There's a new update of Status Royale on the VIZ MANGA APP, bringing the chapter count to 7! :D  

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project! It updates on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Hi, everyone! Reminder that the holiday sale at my DFTBA shop has started!

There is a discount on Saint for Rent and APPEAL! books + prints for all of November and December 2023, including goodies from the latest SfR Book Kickstarter! DFTBA is doing flat shipping rates for orders within the USA!

Werewolf Lawyer+ tiers on Patreon and Ko-fi, don't forget your code for an additional 10% OFF at checkout!

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Chapters 5 + 6 of Status Royale are now up on the VIZ MANGA APP!

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates ~30-60 pages on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Chapter 5 + 6 of Status Royale are now up on the VIZ MANGA APP!

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates ~30-60 pages on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Status Royale will update on the VIZ MANGA APP tomorrow! :) It's another two chapters!

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates ~30-60 pages on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Status Royale will update on the VIZ MANGA APP this Friday! :)

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates ~30-60 pages on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Hi all! A new chapter of Status Royale will be up on the VIZ MANGA APP next week! :)

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates ~30 pages on the first Friday of every month! :D 

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Hi, all! There will be a new chapter of Status Royale up on the VIZ MANGA APP next Friday! :)

If you've been looking forward to more online comics by me, this is my current publisher project-- and it updates a new chapter on the first Friday of every month! :D I realized I forgot to post previews like I usually do, so better late than never LOL!

What's the story this time?

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

Enjoy! :D

Hi, everyone! Hope you're doing well! It's been a while since the last post!

As many of you know, after EndGames (NewsPrints sequel) was released in 2019, I've been working on a new publisher series since 2020! And so, as of this year, my new comic series has finally been released by VIZ Media! :D 

Status Royale is serialized on the VIZ Manga App! 

New chapters on the first Friday of every month!

Volume 1 physical book drops Feburary 13th, 2024! 

Log in and go for the throne!

After a fallout with her best friend (and gaming mentor) Jun, former casual gamer Vell vows to climb the ranks of Status Royale, the most competitive VR esport in the world!

But challenging Jun isn't so easy, and Vell will soon learn why he's known as this game's KING.

I'm especially excited about this comic series because it's my love letter to Yu-Gi-Oh! and sports anime! :3 Also??? Working on this has given me a chance to really return to my manga roots in art!

You know how every time I work on the next installment of Saint for Rent, my style shifts to reflect what I've learned from my latest publisher project? Well, when I get a chance to work on the final part of SfR, I'm excited to see what Saint and friends will look like then! :)

As always, thank you for your patience on this journey. <3 It's always fun to see where we land next on our travels~

As a reminder, I post weekly updates about what I'm working on for patrons at my PATREON!

For readers who like fewer notifications, I round them up into a monthly post on KO-FI! :)

I've also started an email newsletter, which is a super abridged version of Ru's News delivered very infrequently to your inbox. ( >u<)/

2021: It's that time of year again~! >:)

2020: :) *jingles aggressively*

2019: Five years running. :) Happy holidays.

2018: You know what this is! It time traveled all the way to today to bring you a bit of nostalgia! As for this week's Good Thought TM, let's keep in mind good memories as we try to make things better around us. :) Boost that morale!

2017: Happy holidays! Still on hiatus this month! Check back sometime in April 2018 for more news!

2016: Sorry, no update today! Been moving into a new apartment this week, so I'm bringing back last year's Advent Calendar Event! :D You can still get the mugs at Hivemill, btw~! Have a wonderful holiday season, all!

DAY 12: It's Christmas!�Thank you so much for joining us for another year of Saint for Rent! For the curious, you can buy this design ON A MUG�in the Saint for Rent Collection at Hivemill!�There, you’ll also find TWO more mugs from the Advent Calendar event! Go ahead and treat yourself~ ;D It’s Christmas!

DAY 11: Who do you think is going to eat all those, Saint??? Please help this boy...

DAY 10: A pair for each Armand! And... more? (EDIT: Also, Armand would like you all to remember that he ONLY OWNS 10 OF THOSE SHOES. x'DDD)

DAY 9: Ah yes, it's not a proper holiday picture without sweaters involved. Lots and lots of sweaters. Also, mugs! You can get this on a MUG AT HIVEMILL,�too! :D

DAY 8: Kitty's watching you, Saint... Kitty's watching everyone. <ФwФ>✧

DAY 7: You know, I really thought I had more characters in SfR, but when you take out the other Innkeepers, there's only been 6 major human characters introduced so far?! It just seems like there's more because of the different ages... xDDD�Also, did you know, you can buy Day 7 AS A MUG AT HIVEMILL???�8D

DAY 6: Yay, the halfway point! 8)

DAY 5: Good thing we have five of them. 8) I'm looking forward to the scenes where you see one transition into the next. >D

DAY 4: Kitty is mostly displeased to be wearing gaudy stockings over her natural black socks. Also, reminder -- the Advent Calendar continues onward through Wednesday and Thursday, too!

