With the events of recent days, I'm thinking more and more of why I am involved in this community (not just the sub) and why I don't just write something for myself and save it on my computer. And I've come to one very simple conclusion... it's not the content, it's the community that keeps us here. I live and breathe to tell and create stories, no matter the subject matter, as long as I can make someone happy with what they're experiencing! I've made some amazing friends here, people that I can talk to about anything, seriously anything, and I can't think of another place in the world that I've been more welcomed with open arms.

I can create anything my heart desires and keep it to myself but then it's as good as dead since no-one else gets to experience what I did when I created it... the importance is in the sharing of what we have created, not simply the creation of it. After all, I can think much faster than I can write or speak, so without sharing it, what's the point? And that's me with just a handful of scripts and only getting ready to record my first audio! I don't even want to think about those who were banned today and the catalog's they have and the amount of time they've spent to create their content! My heart truly goes out to lia... I hope her account gets restored and reddit admin can salvage what she has lost, that's heartbreaking.

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Here's the big reason for this open letter:

I agree wholeheartedly with the reasoning for both trigger warnings and content tags, for both the reasons of searching functionality and exclusion/inclusion for those who want to see or not see that kind of content on the sub. I understand that the mods of the sub are trying to make GWA as inclusive of a place as possible while still giving everyone the option to filter out what they don't want to see and I think that's admirable... but I have a few problems with the way things are being handled currently. I don't know if any ideas I have are a possible workaround, I'm just typing out loud.

Please keep in mind that I'm no-one important and this is just my opinion, but here it goes:

1. While I understand that there are certain tags for content that make sense to be associated with the [rape] tag as a TW, I think it's being greatly overused to cover things that could be taken care of in another way; perhaps with a section of trigger warning (TW's)s that can be listed inside the post and aren't so easily searched by anyone crawling the sub. For example, [dubcon] and [coercion] obviously need a TW, but they don't necessarily require a [rape] tag as a content tag because the fantasy scenario might not exist in that work. Similarly, [CNC] as a content tag is not [rape] but, could easily have a TW for [rape] because it might not be well worded to explain that consent has been granted before any activity and that all parties have the option to end the activity at any time. I think that we are selling ourselves and our medium short by using blanket tags and not being specific to what we actually create in our works. Perhaps we could educate content creators on what constitutes CNC vs rape to help them better tag their work for both exposure and TW's.
2. While using the filters for content is a great idea, we are limiting their use if every 4th script or audio has the same tags to "cover our bases". It also opens us up to criticism when those tags are in the title of the post, because that's clearly seen by anyone that scrolls through the sub. In the case of the [rape] tag, more often then not I see it written similar to this "[CNC] so to be safe [rape]"; it covers the bases for TW's but it really crushes the reach of the piece and adds fuel to the fire for those that want to censor and shut us down.
3. It might not be popular convention but I'm going to start listing obvious content tags along with required tags and stating that TW's are listed inside the post. I plan to put the full list of tags and all associated TW's at the very top of the post so they are clearly visible and my disclaimer will be right underneath that. In my opinion, this puts both the person searching and the ($%#@ trolling the server in the best possible place... if you choose to click on the link, everything is right there at the top but it's not the title of the post and therefore not indexed and searchable; while at the same time, anyone triggered can simply click out before they read any further. And then again, I might understand reddit completely wrong too.
4. I would highly suggest to all content creators that they have some kind of a disclaimer on their content (I'll include my current version below) so it's stated that all material is a work of fiction/fantasy and is not intended for minors. I know, it's very sad that in 2022 that we have to even say something like that, but clearly in light of recent events that we do so. And, always keep physical, offline backups of your work whenever possible, because those Karen's be Karen-ing!
   

In hindsight, could some of this possibly have been avoided... possibly. But, as we have learned from years of censorship and hate to the adult content industry, sex workers and BDSM community, people will stop at nothing to decide what is right for the whole of humanity as long as it serves their purposes. The only thing that I can say is that I hope that there is a path forward, because I'm not ready to give up a community that I dearly love just for one or two bad apples that think they know better than I do how I should spend my time.

To the staff of GWA and all of it's related subs and partners: you all have created an amazing community and I don't think that those who want to bring us down have any clue how big we are or how passionate we are about this. For some people, it's exploration, for some it's finding more of who they are, for some it's pure fantasy of something they can't physically do in their lives and for some it's a matter of catharsis and healing. I was recommended here by a certified sex therapist friend and since I found this little slice of heaven I've never looked back, you've done a wonderful thing in this world, even if some people can't understand what it is!

To the creators of the hosting sites, both scripts and audio: what you give us is much more than a simple interface and server space, you make what we create possible to share with the masses who enjoy what we create. Even if you don't see it every day, we ALL appreciate what you have given to the community, and we can't thank you enough.

To those who want to tear us down: I have a lot of words for you, but you wouldn't read them anyway so let me just say this... For every one of you who seeks to end the sexual awakening revolution that is going on, there are tens of thousands more that seek to keep it going. Not a single one of us condones violence, abuse or illegal activity of any kind; and, not a single creator wants our work to end up in the hands of minors. We take keeping our work out of their hands very seriously, and we are ready to take action against those who would put our work in front of minors. What you see in the titles of our posts does not tell you of the hours, days, weeks and sometimes months of work it takes to create our content, and we create that for like-minded adults... and adults only. If you would simply talk to us, and learn the lengths we go to to make sure our work is safe-guarded, even from those who may not wish to view certain content, then maybe we could come to some understanding.

As I said above, I'm just a no-one, and I'm totally fine with that. This is just my ramblings about the situation and what I plan to do moving forward. Maybe it makes sense, maybe it doesn't...

And now the disclaimer I said I would include above, you're welcome to use this or modify it to suit your needs as required. (The US legal code refers to the judgment of the US Supreme Court and the transmission and dissemination of obscene works to minors):

Disclaimer: This is a fantasy, a work of fiction; about adults, for adults by adults... 18 . This work of fiction may contain acts of an adult nature that may be disturbing to some individuals and should be viewed according to your preferences; this work is of a purely fantastical nature intended as adult entertainment and the author does not condone any acts of abuse, violence or illegal activity towards any person.

This work is not to be distributed to any outside platform or site without my permission; any distribution to a platform (excluding reddit to an NSFW subreddit) which may include minors, is expressly against my consent and against laws regarding sharing explicit content with minors (521 U.S. 844).

This work is not to be used behind a paywall or on a paid site of any kind without my authorization.
If you use this content to create something, please tag me in the comments and link to the original posting of the script so that myself and the whole community can enjoy it with you.