1. View from Montserrat mountain with me in the photo. During that vacation break I was sick and felt really bad, but my trip plan had to be completed nevertheless. Now I'm a little impressed with myself that I enjoyed mountain hiking with a fever. The views were amazing.
2. Drumming. A new unexpected hobby in my life. I have trouble practicing regularly and I'm usually not super eager for band practice with friends, but I really enjoy both when they happen. Band sessions with friends are especially fun, even if I have to push myself to leave the house.
3. Singing. I've liked singing for as long as I remember, but my voice isn't very good, so I never really embraced it until recently. It’s still mostly for fun, nothing serious, but I realized that I can enjoy long karaoke sessions just by myself, I don't need parties for that. And I also convinced one special person to sing with me more, and I just love when we do it together.
4. Starshine Egg! It feels incredible that the Egg I made became a collectible! I'm so grateful for that! And I'm really happy when I sometimes see it in the lineups
5. New PC. It was an upgrade that I needed, I wasn't even aware of how much until I saw how smoothly some of my projects run on the new hardware. And I can play all the games I want now!
6. So with a new PC I played more games this year and my favorite one was definitely Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Oh man, what a game that was! I loved it so much that I completed all the achievements and I never do that.
7. Pocket Camp. With the release of Pocket Camp Complete with a one time payment I returned to the mobile version of AC after at least 6 years, probably more but I don't remember. I played almost every day throughout 2025.
8. My still nameless cat OC. The last original character I made was at least 10 years ago, and for some time now I felt the need for a new, more recent one for various uses. The final version took me some time, but I'm sooo happy with him. Or her, I'm not sure yet. I rarely love my creations, but I do love this one
1. This year I was influenced by the Labubu craze and bought one for myself. My sisters loved it and I bought them each one as well. I’ve spent a lot of time shopping for Labubu accessories this year, which is fun but not good for my wallet!
2. By far my favorite mobile game since 2024, Love and Deepspace is a lore-heavy interactive otome game with incredible graphics and something new always going on.
3. I will admit to spending a bit too much time on social media, especially TikTok. But one of my favorite hobbies is sending my brother a bunch and then we watch them together. Quality bonding time!
4. This summer I went to see the Goo Goo Dolls in concert with my brother and mom. My mom has loved them for years and she doesn’t get to go out very much, so it was nice to see her have fun.
5. We got a Switch 2 this year, and bought Donkey Kong Banaza for it. I’ve been a fan of the series ever since I played Diddy’s Kong Quest on the Super Nintendo. I’m also a sucker for low-stakes platformers with collectibles and secrets, so I was obviously hooked immediately. I’m too busy to play it every day, but I’ve racked up 130+ hours on it.
6. My brother and I are cinephiles and keep an eye out for the next movie playing in theaters. We prefer horror but we enjoy other genres as well. If we’re not in the movie theater, we’re making popcorn and watching movies on a laptop instead.
Note: Both the concert and the movie images are free use clip art, and the DK Bananza poster is official Nintendo imagery.
1. View from Montserrat mountain with me in the photo. During that vacation break I was sick and felt really bad, but my trip plan had to be completed nevertheless. Now I'm a little impressed with myself that I enjoyed mountain hiking with a fever. The views were amazing.
2. Drumming. A new unexpected hobby in my life. I have trouble practicing regularly and I'm usually not super eager for band practice with friends, but I really enjoy both when they happen. Band sessions with friends are especially fun, even if I have to push myself to leave the house.
3. Singing. I've liked singing for as long as I remember, but my voice isn't very good, so I never really embraced it until recently. It’s still mostly for fun, nothing serious, but I realized that I can enjoy long karaoke sessions just by myself, I don't need parties for that. And I also convinced one special person to sing with me more, and I just love when we do it together.
4. Starshine Egg! It feels incredible that the Egg I made became a collectible! I'm so grateful for that! And I'm really happy when I sometimes see it in the lineups
5. New PC. It was an upgrade that I needed, I wasn't even aware of how much until I saw how smoothly some of my projects run on the new hardware. And I can play all the games I want now!
6. So with a new PC I played more games this year and my favorite one was definitely Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Oh man, what a game that was! I loved it so much that I completed all the achievements and I never do that.
7. Pocket Camp. With the release of Pocket Camp Complete with a one time payment I returned to the mobile version of AC after at least 6 years, probably more but I don't remember. I played almost every day throughout 2025.
