#flamby's thoughts

[flambymi]

I was browsing my gallery when I stumbled upon my sketches XD... You should know that before I draw my TRUE sketches, my ideas go through these awful things so I don't forget them.

I'll let you guess what they are X)

[flambymi]

I’ve made a decision that might not be all that surprising XD. Regarding The Frozen Maw, I’m going to take an indefinite break from posting. (I’ll likely keep writing; I just won’t be publishing anything right away.)

Things are a bit hectic for me at the moment, and I’m struggling to write chapters that I’m actually happy with.

By working on it privately for a while, I might be able to build up a buffer of several chapters again—like I had a few months ago—so I don’t feel so stressed. (I actually regret having such a tight posting schedule right at the start now.)

I'm sorry to announce this when you were supposed to get a chapter tomorrow. (And especially for leaving you on a cliffhanger. 😅)

I’m going to focus a bit more on the other projects (including the new Trollmarket I mentioned in a previous post), as well as Opali’s book!

[flambymi]

Do you also often forget a detail in a drawing, even though you draw that drawing a lot?

I forgot Jim's Grit-Shaka again (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

[flambymi]

How are you doing that.

I'm gonna need you to look me in the eye And tell me the secret.

How are you updating chapters that fast 😭

And every update is so high quality too.

On top of that you also make art for chapters.

HOW ARE YOU DOING IT. Your literally a miracle worker. Or 10 writers stuffed in a coat.

Haha, well, I'm fully committed to it XD. I started writing the beta version of this fic in July 2025. At that point, it was just an idea, like many others I jotted down (two fic ideas are on hold for now!). It was a sort of unfinished one-shot that contained quite a few ideas from the final version.

In August, I drew my very first versions of the Jötnars (which I'll definitely show you sometime), which were very different from the final versions at that point!

I was fleshing out some of my ideas when, in October, I thought: Hey! Why not make it a longer fic? And that's when I started writing! The first chapters went through several versions. They were too short, sometimes a bit messy. In short, not ready for immediate publication. I went back over it and it made me want to write even more, gave me more and more ideas.

By November, I already had about twenty chapters ready. And I thought, while rereading my prologue... Why don't I do some illustrations? At first, they were meant to be monochrome. And a bit rough around the edges.

I had a first version of my illustration where the armies of Orlagk and Gunmar face off. But it was missing something, besides being a pain to draw...

So, for the character designs, I started with something very close to the style of the TOA artwork. I ended up adopting it and, from there, found my own simplified and colorful style! All while incorporating techniques I already knew. (It helped me at the time to create an entire Pokédex XD).

And so, the very first illustration was born! The one of Miriam and Darci on the sofa! It was a trial run that I enjoyed, and it made me want to continue! So I redrew the prologue illustration and kept drawing the others. And unlike the first version, these illustrations are really fun to do because they're often bursting with color! 😁

I continued writing, and in December (the 19th), I published TFM on AO3 for the first time! I had several chapters ahead to give myself time to think about what would happen next (while still having all my notes, ideas, lore, and characters at hand!).

Seeing all your comments is absolutely fantastic, especially since I get to see you thinking about what might happen next, knowing myself what happens much later!

However, I've been quite busy, and I've fallen behind! Yeah, I'm no longer ahead with any chapters. But I have all the ideas and notes for the points I need to cover! Because that's how I've been working so far. What's the key point to cover in the story, and what to put in between?

It's true that when it follows the Trollhunters storyline, it makes things easier because there are lots of familiar points to cover. But then it gets a bit more complicated! But I won't let that get the better of me! I'm trying to stay motivated by sticking to a schedule of one chapter every two days. But you should know that I'm struggling a bit right now. Between writing the chapter, translating it into English, and then putting it on AO3, it takes time. And the illustrations too, which I used to have time to dedicate to, especially when I was ahead on the chapters. Hence the decrease in illustrations at the moment. I'm not going to lose my motivation to do them; it's literally my job!

So I might extend it by one more day. That will allow me to better manage my chapters and give you time to read them properly. (And maybe write them better too. I'm a little less satisfied with the most recent chapters X) )

But yes, it's not the first time I've written. My phone is full of fanfic ideas, things I've already written, etc. I even created an entire universe for a personal project a long time ago. I have an imagination to spare XD.

[flambymi]

Guys, I just realized that since the drawings are posted somewhere online (here on Tumblr), I could finally include my illustrations in the fic! So, I added them to all the chapters!👍