BOLAVLK/WEREAWOLF | animation student film 2023 [read CW in desc!]

!!CW: Flashing imagery (6:07-6:27), online grooming, mentions of zoo/ped0philia
🐺Film about sparkledogs, werewolverines and other things that are JUST drawings. The texting parts are based on real conversations I've had age 12-16 with a deviantart "friend".
Wahh after a year it's finally done! This was my last animation uni film, It is probably my least filmlike film yet but I'm glad I got to create this weird thing. Hope you'll enjoy!
mini digital BOLAVLK/WEREAWOLF artbook at ko-fi.com/s/4b5d2554d5
Couple of credits of everyone who helped with this film :0
🌘MUSIC BY FEMTANYL!! femtanyl.bandcamp.com/track/k...
🌗ANIMATION ASIST / llyartling
🌕COLORING / klara_feltlova
/ zzaji_pictures
🌒SHADING / s.fravenmort
My Links
/ sournoodl
/ sournoodl

[@sournoodl]

To answer a few questions I get a lot: 🇸🇰 The language spoken is Slovak :0 🐺 For animation I used Tvpaint 10 and aftereffects for compositing 🌕 I studied animation at UTB in zlin in Czech Republic, graduated successfully and now I study computer science. Fun fact: I made this film during my first year of CS and it wouldnt be ever done on time without the help of my friends and classmates ^^ 🦴There will not be a sequel but irl I managed to permanently cut contact with the groomer at 17, of course that guy didnt meet any consequences, hence the lack of resolution in the film. On the more positive note, at 24, I feel like Ive healed myself properly (partially because of this fiom as well) and a lot of trauma responses disappeared too ^^

[@floppagamer5863]

Oh,its great to know you got away from such horrible situation,im some kind of proud of you,good job❤️

[@silly_lilli]

im so glad you were able to get out of that situation, it really sucks . i've just come across your animations and i absolutely love them omg you're so great at animation and you inspire me :))

[@sierrasanders675]

I know this will film will help a lot of people know they aren't alone.

[@PixelsPolygonsNPetrichor]

Woo!......for the most part

[@diegomikolta2718]

WOW what views the video has gotten since I saw it!! Thank you for sharing your art and your unfortunate experiences (I'm not glad you experienced it, don't get me wrong pls) Your video has brought back memories of when I was 14 years old and I was inattentive in class while drawing on the table and in notebooks, the emotional abuse and coercion are the worst things you can do to a kid (in my experience), I still have emotional problems of detachment and self-esteem, it sucks. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you upload (don't feel pressured if you don't want to upload anything else) Greetings from 🇪🇸Spain 🇪🇸 Man!!

[@victort2]

I find it poetic, that the ‘friend’ said he was in the hospital from epilepsy, then at the end when she transforms, it needs a seizure warning.

[@uncannybirds2386]

holy shit, I didn't notice that. That's absolutely incredible.

[@nyxcat3621]

Also we can see from the wolf persona earlier, the vial glows red when angry and it’s glowing red in the last scene

[@victort2]

Lots of detail in this film! You can see the passion n talent from a mile away! I hope they can make more in the future!

[@dreamfletcher779]

which is cool, at first, but like. could also really hurt an epileptic viewer, especially since it /didn't/ have a warning 😬 edit: .. i may be stupid 💀

[@syrussanborn4416]

@@dreamfletcher779 it has a warning in the beginning of the video AND a timestamp in the bio

[@cramerfloro5936]

I love how the teacher just let's her keep drawing when she sees that she's also doing her homework. Wish I had had one of those, growing up…

[@potatocornsplease2383]

I'm sure she could tell she was clearly going through something just by the art itself 😂

[@fadurlenny8161]

While being allowed to draw is very nice. I wish teachers paid attention to the meaning of the drawings and saw that it was a cry for help/expression of intense negative emotions, and reached out rather than just shrugging and letting them continue stewing in that hell.

[@evmarekaj]

​@fadurlenny8161 most teacher imo are the worst kind of people to attempt those reactions, they mostly never consider the parents or that the situation may not be as they think it is, that's not to say that teachers can't be that person, simply that they're usually bad at it

[@ponikoTV]

one of my teachers loved how I drew on tests which I shouldn't do lol

[@Kensuke0987]

@@fadurlenny8161 while we see what's happening with the protagonist in the video, with most kids however, it's just drawings. the last thing the kid or the kid's parents might want is unwanted extra attention. you need a little bit more than just drawings to commit to a program. now that i think about it, that's what happened with me. i was a weird kid who was a little smart and liked to be creative. i wrote a somewhat gloomy poem for fun/attention which a nun/teacher read probably took it as a sign for something. the faculty thought it was good idea to hold an intervention with my father, but my father seemed to have taken it the wrong way and spiraled into despair and depression. i think he blamed himself for not being good enough. after what he did to himself, i blamed myself for not being good enough.

[@longsnoutpug7248]

The little detail of the friend saying "I had epilepsy seizure. I almost died." and the really violently flashing lights in the end is so powerful

[@M1_1SHR00M]

frr

[@THeOliveGardin]

Very observant

[@judgement-kazzy]

Oh my god I didn't even notice that. That's genuinely such a cool little detail..

[@RyanPratt-dl7qo]

???\

[@longsnoutpug7248]

@@RyanPratt-dl7qo People with epilepsy are likely to suffer a seizure after seeing violently flashing lights,which can cause them to die. The groomer told her he had almost died of epilepsy. I think you can connect the dots from there.

[@cellowhite314]

When i saw them drawing "vent art " i immediately felt sick because its 100% an accurate representation of how minors like myself at the time i was groomed responded to trauma. Especially when we felt like we couldnt tell anyone

[@AggressiveSpaghetti]

I'm 21 and it's the same in every detail, And I used to just clog up my textbooks in high school with vent so I had to borrow paper from friends

[@neonice]

Why is it that the internet only has sympathy for things when they talk about themselves

[@KOHETPAX]

​@@neoniceNot always, but it's normal anyway. We always find some things in art, which we see and feel in ourselves

[@Omg-wm4nu]

I have resulted to vent art as well. I actually have a folder in procreate detected to that and I sometimes skim through it from time to time.

[@Nigjaslayer9000]

The fuck is vent? Didn't among us die like 4 years ago?

[@alyssahansen1400]

People are calling this a toxic friend but I think it is more than that. In the beginning with the wolf references the main character's age is listed as 13, and the online person's age is 19. They mention sending photos to others and are constantly pushing the main character's boundaries in a sexual way. So this seems like a more severe case. Grooming, pedophilia, child porn (if the photos are real and not drawings), and revenge porn. It is a very sad reality, but the pedophile will never be satisfied. They pretend to be friendly to get what they want but then their true nature reveals when they get any pushback or reluctance at all. Very sad that many people relate.... I too, in a way, but not as bad as this. People need to respect minors and not deal with them like this. It makes them uncomfortable and angsty, can give them mental illness or worsen it. It is a very bad situation.

[@sakasama_55]

I just noticed that Ty for pointing it out

[@Jermany984]

I'd say nice observation, but that's already mentioned in description

[@dorothypierre754]

All that horrible stuff and a zoophile to boot, given the obsession with dog bits :/

[@ijustdocomments6777]

Added revelation that she was probably using herself as a reference for the original piece since she didn't want to google even dog stuff...

[@Spearmint22425]

That’s one of the first thing I noticed, it all gave me that weird deviant art vibe and the toxic people that come with it, once I saw that 13 yr I knew things couldn’t be good

[@elvinruneson7241]

The contrast between the Slovak spoken dialogue in the daytime and the English written text in the nighttime made this feel even more real to me. The linguistic disconnect between the internet and the real world for people who don't live in English speaking countries is something I haven't really seen represented before

[@No-longer1]

I did not expect being hit with such a flashback to when I was like 12

[@justachannel5072]

Wow, true... Didn't think about it, that's an interesting theme!

[@conspiracypanda1200]

This is why I am happy for translation technology. I like to see people writing in their own languages. Sometimes the internet makes the world feel tight and claustrophobic and everything feels the same, but seeing other languages makes it feel bigger again.