8. My still nameless cat OC. The last original character I made was at least 10 years ago, and for some time now I felt the need for a new, more recent one for various uses. The final version took me some time, but I'm sooo happy with him. Or her, I'm not sure yet. I rarely love my creations, but I do love this one
In the beginning of 2025 I bought a cute pink ps vita- It's my first ever PlayStation device!! I've always wanted one and I'm really happy with it. I've been playing stuff on steam lately but I want to get back to playing more on the vita this year.
Played some fun visual novels this year- Chaos;Head Noah is my top pick for 2025. Still have like half the endings on Hundred Line left to go but I'm pretty content with how much I read- it's a lot lol
Round1 got Maimai DX cabs and it's my favorite thing to do there now. I wish I had a Round1 closer to me, I'd play it every day if I could!
My peanut warmie and hiro nui were some of my best purchases of 2025 I love them so much.
I hadn't been really into any franchises in a while but the english release of Umamusume really got me, I love these horse girls so much... I play every day I'm addicted and am slowly building up my merch collection of horse girls
I didn't include them in the pic bc it would take up so much space but I commissioned so many amazing artists and will continue to do so this year T_T <3
decided very last minute to participate.
2025 was horrendous and I was out of commission for most of it, but I'm grateful for the good that it did bring. here's hoping for a better 2026.
this turned into a mashup of "favourites of 2025", "favourite memories from 2025", and "how my 2025 went" lmao
⟡ I included my top 3 favourite albums of 2025, only one of which actually released last year lol. I was properly introduced to Radiohead's OK Computer album through edits of some of my favourite shows, and it quickly became one of my favourite albums of all time after listening to it in full, with "Let Down" now being one of my favourite songs of all time. its meaning is so special to me, and I relate to it a lot. I also reignited my love for Evanescence, specifically their Fallen album (another favourite of all time)! and MARINA, one of my all-time favourite artists, released a new album Princess of Power, and she ate with it as per usual! twas a very good year for me musically.
⟡ it was also a very good year for me show-wise !! I got into The Pitt and Yellowjackets, and new seasons of The Last of Us (watched Joel Miller die again and I'm still not well), Ginny & Georgia, Wednesday, Only Murders in the Building (which I did not include 'cause I ran out of room. lmao. but please know I watched and enjoyed them as well), and Stranger Things (El come back to me....) came out! literally every single one of these shows depressed me in some way (including Ginny & Georgia which is usually lighthearted and cringe ???), which I'm sure totally didn't impact my mental health At All, but I enjoyed every second of it. I also think I watched more movies last year than I have this entire decade so far lmao, and my favourites were FNAF 2 and Death Becomes Her!! it's criminal that it took me so long to watch the latter.... Meryl Streep the diva you are.
⟡ I've started using Toyhou.se more often and for more than just housing my characters and their art! I've been casually dipping my toes into the community side of Toyhou.se, and while I still enjoy the site more as a casual user and when I'm just doing my own thing there, getting to meet, admire, and interact with such interesting, talented, and kind people and artists has been a delightful experience! I've seen some absolutely incredible art and characters, and it's been so inspiring! I've received some phenomenal art, obtained new characters I'm very fond of and that mean a lot to me, and have had so much fun working on their profiles and fleshing out lore and creating aesthetic boards for each of them! I've even taught myself basic coding so that I can give them cool profiles!!
⟡ I of course had to include my sweet Bonk. I'm so serious when I say that she was often times the only thing getting me through 2025. it was a rough year for her as well between some skin issues and booboos that took forever to heal (cause she kept scratching them..... sigh), but she's doing much better now and I'm so thankful for that. she turned 4 in July (my baby's getting so old....) and we celebrated 3 years with her in August, and I just love her a lot. I included my top 5 favourite photos of her from 2025, which was of course very hard to narrow down. my silly, sweet, clingy, whiny baby.
⟡ I got to go to my first baseball game !! my mom won tickets to see the Toronto Blue Jays' second last game against the Yankees in the World Series, and she took me with her! I'm honestly not a baseball person (or a sports person in general, really asdfghj) and prefer to watch hockey if I have to watch a sport, but it was honestly a really fun experience !! the guys sitting in front of us were super cool and kept turning around to high-five us whenever the Jays hit a home run haha, and it was really nice to be in the stadium and surrounded by so many excited fans and seeing how pumped they all were after we won! it's definitely a lot more fun than watching at home!
