Use the Falchion

I'll die on the hill that The Last Jedi is one of the few modern pieces of Star Wars media that actually gets Star Wars. It's far from perfect, and I have some fundamental issues with it, but overall I think it's a phenomenal movie that works on a narrative level, on a meta/speaking to and about the audience level, and on a meta-narrative "what was the creator doing/what does this do to the story" level. To me, the problems in TLJ don't actually stem from TLJ, but from The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker. Anyways, my worst movies...hmm...I've seen some bad ones, but I usually try to purge those from my mind. The ones that stuck around: The Last Airbender (2010) - This is the first movie that emotionally hurt me. Percy Jackson & the Sea of Monsters (2013) - Before this, I don't think I saw a movie and went "this was a complete and utter waste of time in my life I'll never get back." Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S -I'm combining these into one category because they have nigh-identical problems IMO. Much like Pacific Rim: Uprising (there is no Pacific Rim sequel in Ba Sing Se), it sidelined the great human cast from the previous film (including the amazing female protagonist) for a boring new cast, with nothing to bring other than more lore that wasn't necessary and felt confusing when added to the story. Watch the first of both, then move on. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (2014) - I'm not a bit LOTR fan, and this movie was the terrible ending to end all endings. I can't remember a single detail about it other than Smaug's thing at the very beginning of the film. Honorable Mentions: Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet & The Incredibles 2 - These aren't bad movies, but they weren't worth the wait between movies and undermine the purpose and ending of the first movie, IMO. Fan4stic (2015) - I love the cast and the premise actually wasn't too bad! I loved that Sue was the adopted one. I even liked Doom's walk through the hallway and the music during that scene. It was just...everything else. Logan (2018) - This one is a personal thing, as this is the one and only movie that triggers me. Objectively it's a good movie, but I fundamentally DESPISE the premise of "a cynical man learns to cherish what he already has at the end of his life" trope with the burning passion, and this movie didn't help. (That's not why it's triggering, but the reason why is personal.) I hope to never rewatch it again, and I loathe that I have to put it on recommended MCU movie lists due to how the X-Men are now connected. I love how Deadpool & Wolverine desecrated the movie. Fantastic Beasts movies - These aren't as bad as other things on the list, but they have no idea who they're catering to, and it shows.

"Hold Them Down" has Penelope's viola during...that part. As if she's reacting to the horror. You can also hear Odysseus join in the final rousing moment of the song, the "here and now" parts. Obviously, we have the "Different Beast" echoes in the second half of "600 Strike," right before the best part of the song. Poseidon also calls Ody a "monster" to the same rhythm that the chorus echoes "monster" in "Monster."

"Christened" by STIM is so good!

With the release of the new crowdfunding campaign coming in two days, I can't help but think that Sanderson still has one more card up his sleeve, and that's going to be another Secret Project. (Because even Brandon would be amused by a 6-7 pun.) I can't say if it's the Cairn thing we've speculated about here, but I do believe it'll happen...well, either here or for Oathbringer 10th anniversary. (Once again, I'd prefer Sanderson save these Secret Projects up for a big campaign with 7-10 books, but I'll also take 2 SPs for this Kickstarter, 1 for Oathbringer, and then 4-6 for a big campaign down the line.)

Get that collection quickly! It's going away very soon.

Maphra's cover of "Doomed" by Bring Me the Horizon is heavenly, and it'll probably be my cover of the year.

I was imagining a Progression Fantasy-esque series for Valor. (Rather than the Progression Fantasy-adjacent that Stormlight falls into.) Invention could totally get a LitRPG series, where they grant Investiture based on the ingenuity of the person involved. That being said, I like the ideas here! There could be a fun dynamic between the ideas of valor being seen as putting oneself in risky situations in order to "help one's family" vs valor being "duels of honor."

