2025 in Review
This is just going to be an overview of things I either did this year or of things that came out this year that I liked or had something to say about.
Personal Projects
Honestly, I didn't finish a ton of stuff this year. I started the year off with short stealth game Heist Night for a "crime" game jam, which was mostly an excuse to learn godot, and I finished the year putting together a visual novel To be a Box over 6 weeks for a robotic romance game jam (which was fun because I have a poor understanding of romance and I haven't done creative writing in over a decade, close to two even).
I did spend a few weeks in the summer trying to fix a bug in godot. I was able to find a fix but it turned out that no one wants to change that code because it's kinda complex, might break other people's workflows if it changed too much and would be better solved by a different approach altogether. A little demotivating, but it was a fun learning experience.
I did a bit of art, finally taught myself blender, created a face tracker program so I could do vtuber stuff on linux even if I found that actual streaming was a bit difficult. I might try to get back into it next year, but it'll have to wait until late January/early February at the earliest.
Art/Media I liked that came out this year
Only a few categories here. I didn't start any new comics this year, mostly just continuing ones from years prior. Fell off of listening to podcasts a while back, so no clue what the state of them looks like right now. No new books either, I think the only book I read was part of The Brothers Karamazov over the summer, which is probably the least reading I've done in quite a while.
Movies
Only watched 8 movies from this year somehow and don't have much to say on most of them. Mickey 17 is the opposite of subtle but mostly made me want to rewatch Moon, but I don't blame Bong Joon-Ho for going that route. KPoP Demon Hunters had fun animation and I'm glad an original animation project got to do well.
Every Friday I do watch a movie with friends, and I do go out of my way to watch older movies every now and then, but these tend to trail behind in the years (watched the 1972 movie Solaris directed by Andrei Tarkovsky a few weeks ago on my lonesome for example, great film).
Sinners
Southern Gothic vampire movie about music, culture and assimilation/appropriation. Definitely gotta watch it, Ryan Coogler is doing good stuff.
Wake Up Dead Man
Late addition to this list, but Rian Johnston is still doing good stuff with Benoit Blanc. Honestly the exploration of the potential value of religion is very interesting, and ties together with some thoughts I had from reading about the first third of the Brothers Karamazov this year (parallels between Father Judd comforting Louise and Elder Zosima consoling a woman who lost her young son at the very least).
Music
Not too much new stuff this year honestly. The release of the deluxe eddition of Jamie Paige's Constant Companions was fun, and clouddrop made me cry.
Honestly want to take a side tangent of how good declarations from trans people to live are this year. We got something similar at the end of Chapter 5 of webcomic what happens next “you'll all be sorry” that felt very poignant back in January. If you aren't worried about spoilers you can read the short bit starting from here with the only context is that Vikki is a trans "true crime" youtuber who by interviewing a young man named milo who was involved with a murder case 5 years prior kicked off the events of the comic.
For other fun Jamie Paige stuff this year, we had birdbrain, spoken for (as part of flavor foley), and collabing on one Moe Shop's EVO EVO songs with Newly Human Feeling among lots of other things.
I'll talk more about Ave Mujica below in the Anime section, but they get to join the ranks of anime bands I listen to on a semi-regular basis (Kessoku Band from Bocchi the Rock, MyGo!!!!! from Bang Dream! MyGo!!!!! and Togenashi Togeari from Girl's Band Cry). I came across a recent live performance of theirs the other day and they've got a fun stage presence.
Honestly, lots of the songs I listen to tend to be a grab-bag of singles. The VTuber Cecilia Immergreen's original song “Wind-Up” got me back into wanting to making songs for a bit (was unsuccessful at finishing any of them until I made some songs for the visual novel I finished mid December).
Speaking of VTubers, the original VTuber KizunaAI returned this year, this time with a lot of focus on music.
Kikou's Rainborn Menoko is a really fun mix of traditional japanese sounds and electronic music.
For more traditional music, Car Seat Headrest put out The Scholars, Mountain Goats somehow worked with Lin Manuel Miranda on Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, Open Mike Eagle had Neighborhood Gods Unlimited and Stomach Book came out with Goodnight Hypnopomp. Additionally, singles from people like Akari Nanawo, Aiobahn, and Inabakumori were great.
Games
I did not play very many games at all this year, or at least games that came out this year. Of the ones that did I don't have too much to say about them, new trails game was fine (daybreak 2, I didn't play the new version of trails in the sky). I played through some old tales games (symphonia and vesperia) after getting on a tales kick. Expedition 33 and Silksong I both played a little bit of but got sidetracked by either other things happening or my own projects.
DeltaRune Chapters 3 & 4
Toby Fox and his team continue to make great stuff. Honestly, I remember reading a newsletter he put out a while back advertising positions and mentioned at the end “if you can do all of this, why don't you make your own stuff” and he's right I'm just making my own stuff. Anyway, I thought Chapter 4 in particular was incredible, seeing Susie's character growth in particlar has been such a joy. Had to draw her like the day I finished the chapter.
after playing through these new chapters, i had to draw susie from deltarune. she's so good.
