Tattoo Tour: Starry Night Batty Bat (7)

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Thistle

For my seventh tattoo, I booked with a woman named Kristin who does fine line ink at Twisted Tattoo in San Antonio. (Notably, this is also where Keith, who did my Dead Cute tattoo, has his studio.) I’d wanted to get this tattoo done pre-Oct-2023-cruise, particularly because it would be visible on my hand even if I wore long sleeves. I was really looking for visible indicators of queerness as I was embracing my personal identity more and more. I know a tattoo doesn’t say much, but I also know that when I see people with lots of tattoos, I’m more inclined to trust them above other people. So.

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted when I started out. Mostly, I just wanted something easily visible and that would fit my personal style. I’d seen Kristin do a lot of little ephemeral dragons that I adored, and I had some ideas of willow leaves and moons and stars. I prefer bats to dragons, and so I sent a bunch of reference photos, including ones from tattoos that Kristin had done, and I let her put together a design for me.

She didn’t want to do the tattoo before I traveled. The healing time would not work well with travel ahead, and it might be difficult especially with the sun traveling through the Mediterranean. We instead scheduled for November after I got home.

So…finger tattoos HURT. And they fade really easily. I have a couple photos of the tattoo when it was first done (one pictured above), and then I have a couple from when it was touched up eight months later (left). Now, a year after the touchups, one of the finger tattoos is almost gone again, and of course some of the sharpness of the original tattoo has softened. That’s to be expected and it still looks absolutely lovely. Kristin did a phenomenal job!

Speaking of which, I’ve had more compliments about this tattoo than any of the others I’ve gotten, even other visible ones. I’m really hoping to one day do a full half-sleeve on that arm that will integrate this tattoo, or wrap around it and the infinity sign on the inner wrist!

Little notes: Tattoo ink interferes with heartrate watches like Apple Watch or Fitbits. I can’t get an accurate read from those kinds of watches anymore. Oh well. Also, I know one day I might need surgery on this wrist again, as the surgery from 2021 didn’t actually get the root of the ganglion cyst in there, and I’m really sad about that because I have a feeling it’s going to completely fuck up the artwork. Boo.

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Mediterranean Cruise 2023 + Tattoo Tour: Snake Arm (6)

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Thistle

This is another catch-up post. I’m going to try to do some of these as I spend two months in Europe! Since my partner is working during the day, I might as well split my time into different priorities – catch-up blogging being one!

Shortly before I took 18 months off blogging, I talked about signing up for my first solo cruise/trip. As the date approached, I got really nervous. I’d never traveled alone and I didn’t know how that would be navigating in a country with no language skills. I nearly canceled, but I held strong and went. I’m so glad that I did, because the trip ended up being life-changing. This all started when I met with a group of other solo cruisers the night before our ship sailed. We had set up the tapas dinner through a facebook group, and while my experience with big groups is that they rarely gel well, this one was just perfect. There was over a dozen of us, and meeting them meant that I already had a group of friends at the start of the trip. We all ended up in a WhatsApp group chat and many of us have stayed friends to this day.

Through the next week, I went all out. We started and ended in Barcelona, with stops in southern France, near Florence in Italy, Corsica, and Ibiza (below collage). Virgin Voyages was incredible – high energy, queer-forward, body-positive, no kids, great fun! Highlights of the trip include 1) jumping into the pool with everyone wearing formal evening wear on Scarlet Night; 2) the bet acrobatics show I’ve ever seen on a cruise (and which my group nearly ruined when one friend tried to stop one of the acrobats from participating, not knowing she was an acrobat – the performance was a fight she was going to break up, and my friend was trying to protect her, ha!); 3) actually wearing pajamas to pajama night; 4) getting a tattoo on board, because of course they have tattoo artists and piercers on board; and 5) finding so many people who accepted me as-is, which isn’t the norm in my life.

