About suggestive (nsfw?) series icons and...censoring

[radicles]

*Edit n.1: for obvious reasons i have to add yet another disclaimer up there. this is not only about bl. this is about nsfw comics in general being all up in our faces in featured sections, daily, without any way to filter them off. bl is hugely mentioned because, lets address the elephant in the room: it is the most proeminent example, simple as that. if you read this post and the only conclusion you take from it is 'so huh, you're homophobic' i'm not going to answer you. *

SO STARTING THIS TOPIC OFF WITH: NO, GOD, I'M NOT SAYING THIS JUST BECAUSE I DISLIKE BL (i am somewhat biased, okay, i used to write bl, okay, but i was 13 and immature at the time.)

but i think we need to talk about how the main tapastic page, the thing we see after typing tapastic.com, is more often than not filled with, ahem "~sexy~" icons or putting simply... bl icons in which protagonists are about to rip eachothers tongues off, theres saliva everywhere, and generally that 'winkwonk' nakedness as well as HUGE 'BL' letters if it wasnt obvious enough. of course not ALL bl comics are like this, but since majority of the problem comes from them, i'm using them as example (because many also have nsfw content and etcetera).

and then you might as 'but radicles didnt you say youve written such content before?" haha yeah when i was a kid. and believe me when i say when i want to show my friends, or family, or my younger siblings this wonderful website in which i work!!!- it is really awkward to have them stare at the front page and find that borderline softcore porn just rIGHT ON THEIR FACE. Not to mention, its not very safe for children. (if i could go back on time and slap the porn out of my childish hands, i would, which is why i say this).

i dont know how other people feel about this, but i feel it would be good to have a way to flag your own comic OR comic icon as nsfw so the icon is somewhat blurred or obscured if you choose to not see such content!! (and if you're not logged in too).

Again, i'm not proposing a witchhunt here, just a viable option to make the very first thing we see of Tapastic a little more family-friendly, because i can think of many, many creators that have a hard time explaining how the website works and why there's nsfw content on the popular/trending tabs all week along. And not only creators, users too. I'd like to have my own family using Tapas without me having to loom over their shoulders and sweat in fear they'll just find some winkwonky ; ))) stories and seek explanations in me, lol. (or in case of my younger siblings, just go MMMM SO THIS IS THAT KIND OF COMIC SITE HAHA)

[spadesart]

i think i know what icon you're talking about. it bugs me a lot too, and it's definitely not good for people who are sex or pda repulsed. like i don't care about the content IN the comic but the icon should at least be PG.

[punkarsenic]

i think being able to mark a series as NSFW so its blurred out or straight up not seen unless you allow it would be good. very good. fucking please God. but i dont think itll happen, bc tapastic straight up dont want them kind of comics on their site. the nsfw filter is for gore and basic nudity, not porn - porn (or any sexual nudity) is 100% not allowed, so idrk how these comics get away with it.

realistically, i think there are two solutions to this

A: the writer with the manky icon learns some common courtesy and tones it down

B: report comics with manky icons and content bc theyre not allowed anyway, thatll teach them for being so obvious about it

[nessiefynn]

I think I know exactly which icon you're talking about and I share a lot of the same sentiments. I feel like cropped porn images shouldn't be allowed even if there's technically no naughty bits showing, because everyone over the age of 14 can tell whats going on there and it may cause discomfort.
I totally agree with you about censoring nsfw icons/comics. I think it would be nice if there was a switch in settings that would make it so that no nsfw comics would show up for you at all when browsing. It could be useful for younger teens and adults who just don't want to encounter that kind of stuff.

[WakaXO]

because i can think of many, many creators that have a hard time explaining how the website works and why there's nsfw content on the popular/trending tabs all week along

The prevalence of mature themed comics/icons on the Tapas main page has dissuaded me from sharing the site with family and friends. Instead, if I'm ever asked, I usually suggest the app, which is unfortunate because I personally think it's easier to find great comics on the full website.

[radicles]

UGHH Exacty... unfortunately the app crashes often for me : (

[joannekwan]

I know there are rules that the thumbnail can't be graphic but how far someone can take something suggestive is a tricky issue.

