Warning: This article contains mention of suicide, bullying, and severe mental health conditions. Links to mental health support and suicide hotlines can be found at the bottom of this article.
Members of the Overwatch community have offered their support following the tragic death of Mikayla Raines after she took her own life.
YouTuber and founder of SaveAFox rescue, Mikayla, assisted in the curation of Kiriko’s spirit fox, Kitsune, with her animals providing soundbites for the character’s development.
The need for change – how online harassment took the life of treasured rescuer Mikayla Raines
Following her passing, Mikayla Raines’ husband posted a video honouring her personality and SaveAFox legacy. In this video, he also revealed the circumstances leading to her death.
Mikayla had suffered from harassment online, which stemmed from various sources.
Her husband explained that some of this online harassment came from individuals or animal sanctuaries that she knew in her offline life. Other sources of abuse were also from strangers.
Tackling “Snark” Subreddits
A Reddit forum named r/SaveAfoxSnark was also highlighted as a source of harassment and abuse.
Screenshots of this subreddit show an individual named u/Pale-Explanaion-709 criticise her rescue management, stating, “You could do well but your head is too far up your own ass to do so.”
In the same post, this individual stated, “If you don’t want to deal with the public then maye just stick of OF.”
“OF” is an abbreviation commonly used for the platform OnlyFans. It is often used to attack women online. Usually, it intends to criticise women profiting from explicit content or accuse them of doing so with derogatory intent.
“Snark” subreddits are a phenomenon that exploded in 2022, echoing the history of “circle jerk” subreddits that fulfil a similar purpose.
These forums are typically used to criticise, mock, and air complaints or gossip about a specific topic. Specifically, “Snark” subreddits usually target influencers or public figures.
Despite r/SaveAfoxSnark being a very small subreddit with under 20 posts, Mikayla discovered the forum. She was compelled to defend herself, personally responding to the posts published there.
“Snark” subreddits have come under fire several times in the past few years, especially where high-profile influencers have been targeted or doxxed. Mikayla Raines’ passing has reignited discussion over the harms of these forums.
“Looking at her from the outside, you could never tell what was going on in her head”
In his video, Ethan also explained the devastating impact of harassing someone while disregarding their private struggles.
In particular, Mikayla was known to be on the Autism spectrum. Ethan explains that this made her life challenging, but allowed her to focus wholeheartedly on what mattered most to her.
“She struggled with Autism, with Depression, with Borderline Personality Disorder, and more. She was always in and out of different kinds of therapy, trying various mood stabilisers and meds, but nothing really seemed to help. […] Looking at her from the outside, you could never tell what was going on in her head, but even just socialising would send her over the edge.”
Furthermore, Ethan also detailed how the negative comments, bullying, and online harassment had an incredibly harmful effect on Mikayla’s well-being.
“She was so sensitive to everything, which is a double-edged sword. Because, on one hand, it allowed her endless empathy for those in her care. But, it also means that she took everything negative to heart. […] It hurt her a lot. […] She felt as if the entire world had turned against her.”
Remembering Mikayla Raines – her SaveAFox Legacy lives on in Overwatch
Resident foxes living at Mikayla’s SaveAFox sanctuary voiced the Overwatch character Kiriko’s fox spirit. Individuals in the Overwatch community are sharing positive messages about Mikayla’s impact and encouraging donations to her sanctuary in her honour.
Kiriko has many characteristics that are reflective of Mikayla’s commitment to animal welfare. The character was taught by her grandmother to care for a Fox Shrine, and she is bonded with a Fox Spirit.
In the words of one Overwatch fan, “A soul that gave voice to magic, now echoes in every step of Kiriko’s fox.”
The community has collectively expressed an intention to appreciate the voices of the sanctuary foxes in the game as a way to uphold her memory.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or considering causing harm to yourself, please reach out for help.
Call 111 and select option 2 for Mental Health support.
Call 999 if you are actively suicidal or feel unsafe.
For phone-based mental health assistance:
Samaritans
Call 116 123 or text 07725 90 90 90 for 24/7 support.
Shout
Text 85258 for 24/7 support.
CALM
www.thecalmzone.net – LiveChat, 0800 58 58 58. Support is open from 5pm-midnight every day.
Overwatch often collaborates with creators, franchises, and popular culture. Its competitive community recently adjusted to new hero perk systems, a decision which will hopefully revitalise the esports ecosystem and the corresponding Overwatch betting scene.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
