iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 29/07/2026

Whoever is a comics creator in Australia and following me: applications for MAKE Comics Festival's Market Day is closing THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!! My friends and I will love to have you there!! makecomics.com.au/apply

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 12/07/2026

🦜 My pet portrait commissions are open for the summer until August 30th! reimenayee.com/commissions Check out my portfolio of 1000+ pet portraits: reimenayee.com/pet-portraits/ #art

Custom pet portrait commissions for all animals

Familiar style $50 per pet, pet portrait with a special floral and star background

Normal style $40 per pet, pet portrait on a plain background

Group portraits on a single shared background is $40 per pet with $10 top up for a familiar style

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 08/07/2026

The fun part with making historical fiction is that I get to learn about and include a facet of history that is underfeatured. In this case: the Georgian Era proto-gay/queer/drag subculture of the Molly Houses. 🎀 The World in Deeper Inspection webcomic update: alcottgrimsley.com/comic/c2007-...

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 27/06/2026

My first webcomic, The World in Deeper Inspection, is out of hiatus. alcottgrimsley.com/comic/chapte...

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 25/06/2026

Applications to table at Market Day just opened! If you happen to be in Melbourne in October, have a go!! makecomics.com.au/apply

Market Day, applications are open! Accompanied by QR code for the form.
Applications open June 24, close July 31 and the outcome on August 16.
A magpie and fairy wren are showing off their hauls of zines and comics

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 25/06/2026

I am running a brand new comics festival! Melbourne Alternative Comics Expo (MAKE) is a 3 day celebration of comics makers across Victoria and wider Australia! 🤩 In addition to organising, I designed the branding and this year's poster! Check us out: makecomics.com.au

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 09/06/2026

The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya Webcomic Rerun! 🦇 Book Two: The Vampire begins. Zeynel goes on a business trip that starts out okay, until he gets lost and encounters another helpless traveller, who may or may not be sus. Update starts here: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v...

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/06/2026

As an ace myself, I'm really happy to make this comic for us aces who long for the dream of love and to be recognised for who we are!! Other than the cover (first image in first post), I drew all of the concept art here The cover is done by Erica (friedricecomic.tumblr.com) w/ design by me (4/4)

Purikura of the main cast, from counter-clockwise: Bee, Dev, Estrella, Mindy and Hana. They are forming a five pointed star with their hands.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/06/2026

The experiment works, too well. Bee has fallen in love with Dev, but as the relationship becomes physical she realises that there are some parts of romance that she cannot reciprocate. Will she get her happily ever after, or will her fantasy come crashing down? (3/4)

Concept art designs of Bee. Bee is a Malaysian-Chinese-American hipster girlie. Think Stephanie Tsu and Lana Condor for the vibes.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/06/2026

Bee takes on the task. She decides to test her theories on falling in love based by engineering a crush and a relationship. Her choosen lab rat is Dev, an artist-skateboarder from the high school popularity dumpster and the least likely person to be the male lead of a mid-00s romcom set in LA. (2/4)

Concept drawing of a very idealised Dev, in the style of a teen magazine spread. Dev is a South Asian American bloke with long hair and the typical (if more stylish) outfit of a skateboarder. His skateboard is drawn and painted with the image of Kali, some patterns and a bee. "Looking for the best boy to crush on? Look no further! Our cutie this issue will give you every reason to fall in love with him - and he will fight for you too! 1) He has a flair for the artistic. Dev can draw anything, even you! 2) He is sporty too! Dev is a talented skateboarder. Watching him flip slide and turn is a sight to see. 3) Dev is 100% a cutiepie, thanks to his upbringing in an all-female household."

Concept art designs of Dev. Trying to conjure up the cutest unconventional Asian romcom male lead. Think Dev Patel, Dev Mohan and Lee Pace for the vibes lol.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/06/2026

Hyped to announce BEE'S GUIDE TO APPLIED ROMANTICS: a teen romcom graphic novel with an #asexual heroine!! 💜🖤 I'm excited to be making this with my friend Erica Eng. Bee loves all things romance but has never been asked out. When one of her BFFs asks her for help to win a crush... (1/4)

Cover of Bee's Guide to Applied Romantics. Bee ponders as stickers of Dev skateboard over her head. The cover is in the style of Y2K collage scrapbook with the stickers of stars, hearts, flowers and butterflies.

