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This is important
2 years ago
My patreon was shut down today. I had it running for a decade, when I first started Shine, and now its all gone, the comments people left there, the history, the messages and I guess also my ability to pay my bills. Patreon was my main source of income and now thats over. They said I had violated their community guidelines by sexualising minors...which I never have and never would do. That goes against everything I believe in so being tarnished with that brush feels particularly brutal and unfair.
I just want to say something thats always been important to me. (im cross posting this from my other account as this is super super important to me)
I've been a little since I was about 4 years old. Way before the internet existed. For years all the way through my teens I thought I was the only one who wanted to be loved in that unconditional small child way. Felt wrong in myself for knowing my peers didnt have the same wants, had no one to talk to and generally hated myself for being wired differently in a lot of ways.
When i started writing my comics here. I wanted nothing more than to bring folk together, to help people feel less alone and to make people feel like it was okay to be themselves. I created content that I wished I could have had when I was learning and feeling lost. I also wanted to play. To tap into that little side and to have freedom to explore that part of me in a healthy safe way.
I've made a lot of friends here and I get notes every so often thanking me for my work. saying lovely things like I've helped someone feel better in themselves for having this quirk. Its a core part of me and I imagine its a core part of a lot of folk reading this journal. We didn't choose to have this need in us. And more importantly there's nothing wrong with that.
I truely feel that whilst some day's i can struggle with my little side, I'm largely so grateful i have this really precious part of me. She's amazing. and so pure and she just deserves all the love and she deserves to feel safe.
Sometimes life can shake that foundation in me. When something external is telling me I'm wrong for being who I am (like patreon or trolls or other things I can't mention right now) it often makes me sit back feeling like i've been punched in the gut and re-assess. Like. Are they right? Am I wrong? Am I broken? AM I a monster?
No. Sorry. Just No.
I've been round this circle so many times. You're not wrong for having a little side. Whether you have one due to childhood trauma or not, having a little side is something to feel protective over, there's this precious bean in you that has done nothing wrong. Keep them safe, give yourself love not hate, when others are trying to beat you down because they dont understand you. You're not the problem here.
Don't hate yourself because of other people. Don't let them get into your head and doubt yourself.
You're uniquely you. Theres only the one version of you on this planet and your reality is unique to you, don't let others mess that up with their hateful ignorance.
Im proud to be part of this community, it's felt a little fragmented for a while but it's still a community full of compassionate amazing people just wanting to live their lives. You're all amazing
Just have hugs okay. I wish I could really hug you all
I just want to say something thats always been important to me. (im cross posting this from my other account as this is super super important to me)
I've been a little since I was about 4 years old. Way before the internet existed. For years all the way through my teens I thought I was the only one who wanted to be loved in that unconditional small child way. Felt wrong in myself for knowing my peers didnt have the same wants, had no one to talk to and generally hated myself for being wired differently in a lot of ways.
When i started writing my comics here. I wanted nothing more than to bring folk together, to help people feel less alone and to make people feel like it was okay to be themselves. I created content that I wished I could have had when I was learning and feeling lost. I also wanted to play. To tap into that little side and to have freedom to explore that part of me in a healthy safe way.
I've made a lot of friends here and I get notes every so often thanking me for my work. saying lovely things like I've helped someone feel better in themselves for having this quirk. Its a core part of me and I imagine its a core part of a lot of folk reading this journal. We didn't choose to have this need in us. And more importantly there's nothing wrong with that.
I truely feel that whilst some day's i can struggle with my little side, I'm largely so grateful i have this really precious part of me. She's amazing. and so pure and she just deserves all the love and she deserves to feel safe.
Sometimes life can shake that foundation in me. When something external is telling me I'm wrong for being who I am (like patreon or trolls or other things I can't mention right now) it often makes me sit back feeling like i've been punched in the gut and re-assess. Like. Are they right? Am I wrong? Am I broken? AM I a monster?
No. Sorry. Just No.
I've been round this circle so many times. You're not wrong for having a little side. Whether you have one due to childhood trauma or not, having a little side is something to feel protective over, there's this precious bean in you that has done nothing wrong. Keep them safe, give yourself love not hate, when others are trying to beat you down because they dont understand you. You're not the problem here.
Don't hate yourself because of other people. Don't let them get into your head and doubt yourself.
You're uniquely you. Theres only the one version of you on this planet and your reality is unique to you, don't let others mess that up with their hateful ignorance.
Im proud to be part of this community, it's felt a little fragmented for a while but it's still a community full of compassionate amazing people just wanting to live their lives. You're all amazing
Just have hugs okay. I wish I could really hug you all
But I guess I can make an exception this time.
*Hugs*
I just don't get it.
Why now? Makes no sense.
