, or something else entirely.

So, that’s where you come in. Any thoughts? Respond in the comments.

Bespoke Worlds



Just thinking of something new I can offer to go along with brainstorming and some of the consultation stuff that I do.

Currently, I offer the Wheel of Fetish (which is where you pay $5 for three story-idea summaries based around things you like) and Brainstorming by the half-hour ($20/half-hour of digging into what you want and figuring out how to make it work). But some of you don’t really need that. Some of you already know the stories you like and have ideas of what you’d want to do.

But I think what some of you would like is a world. A Bespoke World, even, created by me specifically for you, tailored purely to what you like, so you have a playground to work with, a sandbox to delve into, and a space that lets you play with your kinks, your desires, and the way you want your world to work for your stories/fantasies/whatever.

We could build a city or city-state that operates in defiance of the world around it.

We could build a superhero system that has its own distinct rules.

We could make a republic, a kingdom, a mage-ocracy, a theocracy, any kind of nation that you want.

Hell, we could make a world or a plane for this all to take place on, completely suited to what you want for your fantasies.

What do you think? Would you like to get someone to come up with something like this for you, complete with a write-up for future reference?

Lemme know in the comments.

Congrats, everyone! Let's go through the list of the new comm clients.


 GlynWolf with a very generous list of four different sponsored stories (thaaaaaank you)
 dariuswhitefur with 3 miniseries chapters with a promising plot that I look forward to starting
 Scythio with 1 10-pager that looks to involve Drac quite heavily, very nice
 Roureem with 1 10-pager that will continue a past series and a sponsored chapter of Starfox Adventures Parody (ALWAYS glad to see something like that continue)
 Franco731 with 4 miniseries chapters that will be continuing a certain rather slutty Starfox story from a while back, sure to be naughty
 angelus288 with 3 miniseries chapters to bring back a series long-since kinda dead, but who knows, maybe it'll roaring back to life
 technophile34 with 1 10-pager bringing up some more potent doll-works
 arkhamvi with 1 6-pager with some super-hero play, veeeeery nice
and 4 miniseries chapters for Mizzukat, 2 with Suresha, 2 with Olag, should be fun.

Thanks one and all for entering, and can't wait to see what you have for me.

As usual, get me your write-ups (template found here) all filled out with all the information I need, and send it to spencer-gorman[at]hotmail.com . Can't wait to get started.

Happy Pride, Everyone!



It's that month for those of us in the USA (and some other places, though I know that Pride is different in various countries). That means that it's time to remember who we are, and take a little stock in just who we are, and what that means to us.

There's been a great deal of danger for various members of the community this year, having ramped up more and more over the last few years. Gay rights are being targeted, trans people are in the crosshairs, and many more of the things that we've taken for granted from the 2010s onward are no longer so certain. Acceptance, always fragile, is at risk of fraying further and further.

But that doesn't mean we're done. It doesn't mean we're helpless.

We still have each other.

We still have our pride.

Wherever you are, if you have the safety to do it, if you have the heart, raise your flag. Even if it's a tiny one, whether it's in a wave of other people or just by yourself in your room, wave your flag. Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Pan, Ace, Aro, Trans, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Agender, and everyone else that stands with us and is one of us, raise your flag and remind yourself of who you are. Whoever and whatever you are, that flag represents a piece of you, and that piece is not just valid, but worthy of praise and celebration. You. Are. Magnificent.

Celebrate it, and speak your pride. Softly, loudly, however you can, say it, and claim it.

I'm aegosexual. I'm in a niche on the asexual spectrum. I am an outsider, and I love the show. I choose to be a freak out here, to grab the garlic-bread popcorn and enjoy the show. I own my outsider space, knowing I can step in anytime I want and be welcomed. I am the questioner and the underminer. The teaser and the supporter.

Who are you?

The winners of the raffle are as follows:

IB: Anonymous (2 miniseries chapters)

SF: BonBonBeato (10-pager)

FA

 Ultilix (4 chapters)
 a-lycotonum (1 10-pager)
 FriskeCrisps (1 10-pager)
 NerubianKnight (Author's Pleasure, Tinder's Customizable Cousin, and 2 chapters)
 RayoElGatubelo (2 chapters)
 User3434658 (1 premium 10-pager)
 AkimitsuSevecan (3 chapters, 1 Author's Pleasure)
 GlynWolf (Ace on Tape, Lylat Wars XXX, and 10-pager)

Congrats, all. Anyone that's getting a piece that I need info for, fill out the template [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/.....aring]here[/u] and send it to me via email at spencer-gorman[at]hotmail.com . Can't wait to get started on your stuff.

I will update tomorrow with the winners.

Hey everyone, just hitting you with an introspective journal.

