Well, it's been a while. This post is about both my work and my life. The two are pretty inseparable at this time.

TLDR:

The last episode of Code Blue Season 1 has been written, and I'm launching a feedback survey to better understand how everyone is playing the story. Please skip to the end for context and the survey link.
Code Blue will be skipping an update before Season 2 begins.
After surviving a tumultuous year, I'm continuing to settle in in a new country.

What's been going on here:

About two weeks ago, I finished writing the final chapter of Code Blue's first season. I also got some good immigration-related news. Without going into specifics, I had been stuck living off of savings since March despite receiving payment for my work through YSI. Bureaucracy is a magical, terrible thing, and if you think that immigrating to a new country as an individual while working is straightforward, accessible, or easy, I encourage you to think again. I hope the worst is behind me. With my newly reduced stress levels and access to income, I've done exciting things like get a shelf with drawers so that my socks and underwear are no longer proudly displayed in the middle of my living space. I also bought a thick, fluffy rug that I can roll around on like a responsible adult.

After months and months of occupying this space, my new home is beginning to feel like home. Work has been the constant thread throughout the year. Almost everything has changed aside from my coworkers and the project I'm working on. This week wraps up my third short break of the year. I took a week during relocation, another got lost somewhere in the summer dealing with odds and ends, and I'll be taking a final break next month. Hopefully that will be a genuine, relaxing break, during which I can mentally unwind and recharge for another year of working hard, learning a lot, and enjoying life, love, and local community.

For me, 2025 has taken a toll. I now live thousands of miles and many time zones from my few close friends and small support network back home. The only person in my family that I had a healthy relationship with passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the year, a week before I got on a plane with two suitcases. I learned that his memorial service made no mention of my existence, though we grew up in the same house, and he was the best brother he could be under the difficult circumstances of our upbringing. My home country's administration continues to redirect the hate they foment toward vulnerable minorities, including trans people like myself. These are a few of the things that have affected me most directly. You could say I'm working through some stuff. And then there's everything else happening in the world: a seemingly endless list of uncertainties and injustices that's enough to spin up a proper doom scrolling session on a bad day.

The good? There's been a lot of that too. I've met wonderfully kind and compassionate people along the way since my arrival. Thanks to some of those people, I found an apartment in my dream city despite long odds, and I hope to remain here for the foreseeable future. Despite the chaos that has been my life for the last 9 months, I also found a romantic partner who is incredibly sweet and supportive (and many other things as well, but I shouldn't share too much without asking). I've also met numerous cats, two of which injured me before coming around, and I'm now the proud owner of a maranta houseplant named Arnault.

Between the good and my various coping skills (both constructive and destructive), I've managed to get by and keep on creating. However, I'll be completely unsurprised if my gray hair count suddenly spikes like it did after my divorce. Although, gray hair looks cool and dignified, for the record. I've also traded in a decent amount of muscle for fat, which I'd like to reverse. In general, my focus for 2026 will be focusing on recovery: regaining my physical strength, rebuilding and strengthening my resilience, routines, social connections, and so on. If all goes well, 2027 will be focused on sustainable growth.

So, that's a bit about life outside of work. Also, a shout out to coffee. Because, coffee.

Code Blue:

As for my work on Code Blue, let me share a few thoughts.

Probably surprising no one, writing a medical drama as someone with next to no medical knowledge and limited exposure to the medical field or related media is a challenge. I estimate that the medical aspect of the story occupies a solid 30-50% of my time and energy for any given episode. I'd originally planned to write 3 episodes an update, but the combination of medical content and gender of choice, in conjunction with going through several major life stressors all at once are making that unlikely. I'm not interested in burning out or ending up as a patient in a hospital myself, so I'm focusing on sustainability, and for now, two episodes an update is what I'm capable of producing.

I am incredibly grateful that the story has found an audience. I genuinely appreciate everyone's support. Seeing people connect with and enjoy the story is the greatest honor I could hope for. As someone who has mostly had traumatic experiences when it comes to my interactions with doctors and hospitals, it's not the sort of story I would choose to read. (I've seen a handful of comments about, "I just don't do medical dramas," and I 100% get it.) I prefer stories with an element of fantasy or science fiction for escapism. Those are the stories that I've always turned to in difficult times, and they are near and dear to my heart. As an adult, I often feel that I just don't have the stomach for the "gritty reality" of "real life drama." And in line with that, I've done my best to acknowledge some of the harsh realities that medical professionals face without turning it into what I consider trauma porn.* I've also done my best to inject a decent amount of humor, not just to balance out the mood, but also because it seems to be an integral part of medical practice. (Not to mention that the world could always use more laughter.) All that to say, I'm very glad that people are getting something out of Code Blue. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect going into this.

*If trauma porn is your jam, more power to you. It's just not my thing. I like cozy sci-fi and fantasy stories with aliens and creatures and loads of queer shit™, and I think it's great that there's something for everyone.

In no particular order, a few things that have been on my mind:

I do not use generative AI in my writing process at any point and specifically avoid software that uses generative AI. It is my intention to maintain this stance moving forward, and I'll write here if that changes for any reason. In fact, I specified in my agreement that I would not use generative AI. In terms of visuals, there's always a chance I'll include an AI-generated image when finding reference for the artists, even though I specifically have my search engine set to avoid AI-generated content.
- If you want a great book on the harms of generative AI and how we got here, I recommend Karen Hao's Empire of AI (Disclaimer: It's slightly meandering, and I've not finished yet because my library loan ran out partway through, but it provides a great deal of perspective if you haven't been following the technology's development closely.)
I've noticed what I'll call "an assumption of bad faith." I understand that the internet rewards engagement, and negativity drives engagement. I also understand that I'm being judged not as an individual but in a larger context, but also... I'm not a malicious villain. Unless you have a problem with queer people existing. Then, well... I guess I'll just be the terror that flaps in the night or something. I actually enjoy answering questions as best I'm able, rather than having the worst assumed about what my writing and design decisions.
There is not a canon version of Jules. When writing, I start with the female version of the script. I then duplicate this and make adjustments to each version according to that gender's life experience. Jules is very much a product of their environment and upbringing, for better and worse.
The way time is handled in the story will change soon. I'm super excited for it, and I think you'll also enjoy this change.
We are approaching a point in the story where Jules may start being more particular about their appearance. In addition to other questions, the survey I've linked below specifically includes an opportunity to offer feedback on what you'd like to see.
I understand that players want the ability to go back and choose additional hair and clothing options, and this will be added starting in Season 2.

If I shared all my thoughts, this post could go on for ages, and I'm also down with a cold at the moment, so I'm going to wrap things up. If you would like to help me by offering your thoughts on Code Blue so far, I would be very grateful if you'd fill out this survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnn_HReTz3xqXTg7vR3wsa3nuLLS70FBP9QKKblCYcIHYGFA/viewform?usp=dialog

And with all that said, here's wishing you the best. Please take care out there!
~Yim