Not in the sense I think you're talking about, since if I take a break for air I probably won't come back to the series. If I'm getting burnout, I usually push through. However, if I'm reading a series and a book by an author I love comes out, and I'm more excited about the new book than the book I'm reading, I'll pick up the new book in a heartbeat. But I usually recommend breaks or palate cleansers for other readers just in case they're the type of reader to get burnout before finishing.

Almost a year since my last update! I haven't made anything too fancy (I did make some well-received brown butter mashed potatoes tho), nor have I cooked any of the revised things discussed here yet, but I do have some upcoming things I'm excited about! First up is the smallest item: Bacon Jam - For some reason, the idea of a bacon and kimchi grilled cheese on Asiago bread has been haunting me for the past few weeks, so I really want to make it. But then I decided that bacon jam may work even better, and I'm dedicated to this now. (I'm holding back on doing one of those viral mashed potato grilled cheese thingies because I want this part to work first.) Next up we have two straight-up items and one hybrid item: Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese - I saw a video on YouTube with this recipe, and I think it'd be a cool thing to add to the Thanksgiving menu when my sister is visiting her in-laws. (She usually does the Mac & Cheese, and my mom has her own classic recipe, but I need a new Mac & Cheese recipe, and I feel like this could be fun.) I imagine this will be a fun experiment and nothing more, but I want to try it all the same. Bourbon Buttermilk Cornbread - I love using bourbon in recipes, and I think this could be a smash hit. Like the above recipe, I want to add it to the Thanksgiving menu, but I need to test it out on a few subjects first and then run it by my mom. (As of 2024, I'm in charge of the turkey, but she still holds the keys to the full menu.) Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls - I plan on using this as a base recipe but doing some minor changes from other recipes. I'll do a Tangzhong from my favorite milk bread cinnamon rolls recipe, add buttermilk powder and brown butter to the sugar mixture (from this buttermilk brown butter cinnamon roll recipe), and drench the whole thing in heavy cream before cooking. (From multiple sources.) I don't expect this to be THAT much better, but I'm excited to try it out. I hope to make these before the end of February, but we'll see what happens. On Valentines Day, I plan on treating myself! I'm talking: Breakfast - Roast Duck and Pork Belly Eggs Benedict with a miso brown butter hollandaise sauce and creme anglaise French Toast. I plan on using the base recipes here and adding in a tablespoon or two of bourbon from this recipe I tried a few years ago. I'm toying with adding in some simple cheesy scrambled eggs and candied bacon, and then inviting my friend and his kids to breakfast, but it'll depend on how motivated I am. (Of course I'll invite his wife (aka my childhood friend/older sister in all but blood), but I assume she'll either be working or resting, so it'll be nice to be away from the kids.) Dinner - Wine-poached pear salad, Beef Wellington (served with a bourbon, red wine, and coffee sauce), Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Pomme Paves. If I could poach some mussels in white wine and serve with a white wine butter sauce, then I'd be in heaven. Yes, this is a lot of carbs, but it's a food coma I'm willing to enter. Dessert - Linda's Fudge Cake from Cheesecake Factory, because it was either that or make a souffle cheesecake, and the advice I was given was "go all out but you're already doing too much; make dessert easy." We'll see how much I actually do. Finally, during Spring Break, I'll attempt to make the Dessert Arancini again. Can confirm that this was NOT my next cooking adventure lol! But I still want to try this! Maybe during Spring Break I could do a 2-Day thingy. On Day 1, I make this and smoke the rice pudding for the Dessert Arancini before freezing it. Day 2 I make the Frankenstein and serve it with the Dessert Arancini. We'll see.

Someone get the telephone because I CALLED IT! (Well, I speculated and rated Apple favorably.)