⟡ I participated in an 8-week intensive group therapy program in March-May and a followup program in June-July. it was terrifying and exhausting, and stuff at home made getting there every day hard, but it was an invaluable experience and I'm so grateful for it. it was honestly the most normal I've felt in years. I loved the people I met there, and the escape from home during what was honestly a terrifying and uncertain time was everything to me. I included a little snippet of my "farewell speech" that I wrote during my last week in the program, because of course I couldn't just leave it at a simple "see ya" lmao. I miss being there.
⟡ I rediscovered my love for photography! photography is something I've loved and been interested in for years, but it's sadly something that my deteriorating health and debilitating fatigue has prevented me from doing and enjoying in recent years. there have been so many shots that I've missed out on 'cause I was deadass too tired to just pick up my phone. but during a rare period of feeling good last year, I went on a drive with my mom to look at all of the gorgeous fall colours and scenery, and it reawakened my love for photography! fall is such an amazing time for scenic photos. I included some of my favourite photos I took last year; 3 from that drive, and one of a rainbow! one of my 2026 goals is to hopefully take photos more.
⟡ I got to meet the lovely @/FrostyAlmonds irl for the first time, and hung out with them, @/-Lumi-, and Saylor twice !! we enjoyed yummy food and did some shopping both times, and it was a lot of fun !! I'm still thinking about that strawberry mochi cake, I hate that I was so unwell and out of it to properly enjoy it. one day I will have it again..... and get to finally try the hazelnut cake.....
⟡Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream!!!! that and Bonk got me through 2025 ong
⟡ my sweet friend Meri gifted me the opalescent crystal I was looking for on my birthday, and Al gifted me the psychedelic snow bunny !! my angel.. I adore my friends.
I haven't properly used either of them since I haven't been here. but hopefully one day ?
I also received such gorgeous and thoughtful art from some of my friends on here on my birthday and on other days, and I have stared at every single one like this every day since
⟡ in spite of everything, winning the golden egg during last year's egg hunt is still one of my happiest memories from 2025. tis a very pretty egg
background
Xara art by k30/k30meow!
Xara birthday art by my beautiful friend @/Kirbyz!
Bonk headshot art by amanipawx on toyhou.se!
opalescent crystal collectible by @/Laudine, golden easter egg collectible by @/Mistreil, and psychedelic snow bunny by @/Laudine (base) and @/Mick (recolour)
photos taken by me!
polaroid frames drawn by me : )
2025 was definitely a year of all time. Still, there was a lot of good games and events i enjoyed!
1. Pokemon World Championships! I got to go to Pokemon Worlds for the first time, where the biggest pokemon tournament of the year happens. It was such a cool experience!
2. Octopath Traveler 0: Octopath Traveler is such a cool series and the new game dropped out of nowhere in the end of the year!
3. Switch 2 finally came out last year! I haven't played a ton of games on it yet (mostly mario kart) but I'm excited for whats to come
4. Expedition 33 was a really unexpected game for me, and it was so much fun! Turn based game but theres parrying and amazing story! Highly recommend it if you like RPGs.
5. Pokemon Legends ZA was our pokemon game of the year and I was a big fan of the new gameplay for a spinoff game!
6. Umamusume my beloved. Don't ask how many hours i have in this game its too many.
2025 wasn't really too much of an interesting year for me, but it did provide me with games that I did happen to enjoy that year.
Let's do a rollcall through all the games I've listed on the collage: ————————————————————————————————————————
〚Switch 2:〛
I've been wanting the Switch 2 since the reveal trailer, and Mario Kart World was the main reason I wanted it.
Nowadays, I don't play Mario Kart World as often as I did since launch, as I'm holding off on playing it until something cool gets added for World that intrigues me into getting back to it. (Like Male Villager from MK8DX in World, but that's a stretch tbh...)
I do still use the Switch 2 for other games, and willing to buy other games I may find interesting for it.
