My Favourite Animation Movies

Hello & Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you are all having an awesome start to the first week of November... where has this year gone!? Only two months left! What's something that you're looking forward to for the rest of 2019? For me, I can't wait for all of the yummy foods that pop up around Christmas Time, especially lebkuchen (a traditional spiced German Christmas biscuit - I've eaten some already and it's only the 4th of November!). Before I get carried away with myself talking about food XD... Did you guys know that a week ago today, it was International Animation Day? I obviously had to show my love for the wonderful world of animation art and decided talking about my favourite animated movies would be a fun way to celebrate the occasion (albeit seven days late!). I've decided to discuss my top non-Disney movies, because as much as I adore Disney's multitude of amazing flicks, I wanted to show appreciation for some of other superb animated classics out there! I hope you all enjoy reading and that my post sparks a lovely trip down memory lane! I know it did for me, writing about the masterpieces that captivated me in my childhood. 

Princess Mononoke (1997) 

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will probably already know that Princess Mononoke is one of my all-time favourite movies, or at least that I'm a huge fan of Studio Ghibli- an iconic Japanese production company that have created the most outstanding animation movies since the 1980's. I have been a lover of these epic movies since I was around fourteen, and to be honest it is very tough to rank them! They are all so good!! However, Princess Mononoke is just one that I cannot help but feel a pull towards. The nature/wildlife theme appeals to me because I'm a nature nerd through and through. Plus it is, in my opinion, the one Studio Ghibli film that is aimed at more mature audiences, although Japanese movies always tend to include more serious subject matters and content (even those who's primary target audience is children) VS western movies. Princess Mononoke includes weaponry, fighting and some mild gore, and it's just phenomenal. 

Also if you love mythology and folklore then you should totally check out this movie. Almost all of Ghibli's productions have an element of folklore because it is an integral part of Japanese culture & history, but for Princess Mononoke it is the main focus of the movie. And oh my gosh, the animation is so stunning!!

Pokemon: The First Movie (1998)

It will also come as no surprise to my returning readers that this has made it to my list of top animation movies. Pokemon has been a part of my life since I was six years old, so it has had an influence on the development of my interests for most of my life. Pokemon: The First Movie is one of the first movies that I can recall having such a big emotional impact on me (anyone who's seen this gem will know which scene in particular I'm referring to). Broke my little otaku heart :'). 

It is such a heart-warming story of friendship and doing what's right to help others. Mew & Mewtwo are fabulous, as well! Ever since watching this movie, Mew has been one of my favourite Pokemon. It's so cute!! I'm trying to keep spoilers to a minimum in this post, but I'll need to reveal some content details to tell you guys why I love each of the movies. There's a short scene in Pokemon (1998) where Mew is playing on a windmill and it's too cute, I'm gonna die!! Pokemon, the entire franchise in general, is a masterpiece and so is this movie! Fight me if you disagree :D 

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

It feels even more special that this beautiful movie was released the year I was born :) When I was quite young, maybe around six, my grandma bought me the VHS tape for this movie that my parents had never heard of before, and it was spectacular! I might be biased because I've forever been a nature lover, but the storyline of this movie resonated with mini me so much and still does to this day. FernGully: The Last Rainforest seems to be one of those films that either someone has never heard of before OR anyone who has seen it, adores it. It's lesser-known and I want to do my part to fix that! It is surprising since two superb actors voiced characters in this movie; Robin Williams and Tim Curry. I grew up loving the sound of Tim Curry's voice before I ever discovered it was the fabulous actor who played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I have such a thing for voices though, which my best friend likes to refer to as my 'voice fetish' XD... although I can't argue with that definition, haha! Is anyone else the same? Tell me a voice in the comments that you find super attractive.

So yeah, even as a little kid, I loved the sound of Tim Curry's voice and I couldn't help but enjoy this movie... he has a song it in that is excellent! But aside from that, the movie itself is stunning! The animation, the fantasy theme (which surrounds fairies) and the message are what make it a firm favourite of mine, even as an adult. It's got a charm about it, and this is in many ways thanks to Robin William and his character Batty. Again, I don't want to say too much, but to those who've watched FernGully, I used to feel so cool that I knew all the words to a certain musical piece by Batty XD I wouldn't stop reciting it to everyone who would listen! *insert sunglasses emoji here*. 

via GIPHY

The Pagemaster (1994) 

This movie came on TV one Sunday evening (if my memory is correct, after all this time) when I was eight or nine, and I thought it was one of the most incredible things I'd ever set eyes on. I know this post is very much nostalgia-fuelled but that shows just how good these movies are. They are timeless classics to me and will forever be treasured, never losing their magic no matter how many times I watch them. Do you have any favourite movies like that? 

