January 2025

Happy New Year, everybody, Antoni here. 2024 has closed its doors and welcomed 2025. 2024 was a year of important yet hectic changes. I finished my Master’s Thesis at the tail end of August after so much research and many emotional, mental, and psychological roller-coaster rides. I ended up graduating with my Master’s in American Studies program with honors/distinction, i.e., with a German final grade of 1,8 in stark contrast to the 2,0 I received from my Bachelor’s in English and Musicology. Hence, I have proven myself to be an all-around AB student during my tenure as a Master’s in American Studies student. One thing is for sure that my future will continue to open doors to abundant possibilities. I thank my family, friends, colleagues, role models, and all of my fellow online content creators, actors, voice actors, singers, artists, writers, and music and media aficionados for constantly inspiring me to grow, thrive, and be better than what I used to be. With all of this preamble handled, let us tackle the topic at hand. My drawing tenure during 2024 has seen me continue to get my creative juices in gear, especially where my most beloved one true pairing of all time, Inuyasha x Ayame or InuAya, is concerned. I have also been happy to branch out to drawing my other dear one true pairing, Raymond x Alex or Raylex, and my most beloved throuple, Hakkaku x Shunran x Ginta. I was still quite fascinated with the idea of Basuli and Tarzan loving Hercules body and soul, although that has shifted gears, given my fanfics for @Orange-Ratchet’s Comfort Pairing Week last November. Nevertheless, I continue to enjoy drawing George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli in their virile, feral, and muscular glory as a quartet of jungle muscle warrior brothers for life. Quality-wise, I did not get bored with the ideas swimming around in my brain to get these pieces of work released. Yes, I also dealt with other challenges such as finishing my Master’s Thesis, graduating from the Master’s in American Studies program with a strong Cum Laude, and continuing to grow my YouTube channel. Nevertheless, I still made it my artistic duty to squeeze in time to draw fan art for all of you wonderful people. Now, let us commence this road down to memory lane. January: Having a Powerfully Pumped-Up Time I commenced 2024 in my usual fashion of putting Inuyasha and Ayame on display as the mighty power couple that they were. I was still in that phase of making Inuyasha solely don a protective cup made out of demon lion’s mane, while Ayame was in her red attire made out of Fire Rat fur. Sure, some might have found issue with it, given Inuyasha’s attire. Nevertheless, I defended that it capitalized on Inuyasha’s wild virility as a wrestler and bodybuilder specializing in Ancient Greek Wrestling and Ancient Pankration. As for Ayame, her attire was defined by her fighting spirit and limbering nimbleness as a combatant. Talk about starting things off with wild triumph and boundless excitement. February: The Paradigm of Victorious Triumph I enjoyed giving Inuyasha Greek Wrestling attire akin to Zangief from Street Fighter and Ayame Muay Thai attire akin to a female version of Joe Higashi from King of Fighters. It was justifiable because I gave them the title of “the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the martial arts tournaments.” I also insisted that Inuyasha possessed Zangief’s musclebound strength and Guile’s leonine fortitude, while Ayame possessed Joe Higashi’s fearless charisma and Benimaru Nikaido’s undeniable fabulousness. For that, this canine Yokai power couple were thoroughly sorted as the king and queen of international martial arts tournaments as well as their native Northern Yoro Tribe. March: All Hail The Musclebound Champion King Inuyasha dressed akin to Zangief struck again, with Ayame admiring his muscular majesty. In my Anime Martial Arts AU headcanon, I have always perceived Inuyasha to be a wrestler and bodybuilder who specializes in Ancient Greek Wrestling, Shoot Wrestling, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, Folkstyle Wrestling, Kapu Kuialua, and Ancient Pankration. Hence, I made one of his attires very much akin to Zangief from the Street Fighter franchise. Attire aside, I even argued that he was also a wrestler who capitalized on his magnificent muscles and super strength to propel his incomparable combat prowess, as the most muscular fighter in The Splendid Seven. He did just that, and Ayame admired him for his magnificent muscles as well as his triumphant presence as her gloriously musclebound king of a husband. April: Prepared for Pumped-Up Pulverizing I thank my instinct and lucky stars that I had all of my university courses done and dusted. It gave me ample time to not only write my Master’s Thesis but also use the month of April to go full-swing with InuAya Month. In true InuAya Month fashion, I went all out drawing fan art after fan art of my most prized power couple of all time. I did not care that I was one of two people who partook in this. I still enjoyed the possibilities of exhibiting Inuyasha and Ayame in their muscular, powerful, and mighty glory. This is true with Inuyasha’s magnificently mighty muscles as a wrestler and bodybuilder specializing in Ancient Greek Wrestling with a background in Shoot Wrestling and Ayame’s furiously fierce formidability as a prizewinner specializing in Xtreme Gladiator Kickboxing with a background in Shoot Boxing. May: A Mightily Alluring Power Couple I even permitted InuAya Month to expand to May and for good reason. This was a piece of work I started back in the tail end of April. As I continued to write my Master’s Thesis, I found spare time to color this up and submit it before May ended. I was constantly reveling in Inuyasha’s and Ayame’s magnificent might as a punishingly pulverizing power couple. June: A Muscularly Divine Pride Month Present Pride Month definitely came and went when I continued soldiering on with my Master’s Thesis, while simultaneously…