#new year's eve 2019

[manonamora-if-reviews]

New Year's Eve, 2019 by Autumn Chen

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Autumn or follow @cyberpunklesbian

============= Synopsis

Social gatherings are not your preferred activity. But this one is obligatory, and it threatens to ruin you. You are Karen Zhao, a senior in college who is home for winter break, and seeing your old high school friends for the first time in years. You are not ready, not even close, but perhaps you could make the best of it. Two endings, many paths to arrive there.

============= Other Info

New Year's Eve, 2019 is a Dendry* game, submitted to the 2022 Edition of the SpringThing. This game is a sequel to Pageant (review). *Autumn is also an unofficial maintainer of the Dendry format.

Status: Completed Genre: Dating-sim, Slice-of-life, LGBT

CW: social anxiety, panic attacks, depression, family conflict

============= Playthrough

First Played: June-2022 Last Played: 31-May-2023 Playtime: around 1h (1 full playthrough - 1 half-assed) Rating: 4 /5 Thoughts: A science-type forgets how to human, has a panic attack at a party. May or may not be fine at the end.

============= Review

Jumping a few years into the future of Pageant, Karen Zhao comes back, more anxious than ever, for a short evening, celebrating the turn of a new year*. Stuck in a house out of social obligation, Karen has the option to interact with a cast of familiar faces, go down memory lane, or hide from everyone as best she can to avoid starting a panic attack before the clock strikes twelve. How ever will she cope????? *and what 2020 brings... rolling eyes

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

The one thing that I love about Autumn's games is how real the characters and their interactions feel. NYE19 is no different, continuing on the tradition of anxiety-inducing situation and self-deprecating humour bordering on self-loathing. But unlike its predecessor, Pageant, NYE19's tone translated less as slice-of-life-of-a-stressed-teenager-trying-to-make-it-through-the-semester-oh-god-is-she-having-a-panic-attack-again-just-kiss-her-you-dummy and more of this-is-what-a-college-student-forced-to-come-home-for-the-holidays-special-sitcom-epidose-feels-like. From the really awkward meetings with your old high-school friends (or did you date them? or were they crushes?), to the adults hounding you with questions about your future, or your family wanting to uphold a certain image around people. It's a party we've all been to, it's the kind we wish we didn't have to stay...

And Karen, our favourite anxious lesbian, does too. From the start, she warns the player she does not want to be here, really does not find having to engage in small talk (especially with people she's lost touch with), and actually wishes being anywhere but at this party. It is awkward to interact with people you knew (or more than knew) some years prior but with who you have lost contact (life...), finding how they have (not) changed, and how they've been fairing compared to you.

During the span of an evening, you meet (again) Emily, a trans woman (out of the closet then?) who helped you in Pageant to win (kinda) said pageant; Miri, your best-friend, who tagged along for the party because she did not want to be at her family's party* and became the social butterfly you could not be; and Aubrey, your high-school rival, who seems to still be doing just as well with her Harvard education, her Harvard boyfriend**, her probably-perfect-looking Harvard life... You also get to roam around the party daydreaming nihilisticly about the state of the world, hide in the basement to watch a MCU movie and be cringe to your brother, stuff yourself with food*** to temper with your imminent anxiety attack, play some mahjong and lose badly, hide in the bathroom and take selfies sending your into some self-loathing, play some games on your phone****... *the reason is pretty unclear, even with the option of confronting her. **who the fuck brings up the election topic on a New Year's party?!?!?! The gall of that man... ***which of course, I did... ****that one is hella meta, since you can play IF games AND a Pageant-like dating-sim

Whatever you do (especially your interactions), you are constantly reminded of your shortcomings from the past and how you let your anxiety cause the dwindling of your relationships. Your past haunts your every move and your every thoughts, and being in the presence of people from your past makes it all the worse for your mental being.

Half-way through the game, you sit down to have some dinner, forced at the kids-but-not-really-kids table where all your (former?) friends are interacting. It is very awkward, with Aubrey forcing everyone to introduce themselves as if they were having some sort of team-building meeting, her boyfriend forgetting about the No-No-Conversations (Politics-Religions...)... You can choose to participate in the conversation, eat, or listen, but no matter what happens, you will leave the table before the meal/conversation is over, leaving the party as well to go for a walk.

This is where things get interesting. Emily asks whether she can come along, and agreeing or not will give you very different outcomes. The latter will find you wallowing about your loneliness and how devoid of human connections your life is (much due to your own actions), while the former has a more hopeful and levelheaded conversation (leading possibly to a relationship...). With each still, and throughout the whole game, Karen goes on an introspection about the seemingly importance of human interaction, how easy it is to fuck up things, and the transactionality of relationships, all wrapped in a nihilistic and fatalistic bow (everything goes wrong, even if you do the right things).

