My original plan for today was a picture of Jirachi wearing underpants in a nonsexual way. While shopping around for a source, I found out the artist does enjoy Pokemon in a very sexual way. Though this isn't a problem (unless you're a prude, you loser), the artist's failure to separate SFW from NSFW content would make me use a third–party to source an image, which would just set a bad precedent.
Of course the original artist didn't know English, so I couldn't tell them about the great work I did, and then it would be awkward for my audience to navigate their work, and for me to write about them because of this language barrier. It doesn't feel proper to make fun of somebody that nobody knows and can't even bother to defend themselves outside their own language. It leaves a straight–up bad taste in my mouth that, even though my intentions are light–hearted, they can't even defend their honour if I cross the line.
And then taking a closer inspection at the original work and the artist's other work, it appeared too much like a diaper for my tastes, even if the tags on the booru I picked it up from didn't have any indication. From this angle, it looked exactly like underwear, and wouldn't be likely to make anybody feel out–of–the–ordinary. But if there's any indication I'm working on a piece of fetish art, I don't want to subject anybody to a fetish they don't enjoy. That's over the line.
I've wondered how lewd I can make my work without it being pornographic or too saucy for the tastes of a general audience, because having to qualify a showcase with "heads up! there's porn over here!" is just plain jank. It's acceptable on the artist's page, because artists do make porn, and I'm not going to censor their work for the sake of people who can't handle it. But you deserve an indication that there is at least porn, and the indication has to be made as clear as possible.
Mixing SFW and NSFW content leaves the audience uncertain of what they're going to find next, causing you to lose faith in me as a responsible gatekeeper of things to appreciate. The fact is that, while nudity may be beautiful, it's still innately sexual, and sexual works have a much different purpose than nonsexual works. When you introduce the possibilty that somebody, somewhere, has the capability to jack off to what you make, it changes the way the art needs to be presented and talked about.
This isn't an undertaking I want, because it would turn a legitimate gallery into nothing more than an exposition of what turns me on. Needless to say, that particular Pokemon didn't, because if it did, it wouldn't have been considered. There are several reasons why I would want to feature sexually charged works here, such as disrespecting prudes, talking about the psychology of lust, and what's considered "appropiate content" according to different cultures. Letting people jack off isn't a reason. There are thousands of sites for that purpose.
So, no stupid sexy Jirachi, and in the future, I'll only feature works from English–speaking artists (or dead foreigners) and avoid anything that might be considered fetish fuel. It's more pragmatic, keeps the writing focused on the art that's important, and stops people from coming here in the vain hope there's something they can pretend to fuck. There will still be cute works like Deer Butt so long as they're not used solely as sex symbols, and whoever is offended by these works are going to have to deal with seeing something that isn't 100% neutral.
So in honour of the post that wasn't meant to be, there is no art today, even if the "empty space" is represented by Tiny GIF. I cannot apologise for working in the best interests of myself and my audience; I can only apologise for the expectations I betrayed. If I did betray you, I'm sorry. If not, then it's business all the same.
Date: 2017–02–12. Size: NA. Colours: NA.
Upscaled Dimensions: NA. Original Dimensions: NA.