That's a pretty broad question! I feel like on the internet "dark topics" get kinda lumped together when there's a lot of variation and nuance there; in other words, I write about rape for different reasons than I write about incest, and incest for different reasons than I write about pedophilia and grooming. There may be overlap, but there's also a lot of room for distinction!

Answering as best I can, though, with what all subjects have in common for me: I have always been someone who seeks catharsis over escapism. From an early age, a lot of media left me feeling like there wasn't room in the world it created for someone like me - someone who was angry, someone who felt out of place, someone for whom no amount of the solutions provided would make a difference. The works of art that let me feel like there might be room for my existence within their paradigm were works of art that weren't afraid to delve into, like you said, dark topics. "Berserk" is an excellent example, and was one of the first works of fiction that made me feel really seen and heard. If an artwork has room for survivors of rape and incest, for people who struggle with psychosis and other mental illness symptoms, for the angry and displaced and directionless and for those for whom there are no easy answers, chances are there's something there for me, too. (Provided, of course, as always, that it's well-written.)

So naturally, I write what I want to read! And I write for people like me, as well as writing for survivors. I want to read fiction where nobody and nothing gets swept under the rug, where there's room for all kinds of pain. And I know I'm not the only one, so if I write like that, I'll find an audience of people who need it as much as I do.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful question!

:0 I'm always so surprised to get asks about my art! First I create my sketch layer, either by blocking out the shapes of the characters and objects myself or by using CSP models as my "sketches". Then I line! I don't really have an in between "rough draft" stage, I try to get things looking just how I want them to look the first go round. This is where I use reference images the most. Then I color, usually with a combination of the fill tool and my favorite brushes, using way too many layers. If I'm doing a background, I'll draw it using reference images most likely from Sims 4. I feel like it's all pretty basic. Thank you for asking!