#this is why nudity should not be banned

[rose-riot-johnson]

Hi my Tumblr Peeps😃 I have been thinking about this for a while and I decided to write a fanfic pertaining a certain character from The Seven Deadly Sins... So, I figured why not try writing a fanfic about Ban, as the staring character🤔💡😃👍 It's honestly not because of a fanfic or 2 of the fanfics pertaining Ban I have rebloged, though I am really inspired to actually write a fanfic about him, when I did (or when I am), however the real reason for writing about him is actually because I'm seeing why people like Ban and The Seven Deadly Sins anime😁👍

*This fanfic contains 1 or more long paragraphs😅

🍓I Loved You, Eversince The First Time I Had Ever Laid Eyes On You🍓(Ban x Female Reader)

Genres: Angst, Comfort, Smut (And sex), and Possible Mutual Confession (Warning +18⚠️: Alcohol Use, Language, Sexual comments, Nudity, mentions of virginity loss, praise kink, and sexual contact (including oral sex (both recieving), ass grabbing, nipple pulling, and vaginal penitration))

When Ban first met you, you were one of the customers of the Boar Hat tavern. He did have a crush on you, however you had a boyfriend, so ofcourse he's not going to overstep your relationship with (character or boyfriend or random name of reader's choice). While your boyfriend at the time seemed nice, considering that he always goes with you, whenever you go there, however Ban couldn't help that something felt off about the boyfriend you were with.

One night when the other sins including, Meliodas went to rest, Ban was the only one who stayed up and filled in for Meliodas, to see, if Boar Hat will have any customers for that night. The next thing that happened was that you showed up, as he assumes you're one of the customers, however the boyfriend you were with never came with you, which made Ban wonder why he didn't come with you, as he always did. Ban was confused as he then said, "I'm surprised you came without this boyfriend of yours. Did something happen for him to be unable to come or do you prefer not to talk about it?".

As Ban decided to let you have, as much as (creamy alcoholic beverage of reader's choice), you feel you needed to have for free, since you come here alot and you asked him for that particular alcoholic beverage you always ordered at Boar Hat, you answered, "Well Ban, between you and me... (character or boyfriend or random name of reader's choice) has been accusing me of cheating on him... You have to believe me when I tell you this... I never cheated on him once... He had always been jealous, I guess... This is why he was going everywhere I went... I did repressed and was deep down in denial that I had a crush on youand despite this, I have never flirted with anyone, especially you, Ban... Unfortunately he caught onthat I've been blushing everytime he mentions about you, even tough he complains that you're in the Boar Hat tavern everytime he and I come there and he just instantly accuses me of cheating on him for you... He thinks having a crush on someone and cheating are the exact same thing... I mean I barely looked at anyone else except him, so I know that I didn't even flirt with anyone else and he still accuses me of the cheating I never committed... It's also unfortunate that earlier this morning, I woke up and I was looking for him, then I found a note saying that I should find another place to live and other horrible stuff he wrote, especially wanting to break up with me, hinting that he wants me to leave the place he and I were living in together and never comeback or else...", as you were trying to hold your emotions in, while drinking your favorite creamy alcoholic beverage. Ban then asked, "Did you take the note with you, if you don't mind me asking, (Female Reader Name)?". You nodded your head, yes before handing the note to him.

While Ban was reading the break up note (character or boyfriend or random name of reader's choice) wrote to you, he has noticed that you were right when you told him that (character or boyfriend or random name), who is now your ex has written horrible stuff and it was much worser than he thought. Ban began to notice that your now ex boyfriend wrote was not only written out of jealousy, however it was also written out of dissing you, especially calling you nasty names in the note and Ban also notices that your now ex has written on how you will never find anyone better than him and he will find someone much better than you even in bed. This has really not only shocked Ban badly, however he felt sad for you, while pissed off for what (character or boyfriend or random name) has written in the note about you.

Ban then decided to invite you to camp out with him in a forest for the rest of the night, since he notices that you're trying to hide the fact your self confidence has been hurt, which you accepted his invite, so he decided to close up Boar Hat for the rest of the night, so he help you with your confidence that your now ex had tooken from you possibly the whole time you were with him (and the break up note made your confidence even worse). Once the both of you picked out a spot in a forest to camp in, he asked, "Why did this guy wrote in the note that you will never find anyone better than him and why the fuck did he write that he will find someone in bed better than you? Don't you think that there's something wrong with him and not you?".

You had to think for a minute about Ban's questions before answering, "I think it's because maybe it's true, considering, everyone I have dated has left me due to me being myself, so I thought trying to change for my now ex would help the relationship I did have with him, however nothing can or ever will change the fact that I'm unlovable... I thought forcing myself to have it with him would make him happier... It's just that I unfortunately had horrible luck at love... I guess whatever he says is true...". Ban was shocked to hear your answer, as he then replied, "I see... Your self-confidence is worse than I thought... Regardless if he was aware of your abandonment issues or not, he is basically a scumbag for everything he has been doing to you... I get you cared for him and all, however I just knew something was off about him, since the first time meeting you and he's wrong for every horrible thing he did and said to you... You're also wrong on something... You're not unlovable... If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you... Forcing yourself to do anything you don't want, especially sexual, is not going to help your well-being... I'm telling you this, because I loved you, eversince the first time I had ever laid eyes on you... I just never said anything earlier, considering I have respect for the relationship you had with him and I definitely have respect for you... Tonight is the night of me giving you any form of intimacy you want... It doesn't have to be sexual, if you don't want... It can be cuddling and other forms of intimacy... However if you want to go sexual then I can do that, only IF you want to...", before he took off his jacket, becoming shirtless. "Well, Ban... I wish I did lose my virginity to you, instead my now ex, honestly... You definitely have alot of respect for me and stuff... You may have a point... I get I maybe rushing things with you, however you are always kind to me, which I always appreciate it...", you replied back before taking your clothes off.

After you took your clothes completely off, Ban blushed and smiled, trying to hide his smile, as he said, "Are you one hundred percent sure you want to have sex with me? I just wanted to makesure before we do this, because you did mention forcing yourself with your now ex when you were with him and as much as I like to have sex with you, I don't want you to force yourself just because of me...". You answered, "I'm sure, Ban... I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't sure... I honestly felt ready... It's just I only have been ready for you...". Once Ban took the hint that you're certain about it, he letted you pull his pants down, as you began to notice his bare hard cock.

The next thing that happened was Ban laid down for you to get on top of him and suck on his cock. Meanwhile he was holding your ass right before eating out your pussy. He knew he would get his enjoyment out of getting his cock sucked on by you and eating your pussy, however he was really surprised to be spoiled and spoiling you, especially like this. After he got done eating your pussy Ban whisperered to you in groans and praised, "I definitely don't know what your ex sees in writing negative stuff about you in the note he wrote for you... You're doing amazing job with sucking on my cock and eating your pussy makes me feel like I'm in heaven... Your ex seriously doesn't know what he's talking about...". Once you got done sucking on his dick, he continued, "If you want, I'm willing to let you ride on this hard cock of mine, that you did an amazing job sucking on, my princess...".

You knew you wanted to try riding on Ban's cock, despite of what your now ex has written about you in the note he has written for you. When you finally start riding on Ban's hard cock, your pussy also began to tighten around his cock. The both of you groaned from the feeling of his cock inside of your pussy. As he was moving his hands from your assto your sides, then your tits, he looked into your eyes, trying to hold his moans (like you're trying to hold your moans), as he cooed and praised, "You're doing amazing riding on my dick, (Female Reader Name)... Your pussy is definitely taking my cock well... Your whole body is nice, just like you in general...". The both of you gave eachother sloppy kisses (trying to quiet down eachother's moans), while he was pulling on your nipples, as you continue to ride on his cock.

After you cummed around Ban's cock and he emptied himself inside of your pussy, you began to lay on top of him and luckily for the both of you, he brought a blanket with him, which that same blanket he brought with him, he had that blanket laying next to both you and him, so he would be able to cover both you and himself up with that blanket. Once he wraps both of his arms around you, he whispered, "We both know I enjoyed what we were doing together... However, did you enjoyed everything we were doing together, my sweet angel?". You smiled at him and replied, "Ofcourse I did, Ban... It's just I also enjoyed your company, honestly...". Ban then smiled at you back, as he replied back, "I enjoy your company too, my strawberry cupcake...", proceeded to hold you tighter before the both of you fell asleep, while snuggling for the rest of the night. After that night the both of you had an official relationship together, since then...

