Your Joy – Comic and New Merch

This project idea crystallized in my mind the weekend I got back from the States, thanks to many disparate plot threads coming together with me running into more problems, not even a week into me returning from another intense and emotional adventure.

Once again, a change in policy on a platform we thought was safe, or different in any way (a naive assumption, one might say, but on the flipside; always assuming you're in danger is just as unhealthy) led me to pass up some well-needed rest - which I'd actually scheduled time for - in favor of running more sessions of my panel to spread the word about how to stay safe and maintain a presence online.

I was fed up. Exhausted. Done with feeling like I had to waste my time and energy playing whack-a-mole with their stupid garbage almost every goddamn day.

I started working on this alongside the extra prepwork I needed for the bonus panel sessions I ran online, and a week of frankly frantic effort later, I made this.

For those not in the know, the two bunnies prominently featured are Praline and Chili respectively, two of my median facets.

Before losing you to the comic and further backstory after the jump, I want to mention that I've also made the closing panels into merch designs that you can buy, and support my work in the process. Thank you for your consideration. 💝

This came about because while I was away, and visiting part of the "extended found family" overseas, I was invited to make a piece of graffiti to add to their bathroom wall. Taking this altogether too seriously, I sketched out a design to later apply to the communal canvas.

This was just days after having had to just about completely erase what makes me who I am for the purposes of sanitizing myself at border control, so then ending up with such a wonderfully welcoming and affirming space had me feeling at the very least rather litigious and confrontational with the "authorities" who would gladly stifle us if they could.

I wanted whoever was visiting that space to know; if they're there, they're likely with people who they love and care about - and that they should fight for their joy, because giving that up would be giving villains what they want.

Fast forward to when I was grappling with Bsky's latest sorry excuse of a policy update two weekends ago, and this comic was the result.

2 Comments

  1. Malachyte

    I’ve been waiting with bated breath to finally get to see this. While I wish you didn’t have to face the delay in posting it and the heartache that came with, I do want to say that on my end, it ramped up my anticipation for the reveal all the more. I feel emotionally invested in this art in a new way as a result of that.

    I’m so sick of fighting every day. I’m exhausted at waking up to a hundred new ways things are tightening around us. But I’ll keep picking myself up off the floor and doing it anyways. We know what’s at stake, we have found our happiness. We will fight for that.

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