Lord of the Rings cast signed my LOTR friendship accordion book at Fan Expo Denver. Elijah Wood liked the art so much that he took a pic of it with his phone! Dream come true to meet some of the biggest names behind my favorite books/movies of all time.

Animal aesthetic shelves at Örebro Castle, Sweden

When my mom escaped Vietnam, her boat with other refugees got picked up by a Norwegian oil tanker on its way to Japan. A storm would've taken it otherwise. 40+ years later, for the 1st time, Mom got to visit Norway: the country that had saved her life. A meaningful trip for us in many ways. 🇳🇴

The wall decor in my hotel room at Oslo. I didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't a flower-censored chameleon man splayed under a shower of cigarette butts and framed by Mesoamerican art.

The poor Norwegian customs officials trying to figure out how and why 3 Asian women with US passports are driving a Swedish car into Norway 🇺🇸🇸🇪🇳🇴😵‍💫

People in northern Europe are very quiet and go about their business discreetly (which I love). My mom who's traveling Scandinavia with me is Vietnamese, American, and a retired educator. It's been a battle for me to constantly remind her to pipe down and not use her teacher voice. 💀

Hotel lounge in south Sweden. And a close up of definitely-not-Louis-from-Beastars. (His name's not Louis, it's...uh, Gustav)

Not only did my Asian family and I draw curious stares and questions from locals in a small south Swedish town, they were really impressed we've been driving down from Stockholm to cover 1/3 of the country.

I scream internally by instinct whenever I see the price in Swedish crowns but then I remember to divide it by 10 to get US dollars

Cool Moomin books in Finnish that aren't available in English or the US: Snufkin's Kalakirja (fish book) and Moominpappa's Lintukirja (bird book).

Moomin schmoomin, I came to Finland to grab Ginga manga in Finnish as the ultimate souvenir. Ginga Nagareboshi Gin (Hopeanuoli) and its sequels are the national anime of Finland with a following and popularity of Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon levels over there. It never caught on in the US.

You've heard of run, run Rudolph, now get ready for yum yum Rudolph (Reindeer meat dinner in Helsinki, my first time having reindeer meat)

Settings I'd love to see more of in Plott Hound slush: central Asia, southeast Asia, west Asia, eastern Europe, Pacific islands, South America, alien planets

Springing into Year 2 of Plott Hound! 🐰 This is our first issue featuring reprint stories, or Retold Tails.

A perk of being anesthesia student coordinator is when I get an OR assignment I don't feel like doing solo so I give myself a (good) student to do it for me

I'm not unsettled that my copy of Night Shift somehow warped into this shape, with the back skewing higher than the front. Nope, not at all.

I did all the line edits for stories in Plott Hound's upcoming spring 2026 issue AND I beta read 5 chapters of a Clarion West classmate's novel. Been reading all day. My butt hurts.

Becoming an editor drove home for me that it really is nothing personal when I have to decline a submission. Starting 2026 I fund Plott Hound from my own pocket; I only have so many slots. I actually root for y'all to keep sending us pieces that will one day win us over!

A little notebook my sister had engraved for me. I use it to keep track of Plott Hound-related things like author and artist payments!

I hope y'all know that just because I'm Vietnamese does not mean that Vietnamese stories sent to Plott Hound get some advantage. In fact, especially if they're written by a non-Viet person, there's high potential for me to bounce off it. It's very obvious to me when they're written by an outsider.

I'm barely processing that it's 2026 and we're already about to start March. That means Year 2 of Plott Hound begins and our first submission period opens tomorrow! Our first time opening for reprint subs as well. We look forward to your animal stories and poetry!

I caught this shiny Yveltal in a remote raid and I'm so mad there's not enough allowed characters in a nickname so I can call it "CroatianBacon" (So I went with the actual Slavic word for their version of bacon)

Wishing an auspicious Vietnamese New Year and a blessed start of Ramadan to those who celebrate 🎉

Got my stuff signed at Animeverse today. I didn't ask for quotes, but the voice actors threw them in on the house anyway. I dream of someday vending at artist allies, so their encouragement had me (metaphorically) lying in a puddle of tears.