———————————————————————————————————————— 〚Sonic Racing Crossworlds:〛 The moment I saw the teaser trailer for the game back in 2024, I was a little interested, but not much of a Sonic fan to warrant wanting it. When some more game trailers came out for it, I still wasn't interested, as I saw another kart racer I'll get to later. Eventually, I caved in and got it. Now I'm hooked into it and can't let it go for other kart racers out there. Looking forward to more things to go beyond in that game, and I think I became a Sonic fan again...? ———————————————————————————————————————— 〚The Karters 2: Turbo Charged:〛 I found this game back in July of 2025 and I thought the game was interesting enough for me to buy it, but held off on buying it until September. That was when my #1 most favorite comfort character, MK8 Male Villager was added into the game, and I had to buy it to the point where I eventually did. I enjoy the game here and there back in the Fall season, but got burnt out of it due to Crossworlds taking over my kart racer interest. (And still is) One day I'll get back to it, and hopefully try my hand at the modding scene. ———————————————————————————————————————— 〚Pokemon Legends: Z-A:〛 I'm gonna keep this one short since I only had a little fun with it. The story was actually pretty good, though. And I have yet to touch the online battle scene before, and not sure I ever will... ———————————————————————————————————————— 〚Pokengine:〛 While I started beginning to play this game back in 2024, I also brought the fun with it in 2025 as well, going on to 2026 too. This game is a free MMO that has similar mechanics to the mainline Pokemon games, with some features missing. (But will be added later down the line) I've been quite at an interest in shiny hunting and making competitive fakemon, which the game also has tons of. But as of a few months ago, my interest in the game is dwindling down a bit, yet come back to it when I feel bored, it never lets me down. ———————————————————————————————————————— 〚The Ethereal Islets in My Singing Monsters:〛 I have yet to play this game, however, I was a fan of the series back in 2022. The songs the game provides are such a banger! But my most favorite ones so far have to be the 3 Ethereal Islets that were introduced last year. Those being: ~Plasma Islet~ ~Mech Islet~ ~Shadow Islet~ If you ask me on which one my favorite is, it has to be Mech Islet. Seriously, the Islet's Primordial Monster, Bogle has such an amazing verse! Hopefully, this year will be my year I make an account on the game, because it does seem interesting, yet I always forget to play it when I think about it... ———————————————————————————————————————— And that's about it. Hopefully in 2026, there will be more games I'd be very interested in!
And btw, if you want me to push all this into a spoiler, let me know.
Canadian International Auto Show
In February, I attended the Canadian International Auto Show with @/xSuperMario64x (I will refer to him as Bug for the remainder of this post)! We saw so many amazing cars, even if some of them were ones we’ve already seen in the past. Six cars shown here appear in the Gran Turismo series while one appears in Mario Kart 8 of all places! We even witnessed a replica of a car that forever changed the way we travel to places: the 1886 Benz-Patent Motorwagen! I can go on and on about how much Bug and I enjoyed attending the show, but I’ll say that it was a very memorable experience. For those who are curious what the cars are from left to right, top to bottom, I’ll put them in a spoiler.
‘*’ indicates appearance in Gran Turismo
‘^’ indicates appearance in Mario Kart 8
Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205)*
1886 Benz-Patent Motorwagen*
Ferrari F50*
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N*
Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition*
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series*
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster^
Great Scott!
2025 marked 40 years since Back to the Future was released. It also marked 10 years since Marty travelled into the future to 2015. I rewatched the trilogy with my mother and sister. A few months down the line in July, we also got to see the musical adaptation of it live and really liked it a lot! I don’t typically watch musicals, so it was a very nice experience. I even got to buy a keychain souvenir for myself with a licence plate which said “OUTATIME”.
But the craze didn’t end there. On my birthday in August, my sister gifted me Back to the Future - The Game! It follows the events after the third movie and needless to say, I enjoyed playing through the entire thing. It’s almost as if I’m watching part four, except it’s an interactive movie at that!
Art
I didn’t draw a lot in 2025 compared to the past thanks to some other things that took priority, but still pumped out a few pieces that made me feel happy with it. From left to right, top to bottom, I made:
A drawing for @/ZeldaCrossing64 as a part of the Secret Santa event that was organized by @/Balverine! I was requested to draw their island representative and their cat OC, Char. But I went above and beyond by incorporating stuff from Majora’s Mask since that is their favourite Zelda game! Even made a couple of pixel art for good measure in the style of Zelda games from the Gameboy and Gameboy Colour systems. My skills were rusty, but I’m glad I still brought a smile to Charlie’s face.
I drew my animal villager OC, Pag-asa. I wanted to experiment drawing him in different clothing pieces along with some colour combinations. Of course, I practiced dynamic poses wherever I could, so you see him breaking out some moves. Look at Pag-asa go!