[@jobda1211]

i was wondering if this was in czeck or in slovakian (in 4:17 i thought that i heard „zošit” but wasn't sure) thanks for confirmation:)

[@harpeowl]

​@@jobda1211as Czech person I am pretty sure it's probably Slovakian but it might as well be Czech dialect I am not used to tbh

[@Exphautaz]

"she is free to continue drawing" i wonder how much of that is the work being done and how much is "damn this kid is going through something".

[@MNO_nus0ta]

🎉Welcome to our channel ❤❤ youtube.com/@MNO_nus0ta?si=ie8WjL6e-T9UOyMX

[@gummy-tv9py]

can ppl sstop saying "THERIAN RAGE VIBES OwO" pPLEASE?/gen this is an video abt grooming

[@nuyoma_diamorph]

real, like it's so annoying

[@DaveTheBunnyGator]

Yeah, as a therian (dw, I don't do that quadrobics shit or act like a dog) and a SA survivor, that shit also pisses me off.

[@aelmaest9172]

I've yet to see a comment like that, but anyone commenting that is completely missing the film's point. I'm both a therian and a grooming victim. When I'm pissed, do I get animalistic? Yes, but I think a lot of people do whether therian or not. Humans are animals too. This film isn't about that though; it's about how victims are pressured, manipulated, and the resulting feelings of that. The werewolf/sparkledog representation is just a medium of communicating those feelings--symbolism.

[@gothgrape]

​@@aelmaest9172 hello I don't want to sound rude but what therian means?

[@aelmaest9172]

@@gothgrape Dw! You're not being rude at all. A therian is someone who identifies as a nonhuman animal for psychological or spiritual reasons. Just to elaborate due to common misconceptions: we don't believe we're physically animals, and this is different from furries/furry fandom, which is an interest in anthropomorphic animals.

[@dascodraws6040]

the artist and parasitic "friend" relationship is so relatable.

[@cosmohause]

Not only that if you look at the ages this “friend” was 19 and getting an at the time minor (12-13 by the desc and OC refs) to draw and send nsfw stuff to them… it’s so horrible

[@CATTATAT]

It’s sad that stuff like this happens often, and I wish there were more ways to prevent things like this in the art community.

[@wildwolf3860]

It's grooming

[@SnufflySpy]

Seriously

[@Megaera-li6tz]

It's not an artist and fan parasocial relationship, It's grooming.

[@aoikuma2337]

I don’t think y’all are getting that the “toxic friend” isn’t a friend. that 19-year-old-guy-talking-to-a-13-year-old-girl who’s also speaking to her about heavily sexual things, and even BLACKMAILING HER, is a whole groomer. 💀

[@CaramelOnFire]

Yea and apparently the main character was drawing nude [maybe even zoophile] shit for the groomer, so theres other possibilities

[@selmavoss4202]

In this case ira a groomer. I’m assuming people are comparing similar stories and ended up refering to them as “friend”. Also anlot of people dont know rhe terminology. Either way, everyone agrees its a horrible situation.

[@mauronavarro3209]

Fr grooming it's a crime. In my 14 yrs old when i took my msn a older woman did it to me... i dont't remember but in that time she was like 22 yrs old.

[@aoikuma2337]

@@CaramelOnFire was the blackmail and grooming part not obvious enough for you- or do you not know what those entail ☠️

[@misshaz1331]

​​@@CaramelOnFireyea people can be peer pressured into doing bad things it's a sad reality

[@alfalfasalads]

The "friend's" super fake apology at 5:42 gets so badly under my skin. That is such a manipulative fake apology, and someone I knew online kept doing this every time they did something awful to me or our mutual friends. This animation is devastating and necessary, and its true horror is how *common* this is. I'm glad you're out and away from the person who groomed you as such, and that you've been healing from the ordeal. And to everyone else who has had a similar experience, I wish you can heal as well.

[@nusquam-e.q.u.e.]

That one redraw of Machine Girl's WLFGRL album at 6:16 is the cherry on top of that dope animation

[@piroulinee]

Im so glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed it 😭

[@nusquam-e.q.u.e.]

@@piroulinee Yeah I felt a bit alone as well ahah

[@loboinu]

i think it’s a reference to the movie it’s from (an american werewolf in london) as they also added a frame from Ginger Snaps!! :0 honestly though i adore that Machine Girl used the character from it as the album cover. gives me double the joy lol

[@nusquam-e.q.u.e.]

@@loboinu Oh I did not know at all, interesting !

[@funkyrat9275]

It’s a picture of Kessler Wolf from an American werewolf in London (1981) aka my fav movie of all time

[@flitefulwantssubs402]

Something I’m surprised no one commented on was the guy saying he was in the hospital. It’s so common for people like this to lie about crappy life circumstances or being sick, used for sympathy, guilt tripping, trying to make the person feel bad for you, and as an excuse for their behavior

[@silly_b0nes]

I also noticed that, fucking wild

[@lieutenantjinx7559]

Yes I noticed this, and I also noticed the part where he said towards the end things like “I’m sorry, my illness makes my mood bad”. Seen a lot of people do shitty things and blame it on mental health.

[@hotbread1004]

Yeah my mother is abusive and blames it all on her "complex PTSD" and now that she has cancer she is trying to use it to weasel her way into all 6 of her kid's lives even tho we've all told her what she did and that we don't wanna talk to her

[@deithecorvid2677]

I noticed that when the op (Isaac) blamed their illness for their outburst on the other (where the basically threatened to blackmail the minor (Moony) into leaking their art which most likely was forced NSFW art the op asked to be drawn.) I had a friend exactly like this who claimed all things unholy and made me and other turn on people when it all turned out to be fake. Lying and telling people things can lead to deep stuff and even bad things happening. She ended up getting in huge trouble for it in the long run and haven't seen the girl since she was told to have lied about it all.

[@elisec.2494]

The sad thing is sometimes they aren't lying. I'm in handi communities and some people really does weaponize their disease / disorder in order to abuse others :( Being educated as a autistic boy or an autistic girl is often way different : the boy will be excused for is bad behavior "because he is autistic" when the girl will be scoled because she seen as a capricious kid (and often doesn't get diagnose before becoming an adult).

[@fatsnek9310]

I love the “bite at the hand that feeds you” symbolism. It feels like what Issac is doing to her almost. She gives and gives but still gets bit.

[@Quartzite9]

OHH I thought it was unrelated and she was trying to study the dog for the drawing or something 💀

[@hellolithy]

​@@Quartzite9 I'd thought the same but like, for Isaac's drawing. Probably not, or at least not at the beginning, though.

[@valorreii]

slap at the face that eats you ? /ref

[@hiiloveu1521]

I thought the dog was a parallel for Laura. Like, she was trying to butter up the dog for something really bad by giving it nice things and being gentle. But the dog still bit back. Maybe it made Laura think that she should also bite back

[@tartaruganinja6438]

the lyrics of the song also says "So I bite the hand that feeds me and lose my mind" right before the screaming

[@FireWithTheKeyboard]

Just so y’all know, the song when she’s online is the same as the end, it’s called “ KATAMARI “ by Femtanyl

[@beetlebubs]

xd I knew i recognized it

[@Frog_Clowns]

THANK U SM

[@BeatrixxForger]

Came here after listening to it actually, upon remembering this

[@1WEareBUFO1]

I prefer my Katamari on the rocks

[@demented1010]

ALSO!!!! THE FIRST FLASH OF THE WOLF IN THAT SEQUENCE IS FROM MACHINE GIRL!!!!

[@aepokkvulpex]

I do love the use of flashing lights at the end, for so many reasons. It's a very powerful expression of rage, but also. It's very literally a real way to hurt the abuser back. While the beginning respectfully warns anyone watching about the photosensitive segment, as it should... it would logically fit that the groomer who crossed the artist's boundaries would ignore this warning and pry into this personal story. He mentions being in the hospital for epilepsy about halfway through the animation. If that's true irl, then him crossing the line to watch this video would result in real harm to himself.

[@zarlathevenecianwreck]

The bleach scene, representing how irreversible the images were to their mind, hit so hard. They didn't want to see it, it was something forced onto them. Something they can't clean from their mind.

[@hildamarston4077]

Wait, Laura's a they/them? I thought she was a she/her.

