i saw you say recently that you dont support artfight, and while i don’t participate in it , im also unaware of the controversy around it? Are you the right person to ask? 😅
someone on Discord asked me about it too recently so here u go! no controversy (as far as i'm aware), just my personal opinions.
to further clarify the "anti stuff" comment (bc i was tired and just used that word at the time): there is no such thing as a 'harmful' paraphilia and i'm sick and tired of people saying otherwise. people are allowed to make whatever rules they want for their event, but the specific phrasing of harmful paraphilias is paramisic. there are only harmful actions. an attraction cannot be harmful.
then you factor in the fact that they're getting donations to do this. to set completely arbitrary criteria for policing Fictional Content based on Personal Values and Opinions. and i'm not even just talking about the paramisic shit, there's shit like, not allowing non-sentient beings to count as characters, and from what i can tell you are STILL not allowed to trace 3D models. which is ridiculous considering tracing assets and 3D models is something professionals do.
"it's a valid art form, we just won't let you do it in our contest" the implication MOST likely being that they think artists with access to 3D models have an unfair advantage over those who don't, which is kind of bullshit. there's a lot more that goes into art than just tracing the model. but again, this is another good reason simply not to Judge Art.
the thing i said about the mods stealing donations was just sm i heard in a video once, so don't quote me on that, i can't find any credible source that isn't a drama page 🤷🏻♂️
for me personally, i don't support the idea of judging art, don't support the rules and their bigotry, and i don't love all the drama that inevitably comes with hosting a major event where everyone apparently gets to have their own DNI (lmao??? yes i read the "it can't be malicious!!" part. but get real). and yes, i get annoyed when my Youtube feed gets flooded with videos about AF despite me showing me no interest.
all of that being said, i'm genuinely glad that people DO enjoy it and many of my friends partake in it. i think it's great to have fun drawing other people's OCs and vice versa! and i can see past my own cynicism enough to see the lovely experiences and community that AF has given many creators -- that's not something that should be overlooked.
i just think, ideally, we could do that without the judging aspect. where it doesn't have to be Art fight. yes, obviously the whole "attacking" ppl is cute and fun, and some ppl love the competitive edge of being on teams. but if we're really doing it for the love of art and supporting other creators, does it really matter who wins? why not just have the winning team be randomly decided so we don't have to come up with a bunch of criteria to judge something as subjective and personal as someone's art?
idk, i have enough on my plate as is with MECHFIA, but maybe that'll be on my bucket list of community projects to do one day lol
