2022 wrap-up (yippee!)

[playfulcloud]

 It's been a while and while I didn't exactly forget that this journal existed, it's that nothing particularly exciting happens in my life that compels me to write longform entries... but I was writing a letter to a friend and was brainstorming what to write to her, so I figured I could put something here too while I think on it.

 

Anyways, I hope you're all doing well, and if there are any holidays coming up for you, I wish you a happy one! And if you're like me (in the northern hemisphere) please stay warm!

General Life: Not too much has changed with regards to my job, although I am trying to move to a new place with my sister hopefully next year. Actually, having to go to work everyday ticks me off a little because people have stopped masking and I got sick twice within the span of 5 months because of my coworkers (one of which lasted through a vacation and gave me bronchitis for a month, the other I got rapidly sick and still came in because my schedule for the week couldn't be adjusted on short notice...). Unfortunately I have to be onsite to use equipment and space so this is my burden to bear.

Writing: For some reason my WC is over double than what it usually has been in past years, which is surprising because I honestly didn't think I had that much to say? I'm not super satisfied with a decent chunk of it, but it was experimental in a way, so there's value in trying it out I think. I didn't follow through on that genprompt bingo because apparently I cannot be wrangled into following prompts, my brain simply runs.

 

Art: I didn't draw as much as I would have liked this year, mostly due to time constraints and being ill. Next year I want to draw more for sure!!! I should do more studies too!

 

Backlog:

 

Omniscient Reader - Re-read the webtoon to get back into it and then picked up the novel again and got past where I left off last time. Took me approx a month to read 550 chapters, definitely worth the read. Gave me a lot to think on with regards to how stories shape and interact with the human experience, how things are given life because of our belief in them and how they act as something that supports us through hardships in turn. I kind of want 7S to pick it up, but at the same time, I've heard some drama on their end regarding MXTX's works (inaccurate TL, stock issues, there was some union pushback earlier in the year?) so maybe another publishing company can pick it up. I think it deserves to be recognized in the west, but it doesn't seem like there's a large presence for KR webnovels especially since CN/jjwxc webnovels just recently came into popularity within the last few years among EN readers.

 

Jing Wei Qing Shang - Picked up where I left off last year, I enjoyed all of the lesbian drama and court intrigue, though I felt the ending was a bit rushed (PDL says that she was not in great health while writing the end, so this is understandable). I loved the main pairing and I felt it was very unique among the usual works of its genre (political drama, I mean, not baihe in general).

 

AI: The Somnium Files - Strangely enough I did not finish this but I did pick up Nirvana Initiative when it came out. I have some gripes with the story because there is one highly specific caveat that the twist depends on which feels like it robs one of the main characters of any development, but overall it was fun. I liked the puzzles and the VAs definitely went all out.

 

I've gotten into Arknights again (I've been doing this on and off since I started) but I've been playing regularly for once because of IS2. When the concept of a roguelike tower defense dropped I wasn't super hyped for it, but now it's become one of my favorite game modes. The RNG is really fun (ASPD cheese? lol) and it lets me use a lot of ops that I wouldn't normally use in regular missions. I'm slacking on CC though, haha. I mostly play for events so I'll pick up activity when Lingering Echoes drops (next week-ish?). I'm also excited for when Il Siracusano comes to global because Lappy has been one of my favorites for a long time but they forgot to give her lore until recently.

 

I'm also reading Liu Yao by Priest right now. It's only about 100 chapters but I think it subverts a lot of the usual tropes regarding wuxia/xianxia pieces, even in danmei. I guess a lot more recent pieces (this was published in 2018, I think), tend to dissect the genre due to their longevity - concepts regarding immortality, the duty of the strong, worldly attachment in taoism/buddhism and the more general questions of facing suffering vs experiencing life. It's a bit of a scattered read, one part due to multiple translators swapping off parts of the novel and the other because it is not a super detailed read (it reads kind of like Tian Guan? more like a fable-style kind of story). But I love the cast and their family dynamics, I think the execution is done very well for the pacing and word constraints.

 

Next year goals... hmm I want to read more books definitely, my friend works at a library so I've been asking them for recs, I just haven't had time to get to them. And learn more Chinese I think. I didn't have the opportunity as a kid so my ability to read Hanzi is abysmal and my mandarin is questionable lol. And maybe get on perscription meds if things pan out well... I was talking with a friend and they said that might be beneficial, esp since my sister is already taking something for the same thing.

 

Honestly I can't remember anything from the former half of the year, I'm unsure if being sick kind of shot my memory or what? But overall I'm pretty content with where I am right now.

 

I can't think of anything else to write! I have to go in early tomorrow for work even though the weather is going to be ugly... Maybe I'll revisit this again later.