🍓The End🍓

I hope you enjoyed this fanfic my Tumblr Peeps😁👍Anyways my Tumblr Peeps... I did plan on writing a smut fanfic for Ban with writing this fanfic, however I decided to take this Ban smut I have written in a (somewhat if not a completely) different approach, so if there are any errors in grammar or anything else in the fanfic or other parts of this post this fanfic is in, it's more of figuring out ways to write this particular fanfic about Ban😅 I honestly have been secretly keen on him for a while, however recently in my personal life, me being keen on him was no longer a secret, and I haven't talked about my husby as often as I used to in my posts on Tumblr, however he was the 1st person to catch on that I was trying repress the fact I was keen on him, which my husby found cute that Ban is 1 of the characters I'm a fan of, needless to say😅😃👍I just really wanted to give writing a fanfic about Ban, a try😃👍Anyways my Tumblr Peeps, I hope this fanfic makes your day and/or night🌞☀️🌝🌕

[thesapphictimelady]

Rebinding

Word Count: 600 words

A/N: While some of these may not be true in your state, I did some research into a few different states to keep this as factual as possible. Is Mel and Jacob’s solution the best one? Maybe not. But Jacob is correct, in some states you can face jail time of 2 ½ years. All of the books mentioned have been banned or challenged at some point in history. Some books are banned or challenged because they make us feel uncomfortable with how they show us our history. We should not be comfortable learning about the things we did wrong. Books are important and should be available to everyone. There are many reasons some of these books are banned and if I had listed all of them, this would have been a lot longer. Anyways, this is super short and thrown together before I head to bed but I hope you enjoy it!

“I can’t believe this,” Jacob said from his seat at the kitchen island.

“Are you reading who gives a crap biweekly again,” Melissa asked, rolling her eyes as she assembled her lasagna.

“Mel Mel, they’re banning books!”

“What do you mean they’re banning books?”

“I mean, if our school library keeps copies of these books, we could face criminal charges!”

“Let me see that,” Melissa said, dusting off her hands, “you must be reading it wrong”

Jacob passed her his phone and set his head in his hands as she started reading aloud:

“A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein…Encouraging bad behavior? A Wrinkle in Time…Witchcraft? Animal Farm…Encouraging revolt? Fahrenheit 451…Hang on, they do recognize the irony in banning that, right?”

Jacob grimaced and gestured for her to keep reading.

“James and the Giant Peach for Witchcraft, The Giver for violence, To Kill a Mockingbird for racial slurs, Where’s Waldo for NUDITY?”

“Yeah, that one I did find kind of amusing,” Jacob said

“Well I don’t see any history or nonfiction books so it doesn’t affect your class…” Melissa said.

“Keep scrolling.”

“The Diary of A Young Girl…that’s Anne Frank. It’s banned for homosexual themes. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings…‘anti white sentiment’? A People’s History of the United States for ‘Leftist Propaganda?”

“See! This is bad! These books are important!”

Melissa handed his phone back, humming thoughtfully as she turned back to her lasagna. After a few minutes, she turned back to him.

“Jacob, what do you know about binding books?”

“Not a lot. Why?”

“I think Book Nook number 3 is going to have to wait.”

The next day, Melissa and Jacob checked out as many books as they could fit in her car from the school library and brought them home.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Jacob asked nervously, stroking the spine of ‘And Tango Makes Three’ (banned because the penguins are gay).

“Do you want the kids to be able to read these or not?” Melissa asked, carefully removing the cover of ‘Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret’ (Banned because of content relating to menstrual cycles).

“Of course I do!” Jacob said.

“Get to work then,” Melissa said, passing him the new covers portraying state approved books to put on the banned books.

Together, they worked through the night and into the next day, replacing covers for ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (promotion of socialist values), ‘The Lorax’ (Being anti-logging), and ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ (Mysticism). Around noon the next day, a knock on the door jolted them from their work.

“Who is it?” Melissa called.

“Reinforcements!”

Melissa opened the door to the rest of the Abbott Crew, plus Kristin Marie.

“What are you all doing here?”

“I invited them,” Jacob said, “Please don’t be mad. There’s so many books to rebind before Monday.”

“I brought wine!” Janine sang, rushing to the kitchen to get glasses.

Melissa yawned and stepped aside to let them all in. Barbara smiled softly and held the redheads arm.

“You and Jacob are doing a good thing,” she said softly, “But it’s time for us to take over. You go to bed. We’ll take care of this.”

Melissa nodded gratefully and climbed the stairs, glancing down at her work family and smiling. She’d never admit it, but she kind of liked having people in her house. They were all crowded around the table, a glass of wine and a book in each of their hands.

“For the kids!” Jacob said, lifting his glass in a toast.

Melissa mimed raising a glass to him as she headed to her room.

“For the kids,” she whispered, collapsing into bed.

[misterstupid]

Round over! Thanks for participating!

The Great Grow Off comes to tumblr? Sure why not.

Been hesitant to use tumblr since the buy out aprox. 100 years ago because I heard they banned NSFW content. But conversations have lead me to believe that I should be fine here as long as I don't post any actual nudity and also stay under the radar. Which is easy for me as I mostly stick to ecchi stuff and am famously unpopular. You know, compared to the average expansion fetish artist that is. (Probably because I mostly stick to ecchi stuff. And am not really that great an artist.)

Anyhow! A new vector to vote on! Little late in the game to add another site but what the hell. Rules are the same as always. If you need to read up then go here.

Happpy tumblring or whatever the word for using this site is!

[likeadog]

YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS

welcome to sistervirtue dot tumblr dot com. those of you who have read my url...seen my icon...may be wondering: who is this woman? who is Sister Virtue?

as the @original-character-championship bracket begins, I would like to take the time to introduce you to her. go on. take a seat.

[art credit: @/omusubigender, @/citrus-sours, @/kkbardd, @/pcktknife, @/celebiis, @/citrus-sours]

Sister Virtue is a not-quite woman not-quite of the cloth with a bit of a scowl and an unholy attitude problem. Formerly a cherub known as Theophania serving in the appellate choirs of heaven, she judged human souls and debated the dogma of heaven day in and day out.

Although a perfect machine of heaven, Theophania was not heartless. Through her friendship with the Archangel Gabriel, whom represents human souls and their interests in the courts of heaven, she learned about those she judged.

And I am going to let you in on a secret. Angels and demons are both creatures of passion, just their passion turns in different ways. Demons experience passion for the self. Angels turn their passion towards God. And for Theophania, her passion turned in a different way-- towards those silly little animals whom she watched day in and day out. (Even you!)

So when Gabriel came lamenting of the Seraphim's decision to bring forth the end of humanity, she may have done something a bit drastic. Drastic like stealing the Eye of God, an important artifact containing the summation of all knowledge, and then slamming it into her own skull in order to hold it hostage and kick up enough of a fuss that the angels acquiesced and agreed to come to some sort of truce. The ultimate blasphemy.

She would be felled. If she cared so much about those silly, stupid animals, she could spend the rest of eternity proving they were worth it. Shoved into a body made of flesh and her powers largely sealed behind seven penances, Sister Virtue is tasked with protecting humanity from all threats divine or diabolic. She cannot die; [officially banned to prevent any loopholes or complicated litigation later] but she can give up... but doing so would mean damning all of humanity in the entire process.

After crash-landing into a convent and taking the administrative lead of the attached school (now known as Eschaton Academy) Sister Virtue is establishing a network of those both blessed and possessed to aid her in the arduous process of keeping people safe, all while trying to figure out what it means to be human herself.

So Why should you vote for her?

Let's face it, we're not in high school any more.

Coming of age stories for teens are fun, but sometimes... you don't really start coming of age until your 20's, 30's, 40's... Virtue, 37 human years old, is here to show the journey of growing into your skin even if that comes after high school.

2. She's hot as hell.

A nun in her work uniform, Sister Virtue at heart is a truckin', smokin', wrestlin' uncle of a woman, and her casual attitude and casual attire reflect this. And let's face it. A woman who hates wearing shirts and has a happy trail is a god-sent gift for all of us.

[art credit @ koiiluvz]

3. She's just a bit weird.

She named her car (a self-"upgraded" hearse) the Popemobile. She smokes cigarettes because she likes the taste. She doesn't mind nudity, but gets shy eating in public because digestion is just a little too intimate for an angel. She loves paperwork. Sometimes she regurgitates the angel equivalent of a hairball.

4. Don't know about all this original universe lore? She's got a D&D Iteration.

You can find her character sheet here-- She;s a tanky fallen aasimar paladin with 3 different ways to intimidate. Because you don't even need a gun with an attitude like hers.

5. She'd vote for you

At the end of the day, Sister Virtue is someone who runs on love. Love for all of humanity. Including you. Even if you don't believe in Virtue, virtue believes in you, and you should believe in you too.

