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Regarding the latest policy change 🍿
2 years ago
I know this journal is not typical of me, but...
I'm very amused by the drama that's stirred up by the recent policy change. You've got doomers thinking this is what will kill the site. You've got cynics fearing this will blanket-ban certain species. You've got the taboo artists that don't understand why their content is violating TOS. And then you've got actual cub artists coming out of the woodworks to vent and then leave.
Will it kill FA? Probably not. FA has stood the test of time despite numerous policy changes and supposed exoduses, so I don't think this one will do anything more than piss off a few risque artists while driving away all the actual pedos trafficking viewers over to IB or who-fucking-knows-where. Everyone else will just move on like nothing happened. Stop fearmongering, people.
Will it affect innocent users? Maybe. I can see why some are adamant about resisting the policy change when their art supposedly depicts no minors, just smallish characters. However, one constant in all of this is the fact some characters just plainly appear underage whether deliberately or not, taking certain features from cub such as being wide-eyed, a large head, a small body, short arms and/or legs, simplistic detail, tiny junk, and dumbed-down intelligence. It's not an exhaustive list by any means, but it certainly catches a lot of problematic content.
Who and where are these cub artists/viewers? While I can't name and shame anyone in particular (due to the policy on harassment), I went down the rabbit hole and checked out several of the profiles, and boy there were red flags written all over:
- gallery full of small pokemon, digimon, sonic, or mlp characters that are the prime targets of this policy change
- linked an IB account or were thinking of making one
- lists known cub artists as their favorites
- F-list with ageplay or underage items in the fave or yes category
- had shouts/comments from diaper-wearing, cub-loving users expressing gratitude or agreement
- had a profile desc copypasta supporting map shit or denouncing censorship
- lamented the fact FA banned them for cub porn before, and had to move to a new account
- talked with someone who enjoyed the rapey aspects
- baby-talks in comments/roleplay
It's as hilarious as it is disgusting that many of these dormant cub fetishists are showing up in droves to express their disappointment at FA for ruining their haven. I don't have a lick of sympathy for the likes of them.
So anything small and "cute" is cub now? Well, that's where this policy change tries to shed light, not just as an issue of age (because that can be stretched to anything), but more-so of appearance and mannerisms akin to children, which I think is more accurate to how it should define cub. Context is merely an appendix to art, it doesn't change the fact things are the way they look. So, if an artist really doesn't support cub or some other taboo, then it would be wise of them to avoid such tropes in their art, plain and simple. The real kicker will be seeing how many of these artists out themselves as a result of making cub-like art their signature.
How will this be enforced? This is where many users will complain that the subjective tastes of a few people can't accurately determine what is minor-like and what isn't. Obviously, nothing is black-and-white on this site or the internet as a whole, and what could be considered a minor to one mod might not be to another mod. But there are many litmus tests we can use to be absolutely sure something is in violation of policy. For instance, if you bring too many creeps over, you're probably a creep yourself.
But what about X fetish which is just as bad? I don't give a damn. I made my own blacklist app.
Remember, FA is primarily a fetish website for furries. Anything and everything gets fetishized or sexualized against the better judgement. Even if some use FA as their art dump for innocuous, professional, or amateur works, nothing can change the fact this place has a reputation as being the literal cum dumpster of the internet. Which is why I think this change should've come way sooner.
I and the majority of FA will be ever grateful of this change.
I'm very amused by the drama that's stirred up by the recent policy change. You've got doomers thinking this is what will kill the site. You've got cynics fearing this will blanket-ban certain species. You've got the taboo artists that don't understand why their content is violating TOS. And then you've got actual cub artists coming out of the woodworks to vent and then leave.
Will it kill FA? Probably not. FA has stood the test of time despite numerous policy changes and supposed exoduses, so I don't think this one will do anything more than piss off a few risque artists while driving away all the actual pedos trafficking viewers over to IB or who-fucking-knows-where. Everyone else will just move on like nothing happened. Stop fearmongering, people.
