Stargazing : Isn't that what tabloid journalists do???

I FOUND MYSELF A HERO!!!

That doesn't mean I've never had a hero in my life. Obviously, Jesus Christ is a big hero who loves me very much. I'm thankful for everything he's done for me. I consider him my spiritual hero. He's present, I know this, and someone I depend on when I need to talk about... anything! He's great, but he isn't who I'm talking about today.

I also have a... writing hero? I don't think that was the title I really need in this instance but I can't think of what else to call him. Osamu Tezuka was a master storyteller, with a huge cast of characters that just inspire me out the wahzoo! Though he's been gone for over 20 years now, you could not find a better a better sensei. But he's not who I'm going to talk about today either.

A few days ago a dear woman I've been following on Live Journal posted a very touching story. She wrote about how as a young teenager she had sent an email to a very distinguished artist in a fandom along with a small bit of artwork. A few weeks passed.... and to her utter amazement, he replied. She admits that her artwork at the time was terrible (and I've seen some of it, it really was... unpolished) but the artist only gave her encouragement, AND he sent her a drawing back in response as well.

This began a small correspondence between the two of them, Rookie and Artist (as I will now refer to them, no disrespect to Rookie, of course). Though Rookie now realizes her emails could be nothing more than childish rantings (think what your small, pre-teen cousins would say if they met the Jonas Bros. in person... yeah, like that) but Artist never once treated her like an annoying fangirl or ever was terse and uninterested. Instead, he only continued to encourage. She would send him art and he would respond back with more. The Artist even tried to emulate the Rookie's style in his replies and she's shocked how he would care to do such a thing.

My new hero, however, is not the Artist. Instead, it is the Rookie. After all, after all these years the Rookie is not longer a rookie. Instead, she's a great artist whom I adore greatly.

Sometimes, like her, many of us find ourselves excited about something someone else has done. We send fanrants or make fanart. Some write fanfiction. And how many times have all our good intentions get smashed by trolls and snobs? The internet can be such a cruel place. You want to be expressive and artistic but sometimes people just don't know how to be nice about it. They'll tell you things like "you suck" or "it's insulting to have you talk to me this way" when you're honest to goodness just trying to express your love for something or someone.

Rookie has always been kind to me and everyone else who comments on her art or LJ. I guess you could say the legacy of being kind moved down to her, so she's nice to everyone even when she admits she doesn't feel like it. I... wanna be like that.

I'm a bit of an irritable person, especially when I'm tired. I've never been terribly popular about my fics or anything (I don't do art) but if I ever get to a point where people ask me for betas or something I want to be able to say I'd do it gladly, even if their stuff isn't great or full of stupid chatspeak or something.

So, I think I'm gonna stop this rant here since I'm feeling like I'm about to lose consciousness even though it's in the middle of the day. Grinding away at the same game will do that to you.

Anyway, I'm out.
~H.D., who does this for the android