Ever since my fandom days, I’ve had a specific habit of releasing a doujinshi close to my birthday in April, so I thought I should continue that tradition for TAWB/TDWW too. So, yes, finally, TAWB/TDWW Book 1 Kyrie is done! It consists of chapter 1 through 3, with chapter 0 included as omake, totaling rougly 120 comic pages. This marks my third doujinshi, my 350th-plus completed comic page, and my very first original book. The first proper chapter featuring Mathias and Lucius was posted in June 2025, and I finished editing everything in April 2026. Ten months of absolute suffering.

For specific reasons, the book was only available via a limited pre-order, and it seems everyone has received their copy! I truly hope the readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Copying the Afterword part from the book:

This story began as a three-page comic about a choirmaster meeting a doctor who naps on church pews. That’s it. That was the whole plan.

And then it… escalated.

I am not joking. This was also the first time I actually wrote a proper script for my comic. I survived over 200 pages of Saiyuki doujinshi without a single script — don’t ask me how. Initially, I just wanted to make my own “old man yaoi” (they aren’t quite old men yet, but let’s use that for simplicity). However, after drawing a few illustrations of them back in late 2024, I got stuck. What should I draw next? What is the underlying theme of their relationship that could inspire more illustrations, but this time with deeper feeling? Why did I even name them Mathias and Lucius in the first place?

I’m not going to spill the fun, but I believe people already see the actual reference is hidden in plain sight, Mathias and Lucius is a part from bigger lore that I am still refining to this day. I decided to focus on Mathias and Lucius first just to test myself, to see how far I could stretch a slow-burn romance… and make it burn properly, slowly. It turns out I am very good at expanding minor ideas into major commitments.

If you read closely, there is a noticeable bridge that I drew after finishing all the pages. One day, while I was storyboarding Chapter 3, I was approached by a translator-publisher hybrid asking if I wanted to submit my work so it could be read by Japanese audiences. I didn’t think much of it, but it felt like a good opportunity since they offered a review by a professional mangaka from Japan, so I submitted it.

The review I received was generally positive regarding the artwork and character designs within the BL genre. However, I had a glaring fault in the story: it lacked a clear premise and felt confusing when evaluated as either a “commercial BL” or a “slice of life with BL elements.” In the end, my work wasn’t accepted, but their feedback was invaluable.

During development, I was terrified to explicitly name the real antagonist between Mathias and Lucius. It touches on very sensitive nuances and cultural sensibilities here in Indonesia. So, I hid it. But after reading that professional review, the issue became clear. I fully realized that this story will be read by real people, and I respect my readers too much to compromise: I must name the antagonist sitting between Mathias and Lucius right away. No story fits everyone, but I’m sure my story will strike a specific chord; and that is perfectly fine. That realization was my great leap of faith.

The full outline for Mathias and Lucius’s story is complete, and I hope to release one book per year.

Thank you so much for your support! 💖

Triviah3

Mathias was originally created to be an infuriatingly toxic alpha top (ooh, you know the trope), but after I named my own real-life violin Mathias… well, the toxic alpha vibe just didn’t feel right anymore. My violin sounds incredibly warm and sweet 😭. And so, behold: the real Mathias, a gentle giant who can actually sing!

(Fun fact: I taught myself the violin for about six months before fully focusing on TAWB/TDWW. I really hope I can take proper violin lessons once this whole story is finished!)