DAY 3: I'm excited about this trio. :3 Three kids, each grew up in vastly different times and places around the world, but still connected in a way~! We'll see what the future holds for them in this upcoming year!

DAY 2: Since these two haven't been in Chapter 6, I've missed drawing them. uvu) The Consultant really grew on me as a character by the end of Part 1. Oh, and you'll learn more about Casimir in Part 2!

DAY 1: Hello, hello! :D Today, we kick off the CloverHouse's 12 Days of Christmas! :D

Griffin's notes: Ah, we return to the flower. I believe the wild strain of these flowers went extinct, as mentioned earlier, but I do wonder if the domesticated varieties survived. If so, did they retain these fabled curative qualities over the centuries, or did the magic fade from them as it does from so many stories of yore?

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Hey, all! We're going to end our preview excerpt of Aldric's Letter Brigade: The Golden Apple here. I know, I know -- what a cliffhanger! Has Zephaniah truly sold out Aldric? What will our Outlaw King do?

But fear not, as you may know, there are other ways to finish this story!

If you'd like to support my works and see the rest of the illustrated version of Aldric's Letter Brigade, come check out my Patreon! The illustrated sequel, The Sheriff's Jewels, is also available here!

• PATREON
• (Patrons get to see what else I'm working on, including drawing streams and work-in-progress of my next published graphic novel series -- it's a secret project right now, hehe~)

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is also available as a PDF on: 

• GUMROAD
• ITCH.IO
• (I enjoy book design~ :3)

And finally, if you'd like to read the finished versions of both short stories, you can read them on AO3:

• ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN!
• (Free to read!)
• (But no illustrations)
• (Leave me a kudos and/or comment if you liked it! ;)) 

As for Saint for Rent, well, we'll see you next year! :D Happy holidays! *jingle jingle*

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Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine, for the rest of December~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

Griffin's notes: I do like the modern take that Aldric is not infallible and is, in fact, a somewhat unreasonable hero. And it's not as if Zephaniah is portrayed too sympathetically either, considering Ru does roast him at every given opportunity. I suppose my only critique of this interpretation of these historical characters is that... well, they are rather stupid, aren't they?

(I mean, they are. But it's like a stupidity born of stubbornness and pride... --Ru)

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Last minute holiday shopping? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

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Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: Interestingly, Gallantheae was one of the regions in Jardinia where relations between man and magic were tense--due to how much iron was sent to Gallanthae for weapons and how much fairies hate iron. 

One of Ru's earlier drafts of this passage had the line "Too much iron and blood on their hands" as "Too much iron in their blood and too much blood on their hands." She insisted it was more poetic and representative of the Gallanthus family's legacy in Jardinia, but I pointed out that Europeans did not discover iron in blood until the 18th century, so I won that argument. 

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Is it time for holiday shopping? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: From Aldric's half of the cast, I'd say Garrick is my favorite. He was an academic, like myself, an organizer, like myself, and very fond of theatre, like my partner. They say that the Sheriff's Men and Aldric's Letter Brigade often declared a truce so that Garrick and Zephaniah could attend a play that none of the other men wanted to see. Zephaniah never forgave Aldric for falling asleep in the middle of Romeo and Juliet, and so Aldric was never invited on such an excursion again.

(Griffin forgot to mention how jealous Aldric would get when whenever Zeph dropped by for book club, like, "You bring a wine and cheese basket for Garrick but never for me?! D:<" --Ru)

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Is it time for holiday shopping? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: Ah, yes, Aldric's bawdy joke about Princess Celandine here is Lalias' attempt at Shakespearian humor, though I don't know if it's entirely successful... A product of its time, perhaps? Lalias was a contemporary of Shakespeare's and a bit of a fanboy. Ru hasn't mentioned Celandine's sisters in the story yet, but Lalias was one of the first writers to model the three princess after King Lear's daughters.

If Cordelia had even the slightest inclinations toward using war to get her point across, I imagine it would have a similar arc to Celandine's story. A different tragedy. Hahaha.

(All those zingers between our boys about their respective families, and Griffin chooses to talk about Lalias copying Shakespeare's homework??? -- Ru)

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Is it time for holiday shopping? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: There is certainly a lot of paraphrasing going on here, considering Ru just mashed together three versions of the scene, but to be fair... All of the different versions ARE very different! In a much later installment, I do hope that Ru includes the part about Zephaniah's adventures in London. Even if they aren't officially canon, they are rather funny...

