2022 in Rear-view

Before we start, I just want to say "I'm so glad you made it this far."

I'm so glad you made it this far.

What a year folks. I hope that you're out the other side of all your demons and devils, and that you're waking up with a thirst for the good things in your life, or the things that could be good with a bit of massaging. I hope you're ready for the challenges, but its ok if you're not, because friends are there to get you through that day. You're amazing, and if someone had to remind you of that today, I'm honored to be the one.

There you go. Cold open. I appreciate you for who you are and who you're trying to be. Now let's do this.

Well hey everyone

0.

"Fancy meeting you here"

As is tradition, I'm trying to recap and reflect on the year in rear-view, maybe learn something about myself and the world we live in. Since I'm a little more crooked than usual, being under the weather as December comes to a close, I'm going to shoot for a three course meal of a post. We'll do "what the plan was," "what actually happened," and "what I think I'd like to do next," and then maybe a goofy wrap-up and well-wish. Maybe I'll even say something poignant, who knows?

1.

"What the plan was"

Lobsterpot - I wanted to have the rules finished, but while I've been developing the changes I've wanted to make overall, I have yet to finish the v5 rules. 

Print - While none of my games or books made it into print, I would up producing a consistent comic in one of Boston's local papers.

Painted - I managed to keep up with the blog for the first half of 2022, but around June my personal cirlces got rattled quite hard, and by September I was in the trenches as work projects ramped up.

Sculpted - nope, none of that happened.

Fun - I think I might have gotten in a game of OPR's Grimdark Future: Firefight, and about twice as many games of AoS 3rd Ed. 

2.

"What actually happened"

Games - I spent a lot of time developing micro card games, and an expandable card game. I think one of them might be at the stage where we can go to final art/layout and maybe set it up for print-and-play and/or perhaps a small KS to produce a limited print run? I obviously want to be careful about how that all goes down, but its exhilarating to feel like something is coming together, and could exist independent of myself.

Comics - I cranked out a very solid 18 pages of Lobsterpot comics, which will likely see the light of day sometime soon (she said hopefully.) Additionally, I forget all of the Turnip 28 comics I did for Max, and what an wild and grim undertaking that was. Hopefully I'll make that into a blogpost soon, to keep it from eroding away on the edge of the internet.

Baked - While my partner was recovering from top surgery, I was on medical leave helping them at home, and for the first time in forever I got to reconnect with my cooking and baking. As a kid, I was always in the kitchen helping my mom, and then in this role of caregiver, I got to share a bunch of my family's recipes with the people I love. Apple pies and Popovers were crowd favorites, the former modified to avoid a number of allergies, and the latter filled with jam and enjoyed on a brisk October porch. Quintessential New England Vibes.

Books - Sometime in September, I got it in my head to write a Goosebumps book. I got about 10k words in, the most I've ever done in one prose project, and then got derailed by ramped up work and commissions. The average Goosebumps book was only 30k works, and so I feel like I hit a significant milestone by getting a third of the way through the book. Hopefully I'll revisit this project and revise it while polishing off the final 20k, but I feel like I've unlocked something, giving me permission to do this again. 

Books - I've also been reading again. I think I've read about a dozen books this year, and it feels really lovely getting to enjoy the act again. College dulled it, and its been a long road getting back to here, but now I feel like I'm working back up to a comfortable pace. Some favorites have included Eve Harm's Transmuted, and CY_BORG by Christian Sahlen and Johan Nohr (rulebooks count as books. They take just as much consideration anyhow.)

Painted - I managed 52/52, which feels low, but also so do I. Its been really hard to sit down at my desk this year, and properly engage with my hobby, out of guilt or out of survival hustle. Of the pieces I did squeak out, only the Age of Sigmar got played with, but then again it did get played with, which is more than can be said for many of the models I've made this last half-decade. Many of my models are pieces that worship the idea of a game, or those that nurture a concept still finding its footing, which is in line with my thesis from last year. Follow the joy, or whatever its called, and you will find yourself in a better place for it.

