Five Year Anniversary

Has it really been five years? Jesus, it truly has. On this day I want to take a look back into how this blog evolved.

2013: The year I started writing! I remember I set myself up the challenge to write one entry every two days, which led to a very busy year. It was a time in my life where I was chronically unemployed, living with the folks, and being broke. But it was also my last year as a NEET, something which I am happy to have broken away from. I had two special months: October, where we counted down the top 11 heroes of gaming, and December, which was a Month of Final Fantasy. I fell short of my goal, but I got really sick that December. Bad stuff. But hey, I made it all the way to Final Fantasy 10!

2014: This year was one hell of a rollercoaster. I re-enrolled into college, so I spent from February-May without writing a damn thing. June I got back into the groove, going back into writing. Sadly I couldn't adhere to anything resembling a schedule. The death of my family's dog hit us all hard, so I couldn't write much. On July I got back my passion for writing, and I managed to write 12 entries. But then August came around, and GamerGate happened. From September-November I was practically all about GamerGate. Anyway, I capped off 2014 with Disgaea Month, which in my opinion wasn't as great as Final Fantasy Month, but with final exams and all that, I think I managed to make some good entries.

2015: I like to think of this as the year I finally found my voice. A bit of a rough start, I'll admit, but I think by April of that year I was starting to REALLY make some good entries! This was the year where I did many blogs I had been wanting to do since Day 1: a serious analysis of Princess Peach, my own countdown of the top 11 villains in gaming, etc. To bring this glorious year to a close, I did Nintendo Origins Month, which was my first (BUT NOT THE LAST) foray into analysing the way a company evolved through the years.

2016: Boy, was this year rough. I started off in college, got my first job, then lost it. As far as entries go, I'm glad that this was my second most productive year. Of course we counted down the Top 11 best moments in Final Fantasy 7, and that's something I'm proud of. And of course we had Uncharted Month in December, which was fun for me to write. In many ways, a fine year for my blog, and a year of growth and development for me.

2017: The year I left for China. The year I thought for sure I would have to retire the blog. This was my LEAST productive year by far; we didn't even have a special month beyond Strange Men Month! Of course, I dedicate EVERY December to a special theme, and this year was no different. That said, this was my least productive year by far. Personally, I fear I may have "Jumped the Shark" in 2017; perhaps I needed that hiatus after all. But no matter how much I try, I can't keep away from writing on this blog; I love it too much.

Overall, I'm proud of this blog, and I do not regret at all that fateful August 2 of 2013, where by a dare I put pen to paper and wrote a blog entry on Pokemon. A blog entry I hope to one day rewrite with my new, more mature writing style!