Earlier in the year while @/Dunquixote was still hosting sessions of Among Us at the time, I was inspired to draw my crewmate with the aesthetics that I equipped in-game along with my pet magmate! I was basically dressed up as a raccoon dressed in chef clothing. One time while I was tasked with making a burger, it didn’t require a patty at all which is pretty rare. This is the same case in the drawing since I found it very amusing (would you even call it a burger at that point?).
Bug and I basically made a cat OC together. He came up with the visuals while I came up with a name. We eventually came up to name this fluffy purple cat, Solumew!
Movies
I was so, so excited when I heard that a brand new Wallace & Gromit movie was released in January! Considering their last short film, A Matter of Loaf and Death, was released all the way back in 2010, I thought that there would never be another movie. Boy, was I totally wrong, and needless to say I enjoyed Vengeance Most Fowl catching some subtle references from their past movies!
During the time Bug came to visit me in February, we both watched the Dog Man movie. Admittedly, @/Suguri and @/ZeldaCrossing64 played a part in it when they were talking about the movie at the time lol. Despite the fact that I never read the books, I still found myself enjoying it. Lil’ Petey is so cute!
Cars in Gran Turismo 7
Despite Gran Turismo 7 being released back in 2022, the game still received updates on an almost monthly basis adding cars (both good and bad). The pictures you see here are my personal favourites that were added in 2025 (yes, that includes a few SUVs shockingly), so there are actually more cars added to the game than meets the eye. Some are new to the series while some are returning veterans!
What I appreciate in Gran Turismo games (and some car games in general) are the variety of cars that can be driven in the game whether they are new or old, electric powered or gas powered or a mix of both, and big or small. This is also regardless of whether they are built for carrying cargo, racing, everyday commuting, or for spirited driving. If for whatever reason you want to know the cars featured in this section from left to right, top to bottom, I got you covered!
‘*’ indicates I’ve seen the car in real life (or similar in appearance)!
2001 Chevrolet Corvette C5 Z06*
Chevrolet Corvette CX.R Vision Gran Turismo
2021 Honda CR-V e:HEV EX Black Edition*
1987 Honda Civic Si Extra (EF)
2022 Honda N-ONE RS
1995 Renault Espace F1 ← Keep this car in mind!
1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40V
1997 Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R*
2002 Renault Avantime 3.0 V6 24V
2023 Hyundai ELANTRA N*
2012 Suzuki Carry KC
2020 Toyota RAV4 Adventure*
2021 Mazda CX-30 X Smart Edition*
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N*
F3500-B
1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog Type 411
F3500-A
I’m sure some of you guys have heard that ACNH is getting a huge 3.0 update very soon. Well, Gran Turismo 7 has a similar treatment, calling it the Spec III update! It was released in December as a celebration of the series selling 100 million copies since 1997. This huge update not only added eight more cars with some new in-game features and a brand new intro, but two tracks as well! It’s made even better by the fact that one of the tracks added takes place in Canada which felt (and still does) so surreal. I guess I found my new favourite track to drive in the game!
Pag-asa
I’ve only had a couple of people draw Pag-asa for me in 2025, but it’s always such a treat seeing someone else drawing my animal villager OC. The one on the left was made by @/ZeldaCrossing64 as a part of Secret Santa! We basically did an art trade somehow despite matches being randomized.
The drawing on the right was made by @/LittleMissPanda! Pag-asa was practicing his dancing moves until he spotted… The pink snail from Blue’s Clues! He would need to write his discovery in his handy dandy notebook!
Games
I played a few games that were new to me in 2025. WRC 10 and art of rally really put me on the edge when it came to driving off-road at high speeds and narrow paths for good measure. I’m so used to driving on paved roads that it felt like I had to relearn my driving skills altogether. But when I remotely got good at it, did it feel so satisfying stringing through tight corners, drifting at the right time, and just barely missing obstacles within literal centimetres.
The Legend of Zelda - Echoes of Wisdom became one of my favourite Zelda games to play as it heavily reminded me of the likes of Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages. For once, we get to play as Zelda (unless you count Spirit Tracks in some parts of the game)! You know, the one whose name is in the series title.
It was a pleasant surprise to hear that Deltarune released chapters 3 & 4 after what seemed like forever. I avoided spoilers as much as possible and was blown away with what it had to offer, especially the soundtrack department!