[@unripelemon1142]

​@@hildamarston4077they probably just didn't know the characters pronouns/gender so they used they/them

[@PureCurebyFaith]

Isaiah 55:1-3 | “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money: come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not Satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is Good, and you will Delight in the Richest of fare. Give ear and come to Me; listen, that you may Live. I Will Make an everlasting Covenant With you, My Faithful Love Promised to David." Romans 4:23-25 | “'Righteousness was credited to Abraham' was written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom GOD Will Credit Righteousness-for us who believe in Him Who Raised Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead. He was Delivered over to death for our sins and was Raised to Life for our Justification."

[@madeleinesherer7615]

it was also a pretty fun way to censor the nastiness too 😂

[@jjju3]

it definitely also feels like a very nostalgic reference, i remember "eye bleach" was a super common term when i was a kid, and was popular when half of the shit people did online was send each other disturbing imagery as a "joke." its not a term thats used nearly as much anymore and kind've fell out of popularity around like, 2018. makes the whole story feel so much more real as something that happened in the early/mid 2010s.

[@Marie-tw4ui]

I love how the teacher understood that Lara is in a bad mood through her drawings and is like "Understood,have a great day!".

[@fluggiii]

No, she cared about the homework

[@davitucsonn2243]

she did her homework right, before drawing

[@WarmToothpaste]

All of you are wrong. It's because they don't speak or read english. There's symbolism behind the slovak language being used in speech and english during the night. But anyways, my point is, she(the teacher) just sees weird wolf drawing.

[@katshaveagun]

​@@WarmToothpastenah it's just because she got her work done unlike everyone else so she didn't care about what the girl had drawn.

[@ariannasv22]

I'm just happy she didn't try to embarrass her over the drawings or something. She just saw the right answers and was like "good enough for me"

[@oppressedbeans]

The quietness of some scenes felt so real. Like the building of reality until the rage comes in and everything’s loud and you just want to scream.

[@-Pearldragon-]

Maybe not intentional, but the bite mark on her hand is a sort of star shape, which ties back to the star shape used in the i of Isaac’s name. It feels important especially because the bite is what represents he pain, similar to the fact that Issac causes her pain, just mentally.

[@TheEyeofStoneandPawer]

Hmmm... thats actually a really cool theory

[@KoKoKorrrri]

I want people to also take notice to how in the references for the wolf characters, the artist is listed as 13, while the other whom is requesting is 19. It’s very common for minor artists to be forced into drawing inappropriate drawings for adults. Thank you for covering this topic, it was a wonderful animation to go along with it

[@arthurjeremypearson]

The question is how to fix it?

[@pogpogpurinn]

@@arthurjeremypearson whilst there’s not much anyone can do to stop those from doing such a thing, the way not not do this is, don’t commission or request minors to draw nsfw. Unless they state they are an adult, or if they have stated they are not one, don’t commission or request them to draw such things. If you aren’t sure what age the artist is, you can easily just ask them (of course in a way that doesn’t seem alarming) or find someone else to commission if they are not comfortable sharing that information. Unfortunately it’s not like these things happen very much in from of other people and thus nobody can really step in and help unless someone is known for being weird in this way.

[@neonsiigns1411]

be involved with your children's online interactions. I do not say that shit to spite minors and quite honestly most of your parents should not have been parents. So until we have people being capable of being decent and caring parents outweighing the uncaring, there is no way to fix "it" rather right now there should be a focus on teaching parents to care and be involved rather than negligent and authoritative.@@arthurjeremypearson

[@DreamtaleEnjoyer]

I actually didn't notice that, thank you for pointing it out!! That makes it even worse, I assumed both people were kids :(

[@YourlocalweirdoXD]

​@@neonsiigns1411EH WRONG. not all parents can watch what their children are doing if the parent is busy with work, please don't just go blaming the parents because of what happened to their child. It's nobodys fault. You shouldn't blame a victim

[@voidnoidoid]

man this isnt just a toxic friendship this is literal grooming. Amazing work

[@_MECHA_]

Yuh

[@Nightengalenight]

Amazing tho

[@alfonshedstrom9859]

The way the scene with being bitten by a dog feels unusually real. The ringing ears, the feeling of betrayal

[@undercoverpossum2085]

I found this video shortly after it came out, but it took me awhile to process. This video was the last straw for me to admit that a "friendship" I had in middle and high school was predatory. This might actually be the single most important thing I've ever watched. I hate how relatable this is, but I now have a face for the shadowy trauma I blocked out of my memory.

[@the_amazing_vix]

4:24 I love how she looks at the math instead of the drawings. Like, she cares more about the quality of her learning than what she's drawing. I wish this was the case in American schools, or at least in my school.

[@countermelody167]

It's so interesting how that is what you noticed. My first thought was why aren't you doing anything??? Like clearly that's some emotional turmoil... teachers are supposed to be mandatory reporters. I thought it showed people that saw pain and did nothing

[@the_amazing_vix]

@@countermelody167 idk, I've personally just been through some stuff and would have wished that the adults "watching over me" would have done something better in that situation. Like, threaten to take away my freedom and friends? Maybe not the best way to handle a situation. But I do understand where you're coming from.

[@countermelody167]

@@the_amazing_vix yeah .. that's the flip side of it and why a lot of people don't say things. In this case specifically it doesn't seem like a CPS thing where the child would be removed from their home or situation. It would more likely be an investigation into Isaac himself and deletion of pictures, some order of no contact, depending on the picture blackmailed with, possession of CP.... I'm sorry you felt threatened to be ripped apart from your friends and family. That's terrifying. From my experience, I have a lot of anger for those who said nothing because I would have given anything to get away from my abuser who had alienated me from many of my friends already. I would have given anything to just be plucked out of it all and put somewhere else. I do see where the system is harmful though. I think as a teacher it's important for me to see both, and I had such a strong bias myself I didn't see it both sides, so genuinely thank you for pointing out that bias. I hope you're doing better now ❤️

[@the_amazing_vix]

@@countermelody167 I'm doing alright now and I hope you're doing alright aswell. I'm glad that we both got to see it from different perspectives and learn from both sides. I hope you're also doing well. Also, the fact that you, as a teacher, is able to talk to me and understand both sides is amazing. A lot of teachers don't feel like people, so I'm glad that I got to hear from one. Thank you for making it feel like teachers are people too and that they can learn to understand others. I hope you're doing better as well.

[@cryptid_momochi]

​@@countermelody167violent drawings are not necessarily an indicator of mental health, speaking from experience. I drew a lot of fucked up shit as a kid BC I really liked creepypastas and horror. I drew hangings once because I thought the atmosphere would be great for a couple murderer ocs to hang out in, and I did sometimes have to defend my choice in subject matter. It wouldn't be unsurprising if the character here had done the same thing. Like this is a case where someone should've asked the character if they were okay, but from our perspective it's *really obvious* that they're not. If we were seeing this from another point of view, it might not be so clear.

[@PikaPetey]

Oh god... as an artist on the internet I felt this to my core

[@FainthedCherry]

WHAT?? YOU'RE HERE TOO???

[@piiec7642]

Same, dude

[@MNO_nus0ta]

Welcome to our channel ❤❤ youtube.com/@MNO_nus0ta?si=ie8WjL6e-T9UOyMX

[@TerminalNostalgia]

I love how you depicted her reaction to the bite. The pain and the sheer shock of it come through perfectly. And the sparkledog art is perfect.

[@LS-jl6vt]

THIS IS AMAZING!! I had it saved in my watch later for too long, the art, style, music, and message/vent 😢❤

[@POBBLEBONK0.0]

I was NOT expecting this to get me but jesus that ending. That.. that visceral rage- the fury was presented so well. I haven’t been in the same situation exactly, but I was groomed around 2 years ago by someone I considered a friend. The just. Uncontrollable hate and anger in that last scene… really hits.

[@ultravoiid]

I totally agree with this comment. It's expressed and shown so well and I can really resonate with that anger, the pure rage. Also, I really hope you're better now! Getting groomed sucks and should never happen to anyone. I was groomed about five years ago, and recovering from experiences like that is really hard. something else i realized but dont want to really write another comment outside of these replies is: the frames at 6:16 look like the wlfgrl machine girl album cover, which is a really cool touch

[@CATTATAT]

I also noticed the WLFGRL reference!! It honestly fits super well with this, the entire album gives off this vibe.

