The December 2025 Quarterly Media Report

Hey! Grief had still been a factor this last quarter of 2025 (and is still a factor in 2026). A large dog left a large hole in my heart, but that's all I really want to say on the matter for now.

Rest assured, I still did stuff.

Games

October

The Number One Camelot-produced game in my heart is still Mario Golf for the Gameboy Color. It's always enjoyable, and now with the power of emulation via the Nintendo store, much easier to save scum. My newbie golfer is super good for some reason and it's clearly not the power of reloading when I screw up a shot.

I played some Fields of Mistria. I love the game, but I am also trying to wait for the full 1.0 release. If nothing else I want to romance the other secret character (who I believe you cannot romance yet) before committing to marriage, not that Early Access has marriage.

Do I need to explain how great Katamari Damacy is? You roll up crap to satisfy your jerk father who most definitely did not get drunk and destroy the stars! And the music is excellent.

I've been chipping away at Hades II. I run into this problem where I either need to play it via controller, or via Steam Deck while sitting up (I'm sure this isn't surprising but my favorite Steam Deck position is lying on my stomach) because if you want to do remotely well, you can't just relax and half-ass a run. I mean I should focus on the Chronos issue, but this quarter? This quarter was mostly focused on smooching people.

Occasionally I'll play Mario Kart World. I definitely enjoy it but I don't always get to devote time to it because of my puppy, Terra.

I recommend everyone play of the devil but I am still on episode 1. I really gotta get back to it, probably after my next ECT.

I got into Cute Bite partially as a backlog thing (I think I've mentioned before, and will become quite clear in this post, but I enjoy "Raising Sims"), but also because I noticed there was a Halloween event. I haven't beaten this, also gotta get back to this, but it's enjoyable I do recommend it.

Finally, I completed Insert Disc 5's (1st) Yuri Visual Novel Serre. It's cute.

November

I was recommended Little Rocket Lab as it hits a lot of the cozy building elements but also (my understanding is) you don't have friendship decay, so if you stay in your lab making gears for 3 days, no harm no foul. I only played the demo in November, but I liked it, so I bought it next time it was on sale.

I am normal. I am the only person who likes Rune Factory 5, but I am normal. Everyone else is wrong! Anyway, cozy farming. There's now a quest on the request board that says something like "Prepare to get married" and it honestly sounds like a threat. I already know I'm gonna marry Priscilla but there's stuff I want to do before marriage (possibly including beating the game? Who knows).

I played some Stardew Valley. Still a good game, even if I wish you could marry someone and have the secret roommate option at the same time.

Okay so: Galaxy Princess Zorana which is in the same universe as Long Live the Queen? It's very good. Play it. I haven't successfully survived yet, and I'm only poking at it occasionally because I heard there is gonna be a big content update.

Slowly. Slowly I progress with Umineko episode 8, but this is not the blog post where I tell you I completed it. How unfortunate.

Played a moderate amount of Animal Crossing New Horizons. Truly. Only touched it a couple times. I was excited about the new update which is part of the reason I played sparsely because I wanted those Quality of Life Improvements.

December

And then I poked at it some more, Animal Crossing New Horizons that is.

But December (with the exception of some of the following) was mostly a cozy month). I did more Rune Factory 5, still not progressing with the plot.

I died again in Galaxy Princess Zorana.

I relaxed a lot with Little Rocket Lab.

I started trying to use Chill with You: Lo-fi Story as a productivity tool more often. It's quite useful, I like it. It's becoming more clear that I was right that in design (building a relationship) and vibes it's if Ciel noSurge was a productivity tool. Of course, as much as I like Lo-fi music for productivity, it isn't really something I listen to outside that context, so it's not like it holds a candle to, say, "To the Songless Hill -Harmonics Pre=Ciel-", which I would listen to most hours of the day.

Slowly working on Ginger Island in Stardew Valley.

Slowly progressing in my relationships in Hades II. What do you mean that smooching Icarus was not the goal? He and Eris are my current goals. I know people don't like this game as much as the first, but I do enjoy what I've played of it. I'll liberate Hades from Chronos… eventually. He's been a prisoner of time this long what's a few more nights?

Things I'd Like to Work on (Game-wise)

I think I always say this but "Beating things". I've gotten to the point where I feel guilty starting new things (which I don't think I should) because I'm not beating other things.

Things I'm looking forward to (Game-wise)

I would have written "The 3.0 ACNH update", but that's been out before I started this blog post. It makes a lot of great Quality of Life things, and unlike seemingly a lot of people I actually like the hotel. I still have some things that rub me the wrong way but it's never going to be a perfect game, and that's fine.

In general though, I really want to play Pokémon Pokopia.

Books

I read, of course.

October

I was working on a reread (with some new volumes) of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun.

I also reread Fence. There's another volume of the graphic novel out and last I checked my library didn't have it so I requested they order it. I'll have to check at some point if they got it in.

I think this is a reread but it's been years to be honest. I finally finished Vinland Saga Omnibus 1.

I read K. O'Neill's The Tea Dragon Festival and it was delightful.

I devoured Volume 01 of Sumiko Arai's The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All. It's so good A+ Do recommend (though you will need a VPN that says you're in Japan if you want to listen to the official playlist).

November

November had me going through Lore Olympus Volume 8 and Volume 9.

I was also in the mood (I have not watched the show) to reread E. Lockhart's - We were Liars

Then I reread the prequel, Family of Liars. I know there's a 3rd book that's somehow connected, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

Later that month I read Deb JJ Lee's graphic novel in limbo. It's a difficult read!

I read The Tea Dragon Tapestry and did not want to say goodbye to this world, at the very least I'm sure this series will become an annual re-read.

I read Tahereh Mafi's Unravel Me. I still need to finish the (now first!) series.