Gender - Although I don't think I'll ever have a final form, I did change my pronouns from they/them to she/her publicly. Its been met mostly positively, and its nice to not just be seen in the little holes of the internet where I have my gender freedom accounts, but its also been recieved pretty awkwardly and it hurts to see people I care about struggle with where I'm at. I'm still non-binary, just with a stronger femme lilt. We'll see how life goes and what it makes me 🤷

3.

"What I think I'd like to do next"

I think I want to organize these thoughts into two camps; Long Term goals and Short Term fun. Obviously there are some larger things that can be worked towards that are a bit more abstract, or more than what a person with fulltime employment plus can do in a long weekend or a month, whereas there are some projects that only work if they're spur of the moment impulsive little shits. Also, sometimes a lot of little short term goals make up one long term goal, and that's math too. Gotta find the balance, here and everywhere else or it'll kill ya, and that's not what we're game for, no siree.

Long Term

Do a Con - I haven't tabled at a convention since before the pandemic, and that is in part due to my health and anxiety, and also the rough fucking go of it I had right before launching Shape Kids. Its been really hard to get my head back in the indie comics game, and maybe I've been hiding from it in wargames for a while, but it'd be nice to go back to doing local shows and participating in a community that I've loved and lost in for over a decade now. I'd need to rediscover my old material and make some new stuff, all of which sounds daunting, but like exactly the challenge I need to face (and the reason I pay my monthly photoshop subscription.

Finish a Game - I have a number of games on burners, as any of my notebooks will tell you. Whenever I begin a new one, I usually make the first page a directory of things I'm working on. I need to get better at going back to make sure what I've worked on is still what I'm working on, as I leave tons of half finished nightmares behind me in my wake, but maybe that's something I'll get better at this year. Reflection, Revision, and Execution. I am capable of making things, but have I learned how to finish them? Spoiler Alert: no, and that's why its something I want to focus on this year.

Paint an Army - As any wargamer will tell you, "an army is never finished." Fair enough straw man wargamer, but I want to be able to pat myself on the back motherfucker, and say "yeah, shit's good for a while. Time to chuck some dice at it."'

Short Term

Playable by Humans - Many of my projects are confined to notebooks or my brain, and while recovering from a concussion this week, I'm being reminded of the value of "things outside my body which I do not have to arbitrate in order to make functional." Depending on how long recovery takes, I think I'd like to get some things formatted to be in the ashcan/printable pdf phase, so people can enjoy them (or not) from the comfort of not-my-home.

Burrows and Badgers - I think I've decided that I'd like to have some Redwall adventures, and on top of that I have friends who aren't really here for the 40k/AoS stuff because of the whole fascist-parody-that-forgot-it-was-a-parody thing, and I'd really like to play games with them that don't make said friends feel like I'm complicit in something heinous. Plus, it might be really nice trying to sculpt some of those characters and I already bought some armatures from Reaper minis. 

Comics - More, and more often, and in more places.

Regularly Scheduled Programming - Like rent, or a 9 to 5, I'd like to get back in the habit of posting things with.... maybe not frequency, but you know, back up to like at least once a month. More would be fine too, but let's keep our expectations grounded like they ran over the neighbor's cat in grandma's atv.

Additionally, just building in other activities into my life sounds like a great way for prying myself out of my shell. Do you ever look at your google maps as notice the straight line you make from home to work? I don't on purpose, but it would be nice to see the line deviate a little from time to time. That;s why I'm looking for friends, dentists and pcps in adjacent towns. lol.

4.

"What if I said Beep Boop but in a robot voice?"

Well I'm kinda out of things to say because its all on the page, but thanks for hearing me out. I guess the only thing that's left is to wish you a Happy New Year, and success with all of your goals and endeavors. See you in 2023 nerds <3

OH SHIT

I forgot to make a hashtag for this year's challenge, which feels amorphous, and maybe in honor of that, or maybe because I am lazy, I'm just going to call 2023's challenge...

THE AMORPHOUS CHALLENGE

And that's a wrap. Thanks so much and take care!

ps: I definitely didn't repair this post a week after posting it, swapping out large red text that read "insert photo here" for actual pix, or finish sentences that I left hanging over the void. Ok! Bye for real!