Author: Kate Ashley

Feels Weird.docx – thoughts from two years ago

I briefly mentioned in my 2022 purchase ban that I already successfully did one specifically for art supplies a year back. Whilst going over my old files in my computer today, I found this draft, aptly named “Feels Weird.docx”, that I never finished about my feelings after that 2021 art supplies purchase ban. I don’t really want to finish it now, but the sentiments I held more than two years ago still ring true today. I also like how “unfinished” it is and that there’s no concrete conclusion at the end – because, even though I have resolved about certain things about my relationship with consumerism, that’s still how I feel in general. So here it is in its unedited glory:

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A reflection on 2023

Hi there. It’s been a while. For those who aren’t new here, thanks for sticking around. I know I haven’t been around much this year.

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My thoughts on the Spring 2023 anime I watched

Ah, spring anime season.

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Another set of Favorite Romance Comics based on Favorite Tropes

Part two boogaloo.

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Let’s talk Under the Oak Tree, numbers, and my reviews (with a little delusional spice added in)

In 2022, my blog had a total of 6,702 views. The highest it’s ever had in a year.

5,305 of those views are for my Under the Oak Tree review.

That’s about 79% of my total views for 2022.

What the fuck happened?

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Fangirling Highlights 2022

pink pixelated flat illustration of a combat arena, two pink flames in the middle of a symmetrical frame shot. A text box on the lower third of the screen reads, "You get BIFFED IN THE F*CKING FACE."

I initially wrote an intro here, reflecting about my year. But as I wrote it, I found it made more sense to end the post on its note. So let’s get onto the list first:

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6 Cozy Witchy Comics to read this Halloween

Like with Valentine’s Day, I don’t really have much care for Halloween as an occasion. But when I think of Halloween, I think of witches and cozy things. And if you’ve known me for a while, you will know that, for at least the past couple years now, I have a deep fascination with any kind of witch-themed media. Be it comics, movies, or games. Perhaps it’s because of how I fondly associate them with cottagecore and urban fantasy. Also, the witch-themed curated playlists on Youtube and Spotify are just the best for drawing or writing.

And so I thought, why not recommend some of my favorite cozy witch-related comics?

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rapid fire reviews: all the new queer manga series I read and loved this Pride Month

I’m going to be completely honest here. I’ve written the intro for this post twelve times over and I’ve never been satisfied with any of it. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this month – some good, some bad – and it feels hard to summarize everything here so let’s just cut to the chase.

I just want to share all the great queer manga series that I read for the first time and enjoyed this month. Hopefully, dear reader, you will pick one (or three or all seven) of these titles up and enjoy them too.

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Review: The Golden Forest (webtoon)

I’ve been in a slump when it comes to reading fantasy stories recently, especially epic fantasies. The kind that takes its root into your soul and carries you into a whole other world. Fantasy stories were the main reason I started loving reading, particularly fiction, at an early age. And so, it will always have a special place in my heart.

I’m so happy to find another fantasy world that’s so immersive, with characters so compelling, I think about the series constantly since I finished reading its most recent updates. Let’s jump in.

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words from a summer many years ago

May 10, 2018; 10:38PM

i
Mayflies swarmed the streetlamps the day my heart was broken. 

Which is appropriate since mayflies swarmed the streetlamps the day I met you.
They entered through my button shirt sticking to my skin and making every cell in my body fluttery.
I am their wings in mating season, a flurry of incomprehensible mess, a buzzing vibration in tune to the music in my mind when you showed me your smile for the first time. 

I was quite eager to give in to all of it.


ii
Since then I felt your presence painfully.
Like the bite of my newly bought pumps on my ankles.
It is the relentless voice call from a stranger who keeps asking me, “Is Raynold there?" when I know no Raynolds. At least... Not in this lifetime.
Perhaps in previous years when we met.

-kate