Calista Brill, with Kiara Valdez, while at First Second, acquired Bee’s Guide to Applied Romantics by Reimena Yee (l.) and Erica Eng, a YA rom-com graphic novel about Bee, an a-spec teenager and her experience dating her classmate Dev; Kat Vendetti will also edit. Publication is scheduled for 2029; Jennifer Linnan at Linnan Literary Management sold world rights.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 22/05/2026

Submitted the FINAL version of the script of my YA graphic novel to the publisher today!! Pubs Weekly announcement soon! 🤩🤩 Now time for thumbnails and a nice tonkatsu

Screenshot of a portion of the PDF script - Bee’s Guide to Applied Romantics by myself and Erica Eng. the commentary text is pretty much what’s in my post

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 16/05/2026

Catch me, Sierra and Vincent in a few hours at NIF as we discuss the joys and challenges of making historical fiction comics! nif.cartoonist.coop/event/making... @sierrabravoart.bsky.social @vincentisvintage.bsky.social

Poster by Jackarais @jackarais.bsky.social , @sandycyborg@mastodon.art | Design by Asmo

Alt text: A social media graphic promoting an event for NIF 2026, featuring mascots Inkling and Nibford! The event is "Making History", hosted by panelists Reimena Yee, Sierra Barnes and Vincent Cecil on Saturday May 16th @ 6PM PDT / 9PM EDT / 1AM GMT / 11AM AET on Zoom! Come check it out! Learn more at: nif.cartoonist.coop

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 30/04/2026

The complete 10th anniversary edition with all four books is also available in my online shop shop.reimenayee.com/product/the-...

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 30/04/2026

And the brand new cover illustration for Book 1 to celebrate! All of the carpets are designs that were narratively important across the four books. @_@ 8 hours of drawing by hand, and 4 hours of colours.

Zeynel and Ayse hanging out together on a giant red rug, framed by many other carpets (see Author's Commentary for details). Ayse is seated on her knees, holding a portable drop spindle in her hands, already with a ball of white yarn spun. Zeynel is laying down next to her, his left hand playing with the white yarn while holding prayer beads, while the other hand rests on a leather book atop his chest. Various items related to Zeynel's scholarly pursuits are scattered around him: an astrolabe, ink jar, reed pen, pen box and some more books. They are looking at each other sweetly - not yet in love, only still at the edge of it.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 30/04/2026

Book 1 of my #webcomic rerun is complete!! 🌹 Read here: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com An Eisner-nominated historical fiction set in 17th century Ottoman Turkiye. The ordinary lives and romance of two carpet merchants are disrupted when one of them is murdered and turns into a vampire.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 24/04/2026

8+ hours worth of drawing so many dang carpets. Hope this illustration looks nice in colour!!!

Crop of a greyscale digital pencil drawing of Zeynel laying down on a big carpet. The carpet has lots of motifs and medallions

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 23/04/2026

Making History: A panel about historical fiction webcomics May 16, 9 PM EDT I'll be in a panel for @cartoonist.coop Nib & Ink Digital Comics Festival, with @sierrabravoart.bsky.social and @vincentisvintage.bsky.social about our fav genre of comics! 🤩 nif.cartoonist.coop/event/making...

Pretty much what's in the post, with a QR code included. The image is of the main characters from our respective comics: Gatsby from Vincent's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, who has Reineke a not-fox girl on his shoulders from Sierra's WWII historical fantasy. Both of them are amused at Sierra's other character, Hans, being confronted by Alexander the Great's horse, Bucephalus. Alex and Bucy are from my adaptation of the Alexander Romance.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 21/04/2026

There’s a massive difference in how I’d execute drawing a carpet in 2016 vs 2026. I really like how textural and natural it visually looks now (thanks to the iPad which makes the artist hand -> drawing connection feel less awkward). Both are drawn from scratch by hand.

