Well, we did it, folks. It’s May 22nd, 2017, which means The Lily Garden has been up and running for a whole year now.
And after 365 days, The Lily Garden has reached 35,500 hits, 15,000 visitors, 231 followers, and 424 posts. 16% of my views come from Saturdays (which makes sense since I traditionally post 1 or more episode reviews that day), 5% of my views happen during 8 AM PST, and my best showing for views happening on April 3rd, 2017.
My stats for 2017 have greatly increased compared to how the numbers were in 2016 in some areas. Yay!
If we really want to get technical, though, my anniversary happened yesterday according to WordPress. But I didn’t actually post anything until May 22nd, so that’s what counts (in my opinion).
And if I’m going to continue this trend of being frank and forthright, I originally started The Lily Garden because I was not satisfied with the quality of various other yuri blogs. I had just finished school, didn’t have a job, and had plenty of free time. So why not start a blog, right? I can do better!
What followed was a year-long lesson in humility since I constantly felt like I was producing mediocre content. Being a good blogger is much easier said than done, I found out. Finding a job that eats up a third of my day might not have made things easier for me, either. No free time for Remy! But Remy also gains money to buy visual novels! It’s a double-edged sword!
Many times I felt like giving up. But I didn’t. And it’s all thanks to you, dear readers. Knowing that some people actually bother to read my content gave me the energy to continue onwards, basically. Wow, now doesn’t that sound like something straight out of an action anime series? But it’s true.
I kind of dislike giving shout-outs during these sort of things because the gesture seems inherently exclusionary, but this blog wouldn’t be anything without you all. The Lily Garden would be just empty words if no one commented on or liked my posts. So seriously, thank you.
On that note, I gotta share the love and talk about some of my online friends who swing by and support me and others within the anime blogging community. They’re all swell people! There’s so, so many people I want to include, but I gotta limit myself to 10 here or else this post would be coming out a week late. Sorry about that.
Remy Fool’s Real-as-Fuck Friends
D – they seriously read and comment on all of my posts even though they’re already busy as a student. But they also just finished their last year as an undergraduate, yay! Nevertheless, I’m very thankful for their dedication and I wish them all the best things in life. Even though I never watched Noragami, their article about its unfortunate implications regarding suicide, bullying, and corporal punishment was really eye-opening and should be a featured article in Wokepedia (if only that existed). For detailed series reviews and hilarious episodic reviews, you should check out their blog.
Prattle – Prattle’s posts are both analytical and engaging; basically, Prattle’s content is a gold standard I strive to reach! I also really appreciate Prattle’s more educational posts in regards to being a blogger (Prattle is also very cute; please spread the word). Support Team Prattle and visit Seasonal Prattle today!
Kimmie – she’s been a great friend who listens to my nonsense and is kind enough to provide sound advice (she’s always right). The word is out, Kimmie, sorry. I expect many people to start messaging you. She and I also did a collaboration post last week (about fashion woooo) so be sure to check it out so you see how stylish she is! Visit her blog here!
Weekend Otaku – his insightful comments and analytical posts are always impressive. Last year? He primarily pumped out detailed series reviews. Last season? He did episodic reviews. And this season? He’s posting thoughtful features that are also fun to read. Can this man do everything? Probably. I loved his Re-watch Event for Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – I don’t know when I would have watched the show without his intervention and he was so analytical and detailed in his posts that I was essentially just in much awe of him as the show! Visit his blog here!
Karandi – my third follower and someone who has really exploded in popularity these past few months She’s everywhere! And I’m really impressed with how she’s concise with a lot of her posts (100 words can’t cut it sometimes and that’s perfectly okay) and how we can definitely hear her voice. I’m a big fan of her In Case You Missed It feature because of how she’s sharing perspectives different from her own. conversation and discussion is what makes the anime community great, y’know? Check out her blog!
maengune – a fellow yuri enthusiast who has excellent tastes, is super relatable, and is basically another me at this point. Except she’s actually successful in life, wahaha. She’s sort of taken a hiatus from blogging at this point, but she’s quite active on Twitter and Steam! I really loved her Fault Milestone 1 & 2 visual novel review since she really went into detail while reviewing such an excellent series. I can’t wait for fault – milestone 3! Go visit her blog!
edsamac– this man is always so busy yet he manages to make time for his weekly posts about seasonal shows. And I really love reading them because they’re very logical and explain his thoughts very well. I also really enjoyed his essay on Girlish Number and millennials (as well as the rest of his editorials) since he is incredibly analytical while showing some love to a show that I personally felt was underappreciated. Also coffee meet-up when? Please check out his blog!