[@POBBLEBONK0.0]

@@ultravoiidThanks for the well wishes

[@nueanon]

This exactly

[@ultravoiid]

@@POBBLEBONK0.0 I understand that. I wouldn‘t say I‘ve recovered either, because I haven‘t and I‘m still going through a lot of stuff. I guess just learning to handle and deal with the trauma is what I meant, if you get what I mean (sorry if this doesn‘t make sense, english isn‘t my first language fhshs). I get the „really hard to say that I was groomed“ part because I feel the same. For me personally, there is a lot of shame connected to the experience, making me feel disgusting and like it was my fault, even though I know that’s not true. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do in the future, and best wishes.

[@missingnoghost]

I don't think I've ever seen the experience of being 13 in early 2010s captured so succinctly. I can literally feel the crusty eyes and dehydration during those 3am scenes

[@ii-dh7lq]

LITERALLY 😭😭

[@jay...the_artist5883]

I hate how nobody is talking about the wolf. The wolf being slow to eat the meat from the hand, then bitting the hand when the girl goes to pet the wolf HAS to signify basically what Isaac was doing to Moony

[@Swamp__king77]

Tbh, I've never seen the feeling of being groomed and manipulated, captured so accurately in an animation. The frustration, the depression n all.

[@realuity3075]

the pure rage seen with the ending bit is so viscerally real. the anger that you were used, you're being used and the helplessness that comes with it. treated like a caged dog.

[@Rowanberrry]

idk if this was intentional, but the foreshadowing between the main character biting her hand at 1:45 before attempting the search the first time, in the same spot on the same hand that the dog also bites her, is absolutely amazing

[@van4195]

i just noticed this and now i'm crying harder fuck

[@lairdofpawblins]

oh yeah, I love that. It also kind of reinforces the idea of the dog symbolically representing her.

[@Laelen-w-]

I noticed thr first time but I thought she had a pencil- Idk why

[@hikkiko9050]

As someone who has been groomed on the internet since i was young this touched my soul. I hope there is more awareness about pedophilia, grooming, blackmailing that occurs quite often to minors online that goes unspoken. It saddens me how those despicable manipulative bastards will go unpunished and live on their days to groom someone else while victims have to suffer with trauma.

[@Omelette_Cat]

Wow, I'm very sorry to hear that you were groomed. I hope you're doing okay now!

[@cosmicsquirrel96]

This made me sick to my stomach. The part when the girl went downstairs to the dog I knew exactly why and I felt so disgusted, while I could feel the hate she felt towards her "friend". Congratulations, you made an amazing film! Also, I didn't expect the end, the transformation with all the vibrant colors and flashing lights was beautiful and even poetic. I want to study digital animation and things like this motivate me even more!! Edit: I read that this is based in YOUR story. I'm so sorry that you had to go through such a horrible situation but I'm glad that you were able to get out and heal properly even thanks to the making of this film. That's what art's for, letting the creator express their feelings while touching other hearts. "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable"

[@crypticcorvid]

I was surprised after watching the video to see that the view count wasn't already in the thousands! The pacing, art, and general vibe of this was spot on! I love the use of Femtanyl's songs too! It really captured that deviantart-era of the internet down to the sparkledog oc reference sheets, and the conversation between the mc and their "friend" was super accurate too. :( Sad that so many of us came into contact with vile people. The rage scene at the end was very cathartic!

[@Mr_moth550]

It's a pity that many parents don't take dog-obsession seriously.

[@yurimessiah]

@Mr_moth550 ??? what are we talking about rn

[@dumbirdyreee]

​@@yurimessiahthe friends weird thoughts about dogs she's obviously some sort of zoophile and is manipulating her friend to draw inapropriate animals for her even if the friend obviously doesn't want too

[@crypticcorvid]

@@yurimessiah I love your username. 😂👍👍

[@WhatTheKel33]

@@Mr_moth550 ?

[@imge509]

Some seem to think the dog bite symbolises getting hurt for something you don't wanna do but i think it's a little different. The dog bites in self defense after getting touched which is discomforting for Mc twice as much because she knows how it feels like to have someone who crosses her boundaries and by the end of the film she turns into a wolf as well in frustration and, just like the dog, wants to "bite back". The end is really cathartic in that perspective. I just can't help but rewatch it

[@sourdrop]

I think it's also is meant to be a metaphor for Issac "biting the hand that feeds him" as in Laura/Mooney giving him the art in the first place, then Issac threatening to blackmail her if she didn't continue to do it. BTW your explanation is really good and enhances the story!

[@kbug7441]

I also feel like the “drawings of the wolf” was actually pictures of her seeing as she represents the wolf, from my personal experience with the threats Isaac gave and also the whole feel of the situations it seemed like a metaphor for being groomed into sending intimate images

[@mako3951]

The wound left behind serves as a unsettling memory of the kid’s attempt to sexualize the dog. Every encounter with the dog highlights how sick it is to sexualize such a nonhuman vulnerable creature incapable of comprehending what is happening to it. The way the “real” dog is depicted resembles nothing like the cartoons the main character draws. The fact that the irl dog is what “Isaac” is sexualizing should be disturbing to the viewer and the dog biting from fear helps set the tone for how wrong the situation is

[@user-yj9eb5jf6y]

4:08 that little snitch smiled. how dare he.

[@ralzvy]

i will never forgive link for this

[@S1LLY_SCRUNKLE]

@@ralzvyme too bro

[@Dirtymunchablesocks]

I might be going out on a limb here but one thing I immediatly noticed when checking the profiles is how more detail and effort the thirteen year old put into their wolf profile, with close up of the eye and explaining the necklace,while the older dude just put some color here and there with more writing than anything.Feels like the younger one actually wanted to make a detailee description of their wolf while the older guy just found it necessary to be able to interact with minors.Also props on the wolf's necklace being the actual thing the girl wears around her neck too

[@jubbi4580]

I never actually noticed the difference in detail, nice catch! I saw the necklace was red (anger) at 1:53, I'm not sure if it changes color anywhere else in the film, but I gotta agree it was a nice detail Edit: It is green (neutral) at 2:53

[@jack-gn4yl]

Ive been groomed by so many adult artists when I was so young, all on skype conversations. Drawing weird and gross art for grown adults was my entire teenagehood. This animation hits home deep, its so similar to my own. thank you so much for sharing this story.

[@idk_man3491]

Aw man I'm so sorry I hope things are better for you now

[@Adrielle.]

😢

[@Cat_Paws009]

i relate, i hope you feel better now ❤

[@chillbeats3811]

🤡🤡🤡

[@zBeanzWorthz]

​@@chillbeats3811shush it, circus clown.

[@sammykaijuk9]

this is super powerful. as an adult who was once a kid who went through this shit, i thank you so much for making this. i felt so ashamed of my experience for years because i thought i was alone in it, turns out there are lots like me who need to know this kind of danger is out there. the symbolism of lycanthropy and transformation of the self after going through online grooming is genius. thank you, again.

[@gruma6581]

What really happened to her in the ending tho?

[@sharoryy]

she got rabies and dieded@@gruma6581

[@juanchopingo]

The anger is real, and the feeling of being your fault for letting it happen, never goes away. Even if you were only a victim. This animation is too real and hits really close to home. 💔

[@sammykaijuk9]

@@juanchopingo I've been trying to let it go recently as I was a minor and very influencable, and I try to be kind to myself about it, but you're right. The fact that I ever interacted with that side of the furry community makes me so deeply angry. I can't imagine, now being an adult, somebody my age or older manipulating a young person for their own self-interest. It is beyond diabolical.

[@pixelzebra8440]

You seem very smart. I’m sorry that happened to you and similar to your words probably changed bc of it. I hope that you can overcome this. You will

[@Inv_Enot]

I hate how many fellow therians are like “omg haha silly so relatable :3”

[@miceribs]

REAL.

[@marsonnstars]

yeah, just cause some therian posted it as “ therian rage “ doesn’t mean they can just shit on a serious animation

[@amaneestar]

I'm a therians and yeah, it's annoying.

[@Scaroob_]

Oh my god. I’m a therian myself and it angers me so much. I KNEW the therians were gonna come here after that certain therian rage video. THIS SHORT IS ABOUT GR00MING AND Z00PHILLIA??

[@marsonnstars]

@@Scaroob_ wait, how zoophilla?

[@zomboy9816]

I love the detail of her necklace changing colors to match how she's feeling throughout the vid!