Even if this sounds all depressing, it strangely is not. I found myself giggle at some passages*. The dry self-deprecating humour is honestly hilarious (especially the Narrator's comments). At any moment, I was expecting a laughing track to cue. Or maybe I was just playing this with a strange mood... * You have committed CRINGE. Kevin may not remember this, but you will. don't worry, game, I will remember...

The game is also very meta about what it is trying to convey. From playing a dating-sim game within an essentially dating-sim game, to the commentary on human interactions being comparable to dating-sims in the optimisation of [emotions/variables] to get the best possible outcome through a sequence of actions we hope is the correct one while we play a dating-sim where the sequence of choices can be optimised to get that "good ending", the story and the gameplay play quite interestingly on each other to get those points across.

Still, unlike other works from Autumn, while I enjoyed myself playing it, it didn't have the same impact on me. I didn't click as much with it as her other games, and felt a bit unsatisfactory? by the end of the playthroughs. The game has some strong moments, especially the part outside of the house, and some funny moments during the roaming around before dinner/before the countdown, but at other moments, it felt hollow. Maybe it is because of your limited agency in the way you interact with others or act, since Karen is an anxious and socially awkward person who has a hard time expressing her feelings and thoughts. Maybe it is because some of the characters you interact with and the way you defined your previous relationships don't feel as fleshed out (Miri and Aubrey comes to mind*, especially compared to Pageant or even Emily). Or maybe it is Karen's blasé look on dwindling and lost relationships that ticked me** that only allows her to have superficial contact with people (aside from Emily). Or maybe it is the more fragmented type of different gameplay/mechanics that didn't work as well as the Storylet format of Pageant***, or the more linear work of GG and the war. Or maybe because the end was a bit too abrupt... *I was wondering if you could choose to have had a relationship with either of those as in Pageant, but you can only with Emily **was it because the game called me out of doing the same as Karen did to some friends from school? Who knows... ***yes, it's bad to compare games that are inherently different...

There is a wonderful sentence from the post-mortem that really encapsulate the vibe of this game, and strangely reminds us of the hope Karen feels just before returning to the party... and this is where I will be ending this review: The past is inescapable, but the future is not entirely determinate.

There is still time...

Some loose points:

Dendry has some really interesting customisations, from the addition of backgrounds to extra assets in form of character portraits, putting the game in a strange text-only choice-based/visual novel limbo.

The conversation bits, especially the dinner between the gals, have such BPH vibes, which is not surprising, since his work is mentioned in the influence for this game. (with the character portraits style and the formatting of the dialogue with the colours (though the grey for Emily was a bit hard to read).

I really liked the inclusion of the Chinese characters in the dialogues in Chinese. This was only included on the first few lines in Pageant (continuing only in italics), but this really helped distinguished better the conversations in English and the ones in Chinese.

As with Pageant, some choices are worded in a way to form a full sentence or complete a thread of thoughts. I liked that.

[jinglejails]

6¢

[motherforthefamicom]

oh yea i can upload art this time uh heres a drawing from new years eve =]

[high-quality-tiktoks]

Time has been moving too fast! Happy New Years!!

[podraje]

On my way to the ✨️ 🌊 seaside 🌊✨️

[sophieebridgerton]

one thing about me is that i hate new years. thinking about the entire year as a whole really upsets my living day to day to get through it attitude

[rabbitcruiser]

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve takes place on the last day of the Gregorian calendar. The first New Year’s Eve festivities date back approximately 4,000 years, to the time of ancient Babylon; Babylonians celebrated the new year during the first new moon after the vernal equinox, in late March. During antiquity, the first days of the new year were celebrated at different times around the world, and the day was usually tied to an agricultural or astronomical event. For example, Egyptians celebrated their new year as the Nile flooded, and the Chinese New Year has long begun with the second new moon after the winter solstice.

In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar consulted with prominent astronomers and mathematicians, and introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the Gregorian calendar. He made January 1 the first day of the year, partly to honor Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. At the time, the new year was celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, decorating homes with laurel branches, the attendance of parties, and the exchanging of gifts. During the Middle Ages, Christian leaders in Europe changed the date of New Year’s celebrations to coincide with religious holidays such as Christmas and the Feast of Annunciation. In 1582, New Year’s was reestablished to follow the Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII.

In modern times, New Year’s Eve is celebrated in various ways around the world. Many people in Spain and Spanish speaking countries eat a dozen grapes right before midnight, to symbolize their hopes for the following months. Ring shaped cakes and pastries are eaten in some countries, which signify that the year has come full circle. Legumes are eaten in various countries, which symbolize coins, and a hope for financial success in the upcoming year; lentils are popular in Italy, and black eyed peas are a favorite in the southern United States. Other popular festivities that cross international boundaries include the watching of fireworks and the singing of songs.

