Coupons to things I still can’t afford.

One notice of a late fee due to an unpaid bill. (I paid it. On time, too.)

One notice of a rate increase–the child’s monthly health insurance premium is doubling as of June 1st. Hurray for advance notice.

One notice that the school district that has already RIFed hundreds due to funding cuts may also have to cut salaries next year.

I’ll just be…hiding over there in the corner. Gibbering.

Think of any anime you’ve watched to the end.  Go ahead.  Now–want to throw something?  You do, don’t you?

I’m told it’s a cultural thing, but I don’t believe it.  I think the anime guys are in cahoots with the TV-makers.  Why do you think so many brands come from Japan?

SPOILER WARNING FOR:
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
WOLF’S RAIN
SAIYUKI
and
WEISS KREUZ

I hope that’s a sufficient.

Now.  After fifty-one episodes of Edward and Alphonse Elric devoted to each other, Fullmetal Alchemist ends with the brothers SEPARATED.  In different universes, no less!!  Al has lost his memory of the last five years, and has no clue where Ed went.  Ed knows where he is and where Al is, but he can’t use alchemy!  And that’s the end???? (okay, there’s a movie that supposedly helps.  But still!!)

Wolf’s Rain–thirty shows, including the OVAs.  To end with the wolves right back where they started–with all the work and pain and heartache to do over again.

Saiyuki–the whole show is about their journey to the west.  But then it gets sidetracked by Homura, and then–after fifty episodes–it ends with Homura, and all the other stuff is (I would guess) left to the sequels.

Weiss Kreuz–don’t even get me started.  NOBODY in that show gets a happy ending, though they try to make it look that way.

*sigh*  It occurs to me that my love of anime has its drawbacks.

As a proud member of Mm.org, I understand that you are forced to set certain standards to protect the rights and sensibilities of visitors to your site, both readers and authors alike.  However, lately I feel that I am seeing a disturbing trend that singles out stories based on or including same-sex relationships that is impinging upon the rights of some authors.  I feel that a double-standard is being created; one that condones heterosexual pairings and stories, but makes the rules regarding slash, yaoi, and yuri so stringent as to discourage posting.  I am concerned that this may not be the message that you want to send.  By allowing a story that has a male and female kissing to be rated “T,” but stating that a story that even implies a relationship between two men must be rated “X,” you are indicating that this is somehow perverse, unsavory, or unhealthy.

On your site, an “X” rating means “No children under 17 – Mature readers only.”  And, while I agree that a certain level of maturity is to be expected, I do not believe that exposure to same-sex couples is so deviant as to be require such a stringent rating.  Particularly if there is no explicit sex or extreme violence in the story.

I appreciate having a place to post my stories and understand that you cater to a wide variety of readers, but again, I am concerned that you are casting same-sex stories in a negative light and inadvertently supporting prejudice and bigotry.  I do not believe that this is the message that you’re trying to send, but it is difficult to perceive it in another light since clearly it is not being applied across the board to all stories that imply relationships with heterosexual pairings.

I respectfully request that you consider this while continuing to review the rating and labeling standards of your site.

What can I say?  She’s awesome.

It’s your move, MediaMiner.  Will you do what is right?

A couple months ago, the site where I first posted my fanfics decided to be obnoxious.  If your story had so much as a hint of boy-lovin’ in it, the story had to be labelled yaoi or they would yank it.

Seems reasonable?  Until I point out that yaoi is m/m sex.  In other words, if your story had a man say “I love you,” to another man (or woman to woman, but that’s yuri) then it must be rated–X.  Not PG, PG-13, or R–X.  Mature audiences only.  Only adults can handle this hot stuff.  Porn.

Bastards.

NOW the idiots have decided my stories ALSO have to be tagged ‘hentai.’  That’s PERVERTED, people.  Because it’s got gay sex in it.  I don’t write the kinky stuff, there’s definitely no non-consensual or underage sex anywhere, but because it’s yaoi, it’s perverted.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained had nearly 15,000 hits.  But I pulled it.  I have seventeen stories to go.  I may or may not pull them all, I haven’t decided.  This hurts.  I don’t want to.  But how can I not?