I think a good rule of thumb is to keep the thumbnail PG but then again rating systems differ all over the world and people's standards of classification vary -_-

[69Michi]

LMFAO Likewise, I think I know the exact comic's icon you are talking about. Whenever I go to Tapastic front page I and saw it in public, I just sweat and quickly go to my dashboard instead of lingering on the front page of Tapastic. Most often it's not just that icon, but a few others too that were pretty suggestive... and not public friendly :))))) I really think adding a new function might be a little too much to ask? But it should just be common courtesy for creators to keep their thumbnails PG really... Feel like people think BL on the thumbnail isn't enough of a clickbait, but actually want some steam in there for even more quality LMFAO

[Heck]

-looks at tapastic home page-
-gigglesnorts-

I remember this one time I was browsing popular/upcoming comics, and one of the pages had icons that almost exclusively said BL. I'm not opposed to this of course, but it is very obvious that BL currently plays a factor in the chances of your comic gaining traction on the site. These types of icons are pretty clickbaity, but I can't blame em because your icon is the first thing potential readers see. You kind of have to make your comic as attractive as possible, hence why BL comics tend to be lots of suggestive faces. However, I think that my imagination would inherently take me somewhere worse if the icon was blurred xD

[joannekwan]

However, I think that my imagination would inherently take me somewhere worse if the icon was blurred xD

That's true! I think blurred icons would lead people to think that this site actually does peddle porn!

(and don't y'all gimme that "but doesn't it already?" quip. There was a recent crackdown on nsfw pages and a bunch of censors had to be put up. And like a year ago the complaint was all that was popular were gag-a-day slice-of-lifes, so maybe it's nice to see some things with a semblance of a long-term plot be popular?? ¯_(ツ)_/¯)

[gateofselidor]

I got half way through the first paragraph and knew exactly which comic icon you were describing. There are a few others that are pretty questionable too, and not all of them are even BL. I don't care about the contents of comics themselves, but I definitely don't think it's appropriate for the front page. Just because you've cropped it at the shoulders, doesn't mean we can't all tell they're having sex.

I don't think censoring icons with mosaics/blurring is a good idea. I think they just need to use a different icon. Perhaps the thumbnail upload section should be accompanied by some clear guidelines on what kind of content is acceptable? If the staff can crack down on NSFW content in actual pages, surely they can do the same for the dodgy icons, which are far more visible anyway.

[digitalvalium1]

So, wait one moment while I get this straight. What exactly do you want to do? Obscure the icons of series that use nsfw material? Because you're ashamed of your own nascent sexuality? But it's just BL you're really concerned about, but really not just BL?

Umm... I think this thread is more than a little homophobic. Whether others agree or not is not is of no consequence. The terms of use are clear, and followed by the vast majority of creators here. Truth is in aggregate, not exception. And, frankly, this is starting to sound like banal evil. Ever read Hannah Arendt? You should.

I'll probably get hammered, but I don't think I can sit in a corner and allow some of my dear friends to be attacked without a word of defense, or even some random person I don't know who may be going through exactly what you went through as a youth. Consider the harm that you created, now consider the harm of what you're doing now simply as a comparative moral calculus. Were you wrong then, or wrong now? How wrong? How harmful? In your effort to protect, aren't you denying your loved ones the freedom and responsibilities to make choices on their own? Are they people to you, or just perfect little versions of yourself?

I am a parent. I worry, of course, but I don't pursue impurity to stamp it out. I teach my son to make good choices. Let me say that again, I teach the ones I love to make good choices, and if they fail, then love them enough to respect their choices and let them learn from them. Maybe I wasn't clear. I respect them enough to respect their choices, their progression, and their failures.

Someone did the same for you.

I would rather my son get all hot and bothered about gay love than the violence porn that qualifies for American TV. He's not even gay. Want to know how I know? Because I respect him enough to let him make his own selections with guidance, and deal with the consequences of his actions. There's a key word in there. Guidance. Aggressive sexual expressions are expressly prohibited by the terms of service and socially unacceptable enough to draw notice from the staff.

So, yes. This is a witchhunt. Congratulations.

[nessiefynn]

The issue here is that there are blatantly suggestive icons of several series out there. I don't mean suggestive as in a dude kissing another dude on the cheek, I mean suggestive as in two dudes sweaty and naked with a trail of spit between their mouths and a deep red blush, or a naked chick making an o face. The issue isn't that BL series are doing this, the issue is that the blatant explicit sexuality is very discomforting for many people.

What people are saying is that they don't want to look at cropped porn images on the front page. It's not that people are ashamed of their sexuality, it's that people don't want to see pseudo-porn while looking for SFW comics.

[digitalvalium1]

If that were all this is, there is an established process for dealing with content that violates the terms of service. By bringing it here, it becomes a community and social issue that attacks a specific subgroup without allowing them to be represented and defended. By not using specific and supportable examples, and bringing it to the community at large, it implies a widespread phenomenon that insinuates a larger cancer on the community. This is an invitation to ostracization of a nebulous, mostly nonexistent evil.

If it violates the terms of service, address the issue by contacting the staff in the way provided to maintain the content and character of Tapastic. If it does not violate the terms of service learn to accept that the opinions and choices of others may be different from your own.