When you look back at your Entertainment 2025 Theory list, and it turns out that you actually anticipated Sanderson writing a Secret Project! Well, releasing a Secret Project, as you ALWAYS speculate that he's writing another one. I got the project wrong, however. I theorized that he'd write and release Mulholland's Homebrew's Sinister Shop of Secret Pets as the book to go with the Hoid Storybook Collection. Clearly I was wrong! As a small aside, I do hope Sanderson considers Mulholland as an in-house graphic novel someday, or maybe a collaboration with the artist of the graphic novel Hooky. ...and while he's at it, he can make sure the Dark One graphic novels actually get made...

I look forward to this thread every year! Thanks for keeping up the tradition. SCOOOP!!! Ready to Rock and Sion were my favorites from that album From Egoist's final EP, right? My iTunes calls it Touzisya, but I know that's a sort of regional difference at time. ("z" vs "j" and the other things.) That EP was the main part of my Yumi & the Nightmare Painter playlist. ("All Alone With You" remix plays during the final moments of the book, while "Namae No Nai Kaibutsu" remix plays during the epilogue with Hoid.) As an aside, Egoist was one of my favorite J-Pop/J-Rock/J-Electronic groups. I'm sad they split ways, but I hope Reche is popular. (I haven't listened to as much of her stuff as I probably should.) In terms of my music list: Retro 2024 Winners “Classical Dragon” by Marcin and Tim Henson - I didn’t appreciate it back in 2024, but I’ve been listening to it nearly every day in early January and February. “Empty Out Your Pockets” by Juice Wrld - It feels like it’s a Spider-Man: SpiderVerse song, specifically Miles G Morales’ theme song. I love it for that. Album of the Year - “Lo-files” by Bring Me the Horizon A lofi album of many of BMTH’s most popular (and most recent) hits over the years. It’s a fun project that I wish more bands would consider. Top Songs: “canyoufeelmy<3.tmpx,” “sL33pwalking.idl,” and “Throne.GOD” Runner-up Albums “Hope EP” by Yukata Hirasaka - A great Mathrock J-Rock album! “Bright” is easily my favorite song on the EP, so much so that I’m mentioning it here and in the singles list! “Scooop!” by Band-Maid - It feels more akin to Unseen World than Epic Narratives, which is nice. Slightly more variety. Top Songs: “Ready to Rock,” and “SION” (this song’s opening riffs remind me of “Page” from their album CONQUERER) “From Zero (Deluxe Edition)” by Linkin Park - This one’s a bit of a cheat since there are only three new songs, but it’s TECHNICALLY still a new album! (The three songs do change the flow of the album some, since now the album doesn’t circle back to the beginning.) Top Retro Buys: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio - I listen to it every year, and it’s one of my favorite albums to listen to every year. My family owns it on cassette AND CD. It’s a mystery why I hadn't bought it myself yet. A.I. Music - I have a slightly complex relationship with A.I. music. I don't hate it, yet it isn't the same as art to me. It's entertainment and enjoyable at times, but I'd always prefer to have some human band create and perform the same thing instead of A.I. A.I. Art - Funkin Park (it sounds more boy-band than Funk) by Conhuir Ecclesiastes in Blues by Holy Groove Classical versions of “Timeless” and “Chihiro” by This Isn’t Real Secular Music Fast Singles - My church had a fast from secular music this summer. I didn't always succeed, but I did find some new songs I really enjoy. “Lifted Me (Live) [feat. Ashlee Young & Sean Dodson]” by Anthem Night Music & BrvndonP “Impossible? Nothing At All” by Transformation Worship. (My Choir Rec of the year) “STILL HOLY” by indie tribe, nobigdyl “IN THE ROOM” by nobigdyl “Liar” by Jon Keith “Sinful” by Aha Gazelle “Rendezvous” by Social Club Misfits Singles “Faker” and “ESC” by Thai McGrath - Anime-inspired Rock “Thanatos (End of Us),” “Cut the Cord,” “Library of Alexandra,” and “The Maze” by Janani K. Jha - Greek Mythology-inspired Pop “Sanctuary” “Honored” and “grow” by STIM - Prog Rock/Pop “I Don’t Write About Girls" by Marcin and Ichika Nito - Prog Rock “Imposter Syndrome” by Lew Sid “Don’t Save Her,” “Trailer Park Alien,” and “Throw It Back” by Brandon Jamar Scott - Rap “Run It Up” by Hanumankind - Rap “Timeless” by The Weeknd - Rap “Nihilist Blues (ft. Grimes) by Bring Me the Horizon (The Cover by Annisokay is here too.) - Rock “Why you gotta kick me when I’m down?” by Bring Me the Horizon - Rock “SLEEPWALKER” by Aries & brakence - Prog Pop “Drum Show,” and “City Walls” by Twenty One Pilots “Bright” by Yukata Hirasaka - One of my top singles of the year. - Mathrock “Folded” and “(un)Folded” by Kehlani - Pop/R&B “Mmm Good” by Scootie Wop - Rap “Lord of Ashes,” “Elegy of the End,” and “Counter-Blade” by Lappy - J-Rock “You Got Me!” by Able2change - Rap “War” by Elaya Amen - R&B “Red + Green” by Alex Jean - Rap “Delightful” by Refeeld - Lofi “Fractures” by Scro - DnB/Breakcore/Mathrock/Screamo “Somewhere I Belong” and “Crawling” (Midwest Emo covers) by Loner Youth - Midwest Emo “I was only temporary” by my head is empty - Yes, sometimes I like Tiktok songs “Confess your love (ft. Ola.wav)” - Yes, sometimes I like the Tiktok songs