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Check out my eschaton academy tag. Or pop into my inbox or dms.

(she even has emotes. art credit @/pcktknife, @/citrus-sours, and @/GR4FF1T1 [on toyhouse] )

[phasedsun]

by all technicalities, naziism and transphobia isn't banned by tumblrs community guidelines

in fact, it is further affirmed by the CEO, wherein he says that the users should generate discussion or block people instead of reporting them

therefore, inadequate protection of the minority groups on this site is undeniable

condemn these people all you want, your indifference to their existence on this website through this guideline is indicative of a staff-wide value. instead of a moral standard, this topic is interpreted as moderation, curious further that your detailed stances tend towards sexual content instead of hateful speech—which is only defined by wishing death upon a group, as opposed to the in-depth description of what is permitted to be shown on this website with regards to nudity and sexual content, especially that of pedophilia

so we turn to the current discussion of transmisogyny, with our knowledge that historically those transitioning into a feminine western standard are interpreted by patriarchy as sexual obsessions stemming from the masculine view of the female body as the object of their atteaction. at this point, this view has been subconsciously planted into the minds of all who exist under the patriarchy, and it is very much your job to identify instances of transmisogyny—especially those instances unintended or unlabeled, they are subconscious biases

it is also important to note that sexuality is an integral piece of queerness. it is not wrong to say this, as there is nothing evil about sexuality. it would be a blatant denial of history to say that queerness is non-sexual in nature. the only instances of sexuality being interpreted as an evil is that of oppressive religious moral standard; regardless of the individual's religious status, the view stems from the ideas of sin and modesty, which are all social constructions based in religious belief and integrated into society. your laws are based on religious morals, so your society is inherently religious, so your society inherently views sexuality as evil. your society is based on patriarchy, which views femininity as inherently sexual for the purpose of male pleasure, therefore making a transwomans femininity a threat to their own sexual desires—a sexual threat on men is therefore an evil threat on men, transfemininity is therefore evil

I hope by now you see how these views interplay. I will now return to the guidelines of tumblr once more, under this notion and more I did not particularly discuss, however I trust the reader to be able to understand how forms of sexual abuse can be connected to generalized sexuality under the interpretation of sexuality as evil. tumblrs sexual guidelines includes sexual content of children being banned (CSAM, pedophilia), as it should of course, however it is the way in which it is batched with sexuality that is problematic. transwomen on this website are the victims of false mature content flagging, we see this prevalent in posts with absolutely no sexual content within them

these false flags are not in line with any nudity guideline. so why, then, are they marked as sexual content? tumblrs goal is to protect children from sexual content exposure, and, after all, transfeminine bodies are not inherently sexual in theory. yet we are aware of the societal view for transfemininity and queerness: an inherent sexual interpretation, an inherently evil interpretation, and an identity that encroaches on the sanctity of children, who shan't be soiled by the sight of sexual content

a direct correlation to pedophilia, the same arguments parroted by TERFS and nazis, the same "free speech" encouraged to be "discussed" on this website

in the end, the message sent—regardless of intention—is clear. it is not out of the question to make the assumption that moderation treats transfemininity as inherently pedophilic in the same manner in which western politics does. it is not out of the question to interpret tumblr moderation as inherently transmisogynistic

and while an aforementioned reform to this bigotry and extremism would be welcome, we see how the current sexual guideline treats the transfeminine minority, and therefore I cannot help but ponder how their terrorism and hate speech guidelines would be adapted with regards to activism (we already see this suppression in undocumented forms)

tumblr may be the self proclaimed queerest place on the internet, but it is most certainly not safe for any queer individual

their actions have spoken

[cindylouwho-2]

Etsy's Adult Content Ban: Some Things You Might Have Missed, & Some Reasons Almost Everyone Has Missed

As almost everyone knows, Etsy announced a wide-ranging ban of many types of sex-related items on June 27, to take effect on July 29, 2024.

While the corporation was predictably vague about the reasons for this change, it's not overly-difficult to figure out why this happened, although at least one reason seems to have slipped by many. It's slightly more trying to make the logic work when we consider what they still allow. It may be more interesting (and vital, for some sellers) to consider what Etsy might ban next, or ban by accident when this policy takes effect.

While this post isn't intended to be a deep dive into all of the revisions to Etsy's official policies, I will briefly go through certain highlights of the new rules, followed a few alternative ideas for both sellers and shoppers. I'll then discuss why Etsy did this, and we should expect in the coming weeks, months and years.

First. here are the relevant materials:

the much-quoted announcement

Etsy's new Adult Nudity and Sexual Content Policy

the revised Mature Content Policy

as well as some of the media coverage:

Mashable was the first large outlet to publish

The New York Times (soft paywall)

The Guardian

The BBC

Modern Retail (soft paywall)

What's Out, And What's Still OK to Sell or Display

As has widely been reported, Etsy will no longer allow sex toys that touch genitals or enter the body, a female product model's nipples in photos, photos or "photo-realistic" images of sexual acts, types of nudity with "sexual context", fetish items such as used underwear and foot pics, and "sexual language referencing familial relationships". (Pornography was already banned before now.)

Plenty of other items are still permitted, though, including:

BDSM accessories

body harnesses

kegel weights

sex furniture

non-photorealistic nudity and "sex acts without visible genitalia or anuses"

female nipples in photos if the photo is the product and the first listing image obscures them

These exceptions lead to all kinds of questions. For example:

Etsy likes to position itself as LGBTQ2S+ positive. That means a topless photo of a trans male with visible nipples is ok even if they never had top surgery, right? Especially if they have legally transitioned and have government-issued ID that lists them as male, correct?

Where is the "non-photorealistic" line drawn? If a painter attempts to be photorealistic, but is not very skilled at the process, is that painting ok to sell on Etsy?

I am sure you can think of plenty more. But holes in the policies are not my main concern in this article, so I will move on (after noting that Etsy is going to have some enforcement messes with the policies as written).

Where Should Sellers and Shoppers Go After July 29?

(Mention in this section is not an endorsement of the platform. Please carefully research any option before signing up. Some links are not "safe for work".)

Etsy gave business owners just one month's warning that they were no longer wanted on the site. Many are still scrambling to replace their steady income that their Etsy shop provided. The alternatives are not always simple, and it does depend on what a shop sold.

There are a few small marketplaces for adult items, including https://spicerack.market/ and https://charmskoolshop.com/ (links not safe for work). These are not going to have the level of traffic Etsy had, but that also might improve now that many businesses and shoppers are looking for new venues.

There are also larger marketplaces that do allow many of the products Etsy banned, but each has its own restrictions and exceptions, making it risky to copy existing Etsy listings over directly. Always carefully research the rules everywhere. Amazon does have a sexual wellness category, but it is not part of Amazon's Handmade section. eBay also has sex toys. The Artisans Cooperative currently has some adult items listed, but the site is still in beta, so only coop members can sell there at the moment.

Freestanding websites and self-promotion are another approach, but this can be daunting for makers who chose Etsy for its built-in traffic, plus some platforms and payment processors do have rules against certain types of adult content. Shopify's Shop app bans pornography and "sexually gratifying" fetishes, and the bot filters can sometimes block allowed content by mistake.

If you have a favourite seller, they have likely already posted where they plan on going next; if not, ask them.

Why Did Etsy Ban Many Adult Listings, and Why Now?

The various media articles lay out numerous possible reasons for the new sex policies. They include:

Some jurisdictions have laws that limit what children or under-18s can see online, which is likely why Etsy's short announcement uses the word "safe" in 3 different places.

Some social media sites restrict adult content - "evolving industry standards", perhaps?

Some payment processors restrict what adult items can be sold.

We're forced to speculate, because Etsy has refused to answer questions or release additional statements since June 27. That's problematic when talking about destroying livelihoods, because none of these reasons seem to dictate an absolute ban.

As mentioned above, many sites still allow most of the prohibited products, either openly, with age minimums, or with siloed categories that don't appear in generic searches. A big tech company should easily be able to program for this. There's been no indication that any of Etsy's payment processors have withdrawn due to this content, either. So that list simply doesn't add up.

Instead, it's clear that the core explanation is that Etsy wants a bigger slice of the ecommerce pie, and is willing to reject long-standing sellers and product lines to better appeal to shoppers who find sex and related topics distasteful. But again, why not just separate the categories better, as Amazon and eBay do? Amazon is certainly not lacking for customers despite having a sexual wellness category where many things Etsy disallowed still happily reside.