Arria Cross – she was my very first follower and was very helpful when I first started blogging. My favorite post of hers has to be the article where she lets the newbies know how to blog, basically. It essentially embodies her style of writing – amusing and casual yet authentic. Her Otaku Blog Carnival posts are also always fun to participate in, as well. I just personally haven’t felt like my writing has been up to snuff recently so yeah. Check out her blog here!
Acacia Aurora – her posts always make me feel something. Most of the time I’m smiling as I read through what she’s written, but sometimes I feel downright melancholic. Don’t think such heavy thoughts at your age, okay? I’ve also done several collabs with her, yay! My favorite post has to be the one where she gives us a tour of her grand adobe. Visit her blog today!
DerekL – he’s a newer follower to The Lily Garden (and to blogging in general compared to everyone else) but I’m always amazed with what he has to say about seasonal shows. He definitely knows what he’s doing and I sure wouldn’t mind kicking it with him and having a beer or two with him. My favorite post that he’s written would have to be the one where he shares his favorite anime scenes. All of the listed scenes are great and comes with neat explanations justifying his choices. His blog.
Remy Fool’s Milestone Posts
I also would like to bring up five “milestone posts” that kind of cemented the blog in its current direction. My first visual novel review, my first episode review, and so on. The reception towards each of these posts may have been less than stellar, but I was still starting out and wasn’t expecting a huge turn-out, anyways. I’m glad I didn’t give up.
A Little Lily Princess Review – my second post overall (my first was a weak introduction post) and my first visual novel review post. I remember spending several day working on this, trying to make this as perfect as possible. I also remember publishing a guide for the game on Steam a few days before finalizing this review. Eventually,I got faster at writing visual novel reviews, but this was probably my best visual novel review ever written and I’m very proud of it.
Falling in Love with Loveless as a Kid – this was my first post for the 30-day Anime Challenge. I still remember watching this show as a first-year in middle school. Anyways, this post was important because I believe it was the first time someone commented on my post. Wow! Thanks, Karandi.
Love Live! School Idol Project – Anime Series Review – my very first series review. I remember marathoning this show because Love Live! Sunshine!! was coming out in a few weeks. Definitely was an abnormal anime series review (in terms of anime series reviews in The Lily Garden) since I wrote about both seasons in a single post. Nevertheless, this post was fun to write.
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! Episode 1 Review – my first attempt at writing an episode review since I started blogging very late into the Spring 2016 anime season and didn’t want to play catch-up. It was so much work. I was trying to incorporate GIFs in my posts back then so that probably didn’t help. Also ended up not writing anything more for the Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya franchise for various reasons. Still, I decided the toil and labor for episode reviews are worth it and kept doing it. I’m still struggling to not sound like I’m summarizing in my episode reviews, but I’ll keep at it!
Wednesday’s What About: Casting Rookie Seiyuu – this was my first attempt to branch out into content that isn’t exclusively yuri. The Wednesday’s What About feature may be inactive these days, but I felt like it didn’t do too bad. I would like to write more analytical content in the future, however, and that probably wouldn’t fit under Wednesday’s What About, which was intended to be more of a conversation starter series.
Remy Fool’s Failures
Honestly, I feel like I failed several times during this one year-anniversary. Hopefully I can learn from said mistakes, which are as follows:
Playthroughs – specifically playthroughs for Shadows of Pygmalion. It had been a while since a visual novel made that large of an impact on me and I wanted to share my thoughts about the game (and see if I can freak people out because it was a very dark visual novel). Unfortunately, it was taking me hours and hours to write something people could read through in 5 minutes. Sure, it was interesting, but it wasn’t worth the effort, I had already played through the game, and I felt very stressed doing these write-ups. As a result, the playthroughs are currently on hiatus.
Spring 2017 Episodic Reviews – I ended up dropping 3 shows (as in I’m no longer doing episode reviews for said shows) yet I’m still tweeting about them. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re dull shows, though. I just seem to have a hard time walking away from mediocre anime, it seems.
Rundown of 2016 Anime – I didn’t get to review all the yuri shows of 2016 before the year was over. It still bothers me to this day.