I’ve been chatting a bit with a few people (some more than others) on different fandom topics, and I realized that there’s a difference to the way that I approach these things to the way that they do. I’m not sure if I’m the one that’s the weird one out here – quite possibly am – but I thought I’d present this and see if there was anyone else that feels the same way.

Let’s start vaguely and work our way backwards. When I am engaged with a piece of media (whether literature, anime, movie, tv, whatever) and I talk about it with someone else, I tend to focus on the thing itself. I don’t get into power-scaling, I don’t get into the making-of, and I don’t really think about the outside factors. Part of that is never learning actors or the way that different people create their work (outside of noticing the way that different authors might have a style, or how an actor might do the same kind of character over and over again), but part of it is that I like to appreciate each piece of work for what it offers, regardless of what went into making it.

However, I’ve found that there’s a lot of people that don’t do this. They’ll enjoy a piece of media and see something, and we’re off on a tangent of “Oh, that’s a reference to x” or “Oh, that must mean that y”, or they’ll have learned about the media beforehand and start talking about how it was made or the inspirations or the other outside bits that are contributing factors to the piece that we’re watching.

As an example that came up during one of these talks, let’s look at Shrek. Apparently, Farquad was meant to look like Michael Eisner as part of the whole mockery of Disney stuff. I never knew this – I barely knew the name ‘Eisner’ as a kid, barely know it now – but apparently to some people, that’s a huge thing and one of the funnier things about it.

And yet, to me, that’s just a moment of “Okay…and?”

Admittedly, this is me as a kid when I first saw the movie. Duloc and all the people in it were bumbling bad guys in a fairy-tale parody. That was all I needed to know. Being informed of more stuff didn’t make it funnier; it just made it more like I was supposed to know this to find it good. But it didn’t make it good; it made it feel like I wasn’t allowed to like it or talk about it unless I knew the extra stuff.

As another example, lets look at the way that power-scaling and general fandom theorizing works regarding superheroes and stuff. One that came up was the idea of how fans were theorizing and building up stuff around Superman, including the force field that later became canon (as a reason for no bugs being on him from flying around and all that) and a few other things, like how some super-strength characters have never killed someone. Whether it’s Banner being in control of the Hulk just enough to pull him back, or something else along those lines, there’s always something.

But to me, it’s always felt like that’s trying to explain something that doesn’t need to be explained. Superman flies around and doesn’t get covered in bugs because nobody wants to draw him that way; the extra powers were added later because the guy running it at the time wanted to leave a mark. As for the super-strength and being ‘in control’ all the time, let’s not kid ourselves. Control is the last thing that most emotionally-charged people – let alone supers – are going to have. To me, I’d honestly find it easier to believe that there’s a low-level invulnerability in this setting for humans rather than the idea that the super-strength hero is able to hold back 100% of the time and avoid a body-count. I don’t need them to have a body-count, but the reasons writers and fans come up with to justify it starts driving me insane.

But I accept it as part of the medium, and don’t need that part explained, and when people start trying TO explain it, adding this, detailing that, it feels like more of the need to have more information. The need to study. The need to make it more complicated than it just is how it is.

Through various reasons (loneliness, not a lotta friends, various sorts of trauma with the educational system, etc.), I’ve always had much greater appreciation for media when it gives me three specific things.

One: that all information needed is contained (and hopefully mostly stated) within the medium, rather than needing outside sources or needing to know the (often dated, by the time I get to them) references being made, or other outside bits.

Two: I am allowed to have a voice about the media in question. I can point to things in the media, say how I feel about it, and it’s allowed. If it’s something where I’m told ‘You would just love it if you understood these things,’ that prevents me from being able to link with it, or have an opinion, because it goes from media to study.

Third: the chance to enjoy or hate it without having to know x-amount of meta-data. The instant that history about a thing, or the actors within it, or who the writer is, or what this or that event is referencing becomes the key part to enjoying something, I end up checking out, because I am not here to test my knowledge of outside pieces.

I get it. I know that there’s a lot of people that love getting into the nitty-gritty and finding references and connecting threads. I understand that’s a huge attraction to quite a few people, and I fully accept that I may be fully in the minority here for wanting to get into something without looking for all the connections, without power-scaling, without learning the meta about creation/actors/etc.

For me, if I sit down with a piece of media, the only outside connections I want to think about are whether it is an extension of an existing piece (part of a trilogy/series, etc.) and my own memories and feelings about it. I want to watch someone else put on a show, engage with it, and be allowed to talk about it without having to either prove myself or study everything to be ‘allowed’ to enjoy it the way that some people require.

Anyway, long rant, but thanks for anyone that read this far. Lemme know which way of appreciating and engaging with things you are.