Or am I'm missing something?
I just don't know why NOW?
Likely no good answer to that question.
Only more questions.
The same reason Tumblr and so many sites before have done a similar thing
Ive been hearing reports that they've been removing a lot of vore content citing it as rape. My speculation is patreon is being pressured by one of the payment platforms to remove all adult content. It's super poor timing what with christmas season about to happen. It was literally the only way I was making money so..um...a little teeny but screwed right now.
But hey. The way I see it, maybe this is a chance to do something different and strike out on my own, build my own site with blackjack and hookers and not hafta give patreon a cut from my earnings....um but thats gonna take time and what with essay deadlines for school and all sorts of stuff on teh horizon, feeling just a tad squeezed right now
I guess that would make sense.
But at least give some time and not just NUKE everything with no warning.
That's the part that bothers me the most.
From my understanding, that's already happened in a way 🤷♂️
Sorry you have had to go through this scare so early into using patreon. That sucks. The sad truth though is, even if our accounts manage to stay up... I have to assume many ABDL who support artists are going to move away from using patreon, so it may not be viable either way. We can really only wait and see I guess.
As long as no one complains, its the perfect cover.
The want to go publicly traded, and because of the the payment processors are giving them ultimatums
Most likely the whole site will be sanitized of all fetish content
Though given the statement they made, it could be something far more personal
In the beginning of the year Patreon became partner with Tech Coalition which is a agency that aims to combat child abuse online which in itself is a good cause.
Then in June the BBC found that there were AI-generated images of Child abuse on patreon for sale.
So taking those two things into account its rather likley that Patreon panicked and just decided to use the sledgehammer instead of the scaple to "solve" this issue (as is often the case with content platforms) but in the end just mostly hurts completly innocent people and in a rather cynical way actually made it less safe for minors in the overall sense.
for them "its the same thing"
drawn or real, adults pretending to be minors or actual minors, doesnt matter to them
but patreon walks the tumblr way for a while now and i dont think they will stop until its all cotton candy colored mary poppins level of purity with sprinkles of nazis and bots
And that can best be answered by looking at the events a few months ago and see how other websites reacted to such things (Youtube is a prime example for that) which is almost always taking the sledgehammer out and hoping you can beat the fire out with it before the moneygiver jump ship.
Makes sense to get THAT banned.
>in the end just mostly hurts completly innocent people<
Still bothers me just how little they CARE with not looking on what they be banning.
Just take the "Easy" way out I guess
And besides, you weren't the only one who fell victim to such a thing as this. There has been a purge going on in Patreon and many other ABDL artists have also been wiped out from there.
When I read your comics and see your art and your stories it brings a smile to my face and warmth in my heart.
One way that might help to remember the difference: library has books, libel is written, and slang is spoken, same as slander.
I'd offer the largest possible hug possible.
makes me hate living in this wage-slave world.
They do nothing about the accounts that are literally supporting MAP and ZOO activists with money.
It makes me sick to live in this world 😞
I hate that companies can just uproot people's lives without notice or warning or reprisal. This world really sucks.
I'm so sick and tired of the public and corporations accusing us as being pedo. It does not help that I'm flying out today for MFF.
You have my support, Gemma. I always adored your art, comics, creativity and your wholesome heart! <3
A lot of us like to look after each other. We are very blessed to have one another.
Im so sorry yours got taken down. Along with everyone else who was directly affected. I know it has made an impact.
Either way we will get through this. Love ya Star and much hugs! <3
*warm hug of comfort*
The thing that really wrankles me, aside from how insulting it is to be hit with the pedo label as an AB/DL, but a ban wave like this shows they don't actually care about sexual depictions of minors on their platform. Even if you accept the BS that AB/DL = pedo, why has it been on their platform for so long? Are their standards for detecting and enforcing their rules on sexual depictions of minors so bad that such egrigious content has been allowed to flourish on their platform for years?
Sorry, I'm just venting my own frustrations at this point when I'm not even personally impacted by this. My heart just aches for you and every other creator who's lives have been upended, their liveliehoods taken away in the blink of an eye with no recourse. I hope you can get up and running soon on another platform, you'll always have a supporter out of me.
I believe in you, and thank you for cultivating such a wonderful community to be in! Keep up the amazing works, and we love ya!!!!
*Big hugs!!~*
But yes, this is all kinds of F'ed up, especially with christmas coming around...
Wpisy You the best, Star!
