hello beautiful worldlings!! it's new years eve in canada, and it's also the new year in a lot of places. the last few days it was extremely foggy and dark, but today, or this morning at least, it's very nice out, and my bf and i went to the grocery store, and we got portugese egg tarts for the new year and i am so excited for them.
lots of things happened this year, as with any year, and not all of them were good, but this post isn't about those things. this post is about the awesome things that i like. in a sense you can probably look at this as a compilation of this year's the beautiful world entries, but there might be some things here that weren't in any of those, but i won't be checking to see if that's true cuz i'm lazy.
think i'll be keeping each section relatively brief this time!! and with that, i'll have a smaller formatting than usual. also keep in mind that recency bias is real af so there is probably a good chance that i forgot some stuff that i loved earlier in the year.
games
> the hundred line
the hundred line is one of my two gotys this year, and it's a game i truly just can't stop thinking about. it's a visual novel strategy rpg and is one of the most ambitious games i've ever played. it won't be for everyone, but if you like visual novels, stories where the mysteries just keep coming, and don't mind sinking a lot of time into a game, then you should definitely give it a shot. the truth route ending made me cry and just thinking about it makes me tear up even now.
> pokemon legends z-a
legends za is my other goty this year but for completely different reasons. hundred line is my artful masterpiece goty, and legends za is my fun time beautiful world goty. i've talked with my friend a lot about how the pokemon world is so compelling as an almost utopian setting - one where even when conflict arises, people will come together to try to understand each other. legends za is a lovely entry into the series, and i love how it highlights the core themes of pokemon in the context of a city. also the game is just such a delight to play; the action rpg spin on pokemon's traditional turn-based format was implemented perfectly, and this is probably the most fun game to catch 'em all in.
> minecraft
minecraft is basically always a good time. this year my irls and i played a lot of minecraft, and i also played some minecraft on my own, and it's really fun. i think i've gotten a bit better at building - not necessarily that much, but i look at my builds now and i'm like Damn. Not bad. which i'm very happy about!! getting better at building definitely makes the game more fun.
video
> professor bopper
professor bopper is a youtuber who i like watching, and the main thing that's put him on this list is his blind danganronpa stream series, which i have been loving watching. he streams the games with two friends who've played before, and it's just such a cozy and fun time. i think the thing i appreciate most is the way that bopper engages with the game in such an earnest way; he goes into these games with an open mind and engages with the games on their own terms and appreciates them for what they are. also the progressively intensifying in-jokes are really funny. if you jumped in at the latest point, the bits would be borderline incomprehensible. trey hendrickson?? milf guy??? women guy???? the meta is constantly evolving. i can't wait to see him play danganronpa v3.
> riverdale
my bf and i finished rewatching riverdale a few days ago, and man it really is just like a camp masterpiece. it's just such a fun watch. it's silly, sweet, the mysteries are fun to try and solve, and it's honestly shockingly well produced. the actors are crazy talented, and also crazy good at singing. i didn't get riverdale #1 on my spotify wrapped one year for no reason. riverdale definitely demands a level of whimsy that the irony-poisoned would prob have an allergic reaction to though.
misc
> moving in with my bf
this year my bf and i moved in together!!! it's so crazy awesome being able to go over and kiss my bf whenever i want. it's honestly the happiest i've ever been. our apartment also is in such an awesome location with a mall just a few minutes walk away, and it's so nice having good food options and hobby stores so close by. we hung up some warm lights in our living room too and it's made it so nice and cozy. now we just need to get a new couch and also some more storage receptacles.
> learning japanese
this year i've been doing a bit more to strengthen my japanese, so i joined a jp free company in ffxiv, and i've started up my kanji flashcards again, and i've been watching more jp youtube. i definitely feel a lot more confident in talking with people, and i don't have to consult my dictionary as much anymore. i'm really happy with how far i've come just thinking about how bad i was at talking a few years ago. like i can actually kind of hold a conversation. kind of awesome.
> blogging
i almost didn't even think about including this, but i've been really liking blogging this year, especially in this style of mostly focusing on things i liked or enjoyed. it's a good exercise especially considering how many algorithms for things like social media will try to more serve you negative content for engagement. i think taking in all that negativity makes it harder to enjoy stuff, so this is my small way to rebel against that in my brain and to train myself to enjoy stuff more.
conclusion
just a short post this time!! i haven't had lunch and i'm hungry so i'm finishing this post here. i hope to continue blogging in the years to come! i've been playing around with the idea of making a site in a 2000s internet style, potentially another blog site? if i did that idk if i would make it take over this site or if i would make it a different blog? or a mirror? not really sure. lots to think about. but not much to think about this year anymore!!
i hope you had a good christmas if you celebrate, or a good december if not. and i hope you have a good new year!!! thank you for reading xoxo