During the trip, I joked with J on a phone call home that everyone was hooking up, and he told me that I should do the same. Long story short, J and I hadn’t had a romantic-type relationship since 2014, and being mostly celibate for nine years was very difficult for me. I was just starting to come out of the box I’d put myself into in order to survive, and J thought perhaps it would be best if we branched into a poly/open type situation. I was able to accept this, and while I didn’t hook up on the trip, I did make out quite a bit with four different friends. Is that TMI? Meh. I don’t post here to be discreet.

Anyway, it was a cruise that taught me to embrace myself exactly the way I am. I felt so happy, even as I got more and more exhausted throughout as I’d stay up dancing until 2am and then wake up before 9am for shore excursions. Combine that with lots of alcohol and then catching covid toward the end of the trip (ha! consequences of all the kissing – we passed it around between us!), and I was soooooo tired by the time I got home.

A core group of this trip have remained friends to this day, as I said above, and a whole bunch of us are taking a reunion cruise together in October. We’re mostly traveling solo, but our rooms are lined up in a row by a single travel agent, so we can all have one long communal balcony. It’s going to be an amazing time.

As for the tattoo, the artist I chose is illytattoo, who is based in London. I had an inspo photo that was of a snake eating it’s own tail, except the tail had become a sword by the end, with some stars, moons, etc around the main image. The original was in black and gold, but my artist changed it to be a bit more her style and used black and red. It was one of the least painful tattoos I’ve ever gotten, and it still looks beautiful almost two years later. I love this thing and I would love to visit the artist again some time!

PS – Before I quit blogging in 2023, my hair was still long. I cut it short a week after I wrote my end post. The original intent was to keep it short for Halloween, because I went as Crowley that year (obviously!). But afterwards, I just kept it short. I’ve never liked myself in short hair before, but I’ve come to really love it, and especially now that I’m playing with fun colors and I have 18-currently tattoos, it really serves as a strong indicator of being queer. 🤷🏻

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Fanfic Minis – June 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Thistle

I spent most of this month reading tradpub books as I tried to cull/read my physical TBR down to as few items as possible. Less to pack away! Here are the few fanfics I read in June.

First: I Only Have Eyes For You by Twilightcitysky. This is a post-S1 canon-compliant story that delves into the metaphysical idea of angels and demons, and how their forms interact with the human world if all miracles are removed. It was a very fast read, quite lovely, and every chapter was titled after a song from the 50s that was later sampled/quoted in a song from my favorite band, so I’ve had pleasant music flashbacks the entire time I’ve read!

Second: Of Fire and Falcons by CemeteryAngel725. This is a ren faire au where a falconer and fire-spinner connect first on a casual basis and then grow more attached, until they can finally find a way to be with each other despite their differing tour schedules. Really sweet story overall, with lots of kink (explicit, in good form, with proper etiquette) and lots of in-depth immersion into the setting (both of the circus/faire type and of the Catskills, where most of the story takes place) and into the artistry involved in their jobs. There’s apparently a sequel that I need to read!

Third: Overboard by Laura Shapiro. This short story (12k) explores life post-apocalypse-that-wasn’t, two ethereal beings living together quietly away from the business of heaven and hell, and yet still afraid to give in to what hasn’t been allowed. It’s a story of hunger and love and trust and communication. Very delightful.

Fourth: Welcome to the Elysian by anna_sun. This was a story I really wanted to like but was disappointed by. It was well put-together, but it was advertised as a haunted hotel story and the paranormal bits were too easily resolved (in a way that I generally feel disappointed in with these things). Oh well.

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a bunch of audio mini-reviews

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Thistle

I’ve done an absolutely shit job of keeping up with reviews since I came back to the blog. Though honestly, that’s only really been since my trip in April. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but I got home from the trip and suddenly found myself embroiled in a not-so-amicable divorce situation. No sympathy, please – this has been coming for 11 years now, and we were planning to split next summer anyway, but the suddenness and the nature of how he went about it has meant that the last two months have been a lot.

