Merry Yule and happy midwinter/midsummer, hemispheres notwithstanding!
It's the final update of 2025 and what a year it's been. Let's look back
on all the delights this year has thrown at us.
[Seemingly unending
TV static]
Ah, memories. I think I had those once.
In crimmassy Crispy tradition this final festive update is very much a "there are things coming, honest!" sort of deal. As the year winds down and away-from-the-computer obligations seep into my timetable, my newsletter and video work spreads thinner.
I have managed to complete my loose-end commissions and thanks to those and you lovely people, my 'company' (that is me and a png of a badly-drawn vegetable) didn't make a loss! I'll happily throw a party to which you're all invited, provided you can pay for travel and don't mind monching cold cocktail sausages and scavenged ketchup packets. Please share, I can afford one value-pack.
To celebrate I'll be uncharacteristically open and give you all a sneaky-peek at one of the December newsletter's comics by way of a little wintery treat.
The remainder of the newsletter is progressing well: Both comic strips and a new 'Do-alogue' section are ready for the roller. This and the second part of the 'Curse: Eye of Isis' highlights ought to be ready before the big calendar shake-up!
In amongst my plans to add variety to the newsletter I also plan to add an 'Ask The OC' section where I make humouresque doodles in response to any questions you might want to throw at my myriad characters. So, uh, ask away! I'll set a centralised question-asking place up in the new year, but suggestions are welcome wherever.
I've sent out my end-of-year festive cards, 30% of which have actually arrived. Well worth the 100% increase in postage costs over the last four years, I'm sure we can all agree. The making-of video of my printing said cards is also in the works and is anticipantly chomping at the comedic bit to be January's video, just in time for seasonal festive cheer.
To facilitate said cheer I've also been stoking the crochet train, stitching up a slightly janky Tigger and Eeyore as presents for family. One day I'll make something worth sharing the pattern of, but that's for once I've revamped my website so that people can actually find things on it. Until then here are the culprits, along with a homunculus I made from spare Eeyore parts.
Besides the above I've also sufficiently distracted myself by starting up a new video game music cover for use on-stream. It's been a long time and I'm pretty rusty, but I have higher hopes for this one than the last couple of attempts. Is it a song you know? Probably not! That's how I like 'em!
More distractions come in the form of zhuzhing up the back-end of the stream, including adding more !locked sounds courtesy of the distinctly discourteous Alone In The Dark (2008). You may have more difficulty hearing them though, since I've also added a duck! More accurately a ducker! Yet more accurately a side-chain compressor, quietening the stream audio as somebody talks, allowing me to boost the audio during the rare ramble-less respites. It's taking some tweaking, but it'll be worth the biscuit I think.
Also Jay and Kay. They keep distracting me.
Streams! Another year, another shipping container's-worth of streams. Silksong swooshes right along, jangling new areas before us just as we think the bell sounds. Will we finish it before the new year rings in? Well I'm still on Act 2, so probably not.
Speaking of ringing out, we've thoroughly knocked Dying Light out for six! By which I mean one of us did that. Another of us exploded and there were two tap-outs. Always the hallmark of a solid interactive experience. But still chill doodle times with friends were there to soothe our wounds and carry us into the bliss of a new dawn. Or let us play dress-up with OCs.
And with that the year's wrapped. Well, almost. There's still the matter of a video, a newsletter, and an end-of-year Tracks-chat stream to natter over of what's been and what's to come.
For now though I'll give you my heartiest thanks for your truly inexplicably generosity, I still don't know how it keeps happening. I know this year hasn't quite been the best for output on my part, but plans are afoot (and hopefully not long after, a-hand) for the new year, about which you will hear much in its inaugural update.
Here's hoping this year has treated you well, that you've grown in ways you can feel proud of, and that the future promises more still. Your support for me makes me immeasurably grateful, I literally can't do this without you, but I'm working on fixing that. Seems a lot of pressure, you know? 😅
Anywho, so long 2025! I've got a new number to try and remember for the
next three months! Look after yourselves and a have a lovely midwinter.
Crispy
💜