This all boils down to a key reason few are discussing: Etsy's faulty algorithms don't seem capable of keeping such merchandise out of sight of really picky shoppers. They've in fact been trying to do that for a few years now, as the 2022 Transparency report detailed. Etsy stated that the “mature content classifier” led to "a 17% decrease in flags of mature content from our member community". Let's be honest - 17% isn't a great reduction. Even worse, that classifier led to shadow banning such innocuous items as dog diapers and "nude" coloured leggings, while endlessly missing actual porn, including deep-fake AI celebrity images [Forbes; soft paywall].

CEO Josh Silverman has made it clear that Etsy isn't going to focus on improving search relevancy any more, and will instead be focussing on product quality and shops' customer service records to determine search ranking. Problem is, niche searches still display tons of irrelevant items - go check; I'll wait - and this is frequently where one might see things they weren't looking for. If the search and other algorithms aren't able to give shoppers accurate results even when Etsy is attempting to filter out mature items, then Etsy's alternative is to ban the items outright.

Let's face it: if the real problem was female nipples being seen by kids, they'd all have to be blurred out, instead of just the first image. The first image is what shows up in search, ads, and recommendations across the site, so that is what Etsy is censoring. Kids are welcome to look at butt cracks to their hearts' content, as long as they click on the listing first. The real problem is instead that Etsy can't deliver accurate searches and tailored recommendations that people want to see, and regularly serves up things shoppers were not expecting.

But why now? Other than the recent promises to change the search focus from relevancy to quality, what made Etsy drop this notice on unsuspecting sellers on June 27?

The answer appears to be Etsy's new creativity standards, released on July 9. Those standards codify previously unofficial exceptions to Etsy policy, such as allowing 100% commercial goods to be sold in gift boxes. They are also the first official mention of Etsy permitting AI art to be sold on the site, although Silverman had already announced that unofficially.

The policy changes are likely to increase the number of listings on the site that are not handmade, vintage or craft supplies, and Etsy obviously felt the need to stem the eventual tide of sexual gift boxes of dildos from AliExpress - yes, there are already some listed on Etsy - and even more AI-generated nudity etc.

Note as well that July 29 falls just 2 days before the second quarter report is given to investors, providing Etsy with a topic to discuss during that call. They can claim they are taking action against mature listings without being expected to have removed 100% just 2 days after the ban, and the topic will likely be forgotten 3 months later when the third-quarter call happens. It's possible that, 3 months from now, no analysts will check to see if the ban was actually successful. Perfect timing, I'd say.

What Next?

First, any experienced Etsy seller knows that Etsy attempts to remove now-banned items will result in plenty of legitimate listings being deactivated as well; see the dog diaper example above. Items won't even have to be related to the prohibited categories, as the image recognition bots can be particularly bad. Every time Etsy bans something, even if only within one country or area, there is always collateral damage in the form of non-offending listings being removed. (I've had items deactivated for being amber, drug paraphernalia and illegal plant material, when they were nothing of the sort.)

At one time, you could expect Etsy to reinstate such items after an investigation, but that is less common these days, and frequently takes weeks to months when it does happen. This means all sellers should be alert and watch their deactivated listings folder in the coming weeks, and be resigned to losing best-selling products for no good reason, due to bad bots.

Long term, I doubt this is the last time Etsy narrows what can be sold in the interests of appeasing sensitive shoppers. Even if you 100% support Etsy banning everything that they did last month, you should be uneasy about what could be coming next. If age-limit laws were really behind some of this recent decision, what happens when some US jurisdictions start restricting no-fault divorce? Everything from party supplies to t-shirt slogans to happy divorce gifts could be on the chopping block.

It's also possible the company will try to continue to refine its bots and algorithms instead of outright banning other products. Since Etsy is already shadow banning items for certain searches, are shops with a few LGBTQ2S+ articles invisible right now in places where laws are discriminatory? In places where birth control is illegal or severely restricted, are birth control pill cases still ok? I am not sure we can assume Etsy won't continue down this path.

Whatever your thoughts on the listings Etsy is currently banning, remember that these are businesses who were allowed to sell their wares on the marketplace until this month, and have therefore done nothing wrong. Things you believe in could be the next target.

[natturuval]

We need to have an honest conversation about automated censorship.

My son, who's ten, has wanted to share facts about the animal kingdom and made videos we shared on tiktok. Two of them have been censored and their appeal has been denied.

I'll share the videos.

First is a video about peacock feathers.

-This ban is fine right? We should have community guidelines that forbid the use of cock right? There is no way kids would need a way to access information about their body in a safe way, they should learn all that in school or ask a professional, they can all do that right? And besides birdnames are really pornographic in nature, that's hilarious, why would they name something big breasted tits and cock something? They obviously were horny and we can't have kids learn about things in nature that were discovered by horny people, right? /s

The second is a video about how female ostriches steal eggs from other nests.

-Robbery is a felony and kids should obviously be shielded from crime, punishable offenses is not something kids should see on the internet and it really is a good thing to censor something like that right? The language around crime should apply to humans and not nature, the ostrich isn't a thief and hasn't committed a crime. Why don't they call it something else, like some abstract detached science name so it's not confusing for kids? Besides there is no need for kids to know about crime, otherwise they'll just start committing them! Right? /s

The third video that was censored was a video we made from a tiktok template, you fill in the clips you want and the template adds the sound made from Dr. Dre's song, Still D.R.E. So thinking this would be acceptable we added the usual text and hashtags we've been using.

The fourth one was because using an animated sticker of a fox reading a book to cover my game of thrones t-shirt that read 'All men must die' which I thought was poor taste of me to show, I thought I would be facing the child more and the text wouldn't be as visible. Hence I self censored and with good reason, to hide something in poor taste that wasn't fitting for kids. However the fox in question (not available in the stickers catalog it seems so I replaced it for the next closest sticker) was over my chest. So the the red orange moving ears must have been automatically flag as nudity. So I tried changing my type of censorship and made it into white text on black background with the words 'reading is the best'. Same hashtags, hundreds of views immediately.

Reposting these banned videos on Instagram and no obvious censorship, our followers at least got to see it.

*we wrote peacock, the caption was altered without our consent

[ruebdelic]

So that’s my bad y’all we should have watched coraline

We we were watching a film. I didn’t realize the R rating !

Please @tumblrbot @support @staff can I please have my live back ? Thank you for explaining this time why i was banned however i picked this movie because It wasn’t bloody or gory m🙃either way i under the partial nudity with character having a bra on .

Can we please watch Coraline tonight i won’t be able to go on live until the 30th but I’ll be working the 30th and 31st all day long 🥲🥲i plea @staff 🙃🙃 i beg of youu 😂😂😂

[sebastianravkin]

Fuck book banning 2024

30 Banned Books You Should Read (from Bored Teachers, linked below).

From picture books to classic literature, here we go. . . .

1. Where the Wild Things Are

By Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are is a childhood classic and Caldecott-winning picture book about a young boy named Max who sails to a far off land and becomes king of the wild things. While he is sent to his room for wreaking havoc in his wolf costume, Max returns from the land of his imagination to find a hot supper waiting for him.

Why it was banned: Supernatural elements and dark, disturbing imagery; psychologically damaging because a boy is sent to bed without supper.

2. In the Night Kitchen

By Maurice Sendak

A boy named Mickey is asleep in his bed when he’s suddenly transported into the Night Kitchen, a land where bakers obsessively bake the morning’s cake. At one point, Mickey falls into the batter. He loses his pajamas along the way and is depicted nude in a few spreads, until he escapes the kitchen in a plane made of bread and wakes up in his own bed.

Why it was banned: Nudity

3. Strega Nona

By Tomie DePaolo

Strega Nona leaves Big Anthony alone with her magic pasta pot, and soon Anthony unleashes a magic he cannot control. Luckily, Strega Nona – literally, Grandmother Witch – returns to sort out Big Anthony’s mess.

Why it was banned: Positive depictions of witchcraft

4. And Tango Makes Three

Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole

Based on a true story, And Tango Makes Three describes two male penguins named Roy and Silo, who are a bonded pair. A zookeeper gives them a motherless egg, and together the two penguins hatch and raise a chick named Tango.

Why it was banned: Positive depictions of same-sex family

5. Where the Sidewalk Ends

By Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein’s irreverent poetry and his signature artwork are practically modern classics. They are funny and an easy introduction to poetry for elementary school students – even my high school students still read these poems!

Why it was banned: Rebellious poems that undermine parental authority

6. Heather Has Two Mommies

Written by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Laura Cornell

Heather has two mommies, but she learns that families come in all shapes and sizes when she and her classmates draw pictures of their families and no two are the same.