So anyhow, The Pagemaster has such a unique story that is executed in a way that I've never seen in any other movie. Sure, I've seen similar concepts, but none quite like The Pagemaster. If you hadn't gathered yet from the title, this movie has a bookish theme, which as someone who has enjoyed reading and also writing their own stories since childhood, found it to be very much my cup of tea. The story incorporates so many literary classics and *spoiler alert* the Jekyll & Hyde scene really freaked me out way back when :O 

Like for most fantasy fans, there's just something so captivating (when done well) about the idea of being an ordinary sort of person living a typical, mundane existence, and then suddenly being immersed in a magical world, that is so appealing! And the events of The Pagemaster were delightful food for the imagination for kid me, so I fell in love with the movie. The characters were so loveable, too. And dragons were always my thing!  

The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) 

This is definitely an underrated animation movie, but with so many awesome 90's movies, there's lots of fantastic ones that got loss in the cracks, or however that saying goes. It's such a shame! The Pebble and the Penguin is so lovely; the main character is the sweetest! It's another movie that appealed to me because of the nature theme, especially because the intro has a documentary feel to it and I watched many of those from being old enough to talk. I like that the premise of the Pebble and the Penguin is somewhat rooted in reality, and is based on the behaviour of Adelie Penguins, of which the male of the species searches for the perfect stone to present to a female in an attempt to wow her with his rock-finding abilities :D 

The movie is about a penguin who is desperate to impress the girl of his dreams, who's also being pursued by this huge bully of a penguin (voiced by the legend Tim Curry) - there I go again, subconsciously lovin' all movies featuring Tim Curry's voice XD It is another tale of friendship, love and finding your inner strength, no matter how small or insignificant you feel. The protagonist risks everything to get the most precious pebble for his sweetheart, and even though he's the misfit of his colony, he ends up on top in the end :) 'Never give up' is the key lesson of The Pebble and the Penguin, and I can't recommend it enough. 

The Land Before Time (1988) 

Not gonna lie, it was a challenge to settle on a sixth favourite because there were a few contenders. Eventually, I chose the marvellous 80's movie, The Land Before Time because of the amount of times I watched when I was younger. I have always been a fan of dinosaurs, I mean who isn't? They are amazing! So it's impossible for me not to love this movie, which is set in prehistoric times and follows a group of little dinosaurs that are separated from their loved ones and must embark on a journey writhe with dangers to be reunited with them. It is beautiful and compelling, and so heart-breaking in parts. The five dinosaurs whose journeys we follow in The Land Before Time are brilliant and we get to see their species differences and unique personalities clash as they struggle to get along but through the hardships they face, their friendships blossom and it's wonderful to see. My favourite character has always been Petrie, a tiny Pterodactyl. I didn't know that I had anxiety when I was a young child, but Petrie's character is the one I most related too and he's a little ball of nerves so I can now understand why I liked him so much! This first movie was so well-received that it lead to there being thirteen others made!! And although I haven't seen them all, the ones I have have been great! I remember having a PlayStation game based on the 9th movie, Journey to Big Water (2002), with the game being called 'Big Water Adventure'. Does anyone else remember playing it? 

via GIPHY

So those are six of my absolute favourite non-Disney animation movies! I hope you all enjoyed reading what I had to say about them. I have two honourable mentions that I can't not list, as well. One being The Road to El Dorado, a Dreamworks production from 2000 that is so good, with two hilarious lead characters and a wonderful sound track, performed mostly by Elton John. The second being a very short but sweet movie released in 1995 by Jetlag Productions, many of whose movies were animated in Japan, including this one, so are visually beautiful, especially when it comes to the attention to detail in depictions of nature. Heidi is a classic tale that has been retold and adapted time and time again because it is so well-loved, and this version made me feel so uplifted whenever I watched it. There's a song at the beginning of the movie called 'Start with a Smile' that still makes me instantly happy when I listen to it :) I think both of these movies deserve more credit and you need to give them a watch. If my post inspires you to watch any of the movies I've mentioned, then please let me know :) I'd love to hear your opinions on them. I'm going to finish up my post here because I've already written too much! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥ 

What are your favourite animation movies?