New Year’s Eve is not a federal holiday in the United States, but it is recognized by some states. Some organizations and stores are closed, offer limited services, or close early; schools are almost always closed. New Year’s Eve events in the United States began to gain prominence in the early 20th century. Many Americans celebrate the day and evening with parties at home and by attending public events at various places and entertainment venues. Often celebrations go long past midnight, into New Year’s Day.

The most prominent public celebration in the United States is the “ball drop” in Times Square in New York City, which has been held each year since 1907, except for a few years during World War II. Celebrations first took place in Times Square in 1904, sans a ball drop. Following the banning of fireworks in 1907, after hot ashes had fallen into the streets, Adolph Ochs, a publisher for the New York Times, wanted to replace them with something. The Times Square ball was inspired by time balls, which signaled to sailors on the seas; sailors set their chronometers after observing time balls with a spyglass. The first time balls were installed in Portsmouth, England, in 1829, and the first in the United States was installed in Washington, D.C., in 1845. The inaugural Times Square ball was made of wood and iron, and was made up of one hundred 25-watt light bulbs. As of 2017, the Times Square ball weighs 11,875 pounds, is twelve feet in diameter, is made up of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, and has 32,256 LED lights. It takes the ball sixty seconds to drop down a seventy foot poll to the top of the roof on One Times Square, where it lands as midnight strikes. Similar events are held in towns and cities around the country. The surrounding geography, culture, and history inspires what is dropped as the new year begins—animals, fruit, vegetables, automobiles, and industrial machinery have all been used. Atlanta has a “peach drop” as Georgia is the peach state; Brasstown, North Carolina, lowers a live possum in a glass enclosure; and Port Clinton, Ohio, drops a six hundred pound walleye.

In 1928, Guy Lombardo and his band, The Royal Canadians, began playing an annual New Year’s Eve event at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Up until 1956 the event was broadcasted on the radio, and from 1956 until 1976 it was broadcasted on television, along with coverage of the ball drop. Lombardo’s group were most known for their playing of “Auld Lang Syne,” which they helped turn into the standard song of New Year’s Eve. “Auld Lang Syne” was a Scottish poem put to paper by Robert Burns in 1788. The melody is from an even older Scottish folk song. The literal translation of the song is “old long times,” meaning something close to “once upon a time.” The song first became used at British and Scottish funerals, farewells, and group celebrations, before Lombardo began playing it in the United States.

“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” debuted on NBC in 1973, moved to ABC in 1975, and was hosted by Dick Clark for over thirty years. It was Clark’s intention that it would be a younger alternative to Lombardo’s big band music. Central Park’s Midnight Run is another New York City tradition, where fireworks are shot off, and a race around the park begins at midnight. Some other larger cities that now hold large public New Year’s Eve celebrations include Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Major theme parks such as Disney World and Disneyland also hold celebrations.

In the Catholic Church, January 1 is a day honoring the Virgin Mary, where a mass is attended. A vigil Mass is often held the night before on New Year’s Eve. Many other Christian churches have “Watch Night” services, which are services that go past midnight. Attendees give thanks for the blessings of the previous year, and pray for blessings in the year ahead. These services trace their roots back to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

New Year’s Eve is being observed today! It has always been observed annually on December 31st.

There are many ways you could celebrate the day and evening. Gather with family or friends at a home, find a public event, or go to an establishment that is having a New Year’s Eve party, where there may be music, dancing, drinks, and food. If you are celebrating at someone’s house, you could bring along a snack or a bottle of Champagne. Watch the ball drop and other coverage of the new year on television, or ring in the new year by setting off your own fireworks and singing “Auld Lang Syne.” If you are feeling more contemplative you could write new year’s resolutions, detailing things you hope to accomplish in the following year, or you could attend a church service or Mass.

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[indigaux]

i am a phoenix, post ember

[corvidist]

Journey to the heart of the enemy - London, new years, 2020

[itsawritblr]

Have a Happy Dreamland Speakeasy New Year!

[the-birth-of-art]

12/31/2019: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

[slumphuvud]

i ate some cilantro earlier and i can still feel the smell of it now several hours later and in a different house. i think i do have the soap gene after all

[gthebumblebee]

happy new year's eve

happy new year's eve

[deb79ful]

Well, it seems that New Years has come again. Amazing how time flies, huh? I have a bit of a tradition with doing a New Year's Eve picture, so let's run through the ones I've done in the past, shall we? They're under the cut, because combined they're all rather tall.

And of course, I've done a new one for this New Years, though digital this time (Unfortunately, my old phone is still dead, and I didn't get a new one at Christmas). I'll let the suspense for it hang in the air a bit, though...

[ineffabeatlemindpalace]

Today’s shift having been the last before the new year was… interesting.