[@firmin1258]

this felt like a horror film to me. the really bad/simple grammar of "Isaac" was too real. honestly nothing's been able to shake me up as much as this did for a while now. it's just too real.

[@chatdonut]

And he writes just fine when he pressures her into drawing the dog bits I'm glad I'm too awkward to befriend anybody on the internet, I'm glad I was never groomed (edit : grammar)

[@ScrawnyTreeDemon]

Seriously. My own _"friend"_ was very similar. This weird, infantile speech to make themselves seem all gentle and cool; unthreatening. Even know, I get alarm bells going off in my head whenever someone writes like that.

[@nyxcat3621]

@@chatdonuttrue I never noticed that, and he also writes normally when he’s talking about revealing the pictures she sent. I think maybe it’s showing that when he’s saying those things it’s his true nature, and when he’s saying trying to be sympathetic/likable he covers his true intentions with cutesy typing styles and wrong grammar

[@doctortalisman9861]

​@@nyxcat3621 tbh i think he might just not be a native english speaker (the ))) emojis he uses are a russian thing i believe)? but regardless he's definitely still playing up his typing style to seem non-threatening

[@LDAR]

​@@doctortalisman9861I think it's just in English so we get it

[@hextant9678]

man. this hits close to home. i had a bunch of fellow artist friends online and i was in wider art circles, i love drawing stuff for other people and taking requests, but i felt awkward turning people down and i wanted to please them, so i’d end up drawing until late at night to finish a piece for someone because i felt bad if it wasn’t done.

[@dm_katy2263]

oh gods above, I feel that guilt part in very bones and *soul*

[@nickih1267]

It also hits close to home for me because I used to have terrible friends that’s would emotional blackmail people into doing things.

[@Megaera-li6tz]

You realize this is about child grooming , right?

[@cam4636]

@@Megaera-li6tz You realize there's more than one type of unhealthy relationship, right?

[@mingweeny]

no because this happened to me when I was younger as well, it even got to the point people would threaten me if I didn’t finish on a certain deadline, absolutely horrified me.

[@trshakie]

I've watched this like 10 times now Jesus. Being a young artist on the internet couldn't be summed up any better, I really connected with this in many ways. Absolutely beautiful

[@wyaumann]

kickass sparkle dog!! i adore the rage at the end (how it's captured, sound, silhouette, burning color, teeth, snarl, the postures), or maybe i recognize it and it resonates with me. it's the real deal, i sang to that tune. i think i dodged a bullet back then. i thought i was too young to draw well enough to participate in the communit(ies), but i always idolized those online artists... thank you for showing off/preserving the aesthetic, while also reminding that it's never all fair play on the web. o7 stay safe

[@loafkey]

Very beautiful film! The storyboard and pacing are perfect, I’ve felt tension I haven’t felt with lots of short films! Probably because I find the story real relatable too… A great way to explain things and deal with such « awkward » theme. Hat’s off to you!!!

[@skixtsuz]

it’s strange that nobody here has replied yet..

[@FluffyVampires]

@@skixtsuzfr

[@arandomanimator9020]

As cringe as this is gunna sound, that end scene is how shit feels sometimes. Someone so toxic, that pisses you off so much, you can’t help but feel nothing short of ‘feral’

[@Handssandwich72]

YESSS it's literally fucking awful. Ive torn up books and clothes before because I was freaking out

[@Nigjaslayer9000]

NOOO it's not fucking awful. I haven't torn any books or clothes because i was freaking out.

[@mauzcake]

I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKINF ABOUT THE LITERAL SHITTING 😭

[@hannahlannah8779]

@@mauzcake I CAN'T WTF 😂💀

[@aelmaest9172]

Literally. It's gotten to the point that whenever someone's pissed me off, I just want to bite and tear and maul. Of course, I've never acted upon these feelings, and I never will. I barely even express it really. I have a physical freeze response, but those thoughts are still there.

[@jeremywaygay]

i had a visceral reaction to this, but in the best way. everything about this felt so palpably stomach-dropping...and captured a very specific niche internet phenomenon that i seldom see in things like this (grooming yes, but specifically in reference to the deviant art variety). its real, its raw, its atmospheric, and the symbolism is fantastic. literally all of your short films are absolutely amazing in their own ways.

[@autyy_analog]

It's kind of scary of how much I relate to this. Unrestricted internet access is really a curse, you see some things you never want to again and meet some awful people that'll take advantage of you. Amazing animation, sending lots of love

[@PARKlNG]

people in the comments here *really* shouldn't call this only just a "toxic friendship"... the circumstances and rage on display in this is dreadfully relatable. phenomenal work. i hope you're doing okay these days

[@mayowhishes]

i think we just dont have stronger words for this specific evil

[@holographic_txt]

​@@mayowhisheschild exploitation would be a better descriptor.

[@mayowhishes]

@@holographic_txt often it's a child themselves with no sense of mind

[@holographic_txt]

@@mayowhishes the video shows at the beginning that the other person is 19. An adult was requesting illegal pornographic material from a 13yo. How else would u call it?

[@holographic_txt]

And knowing how these type of depreved individuals work, he probably lied about his age. Very often u will find people like this claim that they are 18, 19 or 20 but they end up being much older.

[@Fang-fey]

If anyone ever threatens to upload anything you’re ashamed of, call them on their bluff. It’s an empty threat. And if they do, THEY uploaded it. They’re the ones who will get in trouble. Minors should never EVER under any circumstances do smut for people online, even if it’s your friends or someone your age and ESPECIALLY if it’s from an adult. They’re being creeps and they don’t care about your well being. Immediately tell an adult, like your parents if someone threatens you like this. I know it’s embarrassing but it’s not worth your safety. Be safe

[@medical-cyanide1526]

while its almost certainly a threat to share the art. A part of me is terrified the protagonist was coerced into sending some more, explicit, pictures as well.

[@MitzuMage]

If they did post something they had against you yes they would get into trouble but that doesn't mean the victim wouldn't be bullied for it. Kids are cruel and horrible and they'll take any little thing they can find against you to make your life a living hell.

[@zodiac5403]

Screenshot. Screenshot the threats, because if they take you down you have the means to take them down with you.

[@MizukiUkitake]

@@medical-cyanide1526 If they share the art, then they're still the one posting it, and they're the one who requested it. They'll still be the one to get in trouble.

[@ElvenSailor_Main]

You don't understand 😭 when I was young all of us did nothing but smut art. Kids gotta be gross and nasty there's no way to tell them not to.

[@ImLiterallyAClown]

The way he was talking about dying of seizures. Then you put all those lights. Truely the best way to explain it.

[@Kikitinha]

people are mistaken, bc this is not about therian rage, dude.. just read the description and understand the animation

[@lonk1022]

Even though this is a hard theme for me, I sat here and watched it. They way you conveyed the (kinda) subtle manipulation that he uses with the “I’m in the hospital” or “I’m happy YOU texted me” frases, making her feel like the only support he has, is really realistic and terrifying. Great work over all

[@yomrcrabs]

Also the justification about the threat that he say in the day before

[@nunya96]

the “JUST drawings” line in the description is so fucking important. This phrase gets thrown around to excuse all sorts of things when they have the capability to groom people into doing terrible things- so much so I thought this was going to go a very different direction just reading it. I hope you’re safe now op.

[@ANALBONES]

EXACTLY

[@NukaCorgi]

Thank you. I've had very similar experiences to the creator of this film and it makes me sick to my stomach seeing people say the words "it's just a drawing" in response to my trauma.

[@ursfan]

My first groomer used the "JUST drawings" to justify the validity of the relationships represented (pedophilic and often incestuous) and would use them to coerce me into rp'ing as the characters in them which later escalated into just sexting me. Fucker had me convinced that these relationships were normal because see look this cool artist drew it, that means it's okay. It took me 2-3 years to break out of that mindset and I'm so glad I did, because idk where I'd be now if I hadn't... though my sudden lucidity somehow didn't stop me from entering a relationship with an 18 year old at 14. And what scares me is that he was a kid around my age, too. I was 11 and he was 12. He was likely groomed by someone older than either of us and just... idk... did the same to me because he thought it was normal. Just repeated the usual lines back to me. It makes my fucking skin crawl thinking about it. He hurt me a lot, but I hope he's okay now wherever he is, I hope he broke out too. So it pisses me off to end when people online argue that "it's just drawings it doesn't hurt anyone" like that's awesome, art does not exist in a vacuum. It never has. It never will. People have always used art, writing, anything, to justify gross shit. Your loli art isn't special. Once saw the argument of "the murders weren't because of the book they were INSPIRED by the book!!!" From one of those "fiction doesn't affect reality" folks in response to an old murder case I cannot for the life of me remember rn and it made my blood boil. So you admit that fiction can inspire people to do things irl? Yeah? You admit that?

