goblin mode

I remember early in the pandemic, a lot of people were joking about retreating into the hobbies or behaviors of their teen/younger selves but it is not a Joke. This phenomenon, known to some as "goblin mode," has me in its vise. I'm becoming more annoying by the day!

Reading is the place I notice my old behaviors the most. Hyperfixating on book after book was a thing of the distant past to 2019 me. At best, I would get invested in a very long fanfiction and stay up reading it for one night every few months. But I'm plowing through books again (even if they are more of the light/visual novel varieties. It's not like most of the books I read hand over fist as a kid weren't middle grade or YA!), which is strange.

I feel oddly suited to the current environment. It's the sort of thing a childhood spent entirely indoors ruled by my mother's fear prepared me for. The anxiety is a bit exhausting, but it's not like I can't handle that.

So now all of you have to deal with me posting about things I liked 10 years ago and being wistful for 100 paragraphs!

Do you guys find yourself entering goblin mode these days?