Pokefairy is a webcomic artist and animator, currently working on Gold And Rubies and What’s His Deal? She’s a big fan of romance stories and aspires to keep writing fun romances till she no longer can. Born in India, she’s dedicated to showcasing her culture and heritage through comics. She’s also dedicated to drawing “monster” romances that’ll make your heart beat faster! She likes traveling, reading, and cooking when she’s not working on animations or comics, and her super power is tracking down the best spot in any city for a good meal!

I had the opportunity to interview Pokefairy, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello! My name is JJ (online name Pokefairy) and I’m the creator of Gold And Rubies (on Manta and in print)! I work as a freelance animator and motion designer on top of comics. I’m Indian, and I’ve lived in many countries and continents. I live, laugh, love manga and webtoons!

What can you tell us about your comic, Gold and Rubies?What was the inspiration for this story?

Gold and Rubies is my greatest passion project! Everything I love, condensed into one story! When I came up with it, I was already writing a pretty popular high school romance story. I wanted to write something highlighting Indian culture, with an older audience in mind, but I was worried no one would read it. At the same time, I was massively into villainess isekai, so I began to think of ways to marry those ideas. A lot of those stories have a South Asian-ish villain character, and I figured I could give that character a whole story! I added a heavy sprinkle of Bollywood magic to it, and despite my earlier worries, it actually found an audience! I’d really written it entirely for myself, purely as self-indulgence, so seeing so many people enjoy it was really surprising in the best way!

As a creative, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially comics?

I’ve always been a big reader, so when I was introduced to manga, it felt like a lightbulb moment for me. I got into drawing fanart and writing fanfiction, which slowly got me into drawing little comics, and it just snowballed from there. I was posting comics from the moment Webtoon launched its self-publishing side! I used to draw comics after school, and while the art was far from what I would consider passable now, the writing brought people in somehow. Knowing that people wanted to read what I wrote made me write more, and my sheer stubbornness in wanting to draw kept me drawing more, and now I’m here! Writing and drawing are just my favorite things to do, almost like breathing to me.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult? 

My favorite parts are writing cute, short interactions, and doing the lineart while illustrating. I love tiny romantic moments that tell you about the characters! And I love how meditative drawing lineart is! On the other hand, like most artists, I hate drawing backgrounds. I don’t really draw any these days thanks to 3D models, though! 

Can you give us any trivia (that hasn’t already been given) about the characters from Gold and Rubies?

The male lead of Gold And Rubies is actually about eight months younger than the female lead! He doesn’t look his age at all. Oh, and the female lead is pan. Both of these facts will show up in the story at some point!

As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I have so many, but the one people immediately clock is Castlevania on Netflix! There’s also an Indian fine artist named Y. G. Srimati who’s a huge inspiration for me! My art style at the moment is those two styles combined, somehow.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

I’m super extroverted! I used to think I was a shy introvert, but I’m very much not, so if I’m ever at a con or something, come talk to me! It’s literally my favorite thing to do!

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

What motivates you daily? This is a question I ask myself a lot because putting out an episode a week is pretty brutal. I just love connecting with people through a story I’ve written. Seeing people care about the characters I write is all the fuel I need to keep going! It’s almost like an addiction!

What advice might you have to give for aspiring storytellers out there?

You have to just put yourself out there. You can’t wait till you’re “good enough” because as a creative, you’ll never be satisfied. And that’s a good thing, it leads to growth! But if you want people to see what you can do, you do need to show them at some point! It took me way too long to internalize that. That, and don’t be afraid to edit aggressively. I’ve deleted 50+ complete comic pages because it just wasn’t working, and I’m glad I did!

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I have a self-published series called What’s His Deal? on Webtoon Canvas right now! I’m also slowly working on a childhood friends-to-lovers monster romance anthology, but that’s not for a while…

Finally, what books/comics/authors would you recommend to the readers of GeeksOUT? 

I always recommend shoujo manga because it’s always overlooked! Tamon’s B-Side is my current go-to recommendation! 

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E-mail: art.pokefairy@gmail.com

Website: www.pokefairy.com

Instagram: @pokefairy_art

Tiktok: @pokefairy_art