Oh good points! EDIT: I'm not sure that Hoid's Travails is a trilogy, however. I thought it was just a subseries for these specific Secret Projects. If you have a source to prove me wrong, please go ahead! I personally feel another Secret Project is likely because: A) Current Era (2020-Current Time) Brandon seems incapable of being able to stop writing them; B. There are several small lines and hints in the SotS that present that vibe to me. Toward the beginning of the SotS, Brandon says "there's always another secret. And another story." He didn't need to add that last part, but the fact he felt like it was necessary to include sparked the idea of another Secret Project. Later on, Dan talks about the Council of Wizards meeting three times. Even if two of those books were Dan's books (which itself isn't a given*), Fires of December was finished last year and Mistborn 8 hadn't been finished yet, so I'm not entirely sure these would have been counted among the three. Thus, we're left with an open slot for the story/project that the Council of Wizards could have been to discuss, and a Secret Project would fit there quite well! 4. (Or rather 3A.) Brandon did this deliberately to see if he could drop a teaser and have people pick up on it. *Dan talks about three projects. Two are in revision, and one is most likely Dark One, as it's been in revisions for years at this point. That leaves one other project, one of the Cosmere projects. If this one finished up and was part of the reason the Council of Wizards met, then that's one book accounted for.

I completely agree that his writing speed will grind to a halt, but I don't think it'll be the entire time. I think Brandon would be busiest in preproduction, helping with scripts, casting, and the like. Once production starts, he'd just be there some of the time to give feedback. It also won't be all at once and it won't be all year. This also depends on the network. If Brandon's able to pitch something like Skyward to a service where all of the episodes are filmed before the first one airs, then it'll be relatively easier overall.

I went back and relistened due to your prompting and I heard it too! I have no idea what it's about, but since I'm almost positive Brandon wrote YET ANOTHER Secret Project this year (either as an add-along to either Arcanum Unbounded's* eventual Leatherbound or Oathbringer's Leatherbound in 2027 or as something else), I'm pretty sure we'll hear about it by the end of 2026. As an aside, I'd honestly rather Brandon's next Secret Project novel be Arcanum Unbounded 2. If it's not that, I'd prefer it even more if Sanderson saved most of his Secret Projects for another big SP Crowdfunding Campaign like the 2022 one. Having books release with smaller crowdfunding efforts does increase how much those smaller efforts raise overall, but that first Secret Project Kickstarter was magical...