TSet Sail
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Gallus doesn't want to go home for the summer. To get out of it, all he has to do is join the Hippogriff Navy. Simple enough, right?
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Queen Novo
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Jack of a Few Trades · 127k words · 349 6 · 12k views

The end of the craziest year of my life. · 2:59pm Dec 31st, 2019

So, I had a time this year.

Let's start at the beginning. I was in the middle of a gap year in my studies. Basically, I didn't finish a singular math prerequisite fast enough, so I had to wait a full year to get into courses that are only offered in the fall. Two semesters idle, not really moving forward in pursuit of my dream career. I wasn't in the best emotional place a year ago.

So fast forward a few months. Classes are draining me, my job at Walmart was so horrendously stressful that the mere thought of going in made me want to break down and sob. I was tired, physically and emotionally. In March, it all came crashing down. The dog I'd had since I was in grade school passed away at 16 years old. I still miss her dearly and recognized even then that it was her time to go, but her passing was the straw that broke the camel's back. It all became too much. I flaked on classes. I flaked on my job. I flaked on the people I care about. I got fired. I irreparably damaged my grades in my courses. I broke down sobbing in a voice call with my friends, an inconsolable wreck in one of the darkest places I've ever been in my life.

They say it's always darkest before the dawn. In the depths of my emotional breakdown, as I've done before, I looked to pony for an outlet. That outlet turned into an idea, which turned into a project, which turned into Set Sail.

Once that was all out of me, I said no more. 2019 would not be a bad year. I was out from under the stress of my dead-end job. I had all the prerequisites I needed to move forward with my degree. The pieces were in place, the future was bright. All I needed to do was get there and give it my all.

I think I was finally back to full strength when I initially released Set Sail in mid-July. It turned out to be my most successful release of, well, anything. Ever. The reception, strongly positive though modest in size, was the confidence booster that I needed to launch into the latter half of the year. I attended Bronycon 2019 in August and had arguably the best weekend of my life. Four days of nonstop insanity and togetherness with some of the best people I've ever had the privilege to know. During the convention, I got a job offer. I got a job that is nothing short of a perfect fit for my busy student life, not terribly demanding with the added benefit of being directly related to my career path.

Then the fall semester started. I have no idea where four months went, but that semester was ridiculous. Ridiculously hard, ridiculously rewarding. I have never worked so hard in my life. I got involved, I made new friends. I positioned myself for advancement in my career path. Though it was difficult (trust me, atmospheric dynamics is a rough class), I passed at the end. I wound up dating my crush and having a great time with her before we broke things off when she graduated and moved away.

I'm still a little sore over that last one, but I say this with a full heart: I had the best year of my life in 2019. It wasn't an easy year or even good for large parts of it, but that makes it all the sweeter. After a rocky start, everything turned around. Life isn't easy, but life is good.

Dang, that turned out a lot more in-depth than I expected. I guess I'm just feeling a little emotional. If you're still with me, thank you for reading. I needed to get all of that out. :)

So, what does 2020 look like? I'm just gonna try to keep on keeping on. This next semester will also be a tough one, but I'm hitting it head-on. On this site, I've already got some stuff slated for release in the first part of the year. I just completed the rough draft of my contest entry for The Discovery writeoff. I can't reveal any details to keep my submission anonymous, but that will be coming in late January. With that done, chapter 6 of Set Sail will now be my top priority for writing. Very excited to get the next installment of birbfic going.

It's been a ride, but we survived yet another rotation around the sun on this weird little oasis in the endless void of space. I'm proud of all of us. Here's to a good start to the Roaring 20's part 2.