Happy Friday Everyone!

This morning I feel overwhelmed with so much generosity and kindnesses.

Thank you.

I also want to say that as Hank pointed out in this lovely post 1. I have a huge network of support, and 2. I get a lot of outside validation, both IRL and online, and 3. I have access to excellent mental health care and medication I can afford.

The vast, vast majority of people who live with online hate aren’t so fortunate. I hope we can all make an effort to be as kind to them as so many people have been to me. In the author world, women I really admire, from Roxane Gay to Maggie Stiefvater to Cassie Clare to Maureen Johnson to Sarah Rees Brennan, deal with vicious and violent hatred online daily, and I have such admiration for their fierce will to go on in the face of it. I also admire them for taking breaks or creating space from online life when they need to. And I’m grateful to them personally for their generosity and wisdom and guidance.

Again, thanks, and here’s to us all trying to support and be kind to people who are dehumanized online and don’t have the privileges and support that I do. 

when people like and reblog your posts

This is what I do on snapchat :(

Stop Clickbait.

"The teacher will clear the other students from the room".... and yet  your lab partner stays

ok we had to watch this in chem class

that sexual tension

*spends the next 17 years trying to catch pikachu*

millionmovieproject

Is there anything that does make you feel better, or have a sense of relief?  I’m asking because I’d like to know how we can help.  I don’t expect you to have all the answers, just that if there’s some way we can come through for you.  Does it help to talk, or does this kind of feedback make things worse?

What helps:

Witnesses testifying publicly that they’ve seen the harassment I’ve dealt with. I hate wording it that way but that’s how it works—people don’t believe women who decide to speak up for themselves, but they do believe women when others speak up for them.

Sincere, positive spotlights. When Kotaku featured my art a few years back, they didn’t get consent, and it was presented sensationally, which is common with photorealism [”You won’t believe these aren’t photographs!” etc]. I got so much hate. Really vulgar sexual harassment. That was my first experience with rape threats. On the other hand, when Orlando Jones signal boosted my art in an interview, he did it with honest, genuine enthusiasm, and it was wonderful. I got positive feedback and work.

Professional validation from other artists. Hoo boy the dream. Someday I’ll have a Wiki page.

Inclusion by fandom. This is sort of petty, but I make fanart, and fanartists are so rarely included in community discussions or asked about the shows they draw. We’re good communicators.

Just generally not being treated like a threat or a freak show. Is nice.

Questions about my artistic choices. It’s validating when people want to know more—it means you see it as real art.

Tagging me in stuff if it reminds you of my art. Tagging me in stuff you made.

Not putting the onus on me to deal with hate.

This is stuff you can do for any artist, I think. Sorry if it all sounds obvious.

I’M CONVULSING THIS IS PEAK 2018 JOURNALISM

I finally got clearance to show my rough animation from Castlevania! I did a lot of animation for this show so I’m going to release these through several posts each week, starting with this one.

For the Alucard vs Trevor sequence there wasn’t enough time in the schedule for me to finish out the animation, so I completed a first pass and the drawings were sent over to Korea for the artists at MUA Film to to tie down.