Hondas
In July, my father bought tickets to an Indycar race. It was my first time spectating a race in person, so it gave me a bit of goosebumps hearing those race cars zoom by as their engines screamed. Prior to the race starting, I spotted a couple of interesting cars for the first time ever with one being able to see one again, but up close! From left to right, top to bottom, we have the first-generation Honda CVCC Civic that first came out in the 70s. It’s quite a small car in comparison to the modern cars we see today.
The second car pictured is a Honda NSX (NA2)! This is a facelifted version of the first-generation NSX without the pop-up headlights. This was absolutely unexpected as the car itself wasn’t entirely affiliated with the race event.
The last interesting car to note is a Honda Civic Type R (FL5)! Jumping from that aforementioned old Civic to the latest ones we see today gives a perspective of how much it has advanced in the past five decades. Plus, this particular Civic Type R also served as a safety car during the race! I liked the livery so much that I even went out of my way to recreate it in Gran Turismo 7 as best as I could, hence why you see two pictures that look similar.
Best Hotwheels Find
Does this minivan look familiar? That’s right, it’s the Renault Espace F1 yet again! I was looking through the Hotwheels section one day in August when I saw this little guy hidden underneath all the other cars. I quickly seized the opportunity to secure my purchase! In a way, it’s a good thing that a lot of people who hunt for certain Hotwheels cars overlook this amazing minivan because it gave me a better chance to find the Espace F1 in the first place.
Seriously, the history behind it is quite a very interesting read despite being a concept car and never reaching full production. As the name implies, this minivan is powered by a V10 F1 engine from the 90s, crazy as it may sound (quite literally). At the time, the Espace F1 didn’t reappear in the Gran Turismo series for 26 years until the spec III update for Gran Turismo 7 dropped in December, making the find that much more special to me. There’s even an alternate colour variant that also exists which I will give to Bug in the future with its package intact.
Bug
Speaking of which, it was a very wonderful time for me in February when he came to visit me. Bug gifted me a LEGO set of the Ferrari F40, a snow bunny plushie, and a Lancia Stratos Hotwheels. Not only did we watch the aforementioned Dog Man movie together, but also watched a few episodes of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. At the time, it was very snowy and cold, so it felt cozy vibing together.
Amongst a lot of other things we’ve done together that’s too many to list here, I’ll never forget the experience we had heading to the aforementioned Canadian International Auto Show. The only selfie that Bug and I had there was with the Benz-Patent Motorwagen, a replica of automotive history. It makes me happy spending quality time with Bug whenever I can considering we live very far away from each other. I hope to do the same again in 2026, even if only for a couple of days.
1. Got my very first PC this year along with new peripherals and have been so much happier with my set up! Not even a year ago I only had a laptop and monitor stand to my name so this upgrade was very much needed, and I'm really happy with how my space has been coming along. I'm still missing some things but I'm hoping to work on it in 2026!
2. I got my first Cintiq as a mixed birthday and Christmas present! It's going to take some time getting used to as I've been drawing on my ipad for years. I definitely want to try and create a balance of using both, however I believe I'll end up using my Cintiq for more professional artwork. I used to work exclusively with a Wacom Intuos (no screen display) for a few years before I got my ipad, so getting used to to Cintiq shouldn't pose too much of a challenge.
3. I went to Japan with my family back in May! It's been my dream to go to Japan and the experience was lovely! I included two pics; one from a garden I took in Aomori and one I took in Sakaiminato of a bento lunch box I thoroughly enjoyed. The scenario and food was amazing and I'd definitely want to go back one day, hopefully with some friends!
4. I graduated from my Bachelor degree program in illustration! We had our official ceremony in June. I've been in college for 7 years total because I took a 3 year program prior to my 4 year program, and took a gap year in between to work on my portfolio. Safe to say I honestly felt burnt out from school at that point. It was bittersweet for many reasons, but I'm glad I can start my next step in life.
5. I hope it's alright to spoiler because this highlight was different and more bittersweet. My step grandmother ended up passing away while my family and I were on our trip in Japan. It came as a shock and the timing was awful, to say the least. I hadn't seen her in years (she didn't want to be seen), and saw my grandfather way less because he had to be there for her. My family and I had to book a hotel to go down and see my grandfather not long after we returned home. My step grandmother didn't want a funeral or anything, so the trip wasn't exactly what I expected since there wasn't a lot regarding her passing, however I finally got to see my grandfather again after a long while and overall he was doing well despite the circumstances. While not a "happy" highlight, it was still a highlight of 2025 for me because I got to visit my grandfather, and we even got to visit my grandmother's (his first wife) grave after not having gone to visit her since I was a kid. Felt lots of emotions during May-June because of the complex situation it was, but it also made me reflect more on how precious it is to spend time with your loved ones.