[@NukaCorgi]

@@bimates2690 Yes? That’s what’s being talked about in the video? That’s also what we’re talking about? I was a minor when I was preyed on. Don’t say shit to victims if you don’t know what you’re talking about

[@dogigomeow]

i like the cut here 1:54 where we see the necklace thingy is red, it’s such a brilliant way of combining the wolf sona with the real life person’s emotions

[@liravega2404]

3:51 You portrayed perfectly how it feels getting bitten by a dog

[@Marispider]

This is SUCH a fucking fantastic representation of the kind of trauma so many kids who grew up on the internet went through. On a thematic level - being pressured into doing sexual things (sometimes just by the peer pressure of being surrounded by sexual content when you're still growing up), turning into being pressured into doing sex work. Being too young to know the full extent of how you're being groomed, even when you know there's something wrong. Feeling like you're a monster because when you're being taken advantage of, sometimes you have to take advantage of someone/thing else. And when it goes far enough, eventually everyone hits that visceral snapping point where you just want to destroy the person or people hurting you. On an artistic level, this hits the feel of being a kid on the late 2000s early 2010s internet so HARD. From the edgy OCs to the bleach for your mind/eyes. And I don't need to go over the transformation at the end, it's so fucking rad, I love how it flashes both to show off the neon colors of edgy oc do not steal and to send their abuser into the hospital again. I hope you got an A+ on this man, it's so cool.

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

The other part to that is those who feel isolated at a young age with the internet as their only form of entertainment and ability to find friends. In my opinion there are people who are young online have managed to find eye bleach worthy stuff either on their own or because they are in communities (Including Myself), where that stuff is likely accessible. Also creating a account on most sites is not backed up by age and in fact anything age gated can just be got around by making an account with a fake birthday, which is while one step from preventing access. Most people will know how to make an email or use an email and password. At the end of the day parents checking history maybe one thing, but then most parents in the 90s/2000s barely understood how the internet worked and needed internet so they could work. I think the same thing is true now even to a degree.

[@Khim_0129]

​@@REDARROW_A_PersonalThat stuff is more like eye blech than eye bleach. There's also opposing subreddits about them, covering the worst and best parts of the internet. Also, I didn't pick up that Moony made her work flashy to try giving her groomer a seizure, though he was probably lying about that to guilt her to making the art.

[@pixelzebra8440]

Omfg I didn’t realize it was meant to be like bleaching your eyes I found nothing relating to it but that’s actually so genius

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

@@pixelzebra8440 I think it originates from a Simpsons Gag where Homer puts bleach in his eyes after seeing something really bad, but then they may have had inspiration.

[@Scarshadow666]

@@REDARROW_A_Personal Sadly true. :( Most parents don't always know how to monitor their kids'/teens' Internet activity, and most times kids/teens have been able to find ways to work around their parents' awareness of what Internet/social media exposure they have (I know growing up myself, I purposefully found ways to circumvent around my parents' awareness of what I would watch/listen to). Sounds like things may need to come to a head soon - I've found that the US Surgeon General has recently released a paper about social media addiction among kids/teens. 0_0

[@alyssahansen1400]

I think the dog bite is a metaphor for how what the main character is being forced to do is hurting them.

[@cyaniide]

could also be a self harm depiction too, given that the protag covered their arms the day after

[@Blandopinion]

I was thinking it was a metaphor for Issac. The dog was pretending to be nice(Issac the groomer), she was feeding it (give drawings),but when she let it get too close to her it bit her, hurting and causing her harm. The dog is a metaphor for the whole situation

[@crescendoe1436]

@@Blandopinion the dog wasnt "pretending"...it started feeling safe around her, but then she tried to touch it and the dog got scared & bit her.

[@coastyreef]

@@BlandopinionI think the dog is symbolism for the main character themself. They are luring the dog to take advantage of it, which is the same situation Isaac is putting them though. When they go in to touch it, it acts on its fear and attacks, which parallels the rage and anger the character feels at the end when Isaac continues to push and demand for more.

[@Potato.dog.]

I think it’s wrong to compare the end of the video to therian rage, because this video is about grooming not therian’s. This is no way hating me on therian’s I am just saying it’s wrong to compare the video to therian’s.

[@s_llymimi]

YES THANK YOU BRO

[@miceribs]

realest comment

[@s_llymimi]

@@miceribsWHY DID THAT TRANSLATE TO “realest how”

[@Potato.dog.]

@@miceribs why does it seem like you comment on every single comment about therian’s?

[@miceribs]

@@Potato.dog. Since people are saying its about therianthropy when its not, the video is about gr00ming. (not to mention… ion think the therian community would want a video about getting gr00med into drawing animal p0rn being seen as a therianthropy video..) (my comments are more so to educate people, tho, i get irritated easily. [since sometimes ppl wont listen /nm??? that sounded mean.] My apologies to anyone i argued w if i did.😭)

[@s_llymimi]

im getting sick of people on this video tbh this is not about therians, IT IS ABOUT GROOMING ONLINE, DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING STUPID LIKE THAT!!!YOURE SERIOUSLY REPLACING GROOMING WITH THERIANS THERIANS THERIANS THATS A WAY TO GET ATTACKED, STOP YAPPING ABOUT IT!!! THE CREATOR CONFIRMED THEY ARE NOT A THERIAN ON SOMEONE ELSES COMMENT

[@nuyoma_diamorph]

FACTS

[@PASTEL._.763]

FACTS FR

[@eden-with-claws]

tbh, yeah, im a therian and we also wouldnt want to be assoceated with grooming

[@MincedUpMeat]

I love the detail where when Laura’s wolfsona sheet is shown it has a glowing necklace that changes depending on her mood, and you can see her wearing that necklace irl with the colors coordinating to the mood

[@ajthewildwolf]

I think every young artist, especially furry artists, need to see this. I think that realistic portrayals of toxic friendships are severely under represented

[@beelzemobabbity]

Its not just a toxic friendship. They’re threatening them with intimate photos

[@rainbowarcher22]

I think is far beyond a “toxic friendship”. This is straight up grooming and exploiting a child. I do agree that young artists should be made aware of people like Issac tho

[@bleh329]

@@beelzemobabbity This is also a good portrayal of a toxic friendship. These are things toxic people do in relationships: lie, cheat, rage, threaten, guilt-trip, etc.

[@bimates2690]

I think, when it comes to the furry fandom, it should only be for adults.

[@beelzemobabbity]

@@bleh329 yes, but not this specific relationship. In the video it mentions intimate photos.

[@EnsignInSin]

As a commission artist back in highschool, I related to this on a deep level. Fuck people like this, man. Great work depicting the helpless feelings involved in the whole process.

[@kinchip.]

This just hit me to my core as a young artist that grew on the internet TOT

[@kaodren]

This is such a good film. The animation style is very appealing. Smooth movements with grungy, jittery linework, it works so well. I'm a fan of the little exaggerated canines you gave to the human characters, it really adds to the werewolf theme! And the story itself is an incredibly vivid portrayal of how grooming manifests in online artist/furry communities. Laura's hesitation to say no to Isaac juxtaposed with her mood ring necklace and the vent art in the notebook's margins, showing us just how angry she is and how much her day-to-day life is affected by this awful parasite of a person... it's so good. A great way to portray her feelings visually! I really like the fact that KATAMARI is playing in the background of every scene where she's talking to him, and how it gets louder in the final scene. That simmering, always-there rage finally boiling over. I'm also generally a big sucker for art that uses werewolves to portray anger, love the references to WLFGRL and Ginger Snaps in the transformation at the end!! Great work!

[@sournoodl]

I feel like youre the first person to mention noticing the Ginger snaps reference :0 great taste :D!

[@jen8790]

Probably the most realistic depiction of an artist's online interactions with a shitty "friend". And my god, the freaking jaw-dropping-powerful animation near the end! Beautiful, imaginative expression of an artist's rage! Lmao the bleach scene for searching dog bits, 5:21. Keep pumping up these incredible films, while at it take good care!

