“The people who have come forward now, in their thousands, perhaps feel the same as me: why be defined by the Saviles, the Halls, the endless weird, isolated men who have been arrested recently?…Sufferers of abuse are not “victims”, not even “survivors” – we’re brilliant, wonderful human beings, out there in the world, avenging ourselves on a daily basis by living well.”

- Roshi Fernando: ”I suffered sexual abuse. I refuse to be ashamed any more.”

TW: Abuse, Self-Harm, Eating Disorders

That article, above, was written by my Mum, Roshi Fernando. After reading it I was at first shocked, because through my 22 years of life I had never once suspected that something like that had happened to her.

But more than that, I was proud of her - as proud as I’ve always been - that she chose to write about something that deserved to be written about. It was in yesterday’s papers, but I wanted more people to read it. So I made this illustration, based on the part I reproduced in bold, so that I could put it here.

This is something I feel very strongly about, and have felt very strongly about for a long time - since something similar happened to a friend of mine in University, in another situation that ended up with the person harmed being blamed and shunned. But, like my Mum, that person didn’t let it define her, and avenged herself by living well.

If you have a moment, please do read that article, and reblog this post. I’d like as many people as possible to see it. 

Thank you. 

My Evangelist (right) horsing around with MissNK’s Evangelist (left). I redesigned mine, but didn’t dare with the gloriousness that was hers.

Miss EnKy has improved immensely as an artist since we both entered that (FIXED!) Gorillaz contest. She’s working in art school and developing a pretty-exciting-looking comic involving Monsters and cute girls.

And I, I…have learned how to ladder-stitch. Huzzah.

Soko’s “Dandy Cowboys” made me draw this. 

You’re the Man

I’m the Girl

We look good together!

You with your hat

Me with my boots!

Good Things Come To Those In Pain

Another selection from Hohhot. Needing an excuse to get out of my small flat, I today headed to the Inner Mongolia Museum to do some sketching, and promptly engendered a scorching migraine.

Before that, however, I took the opportunity to do this quick drawing of a tortoise-monster supporting a giant slab on his back with Chinese characters all over it. No idea what it was as the Museum has very few English signs. An old Chinese man came up as I was finishing and gave me the thumbs up, so I presume my rendition was respectful.

Anyway, it must have paid off somehow, because as soon as I’d returned home for pain medication, I found that my MA application at the University of Sussex had gone through and been accepted. So…good things come to those in pain! (Sometimes.) Huzzah!

I also saw Prehistoric Elephant Skeletons, a hat made out of a rabbit’s face, and a waxwork of a kid wearing said hat while shooting an arrow, with his grandpa looking on and probably saying “Foolish Child, What Are You Wearing”, oldly.

Stay tuned for those.