#maybe i am dreaming too small. i have a knack for it because im creative inherently

[stabyou]

been having so much fun making jewelry lately. i have so many pieces now that i can't feasibly wear all the things i've made in any kind of timely manner. got bracelets coming out of my ears

[arythusa]

Star ASKS!

Hey, I got an unusually high volume of asks related to Star vs. the Forces of Evil this week. I’m replying to some of them in a couple of text posts. Here’s the first one!:

Anonymous said: FanTASTIC job on the song day episode!

Thank you!!

Anonymous said: Ilysm and ty for everything you've done for me and my fellow trans friends!!! 💜💜 im sorry you get aggressive folks coming at because of it. Just know that you're so so so appreciated and im so glad to know that we have a voice for the lgbt community in children media !! No matter what happen with marco know that just the fact that you appreciate the theory is a lot more than we could ever dream of!!💜💜💜💜 and your webcomic is good too you're just a genius tytyty!!

Hey anon! Thank you for your support (and for your kind words about my comic)! U_U I am not trans myself (I am only your friendly neighborhood cisbi) but I hope I can be a supportive trans ally! I of course cannot speak on Marco’s canon development as a character, but as for the fan theory itself, I am glad it is bringing you happiness!

Anonymous said: I love that anon is so entitled that they're telling a storyboard artist which theories they aren't allowed to like on the show they fucking work on

Yep! It would be one thing if I were openly supporting a popular “neo-Nazi Marco” theory or something but . . . that’s not what’s going on. Let people like the fan theories they like! As long as they’re not hurting anyone! 

Anonymous said: Did Ruberiot get killed after song day because he posible started a riot/revolution or is he okay?

No, no, he’s okay! He’s probably just super upset.

Anonymous said: Maybe this is a weird question but I’m really curious. I see that some of the crew likes the trans Marco hc and I’ve also heard that you don’t decide if you include LGBT characters in the show. So I need to ask is Ludo… gay coded? I remember back in season 1 I felt like he had this ‘gay vibe’. When he was around Toffee he looked so enamored with him and I don’t know if it was just my imagination. I’m really sorry if this is a weird question.

This isn’t a weird question! I wasn’t around when Ludo was created, but I don’t believe he was (intentionally) gay coded. But I can absolutely see what you’re talking about, and Ludo does share certain traits with many past animation and live action villains who have been (intentionally or not) gay coded. 

On the other hand, I’m not sure he’s ever specifically identified as straight, so for all we know he could be gay! 

Also you are right in that I don’t really have influence over things like LGBT representation in the shows I work on. It’s complicated.

Anonymous said: Around the end of middle school I started thinking about becoming an animator. People said the best school for that was CalArts so I looked up the shorts and found one called Kagemono. That short was one of the things that made me start taking animation more seriously. Guess how surprised I was to see that you were the one who made it and that I'd found your blog by complete accident! So in a roundabout way, you inspired me to be an animator! Thanks!

You’re very welcome!! I’m glad you liked my film, and good luck on your animation career!!

Anonymous said: you're helping to create content that literally and directly makes my life better thank you

I’m glad my work is helping you!!

Anonymous said: I don't mean to be rude, but I really suggest you shouldn't engage with the fandom so closely, in all my years as a fan, crew members of shows interacting with fans so closely tends to end really badly, fans tend to be volatile if given the opportunity, their entitlement and dehumanization of content creators can go too far. There's multiple accounts on which creators have gotten harassed by fans, from sherlock to avengers crew members, etc. 

You’re probably right! :| I mean, I’ve talked with creators in the past, and they often expressed some mix of confusion or frustration with the drama that can arise from fandom. I will probably disengage a bit if the drama becomes too difficult to handle. 

I don’t want to, though! I like the idea of creators who have an open relationship with their fans . . . even if, in practice, the bad apples end up spoiling the bunch. 

Speaking of which: I knew this would happen eventually, but an anon accused me of queerbaiting. Their specific language was something like, “You are obviously queerbaiting. I’m SO glad you have NO creative power.” 

I find this very frustrating for several reasons:

1) I am a queer woman of color. I’m not saying I don’t have blind spots, because everyone does, but I am very personally invested in bringing real LGBT representation into the work I do. 

2) Also, it’s been brought up before in reference to people like Lauren Zuke: the internet has a knack for crying “queerbaiting!” on queer creators. 

3) I actually do have a small amount of creative power as a storyboard artist, but not nearly enough to influence things like character arcs or basic facts of new characters (such as sexuality and gender identity). If I did, I assure you I would be pushing for representation wherever possible. 

4) I have made absolutely no claims or statements regarding the canon....ness of the trans marco theory. The small amount of semi-public participation I’ve had in that part of the community has been to show support for a fan theory that seems to make people happy. 

5) In the last few days I’ve been accused of being a crazy lying feminist, a “Fucking Trans” Marco theorist, AND a queerbaiter. I’m a little tired of being on the internet right now.