*Hugs*
https://twitter.com/AvecLeChocolat/.....32871692472425 - Twitter thread that mentions SubscribeStar as an alternative, and also outlines a bit on how to create your own website and payment processor, if you're looking for a more independent solution.
https://twitter.com/OmorashiOrg/sta.....49790705316221 - An account with a large following that seems to control a very big ABDL Discord, who is offering to shout out artists effected by this event and help them get seen wherever they're moving to. You can also link to your donation page on that tweet.
https://twitter.com/AvecLeChocolat/.....52577687171140 - Another thread for linking to your donation page for assistance.
I'm furious that this is the direction Patreon, and apparently a lot of places, are going. It shouldn't come to this.
I would love to continue to support you and atleast give what I was subscribed for and maybe a bit more if possible, would just need to know if you'd be okay with that how to do so.
Sure, we can inch ever closer to fascism with Elon Musk endorsing white supremacist talking points and the media ignoring Trump's "vermin" comments, but draw a cartoon character in a diaper and that's suddenly a bridge too far. THAT is somehow outside the boundaries of social norms in 2023. Nazis are making a comeback in America and you people are worried about fictional kids in fictional Huggies. To hell with you!
And we'll just be here, drinking from our sippy cups, nodding and going "Yup... saw that coming...". -_-
It's just a crappy situation all around, and I'll always be frustrated about the amount of education needed out there...
Because at the end of the day, if ABDL is "sexualizing children", then BDSM is "promoting domestic violence"/"promoting torture"/etc.
*hugs*
We are a Community. Don't take it to heart. We will get through this.
I struggle with my little side tremendously and don't have anyone that can help me with it. It's a very isolated and sad place to be in and I hate myself often.
I'm so sorry that this had to happen to you. Being banned without warning is not pleasant and I;m not sure there's any way to appeal to the stupid decisions made. There are two alternatives you might try like subscribestar and Ko-Fi. I really hope things can work out better for you.
I wish you the best and I admire your courage. You are awesome.
I won't say I understand all that's happening with patreon but I hope that you can do what you need to do.
I hope you get all the hugs you need irl to.
But either way more than likely patreon is going to go the way Tumblr did and go bankrupt who knows if someone's going to buy them out like Tumblr did and also it seems non-abdl artists who still drawn not safe for work art is also getting the shaft from patreon and there's talks about class action lawsuit against patreon. But this is what I hared.
I hope you can find a way to do a monthly subscription thing like patreon again though. I'd love to support you still. ♡
Soccer mom America, that's who... according to my nationality. This is obviously more than an American issue. I know how you feel, though. The pain of isolation cuts deep and is something we can all relate to.
I remember being very young (Around five) when I first had these feelings. I also recall my sense of elation when I stumbled across ABUniverse... Did not have great management back in the day, but it was magical seeing an AB/DL company blossom into existence like that.
So, with the birth of such industry, you would kinda expect opinions on our kink/lifestyle to evolve, yeah? Some things never change, it would seem. Even one of my former therapists accused me of wrongdoing.
I'm of the opinion that, even if you hate the man, Sargon of Akkad was an excellent canary. I didn't trust Patreon since his banning, and unfortunately it would appear I was right to feel this way.
A friend of mine tried putting some NSFW furry art on his Patreon, and said he got a notice wanting him to verify he was over 18 and send them a bunch of personal information. He took his NSFW stuff down rather than hand over his information. He thinks it's Mastercard breathing heavy on Patreon's neck over pornography.
How on earth can artists make any money, if electronic financial institutions refuse to handle their transactions?
BTW--I don't own a cell phone. I won't own one. My husband has a cheap flip phone for use when driving somewhere.
But people I know made fun of me for being a Luddite because I am wary of the electronic world. I don't trust things like "store your stuff in The Cloud" because I know web sites can disappear, or you can get arbitrarily shut down without warning.
I'm not one of those with my face plastered to the damned thing(s), ignoring and woefully ignorant of the very real, very wonderful, but VERY dangerous world around us, as we're going around doing our stuff. It amazes me how many have become addicted to the things! I see FAMILIES at indoor dining establishments, and every last one of them is holding their damned phones, and not conversing with each other?! I mean, what in THE actual Hell?!
smdh
I'm Olde School in many ways, and for many valid reasons. I like CASH, or something that can be used as barter for trade/purchasing the things I need/want.
The 'Electronic' crap is a simple convenience for me, but I'll never lean on it to survive/live my life!
But pornography is a titan of an industry. To deny our sexuality for the sake of being bought out by one of the bigger fish... well, I feel like people are onto something with all the comparisons to Tumblr. Also, this move just smacks of desperation.
Patreon may be changing management real soon here. The question is, who the hell is going to bother buying it? If sexual content is a bridge too far, then they'll go after gun owners, as well. They'll also target the activists. On both sides of the aisle.
So, at that point, who are you making money off of? Who's still doing business with you, now that you've made the process so needlessly messy?
