My Favorite Media of 2024

 Hi, everyone! As I'm sure you're aware by now, it's almost the end of 2024 (how? Genuinely how has time gone by so fast? How are we almost HALFWAY THROUGH the 2020s???). 

Anyway, before 2024 ends, I decided I wanted to make a post about my favorite new media from 2024 (music, books, movies, etc). This isn't necessarily all things that came out for the first time in 2024-----some of it is years old at this point but it's all things that I've read/watched/listened to for the first time in 2024. I'll try to keep it down to ten but this may end up being more than that because I've enjoyed a lot of things this year. So, without further ado, let's get into it. 

Wicked

Wicked has been everywhere for the past month but I didn't see the movie until mid-December so I was a little late to the Wicked hype but I'm so glad I had the chance to see it because I absolutely loved it! This mayyy be cheating because, like any self-respecting musical theatre nerd, I was already familiar with the story and the songs buuuut a film adaptation is different from a stage show, so I think it counts. 

Anyway! I really enjoyed Wicked. As someone who loves giving backstories to villains and random side characters, the story is very appealing to me. I find both the world and the characters intriguing, which is especially impressive considering I'm not a huge fan of the original Wizard of Oz (I know, I know, I'm sorry). I also adored the casting for this movie----- I think all of the actors fit their characters really well and did a fantastic job, particularly Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The music was also amazing: I've had the soundtrack on repeat since I watched the movie and I'm still in awe of how talented everyone is. Another thing that I thought was particularly good was both the scenery and the costumes. Everything in the movie looked gorgeous and I really want Glinda's entire wardrobe now, hehe. 

When I saw that The Wise Ones were played by Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth (aka the original Elphaba and Glinda from the stage show) I just about cried. It was such a cool detail to add. Needless to say, I'm ridiculously excited about the release of Wicked Part 2. 

Also, I just started reading the book that the musical was based on and it's pretty good so far! I have to say that I prefer the musical, but it's definitely not a bad book. 

Short N Sweet

Seeing Sabrina Carpenter's music blow up lately has been so cool (especially as someone who's been listening to her since she was on Disney Channel). I really enjoyed emails i can't send so I was definitely looking forward to Short N Sweet and I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. I feel like Sabrina has really found her niche lately and I really like the vintage vibes she's been going with lately. I feel like it suits her really well. I'm sure that you're all probably familiar with ''Espresso'' given what a huge hit it became but the rest of the album is really good too! I especially like ''Bed Chem'', ''Please Please Please'', ''Good Graces'', ''Lie to Girls'', ''Taste'' and ''Slim Pickins''. 

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (+ Good Luck, Babe!)

Chappell Roan is another musician who has had an absolutely insane rise to fame this year. I think I started listening to her after she opened for Olivia Rodrigo's ''Guts'' tour but before she really blew up and I instantly adored her music. There are some songs of hers that I've had on repeat for months and haven't gotten tired of yet so that just tells you how good her music is. I love her fun, sparkly, drag-inspired aesthetic and I love how she can make super fun, catchy songs (i.e ''Hot To Go'', ''Red Wine Supernova'', ''Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl'') as well as slower, sadder songs (''California'', ''Coffee'' etc). I think she really has a song for everything and, weirdly enough, she's given me a lot of writing inspiration (''Good Luck, Babe!'' may or may not have inspired an entire short story). So, in short, I'm super happy that I discovered her music and I hope she has many, many more successful years in the future. 

Hazbin Hotel (+ Helluva Boss)

I'd heard of Hazbin Hotel in passing before but I didn't get super into it until this year when the first season was officially released. I actually got into it because of the songs-----I was listening to music one day and one of the songs randomly started playing. I listened to the rest of the soundtrack and then decided to watch the show and, well, considering that I've written seven Hazbin Hotel fanfics in 2024, I think you can tell that I ended up loving it. 

Hazbin Hotel certainly isn't for everyone (there's a lot of dark comedy, as well as a ton of sex jokes, swear words and a fair bit of violence) but I personally found the concept of the show really interesting. I think the world building is very cool and I like most of the characters plus I adore the cast (sooooo many of my favorite Broadway stars are on this show and it's so cool), but, I have to say, I think my favorite part might be the music. I think all of the songs are wonderful, especially ''Loser, Baby''. Needless to say, I'm very excited for season two. 

The Scorpio Races

This is probably the oldest thing on this list so far (I believe this book came out in 2011) but that's not a bad thing. I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing so I was super excited to read it and I wasn't disappointed. I cannot tell you enough how beautiful I think Maggie Stiefvater's writing is-------she really paints a great picture with her words. Both of the two main characters in the book were really well-written and interesting and I thought the main plot was really interesting and it felt fresh and new. As a lover of fantasy and horses, this book felt tailor-made for me. I thought this book was so fun, I definitely recommend it. 

The Tortured Poets Department

I think everyone reading this post knew that this album was gonna be on here. It's no secret that I've been a Swiftie for years so I was super excited for this album. Seriously, I have no idea how Taylor made such a good album while on tour, plus the fact that it's a double album? I really liked the themes of poetry in this album and I loved the variety of topics she explored in this album and, of course, her lyricism is amazing as always. Interestingly enough, a lot of these songs have inspired my writing this year (at least two of those Hazbin Hotel fics were inspired by TTPD songs). A lot of this album (especially The Anthology) reminded me of folklore, which I loved because I love folklore. 

Stardew Valley

I've only been playing this game for a few days (literally. I just got it for Christmas) and it's quickly become one of my favorite games. It's a farming simulator where you get to create a player character who moves into a small town and has to figure out how to run a farm. You also get to make friends with the various NPCs in the game and you can even romance some of the characters if you want. It's such a cute, relaxing game and I'm having a great time with it so far. Obviously I'm still new to it so I'm no expert but it's super cute and fun so far, I love it!

Vicious

This is another book that I've wanted to read for a long time but didn't get around to it until this year. It was kind of like a darker, grittier superhero story, which was an aspect I really liked. I thought all of the characters were really interesting, the storyline is also really interestimg (with lots of twists!) and I adore V.E Schwab's writing style. Needless to say, I want to read the rest of the series. 

Dead Boy Detectives

I'll be honest, I'm still a little devastated by this show being cancelled. It had so much potential! Still, even with just the one season, I absolutely loved it. I thought all of the characters are really well-written and interesting, I loveeeeee all the supernatural elements, and I thought the main storyline was really fresh and intriguing. I mean, there's a literal character called the Cat King who rules over all of the cats in this small town. Tell me that's not great initiative to watch the show!

Smosh

Smosh has genuinely been one of my favorite things in 2024, as well as one of my biggest sources of comfort. If y'all don't know what Smosh is, basically it's a YouTube comedy group. They do a bunch of sketches on their main channel as well as a lot of improv content. They play games (both board games and video games) a lot as well. They always make me laugh and I love having their podcasts on in the background while I clean. I love the entirety of the Smosh cast but I have to say that my favorites are Angela, Amanda, Tommy, Courtney and Damian. I'm super excited to see what they have in store for 2025.

So, those were my favorite media-related things from 2024. Let me know if you're familiar with any of them (and what your thoughts were). I hope you have a great NYE and a lovely 2025!

Until Next Time,