Autograph haul from Animeverse Houston where they had most of the Avatar cast

Thrilled to find that after many years of searching and hoping, my favorite Mongolian singer is finally on Spotify

First local zoo visit and animal drawing session of 2026. This year I resolve to go and practice more often, like once or twice a month.

Reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy while listening to Nier Automata soundtrack for the ultimate post-apocalyptic experience

Cover reveal for Plott Hound Issue 4/winter 2025! 🦉❄️

The question that starts wars and turns friends into enemies: who makes the best jollof rice and how do you make it?

My family in Texas is freaking out over the snowstorm, meanwhile my coworkers in Colorado are just excited to get more snow for skiing this weekend.

I must announce my joy to the world: after a lifetime of thinking I couldn't do it, today I did it. I figured out how to roll my R's. 🎉 It only took about 1000 times saying "perro" (dog) and "arreglar." (to fix) The dog (that's me) is fixed! (no not that kind of fixed)

My short story published in Apex Magazine last year, "A Ten Thousand Year Survey Into Seven Stomachs of an Ishta," will be translated in Spanish! There will also be an interview. Grateful to Voces de lo insólito for this opportunity!

My 2025 milestones + achievements: -started up Plott Hound Magazine as its EiC! 🐾 -became volunteer team lead for local cat rescue -became clinical student coordinator on top of my base duties as anesthetist -short fic published at Apex Magazine -1st time travel to Ireland & Wales (1/2)

Psst did you know that Vietnamese udon (bánh canh) exists? And you could get it for 1/3 of the price of Japanese udon and it tastes just as good?

Why don't you just pay a real artist for commissioned art? "But I don't have moneyyyy" Well I'd rather you not have enough money but a heart of gold than sell your soul for AI slop.

And that's a wrap on first year of submissions to Plott Hound Magazine! Big announcement for submitters to come at the end of the year! 🎁

Haul + autographs from Anime Frontier 🤠

Worth repeating: do NOT reply to submission rejections. Definitely do NOT reply to rejections with verbal abuse and threats. That will lead to a permanent ban from ever submitting to the magazine. I have editor acquaintances and I can spread the word as well.

Self defense tutorials for women are great and all, but what if men watch them too and then they learn how to skillfully beat the f&$k out of us? 🤔

Please do not reply to submission rejections, even to say thank you (we know you mean well, but still). Unless we explicitly ask for revise and resubmit, or send an acceptance, communication is not a two way street. Definitely do not argue back on rejections. That's not a good look.

Only the first day in and Plott Hound is already getting pelted with AI generated submissions. But we have sharp noses. We can sniff them out. NO AI SUBMISSIONS, please. We want animal stories and poetry to come from real people.

The howlidays are coming up soon and Plott Hound is open for winter 2025 submissions! No extra gift in your stocking for winter-themed stories, but no coal either. 🐺❄️

This year I'm so thankful for the poetry co-editor, slush readers, graphic designers, Kickstarter backers, subscribers, and of course the authors and cover artists who've made the first year of Plott Hound Magazine a reality! Thank you for being part of the pack! 🦃🐕

Stuff I'd love to see more of in the Plott Hound slush: -science fiction -less popular and more obscure species -subversive, refreshing takes on familiar mythical creatures and cryptids -xenospecies/critters entirely made up by you! -non-Western cultures and settings

Plott Hound Issue 3 is now unleashed into the wild! 🍂🦊 Included in this autumn menagerie: -a feared & worshipped python -a species that wear emotion on color of their fur -a cemetery cat -void whales -& more Buy it and other back issues here: plotthoundmag.com/issues/

Cover reveal for Plott Hound Issue 3 (by @madbrake.bsky.social) ✨🍂

I hate the uncanny valley "AI halo" that plagues AI slop. It's the modern-day will-o'-the-wisp that leads unaware people astray.

"At the Edge of the Tale" by @authortrsteele.bsky.social free to read online! ​“You are either very wise,” said Twirl, “or very cruel.” ​The unicorn’s long lashes swept over their cheek. “Why can I not be both?” plotthoundmag.com/at-the-edge-...

"Hound of Annwn" by @remedy.bsky.social free to read online! "You want to press your snout into the wound, but have just enough man-sense left in your dog-mind to hold back and stay still, your ears tucked down low..." plotthoundmag.com/hound-of-ann...