Comparison between old and new. Both are painstakingly hand-drawn but the 2016 feels more awkward (also I was very young when I drew the first carpet so not as seasoned an artist yet)

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 21/04/2026

Before I log off from bsky and vanish for a few days, here is a WIP of an illustration. The Carpet Merchant Book 1 webcomic rerun is wrapping up this week so I thought 🤔😍 why not do a new cover for it? Er… yeah, back to the “drawing carpets by hand” agony mines

Black and white WIP of Zeynel and Ayse relaxing on several piles of carpets, with hand-drawn details and pattern work

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 20/04/2026

The Study of Comics in Academia May 30, 6 PM EDT I'll be moderating a panel for @cartoonist.coop Nib & Ink Digital Comics Festival, with @neilcohn.bsky.social @scottmccloud.bsky.social @nsousanis.bsky.social - geeking over the developments in comics studies. nif.cartoonist.coop/event/the-st...

Our personalised avatars speaking in speech bubbles. The content of the bubbles is pretty much what's on the text of this post!

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/04/2026

🌹 TCM Webcomic Rerun | Update: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... Zeynel learns about and gets more involved in a life of carpet weaving, leading to the realisation of his true calling. 8 spreads/16 pages + author's commentary

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 01/04/2026

🌹 TCM Webcomic Rerun | Update: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... Ayse plans an intervention and shows Zeynel the power of carpets as a medium of storytelling, setting him on the path of becoming a carpet merchant. 5 spreads/10 pages + author's commentary

promotional banner with the webcomic's title. The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya 10th Anniversary

The banter doesn’t cease. But Ayse’s voice is clear, reciprocating his greeting.
“Ve aleykum Selam, come in.”

Only then does he dare to lift the curtain.

Zeynel is amazed at the warmth of this room. The atmosphere is incredibly jovial and busy. Cousins, uncles and aunties are occupied by all sorts of tasks. The walls and the floors are covered with layers of carpets, dazzling with colour and patterns, prime examples of the family’s heritage. Seated right by the entrance is Ayse.

Zeynel nervously asks, “Wh… what is this? Am I allowed to be in here?” He takes in again this countryside environment, carefree and unrestrained and so unlike the more formal customs of Istanbul.

Ayse replies, “Does your Islam forbid it?”

Zeynel places his forefingers together, letting the curtain fall across his head and shoulders. “Well, no? Does yours?”

Ayse snorts. “No! So get in!”

Zeynel meekly enters the room, and sits a few inches from the entrance. After he has gotten used to the visual bedazzlement, he could appreciate the artistry happening in front of him. Busy hands have made these intricate patterns on the wall, with each woven thread representing a night and day of someone’s lifetime.

He turns to look at Ayse.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” She smiles, in a way only someone who belongs in this world would. “This is the magic I want to bring to Istanbul.”

He blinks in delight. He understands completely now.

She continues. “Each carpet owes its becoming to a woman of my family, penning our heritage and legacies onto dyed wool, like ink and paper. We weave of the lives we've lived, the people we've loved, the hopes we dream, and wishes for life to come. Almost as if we are...”

Zeynel gasps, his voice shaking with excitement. “Telling a story.”

Ayse asks him, “Exactly."

His dark brown eyes sparkle in delight.

“Interested? You can start by helping me with this.”

She offers him a spindle with thread.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 22/03/2026

🍵 TCM Rerun | Update: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... Zeynel reveals his insecurities and anxieties. These are still some of my favourite layouts from the entire webcomic. 3 spreads/6 pages + author's commentary

promotional banner with the title The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya by Reimena Yee, 10th anniversary

Ayşe looks at Zeynel with some concern. “How come? It's not like you've got anything bad about you (I hope)?”

He stutters. “I-it's not like that!” He curls himself into a ball, his face in between his knees. He mumbles softly, “It's just… I don't think I’m worth talking about.”

Ayşe sits down next to him. Speaking with as much gentleness as her strong voice is able, she comforts him, “Zeynel, you're a hafiz, a scholar, well-read and spoken. What's there not to be interested about?”

Zeynel gasps. This is getting too raw now. “Ayşe, you don't understand! That's nothing special! I am just being my parents' son! A deCordoba!"

He slumps his shoulders. He is already backed into this corner now. He may as well confess. “I...I guess I owe you my story now, huh?”

Ayşe tilts her head in agreement. “Yep.”

“I was pretty rude to you last night after all.”

“Yep.”

Zeynel closes his eyes, and sighs.