I'd love some recommendations! 

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Game of Thrones Season 8 | My Thoughts & Predictions

Hey guys! For the last few days, I haven't been able to stop breaking into randomly humming the Game of Thrones theme tune at all hours of the day so I think that's enough confirmation of just how excited I am for the last season of my favourite TV show! I'm currently avoiding social media because the web is dark and full of spoilers! Fans (and non-fans alike) will know that GoT airs on Sunday night, and will be trending on every platform right now! Here in the UK, it doesn't air on Sky Atlantic until Monday night and although I could probably find a stream online, I like to watch it with my dad on TV :) Anyhow, since I can't stop thinking about the franchise and the fact that this is it (well, other than the rumoured spin-off's), I thought I'd write down my predictions and hopes for my favourite and most despised characters, #forthethrone. I'll probably state a lot of things that my fellow fan are already thinking, but if you have any other theories (or even if you share mine), I would love to hear all about them in the comments. 

I cannot wait for tonight!! However, I am nervous af for what's to come over the next few weeks T_T Oh, and just a little disclaimer, but I will be referring to the series of events that took place in the books as well, just a heads up in case any of you guys haven't read them yet, because there is the potential for spoilers!). I hope you enjoy reading anyhow! 

Before I get into my fandom rambling, I just wanted to mention how happy I am with how the photographs I'm going to be featuring in today's post turned out! :) If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll likely know that one of my hobbies is toy photography, and lately I've been experimenting with creating winter scenes featuring my Game of Thrones Funko Pop figures. You can see more of my toy photography over on my dedicated Instagram. So, where to start? 

I think I'll begin with my thoughts on what everyone is talking about the most! Who is going to be sitting on the Iron Throne in the end!? My favourite characters from the series are Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark, so naturally I would love to see Tyrion on the Iron Throne. I feel like Arya Stark is better suited to being her true ninja self, but I feel like Tyrion is such a kingly character, if that's even a real descriptive word. He's intelligent and just, and I think he will be a great ruler. There are lots of other characters though that I love and think will also be awesome as King or Queen, such as Daenerys Targaryen. She's badass and has fought so hard to establish herself a strong and worthy ruler in a world where the places of power are typically reserved for men. I would love to see her ruling in the end of course, it's just that Tyrion is my main man so I can't not hold out hope that he will get to reach his full potential. 

With the way that the show is going though, like everyone else, I have my predictions of how things are going to go down, but with George R.R. Martin, the author of the original book series that inspired this amazing show, The Song of Ice and Fire novels, overseeing the production of the show, you never know if things are going to go in favour of the most beloved characters or if they are going to be torn from us in the most ruthless of circumstances! I am excited for the drama but also scared for my sanity and heart :') But yeah, I feel like with the way things are playing out on screen, we might see Jon Snow, who with regards to the traditional line of succession, once he knows his true identity might want to sit on the Iron Throne, even though I feel like the Jon we know and love would much rather not be a ruler. 

That being said, I think that there's a good chance of Jon Targaryen being the one sitting on the Iron Throne in the end, maybe with Queen Daenerys by his side, although who knows what will happen with their blossoming romance when they realise that they are really Auntie and Nephew. I am wondering if they are going to part ways and if Daenerys will go back over the sea to Essos to be ruler over the cities she liberated, and Jon will stay in Westeros. But Targaryen's aside, I think that Sansa is going to stay where she is and become Queen of the North! What do you guys think? 

I'm not sure why, but throughout the story when it comes to the development of Lord Varys, I have always had this feeling that he would, in a surprising turn of events, somehow end up as ruler of the Iron Throne, or at least Hand of the King or something... I don't know, I'd just like to think that he is going far, and Game of Thrones is a series that likes to shock us all! Are there any characters that you think no one suspects of ending up in high places, that will get there whilst everyone is focused on the 'top dogs'? 

Other than the fight for the throne, there are lots of things that I find myself puzzling over constantly! I have avoided watching the trailer for Season 8 because I don't want to go in to this last season with any idea of how things are going to go down. So one of the main themes of the questions on my mind is what is going to happen to Tormund Giantsbane! He's gorgeous and hilarious and I love him, and if anything has happened to him, I am going to riot!! :D Who's with me? I think it would be absolutely fantastic if he is asked by Jon to be his Hand, if he ends up on the throne. 

