i was going to do another roundup of the best books i read this year, but unfortunately i had a lot more not-great reads than good ones 🥲 so instead, here's a list of my favorite new and new-to-me books, games, and movies that i enjoyed in 2025! (here's to finding better reads in 2026 😅)

in honor of clair obscur: expedition 33 sweeping the game awards, here's a little sneak peek of something i've been cooking up ♡

here's a little bit of one of my favorite tracks from the new zelda album, "Sheikah Tower" ♡ these minimalistic themes are always so much fun to re-interpret and expand on ♡ check out this one (and the full album!) wherever you listen to music: vgm.fm/hyrulecafe3

♡ HYRULE CAFÉ 3 ♡ my new zelda album is here, jam-packed with chill vibes and good energy ♡ vgm.fm/hyrulecafe3 out now @gamechops.com art @artbyriana.bsky.social (🎶 "Tal Tal Heights" featuring the amazing @sheaviolin.bsky.social )

My track with @msevelynrivera.bsky.social on her "Hyrule Cafe 3" album is out today! I was so excited for the opportunity to work with her on this. She's such a fantastic musician and shares so many of my feelings about music. Check it out! open.spotify.com/track/2UN0Lj...

hyrule café 3 releases TOMORROW @gamechops ♡ so excited for y'all to hear this album! here's a sneak peak of the first track, "hyrule field" (from ocarina of time)! i had so much fun arranging this one ♡ hope y'all love it! ♡ pre-save on spotify here! open.spotify.com/prerelease/1...

i am 32k words into the first draft of this novel (a lot of which will probably be cut down/streamlined) and this is SO much fun. it feels so creatively fulfilling to see a concept from my brain directly materialized into words, and everyone should give it a try at least once in their lives

finished Clair Obscur — 7/10, FANTASTIC gameplay, great music, but some pacing issues and missed opportunities with the narrative and character development. the endings made me cry. overall would recommend

MAGStock 2025 @magfest.org was an absolute dream ♡ thank you so much to everyone who hung out for my and @djcutman.com 's sets! it was so wonderful to meet you all 🥹 can't wait to do it again!! ✨

Just dropped a new Artist Uncovered article with the legendary Coffee Date blog.humblebeats.com/p/artist-unc...

Next up is quite a treat, we're really excited about this special surprise! @gamechops.com comes to MAGStock for a chill pool party vibe Saturday afternoon! @djcutman.com and @coffeedatelofi.bsky.social join forces for a live lofi set at the pool stage fresh off their Stardew and Chill 2 release!

It’s my birthday and also the tail end of #AAPI heritage month! 🎂 ✨ If y’all would like to celebrate with me, consider sharing the Kickstarter for Tournament Arc with a friend! ✨

worked with Shea recently—not only is she incredibly skilled; she's lightning-fast, great to communicate with, and infuses so much emotion and texture into her playing. highly recommended!

My partner is burned out at work and needs to take a couple months of FMLA unpaid starting next month. If anyone needs some remote session recording (violin/viola/erhu/guitar), arrangement, transcription, or composition help, I'm looking for more work! (I also have a patreon and kofi!)

here's a little bit from the opening track of Stardew & Chill 2, "it's a big world outside" ♡ for this album i really wanted to lean into organic, acoustic instrumentation, and for this song in particular, i wanted to adapt it for live strings. so happy with how it turned out ✨

not gonna lie i've got some butterflies in my stomach around today's release — Stardew & Chill was such a pivotal album in my career, and this second album encapsulates all the growth from the past three years. here's to many more 🎉

♡ STARDEW & CHILL 2 ♡ it's such a pleasure to present this album on the third anniversary of the original Stardew & Chill—hope you all love it ♡ out now 🌟 @gamechops.com streaming everywhere 🌱 vgm.fm/stardew2 album artwork 🖼️ @artbyriana.bsky.social

started writing a novel as a pet project and honestly: making time to create something just for myself, without any obligation/expectations to profit or share it, has been one of the best decisions i've ever made for my mental health as a full-time creative 🥲

Share the last 4 games you've played and expose your gaming habits. (currently borrowing my friend's PS5 to play the first two games, reeeaally enjoying Clair Obscur so far!)