Visual Novels – the backlog is horrendous. I’m sorry that episode reviews have taken up so much of my free time!
Remy Fool Sings Song
If you were paying attention to the Loveless post, I mentioned that I once covered Michiyuki and that I wanted to try again sometime in the future. I ended up doing so almost a year later, ta-daaaaah.
I feel like my voice fails to capture the subtle nuances of emotion that is inherent in the song, but a) I’m not a professional singer and b) I started off sounding really flat so any improvement is a big improvement.
EDIT: actually, it sounds like I started a little slow while singing. Ughhhhh
Oh, and here’s the original attempt.
Well, that’s all, folks. Thanks for dropping by and thanks for reading this. Hopefully The Lily Garden continues to entertain!
The Lily Garden 
Happy blogoversary! Comes a bit late, I’m sorry T_T But better late than never?
I’m really glad to see how far you’ve come since you first started! It feels like ages ago, right? Good thing negative feelings didn’t get you down and you just kept going – look at how much you were able to achieve by not giving up 🙂
I’m sure your blog will continue to receive the recognition it deserves. And I’m sorry I’m not as actively reading your posts as I used to… I guess I’ve just been dedicating myself to the book community a lot more. I’ll try to stop by more often, I promise! It’s always a pleasure to read your posts 🙂
Keep up the wonderful job, Remy ^^
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Thank you! Always better late than never! c:
Mmm it does feel like a while ago. Yet it doesn’t. I’m not sure. Time has kind of been a blur recently. But yes, I’m happy I didn’t give up.
Reading that made me smile. And no worries! The book community does seem wonderful, after all. Just drop by whenever you can. And I will try, haha. Thanks once again!
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Happy Blog Anniversary, Remy! Wohoo! Way to go! This is great. And I’m happy for you that your blog is growing. Keep up the great work.
And of course, my biggest thanks for the shout-out. I didn’t know that I was your very first follower ever! That’s a huge honour to know for me. I’ll add it to my achievements. 😉
Take care. Cheers!
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Yay thanks.
Haha mmm. I’m glad you were there at that time, haha. Take care!
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Happiest of Birthdays to Lily Garden! Congrats on your one year, Remy! You have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. The stats don’t lie!
Thank you for recognizing my awesomeness. I’ll always be here to provide Yoda-like wisdom for you! Thank you for doing the same for me!
Here is to many more years to come!
P.S. You’re an amazing singer. I’ve already told you as much, but it is great to hear it up on your blog.
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Thank youuu
Such a silver tongue you got there, huh? Hahaha c:
Yeah gotta give credit where credit is due. Hopefully Yoda can handle work tomorrow. But yes, thank you and no problem! Talking things out with you about cons tonight was a big help!
Many more years, huh? That would be amazing.
P.S. Aw, shucks. Thanks once again
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An impressive milestone; I’ve long considered one year to be the litmus test of whether or not a blog will last in the long haul, as blogs that make it to their first anniversary will continue on. Hopefully, you will continue writing and hone your craft.
From one blogger to another (and I’ve been around the block for a bit), a blog’s real value is ultimately the combination of the dynamics you and the readers can offer one another. Hence, don’t sweat the style of your posts and value more the experiences you’ve gained over the past year, it seemed a good one, and here’s to your continued success 🙂
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Thank you! Mmm that’s a good way to assess things. I hope that’s the case, as well.
And thank you for the very sound advice!! Last year definitely seems to have a great one, wahaha. I will definitely keep in mind what you’ve said moving forward. c:
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Oh wow! Awesome! umm.. I mean congratulations!
Aiyyy, senpai, you called me a charmer last time, that’s hypocrisy if you complement people like this!
Ahaha, I felt like hyper Yuki when I saw my name on your list of friends, haha. Thanks for including me! That made my day*bows*
Ah, do I really sound like an old woman recalling her days of past? *smiles*
Once again , I find myself agreeing with D when he says You Cool. (How is that he always comments what I want to, before I do???)
Also, that cover of yours, I don’t know what you mean your voice fails to capture the emotion or whatever, I drowned in it.
Hell, I’m going to send you requests to cover songs for me, senpai!
