albinoraven666fanart

So I don’t like when I have to bring up a sensitive subject such as bigotry or intolerance but it’s time to just go over this again. I rarely have to worry too much about this in the comment section or from my followers as most creative types are pretty open minded, but it seems that whenever I post anything that has the slightest thing to do with gender identity or sexuality there is always at least one person who needs to post comments that are either subtly or blatantly ignorant or prejudiced against the LGBTQ+ community, or often more specifically gender identities. This happened when I revealed Dotty and Digger were together and raising Spotty as their own. This also tends to happen whenever I post anything about my own status within the LGBTQ+ community (pan, not sure about gender but I go by she/her or they/them and there wasn’t as much education growing up about the different gender identities so I don’t really know where I fall in regards to my gender- and that’s okay too!). Or, most recently, in an upload where I mention the potential of a Non-Binary character. And more often than not these people will respond to other commenters in the thread rather than the thread directly in hopes I wont see it. I do check my comment sections, guys… I see what you reply to others. Anyway… I haven’t had that much LGBTQ+ representation in past stories, marking Dotty and Digger as my first definitely stated couple. And as the comic progresses I hope to add more representation of the LGBTQ+ community, especially because if I got to Kiara’s Reign then I’ll be exploring the world of the kingdoms surrounding the Pride Lands, and just because it hasn’t been the ‘norm’ in the Pride Lands it doesn’t mean it might not be more embraced or known of elsewhere. So there will be more characters from the community. I will not argue with comments feeling the need to express their negative ‘opinions’ about any marginalized community. Human rights, treating people with respect, and understanding that everyone deserves to be represented in popular media should not be a debate. And arguments such as “I just wish they didn’t push it in everyone’s face!” or “why does everyone need a label now?!” or “I don’t have a problem with it, I just wish it wasn’t their whole personality” will be treated as they are- not as rational debate or ‘opinion’, but as a less blatant way to criticize someone’s individuality. SO! If you have a problem with the LGBTQ+ community I’d like it if you just unwatched me now. Because I will hide comments and block people who I believe are going out of their way to comment hate when they really don’t need to- especially when you’re responding to other commenters and not directly to me to avoid detection. I will try to educate where I can, but I will not leave up comments that I believe are harmful, or permit access to those who rarely comment except when they want to start trouble or get a reaction. So please… Either don’t comment or unwatch me I always encourage people to be their better selves, so please do some unbiased research on gender identity and sexuality. People just want to live their lives, accept who they are, and feel proud about who they are as an individual. ALTERNATIVELY! PEEPS! I’m reasonably educated on gender identity and sexuality. I’m in the community myself, but I will admit that a lot of what is understood now to be a part of the spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community was not readily understood when I grew up. In the 90’s and early 2000’s the only thing people really recognized was Gay, Lesbian, Bi (though people thought bisexuality wasn’t real), and Trans (granted, with extreme prejudice and hate).. I thought I was Bi for the longest time (and even then people were like “you can’t be both!”), and didn’t know Pan was a thing until much more recently. So as I develop characters I might need help with understanding some terminology- not because I’m against it, but because there’s just so much to know now and I might not know everything. I wasn’t always the best at understanding things when I was younger and in the past and I’ve been educating myself ever since, but I want to provide appropriate representation without resorting to anything that might be considered an offensive stereotype. So if anyone in the community- particularly where the branches of Asexuality, Gender-Fluid/Neutral, and Non-Binary are concerned- are willing to talk to me and educate me a bit in that regard I would be very grateful. Kiara’s Reign is far off and still in early world building and development, but I’d rather be better informed sooner rather than later.

The month of April has been a.... Painful one. My partner had to have his tonsils removed, which as an adult seems to take a while to recover- which is not fun. I also got some stupid flu the day after his surgery which is finally just breaking. And I did something stupid to my back on Tuesday (I think it's muscle spasms, it happens sometimes this is just a really bad flair-up). It's seriously like a death by a thousand cuts, haha. Mentally I'm doing better, the anti-sad pills seem to be helping- my manic highs aren't so manic, and my deep sads aren't 'stay in bed all day questioning the pointlessness of existence' bad anymore so... That's good! But physically? Man, my back is killing me and it would be nice if my nose could unclog... Anyway, It's been hard to fulfill my commission obligations and get pages out these past couple weeks, but rest assured the patreon will get pages, DA will go back to the 5-7 day structured upload, I will start chipping at my commissions again in short order, and I might even progress with my plans for Kiara's Reign (I probably wouldn't post it out of order, but I have some fun plans for that and I'm eager to get start it... It just likely wouldn't be available on deviantart until the comic gets there naturally, MAYBE might release it early on patreon... we'll see- I'm still in the story building and story writing phase.). I've also really been craving more tlk rp lately, but... past experiences keep me weary of that concept outside of rping with close friends... Past Group Lion King Rp PTSD, man.. But yeah, I'm alive.. Life is just a bit complicated and hectic right now. I thank you for your patience

