Archive of Our Own

katiemcgrathisdaddyaf ↳

Author comments

Oh my gosh this is so precious I'm losing it ajdfalk

All of their blushes, Rumi turtling up completely; everyone looks smitten but there's something about Mira that just screams an extra dose of lovergirl energy, because of course

I love love love the difference in body language; the way you draw Mira more casually sat with one leg up to Zoey's simple cross-legged pose to Rumi with her knees up to her chest, hunched over and hugging them tightly, hood pulled up around her face. This is SO CUTE

Your art style is absolutely adorable, this was such a lovely and unexpected surprise to see in the tag, THANK YOU AAAAHHH

Author comments

Ohhh my gosh, wow, this is so freaking cool! I love the way you've completely nailed the expressions here - Mira's frustration and anger along with Rumi's pain as she's hunched over and drawn in on herself because of the shove.

Then you add the additional cut of just Rumi's face alone, and the way her eyes are so big and wide and tearing up - you can absolutely feel her fear coming off the page, this terror of "oh god am I about to be caught”

I also love the way you chose to keep the scene very dark in its composition; lends a much more serious, weighty tone to the piece, along with the jagged edges of the transition between the set piece to Rumi's solo panel.

So so so good!!! Thank you!!!!

Author comments

This whole piece has me just: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH I’m stunned at how you managed to pull it straight from the words so exactly - like, every piece of this is exactly how I imagined this scene. I love the details of the blood and the glow on the sword, but I’m actually losing it over the expressions because WOW. HOLY SHIT. Zoey being so still hurts, and then you have Mira, and you captured the haunted look in her eyes so perfectly, I just. You can feel the way her brain has screeched to a halt as the terrifying realization dawns on her that no, Rumi’s promise was a lie, everything Rumi said meant nothing, and now Mira’s about to be caught choosing between the two loves of her life when it’s something that should never have been a choice in the first place. I love that you have her angled, so that she was clearly attending to Zoey and had her attention pulled away by Rumi, has to grip her tightly to keep her in place. And then Rumi’s expression: the sheer anger you convey is just. COSQ IT’S SO GOOD, OKAY. I love the snarl, the fang peeking through, her furrowed brows, and then of course her eyes. And where Mira is looking at Rumi, Rumi’s not looking at Mira and Zoey at all, just so focused on this stupid demon; she can’t think of anything else. Rumi’s emotions are in such a messy turmoil during this whole fic, and more than anything, they come to a head here because Rumi’s just. so. angry. Angry at the demon, for hurting Zoey, and angry at herself for failing to protect Zoey. Never ever ever gonna be over how you captured her expression here. Blown away - I freaking love your art, and this caught me so off-guard. I’m so so honored, and I will now be screaming about this forever, thanks

Cariykon ↳

Author comments

Hi! I said this’d be coming eventually; sorry again it took so long!

Before I mention anything else, I really cannot ever thank you enough for this work. You were the very first artist to reach out to me about drawing fan art, which left me absolutely giddy with excitement at just the THOUGHT of both one, fan art for MY fic, and two, fan art from YOU of all people, because your art is so impossibly gorgeous and detailed. That you then went on to deliver not just one single piece, but SIX whole PAGES of a comic that puts professional comics to SHAME just - Cary, it blows my mind in every conceivable way. Not even in my wildest fandom dreams would I have ever predicted I’d be lucky enough to receive a gift like this: THANK YOU.

Now!! Onto the comic itself!…Oh god where to begin okay, PAGE ONE. I’m realizing now that commentary is actually going to be very difficult, because mostly I just want to go HHRRRRGHGH BEAUTIFUL AAAUUUGH HEARTBREAKING, lmao. Everything is drawn so crisply, the shading and screentones are absolutely Next Level, the lineart is FLAWLESS, I’m so flabbergasted everytime I look at this, like. HOW.

