This year-end list was difficult to finish. I was eager to dive into the music that moved me in 2025. But while I was working on it, my mom unexpectedly died. Suddenly, none of it mattered. My biggest supporter was gone, and everything felt awful. Who cares about my music thoughts? But as the days passed, the incomplete article started to bug me. I wanted to talk about music in 2025. It’s something that brings me joy, which I desperately needed. I also wanted to finish it for my mom because she loved music so much. So, I wiped my tears and found the strength to continue.
Read my full Best of 2025 list on Musical Fiction. Link in source.
I'm laughing. The post before this one is another End-of-Year Review—for both '23 and '24. It's high time I recognize that in these immediate "post-COVID" years, I really have spent a lot of my time in a place between Restart and Recovery. 2025 was only different in that, perhaps, I felt something else was being neglected. Maybe you'll see what I mean in this post.
I usually have a curated art dump with me EOYRs. Well, 2025 was not an art year, lol. But I've got something for you if you'll take it.
Now without further ado, here's my progress in various aspects of project development and personal development:
Project Summary
Art
Art done this year was generally not tied to projects I was actively developing. They were more so gifts or commissions—"on-the-spot" work. Anything related to collaborative projects was more so in figuring out visual elements with some contract artists, but nothing substantial or that I can share.
Interestingly enough, I did more gifts this year! This includes putting together a physical gift, which may have sparked something inside of me that crafts have never quite done before now. I'm not saying I'm jumping into packaging design, but I think I finally get what shops on Etsy take pride in.
Next year, I want to get back to doing style studies. 2024 started out that way, but I want to focus on painting in the ways that inspired me in the first place. I've also been aching to get back into animating—especially as I have short, manageable animated scenes planned for The Corpse Lieutenant—so I'm going to make dedicated time for relearning Clip's animation settings and doing tests in 2026.
In 2025, I made...
A chibi commission of Josephine from Hello, Counsel for Miseri
A pixel art gift of a penguin adoptable for Foleso (original design by Mik0Mika)
Exploratory edits of concept art for a couple of unannounced collaborative projects
A fan meme of Powerplex from Invincible (idk why, I just love him)
Pet memorial art as a birthday gift for Arimia
Sprites and backgrounds for a Procedural Dialogue Addon demo for Unity by Pixel Crushers
A decorative care instructions insert for a jewelry gift
Sketches for a few art tests
This clown sketch on my old tablet that only 5 people will understand
Writing
In 2024, I mentioned that I was a freelance writer on a commercial production in April. Unfortunately, due to challenges during it, I took my leave February of 2025. I was drained, my health was shot, and I wanted to write something fresh for a change. I ended up on a fun new project and with a very familiar project partner of mine. I know we haven't officially announced it yet, but too bad! I listed Catboy Sorcery down below. Go wishlist it on Steam and then come back to my Patreon (or follow my Bluesky, Tumblr and/or Ko-Fi crossposts) for actual announcements on its development.
In 2026, I'm really drilling down on Catboy Sorcery. I want the demo to launch next year. I think doing so will get me warmed back up for other personal and collaborative projects. I haven't reached a flow state with scriptwriting in so long, even with my (sad, tragic) stories I'm excited about, so I need this lighter fare get me back into the habit.
In 2025, I made...
Final writing coordination, templates, and documents before departing Threads of You: Beyond the Bay by Lavendeer Studios
Some internal translation notes for my short visual novel This Life Escapes Me
Playtest notes for Fearbonding by Night Asobu
Playtest notes for the since-released The Greatest Escape(room)! by Destini Islands & Allie Vera
Story outline, gameplay loop, and script draft for upcoming Catboy Sorcery demo by Studio Ephua
Audio
I started working on fixing up voice lines for a visual novel I voiced in. I won't say which one until the changes go live. But it's been a fantastic project for an amateur like me to do, as I've gotten a much better understanding of my DAW and some of its tools. Now I know what the hell a spectrogram is and generally how to read and edit them. I'm forming a grasp of different limiters and compression. And I'm understanding Audacity and its own limitations better as well. It's improved my ability to offer more in my work.
While I did some things on the mic this year, it's because friends thought of me. I want to make new demo reels and put together a showcase reel in 2026 so that I have something more recent to show as I consider how I want to branch out in my voice talent.
In 2025, I made...
The Steam & Itch release ad for Fearbonding by Night Asobu
A co-op gaming special guest stream with Wolfborgg
Audio edits for over 50 voice lines (and counting) to push to a project
Business
In 2024 I said that I did not foresee myself building up my personal business this year, and I was right. My business was not on my mind until a couple months ago, truthfully. I didn't really have space to consider it due to picking up my day job. You know, the one I specifically chose so as to not get in the way of arrangements to promote and refine my business. Unfortunately, it ended up that thinking I could juggle that particular split-shift job added to my energy drain. Having less and less energy to do the work of maintaining a presence and community building meant that business was shrinking.
