hey! im really not sure if this is appropriate to send to this account, or appropriate at all, honestly. if it makes you uncomfortable, you're completely free to ignore this and delete the ask. i am so sorry for any discomfort i might cause, it wasn't and never will be my intent. i was just feeling a bit sentimental today and wanted to express my gratitude.
this is going to be really weird to hear probably but i wanted to thank you for your work and your interpretation of ryan akagi. a few years back when i was neck deep into the infinity train fandom i remember being really hooked on both your art and your writing. I was dealing with a lot of personal issues at that time which caused me a lot of anguish, mainly in the transgender and orientation department. i genuinely felt so lost and aimless and like i was always too much for everyone around me, even in the way i wanted to present myself. plus i was also in love with my childhood best friend at the time #queer #lmao #itdidntworkout
I loved it whenever you drew the infinity train characters in stylish and expressive outfits, especially your version of ryan. i already had like insane gender envy over ryan in canon and your ryan amped it up to like a million lol. it gave me hope that one day i could maybe start changing into a person i was actually happy to be. i wanted to present myself the same bright way despite being so deathly ashamed of myself. it was the way you depicted him as the sun that truly had me in a chokehold, i thought all your celestial imagery was so utterly gorgeous. it was a wish of mine that one day i could be as unabashed and bold too, someone that wasn't afraid to take up space. or rather, take up space despite being afraid. i started getting very inspired by your art and the general feel of it. you truly produce magical work, thats the best way i can describe it. i've always admired how much life and color you breathe into your art. it's like drawing out all the beauty from the seemingly mundane and just making it absolutely breathtaking. it still is an absolute joy to see, even now.
im sending this ask now because i was browsing some outdoor stalls earlier, i bought braided cords and rope necklaces with gold sun pendants because i remembered your ryan. since those years have passed i've finally been able to move forward from my hurt and experiment with myself and other people. i wouldn't have had the courage to claw my way out of my downward spiral if not for your works which brought me immeasurable hope and joy.
i think its beautiful that people can project new life onto characters, expanding them into something past the original work. it always feels personal whenever i come across a version of a character so meticulously woven with pieces from the artist and their experiences. people interpret things differently, we tend to feel strongly over how we think certain things should be. but its universal to cherish something so much that you craft it into something else, something more, painting it with your colors. i love seeing different iterations of characters, its become my favorite thing ever.
i dont know where im going anymore. im actually dead tired idk if this is comprehendsivable. thank you for being an inspiration. thank you for sharing your ryan who was an inspiration to my closeted ass. sunchild. he embodied the light i yearned for, made me believe that there will be brighter, freer days ahead. and im so happy to be here years later and confirm that yeah, there are. and there always will be
I wanted to give this ask my full regard, and I've been busy this week so I apologize if you thought my silence was either ignorance or some type of dismissal. I really have no words other than that this is the most beautiful ask I've ever received, and reading it made me fucking cry.
Thank you SO much for trusting me with your story of coming out and acceptance, it sounds like you're in a much better place than when you started (you've been here from the beginning too! Wow! Gold medal for you!!) and I'm glad you discovered that you are your own light!!!! I'm beyond honored that I could help someone like you discover who they need to be - I think as an artist that's what all of us want to hear at any point during our careers, and the fact that I get to hear it is the highest sort of achievement one can, well, achieve!
I've been struggling with creating art recently - moreso drawing, I'm in a writing phase rn so I'm just riding that out, lol - but I wanted to take the time to make a special thank you just for you, so let me pull out of my magician's hat a fresh deity!ryan for you!! I'm SO glad he's one of the catalysts in your journey, I really do love him and I'm glad I was able to explore him through art if not through a whole story, lol.
Again and again and again THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your story and making me sob like a baby haha, you really have such a way with words that all of mine fall short in comparison. Swear I'm gonna frame this ask on my WALL. Have a lovely day!!!!!