I decided to just do a few mini-reviews of the audiobooks I’ve read in those months. Technically, this also includes one I started last year and finished in January, but all the rest were from May and June. I don’t have the mental fortitude or attention span to write more than a few words about any of these, so this will have to do.

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading)
This is the fifth installment in the Stormlight Archive and I listened to it over like two months. I barely remember it, tbh. I don’t think I was really in the right headspace to read it. This is my favorite series ever, so I know I will have to revisit this sometime when I’m in the right mood for it.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher (read by Eliza Foss and Jennifer Pickens)
In a world where magic is thought of as cheap illusions, a sorceress can get away with murder. Literally. It takes a willful daughter, a determined future sister-in-law, and a full cast of their friends to challenge the sorceress, and no one is safe. This is another one I’ll have to revisit someday. The story was interesting, but anything deeper than surface level went entirely over my head while I was all stress-muddled. Narration was okay – I liked one narrator more than the other, though I don’t know which was which.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (read by Andrew Fallaize)
Second installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. I adored this one. I met Bennett some time ago (2018?) and he said he liked to disguise books under the wrong genre. Fantasy novel that looks like a thriller; heist story masquerading as a fantasy, etc. These books have been murder mysteries in the clothes of fantasies (or vice versa?), and I adore them. The narrator is awesome, too.

The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels (read by Kim Bretton and Emma Fenney)
Sapphic romcom with a very typical premise: girl pretends to be a guy’s girlfriend for his family, falls in love with his sister. However, this one ended up going very deep into family issues, domestic violence, emotionally abusive/manipulative relationships, dementia, and adult existential crises. It was a lot heavier than I expected, which is generally something I consider a good thing, though atm it would have been nice to be pure fluff! Still, good story. The narrators were good too.

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (read by Ellis Evans)
Cute story about the heir of Christmas and the heir of Halloween (yes, actual magical folks) falling in love when they’re not technically allowed because of the duties they have to their families and holidays. It’s rather steamy in places and I love a gay romance. This one also included a bit of political intrigue and I think there’s going to be a second installment. On the bad side, the narrator drove me insane. I didn’t really like the pov character because of the way the audiobook was read. If I revisit this one, it’ll def not be on audio unless the narrator changes!

System Collapse by Martha Wells (read by Kevin Free)
I read all the Murderbot books ages ago, back in 2021 I think? Because I read them all back to back in a quick time period, I didn’t recall a lot of what happened in them. This one has been on my list for a few years, but I’ve avoided reading it because I felt like I needed to revisit the old ones first. Then the Murderbot tv show started, and that refreshed me enough that I could listen to this one with revisiting the others. I loved the narrator and I think I’d like to go back and reread these all via audio – maybe I’ll retain more that way!

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes (read by Karla Serrato)
This one made me cry. I mean, come on – queer kids in a Catholic school/family forced to stay in the closet out of fear they’ll be kicked out of their home? Yeah. Add to that the Latinx culture (from Arizona, but close enough to what I grew up with in Texas to be very relatable), immigration issues, bigotry (of the race and sexuality kind), religious bs, and poverty, and it’s a whole recipe for tears. Excellent book. I didn’t realize until I was done that it’s by the same author as The Broposal. They’re quickly becoming one of my faves! The audio narrator did a great job, too, including the Spanish sections, which I really appreciated!

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Fanfic Minis – May 2025

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Thistle

It was a really big reading month, both for fanfic and for regular books. Turns out that when I’m under a lot of stress, I read a lot more…

First: An Angel for Christmas by PhoenixRose. On his last chance to prove himself as an angel, Aziraphale is assigned to the Christmas department to grant a child’s wish. But three days isn’t enough to restore the child’s father’s Christmas spirit, and even if the angel succeeds, there’s the slight problem that he’s falling in love with a human… (This was fluffy and adorable and absolutely perfect for Christmas, even though I read it in May.)

