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Leo (@leo_jungtw):

아침부터 괴롭히고 싶다. 힘찬 하루 합시다💪⭐️

Starting in the morning, I want to bother him. Let’s have an energetic day💪⭐️

Video:

L: You’re a baby. M: No~ L: You’re a baby! M: No~! L: You didn’t know? You’re a baby. Then what are you? M: Grandma says I’m a child. L: Grandma said you’re a child? Then is Minyool a child? W: Don’t tease him. He’s going to cry. L: If you give me a kiss, I’ll call you a child.

xxinkeyxx

changkyuh-archive

make me choose → @greenteaocean asked: dynamite or scentist?

elpatron-delmal

s/o to everyone who is still tryin to heal from things that they don’t talk about

fyjjong

may 25th. ten years ago today shinee made their official broadcast performance, and overall, debut with their debut single, “replay”, on sbs inkigayo. in the ten years that have followed shinee (onew, jonghyun, key, minho and taemin) have blessed us, domestically, with: fifteen promotional singles, five full albums, five concert tours, five mini albums, four concert albums, and countless solo projects (including two solo debuts with eight korean albums between them, member participation in two subunits, fixed mc and variety gigs, roles in dramas and films). today we celebrate their hard work and love for not only fans but each other and remember, as usual, that shinee will forever be five. for those with a public twitter account who would like to join in on helping draw attention to shinee’s anniversary through trending please use any or all of the following hashtags: #10YearsWith5HINee #SHINee10thAnniversary #TheStoryOfLight

yoonmin

congratulations ♡

suga-ssi

Tag yourself Yoongi version

got7-updates

calm down | do not edit

bxaddie

got7-updates

steal away | do not edit

spiralstaircased

starkara:

if you’re a (mostly) bald cartoon dude you have to wear this color scheme

#you forgot aang (michymouses28)

FUCK ur right

what is this weird trope..the color coded bald dude cult

IT’S HAPPENING

IT GOT BETTER

SAVE HIM

♥

the-nev

I’m shook.

Starlights everywhere (via the-nev)

vixxleoo

도원경 | LEO

#how dare you sir #Leo #taekwoon #VIXX #shangrila

jongtaekwoon

Armand!Taekwoon VS. Ladoux!Joonhyun

the-nev

So there’s something I’ve been seeing around the fandom neighborhood that has me worried. I’m not going to be expressing a particularly popular opinion, but I hope you’ll at least hear me out.

As kpop fans, we all really love the bands we follow. We make gifs, write fic, draw art, buy albums, learn the songs by heart, know the members so well we could identify them by their pinkie – we’re passionate in our love for our baes. But, sometimes I think we forget that idols are actual, living, breathing human beings. I mean, sasaeng fans literally would not exist if everyone treated idols like people.

When we forget that idols are people, we (as fans) can sometimes cross lines of propriety and respect – often without realizing what we’re doing. There are a lot of ways this can happen, from following bands to their hotels to tweeting inappropriate things an idol. But, there is one issue in particular I want to talk about: NSFW art. In particular, I want to talk about NSFW ask blogs. (And just as a heads up, I will be talking about sex work, abuse, rape, and other sensitive subjects as part of this conversation.)

Recently, there’s been something of a boom in 18+ ask blogs, particularly in some of the bigger fandoms like BTS. These blogs, with their camperson/prostitute/slave themes, often take the likeness of a particular idol (or even multiple idols) and present that likeness in graphically sexual situations. The artists behind these blogs say it is “art” or that it’s only a blog so it cannot do any harm. Some will even dismiss it as “sin,” as though somehow labeling it as such makes it less harmful.

But here’s the thing. NSFW artwork of idols is harmful. By taking the likeness of a real person and drawing them in sexual situations, you are dehumanizing them and objectifying them. More than that, though, AUs that depict campersons or prostitutes often dehumanize sex workers and perpetuate negative stereotypes. So, the harm is doubly present. Let me explain what I mean.

One of the most important things we talk about with sex is the need for consent. If someone does not give clear and coherent consent, having sex with that person is considered rape. If a person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they are not able to give consent either. Having sex with a person who is under the influence and thus unable to knowingly give consent is considered rape. The same goes for having sex with someone who is unconscious or someone who withdraws consent during the sex act – they’re all considered rape. And I shouldn’t have to say it, but I will just for the sake of clarity: Rape is not sensual nor desirable, it is wrong. Recovering from rape or sexual assault of any kind can take years, and you never really fully lose the scars from it – at least, not in my experience.

