pseudonym jones

finally making some progress on the Ask Me Everything project! um, let me think. There are two that stand out in my mind:

My favorite is probably the parking lot next to my grade school & church. We would do recess there every day from K-8th grade, and I would mill around there on the weekend after mass. It had lots of space and some nice shady areas, an elaborate wrought iron fence on the church side, good walls to bounce tennis balls off, and a couple places to hide and draw in. When I was in fifth grade they painted a big multicolored map of the United States in the middle of the lot which became the foundation for a very specific and elaborate hopscotch-like game. I punched my bully in that lot! Right in the face! Take that, Andrew!

I also have a strong fondness for the parking garage at the office where I worked in the early 2010s — I was really artistically frustrated, closeted, and depressed at that time, and I’d retreat to my car parked on the top level (where nobody else parked) at lunchtime. On nice days I could lay back in my seat and listen to music on my (new!) Smart Phone and there was always a lovely breeze up there. I talked to my friends about being trans while pacing around up there. Felt like a personal haven away from the world.

But that second one is a parking garage and not a parking lot so maybe that disqualifies it. You tell me.

Thank you! I’ve always been fond of that one, though it’s developed a new facet since the big AI push. I like it a lot less from this angle

thank you mike and matt, who submit anonymous asks jointly on tumblr dot com

part of me does feel like it’s cheating but like, I don’t know what I’d make comics about otherwise anymore. Worms in rocks who are also gods? Joke’s on you, that’s still a comic about being a mom

stop me if you heard this one before but I’m one of those Emma’s whose deadname started with an M.

For a long time starting in my teens, I “pretended” to be a girl online. I went from using my deadname, to “M,” to “Em,” to “Emma.” It’s always felt like it fit.

When I realized I was trans, I told my mom that I was considering the name Emma for myself. She told me that Emma was her grandmother’s name and would’ve been my name if I was born a girl, so that sealed the deal.

I’m going to trust that you’re asking this in good faith and give you a sincere answer.

I do call myself a woman. If there was a room and they said: “women, raise your hands,” I would raise my hand. I am a woman.

“Trans” is an adjective, a modifier. I am a trans woman, just like I am a tall woman and I am a white woman and I am a middle-age woman. These are all features about me that affect my experience of womanhood.

Discovering and claiming my identity as a trans woman was a big turning point in my life that had profound effects on the art I make. So, I think that my transness is particularly useful context for understanding what I share here.

Plus, I’m proud of being trans. It took a lot of work to get here and I’m proud of it, and I’m proud to be a part of my community.