Honestly, you belittle yourself a little too much, hmph. It’s okay to flaunt it off and play it cool you know? Especially when you have everything to support and justify it …
This was so much fun,(the comments almost as much as the post, lol)
Great job! (I don’t know if I can that say without sounding condescending, but…)
Here’s to more years! >>>>>>>>
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Thaaaanks, Auri.
Wahaha you’re onto me.
Yuki is such an interesting character, yay! No problem!
No comment! c:
Aw, shucks, there you go again (D is actually an esper. Or a time traveler. Now you know).
Mmmm I get way too critical. One day I’ll meet my own standards. I’m happy you liked it, though (I could try but idk…)
Nope it’s in my nature to do soooo. I’ll keep at it for now, but thank you.
Wahaha mmm both the comments and the post were fun. And no worries. Thanks once agaaaaain!
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Happy Birthday Lily Garden!!!
Remy you’ll forever be my favorite gardener and an enjoyable content creator. Oh, and you also have a pretty singing voice…
I may or may not have listened to your cover more than once…or three times…yeah.
“Prattle is also very cute; please spread the word”
THIS IS A LIE. I’ve seen Prattle and she looks / smells bad.
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Happy Birthday, yay! Thank you!!
Being your favorite gardener is quite the honor. I’m humbled.
Wow, when did Prattle get such a silver tongue? Stop, there are so many better singers out there (thank you, though).
I will not be deceived by your misinformation, Prattle!!!
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I’m just telling the truth, you sing well!
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(✿◡‿◡)
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Congratulations on the 1 year. It is great to see your blog is continuing to grow as you deliver such great content. I may not be the biggest Yuri fan but I love reading your posts. Thanks for the shout out and here’s looking forward to another year blogging. It will be great to see what you do in your second year of blogging.
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Thank you, Karandi!
Mmm that’s probably one of the best compliments to hear. Reading that makes me incredibly happy.
Mmm I have some ideas but we will how they work out. Thank you once again! Let’s tackle that second year of blogging together in earnest!
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Congrats Remy! I’m always happy to see you around and read your work so here’s to another year. 🙂
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Thank you, Carriage! Hopefully I can continue to entertain! c:
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Congratulations, and happy anniversary!
Man, those are amazing stats. I am not worthy, haha.
Thanks for the mention. Yes, our coffee meet-up is long overdue. And so is the Mahjong game. 😉 More power to you and your blog, Remy. Those ain’t wax wings!
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Thank youuu
Oh, c’mon, don’t sell yourself short! You ARE worthy!
Mmmm. I would enjoy both greatly. Hahaha thanks~
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Congrats congrats!! These are awesome stats, Remy–and I can’t wait to see where you are even just a year from now. Here’s to another year of content and conversation!!
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Thank you Takuto!!
I do hope I can continue to keep people interested wahaha.
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*Stealing the idea from izanaginookami because that was genius, and also because this sequence plays during my (maybe)favorite rendition of Cruel Angel Thesis: https://weekendotaku.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/grats.gif
(You can think of me and Kimmie as the ones at the end, right before it loops 😛 )
The gif said what I needed to, but if you’re too lazy to click, congratulations! You know you’ve won when your primary content isn’t something I’m all that interested in but yet you keep me coming back here all the time. Your posts are really great, and I always find something entertaining even if I don’t find the time to chat about them.
Also I’m humbled to be counted among your real-as-fuck friends. Even if I’m only there because of Kimmie (that’s how it is with our real life friends too). I’m glad my slightly schizophrenic content is keeping you entertained though! I feel like I’m only ever reaching out to one kind of audience at a time, but variety is fun.
This was a great post too. Lots of fun things to go through and look back on. I think looking back on what you perceive to be your failures was also a good idea because you want to learn from them. Do remember, there were successful things about those failures too, and everything you did helped you move further toward your goals of having a really great blog.
I’m glad to have been a part of your journey, Remy. Keep up the fantastic work!
PS: I was wondering what you were going to do with that Michiyuki cover. Also damn you for being better at singing and piano than I will ever be, you snake.
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It was a brilliant strategic maneuver by izanaginookami, I agree.
Cruel Angel Thesis does have a lot amazing renditions.
(Would Mozart be Shinji except he’s treated with tender love and care? c:)
Reading that makes my day. I’m glad I’m doing something right then haha.
Ehhh no you’re included independently of Kimmie, I promise. I do like the variety in content and I’m sure many others also enjoy it, too!