“Okay… so this is my story…”

-

Ever since God placed him on this earth, academic greatness was expected of him. Not only did he have the world in his head, but also on his shoulders. From the day he learned to read and write up to this point, he had tried his best, to study as much as he could. Yet, despite his education, he sometimes felt that he learned nothing.

Both sides of his family were part of a long, prestigious and historical legacy of scholars. His maternal side consisted of physicians, imams and lawyers who mingle with royalty every couple of generations. His paternal side consisted of people who found their home in grand buildings, surrounded by books and tradition: rabbis, scholars, scientists, university lecturers.

The most prominent figure in the hierarchy of his mind was his Papu Yosef – Efraim's father and Zeynel’s grandfather – who was a renowned historian, cartographer and storyteller, and who brought up the Spanish-hailed family of deCordoba into prestige in Istanbul. And then most immediate were the reputation of his physician mother Zeyneb, and the looming shadow of his astronomer-lecturer father Efraim. All were looking at him to continue their legacy, to follow in the footsteps of the scholars who came before him, who made him.

He was overwhelmed.

How could he possibly?

Who was he?

If not for the hafiz title, he would be nothing. That was the truth of it: he was actually nothing. He was hiding behind names and the privilege of academia. He was hiding behind a crafted facade for himself – of an accomplished boy who knew politics, science, the Quran, anything – but it only worked if the impressiveness of academia and the decorum of pleasant small talk were enough to make up an interesting person. When people wanted more than that – when they wanted to get to know him, to see the boy behind the books – , he drew a blank.

He knew nothing about himself. He didn't have any other hobbies, besides studying and collecting stories. He could not speak about his future, because he didn't entirely believe in it. Did he want to become an imam because he truly wanted to, or was it because his family expected him to? He could not speak of his past either.

When it came time to know Zeynel, what was there to know?

He was nothing.

And he would rather not let people know this truth.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 18/03/2026

🤩 The complete 10th Anniversary ebook/PDF collection of THE CARPET MERCHANT OF KONSTANTINIYYA is now on sale @ my online shop. Pay as you want. Read ahead of the webcomic updates. Contains all 640 pages of Volumes 1 and 2. Thank you so much for the support! <3 shop.reimenayee.com/product/the-...

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 16/03/2026

I will be speaking at the online summer series exploring Southeast Asian postcolonial reception of classical literature, hosted by the Institute of Classical Studies and the Classical Reception Studies Network. Becoming a Death Doula for the Alexander Romance Register: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Becoming a Death Doula for the Alexander Romance. May 11, 2026. 12 PM GMT 0. An online conversation with me and Dr Leslie Wong.

The illustration features only my hands, posed as if I am aggressively grabbing and holding Alexander the Great down by the face while I draw directly on his face (his blue eye specifically). This drawing of him is framed by printer marks and overlaid by a drawing grid.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 14/03/2026

🌹MEGA CATCH-UP UPDATE: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... NEW CHAPTER: Flashback to Zeynel and Ayse's meet-cute. A strong, ambitious girl doubts the compatibility of a shy, anxious nerd, until he proves himself on an assignment. 8 spreads/16 pages + author commentary

Square banner with the name of the comic.

Full transcript will be on the site by the end of the week, but to explain: Ayse's father calls her down to meet her suitor, Zeynel, and his family. Everyone except Ayse makes a big fuss out of Zeynel's academic accomplishments.

Full transcript will be up on the site by end of this week, but to summarise: Ayse is confused by Zeynel's off-hand comment about this meeting being a pretense for a hopeful arranged marriage. They start chatting properly about how they ended up in this situation, starting with Zeynel admitting he couldn't be studying in university forever. Ayse responds by explaining her family's history as carpet merchants and weavers.

Full transcript will be on the site by the end of next week, but to summarise: Ayse and Zeynel debrief after collaborating on handling a customer for Ayse's father. While Ayse praises Zeynel's ability to intuit a customer's needs, Zeynel jokes about his nerves, accidentally admitting his social anxiety/mild depression. Ayse scolds him for being dishonest, and he then reveals that he's been masking this whole time.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/03/2026

My mum and I mostly spent our money on food though.