[@revenantapex]

More like groomed ^_^

[@kaninekodiak]

"shitty friend" makes it sound a lot less serious than what it actually is - grooming/sexual abuse.

[@jen8790]

@@kaninekodiak sadly true

[@chopstickingstylus]

I love the music too. All these music used perfectly represent the 2010s music used. One being the chaotic music and the one being the anthem of Fruitiger Aero, an aesthetic used to comfort new netizens to the internet.

[@solanadotexe294]

Christ,,, this hit so hard as an artist being pressured at one point to draw things that made me really uncomfortable :// absolutely beautiful film, keep up the amazing work

[@Sammysapphira]

You can literally just say no. Nobody is forcing you to do anything.

[@annamari5738]

​@@Sammysapphirasomeone is does NOT know what grooming is💀

[@STARBEArZ]

If you look closely, you can actually see that the main character’s Wolf OC has a little necklase that changes with their mood, red being angry, a blue/tealish/minty looking colour as neutral, and green as happy. And the main character has the same necklase, and it matches their emotions! :D I just thought that was a really cool touch! Not only that, but when you look at the dog OCs, you can see that one of them is 19 and the other is 13, typically people make their OC’s to be the same age/around the same age as themselves, so it can give us as the watchers a bit of insight to how old these characters may be. :D

[@glados2788]

The best art disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed. This animation is amazing at doing both. Many teens and young adults here in the comment section talk about how they’ve been in these situations and how this animation makes them feel seen and their feelings of anger, guilt, frustration and helplessness feel validated. At the same time, there are also many people here- myself included- who have been lucky not to be in a situation such as this one or who have only witnessed them second-handedly. I can personally say, as one of these people, I have never found an animation more disturbing in my life. Nothing in the video is inherently scary other than perhaps the bright colors and werewolf drawings towards the end. There aren’t any real jumpscares, there’s no heavy gore, no fantastical horror movie monsters or psycho killers, there is literally nothing explicit shown in the video. On the other hand, the situation presented is one that is so real and happens damn near every day. That’s what makes this video so eerie. How easily kids get preyed upon by real life monsters and how often that happens. Humans have long evolved past being regular snacks to lions and tigers, but how ironic is it that we can still end up as prey?

[@evatroniclover0026]

We're all monsters round here. And it doesn't matter what kind of prey you are, as long as you're prey, you're predatable.

[@BlueMiaou]

@@evatroniclover0026 Are you seriously trying to be a smartass about grooming children

[@aaronadethegamer]

​@@evatroniclover0026Everyone is to a degree. Not "monsters" per se. But anyone can be prey. All it takes is the right and wrong angle. We're all human. We can't always see it coming. But it's there.

[@PixelsPolygonsNPetrichor]

Bud I'm... fairly disturbed and even at my worst I make comedy Not dark comedy or creepy comedy Just comedy, I like it

[@sournoodl]

Thank you all for the overwhelming support this lil story got, having a personal story reach so many people is a terrifying concept :D I hope everyone is doing okay, its sad to hear many can relate to this film. I hope sharing this will help people feel less alone in this. I was once helped by seeing a yt video storytime as well ^^ Take care! -sour

[@wolfeprocter]

Personal? You mean this actually happened to you? Damn. As a former deviantArtist, I guess I got lucky.

[@ponikoTV]

What's your fav machine girl song?

[@Gunkle_Jeb]

Thank you for showing everyone! It fills me with joy that you’ve got me and 15,000 other people with our hands on your shoulders, “you did the best you could do, and we are proud of the person you grew into”

[@PaperDryBones]

I watched the entire film, and it was bone chilling because i had the same experience, down to the “;;” , being pressured into drawing things while i wasnt of age, its sad to see you had went through the same thing, but your execution on this film was beautiful. I hope we get to see more from you.

[@des-astre]

I just have a question : is the pinkish triangle her nose ? At first I thought it was but it's always on the side unlike her friend and there's also a pinkish circle. I really like the "crisis" bit.

[@heythereitsjack1846]

My god this has to have been the utmost personal animation I’ve seen. I cannot express to you how much I relate to this, I really didn’t realize how many other people went through this sad experience

[@MYLAR.]

Small side note, but the reaction to being bitten was really accurate. I’ve been bitten a few times before and that adrenaline ringing is real

[@kat2019]

that last minute perfectly captures the rage & emotional turmoil I experienced and still do to this day. online grooming in the oc community is unfortunately a very prevalent issue and needs to be taken seriously. I still struggle with the shame & it took a really long time for me to feel comfortable drawing animals again. this is insanely powerful, also greatly appreciate the machine girl reference as a longtime fan! 🐺❤

[@SyoDraws]

Im sorry you went through those things. I hope you are doing better currently, and that you have a good day.💙

[@gremlinjax]

same here. i met a LOT of creeps like this back in my amino days. and i’m glad i’m not the only one who noticed the wlfgrl reference!!!

[@Crum_bunnie]

As a past wolf kid who's been through some supper bad stuff the end depicts it so perfectly, it really did feel like I was growing a snout and ears and claws and I still get those feelings from time to time. Just a masterpiece depicting something I've never fully been able to describe to anyone .

[@van4195]

YOU GUYS GET IT TOO

[@thecaptain291]

YES@@van4195

[@GayDemiDemiboy]

I get those too, as a shapeshifter otherkin and wolf therian (as well as other creatures)

[@UwUImShio]

Same

[@Z3R0_030]

a phantom shift?

[@fern2703]

i could say a thousand things about this but one fun fact is i get the fucking CHILLSSSS from the screams at the end. so good. matching the animation so damn well. so many cool details, a story well told. i feel the rage.

[@Cl0wnzy.L0v3s.M3n]

I love how when the main character transforms not only the vile turns red meaning anger, the music also gets more intense and I think those are really cool details you added! ^^

[@clydesdale1775]

Frighteningly real story. Even the friend weaponizing their illness, or possibly even lying about it, in order to be the "victim" and manipulate the child into doing inappropriate things. Holding revenge porn over the minors head... Disgusting behavior that really happens. This film is so important.

[@arceushelpus5627]

WOW This is amazing! Reminds me of when i used to draw edgy wolves during classes when i was dealing with shitty things in life. The ending feels so accurate to being just consumed by rage and not being able to do anything or not knowing what to do.

[@arceushelpus5627]

Also love how the main character has a tag, corresponding to their emotions the same as their sparkledog character. And the style of the animation makes it feel like its something drawn in mspaint which is SO perfect to represent the era and the culture of the time (at least, when i think of that time i always remember ms paint art). Also, the whole dog segment was very intense, a great way to show how ppl end up getting hurt doing something they don't even want to do to please ''friends'' like that - putting themselves into dangerous situations (thats what i interpreted at least) Also the way ''Isaac'' was bringing up his stay at the hospital to gain pitty points every time he said/did something fucked up to the mc felt way to real. Not to mention your gorgeous character designs - so sharp and dynamic. Sorry for rambling, but all that together is SO good, i Loved watching it!

[@sournoodl]

@@arceushelpus5627ahhh it always brings me so much joy when people point out tiny little details that I put in my films and add +X hours to my workload haha thank you!

[@BWayMotion]

pixelating for focus depth was a cool idea

[@lungsfilledofroses]

As someone who’s been groomed before, I felt this way more than I thought I would. A lot of times grooming feels like it isn’t taken super seriously, it really screwed up any trust in adults and making online friends. I only have one adult online friend now and I’m more than grateful that they aren’t some creepy person on the internet and they’ve been what’s helped me patch up my trust in adults tbh. I still get scared of people online so often now and hardly talk to anyone on the internet except for them, and even I have moments where I worry about them being a creep because of my past experiences with adults, even though I know that they aren’t (and I know they aren’t because they’ve proven that more than several times)

[@neonsiigns1411]

And too many times the victim is blamed. They don't realize all the young years that were stolen from these kids, just find the drawings and do a mass callout. Often the images have come from a time like this. This message is incredible to be seen realized, that these sickos really do exist. That they manipulate and cause harm just to get what they want. Delicately displayed in your work here, its relieving and inspiring. IMO these topics should be talked about more, esp to parents. There's so much damage already, thank you so much for making this. From the bottom of my 12-15yr old heart this is healing if only just slightly through someone else's work.