December

I read Sara Soler's Us. I was unaware it was a translated graphic novel. It's not bad.

I was in the mood to do a Nagata Kabi Reread, so that was a handful of books right there.

Sarah Winifred Seale's graphic novel The Greatest Thing is a heavy read, but I recommend it.

I greedily devoured Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story Vol. 15. There wss a cameo I was half-thinking would happen until I read the notes at the end of the volume and realized the times (setting-wise) don't line up for that cameo.

I have basically gotten to the point where I want to read / gaze at longingly everything K. O'Neill has made. This month I read Aquicorn Cove.

I reread Sumiko Arai's The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All Volume 1 and then read volume 2 for the first time.

Things I'd Like to Work on (Reading-Wise)

If nothing else I want to finish at least one of the books I've had at ~40-50%. I haven't decided if that's Kuang's Babel or Bardugo's The Familiar. Hopefully it will be both.

There's a reread of A Gentleman's Gentleman going on as I type this. I got away from that book so I'm glad to have the chance to retrace my steps and finish this time.

Things I'm looking forward to (Reading-Wise)

There is good stuff coming out this year. It's just that most of it isn't coming out particularly soon. I am looking forward to Ann Foster's Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown because it both sounds interesting and I like the podcast she does.

Miscellaneous

There was of course, other stuff I did and enjoyed.

October

I got back into Shelterwood, which is an audio drama,

I listened to Cast of Wonders 658: Your Hold is Ready- (Author: Laura Duerr ; Narrator: Dani Cutler). I think it's going to be one I come back to a lot.

I enjoyed more of the audio drama The Twelvelms Conspiracy.

There was a feed swap and I got to check out The Grotto. I want to listen to more of it (and I did subscribe) but I also don't want to tell y'all how many audio dramas I have unlistened to on my podcast app.

T'was the season, so there was some Re: Dracula.

Proving that I do watch things on occasion I started checking out this dating reality show on Netflix The Boyfriend, watching with a friend. It's very entertaining but as I'm pretty sure Griffin McElroy has stated these boys are not good at running a coffee-shop.

I've been going through Season 1 of the Vinland Saga anime. It's so good.

I think I was prompted by a youtube video about the concept of making fake, non-existent video-games as a form of art, and started listening to Louie Zong's "levels" and "BOSS RUSH".

November

In November, as it always does Re: Dracula wrapped up for the year.

This month we also finished up Vinland Saga Season 1 and started Season 2. I know the manga is done so I really hope they'll make more of the anime before I die of old age, because I really like the material they added to seasons 1 and 2.

On a whim I checked out the Little Shop of Horrors Cast Recording from the library. Remember, that's a thing you can do at the library: print stuff, check out DVDs and CDs, etc. I love libraries. Anyway, this was the first musical I ever remember seeing and it left quite an impression.

I completed the first season of Shelterwood and lost my mind. I need more so bad.

I also watched another episode of The Boyfriend with my friend. Will they learn how to run a coffee shop in Season 2? Probably not. Just saying if I were there it'd be less "who do I want to spend 8 hours in a van with the goal of flirting with" and more "who here was most likely to have had an アルバイト* as a barista, or might have a secret MBA from Tokyo University?"

* As we all know the concept of Part-time jobs is a fundamentally untranslatable concept just like keikaku; it was not just a flex that I remembered a piece of vocabulary I learned in Japanese 101 in the first week some years ago.

December

Watched more of Vinland Saga Season 2. I like the material I've seen (So far) adding to Einar.

And of course as always we come back to Pokémon Horizons. I am not caught up (Even to western releases) and presumably never will be at the rate we watch, but that's okay. I'm enjoying the ride.

As a Co-watch thing, I started KPop Demon Hunters. I did not finish it in December, but as of writing this, I have.

I also started the Netflix Frankenstein. Unfortunately I have not finished that yet, not just due to procrastination, but also like, I feel I have to comment on set design and costume design it's great stuff.

Still in Musical mode, I listened to the SIX Cast Recording. I'd like to see it someday without having to travel.

Since the new season of Ranma ½ dropped, we started watching it. It's a fun watch, I can see why it became so popular. In my youngest years, I had volume 1 of the manga, back when flipping manga pages to conform to Western reading order was still popular, but we've long since gone past volume 1 of that. This is new to me stuff.

As I promised an eternity ago, I finished season 1 of The Magnus Archives. I want a bit of a break from it but I will definitely return to it.

I listened to Cast of Wonders 668: The Sundress and the Serpent (Author: Craig Church; Narrator: Bria Strothers). A+ Would listen and sob again.

More of The Twelvelms Conspiracy. One episode comes out a month. I love it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

Things I'd Like to Work on (Miscellaneous)

I'd like to finish more audio dramas. I think the logical way about this is to start with the (completed?) audio dramas with the least amount of episodes. I have a few candidates for that.

Movie-wise, I'd like to finish Frankenstein. Also, I joined Mastodon's Movie Club (which is an asynchronous we watch the same movie in a 2 week time period) and so you'll probably see more movie-related stuff from me on these posts more often. Right now I'm still infrequently joining Monsterdon, more due to some weird sleep issues I'm having (they're being handled) though I would like to join in that more often as well.

Things I'm looking forward to (Miscellaneous)

In a few hours from when I write this, there's the second episode of Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want To Be a Magical Girl premiering on Youtube. I plan to (if time allows) watch that today, but also refresh by watching the first episode.

In March the eighth episode of The Amazing Digital Circus is supposed to come out, and while we need to finalize our plans I plan on watching that with a friend.

Other than that, while I'm sure there's great stuff coming out, I don't know about it!

That's all for now, I've been a busy little bee this January, and maybe I can talk about it at a later date (I'm not hiding anything, I just don't have much to say so far). See you soon!