20221020 Domain Lord's Weekly Journal: Chapter 1

It's been a year and a half since I became a spiritual entity, carved out my own domain, and became a Lord. Honestly, I never expected to keep at it for this long—I think I deserve a little pat on the back for that, hehe (〃∀〃).

Now that I've joined SODAART, I'm having an absolute blast trying out all sorts of new things (ゝ∀･)b. I hope I can capture your hearts, too!

In this weekly journal, I plan on sharing the things I'm currently into—like novels, games, music, and more. If anything catches your eye, we can geek out over it together!

I've been reading a ton of web novels lately. I quietly followed one all the way to its finale, I'm keeping up with ongoing updates for two others, and I got a bit burnt out on a fourth one, so I'll probably put it on hold until it's finished before diving back in.

Let's talk about the one I just finished! It's called *Cat Hotel APP*, and you can find it on Jinjiang.

The protagonist is a little girl in kindergarten named Xia An'an. Due to her toxic home environment, she developed mutism and autistic traits. For the sake of her child, An'an's mother made the tough decision to get a divorce, packed up, and moved them back to her hometown as a single mom, hoping that a change of scenery and her constant companionship would help An'an heal.

Since An'an stopped communicating with people, she poured all her energy into drawing and playing on her tablet. One day, a mysterious management simulation app downloaded onto her device. In the game, you run a cat hotel and take care of stray cats. But here's the twist: the app actually showed her the real-life backstories of actual stray cats in her neighborhood, letting her know exactly what they needed.

After meeting a stray named Duobao and using the app to ensure the neighborhood strays were properly cared for, An'an slowly began to recover. Surrounded by the love of cats, dogs, family, and friends, she stepped out of the shadow of her past. She even teamed up with her friends to volunteer at an animal shelter, dedicating herself to finding forever homes for the animals and building a better future for the cats and dogs she loves so much.

I think An'an is just incredibly sweet. Despite the trauma of domestic abuse, I'm so glad she found her purpose in life. By pursuing that goal, she managed to break free from her past and bravely face her inner demons. She's a very smart kid whose heart aches for her mom. Even early on when she refused to speak, she was still willing to step out of her comfort zone for her mother's sake—like attending a kindergarten she really didn't like.

An'an's mother is also wonderful. Once she realized how terribly her husband's relatives were bullying An'an, she refused to let her daughter suffer another day. She carried a lot of guilt, blaming herself for not pulling An'an out of that toxic mess sooner.

The cats are written so vividly, too! Because An'an treats them so well, they're fiercely protective of her. Every single cat has its own unique personality and their own hopes for finding a forever home. While reading it, I honestly wished I could trade places with An'an, haha ><. Later on, An'an and the cats even team up to rescue abused stray dogs, which is just awesome!

It's an incredibly warm and healing novel with a really unique writing style. If it sounds like your cup of tea, you should definitely look it up!

Alright, that wraps up the first installment of the Lord's Weekly Journal! Next time, let's talk about the K-pop girl group (G)I-dle~

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