Which is why I resigned. Now in the past couple of months, I've since begun preparing how I want to tackle business moving forward into 2026.
In 2025, I made...
A master document listing all platforms hosting my business presence, personal resources, and primary administrative tasks
A task board to track all outstanding administrative work and projects
Updates to details of all my platform-connected payment processors
Official transcripts retrieved and organized
New templates and file objects to streamline social media and commission posts
A VGen page for commissions (with more services to be offered soon)
Personal Review
Career
I did say in 2024 that moving forward, I would be more focused on being self-made. It's true; I'm finally and honestly over all "day jobs". I really am. It's a shame as the community safety job I had picked up as a little financial buoy was a direct help to the youth in my town. But it was a slow drain too: the hours, the lacking private-public cooperation during extreme weather conditions, the inherent danger of the role, etc. all set the tone for each day. I had a difficult time transitioning into my creative process from the morning shift before being interrupted by the afternoon shift.
This isn't even accounting for a sudden situation in our household this year in which I've ended up becoming a caretaker. That is an ongoing situation, and has left me feeling complicated.
So as you can imagine, I felt as though I had less time for myself. My stress was climbing. Funnily enough, my first thought was that perhaps I needed a different day job. So while in one, I sent out other applications to employers. The one I was most hopeful for was a secretary role in a new office that supports resident nonprofits. It was my best cover letter to date, and I engaged with the director at several local events. I thought, yes, though pursuing this position would give me even less time to myself, the trade-off would be a massive jump in income that I can reinvest into my home, my own projects, loved ones and peers, and my personal health. Plus I'd be working for an office that supports vulnerable populations where I live. What's three years of sacrifice if it meant saving up for the future?
But none of that ended up mattering. The day I took a week off from work and other responsibilities to focus back on my creative projects, I ended up spending not a single day of that break at my workstation. Instead, I roamed! I met a prolific and active local muralist. I reconnected with an international event programmer from an old job. I ran into friends who happened to have moved back home this year. And the week after, I met one of my favorite indie animators, Jonni Peppers, at her Transfiguration International Film Festival that came to town.
I can't express how these little moments really made me reflect on how much I'm sick of compromising even a little bit on what I want. I came back to life in those moments: stress, anxiety, and irritability where purged from my body, and I was truly myself again.
... Then I went back to my day job, and my body was screaming out again! The icing on the cake was the one application I had some expectations for was given to a former government employee with a Master's degree. Yes, they had applied for a secretary role. I couldn't be mad. The American job market and economy are so atrocious right now that even folks with that level of education are going for anything. Is it any wonder that the American Dream has often been to own your own business?
Well, no more. I quit in October. I needed time to recover from what friends and family are saying may be yet another burnout. But that's ok. Instead of constantly fighting myself, and then feeling ashamed that I can't keep up with a rhythm that just isn't meant for me, I am going to actually listen to my heart, mind, and body.
And what the Real Me is saying is, in 2026, I'm going full freelance. It's going to be difficult, honestly. Genuinely difficult. I'm going to have to put in a ton of work and research. I'm going to have to take more risks and cut more losses. And I'm going to need to really improve my time management. But I'm a hard worker when I believe in something, and I believe in me.
Hobbies
I think with the way the world is heading, the biggest "hobby" (if that's even the appropriate word for it—it's not exactly done for my personal relaxation) that I took up in 2025 involved community action and civic duty. I've been a part of an anti-apartheid campaign in one city, a few protests in my home town, active participation in testimony at my county council, some community focus groups, and more. I've made kind allies, and progress has come in part from my participation. One of the biggest successes in 2025 has been for the first time since its inception (about 20 years ago), a local property tax credit law meant to help low-income homeowners had finally been amended to adjust eligibility requirements for inflation. Being the "face" of that push as a low-income resident amidst folks—including bedfellows!—with far greater means was instrumental. I want to continue to do more for the place in which I live.
As for what are more like actual hobbies, late into the year I've begun reading The Count of Monte Cristo, unabridged, as translated by Robin Buss. It's simply amazing. Best translation I've come across as well. I don't think I've been this excited from reading fiction in a very, very long time (sorry to all past book clubs!); I have on multiple occasions audibly gasped while reading it in waiting rooms, bakeries, and on park benches. This is a proper adventure book, and Dumas's approach to storytelling is, to me, very inspiring. It will definitely influence my writing, especially for The Corpse Lieutenant. Ask me about what I think of it so far if you're ever in the mood to hear me rave.
I also started baking snickerdoodles in November, born from a spontaneous craving. At the time, it was the second in my life that I had ever made cookies—the first being when I was 10 years old with a family friend (and yes, she introduced me to snickerdoodles). Now it's as much a blessing when I gift to others as it is a curse when I can just whip up a batch for myself now whenever I want. Did I tell you that snickerdoodles are tied for first place for my favorite cookie ever? Now you see why it's especially a problem.
I'm not sure what new kind of hobbies I'll get into in 2026, really. But I've had this urge for a couple years now to get into fashion design and sewing. So I'm going to pursue it!
