just a "thank you" (Patreon)

Hey, y'all! So, it's been interesting on social media lately, to say the least, lol.

I had a guy comment directly under my cropped Patreon preview post with the full image and say "I wouldn't pay for this." I had someone steal my Corrin artwork to put on weed packages. AI-generated junk is rampant, and I've seen people training their AI on my art in particular. People are just...shittier in general. Twitter itself is constantly on the verge of imploding. 

So, I just wanted to say I am extremely thankful to you folks who are kind enough to support me monetarily. I know how easy it is to get stuff for free -- whether that's doing it the respectful way and waiting a month for the version I post publicly on my alt Twitter, or doing it the less respectful way and getting it off kemonoparty when it gets ripped within an hour of me posting it here.

To be clear, I don't ever expect anyone to pay for my artwork -- in fact, for many years, I didn't have any kind of Patreon-exclusive content, specifically because I want to share my art with as many people as possible. Patreon always has been and always will be a place for people who genuinely enjoy what I do to be able to support me (there's a reason I call it a tip jar).

I've known since day one that people would pirate stuff, no matter how easy I make it ($5 gets you access to everything I've ever posted here) -- it happened when I started in 2015, and it still happens. But there are also always people who care about art, who wanna see it keep getting made, and know that artists do not subsist on exposure. You are the reason I can draw characters I personally love and do my own projects instead of eternally grinding commissions, and why I have the breathing room to work on my mental health these days (which is getting better!).

Long story short -- thank you! I really, truly appreciate your support.

I'll keep doing my very best to make good stuff, no matter what happens.