But anyway page one!!! Right away what a killer opening to the comic, to focus in instantly on Rumi. I love your attention to detail on including the clawmarks on her shoulder and the blood on her temple and her little tiny fangs! Exactly as I pictured them! Even in this first panel, I love that you can see the difference too between Rumi’s eyes, that one has the more demon-y slit vs the other human one. There’s this sense of raw panic and desperation already settling into Rumi’s gaze, her hand held open, the immediate attempt at pleading, at explaining, only to cut to the next panel of Rumi staring up at Mira in fear. God, the framing of this too, of not showing us Mira’s face but instead having her legs frame Rumi, of Rumi being desperately backed against the wall and looking up in fear. I love Rumi’s mouth being open in disbelief, I love how she just looks so utterly scared, and I love that even though we can’t see Mira, we can just feel the sheer confidence and determination in her stance. That right now, Mira has the power, and she knows it, and she’ll point her gok-do in a moment but she’s giving instructions to Zoey, and Rumi has to look up at her and realize “Oh. Mira’s not going to listen to me is she”

And then to page 2, where you put us, the viewers, on the other end of Mira’s gok-do just like Rumi is (and WHAT a use of perspective, wowowow, I’m not an artist but even I know that is not easy to pull off). Mira’s face is unwavering; she’s so deadset on finding Rumi, and this demon is just in her way, and Mira’s angry at it but also confident in her ability to take it down; she just also needs answers. Mira’s cold expression is also just. such a heartbreaking contrast to the pain in Rumi’s own. You captured Rumi’s despair so well here, it’s gutwrenching. I see the clawed hand coming into play now that wasn’t there in page 1, she’s got those fangs and that demon eye a little more prominent now, and she’s so hurt and scared. Paired with the speech bubbles and the layout of her being at the end of Mira’s blade, it just - MAXIMUM DAMAGE. GOOD JOB.

Page 3 is just killer action, I cannot believe how dynamically you captured the fight and movements of the characters. The action lines are so clear and fluid, they sell the fast-paced nature of the scene and really give us this sense of how frantic Rumi is, trying to dodge these attacks. Mira and Zoey both have these expressions of anger and focus, and their arms are outstretched as they wield their weapons; and then on the flipside, you don’t have Rumi’s arms up at all, because Rumi’s not fighting back, she’s just dodging and dodging. And then the close-ups at the bottom, to show us not just Zoey’s and Mira’s anger but the full force of their hatred, because this demon insists on trying to trick them, insists on wearing their lover’s face, insists on this disguise that’s clearly meant to hurt them, to be cruel. And it’s a good thing Mira and Zoey know better, that they know it’s just another demon they have to take down, one they’re pissed at and ready to be done with.

God, and then page 4. The way you curve the edges of the scene to give us a more detailed, horrifying look at what Mira’s done, and the sheer force behind her blow. I love the way you cracked the actual wall itself, because of course, if Mira’s blow was hard enough to spear Rumi directly and pin her into the wall, it’s hard enough to leave massive cracks. Again, this is just so fluid and dynamic, and Mira’s expression is phenomenal and AGGGHHH. And then the close-up, the close-up is just. You captured the terror and shock in Rumi’s eyes so well, the disbelief at what’s just happened, her mind trying to catch up to her body because this can’t be happening, can it? Also, the detail of Rumi having the cut on her cheek from Zoey’s shin-kal!! I love that you can see it in page 3 and more detailed here.

Page 5. This page. You not showing us Rumi’s full expression at all on this page just. It’s such a clever move, to keep us focused on the gravity of what’s just happened without letting us see how Rumi feels about it yet. The first panel feels so disturbingly still in comparison to the dynamic movement and action of the previous pages. There’s this sense of weighted tension, the rubber band being pulled tight right before it snaps. Rumi looks so forlorn and resigned just in her body language alone; her gentle clutching of the ok-do’s blade and the way her head falls just. UGH. And then Mira’s casual expression of “okay that’s done let’s go” is such a great contrast to Zoey’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she puzzles out that something’s not right; then Zoey’s eyes widening in disbelief, because wait, this doesn’t make sense, this can’t be real, Zoey has to ask though. Putting the “why isn’t it disappearing?” bubble next to Rumi’s tragically still body, her head and hair hanging limply against this backdrop of cracked rubble behind her. (And I see the emphasis on “it” by the way) I actually. don’t think I can express my thoughts on this last panel of Rumi, I really can’t pin down what exactly about it has me gripped so tightly in horror, but just like. IT’S GOOD. REALLY GOOD.

And the final page. Zoey’s and Mira’s expressions mirror their subsequent reactions perfectly: Zoey’s already moved on to horror and denial, versus Mira’s quiet “wait. no. no” realization. Your expression work throughout this whole comic has me absolutely floored, I truly don’t know how you capture these emotions so well. I love that this page is segmented a little more, it helps give the dialogue that extra oomf - the “why isn’t she disappearing?” in its own section is such a fantastic design choice, I’m obsessed.