Why it was banned: Same-sex parenting and homosexuality

7. I Am Jazz

Written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

Jazz Jennings knew from a young age that she had a “girl’s brain in a boy’s body.” I Am Jazz chronicles Jazz’s story as a transgender individual.

Why it was banned: Depictions of a transgender child

8. The Family Book

By Todd Parr

The Family Book is a celebration of the different varieties that families come in – two parents, one parent, same-sex parents, grandparents, pets, and more. This book celebrates the differences that make us who we are.

Why it was banned: Depiction of same-sex families

9. Captain Underpants

By Dav Pilkey

Captain Underpants is a bestselling series of graphic novels for children about a superhero named Captain Underpants and his creators George and Harold.

Why it was banned: Offensive language, partial nudity, glorifying misbehavior by children

10. Walter the Farting Dog

Written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray and illustrated by Audrey Colman

Billy and Betty love their dog Walter in spite of his odorous problem, but Dad says they have to get rid of him. One night, burglars break in and Walter gets to save the day!

Why it was banned: Excessive use of the word ‘fart’

11. The Hate U Give

By Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the sole witness of the police shooting that kills her friend Khalil. She finds herself caught in a firestorm as Khalil’s story blows up into a national debate. The Hate U Give – THUG for short – has won just about every award a book can win.

Why it was banned: Inappropriate language and sexual situations

12. A Wrinkle in Time

By Madeleine L’Engle

In this book that won the Newbery award, Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin travel across the universe in search of her missing father, an astrophysicist. The book is a coming of age tale that is truly about a battle of good versus evil.

Why it was banned: Being too religious, not being religious enough, depictions of witchcraft and the supernatural

13. Perks of Being a Wallflower

By Stephen Chobsky

Charlie, the wallflower in the title, stars in this coming-of-age story as he tries to navigate the sometimes-tumultuous waters of adolescence. The book is raw and real.

Why it was banned: Language, homosexuality, scenes that sexually explicit, and depictions of drug and alcohol abuse

14. Looking for Alaska

By John Green

Protagonist Miles Halter leaves for boarding school and meets Alaska Young, a bold, tortured girl like he’s never met before, whose fate at the end of the story impacts Miles forever.

Why it was banned: Offensive language and sexually explicit descriptions

15. The Outsiders

By S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders is one of the iconic classic banned books. It tells the story of Ponyboy and his fellow “Greaser” brothers Darry and Sodapop. The greasers are at war with a rival gang called the “Socs,” and one day things go too far.

Why it was banned: Offensive language, depictions of drug use, gang violence

16. The Giver

By Lois Lowry

The Giver is the first in a series of often four banned books called The Giver Quartet. It depicts a dystopian world of conformity in which only one man retains all of society’s memories and emotions. Twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory, and with this new assignment comes a world of realization that Jonas is hardly prepared to receive.

Why it was banned: Depictions of infanticide and euthanasia in a dystopian society

17. Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda starts her freshman year completely ostracized after she called the cops on a party that got out of hand during the summer. She shuts down, only finding a small respite in art class. Eventually, the reader learns that something happened at the party that changed the trajectory of Melinda’s life. Once her secret is out, she recovers her voice and learns to always speak up for herself.

Why it was banned: Profanity, sexually explicit content and depictions of drinking

18. Forever

By Judy Blume

Forever is a book about a committed high school couple deciding to have sex. Specifically, the teenager girl protagonist, Katherine, decides to lose her virginity to Michael. Eventually, their relationship fizzles, leaving Katherine contemplating the nature of love.

Why it was banned: Descriptions of sexual intercourse and discussions of birth control put this on the list of frequently banned books.

19. The Golden Compass

By Philip Pullman

This is the first in a fantasy trilogy for teens that is set in a world where humans each have animal familiars known as daemons. Protagonist Lyra, an orphan girl, is concerned about the mysterious disappearances of children in her town. When she learns the disappearances may be connected somehow to her scholarly uncle and a strange phenomenon known as Dust, she sets out to solve the mystery. 

Why it was banned: Promotion of atheism and denigration of Christianity

20. Cut

By Patricia McCormick

This short book is about Callie, a girl who cuts herself and is sent to a treatment facility, where she falls mute and refuses to participate in rehabilitation. It’s an intense and powerful read.

Why it was banned: Depictions of self-mutilation

21. The Glass Castle

By Jeanette Walls

The Glass Castle spent seven years on the bestseller list, which speaks to the power of this memoir. Walls writes about her upbringing in the hands of a brilliant father who turned destructive when drinking and a mother who didn’t want the responsibility of motherhood.

Why it was banned: Sexual situations, depictions of abuse and alcoholism

22. The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

A novel of searing power, The Kite Runner follows Amir, a man who was raised in Afghanistan and becomes a successful writer in the United States. The death of his childhood friend at the hands of the Taliban prompts Amir to return to the land of his childhood, where he must face the memories that haunt him.

Why it was banned: Sexual violence, religious viewpoint, offensive language

23. To Kill A Mockingbird

By Harper Lee

A classic taught in many schools today, To Kill A Mockingbird is a coming of age story set against a vicious trial in which a white woman falsely accuses a black man of rape in the deep South.

Why it was banned: Profanity, racial slurs, discussion of rape

24. The Catcher in the Rye

By J.D. Salinger

Holden Caulfield is, at sixteen, jaded by society, by adults, and by the world around him. He explores the bowels of New York City and its characters in a story that ultimately examines the loss of innocence required to grow up in this world.

Why it was banned: Profanity and sexual scenes

25. Beloved

By Toni Morrison

Beloved is an unflinching and important read that explores the atrocities of slavery from the perspective of Sethe, a woman who was once a slave and is now free, except for the memories of the hideous things she was forced to experience.

Why it was banned: Racial and sexual violence, infanticide, language

26. Slaughterhouse Five

By Kurt Vonnegut

Billy Pilgrim, a World War II prisoner becomes “unstuck” in time and relives scenes from his life over and over again. The theme Vonnegut develops centers around the depravity of war.

Why it was banned: Sexual situations, profane language, content deemed immoral and anti-Christian

27. Animal Farm

By George Orwell

Animal Farm is an allegory about the dangers of totalitarianism. In it, a cast of farm animals set out to great a utopia, but their dream becomes a nightmare when the subtle temptation of power becomes too much and tyranny reigns supreme.

Why it was banned: Political commentary that could encourage unrest

28. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou

Angelou writes a memoir about her indomitable spirit, from the loneliness she feels when her mother sends her to live with her grandmother to the experience of being raped as a child. She writes about how she found herself within the pages of books written by great authors, which led her to become one of America’s greatest poets.

Why it was banned: Offensive language and portrayals of child rape, racism, and violence

29. Of Mice and Men

By John Steinbeck

George travels with Lennie, a man with a heart of gold and the mind of a child. They look for work in depression era California, while dreaming of their own chance at the American Dream.

Why it was banned: Profanity, racial slurs, violence, depressing themes

30. The Handmaid’s Tale

By Margaret Atwood

This dystopian novel takes place in a post-democracy world ruled by hyper-religious totalitarian regime that has enslaves women and forces them to bear children.

Why it was banned: Sexual overtones

[museenkuss]

Sorry if you've already answered this but bro can I ask wtf happened to shipping and incest? Like I have been around in fandoms for a long time now and I swear the change between shipping siblings and it being what helps dictate you are vile human happened like whiplash for me. One moment it was fine and another moment you were getting death threats for daring to treat Loki and Thor as more than siblings even though the mcu fandom was sorta chill with it for years. I'm not saying EVERYONE was ok with shipping siblings (like no one should judge you for that lol) but it WAS tolerated for a long time. What happened??? I felt like purity culture sneak up on me. Now shipping incest gets thrown in with 'wrong things that help show you are a bad person' such as a being pedo (no one is defending that hopefully...). I suppose I'm not trying ask if it's moral or not (it's shipping), but more so what the fuck happened and if I should feel guilty and bad about enjoying those types of ships?? Are they truly in the same line as liking gross pedo ships?? Apologies for if this ask stirs trouble, I am just genuinely confused about what happened and why the tolerance for those ships dropped so low and you get called a demon for doing so (everyone knows incest is bad, no one was ever agreeing it wasn't but none of it was real. It was just literally fun...)

You're really summarising some of my own thoughts and questions on the matter. Honestly, I wasn't actively involved in fandom back in 2013 or so, but I recently noticed that same change as well! For example, for the longest time I wasn't even aware that people were opposed to the Thor&Loki ship based on the incest factor and the most contact I had with wincest at the time was a gif set where apparently someone asked JP during a con what he thought of it and he said "I don't think they think it's real, it's just a hot fantasy" - I remember that post so vividly because I saw it and went "yeah, makes sense" and went back to my 2014 posting. In 2020, my first introduction to the spn fandom was a BLOCK LIST with blogs who post wincest content. A BLOCK LIST?! that was so absurd and laughable and honestly made me feel so bad about fandom in general. So, yeah. I definitely agree with you, there has been a huge shift in fandom culture as to what is seen as "approptiate shipping behaviour".