Steamed fish piled on with green peppers

Very aesthetic mixed berry tart and chocolate cake

Husband and wife biscuits in all sorts of colours

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/03/2026

Like, stuff I couldn’t resist: a cat hand towel and the cutest demon plush.

A hand towel in the shape of a tuxedo cat hanging happily from a hook by one hand. It looks more like a plush toy than a hand towel…

Chibi black lamb with pink feet, heart-shaped nose, ears, horn, beret and lacy ribbon. It also has demon wings (unseen)

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/03/2026

Haul of ridiculous trinkets from Shenzhen

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/03/2026

Vanished for a last minute author visit for an international school in Shenzhen. First time in China, and it was interesting to visit the area so close to my ancestral village. Bought a lot of silly, cute stuff too

The top of an ancestral clan house, decorated with scenes and characters in polychrome

A statue of a door god gazing at us intensely, with a hand shading his eyes and a triton in the other hand

Me and my associate, a plush toy girl frog holding my book, My Aunt is a Monster

White cream bun decorated to look like a goofy horse, with yellow cheese(?) for its curly hair

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 25/02/2026

New update: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... Zeynel meets his mentee, a highly talented rug artisan anxious over her ability to live up to her ambition Three spread/six page update

Zeynel asks with interest. “How’s the masterpiece?”

Safiye smirks. “Haha, don’t be funny… I may be good, but not that good.”

Zeynel kindly replies. “Ayse and I expect much of you.”

At this comment, Safiye sighs. Suddenly she is reminded of her smallness. How is she going to explain to her mentor the anxiety she feels inside? The worry of an artist who thinks she is not learned enough for the task? Zeynel is not an artist; he doesn’t have the intimate knowledge of her inner turmoil, but still, she will try.

“Zeynel, you may think me talented, but… weaving still isn’t simple. It isn’t up, down, behold! A carpet!”

With a pause, she reminds herself of her family. The mother she left who taught her the art of weaving and the village she came from that brought her up, even if they stifled her in the end. She continues.

“With my hands I weave not just wool, but my hopes, my dreams, my life! My life... of which I've barely lived. I know so little. My age is a weakness. Do I have what it takes to bring to form a carpet's story? Let alone one of royal grade!”

She turns away. Her heart is full of worry and sadness.

"I feel as if I am a mirage. My potential a miracle at first sight. In reality, dry. That is my biggest fear."

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 22/02/2026

❤️ New update: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/tcm10v... Zeynel closes a pretty sweet deal, and finally gets back to doing his favourite thing in the world: falling head over heels for his wife. 😍

The full transcript is on the site. For bluesky summary purposes: Zeynel lists out the many accomplishments of Ayse while teasingly bragging that he's a load-bearing pillar. Ayse responds by pinching his cheek.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 19/02/2026

🌹 Volume I and Book 1 of The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya begins today! thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com/comic/volume... We start with Zeynel in the middle of tempting a client with magnificent carpet wares, and with me contending with the fact that I'd be drawing so many elaborate patterns.

I have the full transcript of the comics pages on my site! The one in my site has a more a prosey-description, but just for bluesky summary purposes: the first two pages of book one: the carpet merchant, we open to the Blue Mosque and the bazaar/market suburb of Istanbul: where the main characters live.

Zeynel presenting a very elaborate pink, green and red floral Usak carpet: a floral central medallion surrounded by intricate arabesque florals, with a blue border. His client is very impressed.

The opening illustration for Volume One: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale, which was originally the cover for its English and French print edition. Zeynel is seated with a Quran in his arm, while he holds Ayse's hand on his shoulder. The BG is stylised; large expanses of black trees and bushes filled with gold Ottoman floral embroidery, in front of a red star-filled sky. A bat and a nightingale are in flight around the title.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 09/02/2026

New remastered pages, with retrospective commentary and transcript!! 💃👀🤩 I'm excited to finally share the key visual for the 10th anniversary: probably my most maximalist illustration yet. Go to the site to see it in glorious detail!! thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com

Crops of the illustration in the above bluesky post.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 09/02/2026

🌹 10 years ago, I launched THE CARPET MERCHANT OF KONSTANTINIYYA, and it changed my life forever. To celebrate, the 10th Anniversary Edition of my very first completed #webcomic will begin February 18, 2026 - updates every Wednesday + Saturday. Read the prologue now: thecarpetmerchant.reimenayee.com