— Lilac (@lilacgalaxy.bsky.social) June 5, 2025 at 6:56 PM
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Unbeatable
I have had so much fun playing this. Several hours sunk into the arcade mode, what a great soundtrack.
Little Witch in the Woods
Technically it's been out for a while, but the full release happened earlier this year. This was a fun little game, just grab ingredients and make potions that help you gather other ingredients to make other potions. Nothing too deep, but I think it's the first "cozy game" that I've actually finished.
Mahouteq
I'm normally a fan of ime44's music, but this year he put out a short visual novel with it's own original soundtrack and it was a joy. You get to do the thankless work of a magical girl. Be sure to wear your PPE and follow safety protocols!
Soul of Sovereignty chapters 2 & 3
GGDG doing great work on their current project, a visual novel about becoming a god. I'm excited to see how this continues.
Z.A.T.O I Love the World and Everything In It
A Russian denpa story about a missing girl and sending a message. A joy to read through. Love for Asya.
Also drew fanart
Read through ZATO the other day and had to draw Asya. Go check it out if you haven't, it's free and worth the read!
— Lilac (@lilacgalaxy.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 5:29 AM
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Anime
I watched quite a bit of anime this year they're great for keeping me on a schedule and knowing what day it is, so gonna talk about the stuff I loved. I would call this TV, but I think the only non-anime TV show I watched was Fionna and Cake season 2. Both severance and pluribus seem interesting, but I haven't shelled out for apple TV.
Ave Mujica: The Die is Cast
A new Bang Dream! entry that follows the previous season
MyGo!!!!!. Sakiko has surrounded herself with a new band
and surely this one will not break apart unlike the last one, right?
None of these girls are okay. Music is fun though, some gothic/symphonic
metal mostly, and episode 11 is definitely a standout. It's not quite
Bojack Horseman's "Free Churro" but animating a 20 minute theatre
monologue is real fun. Also if you haven't checked out Bang Dream! MyGo,
I also highly recommend that, and honestly you could probably watch
episode 3 standalone as it's one character's backstory shown entirely
from her perspective (episode 10 is probably my favorite though).
Semi-unrelated but this Ave Mujica AMV Devi McCallion made for one of her songs is fun.
Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Continuation of the apothecary diaries, our favorite poison-loving cat out there solving rear-palace mysteries, what more could you want? I made fanart of new character Shisui for this one.
wow multiple art pieces in the span of a few days, doesn't happen often.. anyway this is shisui from apothecary diaries, who deserves to just hang out with some bugs.
— Lilac (@lilacgalaxy.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
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The Summer Hikaru Died
Sometimes the boy you had a crush on is secretly replaced by a monster and you're the only one who notices. So you have to silently grieve for the loss of someone you knew, but also you want to stay with this new creature (I mean, you basically already feel like a monster yourself already, being queer in your rural town). Gay horror, it's great!
This Monster Wants to Eat Me
Speaking of gay monsters, here's another one. Sometimes you're incredibly depressed, absolutely wrecked with survivors guilt, and want to die, but your family told you to live when they died in a tragic accident from which you were the only survivor. Well no fear, here's a mermaid that promises to kill and eat you and end your suffering when the time is right, but I'm not sure if she's being entirely truthful with her intentions.
Apocalypse Hotel
Now for something completely different. These robots have been maintaining a hotel since humans abandoned the planet over 100 years ago. They don't see too many visitors anymore, but they're gonna keep doing their job anyway. Very wacky show, lots of fun.
I also made fanart of this one after watching episode 11 and loving the atmospheric "Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou" vibes it had.
thinking about the workaholic robot from apocalypse hotel.
— Lilac (@lilacgalaxy.bsky.social) June 18, 2025 at 2:04 AM
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CITY THE ANIMATION
Speaking of shows that do incredible episodes, CITY is nothing but fun and showcases some amazing use of animation as a medium. The phenomenal episode 5 is still something I think about all the time. Also the friendship between middle schoolers Matsuri and Ecchan is the heart of this season. Love Arawi's work in general, and if you loved Nichijou you'd have fun here (and vice versa, if you've somehow never seen Nichijou, one of the best anime comedies out there).
Not from this year, but every time I talk about Arawi, I feel the need to show off his youtube channel.
Milky Subway
Short online web series animated in blender about some delinquents who get themselves stuck on a train. All of it is on youtube each episode is only a few minutes long and it is a follow-up to a short from a few years ago (I think it was a school project?). Feels like Edgar Wright meets the breakfast club in space (speaking of edgar wright, i'll probably have to check out the running man at some point). Also the dialogue, especially between the leads Chiharu and Makina, is just a joy to listen to, it has such a fun cadance.
Original Short
Episode 1 (is dubbed in a few languages as well)