2025 Writing Log, Part Seventeen
Apr. 26th, 2025 08:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynling- I finished formatting an original short fiction zine called “Strange Tales and Modern Legends,” which collects three original horror stories based on Japanese folklore. I sent the file to the printer, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. In the meantime, I put a free digital version on Itchio (here).
- I’m still working on the last chapter of my Legend of Zelda x Arthurian legend story. Now that I’m finally giving Ganon an opportunity to open his big fat handsome mouth, I’m making progress. Slow but steady!
- I did the final edits on a FFVII story called “Urban Gardening with Aerith Gainsborough” that I’ve been working on for the past two months, and I posted it on AO3 (here). I commissioned a fun illustration of Aerith showing off the small garden at the Leaf House orphanage from the bright and shining Artofpipeur, who posts colorful character portraits on Instagram (here) and is lovely to work with.
- My essay “Crow Country Is a Game about Climate Change” was published on Sidequest (here). This is an ecocritical reading of one of my favorite indie games of 2024. It also serves as a kind of “Ending Explained” story breakdown that was directly inspired by all the people on Reddit who 100% missed the point of what (to me at least) is a clear, powerful, and compelling artistic statement.
- My review of the new graphic novel Strange Bedfellows was published on Comics Beat (here). This is a solarpunk romantic comedy that’s set in a utopia but still takes the darkness of human nature seriously. The art is gorgeous, and all I want to do is spend time in this world with these characters. Maybe I’ll draw fan art honestly.
- I posted about the book I was obsessed with last week, 或るバイトを募集しています, on my book review blog (here). This is a collection of found-footage creepypasta about weird part-time jobs, and it’s so good. The author works in multiple mediums and has gone viral on several platforms, and the physically published book of their stories is something special. I wish American publishers were willing to commission nontraditional work like this.
- I also wrote a review for an academic book, James Welker’s Transfiguring Women in Late 20th Century Japan. The author is a superstar who doesn’t need any PR from me, but I love this book and jumped at the chance to write about it. I’ll link to the review once it’s published.
- I have a deep need for Ms. Tifa FFVII to wear sweatpants. I thought about commissioning someone, but then I decided to draw her myself. I posted my girl (here) on Tumblr.
This week my Pomeranian puppy got scared by a midnight thunderstorm and peed on the floor. Like an absolute clown, I slipped in the puddle and broke my toe. This isn’t the first time I injured this foot by being stupid, and I’ll be fine in a week or two. In the meantime, it amuses me to be so strongly cartoon character coded. Banana peel ass motherfucker.
The creature herself is fine. Her new hobby is eating dirt out of the pots in my backyard.
- I’m still working on the last chapter of my Legend of Zelda x Arthurian legend story. Now that I’m finally giving Ganon an opportunity to open his big fat handsome mouth, I’m making progress. Slow but steady!
- I did the final edits on a FFVII story called “Urban Gardening with Aerith Gainsborough” that I’ve been working on for the past two months, and I posted it on AO3 (here). I commissioned a fun illustration of Aerith showing off the small garden at the Leaf House orphanage from the bright and shining Artofpipeur, who posts colorful character portraits on Instagram (here) and is lovely to work with.
- My essay “Crow Country Is a Game about Climate Change” was published on Sidequest (here). This is an ecocritical reading of one of my favorite indie games of 2024. It also serves as a kind of “Ending Explained” story breakdown that was directly inspired by all the people on Reddit who 100% missed the point of what (to me at least) is a clear, powerful, and compelling artistic statement.
- My review of the new graphic novel Strange Bedfellows was published on Comics Beat (here). This is a solarpunk romantic comedy that’s set in a utopia but still takes the darkness of human nature seriously. The art is gorgeous, and all I want to do is spend time in this world with these characters. Maybe I’ll draw fan art honestly.
- I posted about the book I was obsessed with last week, 或るバイトを募集しています, on my book review blog (here). This is a collection of found-footage creepypasta about weird part-time jobs, and it’s so good. The author works in multiple mediums and has gone viral on several platforms, and the physically published book of their stories is something special. I wish American publishers were willing to commission nontraditional work like this.
- I also wrote a review for an academic book, James Welker’s Transfiguring Women in Late 20th Century Japan. The author is a superstar who doesn’t need any PR from me, but I love this book and jumped at the chance to write about it. I’ll link to the review once it’s published.
- I have a deep need for Ms. Tifa FFVII to wear sweatpants. I thought about commissioning someone, but then I decided to draw her myself. I posted my girl (here) on Tumblr.
This week my Pomeranian puppy got scared by a midnight thunderstorm and peed on the floor. Like an absolute clown, I slipped in the puddle and broke my toe. This isn’t the first time I injured this foot by being stupid, and I’ll be fine in a week or two. In the meantime, it amuses me to be so strongly cartoon character coded. Banana peel ass motherfucker.
The creature herself is fine. Her new hobby is eating dirt out of the pots in my backyard.
