Hello! My name’s Persephone van der Waard, and welcome to my website! I’m a trans-woman erotic artist, sex worker, academic Gothicist/independent researcher and self-published author. I used to focus on videogame fan art (e.g., Metroid, Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda); now I focus on sex positivity in the Gothic mode. I’m currently writing and illustrating a non-profit book series on sex positivity and the Gothic. Made in collaboration with other sex workers including my partner, Bay, the project is a planned four-volume set called Sex Positivity versus Sex Coercion, or Gothic Communism: Liberating Sex Workers under Capitalism through Iconoclastic Art.

As of 10/8/2023, my thesis volume is live; as of 12/14/2024, my manifesto volume is live! Simply go to my 1-page promo and pick up your own copies for free! While you’re there, you can also learn about the other volumes, project history and logo design/promo posters!

Update, 4/26/2024: Harmony Corrupted inspired me to write a whole module for my upcoming volume: “Brace for Impact” (2024)! Clocking in at over ~185,000 words, ~469 pages, ~346 images, and 49 new exhibits, the growing size of “Brace for Impact” has required me to split Volume Two in two: the Poetry Module (which is what “Brace for Impact” is) as part one, and the Monster Modules as part two. To say thank you, I wrote Harmony a special dedication. 

For more information about this website’s history and inception, please refer to this old blog post.