(I may take requests from scholarly cousins that are nice to me. uwu --Ru)

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Thanks for a lovely Emerald City Comic Con! :D Hopefully, you'll see me at conventions again, but who knows with the pandemic still going on!

Missed my booth at ECCC? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my original books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: What can one say about Princess Celandine, other than that she is one of the most divisive rulers in Jardinian history. A saviour or an executioner, depending on which noble family you question. She was an unusual woman, the Renaissance-era version of a #girlboss, perhaps? She was considered magnetic by her contemporaries due to her charisma and her supernatural heritage. And well, she will be terrorizing our boys rather often in later installments, so I do hope you'll come to enjoy her as a villain.

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I'll be at Emerald City Comic Con this weekend in Seattle for the first time since 2019! :D You can find me at Table H-11 in the Artist Alley! Check out my twitter @ruemxu to see my table setup~

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Can't make it to the convention? Get 10% OFF on ALL DFTBA stores, including mine~! If you wanted to get some of my books or goodies, be sure to apply this code at the checkout!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: Finally, the eponymous Golden Apple! It's been a zealous academic debate, how Zephaniah got the apples that is... There have been spotty records here and there implying that he may have acquired them through unsavory means. My colleagues certainly entertained Ru with their various terrible theories, so I'm sure Ru will fabricate a perfectly ludicrous backstory, should the time come. Until then, your guess is as good as mine.

(It's free real estate! C: --Ru)

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I'll be at Emerald City Comic Con this weekend in Seattle for the first time since 2019! :D You can find me at Table H-11 in the Artist Alley!

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It's the lady day of the APPEAL! bundle at my shop! If you're looking for some vampywoof zines and charm, come check it out~

• Get APPEAL! Pilot, Redux, and the charm for $30!

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Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: It is a rather heavy-handed motif that Aldric becomes Zephaniah's champion at various points of their lives: at Cambridge as we read earlier, here in this tournament, and later in Princess Celandine's war. For those interested in examining the parallels in each instance, as well as their formative influences on modern Jardinian literature, I have enclosed my Spring 2018 syllabus with the appropriate reading materials. They go far more in-depth on the subject than in Ru's modernization.

(So, the textbooks that Griffin recommended... YEAH, I will not be including them because apparently, they're all cursed if you take them off campus. Good thing I didn't take them off campus when I was doing my research, hahaha, THANKS FOR THE REALLY LATE WARNING GRIFFIN.  --Ru)

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It's the final week of the APPEAL! bundle at my shop! If you're looking for some vampywoof zines and charm, come check it out~

• Get APPEAL! Pilot, Redux, and the charm for $30!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: I find it very funny how Ru keeps having Zephaniah say, "I see," when historically, Zephaniah had poor vision. That's all I have to say for this section, but I do have more notes on the princess later, if you'll remind me.

Ru's rebuttal: It's just a figure of speech! I know Zephaniah had bad eyesight! >:( He only catches Aldric's apple here because he's used to people throwing things at him, which inspired people to throw more stuff at him to see if he'd catch them, too. It's a vicious cycle, like everything else in Zeph's life. And you act like he isn't EXACTLY the kind of guy who says, "I see," to throw people off the fact that he can't see (very well). 

-

It's the final week of the APPEAL! bundle at my shop! If you're looking for some vampywoof zines and charm, come check it out~

• Get APPEAL! Pilot, Redux, and the charm for $30!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO! 

Griffin's notes: Ahh, that last sentence is a problem... I know exactly which ancient text Ru referenced here, but it's not exactly canon. Specifically, it is a poem that's written from Zephaniah's perspective, one of the very few surviving pieces, so I understand why Ru was looking to it for guidance, but I fear it contradicts the vast majority of other evidence, which indicate that Aldric had a fox's giggle.

(Ru thinks that Zephaniah's perspective is valid because have you ever heard a fox laugh? It's kind of the cutest thing.)

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There's a holiday sale at my DFTBA shop this week! :D

• Get SfR Volume 1 softcover + 2020 Printset for $25!

• Get APPEAL! Pilot, Redux, and the charm for $30!

-

Did you know that The Golden Apple is actually complete on both my PATREON and ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN (AO3 is free but without illustrations). If you like what you read, do check 'em out! You may enjoy the next part of the story, The Sheriff's Jewels. Subscribing on Patreon and/or hitting the kudos button on AO3 are both ways you can support my work! ^v^)/

If you want to have a digital copy of your own, the illustrated version is now available as a PDF on my GUMROAD and ITCH.IO!