Is kissing now too mature for Tapas?

[BlairFujin]

So I got approved for merch shop and started uploading designs (and started getting slapped for posting too mature stuff, including using my series titles, seriously tapas, you could have told me when creating them that you're gonna ban me from using the titles ). Ok, got it, can't mention Horny Hell or BDSM boys, fine. Can't have my guys showing nipples, ok, fine, will have to make some new tamer art.
Then I noticed that some folks where using comic-panel-like designs so I went "why not use the scene of BDSM Boys protags sharing their first kiss?" I still like that page, it looks nice.

It's this page minus the first panel
It got a pass last night, I added some stuff with chibis I drew for last year's pride month and then starting marking my stuff as active. Everything seems fine and then bam! an email that this pic got rejected for violating regulations
I mean, it's clearly not hateful nor abusive content, nothing violent and it's not a fanart
So I guess that leaves mature content, but... there's no nudity here and... I don't know... it could be me being European... or ace and kinda oblivious to sexual stuff but... since when is kissing considered a sexual act?
I'm genueily confused here

I guess I can just add it to list of moments when I felt unwelcome on this platform

[BlairFujin]

Not sure if it's too much for a comic (the very censored version was still on the app last time I checked and I didn't mark this page as meture, because... what is there to mark as such?) but it seems to be too much for merch shop

[LCT_m_a_d]

[ratique]

Hi Animefanka,

As you mentioned, you have received a message regarding what is and isn't okay in the merch shop, but maybe I wasn't clear enough. There is no explicit content allowed in the shop, no sexual scenes (kissing or otherwise) and no nudity. All art has to be rated PG.

I would like to remind you that these items are to be worn by people, and there will likely be very few who are okay with wearing sexual content on their chest. Merch is not quite the same as a story in a comic.

Please be mindful when uploading future art to the merch shop. We will rejecting anything that doesn't follow our guidelines.

[ratique]

They are talking about the merch shop, not their comic.
You can have scenes like this in your series.

[powerplantanimations]

Holy crap that's probably the most detailed kissing scene I've ever seen in a comic book lmao and I've read Swamp-Thing, Hellblazer, and Watchmen. In the more marketable comics I read they just cut straight to the lip lock.

Here, you have the people rubbing their lips together and showing the tongue going in and out which is pretty graphic lol. I think this would also seem a bit sketchy if the characters were teenagers which... obviously me, a 22 year-old, isn't going to search up "BDSM Boys" to see find out.... but if the characters are also underage I can see red flags.

If you're not sure if something's graphic like you say, I'd recommend finding someone to be like "HEY HEY HEY! This is too much!".

[BlairFujin]

I mean... none of these titles seem too romance focused... And they're 21 and 23 (the name comes just from me calling the two of them my bdsm boys back when they were meant to be my designated nsfw art ocs and I had yet to come up with names for them, I don't know, bdsm boys kinda rolls of the tounge better to me than guys)
Maybe being mostly in nsfw artists spaces has skewed me... Maybe it's just me never really being too prudish...
I guess I just need the rules to be more clearly defined.
Well, either way, it doesn't matter as I've already decided not to bother with tapas merch shop...

[migxmeg]

I'm guessing you haven't read much in the romance category if you're reading a comic for characters to get together more than one or two panels is appreciated.

[powerplantanimations]

I mean I haven't but then again a lot of the comics I've read also have a ton of romance in them (results may vary).

Although I do prefer the ones that trim the descriptive fat since I'm in the department where you don't need to go too into detail otherwise you're just making porn.

But then again my brain doesn't really remember graphic bits all too much and just phases them out since I just want big green monster to go rawr.

[NickRowler]

I don't think your image is too mature in my opinion, but I don't find kissing to be sexual, so maybe it's just me.

I think from a design standpoint there is a lot going on for a t-shirt design. I wonder if you only used the first panel or the third one down. It's them kissing but not too over the top.

[BlairFujin]

Well, according to ratique, that's still too much
Unless I'm misunderstanding things again
That's why I'm not even gonna bother with this...

[Kelheor]

The problem is, literally everything can be "HEY HEY HEY this is too much" for different kinds of people. Some people faint when they see a drop of blood, would you measure everything based on their opinion? Why would you even compare Watchmen to a comic called BDSM Boys? Because they are not for kids?
Maybe an extensive kissing scene is not something for you, doesn't mean it's not for everyone else, basically.

[DiegoPalacios]

My bet is that it was because of the involvement of tongue in the kiss.....otherwise i don't know why it would be........

not all kisses are erotic by nature.....

[powerplantanimations]

I totally get that and I get that the story isn't obviously for me (different strokes for different folks) but like... I'm curious what you mean by "would you measure everything based on their opinion"?

The person said they weren't aware of sexual stuff and all I did was recommend to find a person who IS aware, which I think you can agree with should they go too far on a mainstream platform like Tapas. It's what I do with jokes since I could wind up being culturally insensitive. Scratch that, I don't even get one person, I get people from across the spectrum and just figure out the right balance lol. They may faint at something so small, but they may also bring up good points that're worth digging up.

And I didn't compare Watchmen with anything. I just said this was more descriptive than some of the stuff that's considered NSFW in the comic community. At least, for me anyway. I think some people may disagree (they probably will since Watchmen is pretty worse and like I said, my brain just blanks out because monster go rawr).

But yeah, I wouldn't be like "literally everything can be HEY HEY HEY so what's the point of trying to restrain and why should you consider their opinions".

Again, I'm not talking down on the person or saying what she's doing is wrong. I'm aware of the mature feature. I be trying to point give her options should she try to make merch again.

[powerplantanimations]

Also yeh. 101% this.

[system]

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