The Booksmith's Forge

📚 TheBookSmithGentleman (Smith) | Story-focused multimedia artist & lorecrafter 🔥 Sonic Fatebound AU 🛠 Forgers of Fate

[thebooksmithgentleman]

A small note about how I'll be using my online spaces going forward.

For the time being, I'll be putting most of my time and energy into creating, my postgraduate studies, and taking better care of myself.

Because of that, I'll probably be quieter than I used to. I may reply slowly, miss conversations, or simply not have the energy to engage as often.

If that happens, please don't take it personally.

I want to be honest about something.

After some discouraging experiences trying to connect with creators, I've become much more guarded.

The hardest part isn't trusting others anymore.

It's trusting my own judgment about who genuinely wanted to know me.

So, for now, I'm choosing not to force those connections.

I'm letting trust grow naturally instead.

If I seem more reserved, it's not because I dislike anyone. It's because I'm giving myself time to heal before asking more of myself.

This isn't me giving up on people.

I'm hoping that, with time, I'll feel comfortable opening that door again.

For now, I believe trust is built through kindness, consistency, and genuine interest over time—not rushed.

My priorities are simple:

📚 Learn. 🎨 Create. 💜 Heal.

If our paths cross naturally, I'd be happy for that.

Thank you to everyone who's been patient with me and shown me kindness. I truly appreciate it, and I hope we meet again under brighter circumstances.

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Little Smoke redesign update! 🤍🩶

I think I've finally settled on his physical features (for the most part)! I had a lot of fun sketching expressions for him—bro really thinks he's Shuichi. 😭

There's still plenty left to do, though. His outfit is next, and I may refine a few details once I move to digital. 🐆❄️

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Small life update.

Despite giving it my best, I wasn't admitted into the robotics doctorate program. The faculty felt I didn't yet have the research profile they were looking for.

While it hurt, I don't want this to be where the journey ends.

After thinking it through, I've decided to prepare for and pursue a robotics master's program instead.

My goal hasn't changed: I still hope to become a robotics researcher and professor someday. This is simply another step toward that dream.

The difficult part is that this path comes with a much heavier workload than I originally expected.

Combined with some personal and family matters that I'd rather keep private, I'll have much less time and energy than I hoped.

As someone who genuinely wanted to grow as a creator alongside friends and fellow creators, that realization has been painful.

There are so many stories I want to tell, drawings I want to finish, and projects I've been carrying in my head for a long time.

Because of that, if I seem quieter or respond more slowly from now on, please don't take it personally.

I'm not disappearing—I simply need to prioritize my studies, my health, and the little creative time I do have.

I'll continue creating whenever I can, even if progress is slower than I imagined.

I've come too far to give up now.

I am the Booksmith.

Today I stand defeated—but not broken, and certainly not quitting.

Thank you to everyone who's supported me throughout this journey.

Until next time. 💜✒️

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Quick update since my last post.

First of all, thank you to everyone who gave me space while I was away. I really appreciated it.

Some good news: I officially graduated from university! 🎓 (The group photo I mentioned before wasn't the actual graduation ceremony—that happened a few days ago.)

I also finished all of my doctorate preparations.

Unfortunately, the process was much harder than I expected. After not passing my first admission exam, I had to prepare for a second attempt, which left me with very little time for the interview stage. There were also some personal experiences during this period that affected me much more deeply than I expected.

Thankfully, my dad came to visit, and after some long conversations, I'm doing a little better than I was a few weeks ago.

But I want to be honest: I'm still stressed, I'm still processing a lot of things, and I don't feel like I've fully recovered yet.

While I was away, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want my online presence to look like going forward.

For the foreseeable future, I'm stepping back from actively trying to network with creators. I won't go into all of the reasons publicly, but I realized I need to spend less energy worrying about where I fit in and more energy building the projects I've wanted to make for a long time.

Looking back, I don't feel like I've given my own creative work the consistency it deserves since I debuted.

Whether that changes anything or not, I want to be able to say I truly gave it my best effort.

Because of that, I won't be participating in ArtFight this year.

I'm not disappearing, but I also won't be nearly as active in conversations for a while.

If you'd like to reach out, you're absolutely welcome to—I may simply respond more slowly than I used to.

For now, I want to focus on creating, taking better care of myself, and putting my energy into the stories and artwork I've been carrying around for so long.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding. 💜✒️

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Stresses have been building up behind the scenes (family matters, doctorate prep, and general exhaustion), so I need to step back for a while.

I won’t be very active here going forward, and I also don’t expect to participate in ArtFight or conversations for the foreseeable future.

I’ll return when I have the headspace and resources to engage properly again.

Sorry for the sudden silence, and thank you for the patience and support.

[rosemine24]

artfight profile thang

[thebooksmithgentleman]

A very late birthday drawing for @monoex 💜

Lux and Cirrus absolutely refused to let Vendetta survive her birthday in peace

(It may not look like it, but she appreciates them deeply 😭)

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Quick late-night update 💛

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. These past months have been… rough, between uni and some personal stuff, and it definitely took a hit on my motivation and confidence.

But even with all that, I still want to create. I still want to be here.

I’m not fully back yet, but I’m starting small again—this weekend, I’m taking a step forward and finishing something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

On a brighter note, I finally got my AO3 invite accepted, and I’ve been getting ideas again. Sonic Fatebound will be happening—I just want to build back up properly this time.

Thank you to everyone who’s been patient with me. I’m still here, just taking things one step at a time. 💛

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Quick late-night update 💛

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. These past months have been… rough, between uni and some personal stuff, and it definitely took a hit on my motivation and confidence.

But even with all that, I still want to create. I still want to be here.

I’m not fully back yet, but I’m starting small again—this weekend, I’m taking a step forward and finishing something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

On a brighter note, I finally got my AO3 invite accepted, and I’ve been getting ideas again. Sonic Fatebound will be happening—I just want to build back up properly this time.

Thank you to everyone who’s been patient with me. I’m still here, just taking things one step at a time. 💛

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Quick update:

This account will be going on an indefinite semi-hiatus until further notice.

Between the mental strain of my last university semester, an IRL situation that’s been weighing on me, and a lot of late nights thinking about where I want to go creatively, I realized I need to give myself some space for a while.

I don’t intend to stop creating. If anything, I want to take this time to rest, refocus, and return with work that I feel genuinely proud of.

I may still post occasionally, but I’ll likely be much quieter than usual while I sort things out and focus on life offline for a bit.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported my work and stuck around. It means more than you might think.

Till we properly meet again.

[thebooksmithgentleman]

Decided to fight my anxiety today and finally sent my invite request for Archive of Our Own.

Fingers crossed the account setup goes smoothly so I can launch my Sonic AU fic soon. Wish me luck!

[rosemine24]

okay uhhh remember when I redesigned my sona like a month ago? yeah... scratch that

I decided that I didn't really like the just human sona anymore so now she's some kinda harpy-esque creature :)

[annpluma]

SA2B

Take this thing 🚹 *dissappears*

[cherrychuv]

Melanie regretevator but as a sonic character no way had a lot of fun doing this one inspired on her takeover desing

[rosemine24]

posting this here too bc WHY NOT-

yt link

[nyxiia-ota]

Hue Hue Hue

[feefal]

Dissolve me into particles