S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier

@mirror-lock

Contemplative indie tabletop games: HER ODYSSEY, GALATEA, UNTITLED MOTH GAME, & more. Worldbuilding examination. Character and roleplay theory. Opinions about fonts. She/her. You look lost, follow me. &

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S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· 11d

Some of my favorite playtest tools - tiny decks of cards! So handy for doing a quick dry run of journaling mechanics no matter where you are or how much table space you have.

A photo of a Tiny Universal Waite Tarot deck (with a keychain attachment) sitting atop a miniature Bicycle poker deck. A US quarter is nearby to show just how small the decks are - the Tiny Tarot container is approximately 1.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall, while the Bicycle deck box is 2 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· 14d

Bloody Slippers features gorgeous cover art by @eshpur.bsky.social, trade dress by @alderdoodle.bsky.social, item art by @runesael.bsky.social and layout by me. The full set of PDFs contains everything you need to run the game, including character handouts, logistical guides & player casting advice.

The cover image of Bloody Slippers, drawn by @eshpur.bsky.social. A highly stylized piece of artwork that looks like stained-glass with golden outlines, depicting a road leading through woods to a faraway fantasy castle. Sitting on the road close to the viewer are a pair of white dancing slippers resting on a pool of blood, between an alyssum plant and a hellebore plant. Bordering the central artwork is a decorative frieze containing twelve different flowers and plants in the same stained-glass style.

A screenshot of the Introduction document from the game Bloody Slippers, featuring trade dress by @alderdoodle.bsky.social. The text is framed by a drawing of a wooden trellised arch with decorative wood curlicues. Up each side of the trellis winds a white cloth or ribbon, holding various plants and flowers in place. At the bottom of the trellis, the wood splits into a diamond shape that is perfect to hold the page number. The text of the page is too long for this alt text, but begins as follows: "Once upon a time, in the far-off land of Iresine, which lay dreaming at the center of a deep dark wood...
...a curse fell over the daughters of the king."

A screenshot of the Overview document from the game Bloody Slippers, featuring trade dress by @alderdoodle.bsky.social. The text is framed by a drawing of a wooden trellis that climbs straight up each side of the page. On each side of the trellis, a white cloth or ribbon is twined around the wood stakes, holding various plants and flowers in place. At the bottom of the trellis, the wood splits into a diamond shape that is perfect to hold the page number. The text of the page is too long for this alt text, but begins as follows: "Bloody Slippers is a theatrical experience for seven players and an Orchestrator.

A theatrical experience—also known as “interactive theater” or “live-action roleplay”—is basically a play without a script or audience. It is a chance to live out a story, guided by the game but ultimately directed only by your thoughts and actions.

If you’re playing, you’ll be assuming the role of a Primary Character (or “PC”). You’ll be given a character sheet that tells you who your character is and what they want, as well as other documents that describe the setting and the rules of the game. Your job will be to internalize all that content and spend the game acting in character, helping to create a story by playing your part. It is incumbent on PCs to understand all the contents of their rulebooks, to follow the rules of the game, and to listen to the Orchestrator."

A screenshot of eight item cards from the game Bloody Slippers, laid out in a two-by-four grid, and featuring item art by @runesael.bsky.social. The items include: Heavy Gold Ring, Polished Silver Mirror, Copper Branch with Ruby Leaves, Silver Branch with Emerald Buds, Gold Branch with Diamond Flowers, Delicate Copper Ring, Elegant Copper Dagger, and Diamond Pendant. All of the items except for the Polished Silver Mirror have corresponding art in a realistic black-and-white penciled style.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· 29d

Two six-sided dice, one white and one blue, have been rolled onto a dark table surface. Both have come up as a 4, for a total of 8.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Jul 8

Playtesting Shadow in the Stars (a new solo journaling game by @tablecatgames.com, in its final crowdfunding hours now!) with my husband’s Warhammer d6s, which just feel correct for the tone of this game 😁

A photo of a spread of mini playing cards in a grid of eight piles, along with sixteen six-sided dice with Warhammer branding.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Jul 1

I love the notes you get in used books

A photo of a portion of a page of the book Ancestral Appetites: Food in Prehistory by Kristen J. Gremillion. Close to a portion of the printed text that reads “domestic dogs (who eat just about anything that people do)” is a handwritten note in pencil: “my dog loves cucumbers ❤️”

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· May 26

It's not fully set up yet since a lot of the desk decorations are still packed away somewhere in boxes, but here's a photo of the last time I put up a curtain behind it:

A photo of a vintage-style secretary desk with its front leaf open. The desk surface holds a stack of books, journals, black gothic lanterns, a brass candlestick, a white rose in a bud vase, an inkwell, and a foil Magic: the Gathering card. On the top of the desk is a quill pen, two wax seals, a small glass cork-stoppered jar, and a black cat-shaped bookend. Behind the desk is a black velvet curtain which is translucent in the bright sunlight. One corner of the curtain is being held back by the cat bookend, revealing a normal suburban apartment complex through the window beyond.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· May 26

The black velvet curtain from my previous DIY sewing project, which I couldn’t use here because it wasn’t wide enough to span the new windows, and the red velvet DIY curtain my mom handsewed 39 years ago for her apartment in China, because curtain-making is a genetically inherited tendency

A photo of black velvet cloth and red velvet cloth with brass curtain rings handsewn onto it.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· May 26

If I had a nickel for every time I hand-sewed curtains onto a DIY curtain rod because the blinds behind my writing desk were not sufficiently aesthetic, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but will get you a palpable percent of the way towards the cost of a DIY curtain rod

A photo of a pair of thin white gauzy curtains hung from a thin wooden dowel supported by two ceiling hooks. The curtains let in a lot of light, and the vague outline of another building can be seen through them. In front of the curtains is an old-fashioned secretary desk with various knickknacks placed on its top.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· May 25

Getting ready to raise the biggest white flag since [insert irreverent military joke of your choosing]

A photo of a long wooden dowel held horizontally, over which a length of white gauze is draped. The top of the gauze is pinned shut, forming a narrow channel for the dowel, so that the fabric drapes from the dowel like a curtain or a flag.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· May 9

Best adaptation of The Odyssey, wrong answers only

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Mar 27

Making the most of my last few weeks in the Bay by taking as many book arts classes as I can, including tonight’s on making art postage

A photo of two sheets of paper perforated into grids like sheets of postage stamps. These have been decorated with small, clearly hand-drawn pieces of art.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Mar 12

Just saying, if you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, I highly recommend Le Fleur Rouge. Large variety of amazing French-Chinese food for $20 on their lunch prix-fixe menu.

A photo of the interior of a Brooklyn restaurant, featuring dark wall and ceiling panels, red drapery, and an overall aesthetic reminiscent of the 1920s.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Feb 23

hmmmmm

A photo of a view out of a windowpane at a snowy landscape. The heavily snow-laden branches of a tree stretch across an otherwise featureless white scene. Somewhere underneath the unplowed snow is a road, but that fact must be taken on faith.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Jan 21

Have you played Galatea? Do these words look familiar to you? If so, you should know that the work that I cited as "The Conjurer" two years ago has now been published by Apocryphile Press as THE GOETIST by Warren Tusk. I highly recommend you pick it up. apocryphilepress.com/book/the-goe...

A photograph of a page from The Goetist, a book by Warren Tusk. The chapter title is "Perfection". The text reads:
"And if you would exist as yourself: accept that you are defined by flaws and limitations. You are distinct from the divine because you have fallen short of it. But a wise magician seeks throughout his life to grow, in wisdom and virtue and capacity. In distinguishing between the imperfections that you will strive ever to overcome, and the imperfections that will define your own nature, lies the art of understanding. Stand outside your life, and look upon it, as you would look upon a painting on the wall; and whatsoever gives it bright color and rich texture, do not cut that away."
Handwritten on the page in red ink is an added line: "And which bright color is that?"
Lying on the page is the same white rose that appears in the promotion photos for Galatea, a solo journaling game by S. Kaiya J.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Jan 15

This isn't the first time I've had to post this. So I hope you understand by now that I haven't forgotten.

The tuxedo Bugs Bunny "I wish all X a very pleasant Y" meme, altered to read "I wish all my TTRPG mutuals a very happy working on that project you mentioned last year".

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Dec 12

I already really enjoyed my local Vietnamese coffee chain, but today I discovered they sell crème brûlée macarons 🥰 😍

A photo of a hand holding up a temptingly delicious macaron with a crème brûlée topping

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Dec 3

Four out of my five top songs this year on Spotify made it to the top because I was playing the solo jounaling game One More Song on June 21st.