here's a little look at "grandpa's theme"! ♡ during production on this album i finally got a viola, and knew it would be perfect for this track ♡ out now everywhere! vgm.fm/grandpastheme pre-save the album on spotify: open.spotify.com/prerelease/3...

this one is out today! ♡ vgm.fm/grandpastheme

after almost three years since the release of Stardew & Chill, i'm so happy to finally announce Stardew & Chill 2 will be releasing on the original album's third anniversary, May 19th, 2025 ♡ first single releases on April 21st; pre-save the album on spotify here: open.spotify.com/prerelease/3...

the nintendo switch 2 direct has cured my burnout and restored my will

not an april fools' joke — my next album is officially shipped and coming next month ♡ keep an eye out, more info to come soon!

i seldom recommend things here but if you get the chance — go see the new looney tunes movie The Day The Earth Blew Up!! i haven't had this much fun at a theater in a long time and it's such a shame it didn't get any marketing budget. feels really good to see great 2D animation on a big screen too ✨

not gonna lie i'm feeling pretty demoralized by the state of the world/current events, but these really cool collabs i'm working on for my next @coffeedatelofi.bsky.social album are really helping to give me that extra push that i need to keep my head up 🥲

⭐️ Happy Mario Day! ⭐️ #MAR10day #Mario

sneak peek from my instagram story 🌟🎻 so happy i got to give the viola a little love on this one ✨

made a couple of clips to highlight some tracks on Poké Tape 4 ♡ first up is Lavender Town! 👻💜 the original is so haunting, and for my version, i really wanted to lean into the melancholy side. i reharmonized the chords, added wispy vocals, and played electric violin for extra emotion & texture ♡

poké tape 4 is out now! ♡ for my take on @gamechops.com 's poké tape series, i wanted to highlight all the themes that are most dear to me personally ♡ hope y'all enjoy! stream everywhere ♡ vgm.fm/poketape4 artwork by @jramseyi.bsky.social

sneak peek of some strings that i recorded today ❄️🎻

♡ GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! ♡ from pokémon indigo league i have so much nostalgia for this tune ♡ featuring piano, electric guitar, violins, and a fun hip hop beat! out now ♡ @gamechops.com stream anywhere ♡ vgm.fm/catchemall

i've been wanting to for a while, but this year, i finally got back into reading! ended up reading 50+ books between july and now — a lot of classics, popular books, and new releases alike, and found a bunch of new favorites! ✨ here's all of the 4+ star books that i read 💙📚

surprise! ♡ my next album has been revealed! my take on @gamechops.com 's Poké Tape series will be releasing in january ♡ pre-save on spotify (and catch a sneak peek at the tracklist!) here: open.spotify.com/prerelease/2...

my spotify wrapped message ♡ thank you all for making my music a part of your 2024 ♡ (and especially to the 2k listeners who had me as their number 1 artist 🥹😭) additionally, thank you to the wonderful team @gamechops.bsky.social for their support with every step of the way! see you all in 2025 ♡

Hi BlueSky! We're GameChops, a record label devoted to video game cover songs with high quality mixing and mastering. We've got a catalog of over 1,000 songs from game series like Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Final Fantasy, and many more. www.gamechops.com

You've been visited by the Panda of Prosperity. Retweet for a good year and healthy crops in 2025.

hello to all the new followers ♡ thanks for following — i'll be sharing plenty of updates and more over here! here's a clip from a little while ago, a sneak peek of what's currently in production! 🎻

just deleted X from my phone

"If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it." I wish you all peace and love today. I believe in our capacity to overcome hatred with hope and love very much. They cannot stop spring from coming, no many how many petals they try to pick. 🌷

happy halloween ♡ here's a little sneak peek of my next project!

figured i should introduce myself here! i'm Evelyn, and i'm a composer, music producer, and writer! most of the time you can find me making chill VGM covers as @coffeedatelofi.bsky.social . i'm pretty quiet otherwise, but offline i have a lot of projects in development ✨ it's good to be here! 😌

joined the viola club today 🎻 can't wait to use it in the new music i'm working on! ♡ (violin on the right for scale, feat. my '70s basement carpet lol)

i don't plan on being very active here but wanted to set this up just in case ☺️