I’m very excited I’ve finished the first arc of Yum Poison! I took a bit of time for myself and also to plan where the story will go next. As you can tell from the new teaser post, I’ll be introducing some new characters. This arc will have a lot more going on and I can’t wait to share it with you! You’ll be meeting some of my favorite characters soon!

Other than that, I’ve been terribly busy working way too much. I plan to eventually become more active in social media and writing these blog posts, but right now, I have to be careful how much more work I add to my schedule. Just finding time for myself is difficult and although I do plan on pushing through and updating these comics every week, the bare minimum is best for now. I’m really just glad these comics are being created at all and I don’t want to lose the habit I’ve created over the past year and a half of writing them.

Thank you again for reading and your patience.

It is now December and winter has fully arrived in Cleveland. As I was going home one night from work last week, I noticed how we say “stay warm” as a way to say good-bye. It’s nothing new, I simply started thinking about it and I like the sentiment. It’s such a kind thing to say with many layers to it I never fully considered.

Obviously we say it because Cleveland gets cold. Already we’re around freezing and you definitely need to bundle up before you go outside. I will say to strangers, “stay warm,” as a end a transaction at a store or finish working with a client. I say it when I’m talking to my family, friends, or coworkers because I know how much the cold air stings once you step outside. It makes me imagine a nice picture of these people cozy in their homes, safely wrapped up in a blanket as they watch television while sipping a preferred hot beverage. By saying “stay warm,” I’m really saying I hope you’re comfortable and happy, which then fills me with warmth as well.

I was even thinking about how “stay warm” can apply to your attitude and how you interact with others. It’s up there with being kind and something I feel fits this holiday season. One of my favorite things about this time of year is how we survive the changing of the season by filling ourselves up with the joy and love we have for others. I love buying my family and friends gifts because it means I get to just think about the people who matter in my life and what makes them special. My thoughts and love towards them warm me up and makes me happy. I may not be the biggest fan of the cold, but I will always be a fan of supporting those around me and finding ways to show I care.

So this season, I hope you remember to stay warm. Even if the world is harsh and reality cold, I hope you find your warmth inside. Share it with others so that we may all enjoy each other’s company and happiness. As much as the cold might seep into our bones, it only takes a blanket or hot chocolate to make that feeling dissipate. Let us through our actions and words be our own warmth. Together, we will get through another winter and we will create lasting happy memories while we’re at it.

Stay warm.

These past few months have been terribly busy for me, but these comics have been a great constant. Even with moving, the holidays, and my regular amount of weekly adventures, coming back and writing a comic each week puts me at ease. I have missed a couple weeks (one because after hitting 50 comics I felt I deserved a week off and then one because I had moved that day and spent all of my free time packing), but will work on getting back to my normal schedule. Overall, I’m happy I can keep working on this and am proud it has become a habit of mine.

I think I can admit to being a type A personality. I never really thought I fit in type B, but never saw myself as determined or disciplined enough to be A. These comics have shown me otherwise. It’s also National Novel Writing Month right now and every morning (okay, almost every morning), I have woken up early and wrote. This process has made me the most successful at keeping up with the word count than any of the other four years where I won and wrote all 50,000 words. I now only have four more days and really three more times where I will wake up early and write. Part of me plans on keeping this new regiment of waking up early, but another part of me wishes to bask in the glory that is sleeping in, even if it’s only for an extra hour. We’ll see. Sleepy Mary is very convincing about sleeping in…

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful holiday and I wish everyone a great holiday season as December nears. May you have many warm moments with loved ones and stay warm as winter storms leave us covered in fresh, sparkling snow. Or if it’s warm where you are, may I come visit? That would be great, thanks.

It’s been a year since I won the grant for Yum Poison. In the past weeks, I’ve surpassed 40 comics, which makes me pretty happy. It has become a part of my Sunday mornings to wake up, make a pot of tea, and write a comic. I’ve loved every minute of it.

I’m excited to pass 50 comics and keep writing. Thank you for reading.

Part of me wanted to draw this because life can feel very exhausting. The other part of me wanted to draw this because he’s gummy so it’s fun to stretch him every once in awhile.

I hope you having a good week and don’t feel too stretched!

What kind of music do you think he’s listening to? I’ve personally been listening to a lot of Baby Metal. Quite a fan.

How Blue responds to the complexity of every day life. Sometimes, it can be a little too much. He’s probably just binge-watching a show. What do you think he should watch?

I’ve been having an exciting summer. Once such adventure was going to see Mama Duck, also known as the 6-story tall rubber duckie. Since seeing photos of it in different cities, I was excited to hear it came to my area. Sure enough, it is indeed huge and pretty surreal. When I went to work the following morning, my coworker told me how it had been built in Ohio, my home state, which was exciting news.

I had meant to bring Blue-IRL (my crocheted Blue amiguri) with me and take a photo of him with Mam Duck, but I forgot him, so instead, I drew this instead:Last weekend, I went to the Asian Lantern Festival at the zoo and this time remembered to bring Blue-IRL and took this photo! The one picture of Blue on the ground was a bit awkward to take. I set him down and had to kneel to get the best angle. Some children were running around and got into the way a little bit, but I didn’t mind. It was fun to see the families enjoying the zoo and the  lights. The event was amazing and it felt like seeing extravagant Christmas lights in better weather. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas lights in the snow are great, but since I’m not a fan of the cold, I’ll take the summer lanterns instead. They also had a show of Chinese contortionists, plate spinners, and feet jugglers, which blew my mind.

I love these kind of adventures because they’re both unique experiences. Stories I will keep with me for my whole life and will remember as happy memories. As much as I wish I could travel the globe more, I also love exploring what’s right around me. I live in a great city and I’m proud to explore it as much as possible.

Have a great week!

I wanted to mention this that I decided to keep Purple speaking German. Originally, these comics were in our universe, but I’ve changed it to their own world. That means there is no Germany (where Purple is originally from), but that doesn’t mean German doesn’t exist. It’s a nod to the inspiration of my comics as well as a character trait of Purple that I enjoy, so I chose to keep him the way he is. Besides, English clearly exists in this world, why not German?

I hope you have a great day full of friends and family, grilling and fireworks!