[@littlePixelHadaSong]

There's victimblaming under that very video. That's crazy, right?

[@neonsiigns1411]

I wouldn't say I'm surprised. Abelist smooth brains that don't understand trauma like to say whatever pops out their butts.@@littlePixelHadaSong

[@ANALBONES]

Oh my fucking god this comment is so real. By the same time i was getting groomed i acted weird with my online friends because i didnt know how to communicate properly. Behaviors i done when i was a traumatized kid are currently STILL being used against me after all these years from weirdos praying on my downfall. They dont understand how traumatizing that time was which makes you act differently.

[@neonsiigns1411]

The important thing is to be able to move on from those past behaviors and to skin the assholes who can't recognize someone's change alive.@@ANALBONES

[@evatroniclover0026]

Blame the user, not the tool.

[@illiardbilliard2355]

Duuuuude. This is so unbelievably good. The second I saw the online conversation, I was fully invested. It's so fucked up but in such a realistic way. Some details I like include the teacher being cool and allowing Laura to keep drawing because she was still doing her schoolwork, and how the bright flashing lights at the end reflect Laura's anger and hatred towards Isaac, who claims to have epilepsy (I'm not saying he does or doesn't, but the dude's shady as hell so everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt).

[@sourdrop]

Fr all the small details truly make it shine! Her having the same emotion necklace as her oc and it changing colors to match her feelings. I also enjoyed having mlp listed as one of Isaac's likes. Being a kid/tween with unrestricted internet access during the mlp/brony golden age was a very weird and subtly traumatizing experience. Looking back, I'm amazed I made it out as unscathed as I did.

[@Ihopinthegrass]

Cool detail I noticed: the main character actually has the same necklace her fursona does, and just like the drawing also it changes colour to reflect her mood. In the first scene you can see it's a blueish green colour, which is 'neutral' and whenever she talks to her online 'friend' it's red, which is 'angry'.

[@Chocolatewoosh]

god I swear I've watched this a dozen times already- I just have to keep coming back to appreciate the (extremely real) story, the excellent animation, amazing art style, the music, even sound design! just incredible work all around. I hate yet love how realistic this is, and how so many artists out there (myself included) can relate. that ending sequence was gorgeous. LOVE your work! thank you for telling this story!! my heart goes out to all the kids out there that have dealt with and been hurt by these kinds of disgusting, manipulative people.

[@RedRaiju]

Good on the teacher for letting her keep drawing.

[@WhoAmIHmmm]

if only she knew the context behind those drawings...

[@sillyspider]

I'd argue the opposite. The teacher looked at these drawings very clearly indicating that there's something seriously terrible going on, and then averted her eyes from the kids' torment because at least their grades were still presentable. Instead of asking the kid what's going on and helping them, or even at least comforting them if they're too scared to tell the truth. She turned a blind eye because when she looked at the finished work, everything seemed _normal_ .

[@twoheadedkitten]

love the machine girl reference. i also feel sick with violent, wolf-like rage at the idea of someone using a child's love for art and self-expression as a means to manipulate, groom, and abuse them. this is way more than a "toxic friendship;" if anyone is experiencing smth like this please get away from them, they are not a friend, never were, and never will be. *they are a predator* edit: i find it disturbing that a lot of people think the teacher dismissing the art is a good thing. just bc laura completed the homework doesn't mean everything is fine - the art should have been an indication something was going wrong but she ignored it. i also get the sense the dog bite may be an allusion to self-harm, too. laura had the bite, the drawings, but still her struggles went unnoticed. ):

[@rarer_Dem0nZ]

Most people who were praising the teacher were saying it was good because then she wouldn't get punishment for it, also it could have been a vent that the teacher recognised, and so decided not to punish her as it could make whatever she is going through worse, as she is clearly anxious and expecting to be berated when she hands it to the teacher. Bear in mind that also the animation is not set in America, which could be reflective of the artist or not, so the education norms may be not as caring to mental problems.

[@rarer_Dem0nZ]

Also is that while everyone else _speaks_ (not writes) Italian(?) The teacher speaks English, pointing towards the fact that she may be from a more western country originally. Idk though since it could have been to make it more special, they're supposed to be speaking English in school idk, that's how I interpreted it

[@twoheadedkitten]

@@rarer_Dem0nZthe setting doesn't really make a difference, mental health isn't taken seriously in america either, though it may be prioritized more here than other countries for sure. i definitely think it's a good thing that laura wasn't getting in trouble; no one should get in trouble for harmlessly expressing themselves through art. my point was that there was no concern either, simply bc the homework was done. i just think it's sad in general that adults in authority positions over kids will overlook them when something may be wrong even when small signs are showing, and that it wasn't really something to be praised that she just ignored the drawings. it absolutely is realistic, just not ideal. not getting in trouble is good, but getting her support would have been better.

[@rarer_Dem0nZ]

@@twoheadedkitten yup, shame that below the bare minimum is praise worthy :(

[@StandAloneSoul]

​@@twoheadedkittenI share your opinion. I think its a nice detail that when the teacher looks at the notebook, the focus of viewpoint shifts after 2 seconds towards the left/top, away from the drawings as if theyre simply dismissed. I also would have wished that any adult in some sort of responsibility position would have taken aftive motive and adressed some of the signs of my struggles back then.

[@imperialmouse]

0:51 this is unironically something that many of the viewers need to listen to it’s called katamari by femtanyl

[@phobxs.x33]

yea femtanyl underrated

[@majmaimajsmainamjswoj4164]

i love this so much, it's so 2008 but the art style is really modern, the music choice and machine girl reference, the dialogue, the deviantart wolf ocs, this is like pure internet nostalgia. the last shot of moony is amazing and i love that enough time has passed for new artists to capture the feeling of chatting creeps online who prey on preteens. it's like i just watched a new wave of an art movement

[@tyjahoda]

Je tak osviežujúce vidieť animácie z rúk slovenských tvorcov, špeciálne keď sú to príbehy, ktoré sa venujú aj takýmto problematikám. Spracované s totálnym štýlom, skvelá animácia, super príbeh, proste mwah!! chefs kiss! 👨‍🍳✨

[@sournoodl]

Wah, dakujem!!! nikdy by som nepovedal ze urobim film kde sa rozprava po slovensky XD

[@elajzcz6651]

@@sournoodl I já se přidám k ocenění, nečekala jsem že takhle v online animaci uslyším jazyk kterému rozumím! Mega cool

[@wilczus222]

Wiedziałam, że skądś kojarzę ten język - pozdrowienia z Polski, super film!

[@just_Alexio]

​@@sournoodl teší ma to,, inšpiruje ma to viac použivať slovenčinu :]]---- znamená to veľa,, fakt

[@lanternglue]

i love the attention to detail and how the glowstick necklace around the main characters neck changes colors just like in moons reference, depicting how they’re feeling. that was a lovely detail and this is a lovely film 💖

[@ferretsuuu]

I feel this to my f*cking core. Thank you for making this. Thank you, for all of us, artists or not, who had people like this in their life at too young of an age. Thank you, from a chronically online 36 yo old woman. Thank you.

[@editsbyerin]

hey guys little reminder that this video is not about therians. it is not about therian rage it is about grooming. please do you research before commenting about therians because it can be offensive as this video is not about that at all.

[@miceribs]

thank u!

[@Inv_Enot]

So many people think it’s about therians :(

[@marsonnstars]

yeah and as a therian it’s just annoying.

[@s_llymimi]

Ikr

[@Scaroob_]

I’m agreeing as a therian. So many people are driving this short from its original context to the point it’s just insane.

[@Skylarker_drawss]

Man i relate a lot to this. Being 11-14 on deviantart was a wild experience

[@Amanda_Axolotl]

It's nearly a page taken out of the life of an early animal artist. Starts off wth edgy wolf oc's, roleplay, crappy friends, and sadly the study of anatomy at just too young of an age to understand. This is perfectly captured.

[@redaurora8602]

I am obsessed with this animation style. Holy Hell, it's so RAW and nostalgic at the same time. Also, the message conveyed is so strong and well handled, my personal favorite part was the parallel(?) Between Laura and the dog, and how Isaac's teisted relationship with her got mirrored through her without even realising.