FEBRUARY 2026

I am still alive. I’m not sure how, given the state of things. Ice has become a more terrifying threat with each passing day, the pedophiles in office still haven’t been arrested, I can’t trust discord or any social media platform anymore (possibly even youtube if things keep up) a family member has been sent to the hospital, My daughter was out of school for 3 weeks between December and January, then out another week for February winter break-

It’s only the 3rd month and I’m so tired.

So I’ve been taking the winter off to be kind to myself. Building model kits, painting some battletech minis, and more importantly- take any project I want at my own pace. The big thing I have been working on is writing down a new system of morality. Crystalizing my own personal beliefs on what is truly just and right, what is acceptable behavior and why, and trying to find a solution to the chaos that has gripped the world.

I was hoping to compile it all into two books and get at least one of them done by the end of February, because once March rolls around I want to get back into being productive. Last year’s system of having 1 major project done per quarter (every 3 months) worked out really well so I’m gonna repeat it this time around. Here are the things I have on my plate that I’m aiming to get done this year:

The Zelda Game book

A giant robot exploration gamebook

A giant robot combat focused gamebook

A giant robot tabletop game.

A samurai themed gamebook

All the giant robot stuff I’ve been working on and off throughout the winter, and recently have a surge of inspiration for a samurai themed book, but that one is very early in the works and won't be completed anytime soon. The combat-robot game is about 45% complete, the robot exploration game is 70% complete, and the design work for the tabletop game (which is the same one I mentioned back in the fall of last year) is all done, just trying to get playtesting done and advice on how to publish it.

However, I’ve been feeling a call to complete the Zelda gamebook, which is about 80% done. I have decided that this is the year I’m gonna get it done no matter what, with my personal goal to get it done before June, before Nintendo announces any anniversary plans or even a new title to prevent it from getting overshadowed.

However, I have also been invited to Tora-Con this year to host my panel again: how to build a real life giant robot. Last year I recorded the panel and intended to release it as a youtube video, but I couldn’t record the Q&A segment we had, so I was gonna add that section afterwards as a written segment, but kept procrastinating filming that section until my phone died and made all of the footage inaccessible.

This time I’m gonna get a tripod, and I’m gonna deliver an even better panel, which will also result in a better youtube video. So for March I’m going to be making rehearsing the panel and enhancing the power-point presentation my priority, with intermittent work on the Zelda RPG throughout.

After the panel, I will upload the youtube video and have my spring quota reached. That should give me the breathing room to focus entirely on the Zelda RPG and have at least 4 months to get it done and have my summer quota done.

Then I can get that second giant robot exploration gamebook done for the fall and hopefully I would’ve had momentum going for the tabletop game going for SOMETHING to happen in 2027.

And if I manage to be super productive I might even be able to get a couple more videos done as well.

That’s the plan for this year. If I can get those two gamebooks done I’ll consider this a successful year. But no plan survives first contact with the enemy. The enemy in this case being the unpredictable tides of time and life. So let's see how much I can keep this ship on course. 

~A pragmatic yet driven Eli.