These last three panels are where I lose it every time though. I want to figure out where you learned to read minds (and across such a distance) because this, these three panels of Rumi: this is exactly how I imagined her. From the exhaustion and her head hanging, to her managing against all odds to lift her face up just enough so she can look at them and smile, to her face falling once more and her eyes going dim (the “…” speech bubble is MEAN), to the “…I love you.” as text only on a black background. I think my favorite panel of the whole comic is the middle one of Rumi smiling. The way she’s looking at Mira and Zoey so softly, so gently, the way her smile is lopsided with the tiny fang peeking out exactly as I described and pictured, like. I’m stunned.

The way you took this scene and adapted it, made it flow into six pages of manga with art so good that if I saw it on a store’s shelf, I’d buy the volume instantly; I’m gonna keep repeating myself over and over again, but I’m blown away in every sense of the phrase. I cannot believe you’ve never done a comic before either, that is INSANE to me. I think I could’ve paid thousands of dollars to commission a professional for this, and still not have gotten something with half the quality of what you created here. I cannot believe you drew this for something I wrote, and I’m so humbled and in awe by it.

Cary, thank you. This is something I’m going to treasure for many, many years.

SituationJ0001 ↳

Author comments

Holy shit, an animation??? Oh my god???

Wow, you used CRNYKitty’s comic to INCREDIBLE effect for this animation; the facial expressions every step of the way are harrowing and devastating, AAAAHHHH - every single one works SO WELL. And then, your creative use of the graphics?? I love this idea of the three circles as a loading screen to process, and then the questions of the heart back and forth - something about the heart followed by the droplet, and then the ending exclamation point has me just ajdkfljklsd

You utilize the timing of the sound and pauses to maximum effect as well; honestly, this made me feel like I was watching a cutscene from a visual novel-esque video game!! Absolutely blown away by the creativity and skill on display here, every frame is masterfully done, WOW. Truly stunned, THANK YOU!!!

INCREDIBLE JOB WOW THANK YOU AGAIN <3

SituationJ0001 ↳

Author comments

Wowow, what do you mean your Rumi drawing and the two Mira pieces are doodles?!?!?!

Affectionately: excuse me?! Your ability to put raw emotion into your art, holy shit - INSANE.

Your “doodle” of Mira screaming and retching has me absolutely reeling, it’s so raw and evocative and gutwrenching, sends a chill down my spine every time I look at it.

And then, I’m not even sure if I’d call it better or worse, but your second doodle of Mira - she just looks so empty.

There’s this scarily calm resignation, like something’s just completely snapped within her, I’m so 😭

Author comments

you. you. YOU.

Fruit, I'm not really sure what even to say other than that this is both absolutely stunning and absolutely heartwrenching.

Something I've seen now in both of the more serious pieces you've drawn for SWWL is not just your attention to detail, but your evocative and innovative imagery; the fact that you took this particular line and twisted it into the basis of this picture, shying away from using just the literal context of the scene and instead mashing it with the image of a future that Mira's now sure can never come to pass.

The threads of the Honmoon around them and the gok-do's glow feel downright eerie in the context of the rest of the page's setting being, simply, this massive pool of blood. (And it's the Honmoon that'll save Rumi, in the end, but in a way, it's the Honmoon that took her too.)

Mira's expression. Fruit, for all that your signature artstyle and most of your content leans towards being hilarious and cute and happy, you are also so obnoxiously successful at gutting me with your angst. Mira's expression here isn't over the top, and yet, it makes me want to cry right with her, because it just feels like such an "oh. i did this, and she's gone, and i don't know what else to do anymore". You can feel Mira watching this future she's imagined slipping through her fingers, and her grief is palpable. (And also just. the way she's holding Rumi. in a bridal carry of all poses you absolute monster)

And god, Rumi. For as heartbroken as Mira is, Rumi looks so peaceful. She's just asleep for a bit, that's all. Truly, take away the blood and the hole in her chest, and she'd really look just like she was napping in Mira's arms, leaning her head up against Mira's chest.

Rumi's outfit is just. When I first glanced at it, the white of the top of the outfit reminded me exactly of the white hoodie Rumi's wearing in the fight; then, the closer look to see the subtle details of the hanbok's design in the white, and more pronounced in the red around her chest wound. Also, just- the idea in the first place, to have her in a hanbok that's white and then being stained red by the blood, it's just - Fruit, your mind.

