what's funnier than 2024?
Dec 31, 2024
2025!
hey! long time no see. the end of the year has really snuck up on us, hasn't it? at the same time, it feels like it's been an eternity since january. funny how time works sometimes
this post is for the 32-bit cafe's new year 2025 event!
year in review
Tell us about your journey this year. What were the highlights and memories you made along the way? What did you learn and experience? Were there any goals you set and achieved? What has it made you want to achieve for the new year?
i don't know how to organize this, so you get a sort of nebulous list of paragraphs
i started caring about my privacy a lot more this year, i think. i've virtually completely abandoned google drive, and have replaced a lot of services and tools i use with more privacy-respecting ones.
i think i also started being more aware of... digital hygiene, i guess? i still have some bad habits, but at least i'm more aware of things now. i'm mainly on "not evil" platforms now (like the fediverse) and am trying to move into the slower web as well
i made a lot of progress on my site this year! i migrated to a static site generator back in may, and i've added a lot to my site in general (and i don't intend to stop!). i'm trying to make my site more accessible and my code more neat— i think i've made decent progress in both of these regards
i joined a couple (2) of small-web based communities this year. i haven't been the most active member of muse ariadne (writer's block is a real thing!), but i think bookbug has encouraged me to do more reading than i normally would have. many of the books i skipped or didn't finish due to business or lack of interest, but the books i did finish i enjoyed! the book picks for the club tend to be quite different from what i'm drawn to reading, so it pulls me out of my comfort zone as well.
i've been blogging a lot more this year: 9 whole posts! my post on building a local music collection gained a lot of traction on tumblr, and i'm really happy my rambling was helpful to so many people (': i definitely plan to continue blogging into 2025— writing down my thoughts in a long-form format casually is super fun
i've done a lot more thing-making in general. i found a new style for drawing (rendering over a sketch instead of doing lineart) by putting way too much effort into an artfight attack this summer. music has always been a struggle for me, but i did some sketches i like and a piece that i'm really proud of. writing is similarly difficult, but i tried my hand at some short stories and poems. i've been trying to ease myself into writing drabbles too.
i know a lot of stuff in my life is gonna change next year, by virtue of the linear flow of time. the most important thing for me is that i want to keep making things and keep enjoying making things, no matter if they're "good" or not. also, i need to make sure to take it easy on myself— i'm that sort of "get stressed about working then get stressed about not working" kind of person.
light in darkness
What's getting you through these cold, dark (or if you're in the Southern Hemisphere these hot, entirely too bright) months. What is the lighthouse guiding you to shore through the tumultuous waves of life?
music, as always! penelope scott's music will always be some of my favorite, but i discovered femtanyl and styxvii this year.
i also love doing shit with my friends. we've been playing don't starve together recently, and it's always fun
while art has crossed the line of being relaxing for me, it's only half-crossed the line of being cathartic. when i feel bad i "draw girls about it" /ij but i don't quite seem to have the mind or the skill to draw super cool and deep vent art yet. i've also tried my hand at expressing stuff through writing— results are inconclusive so far, but i've made some stuff i'm proud of! engaging in my hobbies in general does make me happy though, i love making art and music and stories and coding stuff even if things don't turn out perfect
also, stupid but it works: looking at media of fandoms and characters i like. it makes me smile like an idiot [:
thank you for visiting my site in 2024. here's to a(nother) great year!