(I only did one to save time)
THIS SECTION'S A WIP DIPSHIT
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FUN WHACKY Q&A WITH THE CREATOR!
Are you insane?
I'm not sure, on the one hand there are days where I feel great and want to spread that to my work and others. On the other, there are days where my work will pull me into the darkest pits of my mind and leave me cold 'n shaking on the lakeside afterwards.
I can definetely say my ASD doesn't help make me unnerving with this.
Or in public.
Why do you make art with such serious topics?
Originally I wanted to make my work as loose as possible but I realised throughout it that I keep giving my characters trauma or fears brought on by past experiences (mostly since it's from their origin), I could've easily made everything hunkydory but my twisted, angst loving mind didn't like that.
Whilst I always like to see and make Penny Chan Now specifically as the ultimate hot pot of Dadihism and surrealism, you could also see it as different coping mechanisms,escpaism, repeated cycles, denial. There isn't a single character in the series who doesn't try to keep a facade in some way to hide their past.
Why do you treat everything so upbeat?
I don't always, but at the same time I always follow my own ideology when it comes to living life. There is no such thing as the other end of a tunnel, even if you exit out to the other side, it can be overwhelming at times, you can find yourself entering another tunnel. I prefer to balance both the dark moments and the upbeat parts. Suffering isn't the same without some comfort, and at the same time, an upbeat life's no fun without a bit of pain.
There's a line my brain randomly formed when describing it 'Morbid Comfort'. Blood splattered hugs in the midst of the shit and hell you used to wallow in. Tear soaked kisses whilst you let yourself drown, you can wallow in your emotions as long as you want in this world. But know when to pull yourself out when someone calls out.
As for the contrast This comes purely from Penny chan, most of the other characteres refer to her as a saint when she's just as tainted as they are. And she doesn't hide it, only the parts that would drive them away and make them uncomfortable. I don't mean to sound weird but the series isn't the same if you removed her. She isn't an extrovert, she's aggressivly nihalistic and borderline psychopathic in her personal life. But at the same time she's also very soft and gentle when those need it. She exists as a comforting aura that naturally draws people in.
Does this help you with your problems?
Yes and no. As I said before, I don't like always being happy, I love getting passionately angry about something dumb or obsessing over a random character for weeks on end. I find being regular as terrifying as a hanging ribbon above my own characters head. An endless taunt of my supposed role in society.
I admit there are times when it's too much but at the same time I love it all the same, since I know I can reward me and my work with comfort afterwards.
What message do you try and send with Penny Chan Now outside of being nonsensical and fun to work on?
I never really had a distinct message with the series. I hate series that have an overbearing moral, but if there was one you could pick up on it'd be that it's not a sin to follow your own ideals. In the end there is no right and wrong, only what you think helps you the most. I've been forced into so many ideals and morals before, blindly following every lesson from kids movies without questioning if they fitted me as a person, that they make my head spin. There are limits to this however.