Incredible, stunning, I really might actually cry. You've completely blindsided me with this piece in the best possible way. You're so insanely talented, fuck you, you have my undying loyalty forever

Author comments

First off, the colors used here are absolutely gorgeous. The choice to have the dark background and the colored lines only really gives the whole scene this sense of ethereality; it feels, more than anything, exactly like some kind of space in-between.

Second, the light is gorgeous, and I love that Rumi - Rumi who doesn’t want to die - looks so resigned as she reaches towards it, because that’s just it, isn’t it? She doesn’t want it. But she also doesn’t have a choice.

Until, that is, those threads reach for her and call her attention. I love as well that that they don’t appear to be physically pulling her. No, this is a choice, and they are a gentle reminder, a “hey, actually, please come back to us. we don’t want you to leave. follow us back” And Rumi does, because that’s all she’s ever wanted - to follow those two threads and weave her own life amidst them.

Gorgeous gorgeous work, Tay

Burglecutweatherwax ↳

Redjacs ↳

Princington ↳

Author comments

Alex, it’s hard to even know where to begin to explain how utterly insane this piece is and how blown away I am by it.

Actually though first of all fuck you for dropping it on me right as I had to go to work in the morning, lmao, truly I was futilely trying to sneak peeks literally all day long, lol

Anyway, I’ll start with thoughts on individual shards first, I think:

Rumi and Zoey at the aquarium has me so so soft; one, your choice to include this scene in the first place when it was only alluded to (like another scene I noticed, haha, which I’ll get to) is such a like - it makes me feel so honored and excited because now I get to see something brought to life in a new way that I hadn’t considered. Rumi’s and Zoey’s expressions here are everything; Zoey just a little embarrassed and nervous because she’s just figured out her feelings, and Rumi with the small blush and holding Zoey tight because Rumi already knows just how much she loves her and is so so happy just to be there with her. Alex I need you to know I love their faces so much here I was genuinely torn on if I wanted to make it my pfp

AGH THE FENCE! Okay half of this response is just going to be me gushing about how you do character expressions, because I love how you can just feel the intense focus in Rumi’s eyes, along with the slight widening and realization of “oh. i’m stuck” Also it’s so dynamic, you can feel that this is mid-action and that kinda stuff always blows my mind

The pool! YOU DREW THE PATTERN PEEKING OUT. What a crazy small detail to slip in there, and additionally the fact that, in the moment you chose to draw, it’s not visible to Zoey yet (perhaps it is to Mira but Mira’s not seeing anything without her glasses, haha). I love Zoey’s fond expression, I love that I don’t even need to see Mira’s to know she’s wearing a matching one (lovergirl energy unmatched), and I like that, very specifically, Rumi is not looking at them. There’s something almost wistful, like she’s looking ahead to this future she’s been dreaming about for so long rather than really paying attention to her present and the two girls that have already given her their hearts

The shower scene is devastating. I love that you don’t show her face here, she’s hiding away in her hands; the way she’s clutching her wrist and hunched over and just - she’s so deeply sad, and this is one of the few places she can actually allow herself to truly feel that, and even then she ducks her face.

Another alluded scene you brought to life!! A big lmao at you drawing the scene of Mira and Rumi with the sriracha, but also wow, yikes, ow. Mira is looking at Rumi with such fond warmth, this expression of “wow you’re a loser and I love you so much” and Rumi, in turn, has this blush but also it feels like a sense of confusion; confusion about why Mira’s tilting her chin up, but also I think that underlying confusion at how Mira can look at her like this in the first place (and wouldn’t if she knew)

God the kitchen scene. Rumi looks so utterly exhausted here, pale and worn and tired, but also still up and about and making breakfast like that’s something she’s capable of doing in this moment. I like that you choose not to show Mira’s face in this scene, just this resigned and stubborn fatigue on Rumi (and of course you put the jacket on again, haha, I love that, your design of it is soooo good)

Rumi and Mira pulling each other in close as they break from writing “Takedown” - the hand placments are killing me in this one, Rumi pulling Mira deeper into a kiss and Mira pulling Rumi flush against her; they love each other so much and want to be with each other so much and it’s just. not that simple.

