westergaart

[westergaart]

remaking because the last post died. I'm a schizospec chronically ill trans guy who's currently unable to continue commission work due to my worsening physical pain and fatigue. currenty I have no other form of income, yet I still need to afford things such as groceries and basic necessities.

my disability benefits are currently being processed, but I have zero clue when I'll start getting them. I'll set a tentative goal of £150 to help cover all of my expenses next month + help my girlfriend out with bills. please share around and help out if you can. thank you all so so much

ppal. don't tag as anything please

[westergaart]

The Sameer Project need all the help they can get. Please contribute here.

[westergaart]

I’m so hungry 😔

My mother lost 27 kilos of weight due to starvation as well.

Please help as much as you can. Donate here

[westergaart]

Due to sudden and unfortunate circumstances I can't divulge too much details publicly, I will be taking a break from posting art or reposting fancontent. I'll still reblog important posts such as news, fundraisers, and petitions. But for now, don't expect me to post anything on Artfight or on my art sideblog.

Thank you ahead for being patient. I will be posting in the near future

[westergaart]

INFORMATION ABOUT QUEER/ADULT CONTENT BEING DELISTED

Hey, I'm sure you've heard by now that several online retailers have blanket delisted queer/adult content. Information seems sporadic, so I want to create a masterpost of what happened, why it matters, and what you can do about it.

WHAT HAPPENED

You've probably heard that Steam and Itch.io have removed all of their adult/queer content from listings. Itch has even gone so far as to prevent creators from being able to get their payouts.

This is not Steam/Itch's fault. Mastercard and Visa have pressured them to remove their adult content. Visa and Mastercard collectively hold over 90% of the market share in payment processing. Unfortunately, if they cut you off, you pretty much lose over 90% of your gross income, which is a death sentence for basically any company.

This is also not just localized to Steam and Itch. Several anime/manga retailers have also been affected, and more companies are likely to follow. I would not be surprised if Patreon cracked down again soon, so if you have adult/queer content on there, I suggest you prepare accordingly.

The reason for this happening is not a response to the current US political climate, or these payment processors randomly deciding to force their puritanical views. It is a concerted effort by a group called Collective Shout, an anti-porn group masquerading as a feminist liberation org. (Look up the meaning of the word SWERF.)

Collective Shout has, allegedly, sent over 1,000 letters to Visa and Mastercard urging them to take action against certain digital retailers selling adult content. Which, thankfully gives us an avenue to respond. More on that in the third section.

WHY THIS MATTERS

For some of you, I don't need to explain why you should care. For others, let me explain to you why this is a massive cocern for everyone, not just adult content creators.

First of all, we've already seen perfectly sfw queer content catching strays from this. You should already be well aware that adult content and queer content are often conflated, and the two are pretty inextricably linked to each other. If you try to ban one, you will, inevitably, end up banning the other as well.

Secondly, this sets a precedent for "concerned citizens" to be able to pressure payment processors into removing whatever content they don't like from the internet. Even if you don't partake in adult content. Even if you're not queer. Even if this doesn't currently affect you or anyone you know right now, it will. They managed to do this with only 1,000 letters. If they get away with it, it'll only be the beginning.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Remember when I said they sent 1,000 letters to make this happen? I bet we can get more.

I wrote a form letter for Mastercard and for Visa. Fill in your name. Print them. Sign them. Mail them out. The addresses for the respective companies are at the top. It shouldn't cost much. Even international postage shouldn't be prohibitively expensive for most people.

Some people are sharing phone numbers and emails. That's fine, but I prefer a physical footprint. You can't see 1,000 phone calls. 1,000 emails don't take up physical volume. If you get 1,000 letters about something, you can see how much people care about it. That means something in this day and age.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE US there is a bill being introduced right now that stops payment processors from being able to control what people can and cannot purchase. Call your representatives. Right now. Even if you don't think they'll support it. Here's a script I wrote. And trust me when I say it'll help. I used to talk to politicians for a living. I know what I'm talking about.

SHARE THIS POST. Reblog it. Reblog it multiple times a day. Send it to everyone you know. Seriously. Everyone. Even if they're not on Tumblr. Get the word out. The most successful advertising is word of mouth. So use your voice and make sure people hear it. We've beaten this shit in the past and we'll do it again, but we still need to put in the work.