So… This AI thing… I wasn’t sure if I was going to talk on this issue or not, and what it means for me, the future of art as a career, DA, and my opinion on it and stuff. Buuut it seems everyone is talking about it, and some people are leaving DA as a result, so I just wanted to let you know where I’m at. First off, AI itself is a mixed bag of…. Meh. As we know, AI generators can not actually create unique and creative images out of no-where. Like humans, it creates what it has known and observed. Unlike humans, it’s not observing things from real life and instead observes data and images online. Unfortunately, that means using the images and data of art from real-life artists that were posted online. For the sake of reference, learning, exploring ideas, and so on, I actually think AI can be a really good resource, but in no way is clicking a button with key words your own original content. It’s a hodgepodge of images stolen from real artists online, and that’s where the issue with AI stems and why people are so upset. It feels wrong to type a few words, click a button, then claim or sell that as your own work when it takes assets from other’s work and wasn’t originally created by you at all. And it is a shame at DA facilitates the claiming and selling of AI generated art at the disadvantage of real artists. That being said, it is unlikely AI as a ‘tool’ is going anywhere unless laws are enacted protecting the copyright it takes from; obviously, this new technology is in a weird legal gray area. I work in art education, particularly in Digital Art and Graphic Design and over the past year or two we’ve had to find ways to adapt to this new technology so that we are not entirely replaced by it. Through the perspective of an educator who is trying my best to see students succeed in their future creative careers, learning to use AI as a ‘tool’ can assure professionals that they keep their jobs. Adapting to new technologies is what has kept digital art alive and relevant… Now, please do not think this means I support the concept of AI art as a whole- I frankly find it quite insulting to true artists and it bothers me that DA has hopped on this bandwagon; I just wanted to give you some insight on what educators have to do to assure our students have a future. But despite trying to adapt, AI has started to take a toll on our program. Students are questioning whether they should waste their time, or money if they go on to pursue it at college, when a computer can ‘replace them.’ Our enrollment is starting to drop each year as this technology advances and that makes me incredibly upset. I hate that people are being discouraged by this. And companies like DA hopping on this bandwagon without protecting real artists properly makes people feel even more disheartened. So… You’ve heard how we’re trying to adapt education to this new technology so students don’t feel replaceable by damn AI programs, and how I feel about it on a personal level (okay as a reference tool, it’s not okay to claim, post, or sell it as your own work), so let’s move on to how I feel about DA including AI not only on the website but in their user interface. I HATE that I see that big AI button at the top of my DA page. No, DA, I do “DreamUp AI Art”... I don’t like that AI is being sold on the platform, let alone being posted in general. I think it’s scummy, especially after that backlash they got when they first incorporated it onto the program and we originally had to go through and check the “no AI” setting on every single one of our Deviations until they finally changed it to a single click in our settings. I hate how once DA was sold and rebranded as Eclipse that it became clear this site only cares about money and pandering to every new trend that pops up… They’ve jumped the gun on a lot of things (-coughcough-supportingIsrealandthereforthegenocidehappeninginGaza-coughcough-), and this feels like another one of those. So… What’s my plan? To put it bluntly, I’m not leaving DA. I have thousands of images here, thousands of comic pages in my gallery. It would take me forever to find old files, reimage ones I have to collect from my online gallery because the original files no longer exist, and then upload it all again on another website. This is where my watchers and friends are, this is where I have found success, and- I hate to say it- but this is the only art site I’ve ever tried that has the numbers to prove worth while, entertaining, and social (outside of maybe places like FurAffinity, but that’s for a specific demographic). If I were to ever shift permanently to a new platform it would probably be if I stopped doing fanart, started doing my own original content, and would likely be a mixture of Instagram, Patreon, and Webtoons. But I don’t intend on doing that any time soon, so… It sucks guys, it all really does…. I’m here to stay…. Much like AI (which really fucking sucks….) Can we also point out that dystopian media has been warning us about sentient artificial intelligence for like... ever... This is like watching all of Jurassic Park/World and then being like "y'know what, despite the glaring red flags lets make us some Dinosaurs!" Yes... Fiction is not reality, but fictional themes have basis in reality, when the exploration of technology is backed by the greed of those seeking financial, social, and/or military power then it can negatively shift the course of human history... And at some point we will go too far with it and wont be able to stop it. OFF TOPIC BUT IMPORTANT! Happy Late Easter to those who Celebrate, Happy Late Zombie Day to those like me who don't, and Happy Late International Transgender Day of Visibility! I wasn't really online at all yesterday so I didn't have the chance to post anything, but I hope all my Transgender watchers, all of my LGBTQ+ watchers, know that you have my support and love. <3

Hey guys! So! Yesterday evening into today people have been linking me a tiktok video of a person showing off my drawing of Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. I printed it off for the person in the video, but granted didn't know they'd make a tiktok about it. I spoke with them today and they are allowed to keep the video up (I gave them permission), so please don't think they stole it from me- it was actually a gift to one of my students and I really don't want any hate being sent her way. Also, I normally try to keep my real life self separate to my internet activity here on DA and normally I do not give my students access to my socials until they graduate for their own safety and my anonymity- I just didn't predict this would happen or that it would kick off on TikTok. The video does not reveal any personal information about me or the student, but if you see it please be kind and be aware that they have my permission to post it. Also, hi to all the new watchers I've gotten as a result XD

So.... There's been some stuff I didn't know about going in my comment section.... I don't quite know what's going on between some users, but let me be clear... If you post anything that is ableist, homophobic, racist, any form of bigotry, or anything that is sexually aggressive anywhere in my comments or on my gallery you will be blocked from my page. If you have evidence that someone is being a bigot or abusive in my comments or anywhere else on my gallery please let me know in notes and provide screen shots. I will block them, and I will report them. Also, report them yourselves too. If you feel threatened or harassed at all on this platform please report.