The picture I used for the collage was just the room I ended up staying at the hotel we booked. My grandfather doesn't have room at his place so it makes it even more difficult for us to go down there often. I barely took pictures while I was visiting for obvious reasons so I hope that's alright.
1. My trip to Paris and Belgium! This trip was the first time I’ve ever been on a plane, it’s nerve wracking to be so far from home but everything turned out just fine! These pictures aren’t mine but they’re of places that really stood out to me on the trip. The Eiffel Tower is kind of an obvious one but it was the first thing I did when I got there, it was a very tedious time to manage to book tickets and we had to reshuffle our schedule around it, but it was definitely worth it! Seeing it up close and the view from it is stunning <3 Louvre was the second day, it’s too gigantic of a museum to be able to see everything but I think I got to see all the exhibits and art I wanted to see, I love going to museums so arguably one of the most famous ones was a must!! Versailles honestly surprised me, I wasn’t sure how much I would like it, but I really did, it was really cool to see a bunch of the history there, and a lot of the architecture and furniture are gorgeous!! The Arc de triomphe is a bit bittersweet, we fit it in at night because we had no other chance to, and ended up running too late and missed the last call to go up to the top, but, the view from the bottom and all around was still really beautiful. Anddd lastly we went to Belgium for a little bit as well and I just adored the character of all the buildings there, and everything felt very tranquil, it was lovely!!
2. I went to the stray kids concert with a friend, it had been such a long time since we had been to a concert and it was a blast!!
3. Gamesssss, I feel like have so many this year but here’s some of the main bunch.
3.1 - Marvel Rivals - this started off as a game to play casually multiplayer with friends, but I ended up being obsessed with it for a good two months or so? Maybe more, I was almost playing it everyday to unlock achievements and event unlockables lol
3.2 - Repo + Peak - I’ve only played these with friends, but oh my god they’re so much fun
3.3 - Blue Prince - I played a friends copy and did not finish the game, so I don’t know the ending! But the game was so cool, so I will be getting it for myself and finishing it eventually
3.4 - A little to the left - This game didn’t come out this year, but I got it this year, and it’s just been a fun puzzle game I go to after work to destress a bit (or try because some puzzles stress me out more lol)
3.5 - Kirby Air Riders - This game made me the most excited out of anything ever, because I grew up on the original Kirby air riders, absolutely obsessed with the original game, and have been still playing it since childhood, I never expected a remake at all. I don’t own a switch 2 but my bf does and oh my god it’s been great! It functions pretty much exactly the same as the old game but it’s updated for new audiences and that makes me really happy <3 please check it out, it’s not just another racing game, it’s a whole new experience !
4. USAHANA BUILD A BEAR!! I literally screamed when my friends showed me this was announced. It was unclear whether or not she was gonna be online exclusive or not, and I was dreading all the extra costs to be able to ship her to me. But luckily, and coincidentally near my birthday, she showed up in stores!!! What a lovely birthday gift to myself hehe
5. This one’s kind of a random one I guess? But I’ve been trying to push myself to try more foods, it’s been a thing for a few years now, but I used to be extremely picky, but I feel like I really felt progress this year, I started liking things I never liked before! One of them being salad lmao (this helped a lot in Paris, I had a few salads there) Although I still don’t like a lot of lettuce, I only like a few kinds, but it was a big palette change for me.
2025 was just like any other year for me, but I'm finding comfort in how predictable life has been :]
- My milk tea addiction is still going strong (I'm lactose intolerant)
- Got more space for my silly blind box figures this year (rip wallet)
- Found a merch item that I'd been chasing (won the Mydei war of 2025)
- Witnessed many great games with good friends (Arthur Morgan, I miss you fr)
- Downsized my photocard collection (NewJeans, I also miss you fr)
1. On "Mycena Cave", favourite new pet in 2025. Mycena Cave is a pet site, like Flight Rising.
2. Baking, made some time to bake delicious pastries, like this apple pie.
3. Went on vacation and enjoyed nature.
4. My most played game is ACNH, I still have lots to do and lots to collect.
5. I also got into collecting Labubus and other related stuff.
The first picture is from our yearly Venice trip as it's easy for us to reach. The lighting was perfect in that moment.