[westergaart]

Steam, Itch.io and the banning of explicit and LGBT+ Content. What can we do?

[All images in this post have alt/id text if you need it or want to copy paste anything]

With no warning, Itch.io, a site where many host their indie games, comics, books and more, has started purging and shadowbanning explicit and LGBT+ works. Creators got no warning. And if they were still owed payouts from these works, Itch.io is saying they won't give them their money as they 'broke the rules'. Rules that were only just set in place, with no warning, and therefore no way for creators to try and draw out their money or delete these 'offending' works before they got banned under the new rules.

So Itch.io has been the most recent to fall to the demands of a group that's been contacting Visa and Mastercard and convincing them to threaten sites/businesses with 'stop selling what we consider to be explicit content on your sites of we'll stop allowing your site to have transactions with Visa and Mastercard'. Steam folded, and now Itchio has too. And a reminder earlier this year Gumroad also stopped allowing explicit content, further back than that Patreon banned some kinks and fetishes even if it's depicted in fiction not real life, and I don't have to explain to you guys the great Tumblr explicit content ban of 2018.

And as always remember this doesn't stop with sexually explicit work as LGBT+ stories and people are often labelled as explicit and already we're seeing works being taken off Itch.io that are about LGBT+ and especially trans stories. Other non-sexually explicit works I've seen already getting shadowbanned, delisted or deleted are SFW games featuring furries/anthros, SFW dress up games (because when you take the clothes the model is nude), and the aforementioned SFW games that include LGBT+ characters and stories.

I'm compiling here information I've seen around various social medias, mostly Bluesky, because I haven't seen all these things shared over here.

I don't personally have explicit content on itch, but I had been considering one day selling things on there and I do currently have explicit content on my Patreon, my main source of income, and am terrified that Patreon is going to fold next (if anyone knows alterative for hosting audio content behind a paid subscription service please let me know so I can start maybe making a back-up in case the worst happens). Because for me personally if Patreon goes next, it's not like I can go out and easily get another job. Not only because in general finding and getting a job is difficult enough, but I'm autistic and have chronic pain and have been constantly getting sick or new pains over the last few years and don't feel safe being trans in the UK right now and all of that combined rules me out of a lot of jobs and makes me feel unsafe to apply to any. I'm so grateful I've been able to make a community around my work, but if Patreon caves next and I just leave my SFW posts on Patreon... 10% of my Patreons are signed up to the SFW tier, 90% are signed up to the explicit tier... I know if Patreon caves I will go from someone living comfortably who's searching to move out of my parents so I can live in a safer environment to someone who can no longer even afford the rent I pay to my parents. I'll try and get an alterative found and set up in case that happens and I can only hope you guys will follow me to whatever other site I have to set up... but it feels unlikely that people will get a whole new account on a whole new payment provider just to support me on a website they might never have heard of...

But what can we do right now?

A petition you can sign (international but you do have to give your name, email, and postal/zip code):

Get calling:

Mastercard (US): 1-800-627-8372

MasterCard (UK): 0800 964 767

Mastercard (International.): +1-636-722-7111

Visa (US + Can): 1 800 847 2911 / 1-800-VISA-911

Visa (AUS): 1 800 125 440

Visa (UK) : 0800 891 725 or use their international call collect +1 303 967 1096

Visa (International): (call collect - it costs them $): +1-303-967-1096

PayPal (US): 1-888-221-1161

PayPal (UK): 0800 358 7911 from landline, +44 203 901 7000 mobile

PayPal (International): 1-402-935-2050

(numbers gathered from these posts X X X )

Don't know what to say on the phone? Here's a script written by timidtanuki:

Creators have had their work removed off Itch.io with no warning and since it's been removed for 'breaking the rules' (rules that were suddenly in place with no warning) they aren't entitled to get their payouts. Just like other sites such as Youtube and Twitch and Etsy, Itch.io hold onto money from their users in a wallet and then give them payouts. So there is money creators have made, are owed, that Itch.io is not giving to them.

