2018's Close
Posted by Optica 5 years ago
Hey all, I hope you all have had a great Holiday break, and/or continuing said holiday break into 2019. That said, I think it's time to have a little retrospect, and break down on what's to come for the new year.
First thing is first, I should address the elephant in the room. It really feels like the World Wide Web as a whole is changing, and for the worst. It's been a really concerning time, with tech companies cracking down on what they deem to be unsafe, just to make advertisers and shareholders happy, as well as the more ridiculous political involvement affecting the web (Article 13, and that UK porn license thing). I barely could keep my re-launched YouTube channel for Optica up, since most of you know that YouTube itself has been really hammering down on any suggestive content of any kind, in the wake of Elsagate and other site controversies. Then there's the more obvious matter of Tumblr and the complete removal of all NSFW content. It was a real kick in the head, because long before Aryion, it's where I started out. Long before SFM, I used to make terrible pony vore drawings on Tumblr, and over time managed to bring in +1300 followers throughout the years. I honestly do really miss Tumblr, yo. There's also the odd fact that Aryion itself wasa forced to remove any kinds of age play due to said providers pressuring the site runners. That issue is admittedly more of a gray area, since I know that not everyone is exactly fond of that kind of thing. Still, it's worth mentioning because that happening so soon right before the mass Tumblr ban is just scary. Plus, a few of my uploads on Aryion were actually removed as a result. Though, all of it is mere peanuts in comparison to the biggest concern I've been having as of late: Patreon. I won't say any names, but Patreon had removed a few controversial figures from the platform, and all signs pointed to the staff establishing a political message. Whether or not I agree, it matters not. What does matter is the dangerous precedent this sets for everyone that uses Patreon. It basically means that Patreon's support can enforce its own rules for users for what they do outside the platform, which is honestly concerning. A lot of artists already come under scrutiny from tech giants because of the "evils of porn." I use Patreon myself, and I honestly love Patreon. It's what helps me make some kind of living. I'd honestly hate to lose it over this sudden urge for most of Silicon Valley cracking down on people "doing the naughty." I wouldn't be surprised if PayPal also has a hand in this, given their anti-porn stance throughout the years. It would even explain the porn crackdown on ko-fi earlier this year, as well. It's getting harder to create lewds when trusting your livelihoods to tech giants that can easily take it away. All I can say to that is, "OOF."
Well, what does this mean for me in the coming years? I can't give an easy answer, but I do know that it's gonna take one step at a time. Patreon, I'm honestly the most unsure of, because I can't afford to lose it. That said, I may go through some posts and clean-up to make sure I meet the site standards with the content I post. If anything is removed, you all will know from me, and I'll simply provide said cut content elsewhere for free. It's actually one of the few reasons why I opened up an InkBunny, among other reasons. Speaking of InkBunny, I love the site, simply because how content is uploaded and distributed, as well as the site being more lax in comparison to the others like FurAffinity, and (as of now) even Aryion. Aryion will always be my home for my smut, but I think InkBunny will slowly creep on top. Granted, the audience on InkBunny isn't exactly big, but it doesn't bother me much. Ultimately, I just want to have another site where I can directly provide as much content as I can to the consuming masses. I will always have FurAffinity, Aryion, InkBunny, hell even Discord. Oh, there's also Twitter, but that's more for my social media fix on the lewd side, to compensate for the loss of Tumblr.
On the subject of the content itself, that's gonna be more tricky. As of right now, I still need to continue to progress on AvengedRitsuko's lenghty commission of her character and Optica bonding. It'll be a little difficult to have additional content to provide in-between production, but at the same time, I hate leaving you guys in the dark without something new for each month. Worst case scenario, I'll try and unearth something old and unfinished to actually finish up. I'd rather do that, than rush something. That said, I'm definitely going to try and cut down on the harder stuff. I know I'm only speaking to a niche audience within my own niche audience when I make that stuff, though I honestly make it just for me. I can't help it, I really love chewing. Sue me. Though I don't want it to be the main focus of my content, since I know most of you dislike it for its fatal, graphic nature. I'll try to be more soft, I promise! Opti is a good girl!
Saving the most annoying for last, is my own health. I have to speak to my primary care physician about my head, and about seeing a new Neurologist, since my visits are up. My bigger concern, however, is transportation. Since I moved to this new home back in August/Sept, there hasn't been an easy way to reach my desired appointments. There's no public bus route in my location, like there was at my old home. There is a service program that allows me to have travel to my appointments, and it's even covered by my insurance, but I've been having issues registering with them online. I guess I'll have to contact via phone. But yeah, I'll let you guys know how my medical stuff goes, most likely through my own Twitter.
I think that's everything. Chances are, I likely missed something, but if I did, I'll have to cover it for another time. That said, let me be the one to thank all of you. Aryion, InkBunny, and FurAffinity staff for allowing content creators to express themselves freely. A thank you to everyone that managed to stick around, even after the big Tumblr ban. A gigantic thank you to all of my friends, and my Discord server, especially the mods like Humbug, Eissen, Frosty, NightSky, and especially Plinko. My biggest thank you to all of my financial supporters on and off Patreon, especially you two, Gwen Greenears and Paul Peoples. Of course, my biggest thank you to all of my followers, for sticking around and enjoying my content throughout the years. I hope to see all of you for 2019 and beyond. <3
Posted by FernandoJesus 5 years ago Report
Do not worry Optica, We Understand It, 2019 for the Vore will not be a Great Year, but you will always have the support of your supporters, friends, etc. I understand your situation, and I will continue to support what happens at any time.
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Posted by JesseClark9 5 years ago Report
Well, I wouldn't say FA has allowed folks to express art 'freely' to a certain extent, but I still like it there with how many wonderful artists I've seen, here and on inkbunny as well, I can't wait to see more wonderful pieces in your galleries wherever I follow you!
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