Key illustration containing the title of the webcomic (The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, 10th Anniversary Edition, by Reimena Yee). Within a stylised depiction of Istanbul's Blue Mosque, a tearful Zeynel is embraced and comforted in the arms of Ayse, his collar and neck soaked in blood. His long coat, a kaftan embroidered in gold florals and flames, is splayed on a floor-sized Usak carpet. The couple is surrounded by gold-foiled tulips, roses and poppies. Woven and sitting amongst the flowers are Zeynel's pets (a white raven and black rat); his English friend Alfred; and his vampire sire, Mora Strigoi. Lanterns are hung from the stems and leaves. Behind Zeynel and Ayse, their family members watch from the columns of the mosque. One of them is a young woman weaving a carpet, the other is a stately grandfather writing a book. A mysterious shadowy figure looms further away. A giant nightingale and bat face each other, framing the title. The illustration is in mostly monochromatic shades of blue, save for the gold of the flowers and embroidery; the bright red of Zeynel's turban, blood and Mora's attire; and finally, the white of the raven, moon and title.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 26/12/2025

Quickly posting to say: hi, new followers! I am still recovering from physical and mental exhaustion, but 2026 will have a few exciting - including the 10th anniversary rerun of my first completed webcomic/graphic novel. Here's a preview of its key art.

a work-in-progress screenshot of the key art for The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya's 10th anniversary. The main character Zeynel is embraced by his wife Ayse, the other main character, framed by gold-edged roses and tulips and arabesque frames inspired by Rococo art.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 25/12/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and whatever else you celebrate. Here's the illustration for the end-of-year postcard I sent to friends and family (those in my address book anyway) #art

A grey sooty owl shaking off some stars from its feathers

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 11/12/2025

I'm opening limited slots for portrait commissions during the Christmas/Holiday season until December 20th. Pet portraits and people portraits, great as gifts. :3 reimenayee.com/commissions

Two tabby cats getting cozy with Halloween motifs, ghosts and ivy

White poodle looking very pleased with his stack of bones

Portrait of a goth middle aged couple with their two alive cats and their ghost cat.

Portrait of a gay couple with their cat and their hobbies.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/12/2025

(The app is Feather 3D) This model is my 2nd attempt at learning how to use the software 🧐

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 03/12/2025

Been KO’ed by back-to-back travel, illness and general cursed-2025 shenanigans; in the respites I’ve been making a 3D model of Alexander to use as reference, and even in its half-baked stage it is paying off

A painterly 3D model of Alexander alongside my drawings

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 04/11/2025

Here were the main points of reference (among many) for the details. I was mainly excited to experiment with visual devices in West/Central miniature that I hadn't been able to do for my previous graphic novel: the disregard for spatial dimension, architectural frames, and animation-like repeats.

Lineart version of the comic, without the colours and patterning.

The pink dragon, which Alexander fights in the Romance: British Library, Add MS 16761, f. 190v.
Alexander aims an arrow at the dragon, which is devouring a black bull. 5 soldiers watch on from behind a trench.

Alexander receiving a message in court. Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venezia, Inv. Cod. Marc. Or. 90 (=57), ill. p. 21.

The Ladies of Egypt Stunned by Yusuf's Beauty, Page from a Manuscript of the Yusuf and Zulaykha of Jami

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 04/11/2025

Not quite a proper update since it's missing its second half (to be posted later), but... 👁‍🗨 Alexander, the Servant & the Water of Life Update: alexanderromance.com/comic/chapte... About: reimenayee.com/alexander Subscribe to newsletter: buttondown.com/reimena

The comic, in a 2 page spread, is done in the style of Persian miniature. The story is this:

The green-clothed Servant escorts Alexander and his mother Olympias behind the curtain (note: this was the previous 2 page spread, which was done in the ancient Greek style)

…and delivers them both to the day of Olympias’ wedding (the Persian style, the comic you are reading now). The Servant tells Alexander,

“In this story of the egg, your mother was bethrothed… (not to Philip! No! To none other than-)
The Shah of Persia.”