Are you on Team Brienne & Tormund, or Brienne & Jaime Lannister? I know it would be lovely for Tormund to win the heart of the beauty waiting for him back at Winterfell and because of how much I like his character, I cannot help routing for that outcome. But when it comes to Jaime and Brienne, there was definitely something special there. You could really feel this in the books, and even though the show gave us inklings of the connection and tension between them, it didn't do it in the way that the books did, which makes me think that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have something else in mind (sorry Brienne & Jaime shippers)! 

Okay, so dragons!! What about the dragons!? They are undoubtedly one of the most amazing aspects of franchise and after the tragedy that befell Viserion last season, it has made us all a little scared about what the future has in store for Drogon & Rhaegal. We are all suspecting a battle of the dragons, and it's going to be hard to watch brother fight brother, and for Daenerys to have to face all of this. I have been surmising that Brandon's status as the Three-eyed Raven will come into play, and he may be able to somehow control Viserion... I don't know, but I want to see that! I am also waiting for the moment when Jon will ride on the dragon that is named after his true father. Rhaegal has been my favourite dragon from the start, not gonna lie at first this was mostly because he was green and bronze and green is my favourite colour haha, but I'm hoping that nothing bad happens to him! 

Something that we all expect from Game of Thrones is that fan-favourites and main characters will be killed! It happened with Sansa's Direwolf, Lady, and with so many of the Starks, and I'm assuming that it's only a matter of time before it happens again :'( I have a heart-breaking feeling that Jon might not survive! I am hoping he will because he was revived from the dead for a reason, but maybe that reason will be fulfilled by him and afterwards he may not survive. It will suck because he's a fantastic character, however with him being the 'rightful' heir to the Seven Kingdoms, Daenerys cannot take the Iron Throne like she wanted unless she rules along with him. This will be the perfect outcome for all of you Dany and Jon shippers, but we all know that Game of Thrones can be merciless and I feel like they won't get a happy ending, but who knows? 

*warning: spoiler territory* Daenerys and Jon got it on last season, and although the show has seemingly made it clear that Dany cannot have children after what happened with the blood magic, I feel like the writers/producers made a decision to not include a scene from the books that gave fans hope that this might not be the case, maybe to add to the shock factor if things go the way I am thinking they will. In the books, after Drogon came to the rescue for Dany when the Sons of the Harpy ambushed the fighting pits, and she was carried off to the place where the Dothraki would come across her, she was wandering for a long time through the grasslands trying to get back to Meereen, and during this time, if I remember correctly, she experienced somewhat of a period, which suggested that maybe everything wasn't as it seemed, and that there might be hope that she was healing. This is making me curious about whether Jon and Daenerys will have a child! We will see!

I'm going to stop rambling now even though I have so much more to say, because this post is long enough as it is! Thankyou if you've read it all the way to the end :D Let me know if you would like more Game of Thrones content in the future, as I really enjoyed nerding out for you all! Another thing that I have to say briefly because I feel like it deserves a mention... I hope that Arya is the one to kill Cersei in the end, because we all know we cannot wait for that scene XD And so, I will conclude today's post here. I am so looking forward to tonight's episode!! 

Thankyou for reading! 

Valar morghulis! 

♥

Who is your favourite Game of Thrones character?

If you've read the books, 

what was something that you wish the show would have included?

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What Musical Theatre Means To Me

Hey lovelies! I hope you're all been having a wonderful start to the week :) To be honest, mine has been tough and I have been really struggling mental health wise. Today, in a bid to uplift myself and determined to start my day on a much more positive note, I put on my favourite musical hits as soon as I got out of bed. Songs from musicals never fail to make me feel better, even if I'm in the gloomiest of moods, I won't be able to make it through more than five songs without bursting into song myself! Musicals have always been a big part of my life; from being a small child, I have loved them! I used to watch them on repeat for days, and when I wasn't watching them, I was reciting them and dancing around my house singing :D They taught me so much and have brought joy into my life for the last twenty years, they have been something of an escape for me when things were hard and it felt amazing when as an adult, I could finally afford to go to see them in person, which was surreal and just phenomenal! Did you guys know that today is World Theatre Day!? It just seemed like perfect timing that I really appreciated how much listening to those songs this morning, and experiencing that feeling of warmth and emotion flow through me, made me feel 10x better. I couldn't not share that with you guys! This might be another rambley kind of post, because I'm just going to write and not think too much about it :) However, I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless!   

