I mentioned previously that I'd been helping a family member recover from a long-term illness, and that while the treatment was successful, our time together ended badly for our relationship. We were incommunicado afterward. I learned today that this person is having a horrendous unexpected follow-up medical procedure—life-changing, and limiting.
The difference now is that I can't go and help this person due to the safety issue that led to communication being severed the last time. The issue rests with the person, and the conversations I've had today make it clear it's still very present. They have ample resources for care, but I feel absolutely awful about not being able to be there for, at the very least, emotional support. I can't safely do it, though, due to their behavior and choices.
The ramifications from this issue may affect my housing situation, which I thought had stabilized. On what time frame, I don't know. This obviously would have ramifications for the various projects on which I'm working; I can't say for certain right now. I may have to do nothing; I may have to do everything. I have to wait and see, and prepare.
This isn't a very useful post beyond "something big and negative is happening," but I'm not in a place to say much of anything useful right now. I feel I should say something, though.
A notice that I've started putting updates for the Translation Project up on my Tumblr. The updates organically fit into a new project I've started there, brief comments on media I've enjoyed during the previous month, inspired by a series from a friend of mine on the platform; I've found it a good way to share stuff I've enjoyed in a fairly au courant manner without letting everything pile up at the end of the year. It's also handy if you want your updates interspersed with commentary on updates of the NES Jaws game and The Exorcist III.
The upshot is that the reformatting work is almost over, and I'm about the enter new translation territory again. However: I have a couple new professional projects that have been and will be taking up more time than usual in the near future. I'm particularly honored to be chosen for one of them, and I can't wait until the title is announced to PROCLAIM MY INVOLVEMENT, but it does mean slower progress for the moment on the hobby Project. There is progress, though, thankfully, and I'll be keeping everyone updated more frequently.
OK: I'm past the halfway mark in volume in translating the script. Two things:
- I took a chunk of time to address a long-outstanding issue and replace some lost material. I've mentioned previously that early in the project, without my awareness, there was a well-meaning attempt to lighten my workload by using AI to translate material and edit some stuff to get it within character limits. The results weren't usable, and I asked that this attempt be discontinued once I found out about it (and for the script to be entrusted to me solely). The person's intentions were good, but this was not how I ever wanted the translation to go.
Unfortunately, the files with the original, unaltered translations were no longer extant after this editing; I had to retranslate these files, which accounted for about a dozen out of the 80-odd files in the overall script. (I've since kept local copies of what I've translated, so this issue won't arise again.) - The tech side found an improved script extraction process that's yielded a more-complete, better-formatted set of script files. I do, however, have to move the script from the old files to the new files, do a bit of reformatting, and translate the newfound lines, which should take two to three weeks. (This is my fault for not using the new files earlier; I underestimated the extent of the improvements the new files would bring.)
So there's a bit of health work underway, but it'll end with a more-complete script that, as was always my intention from the very start of the project, is completely human-translated. There's more and surer progress on more fronts, and video files are getting subtitled. Again, this is not the rate of progress I wanted, and I apologize for being indisposed for an extended period, but we're making strides into new territory now, on surer footing.
2025 was not a great year for me. Highlights included the loss of a relationship with a close family member after helping them through a protracted illness, a home break-in, and someone trying to throw me down a flight of stairs. Thankfully, games were there to remind me there are better worlds than this. All three of the titles below are my games of the year, in different ways.
Note: I'm going to be updating this throughout the day and possibly beyond. I'll remove this message once this entry is complete.
MY GAME OF THE YEAR (QUALITY): I remember while playing this pausing to think, with awe, how video games had evolved from largely Alex-in-Lunar-esque power fantasies to a medium that could offer something like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, telling the tale of a thriller-horror-love/hate story through the aesthetics of German expressionism and the medium of number puzzles. Contrary to what supergreatfriend said in his own praise, I would argue that yes, it is doing a killer7, that level of complexity and symbolic sublimation in its storytelling, just with a personal relationship instead of political drama. It's like playing a film. It looks killer. It succeeds in several visual milieu (black-and-white-shocked-with-pink film, CRT text adventure, PS1 early-polygonal surrealism). The atmosphere oozes style, but also mystery and menace. It's intellectual but satisfies the aesthetic senses. And the puzzles are pretty dang good.
I will add one caveat here, and it's a big one: I haven't finished this. I ran into an admittedly less-than-brilliant section asking you to traverse a big maze twice, paused my playthrough for a bit, and then real life intervened. If my opinion changes upon finishing it, I will update this post. But: this is a tale for adults, and I mean that not in the trite "video games aren't just for kids anymore" manner but in regard to the sophistication of its visuals and delivery, the respect for its audience, and the subject matter under examination. The sixteen hours I've played have been sleek, slick, and smart as hell.
MY GAME OF THE YEAR (REFUGE): As far game concepts go, "Animal Crossing with Sanrio characters" is one of the more natural fits. Now, granted: the mechanics in Hello Kitty Island Adventure are extremely gentle and forgiving (from forum posts, the game's a popular choice for parents to play with their children). You're here largely to explore and spend time in a pleasant place in the company of charming characters. But the game's very good - deceptively good - at encouraging that. The visuals are cute, bright, and happy, like a well-designed playset, with shapes and colors appealingly-chosen - it looks great in a way that's easy to overlook. The writing is funny and self-aware (possible response to quest prompt: "Unsurprisingly, it's up to me to fix the situation") but not snarky or too smart for its own good - it never forgets to center the essential sweetness of the characters and world. And it really does nail the socialization and "second home" aspect. As my own world was falling apart, this became a refuge. Hello Kitty knows. Hello Kitty understands.
MY GAME OF THE YEAR (THEMATIC): No, I'm Not a Human is the vibe of the year and the game of our times. Solar flare activity is incinerating the unprotected populace during the day, and malevolent entities masquerade as friends and neighbors. The government is powerless at best and a band of marauding thugs at worst. At night, a barrage of strangers knocks at your door of your isolated farmhouse for refuge. How to tell friend from foe? You have some second-hand information, but nothing reliable beyond your gut, which will inevitably lead to imperfect choices. Your own past isn't safe, either. Even if you somehow muddle through, is it even worth surviving in this world? No, I'm Not a Human is bleak as fuck but somehow comforting, working the now-familiar vibe of monitoring the progress of the apocalypse from your home, elevated by the bizarre, ever-threatening surveillance monitor-green aesthetic and the slice-of-life personal stories from fellow survivors, or predators, among the ruins.
More thoughts on the year below!
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