Will it affect innocent users? Maybe. I can see why some are adamant about resisting the policy change when their art supposedly depicts no minors, just smallish characters. However, one constant in all of this is the fact some characters just plainly appear underage whether deliberately or not, taking certain features from cub such as being wide-eyed, a large head, a small body, short arms and/or legs, simplistic detail, tiny junk, and dumbed-down intelligence. It's not an exhaustive list by any means, but it certainly catches a lot of problematic content.
Who and where are these cub artists/viewers? While I can't name and shame anyone in particular (due to the policy on harassment), I went down the rabbit hole and checked out several of the profiles, and boy there were red flags written all over:
- gallery full of small pokemon, digimon, sonic, or mlp characters that are the prime targets of this policy change
- linked an IB account or were thinking of making one
- lists known cub artists as their favorites
- F-list with ageplay or underage items in the fave or yes category
- had shouts/comments from diaper-wearing, cub-loving users expressing gratitude or agreement
- had a profile desc copypasta supporting map shit or denouncing censorship
- lamented the fact FA banned them for cub porn before, and had to move to a new account
- talked with someone who enjoyed the rapey aspects
- baby-talks in comments/roleplay
It's as hilarious as it is disgusting that many of these dormant cub fetishists are showing up in droves to express their disappointment at FA for ruining their haven. I don't have a lick of sympathy for the likes of them.
So anything small and "cute" is cub now? Well, that's where this policy change tries to shed light, not just as an issue of age (because that can be stretched to anything), but more-so of appearance and mannerisms akin to children, which I think is more accurate to how it should define cub. Context is merely an appendix to art, it doesn't change the fact things are the way they look. So, if an artist really doesn't support cub or some other taboo, then it would be wise of them to avoid such tropes in their art, plain and simple. The real kicker will be seeing how many of these artists out themselves as a result of making cub-like art their signature.
How will this be enforced? This is where many users will complain that the subjective tastes of a few people can't accurately determine what is minor-like and what isn't. Obviously, nothing is black-and-white on this site or the internet as a whole, and what could be considered a minor to one mod might not be to another mod. But there are many litmus tests we can use to be absolutely sure something is in violation of policy. For instance, if you bring too many creeps over, you're probably a creep yourself.
But what about X fetish which is just as bad? I don't give a damn. I made my own blacklist app.
Remember, FA is primarily a fetish website for furries. Anything and everything gets fetishized or sexualized against the better judgement. Even if some use FA as their art dump for innocuous, professional, or amateur works, nothing can change the fact this place has a reputation as being the literal cum dumpster of the internet. Which is why I think this change should've come way sooner.
I and the majority of FA will be ever grateful of this change.
In a way, FA being such a "dirty" place has been a huge positive for me >w> We can enjoy our paws and stupid fetishes without being judged.. but I agree that the policy change should have come sooner for a different reason - trust!
Cos on one hand - I'm seeing several bad faith actors who, when you dig into their profile, realize that yes, they ARE into cub stuff and are simply part of an underground cub community here. (Which imo should stay but not post cub stuff!)
BUT on the other hand, FA Staff are amateurs (understandably) who are learning how to moderate a website that became absolutely enormous, but they are not doing any good on the open and honest communication front. For example, why are these internal policies internal? We kindda wanna know what a rule that ambiguous and vague REALLY translates to!
Combined with the fact that their moderation has been spotty, because they rely on volunteers who didn't even have a proper internal policy to go on by the way, and each volunteer had wildly different interpretations of where the "line" is. So this internal update is one step forward, but there is a fundamental communication problem which is giving these bad faith actors SO much ammo right now.
I wish there was a way to get this to the FA staff, they need to listen as this will fix a lot of the chaos.
Thanks so much for the insightful journal! I too am glad about these updates they're making because it shows that they're slowly starting to understand how to moderate a website better.
FYI they're also releasing a document soon, you can do a lot more digging if you go to the FA Discord and search for Luffy's posts