Tapastic is by no means pornographic. To say this is more than silly. It is an atrocity of language.

Ever read The World According to Garp? I recommend it.

[joannekwan]

that attacks a specific subgroup without allowing them to be represented and defended.

Eh, I'd say I'm part of that sub-group (since I do have a mlm series with nsfw scenes here and there), but I do like to keep my thumbnails classy despite the series content. I'm aware people of all ages and backgrounds come to this site, so I wouldn't want to alienate them from looking around the popular section with a hot and heavy thumbnail even if they'll never click on my series.

And " Tapastic ALLOWS mature content featuring nudity, non-graphic sex, extreme violence, and strong language as long as it is behind our NSFW filter. "* But since you can't filter thumbnails exactly, I would think it's in good taste to keep thumbnails PG.

I could have sworn I saw somewhere that staff posted something about no nudity at all in thumbnails, as well as no strong swear words in titles, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it.

*from https://tapastic.com/policies/content

[Kura]

I agree that icons can get really out of hand, and it's not just BL that does this.

I will NOT be posting examples, for the same reason I'm pretty sure no one else is posting examples. Because no one here wants to start a witch hunt. They just want to express that it is a problem that's going on with multiple series that is being ignored. And yes, I have mentioned it to staff or flags comics for it before while being labelled as a 'soccer mom' by people that found out I did. Whatever that insult means.

A lot of the icons in question tend to be cropped sex scenes, and there are some that I have run into that was very clearly a sex scene with 18+ tag over the genitalia. Also a good amount that are just sexy butts, faces full of fluids, or characters making organism faces. So yeah, at that point I understand the issue. You can go ahead and have that in your comics (as long as it applies to tapastic's rules on sex scenes) but please be a little more tasteful when it comes to making your comic icons.

It's just really distasteful because it makes the website come off as a porn site. Depending on how many are on the front page it gets little awkward when trying to introduce people to the website while trying to convince them it's not a porn site.

Edit: I'd also like to note that I'm not attacking or out to get all the comics that do this. I'm a regular reader of some series that do this. I just think it shouldn't be on the icon.

[digitalvalium1]

And " Tapastic ALLOWS mature content featuring nudity, non-graphic sex, extreme violence, and strong language as long as it is behind our NSFW filter. "* But since you can't filter thumbnails exactly, I would think it's in good taste to keep thumbnails PG.

Exactly. The terms are clear. (I didn't make this clear. There terms state behind the NSFW filter, and the icon is not behind an NSFW filter) There is an established protocol for dealing with precisely this situation. The fact that it isn't being dealt with that way but this way suggests something sinister, particularly since we know that the staff have recently made the terms abundantly clear. So, what motive now exists, as changing the content through established, and agreed upon means through staff enforcement of the terms of service isn't the goal? That goal is easily attained.

What is the goal of this thread?

[Kura]

What is the goal of this thread?

I think the goal is to debate this issue and bring it moderators WITHOUT attacking or flagging the individual series. Because in these artists defence, tapastic needs to be more clear on what is appropriate, it's really not fair for fans to have to flag the comics they are reading or for creators to be flagged because tapastic doesn't have guidelines to follow in regards to series icons or is unclear.

Cause yeah, it sucks to flag a good comic you've been reading for a while because their new series icon is cropped porn when everything else about it is following the guidelines (albeit sometimes borderline).

[digitalvalium1]

Quoted from Terms of Service

https://tapastic.com/policies/content

"Adult Material: Tapastic ALLOWS mature content featuring nudity, non-graphic sex, extreme violence, and strong language as long as it is behind our NSFW filter. "

As the material in question does not exist behind an NSFW filter, it is not allowed. The statement seems pretty clear to me.

And, unfair or not, one's responsibilities as a reader and creator are pretty clear. If it makes you uncomfortable and violates the terms of service, report it. A report isn't a sentence. It's a request for an investigation. Just as a sports or entertainment icon shouldn't be immune to the law, neither should a popular creator.

This isn't a debate about what's allowed. What's allowed is established.

[radicles]

Im actually laughing bcos even though i didn't mention any comic names (and ive been here since 2010 hun, this isnt about a SINGLE comic or only bl. I used bl as an example bcos its the most proeminent one lmao) you're accusing me of starting a witchhunt on some... friend... of yours?

Also congrats for calling a gay n trans person homophobic id send you clapping emojis but i'm not in the mood!! While everyone in the thread is expressing discomfort and trying to find a way for nsfw content not to be on our faces and blatantly showcased for children, youre trying to whiteknight someone that wasn't even mentioned. Dont try to start a fight, no one else did.