Firstly: I do of course understand why people might be uncomfortable with the topic. I understand that it can be triggering, too. This makes this topic a complicated and layered one, but I don't think it means we should erase the theme from all pieces of fiction. I also don't think making others feel miserable, sending death threads or other witch hunts of the sort to strangers on the internet is justified in ANY way. Now as for your questions —

What happened? Honestly, no idea. I wonder if it's a side effect of websites being made more and more "kid friendly", banning nudity and swear words and all that to appeal to advertisers. Maybe the kids being raised in this environment adopt those mind sets? I'm not sure.

Should you feel guilty for enjoying those kinds of ships? Absolutely not. Incest can be a very interesting trope for many reasons - it can be used in gothic settings, it can be used as a "forbidden love" trope, etc. Some people make it a point to say that they like it but ONLY if those stories are dark and evil and metaphors for abuse etc, they're not like those nasty creatures who think it's "hot". But, honestly, I always get back to JP and his nonchalant reaction. "It's a hot fantasy", and voilà. I don't like it when people insist on feeling shame or - even worse - making others feel shame for meaningless things like that.

Which brings me to the idea that enjoying incest ships (for whatever reason, be it because the relationship is intricate, rotten and terrible or because it'd be hot) makes you a bad person - that's ridiculous. "Incest harms real people", yes. So does murder. I hope we're not using this logic to hunt down everyone who likes fictional murderers. Enjoying a specific dynamic in fiction does not mean you would encourage this behaviour in real life. It also doesn't mean you'd put anyone in real life in danger or hurt them. It means you enjoy this specific dynamic for one reason or another, that's all. So please, don't make yourself feel miserable for something like this.

There is also the fact that incest porn (as in, real porn where real people are filmed acting out fantasies for other people to get off to) is so incredibly popular. In the logic of the purity culture fandom people (who seem to ignore this fact and focus on random people drawing or writing about fictional people btw), this would mean that many, MANY men (who those videos are usually aimed at) secretly want to fuck their siblings, step mothers, etc. I sincerely doubt that that's the case. Instead, I think it's a sign that sexuality is very complex and we can't just narrow it down to "you think this is hot = you're evil rotten and morally corrupted"

I also have to bring up one last point: This shift in culture is not limited to fandom, although fandom people seem to be extremely loud and ruthless about this with their witch hunts. I've seen people act this way about Lolita by Nabokov and other pieces of literature, for example. Frankly, it's embarrassing to see. It's sad, too. Can people not interact with fiction anymore? Not every piece of fiction is meant as a moral indicator, we aren't 10 anymore and not every piece of art has to be Dr Seuss or Aesop.

This got very long and I don't want to get too off track, so to sum up: I don't think you should feel guilty for enjoying incest ships or themes in fiction. Really, that's your personal business and not anyone else's - and I mean that in a positive way.

I hope we as a culture grow out of this phase soon and we can all go back to having a relaxed, healthy approach to shipping/fandom/literature/art by avoiding what we dislike and focusing on what we enjoy.

[deviantartdramahub]

To skulldean:

Who are you? And how did you get there on this group? I don't ever know you but i regarding your stupid post as i reading, Yes! This site is from 13 years old but you aren't supposed to joking when they are not allowed to visting from 12 years old.

"The minimum age requirement to join DeviantArt is 13 years old. So, explain to me how he didn't brake the rules? You said it yourself he wasn't 13-years-old, so why would he be banned if he didn't brake the rules? I also highly doubt he got his account back unless he was actually 13-years-old, or older. The fact you tried to attack me to draw me out into the open for your pitty little attention seeking party is kind of childish, and blunt if i'm being honest." To be honest, If you are sam or other friends that you have, Then don't ever come back to finding and stalking me. If his brother could COME BACK on dA, Then he should supposed to hide until no one is going to find him, I already hide my unfinished dA channel so i cannot let them reporting me on dA, It's supposed to be OVER. The fact that you tried to stalking a other people that you are looking for, Villains don't deserved to visiting DADramaHub, Especially you... And i am not a little anymore, I am teenager today before i am becoming a adult soon until 2025.

"However, to view mature content such as nudity and depictions of violence, you must be at least 18 years old. DeviantArt is compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which means that you cannot be 12 years old to join! Again, YOU said it yourself, he WASN'T 13, so he did brake the rules and got banned for it. This is a stupid thing to bring up even after you failed to even prove your point, or claim about me saying whatever. Grow up, and stop looking for a fight!" Dumbsucker, You don't FUCKING understand skulldean. I am NOT the one who breaking the fucking dA rules. This woman is blaiming me first and yet you are acting like her, I will be unbanned from dA soon until the hacker man could recover my dA accounts, You can't stop me until i am returning for REAL. Ilia send me a apologies message for me until me and ilia will be nicely, But you are not. Skulldean, You are being FUCKING rude to me and other people, Again - YOU started to annoying me because i don't give a fuck if you attack me. If i remember when i joined dA back in 2021. It was my favorite years when i miss my dA channel, I posting my first screenshot on dA when i was using vegas pro 13. But sadly, I got banned from dA back in july 2023 when i got reported on dA. But STILL, You are tries to reporting me on tumblr when you are NOT admit of tumblr. So STFU and fuck off skulldean.

Even villains have to show up to court. That's how villains get sued so they can go to jail. But neither SkullDean, you, Sam, or Eviesucks666 are villains, you three just misunderstood each other. The anonymous person was unclear about not being Sam or who they were.

[seancosy]

Purity culture has eroded critical thinking in well-meaning people to a scary degree, and we need to fight back against it becoming more engrained in our culture.

The latest example: a beach in my country has banned nudity in its change rooms, supposedly to keep children safe.

This is misplaced anxiety. There is 0 danger in a kid seeing a penis, a vulva, or breasts. If parents are concerned about their children’s safety in a change room, they should supervise them. Much like how children should also be supervised when playing or swimming in the ocean.

Besides that, a change room is literally a designated place to get nude… like, that’s literally why we have them! Since purity culture has already deemed that any form of public nudity - even incidental nudity such as quickly changing out of a wet swimsuit at a beach - is inherently vulgar.

‘Protecting the children’ is a wolf whistle to impose bizarre restrictions on normal human activity. It pathologises mundane experiences, in this case acting as though any adult nudity around children is automatically sexual and therefore predatory.

[xtrablak674]

Running head: INSIDE THE DOMAINS OF CREATIVE MINDS 1

 

Inside the Domains of Creative Minds And How these Minds Operate

Christopher Malcaus

St. Joseph’s College

 

Author Note

This paper was assigned by Professor Stacey Temple for Freshman Seminar SJC-100-BAS06.

Inside the Domains of Creative Minds And How these Minds Operate

Robert Cormier based his books off of morbid, sinister-like themes. After the First Death and The Chocolate War are perfect examples of perpetuating brutality, torture, terrorism, explicit language, and murder (Cormier, 1995). Cormier (1995) noted that Kate Forrester in After the First Death was a “very real person” to him. “Sitting at my typewriter, I have lived many lives---I have been Jerry Renault refusing to sell those chocolates and Kate Forrester trying to start that hostaged bus” (Gallo, 1990, p. 57).

In After the First Death, Kate Forrester was very resilient and tried to fulfill her responsibility of protecting children which she had shown through trying to start the bus in order to escape with the children. This book is an example of Cormier’s work being comprised of the “monstrous and inexorable power of evil” (Campbell, 2006, p. 11). It resonates with contemporary events, yet is banned from schools and libraries across the country. Why? Critics argue that children may be too young to fully digest a horrific event such as terrorism. Still, contemporary events should be read and discussed amongst students so they could learn about the real events that are happening in their world rather than being limited to learning about “sugar-coated” history. Cormier’s desire for children to be exposed to contemporary events is paralleled by Trevor Brown (an artist who will be mentioned later on) supporting children’s exposure to art, even to art with nudity (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014).

The Chocolate War’s genesis has an inspirational foundation. Cormier was inspired to write this book after his son’s school was organizing a chocolate sale. Cormier, reminded of how hard his own parochial school fought its way through the depression era, was perplexed about how his son’s parochial school could have such a sale in good financial times (early 1970’s). Therefore, Cormier decided that his son would not participate in his school’s chocolate sale. So, his emotions about the chocolate sale’s situation directed the writing of this book, especially through the first words of it: “They murdered him.” Similar words were elicited in Cormier’s mind as he watched his son walk into a new school and wondered what was going to happen to him since he was already declining to participate in an event (Cohen & Cormier, 1993).