I have a feeling this move will kill Patreon as a service. Good riddance... now, how much longer until administration cracks down on us, here on FA?
People not breaking any real law(s), but someone else doesn't like what they say, do, draw/write/create, and them having the power/authority to engage in a modern day witch hunt to destroy them.
https://kemono.su/patreon/user/253755
They been having some stupid stick up there ass concerning abdl stuff for like the last year, I thought you knew actualy.
ALso not a monster, or any of that BS, if anything your a victom of what is currently a socialy excepeptable hate crime.
And while I haven’t had any problems, KOW, with DeviantArt, I have been seeing people leave the site, because of how their unfairly treating them, and I do hope, that this site here doesn’t Fall into that Same Trap.
And it’s too bad they couldn’t have the Patreon-Thing here! Maybe even have Merch you can sell! That would be cool. Especially since Patreon is Not Acting Cool.
But no matter what happens, I hope everything works out for you.
(((Hugs))
Your friend Jo. x
Unfortunately, I think we are going to see more of this kind of thing. People have a very shallow understanding of most things, uncommon things they are woefully uneducated.
Hoping you get back on your feet, seems like from the other comments you have a fair bit of help. So I'll cheer from the sideline as unfortunately that's all I can do.
I would like to say that your comic has definitely helped me explore my little side and to have love for it. For that, I am grateful.
Words are both pouring out and escaping me simultaneously.
Just... Thank You for being you [and for us!] all these years, I guess.
If an adult dressing and acting like a child rids them of their autonomy and the ability to give sexual consent, is the converse also true? If a minor acts “mature for their age,” or smokes and drinks and does other “adult” things, does that mean they can give sexual consent?
It makes no goddamn sense. It’s appalling. And the fact that none of us can really DO anything about it because we’re already existing on the fringe and clamoring to find ground in everything is heartbreaking.
I think I would be freaking out by that. But know that it's not a reflection of you. People don't understand age play. And there's been a strong force of "protecting the children" without caring about the actual, real life people, that can be hurt by it. It's not fair. It's not right. But that's what it is.
But that is on them. That's not a reflection on you, on if you are wrong or not for having a little side. You are not wrong. You're just different. And you bring joy, love, support, and understanding to so many. You are amazing and don't let others tell you differently just because they are being controlled by their own fear and misunderstanding.
I wish I had a solution for you. But I do have support at least.
No matter in dark times hope and light will shines through the dark movements
Thank you for taking something like this and turning it into a positive message. This type of thing is why you have so many people ready to support you <3
Are there any alternative platforms with better policies?
As my dad would say, It's their baseball and they choose who gets to play.
I guess boycotts are screaming at the the wind.
I've been a supporter of your patreon for a long time now and I plan to continue once everything is sorted out. Your a awesome person and you have actually made a difference in my life.
I'm very proud to call you a friend.
@BabyStar, let us know how to support you.
And.. well... Thanks for those words, I kinda needed that, it made me tear up...
https://www.reddit.com/r/ABDL/s/UmCPISHVI9
Caveat, i have no idea how patreon works but I wonder if Patreon would still bill former subscribers but just pocket the money, if say their monthly subscription was due today but all abdl content was purged / de-listed yesterday?
Chin up Corporal Crinklepants! You are valued and so is your art! It definitely is a place for me to go and feel represented in that "ah there's others and I'm not alone" representation matters style-ness.
My ABDL life is private but as a proponent of individual liberty and a strong gun enthusiast, I've seen this pattern repeatedly repress any disfavored group.
Covid response was a test for implementing this sort of coordinated authoritarism to force mass compliance without exposing themselves to justified violence in self defense by simply shutting down peoples ability to live their life in today's world and turning their backs. They don't have to coerce you in person anymore and face the real risk that youll stand up and meet their violence to defend yourself. They can just flick a digital switch and disable your ability to exist and bury you. Should have been a huge eye opener for govt and big business being in bed together with no checks and balances.
I wasn't on your Patreon, but I've donated to your Paypal, buy yourself a drink, heat the house for 10mins (at this rate ;D) or buy some jacobs crackers and cheese. Keep us updated, your comics are a highlight to me each week and I'd hate to lose you and it :(
removing the random and very cute animal avatars was one thing, doing stupid greedy corpo BS like this is not tolerable.
Makes me feel less of an oddball and more like just a person that didn't get a proper emotional raising. That said I do wish you luck on figuring this out, got to be something better then patreon out there. It's astonishingly aggravating that some folks outside the community mistake this stuff for 'minors'.
Can't believe this happened to you and ABDL artists everywhere on Patreon.
I've been a paid supporter for just shy of 5 years and love your art and stories.
Looking forward to your new site you're making so I can support you there!
*big hug all around*