[rabbitcruiser]

Global Champagne Day

Global Champagne Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Friday in October and this year, it falls on October 25. The beverage is a sparkling wine that originated and is produced in the Champagne wine region of France. Most champagne is produced with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes; although smaller amounts of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier are also used. Traditionally, it is served in a champagne flute, whose characteristics include a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl, thin sides, and an etched bottom. It’s usually reserved for celebrations, especially New Year’s Day, right as the year begins, and the winners of racing competitions tend to spray champagne at each other and the crowd.

History of Global Champagne Day

The oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux, which was supposedly invented in 1531 by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Carcassonne. The process was achieved by bottling the wine before the initial fermentation had ended. A hundred years later, an English scientist named Christopher Merret documented the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation. He detailed to the Royal Society what is now called ‘méthode traditionnelle,’ in 1662, but it would not be used for champagne until the 19th century, about 200 years later.

In France, the creation of the first sparkling champagne was accidental. It was called the “Devil’s Wine” because bottles exploded or corks popped as a result of the pressure in the bottle. At the time, the bubbles were considered a fault. The invention of the muselet by Adolphe Jaquesson in 1844 helped prevent the corks from blowing out. Even when it began to be deliberately produced as a sparkling wine, for a very long time champagne was made using the ‘méthode rurale,’ in which the wine was bottled before the initial fermentation had finished.

The production of champagne saw massive growth in the 19th century, from a more regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles by 1850. In that century, champagne was noticeably sweeter than the ones from today. A taste for drier champagnes began when Perrier-Jouët decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage before exporting it to London. Thus, in 1876, the designation of ‘brut’ champagne was created for the British, to identify the driest champagne, made with less than 0.4 ounces of added sugar per liter.

Global Champagne Day timeline

1531

Oldest Recorded Sparkling Wine

The Blanquette de Limoux is seemingly invented by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Carcassonne.

1662

Christopher Merret Describes the ‘Méthode Traditionnelle’

It is the creation of a second fermentation by adding sugar.

1663

Oldest Written Use of ‘Champagne’

The poet Samuel Butler refers to a “brisk champagne.”

19th Century

The ‘Méthode Traditionnelle’ is Used

About 200 years after it was first documented, sweet champagne becomes the norm for this century.

1844

Invention of the Muselet

Adolphe Jaquesson creates it, and it helps prevent corks from blowing out because of the pressure in champagne bottles.

Global Champagne Day FAQs

What does champagne symbolize?

It is perceived by many as the wine of happiness and celebration of excellence, which presides over all moments of celebration and success. This is why we always drink it to celebrate important things.

Is champagne stronger than beer?

In most cases, yes. A bottle of beer usually has around 4.5% alcohol whereas a bottle of champagne has around 12 to 20% alcohol.

Is champagne the healthiest alcohol?

It contains antioxidants that prevent damage to your blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol and prevent blood clots; proteins that are beneficial for your short-term memory; fewer calories than both red and white wine, and can lower your risk of contracting diabetes by 13%.

Global Champagne Day Activities

Pop open a bottle: This one is self-explanatory. Gather some friends or family and drink your favorite champagne.

Learn how to open a bottle with a champagne saber: If you’re a big enough enthusiast of champagne, you’ve probably heard of this unusual act. There are specific sabers you can buy that are made for cutting the top of champagne bottles. You need to follow some special instructions, so make sure you know what you’re doing before you try it in front of others.

Visit the Champagne region: The ultimate way to celebrate. You can learn first-hand how champagne is made, visit a palace and a cathedral, and fly over the vineyards on a hot-air balloon.

5 Mind-Blowing Facts About Champagne

Right to the name: It is illegal in most countries to use the word ‘champagne’ to refer to any sparkling wine that doesn’t come from the Champagne region in France.

It was called ‘shampanskoe’ in Russia: This translates to "that, which is of Champagne," only in 2021 did Russia ban the name for imported sparkling wine, but it’s still used today for some brands produced in former Soviet republics.

High velocity: When popped, a champagne cork can reach a velocity of 24.8 miles per hour.

177 feet and nine inches: That is the longest recorded cork flight.

$2.07 million: That is what the most expensive bottle of champagne costs, designed by Alexander Amosu and Swarovski, handcrafted from 18-carat solid gold, and with a deep-cut 19-carat white diamond at its center.

Why We Love Global Champagne Day

It’s a day to share our favorite champagne with others: Usually, people only drink champagne at celebrations, but if you’re a big enthusiast, this day is a good excuse to drink with friends and family. If you own several bottles, you can make a show out of it and have them try different types.

It’s a chance to learn more about champagne: The history and process of making champagne is quite lengthy. There are many books and internet articles, and videos documenting everything very well.

It makes us feel like James Bond: While it’s often said that the Vodka Martini is the secret agent’s favorite drink, he has drunk champagne more often in the films. It shows up over 35 times, and his favorite brand seems to be Bollinger, which is seen in 14 movies.

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