2026: Fits Beyond the Shifts
📝 Journal 6: On reclaiming life, time & space.
Hello, folks! 🌱
I’m grateful to be writing again after a challenging last year. If you’re new here, welcome, this is part of my Journal series.
I wanted to share this entry as a way to mark another yearly transition.
Going into the new year, life still feels like a process of finding & connecting the dots for me. I’ve kept my status for many years that says: “From now on, I’ll connect the dots my own way.” Or quoting The Expanse’s Miller: “Too many dots, not enough lines.“
This might be the first year I don’t have any concrete plans, which is why I chose the word ‘Beyond’ for the title above. Some of the hobbies I was looking forward to have also been delayed to next year, or even further ahead.
Rusted Wheel by SSPU captured this essence perfectly. I played it on repeat while writing this, a reminder that even when the path seems distant, there will be other ways forward. The lyrics speak to changing seasons, that life is always moving regardless whether we’re ready for it, whether we have plans or not.
In this moment, I just want to focus on reclaiming pieces of myself. It’s a very difficult work, but deeply important & necessary for me.
📚🎮 From the Cave.
Last year, I wrapped up my 2025 hobby list.
I wouldn’t say I have a full 2026 list now like in previous years, but there are certainly a few hobby projects I want to pick up & continue from my backlog.
Recently, co-editors from my older publications said they’re keen on new literary work from me. This requires a careful consideration as that byline belongs to another part of my life, beyond this small corner of my hobbies.
I’ve mentioned this previously: I want to be more intentional about how I utilize the internet & spend my time online. I began practicing this late last year through unplugging, deep-focus & analog sessions. This doesn’t mean I’m writing any less or stepping away from my hobbies — they remain the same escapes that keep me grounded & sane, even when I’m offline.
This time, I’m sharing only what’s ready to be shared, while continuing from the same list as before. Part of me also hope when I do share, it’s a meaningful use of my creative outlets.
It’s a smaller step, but one that feels right as I move forward at a slower, steadier pace.
👾 Mini Discoveries:
Since I’ve now officially become FiguRyder, the Pathfinder in my life, there was a brief phase where I explored uncharted sectors through intellectual wormholes:
I’ve embraced the joke of having two brains, with humans bidding on my cognitive build. Inevitably, the joy of doing hardwires my deepthink straight into my deepstubborn circuits. It’s just who I am, a stardust-weirdo by design :)
Collected traces on AI, social media & ethics from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cal Newport, Tristan Harris & Josh Sawyer. Intriguing debatable subjects that kept my brain seated in the front rows between tech & creative.
Then my wild, cosmic brain wander through Carl Sagan, Andy Weir, Isaac Asimov, William Gibson & Philip K Dick. Remember the dots?
From my orbiting, I discovered these great sites/tools for filtering & checking your lists. Here’s for books & here’s for games, my on-going WIP.
Made few pit stops exploring human traits & identities. Brain fried. Rewarded myself with dirt-cheap games & digital mags.
👾 Mini Ramblings:
The Old Republic projects aren’t completely buried — from the still-vague KOTOR 1-2 Remakes, SWTOR 8.0+, & the newly brewing Fate of the Old Republic (a spiritual successor, rather than a direct sequel).
This era sits among my favorite corners of Star Wars. It’s ironic that for many years, one of the most attention-grabbing & ambitious ideas on paper, remains one of the hardest to execute (let’s also not forget: SW Eclipse). Not a surprise for me that the Legends-to-Canon transition in this era will spark another major fan debate.
EXODUS: Another time-dilation irony. From 2019, waiting since 2023 & now delayed to 2027. Guess I’ll just wait for the sequel book & third TRPG, both expected in second half of this year.
Hold on, dock your fidelity spaceship there. At this point, do I start brewing my coffee in zero-gee bulbs, or just counting stars waiting for yet another ambitiously-vague Expanse: Osiris? (Edit Mar-26: Finally we have a date!)
Not glorifying hope for Witcher 4 release, shorter timeframes for whole new saga just doesn’t sit well with my Kelpie.
Same for Mass Effect 5, last year’s N7 Day was a letdown & they’ve got to deal with their new parents. Wake me up from my cryo-sleep in another 600 years, okay?
I was then asked: what do I want in my life, aside from the invisible TES 6 & chasing chickens in Fable.
Tell me now, how do I plan my hobbies?
I’m not counting other stuff within my radar just yet. Between release dates, mood, & tight budget, I’m sticking to clearing old backlogs & unfinished series first.
Aye, that’s all for now. Shorter than my usual because sometimes, less is more~
I’m training my brain that uncertainty isn’t always scary or negative. Sure, it can feel directionless, like there’s no destination. But what if I told you that uncertainty also holds endless possibilities, waiting to be discovered?
Here’s to our next hyperspace jumps, warm coffee, shrink backlogs & adventures filled with more stories ahead.
Thanks for reading, my fellow nerds! 🌱~figu.
To infinity and beyond! Happy new year Figu, may you find calmness among galaxy of stars if you wish so