The second one is a magical sunset moment, it looked like the sea was full of sparkling stars.
Three of them are from our Japan trip. The picture with the cat and the torii is my absolute favourite picture I took last year. I took it at Fushimi Inari-Taisha in Kyoto. The railway crossing is also from Kyoto and the third one is from Otaru. Do you see the PWP lamp from New Leaf?
The sixth one is from a "forgotten" place in my city that I got to visit for the first time. The concrete statue that has been taken over by nature is eerie and beautiful.
-Favourite new game: Murder By Numbers. I decided try this game after learning that the composer also does Ace Attorney music and I’m definitely glad I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed the story and humour of this game.
-Favourite replay game: Stardew Valley. I spent a lot of time on this game this year, it was my first time doing a solo farm all by myself. I also achieved perfection for the first time!
-Favourite TV show: Severance. I found myself really invested in this show this year, can’t wait for season 3!
-Favourite outing: Visiting the mountains! I love to feel small in their great majesty. I usually only get to go once every few years so it's always a treat.
-Favourite non-fiction: Disability Visibility by Alice Wong. Disability justice is something I’m continuing to learn about and trying to put in to practice in my life. This book is an important read and 2025 being the year of Alice Wong’s passing it feels important to include.
-Favourite fiction: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. This book and it’s sequel were my highest rated books I read this year.
-Favourite new hobby: Lego! I built my first proper adult Lego set this year, the tuxedo cat. It was a lot of fun! I do worry about storage space if I start picking up more sets….
Freya’s favs of 2025: finished a couple hundred hours long playthrough in a favortive game Baldurs Gate 3; then jumped into Return to Moria which is a new fav to add to the legendarium of Middle Earth. One of my favorite jewelry craft projects of the year involved playing with shiny math rocks which is always a bonus! I also did a few projects modifying things, my favorite of which was the dragon plushie dice bag which I completely overcomplicated (as per my usual ). Finally, ended the year by getting my favorite gift, a new old pre-electric sewing machine (which I had been searching for for a few years now).
Here is my entry! Most of these were my favourite games from this year, I spent 5 months playing Maplestory and Old School Runescape.. remembered that I conquered Fatalis in Monster Hunter World at the beginning of this year and rounded up everything I wanted to do in it as well. Danganronpa V3 was a fantastic way to round off the year as the final game I completed before the end of the year. The Wild Robot Escapes is the second book in the series, and whilst I think the first is still the best, this one did not let me down and was still as wonderful and emotional and had a great story. The map actually covers the 2 holidays I went on this year, to Spain and to Portugal.
This year was tough, and honestly still is. My father’s health had declined significantly. This was probably the hardest event for me.
Sweet baby girl- Without her this year would have been unbearable. She is my absolute crutch to getting through the toughest moments of the year. I am so grateful for her.
Switch 2- I was lucky enough to preorder this during launch. It was a blast hanging out with friends in chat trying to cart one of these.
Phasmophobia- My friends wanted to play this game but I was initially very afraid to play it. I stuck with it to overcome my fear, and now my friends are more afraid to play this game than I am.
KPop Demon Hunters- I really enjoyed this movie, and I think the soundtrack is fantastic. Looking forward to the second one!
Beach reopened- After hurricane Milton my local beach has been closed for most of 2025, it finally reopened at the end of 2025. Visiting this beach again was the most anticipated event of 2025.
Took forever to make this because anytime I'm asked what my favorite anything is I forget everything I've ever experienced lol. Some of this is self explanatory but the recipe is for southwest breakfast burritos that I found early 2025, loved, and made several times. Psst. Recipe here! And the album is an artist I discovered last fall I think called Laufey and my fave song from her is Dreamer!
I'm so serious when I say that she was often times the only thing getting me through 2025. it was a rough year for her as well between some skin issues and booboos that took forever to heal (cause she kept scratching them..... sigh), but she's doing much better now and I'm so thankful for that. she turned 4 in July (my baby's getting so old....) and we celebrated 3 years with her in August, and I just love her a lot. I included my top 5 favourite photos of her from 2025, which was of course very hard to narrow down. my silly, sweet, clingy, whiny baby. 
every day since
). Finally, ended the year by getting my favorite gift, a new 
