Hey everyone! I'm going to be absent for the actual day of New Year's, but didn't want to miss my traditional obligatory New Year's update, so here we are! What's gonna happen next year?

Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure yet. I've begun working on the far less ambitious follow-up to Vengeful Spirit, but that still probably isn't going to be ready for another full year. It's mostly all material I've had for a while, but some songs I'm outright re-writing, while there's one new original idea I will be adding to it. So, it's going to take me a bit to finalise the album as a whole, plus being my first solo record to have vocals on it means... practice or hire a vocalist! Likely the latter since I'm not a particularly good vocalist.

Aside from the album, I'm not entirely sure what the future of this page holds. I have a bunch of original pieces I need to finish, like Friendly Enemies, but I've been in a massive writer's block phase as a result of Vengeful taking up all of my time. Hopefully now that it's done, I can focus more on new original ideas. Maybe I'll actually be able to hop into the NGADm or NGUAC if I have solid enough ideas to write new music.

Something I can say for sure will be happening though is I will be doing a brand update hopefully before the year ends if the art gets finished in enough time. I've become close friends with @GoodBoiSpiffy who drew the art for Vengeful Spirit, and he's been working on updating my dragon character for a slightly more friendly brand image. As cool as the dragon I currently have is, I think he needs a bit of updating, so my brand will be adjusted, and Spiffy is drawing it! Hopefully it'll happen soon, but who knows.

Also, in terms of life updates... how do I put this? Well, I've not exactly been honest with you or myself about the person I am. I mean, I do try to make my profile be about the music and almost never touch on my personal life, but I've had a realisation about myself. I am gay... that's where I'll start with this. I've known I was at the very least Bi since I was fourteen, but the journey of self-discovery is a long one, and I have a very confusing diverging sexuality type deal, where I am romantically only attracted to men, but sexually bi. Like I said, confusing, and as a result I find it easier to call myself gay. And when you couple it with living in a fairly conservative part of the United States under fairly progressive parents, problems arise.

What I've come to learn is that I have harboured an internalised homophobia and self-hatred toward myself, as a result of the people I grew up surrounded by being quite conservative in their views. So, here, I'm saying it: I'm gay. It's who I am, and I cannot hide it anymore. This of course means nothing for my music, but I do want to get that out into the world at least somewhere, in a little bit more public a fashion. I am gay, and that's okay!

Nevertheless, I am excited to see what 2024 holds! Aside from crossing two decades of life (hey Newgrounds, I'm not 13 anymore), I will hopefully be broadly expanding upon my music! Here's hoping at least...

Thanks!

All the best and take care!

~Zach (AlphaStorm)