I've decided that I'm going to write all about the reasons why I love musicals! Right now, I am listening to the original soundtrack for Cats, which is definitely my all-time favourite musical, and I'm having such a marvellous time having a good old sing-along (my family are probably not enjoying it as much, haha!). I would love to know what your favourite musical is! Please let me know in the comments :) 

One of the main reasons why I love musical theatre, and so wish that I had the musical and dancing talent to participate in them myself, is because of how unique a way of emotional expression they are. Everything in musicals is so deep and moving, whether the emotions being conveyed are those of sadness or anger or extreme happiness! I am a very emotionally empathic person and I feel things strongly, and so I find watching musicals therapeutic in a way, they allow me to experience intense feelings and give me an outlet, if that even makes sense. I cry a lot during musicals :D Is anyone else the same? 

I just love how extra musicals are when it comes to portraying emotions, and I feel like people who are less emotionally expressive will gain a lot from watching them. When I was around ten or eleven years old, I first started to experience the onset of my depression and I bottled up a lot of my feelings, because I wanted to pretend that everything was okay and I didn't want to be a burden to my loved ones. I would keep my feelings internalised when I was around others, but when I was alone, I would still find it hard let go of the tension of constantly trying to put on a happy face, and that's where musical theatre came in. I would put on one of my favourite shows and as I watched I would be able to channel my emotions through the stories and feelings of the characters. I always felt kind of refreshed after watching, pretty similar to how you might feel after you've had a good cry.  

Another reason why I love musicals and why they helped me so much was their depiction of individuality. I struggled a lot as a child and a teenager with my identify and embracing my personality and my quirks, who I was as a person. I dealt with bullying for most of my school years, and it was very challenging for me not to see myself through the eyes of people who were mean to me. I struggled with learning to love myself for all that makes me unique, and although I am a lot better now, like I value so many things about myself and I think I'm pretty awesome, there are still days when everything comes back to haunt me and I falter. There were many things that helped me on my journey of self discovery and acceptance, and one of those was musicals. 

Musical theatre is a beautiful, expressive art form and there are so many creative details and inspiring characters. There are lots of themes about societal outcasts and people who stand out as different from the crowd, for example Dr Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors. Watching characters like those, who are so amazing and gorgeous and intriguing because of what makes them unique, because of their individuality, made me feel not so alone, and that it was not only okay to be different, but empowering to. So that was very important to me, and still very much is now that I'm a grown up (even though I feel like I have Peter Pan 'syndrome' sometimes XD). 

Coming back to the fact that musicals are an art form that are beautiful and scream creativity, this is another reason why I find myself so in love with them! I adore how emotions and scenarios are interpreted throughout dance and song, and how the staging is stunning and full of colours and features elaborate set up's. There is so much to look at and take in. You really get to feel like you are in the scene along with the preforming artists, and for me I feel like I'm transported into another place or time for the duration of the show, even more so when I'm viewing in person! They are enthralling and make me feel all the things :) 

There is something uniquely moving about watching a scene unfold in song rather than word, and it is fascinating how much meaning can be expressed through certain lyrics. I feel like listening to these songs throughout my childhood helped me with my own emotional understanding and expression, because they provided something different to the music in the charts (not that they didn't influence me in their own way). Listening to Annie, in the musical of the same name, sing about her longing for a family to call her own, and to Fantine in Les Misérables pour her heart out about all of the suffering she endured, is moving in all kinds of ways. No matter how many times I see those scenes, I am moved just as much as if I'm watching them for the first time! But I am a bit of an emotional wreck anyway XD Crying is my default response, no matter what emotion I'm feeling. 

Something else that I love about musicals is how fun they are! They empathise positive feelings just as much as they do for the heart-wrenching moments. A lot of the time, everyone is just so elated and animated and are expressing pure happiness through song and dance. Such as in Cats, in my favourite song of the entire musical, 'Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat', the cast are running and leaping about the stage celebrating the fabulousness of a ginger tabby cat who lives on the trains! Or in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, people are literally dancing around congratulating a guy because he has the rainbow gown of dreams! And I am all for this :D Seriously though, what's not to love about musicals!? They make me feel like I want to sing and dance through life too, and I feel so joyous after watching them! 