Besides the basic foundation of his son’s non-participation, Cormier decided to write about “peer pressure” and “faculty pressure” that would be imposed on the main character of the book to sell his chocolates. Also, Cormier intertwined male hormones and “teenage love” into the books, which perpetuates the explicit language. The explicit language offends readers, but Cormier feels that if a book is too controversial, children themselves should protest it without the help of adults or a censoring committee (Cohen & Cormier, 1993). Since Cormier favors his work for young readers to be based off of controversy, his “fighting against creative conformity” is recognized, as mentioned in Creativity, Inc. (Catmull, 2014, p. 97).

How did Cormier come up with his work? “I am an emotional writer in that I do not write emotionally but if something affects me emotionally then that sends me to the typewriter” (Cohen & Cormier, 1993). Could this have been the case after Cormier’s father received bad news of needing surgery? Cormier was angry due to his father’s surgery and began to write about it as a source of “therapy” (Campbell, 2006, p. 24). Subsequently, this work transformed into Now and At the Hour, a title that hints at death.

“I write until I lose perspective. I come back and the problem is solved; the perspective is restored. You get so close to a thing, and then you have to draw away from it” (Campbell, 2006, p. 36). This resonates with one of Csikszentmihalyi’s creative steps: Incubation (Mysterious Time). Incubation is about stepping away from a problem, collecting oneself, and finding the solution once returning back to the work spot (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996, p. 80). The work spot would be a typewriter in Cormier’s instance.

“Nights and weekends my old Royal typewriter clattered and clanged as the words sang and danced on the page” (Gallo, 1990, p. 57). The use of the typewriter correlates to Cormier’s labeling of his writing process: it is not neat. Prior to his work being completed, his typed work was scribbled with many hand-written notes. Cormier commented that his work underwent many note-writings before being handed for feedback. Getting feedback relates to Catmull’s (2014) Creativity, Inc. in which “reels” are mentioned. “Reels” are the abundant amount of rough-drafts written in preparation for arriving at a final product; the “reels” are products of receiving plenty of respectful feedback by experienced directors and producers, the Braintrust (Catmull, 2014, p. 68). Also, “headlining” was mentioned in Creativity, Inc. which is written by a director’s assistant and is comprised of a condensed summary of what the Braintrust proposed to rectify in the work (Catmull, 2014, p. 99). Due to his own written notes, Cormier seemed an assistant to himself in suggesting edits for his work before it landed in the hands of his Braintrust, like his editor.

Using feedback serves as a kind of guidance that helps steer the work. Getting feedback is the result of encountering a problem while constructing the work; in other words, the creator faces an “emergence of problems.” Another one of Csikszentmihalyi’s creative processes is Preparation (Emergence of Problems). In response to encountering a problem, Cormier would say “The beautiful thing about writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon” (Morris, 2013, p. 112). Cormier’s notes on his scrap work is evidence of his extensive preparation for getting to a better piece of work and proof of not getting work done correctly the first time. These notes simply serve as an extension of ideas that will support a strong final piece.

In Creativity, Inc., it is mentioned that work emerges once the creator becomes the project (Catmull, 2014, p. 91). It could be inferred that if most of Cormier’s books stem from personal experiences, a good foundation was formed. Cormier said “write about what you know” in Gallo’s Speaking for Ourselves: Autobiographical Sketches by Notable Authors of Books for Young Adults (1990, p. 58). Cormier did exactly this in welcoming personal experiences into his writing which enabled him to become the project. In basing novels on personal life experiences and characters on family members, his novels were made to almost portray the same real-life stories.

Besides writing being a form of art, snapping pictures is also art. Trevor Brown is a Brooklyn artist who snaps whatever catches his eye. Brown is a “one shot kind of guy [which] speaks a technique” and “doesn’t have time for [setting up his camera and taking numerous shots]” (“New York moment,” 2010).

Before he snaps that one shot, Brown sees how the shot will look in his head first and mentally crops it in capturing exactly what he sees and how he wants it. Brown does not document or capture other people’s work, but rather decides exactly what to put into his pictures. Therefore, his artwork shows his vision of the world.

Pictures are his “strongest medium,” but as a child he did not have a camera. Nevertheless, Brown recalls that, when he was a child in his babysitter’s house, he would see a shot and how beautiful the colors were (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). He would set the shot up in his mind and mentally crop it. Now, in his adulthood, besides still mentally cropping pictures, Brown uses his DSLR camera as his “tool” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014).

Brown started posting his artwork on Flickr and continues to keep his older work posted because he wants to show his “progression” especially since the older work is “rough” and lacks composition (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Brown’s posting of his pre-progression work parallels to Catmull’s concept of originality and encountering mistakes (2014, p. 108). Encountering a rough start of “rough” work led Brown to better his work as he progressed. So, encountering a rough start should be seen as “valuable” (Catmull, 2014, p. 108).

Art is Brown’s “home” in which he feels that he is a “creative being” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). His creative self-being is evident through his eccentric dressing and having people comment that he is as much artwork as the ones on the wall. Since he has a background in performing arts, he knows that people observe how he comports himself and also how he puts his clothes together for his performance, which could be talking at an art exhibit. He “sculpts” his hair for whatever his event is for the day and so he realizes that he resembles the artwork (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014).

“Photography” and “dance” are two rooms in Brown’s artistic “home” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). He wants to return to dancing because he enjoys performing and expressing himself in that medium. Brown has a difficult time in picking up on

choreography, but likes interpretive, modern, and African dancing. Another room that is being developed is filmmaking which many people call “the natural progression for photographers,” according to Brown (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). It was not so much of a “natural progression” for Brown as it was a given opportunity to perform; he is a non-traditional character and would have a difficult time in finding roles out there, so it would be easier to create a role and venue for himself, as opposed to waiting for people to do it for him.

“Painting is messy” and therefore Brown avoids it at all costs (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Nevertheless, he may reach a point where he could like painting since his “home” is still under renovation and “[his] journey is not over” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). He has a tie to painting since viewers compliment his assumed “paintings,” yet he never corrects them and is “always honored and amused by [their assumptions]” (Brown, n.d.).

Brown wants viewers to interact with the work of the displayed high heel exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum through possibly trying on makeshift wooden high heels. So, a “non-traditional approach” (which artists do not share) which he uses is letting people touch (interact with) his work, unless it is mounted behind plexiglass (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). In doing this, the viewers realize that Brown’s pictures are not paintings and so the “mystery” in their minds is cleared (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Also, Brown does not like to distinguish or describe his work at an art exhibit, but prefers for viewers themselves to distinguish and describe his work. So, because Brown’s background is not in Fine Arts, he did not have professors properly instructing him as a young student. Through exhibiting, he learns “the language” and uses that language for describing his artwork in further gallery talks (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Also, he learns more about his own work after listening to viewers’ responses. So, it is evident that an experienced artist could still learn as his artistic journey continues. As Brown repeatedly said, “My journey is not over, your journey is not over” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014).

“Iconoclast,” which is a part of Brown’s tagline, is defined by Brown as “a person who goes against tradition.” It is mentioned in Creativity, Inc. that Brad Bird (writer and director of The Iron Giant & The Incredibles) “[fought] against creative conformity” because he stated to Pete Docter, director of Up, “we need something that your audience can get a little more invested in” (Catmull, 2014, p. 97). So, Brown is “fighting against creative conformity” in allowing viewers to touch his artwork, which enables them to be “invested” in it, a part of it. Also, they are becoming a part of his work by telling Brown what they themselves see in it.

Brown likes “rust, oxidation, colors of passing time” in the city streets (“New York moment,” 2010). Since he is a pedestrian before an artist, he “likes to walk” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). So, the colors of walls and streets appeal to Brown, especially since those colors are not original and are changed over time through fading. “Rust and oxidation call out to [him]” and serve as his “crack” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Textures, metals, and how the weather affects/erodes them, what remains throughout time, and the graffiti interest him (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). He likes fences and corrugated metal, and their different textures. He also likes bricks and, during the interview, recalls all of the bricks that have infatuated him from other countries. So, in taking pictures of things that appeal to him, Brown wants people to recognize “the often overlooked” (like metals, fences, and bricks) (Brown, n.d.).

Brown lived in Williamsburg, which is “that regurgitated step child from Manhattan” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). “Grit, grime, art, graffiti,” and the paint all disappeared from the Williamsburg in which Brown lived for five years (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Brown had to search for murals that represented artwork, but the only murals available were the youtube video advertisements. So, the art is gone in his eyes. “Broken down and discarded” is what attracts him, rather than newness (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014).