People are recommending that if you still have works on Itch.io to turn down the revenue sharing to 0% so that Itch.io no longer takes a cut or your money if you no longer want to support Itchi.io finically but don't want to remove your works from their platform. X

Other Bluesky posts and calls to action I've seen:

radiantg.bsky.social is asking for anyone on Itch.io who got their game deindexed, removed , or payouts turned off to reach out to them (espeically if you make explicit and/or LGBT+ games) for a piece of journalism about what is happening.

sleepyhart.bsky.social is making a threat of all the games that Itch.io has censored/removed from their site search function. Obviously be aware this will include 18+ only games, games with sexual content and other dark or heavy themes.

thetransfemininereview.com wants you to reach out to them if you're a trans creator on Itch.io who is being affected by this so they can make an accurate report. they say 'authors' in their post and I'm unsure if they also want game devs to reach out.

dropdownbear.bsky.com wants you to reach out if you have purchased things on Itch.io that you can now no longer access because of this ban. they can include them in a report being filed with the Australian Consumer Commission as this may be a violation of Australian Consumer rights. If you are Australian you can no longer access things you purchased of Itch.io you can report directly with this guide.

It's a scary time for adult creators and sex workers. It's a scary time to be trans. Support creators. And if anyone knows of any alternate payment providers that allow explicit work, and/or alternate websites to Itch (and in case things get worse, also give me Patreon alternates please) where people can host, sell and/or offer paid subscriptions to writing, images, videos, audios, games and more please leave them in the replies. And please help share this post, the posts I'm linking too, and any other resources you can find.

Minors DNI. Ageless blogs DNI. I want resources and help but I don't reply to this post or follow this blog if you're under 18, this is an explicit blog and not for anyone under 18.

[westergaart]

Hey folks! I know this is not the usual horror art content, but hear me out for a second!

Some friends and I have been helping Farah, a Palestinian girl who has been through some heartbreaking family tragedy, leave the country using a student visa. She now has a scholarship to continue her nursing studies in a French university, but we've reached a roadblock: the embassy is asking for 8400€ for her to be able to even leave the country.

So we are putting together a fundraiser to cover this and, if possible, some expenses so she can live in France and help her family! Please help us reach this goal if you have a little bit to spare!

Any little bit helps, and if you can't help right now, sharing this would be kindly appreciated! I know there are a lot of these fundraisers, and it's easy to become desensitized, but helping out here could really change a life! Thank you! <3

[westergaart]

in keeping with the continued purification of the internet, itch io has shadowbanned or outright deleted all adult games.

[westergaart]

thinking about dnd npc designs here's a random enemy guy

[westergaart]

I like how the "Welcome Back" meme always lines up death days with birthdays, because it implies that souls only attach to hosts that have already exited the womb. Perhaps amniotic fluid repels souls (how could we use this?), or perhaps souls cannot differentiate between mother and child until the umbilical cord is severed. But I imagine the most common explanation would be that the soul enters the body via inhalation (at first breath), which would make the soul an airborne parasite. But to answer your question, no I cannot explain the gap in my resume.

[westergaart]

Ngl seeing those posts about how freakishly white Tumblr can be just flashbanged me to that poll asking what eye color they have and it being overwhelmingly blue eyed and there not being a black eye option.

This is gonna sound so mean but I'm genuinely not used to seeing so much blue-eyed people (author's note: I'm Southeast Asian, literally everyone except tourists have black eyes) so this shit makes me feel like I'm in a room full of people doing this /j

[westergaart]

[westergaart]

abandonware should be public domain. force companies to actively support and provide products if they don't wanna lose the rights to them

[westergaart]

if you go insane enough about the Character you can cry over things that never even happened to them outside your head

[westergaart]

[westergaart]

Leftists and socialists i love you but f*cking stop only drawing fat people as negative charicatures and nothing else

Fat cops, fat landlords, I just saw a sticker with the text ”f*ck oligarchs” and the person was an uglified fat man.

Truly, your revolution isn’t revolutionary if the only time you even think of fat people is when you need to depict a person in power.

Add fat activism to your activism

[westergaart]

just precisely how bad was 1500s jerusalem at making maps, you ask? well,