So what does this all have to do with NSFW ask blogs and art? Well, when you have a job as a sex worker, you generally function under the dictates of a contract. This contract determines how much you earn, what you are willing to do for a client, how much money your company receives (if you are working under one), and other important legal matters. A contract not only makes it clear what your job is, but it also affords you protections should one of your boundaries be transgressed. An important part of these contracts, however informal they are, is the sex worker’s right to consent to participating in the sexual activities the client is paying for. A sex worker of any kind should have the right to say no to any act that makes them feel uncomfortable or goes beyond the limits of their job; it’s the same as a normal person having the right to withdraw consent at any point in a sexual engagement with another person. (Money of course complicates the withdrawal of consent in sex work, but the right to no longer consent still exists even when money is involved.) Furthermore, sex workers have the right to fair compensation for the work that they do; anything less is abusive. There are many intricacies to sex work – realities of the job – that most people don’t bother to research before rushing in to depict prostitution or campersons in their creative works. Without this necessary research, there is no way you can really represent what their lives are like, and you are basically saying that they are nothing more than a trite stereotype. And y’all, you shouldn’t be dealing with serious matters without doing your research. @j-ungah recently wrote a really nice little blurb about how the lack of research in creative works can perpetuate harm; I suggest you take a glance at it. Tangent, I know, but still relevant.

Back on track: Everyone has the right to give consent.

When a sex worker is depicted in art, it is important to have that person’s consent. Their likeness is something that cannot be changed about them and is actually part of their intellectual property, particularly since depicting sexual acts can reasonably fall under “private or semi-private acts.” If you do not have that person’s consent to depict them engaging in a sexual act, you are sexually exploiting them. This is doubly true if you stand to gain anything from this art, be it notoriety or money. (Yes, notoriety and a bevy of followers counts as gaining something from the exploitation of someone else’s likeness.)

But wait, idols are famous! They consent, by being in the public, to have artwork of them rendered. Idols happily receive fanart – some even using it on their social media. That means this whole need for consent doesn’t apply, right?

Wrong.

Idols do give consent, by being public figures, to have certain things become public property. Drawing fanart and engaging in fanfic writing can be well within the boundaries of copyright, because it is engaging in social commentary. I would even argue that skinship culture and the teasing of ships by the companies does in fact permit the depiction of idols as queer figures, particularly with their bandmates. But, this consent is not all encompassing. Recently a number of idols have expressed concern and even fear about fan behavior when it crosses the line between public to private matters. T.O.P from BigBang, for instance, asked fans to stop ringing his doorbell night and day. EXO’s Lay had fans try to break into his hotel room. I.O.I had photos taken of them in a bathroom posted online. SuJu’s Heechul had fans surprise him in a urinal, just to steal a look at his body. Zico even said that, “Invading my privacy is no different than abusing me. This is never what you call fan love.” And you know what, he’s right. Idols deserve to have privacy and the opportunity to be treated (and respected!) like actual human beings.

Drawing pornographic art of an idol crosses the boundary into the realms of what should be private. Idols give a lot of things to their fans. They share their talents, they go on horrific diets, work out so they look nice, undergo plastic surgery, and go out of their way to make fans feel special. However, just because they share those things with us does not mean they belong to us. You do not own an idol’s body just because they go topless or just because you “saranghae” them. Unless an idol produces and mass releases a porno, you do not have the right to depict them in sexual situations. Why? Because they have not given consent to their likeness being used in that highly private context in a public forum. Without an idol’s direct consent, depicting them in these ways is sexual exploitation not love.

This lack of consent is particularly true with the camperson/prostitute/slave ask blogs. You might remember I mentioned the need for contracts and consent in sex work. Right? (If not, go back and read the first half again. I can wait.) Right. An important part of any sexual relationship is the establishment of clear boundaries – kink negotiations, if that helps you conceptualize of it better. However, ask blogs are inherently unable to establish consent. They take the likeness of a person and essentially masquerade as that person. Yes, we all know they are not the actual Min Yoongi or the actual Park Chanyeol. But, that person’s name, likeness, and personality are all being used in order to create an ask blog. There are ways in which to do this that are harmless, such as blogs that promote the band or fall within the established consent of being a public figure. NSFW blogs, however, trespass into the realms where consent has not been given. Furthermore, the idol has no say in what they are depicted doing, which often leads to fetishizing and misrepresentation among many other things.

You might say, “But it’s just art.” If that were the case, why would someone say something like this:

The intent to reproduce the exact likeness of someone in a pornographic situation is beyond the limits of art. It is dehumanizing and objectifying that person, so much so that their consent doesn’t matter in the face of your own desires. Furthermore, just because something is art doesn’t mean that it’s okay.

Again, let’s make it a little more personal. Let’s say I decide to start an ask blog where I am posting as you. Yeah, you. And I go to your blog, find all of your selfies, and use your likeness in order to draw you in pornographic situations. Better yet, I open it to my followers, letting them dictate what sexual acts you perform in my artwork. Would you honestly feel like that was acceptable? Or let’s say I do it to one of your friends or your little sister or your favorite teacher. Regardless of who is depicted, if I did not have their consent and drew them in pornographic situations, it would still be wrong. This would be particularly true if my subject were underage or were being viewed by people who were underage; child pornography laws are no joke, and I don’t think y’all take them nearly seriously enough.

Idols are people. They are actual, living and breathing human beings who deserve our respect. If we actually love them, we should respect their right to privacy and not objectify them. If you really want an ask blog focused on a camperson or prostitute, do your research. Talk to people in the field. Read books about personal experiences doing that sort of work. Then, create an original character. An original character might not come with a built in fanbase, but if you’re really dedicated to art and progressing as an artist that shouldn’t be your goal anyway. Don’t perpetuate harm for the sake of getting followers.

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