I don't want to be too soap-boxy about this, it's more of a personal vent than a PSA, I guess.
Creators/mod authors are not the characters they create.
I've done game dev & made art in video game spaces for years now, & something I've noticed happening more and more is that people form one-sided parasocial relationships with, and unrealistic/unhealthy expectations/perceptions of creators based on characters they happen to create.
The way people treat me when they only know my work vs. the way they treat me in person or when they know what I look like is INSANE. The assumption that you know anything about a person based off a character they made is honestly wild, & being treated poorly based on this in various ways is something that not only myself but many mod authors have dealt with, in one way or another.
It's not even limited to open cruelty, which does happen. It's little comments. The way people treat one mod author vs another. It often leans worse towards women, which is a whole other conversation I don't have time for here.
I just like...urge people who enjoy art, who interact w creators in public spaces and discuss their work, to evaluate whether or not your assumptions are healthy. Should you be assuming a creator's gender, disposition, personality, or otherwise based on a fictional character in a fantasy world? Or should you treat them as they are, as real separate people, and not just their characters that you enjoy (or dislike)?
Anyway, this is just a stream of consciousness, more than anything. Be kind to people. My mental health has been negatively affected more times than I can count by someone treating me as someone I am not based on only knowing my work, and I'm far from the most affected by these kinds of things. Just know that creating characters & stories & art in these spaces requires immense passion, patience, and time from our lives 🩷
🌸 Also follow this blog and join the Discord for Dev Diary updates for my new custom voice-acted follower Seraph, who I am creating to allow myself more of a voice to express myself, bc I don't want to give up creating in these spaces. 🌸
