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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Mar 2015 : 07:34:52
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Not sure where else to put this, so I'm just going to post it here, and hope for the best. It's an issue I think we should all be aware of, especially given how much D&D and Realms fan-art and fics that exists, particularly the more mature or "adult" ones.
I would like to ask all my Fellow Scribes- especially those who are writers and artists (you know who you are)- to help me spread the word about an issue that is very close to my heart right now. Censorship, bullying, and bigotry rolled into a dirty little package on a popular creative community many may be familiar with. I am referring to Deviant Art, and the situation is this: A small (but friendly and supportive) group of fans of the TMNT are being unfairly targeted by the site's admins- through the possible agency of a separate (but vocal) group of critics of their niche. You may ask why we should care, but it's really very simple- they are being bullied and driven off the site by self-proclaimed "art police" using rules loop-holes to get rid of content they dislike.
The group being targeted are those who write or draw pieces that involve same-sex relationships involving the TMNT, whether it is implied or expressed directly within their work. The other group is adamantly against these pairings, and has frequently expressed offense at the works of those who create it. They have apparently gone to the admins, and now the site has begun citing a rule violation as cause for removing art and stories by the victims, saying that because these FICTIONAL CHARACTERS were "underage in their original context", they are not allowed to depict them in any kind of romantic relationship, and are claiming the works are considered "porn"- EVEN when they are only kissing or engaged in activities that have nothing to do with sex, but are implied to be a couple, and even if they are clearly depicted as being older in said work! The worst part is that the rules being cited were not even in place when most of the works being removed were originally submitted- it was added later, without being announced directly, as part of an update to the TOS of the site- but neither of the rules being sited is being enforced regarding other fandoms- JUST THIS GROUP.
This blatant manipulation of rules to remove a group from the site is sickening. I am urging anyone who is a member of DA, or who visits the site, to voice a protest against this unfair harassment of a creative community's members, and to help spread the word about this outright homophobic attempt to suppress works that are deemed "objectionable" by a few self-righteous hypocrites. These rules are not being enforced for Harry Potter fan-works, nor for Sailor Moon, Pokémon, or any other fandom at this time as far as I am aware. There have been mentions of other small niche groups being treated this way in the past, but the scope of the current purge is ridiculous- a dozen or more members who have all had 100 or more pieces removed- in some cases as many as 500!- and several have had their accounts suspended or banned, and many others who are also having pieces removed without warning for containing adult content, whether it is psychological, violent, or sexual in nature, even though the site has filters to hide the content from casual view by minors. There is NO reason to remove mature-content pieces when there are filters in place to prevent it from being seen by those who should not or do not wish to see it. It is blatant manipulation of the TOS to suppress works deemed "inappropriate" by a small minority, by claiming them as "porn" and thus, against the TOS.
And many of these same artists and writers have recently been victims of art theft, and have complained to the admins, but nothing was ever done to stop the thefts or reprimand those who were found responsible. It is a double standard, and is not only hypocritical, but intolerant and oppressive. I want the community's members to stand up, to call out for a review and reform of the TOS, and to stop this mistreatment and disregard of DA's users. But that can only happen if we do so with one voice, and protest both by removing our funding of the site, and by letting the world know what DA is doing to its members. Other fandoms are not being treated this way, because most of their pairings are either M/F, or F/F, and most are considered more respectable and have larger followings than the few M/M TMNT fans who are being forced off of a site that is SUPPOSED to encourage and support them as artists and writers!!!
The scary thing is that this could very well happen to ANY fandom, including this one. And if they decide to start going after other groups with ambiguous works, it will only get worse. While most of you probably don't particularly care about a small niche group in a fandom unrelated to FR, it is important to remember that ALL such groups deserve to have their works be shared, no matter if we personally appreciate them or even agree with the content. We must show the site that this kind of treatment of members is unacceptable, or it will continue.
Please, if you or someone you know is a member of Deviant Art, or is a writer or artist, pass this message along and spread the word, or better yet, send an e-mail to the site to voice your concern over censoring the very people who are the foundation of the creative community. Let's stop this unfairly stifling artistic creative efforts on the grounds of homophobic and ambiguous agendas, and make places like DA the artistic haven it was intended to be!
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The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
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Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2015 : 14:02:26
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| Censorship everywhere. Argh! |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2015 : 15:23:18
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While I understand your passion for this issue and can understand your concerns, I'm not comfortable with this call to arms for another website.
This forum is dedicated to discussing the Forgotten Realms. We are not the appropriate venue for issues experienced on other websites.
Accordingly, I am closing this thread. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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A heads-up for all D&D/Realms fans and artists/wri
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