Mmm thank you. And you’re right. Gotta look forward and learn. Great points.
Will do! I’m happy you are a part of my journey, too!
PS: wahaha yeah it only took a year. Don’t feel too bad. It sounds like I’ll never be your equal in Street Fighter.
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If anything, I am Pen Pen!
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Ehhhhhh I vigorously disagree.
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Congrats on the anniversary! My previous best, on a non-anime blog, was barely six months.
And thanks for the shout-out, that’s some awful august company you’ve put me in!.
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Thank you!
Well, you’re nearly there on besting that record if I recall correctly! Woo!
Wahaha you’re plenty august yourself.
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Just a couple of weeks! (And I passed my record number of posts a couple of months back!)
Now, if only today’s writers block would go away…
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Congratulations on your one year anniversary!! 😀
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Thank youu c:
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Congratulations ! Even though I haven’t been following your blog for long (I think it is about a month or 3 now where we were both saying that we must have been living under a rock or something for never discovering our blogs sooner lol), I have always enjoyed reading your posts a lot 😊 It’s too bad that I have yet to see a lot of the anime series that you have been covering at this point, but it’s still a lot of fun reading about the things that I still have to discover lol 😂
Seriously though looking at your starts you should be really proud of what you have achieved. And for any blog to reach an anniversary for a year is something that is quite an achievement. Here is too many years to come and keep up the great work that you are doing 😊😊😀😀
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Thank you, raistlin! Hahaha yeah I think it was about 3 weeks ago when Karandi was having her own anniversary. I’m glad you enjoy reading ’em!
Ahh yeah I guess we haven’t had too much overlap in the shows we watch. But likewise, it’s fun reading your thoughts on shows and movies! And we watched Your Lie in April last month too!
Thank you! I hope so, too!
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Really not a problem: as mentioned, I really enjoy reading about shows I have yet to discover, so I don’t mind not having much overlap 😊 Thank you. Your lie in April is a show that I keep thinking back on. I actually can’t wait to experience it again sometime in the future. Ietwat a terrific and very memorable experience 😊 Looking forward to the future 😊
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Remy!! Congratulations!!!
You’re one of my favorite bloggers (and also one I’m friendliest with) and there’s no place other than an anniversary post to tell you you’re damned amazing, right? Right. Like, seriously, your posts are always entertaining or informative or both and our back and forth in the comment sections make my day. To put it succinctly- You Cool.
It was nice to read about your blog stats and its growth through this post. I know that little part on failures bother you but I remain impressed by the quality content you’re managing to put out. Here’s to many more years, Remy!
(I tried listening to your cover but the lil shit refuses to load)
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Thanks, D!
That’s some high praise there, wow. I’m glad you enjoy your comment conversations as much as I do. By the way: You Cool Too.
Mmm thought it could be nice to share. Thank you! I will keep at it and I hope I can continue to entertain / inform!
(Ahh… I can send direct links via email).
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(That’d be nice!)
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Congratulations on your anniverary! http://i.imgur.com/97AmpGQ.gifv (no, I’m not that beautiful and girly)
May this be another great year full of 2D. The cover is good (well, my ears aren’t exactly a musician’s ones, but I liked it), though I thought it was Chinese for the first few words (perhaps the deep voice? Screw it, I love listening to Japanese and Chinese anyways).
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Thank you! (It’s okay we can all appreciate Rei’s beauty)
And thanks! (I’m sure you have good judgement anyways so yay)
I am indeed Chinese so maybe that accent slipped in.
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You’re welcome! I’m very surprised to dind out that you’re Chinese, as I’m one too! …and yet I do not know Chinese at all, and that’s why I have so many problems with its subject… (heh, it’s still nothing compared to Japanese tho). Ok, maybe it’s time for me to return to my textbooks. See you (not-so-)soon.
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Yay! It’s okay, I know that feeling. Not exactly the best in Chinese (Japanese is a doozy…)
Good luck. ;__;
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Thanks, I’m still alive for now.
I do plan to properly learn Japanese at least though, for obvious reasons (Chinese is in lower priority, but I will learn it… sooner or later).
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Mmm keep it that way.
Just keep at it. Maybe you can find some time later down the line (you got your priorities straight)
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Congratulations on reaching a year!!!! I hope your second year is even more successful than the first 😀
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Thank you!! c:
I hope so, too haha
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