lemon-mag:

Hopefully, this post isn’t the first you’re hearing about the adult content ban on Tumblr. Just in case, though, here’s what we know right now.

First, on Dec. 3rd, Tumblr’s staff blog announced all adult content would be banned. They had criteria to define adult content. They stated this ban would begin Dec. 17th. Almost immediately, however, people began to see their content being flagged. Once it is flagged, it will not be visible to anyone but the original poster and those that reblogged.

Second thing that was noticed was that there appeared to be no rhyme or reason for the content being flagged, or the vast majority of it. It if was visual in nature, it was coming down. The bot had been let loose by late afternoon with no end in sight.

Everything after that happened in rapid succession. People were deleted without warning if enough of their content was flagged, even if they were in the middle of appeals on things that were legitimately NOT adult content.

Now, onto the ‘who is safe and who isn’t’ section. In short, no one is safe. We know what the post says, in full, backward and forward. We also know what is happening is not matching up with that post. If you are a fanfiction writer, whether you write about adult content or not, YOU ARE NOT SAFE FROM THIS PURGE! 

Again, we know what it says and we know what is happening. People are being deleted, whole blogs gone, with no warning. Don’t let this happen to you. Rumors and misinformation will abound in these situations. If you reblog a post from someone saying it’s not true and doesn’t have anything to do with fanfic writers, or writers in general, know that they’re wrong. Unless they work at Tumblr, they have no way of knowing what’s really happening. End of story.

What can you do?

1. Back up your stuff. Download your content. Find a new home. We can help with this. Come talk to us. We have a ton of posts on our blog. Tags aren’t working right now for a lot of people, so if you can’t find it shoot us a message or an ask and we’ll link you as fast as possible.
2. Put your name on our fanfic author masterlist. In the horrible event that you get deleted, we will be able to post information for your readers and followers on where else they might find you and support you. There’s a separate one for fan artists with the same premise. 
3. Refute any flagged content you feel was done so in error. If you know that the gif set, picture, or other visual content clearly goes against their criteria, do not refute it. It’s bogging Tumblr down and not allowing them to reinstate those users who did nothing wrong. Only the original poster of the content can refute the flag. A lot of people have tons of content. Don’t assume they are seeing all of these. There is no notification system for this, despite what Tumblr says. If you see a reblog that’s been flagged, let the original poster know so that they can dispute it.
4. We have a Discord server set up for fanfic writers and readers. This can include original writers and writblrs as well, but we are a digital magazine about writing fanfiction, so we’re going to concentrate our efforts on that crowd, but everyone is invited. There are sections for news and updates on where people can find your new chapters while we all work through this mess together. If you can’t find us, or need us to add you manually, send us a message or an ask. 
5. Our website will include a blog section when it’s up and we’re going to invite all those that have their own blogs removed or censored heavily to come over to Lemon’s website and contribute. The topics do not have to pertain to writing fanfiction or writing in any way. We know that the LGBTQQIAAP community is being hit harder than most and Tumblr is an outlet for everyone to be able to find support. We will not let that fade away. At this time, we don’t have the capabilities to do GIFsets or pictures in large quantities. We’re going to concentrate on the text post side. We will pull several articles a month to be featured in the magazine as well, with author permission, obviously.

Alternatives for writers and readers:

*If you need more information on these, or other websites, we have it. Come talk to us.

AO3

• You have to request to join and it can take a little while. Go do it now, if you’re interested, so you can get your stuff on another site ASAP.

Wattpad

• Includes original and fanfiction works, but is not a blogging site. This is strictly for writing and reading.

FF.net

• Doesn’t include a MA rating any longer. This means no explicitly sexual chapters are allowed. They also do not allow RPF or reader-insert stories. The other two do allow these things, with AO3 being the most relaxed on that situation.

WordPress

• It’s not a server, like the others. It’s your own private website. There is no directory or search function. There is an easy way to get your content downloaded from Tumblr to WordPress, though. Make sure you check out our reblogs or let us help you find them.

Lemon was founded on the principle that all fanfiction writers deserve a voice and the confidence to succeed, no matter what they want to write. We stand by that now more than ever. We want to help. We want to keep all the content safe, no matter how good you think it is. If you spent any amount of time on it, it deserves to be saved. You are a creator and deserve to be protected. Don’t let anyone tell you fanart and fanfiction aren’t important and a valid creative outlet. It is and we’re not going anywhere. Lemon will be here until the bitter, bitter end. And we’ll go wherever the fanfic writers and fan artists migrate.

Thanks, 

Team Lemon 🍋