New Year, New Decade!

Hello lovelies~

We finally made it! If you've been wondering whatever became of Robin Blake, fear thee not! For I haven't died, just been excruciatingly busy over the past few months. That's what you get when you're working retail during the dreaded "ber" months, I guess.

A whole new year is now upon us! Ya girl's now 30, count 'em 30 years old, officially returning to college on the 10th to pursue a bachelor's degree in fashion design, and my social life is better than ever! All this, despite having had to endure the absolute nightmare that the previous year was - and make no mistake, I think I speak for all of us when I say, there were several times I wanted to wake up and find myself anywhere else! It'd be the easiest thing in the world for me to shit all over 2023, seeing as how it brought me to the absolute lowest point that I've ever been in, but you know what? It gave me a lot to be thankful for, too. So allow me to count my blessings in reflection:

For starters, it gave me the strength to stand up for myself, both against toxic work environments and people in my personal life, including my abusive online ex who was by far the closest person to me at the time. I found the courage to cut ties with toxic people without trying also to apologize for setting boundaries. It was the year when I finally came out as trans, and dared to face the inevitable risks that come with it; everything from discrimination and mockery to the omnipresent threat of violence and discomfort around family members. It taught me how to thrive even when times are at their darkest, and it looks like there's no way out but one. It showed me the importance of treating myself as my own significant other and loving myself accordingly. And I even took it upon myself to pursue a college degree again, and from there, a bold new career in the world of fashion!

2023 was cold, harsh, and brutal. The year was an unfeeling one, relentless in its cruelty and leaving a trail of shattered dreams and broken spirits in its wake. It marked the very first time I ever struggled with suicidal thoughts, even briefly turning to Satanism as a coping mechanism for how dark things got. And while I still haven't recovered from the scars it left behind, I'm still here and kicking. I survived, and so did you if you're reading this. We fucking made it, taking everything that 2023 threw at us, and now 2024 awaits - if it's got the balls for it. I say bring it the hell on, 'cause there's not a goddamn thing that's gonna break us at this rate.