Greetings everyone, this is the Bumbleby Zine Team.
As most of you recently saw, the project was dragged into a controversial situation that left our audience split into two very opposing points of view.
First of all, we'd like to apologize for the inconvenience. We ourselves had a hard time dealing with the whole situation, we acted too fast and made a choice that not all of us were confident in. The fear of picking the wrong side and the backlash associated was very overwhelming - and when emotions get in the way, it's even harder to deal with whatever is going on. We are all only humans after all and for most of us this is our first project of this nature.
Secondly, today we're here to ask every single one of you to sit down, relax, listen up and understand what is actually going on. The whole controversy began as we spoke with one of our artists, mikururun, which on the same day had been involved in a much more serious situation, that probably everyone who's reading this knows by now. Accusing a person of being a pedo isn't something to take and say lightly, and so, after all the messages we received of people saying they were feeling uncomfortable around her, we had to take action. As we discussed with her, she voluntarily stepped down from the zine, even if things weren't clear yet as all the decisions were rushed. And this resulted in an even worse situation, making the whole fandom explode and split up between those who chose to stand with her and those who on the opposite side, didn't and still don't. We understand both point of views, we can't tell you who is on the right and who is wrong as this can be called a borderline situation.She stepped down to help us, to keep the zine clear of any argument. We're here to ask everyone to stop all the hate going around. The bullying, the accusations, any kind of attack towards the artist. She doesn't deserve all of the hate she’s getting for simple misunderstandings. The more you keep feeding the fire, the bigger it will grow, and so people will keep attacking from each side, there is no war to fight here. Solutions can be found, can be accepted, as long as one chooses to at least try to be understanding.The project is still running, with a few changes on the zine team and staff. The artist made her choice to step down as we already mentioned before, to make sure everyone, especially minors, felt safe even if as she stated many times, in the piece she hadn’t intended for Ruby to be a minor.
The final deadline of the project is coming soon and we're sorry if this made you change your mind with regards to our work. However, we'd like to remind you that supporting the zine means supporting a cause. We're doing this for charity, it's a non-profit project. It's up to you whether or not you are buying the final product. Know that all our contributors are doing their best to bring you a wonderful book promoting love, positivity and respect for each other. And this is what we're asking you all today: be respectful to each other. We spoke and clarified our points, and sought to try and come to a conclusion that will satisfy all parties.
With this, we thank you all your attention and interest in our project. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask, as the admins are available for more clarification! Have a nice day and remember, keep buzzing!