LATE EDIT

Please note that I am not opposed to references and easter eggs in pieces of media or people getting to enjoy that. I'm just someone that has not and likely will never get these references, so I end up getting confused and frustrated when some people end up talking about those bits and very little else, because I'm appreciating and trying to talk about the thing, and those people feel like they're talking about something different.

Hello, everyone. Time for a quick check-in. I’ll make another announcement and do more uploads later on, but for now, a little check-in and an update.

Over the last couple of weeks, I had quite the topsy-turvy life. My roommates got COVID (I managed to avoid it), couldn’t leave the house to get groceries, got a weird foot injury that kept me from cooking so we had to live off take-out for a while, and just had a lot of up and down mood problems.

As you might imagine, when you’re playing nursemaid to roommates and then can’t actually put your weight down on one foot, it’s a little hard to get things done. The schedule that I thought I could keep to was royally fucked. I was barely able to get anything done through that time period, and while I’m better now, I’ll admit that I’m dragging myself out of the dirt just a little bit.

That said, as promised, the Trello.

https://trello.com/b/22pKCkAv/commission-cycle

I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep to this, but I’m going to do my damnedest to make it happen. With that schedule, I should be done with the current comms by the 15th, and I’d be opening for more commissions between the 12th and 15th. If anything changes, I’ll keep you informed.

Sorry for the lack of communication, and thank you for your patience.

Don't know how it happened, but I managed to injure my foot to the point where I kinda have to stay down to get it to stop throbbing and hurting. Can't walk on it, and sitting at my desk has been painful to the point of impossible.

That said, today has been much better than it was previously, so hopefully one more day of rest - tomorrow - and I'll be back to what I should be, and can finally start making a dent in all these remaining stories.

Hello everyone, just thought I'd give you a little bit of an update about where things are.

As you might have noticed, things are a little hectic around here. New complications? Roommate's got COVID and another one is sick with something that may be a cold, may be COVID, who knows at this point? Currently testing negative myself, but with two out of three people already down, it's probably inevitable that it's going to work its way around to me.

I'm going to work for now as if I don't have anything, but that does mean that there's going to be a temporary slowdown (hopefully just over this weekend) with work on comms. I'll still do one tomorrow, but it's down from the 4-6 that would be done normally over this period of time.

Tomorrow, I'll post the updated Trello for people to know when they are going to be up for comms, and what time to keep an eye out for that. Sorry for these days, but genuinely trying to keep everything working well for everyone and keep you all updated.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

Well, great to be getting some new stuff in. Let's go through the list.

Winners from SoFurry:

John_Doe12346 for 4 miniseries chapters
MizzuKat for 4 miniseries chapters

Winners from FA:

 JCFoxman for 2 10-pagers
 GlynWolf for 2 sponsored chapters and 1 10-pager
 criticalshot1239 for 3 miniseries chapters and 1 brainstorm
 yana_ambrosia for 2 sponsored stories
 akimitsusevecan for 1 sponsored story and 1 10-pager
 Tarnish.exe for 1 10-pager
 lightsun168 for 4 miniseries chapters
 a-lycotonum for 3 miniseries chapters
 alabastertortoise for 1 10-pager
 Franco731 for 1 10-pager
 Arrowquivershaft for 1 3-pager

Congrats, one and all. Please send your write-ups (template found here) and send them along via email to spencer-gorman[at]hotmail.com . Looking forward to working with all of you.

https://www.furaffinity.net/view/60468562/

Just to make sure that you didn't miss it.

I hope that you enjoyed getting so many today.

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility



Well, that was a mouthful. Worth it, though.

Alright, everyone, let's have a moment here. Anyone that's been paying attention to the news has seen that there's a ton of stuff that's been raining down on anyone not cisgender. In the USA, it's been remarkably bad in a remarkably short amount of time, and I have little doubt that there's been further pushes all around the globe, both where people should know better and in historical danger-zones. The world has become painfully unwelcoming to many a person, and it is disheartening to say the least.

Which is why it's more important than ever to remember each other, and celebrate each other, and more than anything else, stand up for each other.

Whether you are transgender, know someone who is, or just want to do the right thing, this is the time to do it. Reach out, support, stand up when people talk shit about others. If you can, stand up and speak up for the safety and freedom of transgender, nonbinary, and other individuals. Show that you are more than a silent ally in the voting booth. Show them that they are not just accepted, but loved and celebrated like every other member of our community should be.

Nobody deserves to settle for being 'accepted' in life, like they are just an inoffensive part that we shouldn't kick out. They should know that we are here. They should know that we want them here.

The time for passivity is gone. Be active. Be loud. Be present. Show them that they are not alone.

Don't just see them. Know them. Appreciate them. Protect them.

We are a community. And we stand with our own.