Second: Forbidden Fruit by HenriettaRHippo. At their siblings’ engagement party, Crowley and Aziraphale meet and fall in love at first sight. Unfortunately, Crowley has promised his sibling that he won’t get involved…but the lure is too strong. Silly, cute, smutty rom-com that follows all the tropes you can imagine.

Third: Tethered by MarieCuriosity. This one started out as a potential for my favorite fanfic read in quite some time. The first 10 chapters are so dark, ambiguous, and poignant. While the rest was good, all of the ambiguity disappeared after Ch 10, and it became a much more plot-centric story. I really wish it had remained on the same path it had begun, even if it ended on a fully ambiguous or bittersweet note.

Fourth: Showstopper by espresso_six_shots. Celebrity edition of GBBO bring an actor and a judge together after a year of flirting and miscommunication. I frickin’ love Bake-Off and so this story was so perfect for me. It’s sweet and silly and completely unrealistic in all the best ways. Loved it.

Fifth: Is There a Version? by LookingAtACupofTea. A longtime reader/commenter began writing their own fanfic recently, a S3 story that introduced some really interesting ideas. I really enjoyed their take on the characters and predictions for what will happen when the third season finally drops.

Sixth: Love in the Slow Lane by Mizmak. Cute little story about starting over in middle age and choosing to live differently than you’ve done before.

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Most Ardently, by Gabe Cole Novoa (audio)

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Thistle

Most Ardently is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennet is actually Oliver Bennet, though very few people know of his true identity. As he navigates the world as a transman in hiding, he chafes at the role he must play as a woman in society, especially once he’s presented with multiple marriage prospects.

I adore Pride and Prejudice, and don’t always enjoy retellings, but this one was imaginative and delightful. The author did a great job with the historical language and tone, and updated the story to include a number of queer situations. There were historical notes that followed the novel to discuss what the cultural landscape was like for queer folks at the time. Of course, like the original novel, it’s a highly idealized story. There is plenty of glossing over some of the harder realities and everything works out for the best, so we get our happy, feel-good ending.

Performance: The audio was read by Harrison Knights, who did a good job. No complaints.

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Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty (audio)

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Thistle

On a routine flight from Hobart to Sydney, people are cranky due to a delay. Once the plane is in the air, however, one woman stands and begins to speak to passengers one by one. Cause of death, age of death. One by one, she hands out predictions, regardless of how people react. The flight is a disaster, unsettling for all, but no one really believes… until the first person dies.

This was a fascinating book. It’s told from the point of view of several passengers on the plane, as well as that of the woman who gives out the predictions, and takes place over almost a year of time. It’s not really a story of prediction or psychics, but a story of the way people react to life and circumstances, and how things come together to make up the way we behave when confronted with a definitive timeline. It also goes into quite a lot of detail about various philosophies of behavior, from people who believe that every step you take is pre-determined, to those who believe the opposite extreme. It’s a set of slice-of-life stories, slotted into the longer story of the “death lady” from the plane, as she’s come to be known. It’s about interconnectivity, and community, and taking stock of the important things in each of our worlds.

I really enjoyed it. There’s no real answer about whether or not these predictions are “true” or if the deaths that occur in their wake are coincidences; if steps taken in the face of predictions keep them from happening, or if they never would have happened at all. It’s left ambiguous, because that’s not the point. The point is how people chose to behave in the face of what may or may not be coming. And I really liked that.

Performance: The audio was read by two narrators, Geraldine Hakewill and Caroline Lee. I don’t know which was which, and enjoyed one more than the other, but liked both fairly well. No complaints, and I love listening to Moriarty’s stories in general. They work well in audio format.

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The Broprosal, by Sonora Reyes

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Thistle

Han and Kenny are best friends and flatmates. They’ve known each other for decades, so when 1) Han loses the job that is meant to be sponsoring his green card, and 2) Kenny finally splits with his abusive girlfriend, the two decide to fake-marry for Han’s citizenship. Only the fake relationship opens a whole host of real feelings.