Rumi being a lying liar who lies - wow wow wow at the way you chose to draw this scene. You’ve mentioned before about why you chose to have her with hair down, and it’s such a clever reasoning; Rumi’s entire goal here is to disarm Mira and Zoey, even though they have no idea that that’s what she’s doing. She’s committed so fully to proving to them that she’s not a demon even though the thought has never once crossed their minds, and her hair being down just adds this extra layer of deceit and guile, because it implies openness and honesty. Even her hands being spread out - everything about Rumi looks so open here, except her expression itself, which gives away just how closed off she’s truly being.

The three of them cuddled together watching things on the bed is just 😭 So so soft, and I love how often you draw Rumi with a little blush, because she’s still so stunned at this relationship even being a possibility in the first place; Rumi thinks she’s unfathomably lucky, and it shows.

Ugh, this one hurts to see; Rumi clutching her shoulder, and again I love when you use framing to cut off specific expressions, let us as viewers imagine the rest. We don’t need to see how pained Rumi looks, we can feel it with the grasping of her shoulder and the opened pill bottle and even the disheveled strands of hair falling into frame from her face

Rumi lying on the ground :(((( Her bloodied chest, the way she’s sprawled out, her limbs askew; she looks like she’s just passed out after a hard fight. Even without the blood, her positon so immediately screams “hey wait something’s wrong” and it hurts :(

UGH you choosing to draw Zoey lingering outside the room with the ramyeon cup in hand is KILLING me, this is such a small moment to linger in and I looove that you chose to adapt it. Zoey’s expression carries so much reluctance and guilt and uncertainty and longing; she wants to go in and see Rumi but how does she face her, especially after everything. I also love you adding in Celine here, but keeping her back turned and using the distance to keep Rumi’s face expressionless and blank, because one, Zoey can’t see her from this angle, and two, Rumi’s been defaulting to this careful neutrality anyway.

Zoey bandaging Mira’s hand - there’s such a sense of solemnity and weight to this particular shard that gets me. The grief is so quiet and tender here. The whole scene feels heavy but in a way that’s this odd sort of muffled acceptance. They’re both in this “okay. things are bad. let me help you. let’s deal with this together” phase, and you capture it in a way that just stabs straight through my heart.

MIRA AND THE BLOOD. God her expressions here are so GOOD, I don’t know how you do it. There’s this stunned disbelief as she stares at her hands in the first part of this segment, the shock keeping her from processing truly, and then a desperation in her eyes and her movements afterwards as she frantically tries to scrub the blood off. It’s a visceral and damning image of Mira completely stricken with guilt.

And lastly, the big segment that ties it all together: Rumi in the mirror. I love how much this feels like a horror piece, in particular with the way you chose to have two separate hands, demon hands, reach out and wrap themselves around her face, deliberately covering her human eye along with her mouth. There’s a sense of terror as Rumi reaches, both towards the mirror and towards the hands covering her face, and its just. such a stark and unsettling visual anchor the whole piece around, and I’m absolutely in love with how you adapted this scene.

And then, on top of everything, the fact that you framed this whole piece through a shattered mirror just has me floored. One, props to you for making me realize “oh hey mirrors ARE a prominent motif in this fic aren’t they lmao”, and two, I’m still feral for how well you utilized it to capture the sense of unease and tension within the entire fic. The way you deliberately use the cracks, even in happy scenes, to convey the idea that everything is still a lie beneath the surface is just. it’s so GOOD. (A crack through Rumi’s face at the aquarium, a crack dividing Rumi and Mira right down the middle, a crack across Rumi’s legs at the pool, etc)

Alex I’m never going to be over this piece, I do hope you know that, haha, and I really really can’t thank you enough for such an absolute masterpiece. Will be blown away by this forever.

SituationJ0001 ↳

Author comments

Holy. Shit. I’ll be honest, I’m actually not even sure where to begin; this piece had me instantly dropping my jaw and staring (as much as I could anyway, haha, I found out about it while I was at work and had to sneak away to the bathroom for a true glimpse). I was already blown away by your doodles (which okay, sure, “doodles”, but I see now why you call them that if this is what you’re regularly creating), but this has absolutely humbled me, tbh

First off, not even the art itself, but your comment about SWWL Rumi being your favorite Rumi ever has me 😭 thank you so so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed her so much!

