Updated: Aug 7
Earlier this month, Itchio announced that it had de-indexed all of it's adult projects as well as deleted and banned several users for payment processing violations. This all comes after Steam was similarly pressured to start cracking down on adult content from the same companies.
This all happened the first night I was working San Diego Comic Con for the first time, and I didn't have a good way to get in touch with everyone in the Yaoi Jam or even to make a good decision about the future of the bundle. My brain was, and still is, totally fried. Once I was finally home, I e-mailed everyone involved, did a small poll and got feedback.
With a heavy heart, I decided to delay the Yaoi Bundle until further notice. If things cool off with adult content on Itchio and they find a new payment processor, we will go ahead with the bundle as it was (and hopefully better) or we will re-make the bundle without any explicit adult content and re-brand as a "SFW" bundle. (Mature themes will still be present, but we will have to remove all the sexy parts and probably all of the horror too. Ugh.)
For more information on the situation, and how you can help fight censorship on the web, please refer to this page. Every call, every e-mail, every letter, helps us out tremendously and we need all hands on deck in order to gain autonomy for anyone doing adult work on the web. We are relying on fans like you to help us: we need you with us on this.
It sucks to do this. I don't like it, nobody likes it.
But, in order to protect the accounts of everyone involved in the bundle, the delay is necessary. For some folks, the earnings of this bundle covers their rent, a car payment, a medical bill: these bundles made a real difference in artist's lives and losing that opportunity is going to hurt all of us. So, I'm making this blog post in hopes you'll consider supporting our artists in some other way.
Sharing their posts, commenting on their work, and checking out their websites are all helpful things to do, so please take some time to check out their profiles and to look at the links below!
[This post will continue to update multiple times]
Bsky Yaoi-Bundle Artist Starter Pack
Bsky has this fantastic feature where you can follow a lot of users all at once. Check out this link to share the Starter Pack and to follow all our artists too! This is the easiest and most straight forward way to support the majority of our artists.
Crowd-funding that needs your help!
Object Head BL Dating Sim! Sign up to be notified of the launch. 50k words with both Spanish and English options!
Gummy and the Doctor is a trans erotica (tm/nb) series that has an ongoing crowd funding campaign! Pledging gets you early access to the next episode when it's finished.
The audio book for Rescuing Krampus will begin funding soon! Sign up to be notified on launch. M/F Holiday story!
Web-comics/novels to read...
Into the Smoke (Paranomal)
Solanaceae (BDSM)
Shot and Chaser (Emotional character study, suicidal ideation)
Here We Are (LGBTQIA+)
Ultraviolents (Trans men being bad!)
Keeping Time (A Queer Bummer Romance)
Until Sunset (Mermaids!)
Colorful Past (Young adult, magical girl -genre with boys, SFW)
The Swamp Man (Mermaid, Monster Fucker, SFW)
For a Horse and Horseman (Mature, transmasc, fantasy, novel)
Covenant of the Sacrifice (Monster Fucker, Naga)
Commissions...
Other places to buy stuff...
DarkChibiShadow (that's me) has collections on Substar you can buy that unlocked access to digital downloads of their comics and other art collections. (M/M, TM/F, TM/B, monster fucking, romance, kinky, comics!)
Friction Press has print books available here! (Transmasc, taboo, kink, horror.)
SFW Story Collection "Until Sunset Main Story PDFs" (Mermaids!)
Buy Caal's comics via their Substar collections! (M/M, M/F, Orc, Werewolf, Comics!)
Trivial Meet-cute is on sale until September 1st! Use code 7LWCE for 50% off! (Short story, threesome novel)
Frostyshark is having a sale in their shop for Yaoi Day! Ends August 7th.
Helstaff Books has a shop you can buy from here! Including novels and shirts!
Other things of note...
I do too, if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this web page.
T.D. Cloud has a website you can bookmark to keep up to date with future releases.
Projects you can still buy on Itchio, without putting the artist at risk...
Below are projects that are unlikely to be banned by Itchio's payment processors and therefore, as still safe to buy from the platform. Most of these projects can be bought on consoles or via other means as well, so if you're unhappy with Itchio right now, seek alternative methods of purchase!