I'm going to stop writing now, because this is becoming an essay :D But I just wanted to end my post by saying a huge thank you to all of the creative geniuses out there who produce musicals, who write the storylines and create the costumes and sets, who choreograph the dances, to everyone who does their bit to put together such wonderful works of art! You enrich my life and the lives of lots of others. Happy World Theatre Day! Keep doing what you're doing, and bringing more happiness into the world. I cannot wait to go watch my next musical! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What is your favourite thing about musical theatre?

Do you have favourite song that never fails to uplift you?

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Goodbye Tumblr As We Know It

Hey guys! I wasn't sure whether or not to write this post, but it's something that's affected me and a lot of my friends so I thought I'd sit down with my laptop and let it all out. I might post it at the end, we'll see. If any of you guys are users of the social media platform Tumblr then you will know what this post is going to be about. A few weeks ago, Tumblr staff announced that from December 17th onwards, all NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content would be banned from the website. Many of you may be thinking, well that's not really a big issue, most websites have regulations on the posting of adult content. However, Tumblr has always been one of the only places to go on the internet to find such a unique bundle of communities existing side by side, a place for the weird and the wonderful, where people could post freely and express themselves, uncensored and in a way that was like no other website. 

Most people who don't use Tumblr have heard mostly negative things about the website and think that it's where all the strange people hang out, I mean it is but that's the great thing about the website! :D I for one can be considered kind of strange, I have quirky interests and a dark sense of humour, and I am a big fan of Tumblr. I love the uniqueness of the website and it sucks that it has been going downhill for so long now. Most of us who use the website love to hate it, and complain about it often but when it comes down to it, it is one of our favourite corners of the web, and it's such a shame that things look like they are going to be changing for the worse. This could very well the end of a website that has been suffering for a while! 

*If anyone was wondering, the 'Bad Vibes Eraser' pin above is from a collaboration between Lucky Dip Club X Kitiya Palaskas :) 

So why has Tumblr banned NSFW content?

Tumblr has been having problems for a while in many areas, and despite the fact that users have been constantly complaining, instead of working to fix the factors that are flawed on the site, they have decided to take the easy road out and just put a complete block on all adult content!

If you're not a user of Tumblr but have seen people talking about the changes to come throughout December, you may have had a read up about the problem and think that the ban sounds reasonable. If you are yet to hear anything about it... back in November, the Tumblr app was removed from the Apple store because of child abuse being shared on the website and in response to this, Tumblr have of course had to make decisions to do something about this serious problem. However, the problems that Tumblr has faced have also been seen on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and those websites have put regulations in place to deal with those problems and protect users, whereas Tumblr has decided instead to just censor all content. Users have speculated that this quick fix has come with pressure from Apple so that the website can have its app now allowed back on their store.  For years, the website has had a massive problem with porn bots, which are automated spam profiles filled with porn images and links to dodgy websites. I am constantly having to block them even on my SFW Tumblr account that coincides with this blog. These bots also don't help the problems that already exist on Tumblr, and complaints from users for staff to do something about them has likely also fuelled this content ban. 

What does this ban mean for Tumblr's users?

Tumblr is well-known for being an overtly sexual website and this is always viewed in a negative light however what Tumblr actually is, is a website filled with all sorts of brilliant content that yes, is often adult-orientated, but nudity does not equal porn! There is a lot of beautiful, artistic content on Tumblr from drawings, to photography, to digital artwork. It is a unique place where people can display their talents without being censored. So many artists use Tumblr as a platform to show their work and grow their businesses, to find fanbases and to encourage people to visit their websites/online stores and purchase their work. Those people are going to have their livelihoods compromised by the ban. Further more, Tumblr before the ban was also a place were many sex workers advertised their websites and content, and now they are also going to be affected in the same way. 

Not only will the artists and businesses be affected by this ban, but also communities that use Tumblr has a safe space where they can connect with like-minded people and express themselves in a way that they cannot on other websites. This is where the ban impacts me personally. If you've been a regular reader of my blog, you may have seen a couple of posts I've shared about being into kink and BDSM, and although I don't talk about this on here often, other than when I think there's an important message to share, this is a big part of my identity and I do express myself more openly on Tumblr, where there is a community of fellow kinksters. 

