This comic was originally created in the fall of 2021 and has been completely re-illustrated as of June 2024. Parts 1 & 2 are available for purchase as a zine.
Conceptually created in the summer of 2020, Flame at the Bottom of the Sea describes the anxiety, isolation, sadness, and difficulty I struggled with. I felt completely detached from how I usually think of myself - bright, cheery, and optimistic (almost to a fault). It felt like I was being suppressed under the atmospheric pressures of the deep ocean. I didn't know if I would come out the same on the other side.
Something snapped or shook me out my state. I do not have depression, but I do have other mental and neurological differences. I've learned that without warning, your brain chemistry shifts, and you can function better on different days. It can be random. It can be more extreme or less. It can be like the ocean, vicious and homicidal, or serene and refreshing.
For some people, that sounds impossible, that you'd be fighting the waves of your own ocean, your own brain and body, to do what you want to do! I know some people understand it deeply, however.
I have been glad that many people found this comic relatable, even in different circumstances! Though they might be the same, our situations as viewer and creator may sing the same emotional note.