toyflower

Hi, my name is Angel and this is my website! I created this site at the start of 2023 when I wanted a personal space to post my ramblings and things that make me happy, but with work, family, and just general life in the way, I didn't find the time to get started. Now that life has started slowing down I thought I'd give my site another shot.

I'm in my early 20s, from the UK, and live with my partner and my kitty. I spend my free time reading, gaming, watching movies and tv series, and coding.

I created this site because I want to share what I care about with the world - namely video game diaries (think something like jvgsjeff's amazing Animal Crossing blog), shiny hunts, book stuff, etc. Stuff that I don't need to attach my real-life self to - just a place to share silly things that silly little me likes to document.

What I like

As mentioned I love coding, playing video games, watching my favourite shows, and reading. My website will probably center around these things so I won't go into too much detail now.

Video games

My favourite games are life simulation games and rpgs. My all-time favourite video game series is Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. I've been playing this series since 2006 and I love everything about it.

My first game was Harvest Moon DS which I started playing at 6 years old. I had no idea what I was doing, I could barely read, but I remember just spending hours on car trips running around to my little heart's content. The music from this game is still seared into my brain.

Besides HM and SOS, I love playing Animal Crossing, Pokémon, and other various other games in this genre.

Books

It's weird but I don't consider myself to have a 'favourite' book. There's a bunch of different series that I love to read and keep updated on, but if someone asked me if they're my favourite I wouldn't really say yes. Perhaps one day I'll find a book that I'll definitively call my fave. The closest I've probably gotten to a favourite is Wuthering Heights.

When it comes to genres, however, I'd say I like a little bit of everything. I tend to get in different reading moods which dictates what I like to read at that current time. I'd say my most read genres are classics and horror/thrillers, but I often read things like romance, YA, fantasy, non-fiction, etc. What I read is usually dictated by how I'm feeling.

Why the old web?

I choose the old web because it's personal. It's been a couple years now since I deleted my main social media accounts, but the main reason I did so was because everything seemed so same-y. I wanted to express myself without the restrictions social media set for me, and I wanted to do so without attaching my real-life self too closely.

I've always disliked the pressure of getting followers, likes, etc. on traditional social media. It made me feel like I have to post a certain type of content to get engagement, rather than posting what I want just for the fun of it. This place is totally for me — I'm not interested in people following my website or interacting with me, I just want to make what I want when I want. If others want to come along for the ride that's awesome, but if not that's cool too.

I think the reason why I wanted to start this website really encaptures that feeling of the old web, at least for me. The internet used to be a place to escape to when people in real life didn't get you. You'd live in a small town and for us nerdy types we wouldn't know many people who understood us for what we liked. We'd be the 'weird kids'. Being online meant you could finally find other people who were like you, who cared deeply for the characters you loved, who discussed the best bachelors and bachelorettes, players who seemed to be omnipotent in their knowledge of your favourite game. A world where you were finally understood.

Having a personal website feels like I'm escaping again, where no one can tell me what I should be posting or why, no one can judge me for the things I want to talk about. Being a webmaster gives you freedom.