The chorus once again emerges from the palace’s treasure room.
Each woman carries a tray, each with a golden egg of dazzling flair and style, envy of all.
The Servant carries a tray, too,
and bows to the wedding couple.

“The wedding was one big part of a diplomatic parley that involved a gift of a hundred thousand golden eggs.
Each one containing a precious gem.

Of course, your mother was the crowning jewel.”

“All seemed well… until it didn’t.
Not long after the Shah rejected her.

The dragons wailed in despair:
Why?, they asked.”

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 29/10/2025

Been around the traditionally published block long enough to have an edition of my graphic novel remaindered (aka PULPED) 🧍‍♂️ this “ouija board” edition was originally for libraries and hard for me to even acquire, so I’m glad to be able to rescue a few for my online shop! Cover design: Patrick Crotty

My children’s graphic novel Seance Tea Party, with a purple hardcover designed to look like an ouija board.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 28/10/2025

When the Night Grew Teeth - illustration based on my vampire webcomic The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a rerun next year

An elegant looking Ottoman era man (AKA the main character of the webcomic) inside a cage of thorny roses. His neck is titled upwards and pricked deeply and bloodily by two thorns, an allusion to the vampire who killed him. A hawk with blood red eyes flies behind him. The illustration is tinted blue, with the only other colours being the blood red on the previous noted areas and some other thorns, and a subtle gold embroidery on the character's coat.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 22/10/2025

Evolution of this layout. We will see if I nail it during colours.

The 3 pictures I uploaded here are the layout in increasing stages of doneness. The first is quite scribbly and bland, the second is still kinda scribbly but has more construction (like, the panels used look architectural) and the third is the second but cleaned up in thin brown lineart. The layout tells the story of how Alexander's mother married the Shah of Persia as part of a diplomatic parley involving a hundred thousand golden eggs, each containing a jewel. All was well... until the Shah rejected her one day.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 20/10/2025

Just finished this pet portrait of Baby, Mimo and Watson. Halloween/Autumn style commissions are still open reimenayee.com/commissions

A small grey cat, a fluffy dilute orange cat and a fluffy black cat frolicking among the stars, plants and various small insects such as dragonflies, bees, beetles and moths.

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 16/10/2025

Here’s a teaser of next update’s style. Which also allows me to feature a special cameo of my darling vampire son 🤩

Photo of the sketch of the comic drawn on my ipad. It adapts the formalist elements of persian illumination into comics form. The sketch is also sitting side by side with a reference of actual historical illumination

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Reimena Yee 🦇 @reimenayee.com · 15/10/2025

Alexander retells the strange dreams his parents had before his birth 👁‍🗨 Alexander, the Servant & the Water of Life 4 Page Update, start here: alexanderromance.com/comic/chapte... About: reimenayee.com/alexander Subscribe to newsletter: buttondown.com/reimena

The card is supplementary to the post, but it's just a preview of the latest page (Alexander's mother with her eyes closed like Sleeping Beauty), links to the website, and some little blurbs reminding folks the printed edition of Book 1 is available and that they can also support me on Ko-fi. The card is framed by drawings of angels and artists from across eras, including a portrait of me, the sun and the moon, foliage, and Alexander, Bucephalus and the Servant riding atop a fish.

“Philip had a dream, too.
In his dream, he placed a seal on my mother’s womb.
The mark which emerged was none other than a lion’s face.”

Alexander’s storytelling is interrupted by cries from the Greek chorus – female oracles, who are attending to the scene between young Philip and Olympias.

“This is no empty promise, Philip.
Your wife carries the exalted one.
The lion of Macedon. Euai!”

Cheers of Euai ring across the chorus as they receive the seal from Philip’s hand and inspect the auspicious lion’s head, passing the seal down one
by
one
until the last of the chorus oracles delivers the seal to Philip’s heir, Alexander.

“Impressive!” cries the Servant. “So many omens in anticipation of your arrival!”

Alexander smiles as he tosses the seal back to the chorus.
“Right? And you know that’s not all!”

The Servant replies,
“Ah, indeed!
The thunderbolt and the seal are not all there is to your provenance. There is, of course, the story of the egg… Come!”

The Servant dutifully escorts Alexander and the pregnant Olympias away from the scene to a room behind a curtain…

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