ANYWAY THE ART. Okay actually I’m gonna start with the title: The fact that you drape everything in threads has me losing it, using thread and weaving was my favorite metaphor/symbolism in the fic, and I love how creatively you incorporated that into the title and author name. Also. Giving the R patterns?! Insane. Genius. So fucking creative, WOW

Okay, the Rumis! First off, oh my gosh, starting with the one on the left - I love how just utterly exhausted she looks. She’s keeping it together but at what cost, you can see just from the bags beneath her eyes that she’s tired, and I love love love how you have her patterns creeping out all over, on her neck and her ear and her wrists and her stomach. It gives this sense that, no matter how much she tries to hide, something’s going to give, she can’t ever be fully successful. Even little details in the posing: her clutching her arm, where she ends up so frequently injured; her face tilted and eyebrow raised in a question, like she’s already thinking of another lie to help her get out of the situation. I also love the outfit design. She’s in a hoodie, but you giving her pattern stripes and an R and SWWL embroidered chest is just - IT’S REALLY GOOD I WANT THIS HOODIE NOW LMAO

Rumi on the right - ohhhhh man. Her smile is haunting here, almost disarming. She looks almost satisfied. I did peek at discord and see your thoughts on this being the demon winning and 100% I see it. The color pallor of this, her being corpse-like and bloodied; I like the smaller details too of the little nick across her nose. And then of course the demon features: her eye and her ears and the small fangs peeking out, and you actually don’t show us the claws in this piece but I both love and hate knowing for certain that the hand wrapped around that sword, hiding it behind her back because she’s always hiding hiding hiding, is clawed. The patterns themselves too are this mix of purple hues that just feels downright poisonous. What an incredibly heartbreaking representation of Rumi at her lowest point in this fic; feels like she walked straight out of a horror movie in the best way.

AND THEN THE MIDDLE RUMI. What immediately stands out to me is how it looks like she’s stepping fully into the light, while the other two remain cast in shadow. Your choice of drawing her nude here is so emblematic of her entire journey through the fic, because now she immediately and finally feels open and honest. There is nothing for her to hide behind anymore. All of her flaws are on display, from her patterns (ones she can someday learn to accept, iridescent and hers) to her scars, both the little ones you’ve peppered across her skin (including that one on her nose!) to, of course, the centerpiece: the big scar in the middle of her chest. It’s rough and rugged and it’s not pretty, but it’s healed and it’s part of her. Even her expression in this feels unguarded and vulnerable. I also love the hand placement too, because in contrast to the other Rumis, in the middle, Rumi is using her hand not to hide but to show, she’s calling attention to the scar, acknowledging it, accepting it.

This is just. such a stunning and symbolic and just gorgeously drawn piece and character study, when I tell you my jaw absolutely dropped. I’m so unbelievably honored and humbled that you chose to draw this based on something I wrote - thank you.

Liz ↳

Author comments

God, the thing that stands out first so immediately in this piece is the duality, and you lean into with utter aplomb, capturing both tragic sides of Rumi in a manner that’s just absolutely heartbreaking.

I love love love how the human side of Rumi, the one wearing this blatant smile, still feels uncanny because of how forced her smile appears. It’s the mask she’s worn for so long, this desire to show that see, she’s normal, and it just doesn’t quite ring true.

And then, to contrast it with this devastingly broken expression of sorrow on the demon half - AAAAHHHHH! She looks so heartbroken, but I do love the contrast of that, amidst all of her demon features now on display (her fang, her patterns, her ear, her eye), she also has that track of tears running down her cheek - arguably, the most human part of this picture. Ugh, and then to draw the chest wound but only half of it, because it was meant to kill a demon (and boy did it succeed)

The centerpiece of the whole picture, and the overall theming of the threads, has me SCREAMING. I wish I could say I had some, like, deeper intent behind my constant use of threads, like fabric of life metaphors and strings of fate, but to be honest, I just really really have a soft spot for that metaphor, and you use it SO WELL in this piece. I’m blown away by how creatively you referenced it and built around it - the Honmoon as backdrop tapestry against Rumi, this unwilling weaver caught in its threads.

AND THEN to have the human hand holding the spool and the demon hand pulling the thread to unravel it, and the thread itself being an alternating mix of both colors because there is no one without the other for Rumi.

Lastly: holy shit the way draw hair is insane, Liz, it is absolutely beautiful, I could stare at it all day, lmao

Thank you, genuinely, for such an incredible, stunning piece of art.

Fanfics

Coward. Liar.

This scene takes place during Chapter 2 of So We Were Liars. (Breaking News art below pairs with this piece.)