A screenshot of a frame from Spotify Wrapped, listing my most listened songs of 2025 in order: Until We Bleed by Kleerup and Lykke Li, In My Bones by Dagny, Everyone You Know by Now Now Every Children, Stars and Boulevards by Augustana, and La Familia by Mirah.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 23

I’ll be at the TTRPG self-publisher meetup today! As always, you can identify me by the pins on my purse:

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 23

If you’re looking for me at PAX, this is my fit for today

Kaiya dressed as a demon, complete with curved black horn, a black lace choker, and a black silk shirt. She is wearing a black face mask.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 21

If you’re looking to pick up Galatea or any number of other cool indie TTRPGs this weekend, check out the Side Quest Books & Games booth in the PAX Together Intersection room!

Copies of Galatea sit alongside other solo and duet TTRPG zines on a shelf at the Side Quest Books & Games booth.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 21

Keep a weather eye out, PAX Unplugged attendees! If you spot these pins on a purse strap, it’s me - stop me, say hi, and ask for a hug and/or a business card!

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 20

A perfectly normal middle-seat airplane pastime

A picture of an airplane tray table mostly taken up by a sewing project, looking like a shapeless heap of gray cloth. This is a costume of an officer’s jacket; one sleeve in the foreground is getting black trim handsewn onto the cuff. A needle bearing gray thread is stuck into the cuff, and pins hold the trim in place. Further in the background, a container of pins perches amid the cloth folds. Off to one side, a can of ginger ale and one of those tiny airline cups fight for space on the tray table.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 19

me two weeks ago: "I'll just pull a costume out of my closet for this PAX game" me now: handsewing black trim, brass buttons, epaulets, and a custom patch onto a jacket with color-matched thread, all of which were purchased within the past week

A gray chef's jacket is laid out on the floor. A pair of black-and-gold rectangular epaulets, like those worn by airline pilots, rest on its shoulders. Black piping runs around the collar and down the front closure of the jacket, as well as around the cuffs of the sleeves, visibly pinned in place by many sewing pins. Three brass buttons are laid out on the front closure but not yet sewn in.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Nov 11

I’ll be posting this again closer to PAX, but just so you know, I’ll be wearing these pins while I’m there! I don’t expect anyone to recognize my face on sight, especially behind a mask, so I figured I should try to look the way I do on the internet.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 30

Look what arrived safe and sound! A perfectly normal copy of a solo book-defacing RPG that will definitely not take its vengeance on me. Thank you @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social!

A photo of a copy of SPINE, or Siderius Plug’s Immortality in Ninety-nine Endnotes, a solo book-defacing TTRPG by Asa Donald. The book features a design reminiscent of battered leather, with a motif of a curled-up human spine.

A close-up of the back cover of the SPINE book, featuring a portion of a testimonial by yours truly. It reads in part: “I found myself enthralled by the interconnected mysteries lurking within the pages, until I simply couldn’t put it down. Horror enthusiasts & linguistic puzzlers must explore!” The first letter of each word in the last sentence has been underlined, revealing the acrostic message HELP ME.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 25

What, will these hands ne'er be clean, etc.

A photo of a hand smeared with red ink in a manner somewhat reminiscent to some of the scenes from Macbeth. The corner of one of the prints peeks out in the background.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 25

Contrast with the prints on the final paper, which still have that organic hand-printed look, but are much more solidly printed. The final paper is so thick and creamy, and (as you'd expect from letterpress) the words are slightly indented into the surface. It's a lovely tactile experience.

A photo of a several prints bearing the words "tomorrow & tomorrow & tomorrow", in typefaces of decreasing size and impact. The words are printed in a bold red. A few chips and scratches are still evident on the print, but the letters look much more solid than in the photo of the practice print from the previous post.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 25

The first practice proof that we pulled! The paper for the proof sheets was thinner and glossier than the intended final paper, so it didn't take up all the ink as firmly as the final product would. I like this aesthetic, though - quite battered and weather-worn.

A photo of a print bearing the words "tomorrow & tomorrow & tomorrow", in typefaces of decreasing size and impact. The words are printed in a bold red, but look quite faded and scratched.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 25

We inked it with red, obviously. We were printing on a Vandercook cylinder press, which was very easy to ink - dab a thin line on the top cylinder, then let the machine run until the ink distributes evenly on all the cylinders.

A tray of wooden type resting on the print bed of a cylinder press. Red ink has been applied to the cylinders, but the cylinders have not yet spun enough to distribute all the ink evenly.

S. Kaiya J. || Mirror-lock Atelier@mirror-lock· Oct 25

For my print design, I chose a quote from Macbeth ("Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...") and played with font to emphasize the growing hopelessness and weariness in those lines. Manual kerning is finicky enough in Affinity Publisher. Doing it physically is even more of an endless rabbithole!