Maybe I will share a post dedicated to what it is like to grow up knowing that your preferences are different to those around you and that they are seen as taboo by society, and how isolated that can make you feel, but for now I will just explain how this ties in with Tumblr. When I first discovered the BDSM community on Tumblr, I was still in a place where I felt alone with how I was feeling and didn't know any other people in my life who I could relate to about these things, and it was amazing to have found somewhere were I could freely express myself and share my interests with others, and I made a lot of friends. This had a huge affect on my confidence and my self image, and the way I thought about myself. I built a wonderful support system and learnt to embrace who I was as well as going on a journey of self discovery, as cheesy as may sound. I have Tumblr to thank for that and I love my friends who I met on there so much. I feel sad that for other people this opportunity has been taken away, because I know how much it helped me :( And for all of the other communities affected by this, it is a real shame. 

How will this ban impact the future of the website? 

Already Tumblr's new algorithm that they have put in place to regulate their adult content ban is causing problems for users. Aside from blocking what it's supposed to, the algorithm is also flagging posts that resemble anything that looks like, in Tumblr's own words, 'a female-presenting nipple' or a phallic shape. This includes photographs of people's gemstone collections and geology photography! :D On top of this, the algorithm is additionally flagging content that cannot be construed as sexual at all. This is going to make using the website even more annoying that it always was, with its showing us old notifications again and again, to its refusing to load images and gifs! 

Taking away one of the main things that people use Tumblr for is going to have a severe affect on the website. So many of my friends are already moving over to other websites and I feel like even though many people will stick around (I am going to stay and see what happens!), there is going to be a huge gap in the community and also in the content. It's just not going to be what it once was, and that is crappy. There are so many memes out there about hoping people from your real life don't find your tumblr and its so true! Most peoples blogs on there are made up of their fandom interests, random artwork that they find pretty, memes and humorous content, and NSFW posts. You can find out so much about a person from what they share on their tumblr; it's like a blog, a diary and a Pinterest account all rolled into one! Now it's just not going to be the Tumblr that we know and love. Gone are the days when you're randomly scrolling through cute gifs and fanart in front of your friends or family and suddenly porn appears on your dashboard XD 

Going back to Tumblr's new algorithm, not only is it flagging random photos that resemble NSFW content but it also did something hilarious! Tumblr staff posted a statement on their profile/blog titled 'A better, more positive Tumblr' explaining their decisions and their vision for the websites future, and this post itself was apparently flagged as inappropriate content!! XD To see more fails regarding this new regulation system, look at #TooSexyForTumblr over on Twitter! 

In this statement itself Tumblr has expressed that they have 'given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr', which is great in theory but the website has blocked all NSFW content of which most was causing no harm to anyone, and has allowed other content to remain on the website that is frankly disgusting. One of the specific things that I'm referring to are the white supremacy/Nazi blogs! They want to create a better Tumblr but apparently feel that adults sharing gifs from their favourite pornos is more serious a problem than racism and other forms of prejudice and hate! I hope that very soon, we start to see Tumblr implementing bans for these kinds of posts! And also that it re-establishes its allowance of NSFW content but comes up with a better regulation system to monitor the kind of content posted. I very much doubt that this is going to happen unless Tumblr sees a dramatic reduction in followers and activity on the platform. 

So, who knows how everything is going to turn out on Tumblr!? All I know is that it is not going to be the same platform that it once was; it will no longer hold the same appeal that it did before and although it is still going to be a unique website filled with fandom posts and artistic content, it is going to be very different and I'm not sure how much until I have used the website for a while after the ban. Today, I have been talking part in a 24 hour 'log off protest' with lots of other users, but at this point I don't think Tumblr are going to pay much notice to this. They've probably been lovin' the publicity that their adult content ban has caused! This is another reason why I was considering not sharing this, but I feel like I had to have my say on the matter. I'm not sure that this post is going to be very interesting to read, but if you're a fellow Tumblr user or used to be, then you may find it relatable. I've decided to share this post in the end because I've written so much and it seems a bit of a waste not to! Plus I'm annoyed about this ban, and even though I know that something needed to be done to tackle the problems with criminal content on Tumblr, I just feel like they should have followed the example of other websites and organised a system to monitor and report this VS a complete ban of adult content. If you've made it to this point, then I hope I haven't bored you with my rambling and I really appreciate you taking the time to read my 2,000 word complaint! :D

Thankyou for reading!

♥

I would love to hear everyone's opinion on this ban?

If you're a Tumblr user, how has it affected you? 

And how do you think it will impact the website as a whole?