This one was really, really cute. It deals with a ton of heavy topics – immigration, parental neglect, addiction, domestic violence, pregnancy/abortion, coming out, autism, death of a parent – but weaves them in between sweetness, humor, and a general sense of community. There is heavy emphasis on Mexican culture and queer culture, which I really loved as a queer person who grew up in a heavily-Mexican-influenced part of the world (south Texas). The feelings that develop between Han and Kenny feel real, not even slightly contrived despite the fake-marriage trope, and very hot at times. (There are several explicit scenes, including one with light kink, so keep that in mind if you chose to read this.)

I think my favorite thing about this story was the way it subverted so many stereotypes. The abusive ex-girlfriend didn’t believe she could be abusive because she worked at a shelter for abused women. The autistic character enjoyed touch under the right circumstances. There’s mention that someone who is a sub in a sexual partnership is not necessarily a bottom, which I appreciated. Then there was Leti, one of Han’s cousins – they’re a drag performer who uses they/them pronouns, and there’s never a single indication one way or another of their “biological sex.” Woohoo for true nonbinary rep!!!!!

Altogether, a fab book to read. Don’t let the cover fool you. The art makes this look like a YA book, makes it look a bit silly/young. It’s very adult in content, though. Sure, there’s plenty of humor, but this book has a LOT to say.

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Evocation, by ST Gibson

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Thistle

David, a lawyer who doubles as a medium in his spare time, is suddenly being intermittently possessed by a demon. He turns to his ex-boyfriend, Rhys, and Rhys’ wife Moira, for help. The complicated relationship between the three makes this a difficult task, and the demon keeps getting stronger…

I’m not sure what to say about this book. There were definitely parts I liked. I enjoyed the occult bits, and I liked the realistic polyamory rep. Beyond that, though, I didn’t particularly like any of the three characters, and the few smut scenes (particularly the two straight smut scenes – the one gay scene was slightly better) were pretty cringey. That’s coming from someone who enjoys smut scenes generally.

This is the beginning of a series, but I don’t think I’ll continue with it. If I liked the characters better, I probably would, but I found them just slightly under the line of likability too far to make me want to read their story further. Oh well.

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Fanfic minis – April 2025

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Thistle

This was a travel month, so I got a lot read on the international flights!

As a heads-up, I’ve just had a major life change and I don’t know how often I’ll be on the blog right now as I work through that.

First: A Tricky Situation by sixbynine. Short little you’ve-got-mail type story involving two professors who have both an online rivalry and an online friendship (under different aliases, of course). Cute, but not a fave.

Second: Kidnapping Mr Fell by JAC_is_procrastinating_again. This is a cute and short little story about a kinda-vigilante cleaning up mob activity, mixed up with a bit of not-so-great kidnapping and a bit of oblivious pining. That sounds chaotic, but it makes a lot more sense in context. Took me by surprise in a lot of places despite the brevity of the story. Very funny.

Third: Borrowed Words by sunrisesinthesuburbs. Imagine a young relationship broken apart by family and fear and obligation. Imagine, almost twenty-five years later, stumbling upon your ex, only to discover that he has all the same regrets, pains, and hesitations. Building something new on top of something old, with the baggage that time brings along, is difficult, and the author weaves this story beautifully with flashbacks, old unsent letters, book snippets, and more.

Fourth: Chemistry by Twilightcitysky. Post S1 fic involving the ineffables turning on all their physical processes and dealing with things such as allergies, panic attacks, and hangovers for the first time. As well as all the hormones involved in falling in love. This one was phenomenal! The science was particularly well-researched and I love the author’s approach to God as an absentminded researcher.

Fifth: Growing on Me by Hermiola. A burned-out musician has his career invigorated by a lyricist, in spite of the musician’s best attempts to annoy the lyricist into quitting before they even begin their collaboration. Cute story, but felt a bit one-sided and heavy on tropes.

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