Health
2024 was a bombshell for me as my mental symptoms seemed suddenly worse out of nowhere, but after learning about ADHD and getting treated for it, it's been a massive help in better understanding myself and my behavior. Medication has its side effects of course, but overall I have far less "brain fog", far less mental restlessness, and I have an easier time beginning tedious tasks that require a lot of focus. I physically feel parts of my brain are now engaged. Treatment has also reduced my symptoms of comorbid anxiety and depression: daydreaming that turns into rumination has decreased, and fatigue and apathy have significantly decreased. Now, meds don't solve everything, nor can it. My brain is my brain. But with these obstacles out of the way, I have a much greater capacity to learn and apply healthier methods of regulation and support.
This past summer, I had a very personal week visiting my best friend out of state. For me, my biggest revelation was how large my capacity is to be a safe, compassionate, and coregulating presence without even having to speak. It was very humbling, very vulnerable, and very liberating to know that as a human being, I have at least someone whom I can share that depth of sincerity. But in listening to my friend go over how she's had to interface with life, it made me wonder about mine. What negative things in my life did I grow up thinking was normal? What beliefs are holding me back?
Only recently, I've started looking deeper into my psyche and trying to understand how some of my behavior patterns and even physical reactions are a result of how I was raised. Being very frank, it's honestly painful work. But I know that it's the next thing I need to address in my personal life if I want to have truly transformed my relationship with my health.
I'm a cerebral person. It's easy to think, think, think. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. The issue is, many of us are also taught to rationalize past the physical signals in our own body, forgoing self-respecting boundaries. I've noticed with myself that I have even been trained to do the opposite of what I feel. Is it masking? Is it miseducation? Is it manipulation? Is it generational? Maybe. But in 2026, its time I start listening to my body. It is going to be a year focused in somatic therapy and meditation as I work to uncover and unlearn internalized troubles.
Final Words
What a year! But certainly a needed one. I did well, and I'm set on doing even better. Thank you for reading if you've done so up until this point. I'm grateful for everyone who supports me through their kind words, opportunities, and camaraderie. I'm just one person, but I want to be an authentic one.
It hasn't been the easiest year (losing Dexter to a pretty quick, horrendous illness really, really sucked), but it feels like life is in recalibration mode. I feel like I'm getting back in touch with a lot of things that make me me and just taking a breath and accepting where things are at while working to make some long-term pivots. At this point, I'm closing the door on 2025 and focusing on what's in store for 2026 (Route 66 in full! Out-of-state races! Travel plans for friends' weddings!).
2025 Highlights:
Live Music. So many of the friends I've made over the years are ones I've made through shows, but I've been attending less and less over the years due to rising ticket costs, fewer shows from bands I listen to, and just living in a market that doesn't cater so much to the shows I like to attend. Something shifted this year, and I found myself back at the barricade and in the pit and also venturing out to see new bands locally. It feels like a return to self in the best way.
DALE! If you get a chance to do a study abroad program in college, do it. If one of those friends then plans an out-of-country birthday trip and extends an invite, go. I can't begin to explain how fulfilling this Italy trip was - from wine windows and gelato to spritzes and morning croissants, from scraped hands and knees (all mine) to a questionable excursion in a stranger's car to see local hot springs. Grazie, Italia.
Club 33. After a lifetime of Disney attendance, I finally experienced Club 33 (as a tagalong for Bonnie's retirement lunch celebrations). What a cool experience to finally check off the list. Food and drinks were delicious and I think I was just most excited to walk around and look at all of the little details in this special place that I'd never seen before.
Whimsy. The older I get, the more I chase whimsy in my daily life. This has shown itself specifically in my year-round porch goose (Greg) and newly acquired 12 foot skelly (Gus). I hope everyone finds something that brings me as much joy as the ridiculousness of how huge a 12 ft skeleton actually is.
World's Largest Ball of Paint. While I marked far fewer "World's Largest" items off my list this year, adding a layer of paint (layer 29, 767) to the "World's Largest Ball of Paint" was a pretty cool one. Indiana was a pleasant surprise and I got to run part of a half marathon along the Indy 500 course.
Books read this year: 103
‘25 playlist (in no particular order):
The 502s - “Just A Little While (Live From The Van)”
Jon Andrew Franklin - “Don't Take Me Back To Texas”
Stacked Like Pancakes - “45”
Chappell Roan - "The Giver"
TANNING - "Cheers"
Andy Grammer - "Not The End (Lisa's Song) (Stripped)"
The Ataris - "Car Song"
Joey Harkum - "One Foot In The Grave"
Kyle Gordon - "We Will Never Die (feat. Kody Redwing and the Broken Hearts"
Forever Came Calling - "And Still the Mick Foley of Pop Punk"
The Lumineers - "Ophelia"
Pitbull - "Fireball"
Taking Back Sunday - "Tidal Wave"
Dear Orca - "Under The Rose"
Wolf Parade - "I'll Believe in Anything"