Part 1 (of 3) ↳

This scene takes place during Chapter 3 of So We Were Liars.

Part 2 (of 3) ↳

This scene takes place during Chapter 4 of So We Were Liars.

Part 3 (of 3) ↳

When I met you I said I would never die (but the joke was always mine)

Where Rumi goes, in-between. Takes place at the start of Chapter 7 of so we were liars by arendellesfirstwinter (Rumi in the in-between art below pairs with this piece.)

Full fic ↳

Full fic (pages 207-239) ↳

Backslide/Breakthrough

Recovery is rarely a linear thing. Takes place between chapters 8 and 9 of So We Were Liars. [This work can no longer be found on ao3 but can be found in the pdf linked below.]

mira knows red

Post chapter 8 drabble, originally written and shared on discord by arendellesfirstwinter (me!)

full drabble

Mira knows red.

It is the color of sunsets, and apples, and gochujang.

It is the color of bokjumeoni, the lucky pouch that children give to elders on the holidays of Seollal or Chuseok, and receive money back in turn.

It is the color of brides: of their hanboks, of their lipstick, of their blushing cheeks.

It is the color of life.

…

It is the color of death.

It is the color of a funeral banner.

It is the color of Rumi’s blood.

Red, red, red, so deeply stained into her skin that Mira cannot scrub it out no matter how much she tries, scraping and scraping until the skin is red and raw and red, it’s still red, just like Rumi’s blood and also—

—it is the color of anger.

It is the color of rage.

It is the color of hate.

Mira wakes up from a memory and for a moment, the world is red.

And for a moment, Mira hates it, the world, because it is as red as she is, and she hates herself just as much.

She holds her breath as she opens her eyes, tense, anticipating; her hands flex, and she feels the blood dried and caked atop her skin, then feels the way it drips across her wrist and over her knuckles, then feels—

—sheets. Cool, soft, silken.

A breath, next to her.

Two.

When Mira opens her eyes, the room is indigo, not red.

The sky outside borders on black and blue, and the lights of the city glow orange and gold.

Her own breath still held, Mira chances a glance at either side of her.

On one side, she sees green—turtle pajamas and a turtle plushie, with a head of raven hair buried in its midst.

Turning, Mira looks to her other side.

When she sees purple, she bites back a sob.

Rumi is asleep, her features relaxed in a way they never are when she’s awake. Her hair is loosely tied in a ponytail and a tangled mess beneath her regardless, something she’ll grumble about as soon as she wakes up.

Her chest rises and falls, the swell of it peeking from the edges of a low-cut tank top. In its center is the mark Mira left: rugged, darkened.

Not red.

Rumi is pristine. She is whole.

Carefully, Mira slides her own hands out from under the blanket and brings them in front of her face to stare in the dim light. She runs her palms across each other, then the backs of her hands, then up her arms, and feels nothing but smooth, clean skin.

She shouldn’t, but she reaches out to touch Rumi too.

Her hand pauses, hovering in the air a moment, before she presses the flat of her hand across Rumi’s scar.

Rumi’s chest stutters.

Mira holds her breath.

Then, with a sigh, content, Rumi’s lips curl in a wistful, dreamlike smile, and she nuzzles closer into Mira’s touch.

The room and Mira’s heart are bathed in soothing violet.

When hints of red start to color Mira’s vision, she freezes.

Outside, dawn takes its first step into a new day, and reaches out in greeting.

Its greeting, its sunrise, is red.

Haloed in scarlet, Rumi shifts, and Mira stares.

She is glowing, and vibrant, and here.

And Mira remembers, too, that red is also the color of warmth.

It is the color of possibility.

It is the color of love.

Mira lets her fingers curl against Rumi’s chest and leaves them there, feeling the beat of Rumi’s heart, solid and steadfast.

In all its forms, the wrong and the right, the ugly and the beautiful, the dark and the light and when both of them meet:

Mira knows red.

Miscellaneous (Fruit Cut + Memes/Others)

Fruit Cut (sfw SWWL)

An edited version of SWWL that replaces all sex scenes with SFW substitutes, such as board games, baseball, etc. Initially created by me to let a friend read the story without missing out on any key plot points. Someday, I plan to upload it properly onto ao3, but for now, it's confined to Google Docs.

The art below is Fruit Cut specific!

Wary-taru ↳

Apples ↳

Quantum's-Black-Cat ↳

Yanniest ↳

Kblazion ↳