Brown feels that people should go wherever their artistic journeys are going. He disagrees when people suggest for an artist to stay in one lane in which that artist has made most of his money and knows one category of work. For example, he mentioned in the interview that people may say that you are a landscape painter and so you should stay there. He disagrees with that and feels to take risks rather than to stay in the safe place (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Prior to the taped interview, Brown stated that not taking risks is dangerous and so to go out of your comfort zone.

So, “my journey is not over, your journey is not over” (T. Brown, personal communication, October 23, 2014). Even though Cormier is deceased, his books take readers on a journey into his mind, and life, as Brown’s artwork takes viewers into his mind in which they can see his view of the world. As long as an artist’s work is within the public’s reach, the public will be on a journey through the way it interacts with and reacts to the work as the artists will be on a journey through the way they may respond to the public, as well as learn from the public.

References

Brown, T. (n.d.). Artist statement. Retrieved from http://www.trevorbrownonline.com/statement.html

Campbell, P. (2006). Robert Cormier: Daring to disturb the universe. New York: Delacorte P. Catmull, E. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the unseen forces that start in the way of true

inspiration. New York: Random House. 

Cohen, J., & Cormier, R. (1993). An interview with Robert Cormier. Reading Time, 37(1), 7-8. Cormier, R. (1999). Waxing Creative. In D. J. Morad (Ed.), Children's Literature Review (Vol. 55). Detroit: Gale Group. (Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, 1995, July 17, 242[29], 140) Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/psi.doid=GALE%7CH1420022986&v=2.1&u=patc16025&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=b7b937485ad2e48c10a65174428701c4

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: HarperCollins.

Gallo, D. (1990). Speaking for ourselves: Autobiographical sketches by notable authors of books for young adults. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Morris, L. (2013). RTI meets writer’s workshop: Tiered strategies for all levels of writers and every phase of writing. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. 

 New York Public Radio. (2010, March). New York moment: Trevor Brown [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXkVVF4pFdk

[Afterwords: Wow this was a lot, I hope Mr. Malcaus got a good grade. This is his freshman year. I can't even begin to fathom writing like this in my freshman year. I still don't know how to cite sources and of course how to find sources to cite. I know this is besides the content of the paper but how does a eighteen or nineteen year old know about where to even look for the sources to write a paper like this? Now he could totally be wrong in what he did here, but it doesn't look like it, it looks like a very academic paper. Even now ten years later I am still blown away by this skill because I didn't learn any of this in school.

There is one thing that different for me reading this now as opposed to reading it then, was I actually understood it better. I think the first time I read this I wasn't quite getting the correlations that Mr. Malcaus was making, I understand them a bit better now and see the broader connections he was making between me and the writer.

What I love most is this was very validating of my own craft equating it to the thoughts and words of an established, published and well-sold author. Curiously it reflects my own feelings about artistic pursuits that no one art is necessarily more important than another, particularly when you look under the hood and the processes of the artist to create said works.

I felt this then and still feel this, that I think we are all creative people and all have creative abilities its just important that we nourish them whatever they are. The fact that your art sells for billions of dollars doesn't make you any more important in my opinion than an unknown artist in some coastal town who creates work for family and friends. Whomever you are you're going through a similar process even if you have different mediums and I like to think of us looking at what unites us as opposed to what separates us.

"My journey is not over, your journey is not over", something that I kept saying to the young Malcaus and I stand by this, he seems to work in some kind of hotel management role post-college, but it doesn't mean his journey is over. I no longer actively exhibit but that doesn't mean I am not still creating. And as I just said even if its an audience of one its important to continue to be creative, its not about the financial benefits but for the value it brings to the soul, if you believe in those things.

[Photos by Brown Estate]

I wanted to make a statement with my artist statement

[book-quotes-i-found]

An incomplete guide to LGBT Graphic Novels and book bans (America) (made for a class)

Infographic from American library association

Why do people ban books?

People ban books if the contents of the books makes them uncomfortable, goes against their religion/beliefs, includes topics they do not think is appropriate for kids or young adults to know about. The funny thing is that some people who want to ban books have not even read the books they are trying to ban.

Who is doing the banning?

There are many organizations that are currently trying to ban books in schools. One such group has a deceiving name called the Moms of Liberty. Most of these groups are religious and or conservative and have lists of books that they want to ban. Groups that have lists of books they want to challenge or ban use scripts to argue why they shouldn’t be allowed even if the individual has not read the book themselves.

Possible Solutions to Book Banning:

Have the entire state have a law pass that bans book banning like Illinois

To put in an application to ban a book the person must pass a book quiz like the Accelerated Reading Program

Have people state a reason that is not an opinion like, “This book upsets me!” without citing an example page with further explanation or uses religion on why the book should be banned

If a book is being challenged look at Unite Against Book Bans’ Book Resume page that has blurbs about why a book is important and educational for people to have access to

Banned Books with opinions on their bannings

Book: Gender Queer

Reason(s) for being banned:

Sexual content

LGBTQ content

Age level of book: 9 and up (School Library Journal recommendation)

Author says it’s for teens, hence why it is not in the kid’s section

Opinion: All books should be up to the reader to decide if they want to read it or if they are old enough. I have read books that I felt I was not old enough to read when I first saw it, but when I came back to it a year or so later I was at the perfect stage in life to read it.

This book was one that I related to in many ways and if I had found it at a point in my life where I felt alone, it would have comforted me. While it did talk about sex there were no outright depictions of the act or of genitals. There is nudity that shows pectorals and breasts, but there is literally a scene in the book that talks about how the author feels about ‘eir body. The book could be a great way to talk to teens about gender and the impending time of puberty. Also the book brings awareness to gynecology exams and how they happen rather than a vague description that is normally brought up in sex ed.

Book: Flamer

Reason(s) for being banned:

LGBTQ content

“Sexually explicit content”

Age level of book: Teens

Opinion:

This book strikes me as one that would be at home in a middle school based on humor. I can see a school library blurry the word “faggot” with sharpie so kids would not start repeating the language. If it was at a public library I would worry if the teen graphic novel section is close to the kids section.

No genitals are shown in the book, only alluded to verbally or with hotdogs the food. The only skin to skin contact in the book is a quick kiss, some hand holding and a hug.

Book: The Prince and The Dressmaker

Reason(s) for being banned:

“Idaho right-wing activists started pushing local library boards to ban books they said are tainting students' minds”

Concerns they’re pornographic

LGBTQ

Age level of book: Teens

Opinion:

There is no sex or genitals shown in this book. This is a coming of age book about exploring gender expression and identity. It shows that you do not have to hide your true self with those who love you. The main love interests in this book are straight and the only time there are possible same-sex romantic intentions is when one character cross dresses and the other assumes it is a straight interaction.

[neutralgray]

Look, I'm no fucking narc but like... what IS Tumblr's NSFW policy because it's all over the place at this point.

I follow tags like #bisexual and #trans rights to see information and get posts about communities in the LGBTQ+ spectrum that are of interest to me and instead lately I'm just getting softcore lesbian porn in the bi tags and girlcock in the trans tags.

I'm not complaining about people posting their beautiful bodies and people like their nudity but it's not why I follow those tags and it also leaves me wondering what the TOS is for these posts when Tumblr says it's against policy but these posts are clearly visible and getting boosted in the tag???

For the record, I think the porn ban was bad for the site and should be reversed but either reverse it all the way or actually enforce what you say the rules are-- not this confusing middle-of-the-ground "sometimes it's okay/sometimes it's not" bullshit. Come on, Tumblr.

[chengfagshi]

it fascinates me that people allow puriteens to become moderators (of art) and then wonder why everyone is unhappy using their services

case in point, fur affinity has decided to ban any art depicting the fertilization of an egg because a minor is involved and I’m just like

so how do you check if that’s a thing in furry art? Is it only nsfw that’s affected? Then why have it on your website at all? This would make them ban 34k art of oviposition as well as the plethora of breeding/pregnancy kink art since according to their rules it’s “pedophilia”

better implement a long overdue blacklisting system than causing more users to avoid the website…

I really think we should stop asking puriteens' opinions on anything sexual related. Like I keep seeing articles on twitter that are like "teens want less sex in movies and shows" okaaay, why do we care about what teens think when it comes to sex in movies or shows? Like Idc, I'm an adult who is the target audience for sex scenes and I want more of it actually. Plus, usually there is a warning. If a show/movie has nudity, sex, etc. etc. Like if y'all hate it so much, maybe look at the warning before watching it.