It was around 08:04 when I rolled over in my sweaty bed - unable to go back to sleep I open discord to catch up on the latest from my friends, and there is it, beaming blue light into my bleary eyes..
https://subscribestar.adult/prohibited_content Updated: March 11, 2026 07:50 am
It's about 08:56 as I start writing this, and I'm unsure what to do - I wouldn't say I was dismissive of the initial warnings, but there was nothing to go on and I had frankly considered it overly alarmist for what seemed like rather generic and reasonable content restrictions.
I was wrong.
Based on the text of the new content restrictions, it's honestly quite astonishing - once, SubscribeStar was the place where artists alienated from the public sphere could shelter - now, the restrictions appear to match or maybe even rival that of Patreon's.
I'm afraid this spells doom for the platform and its creators, with the small niche SS filled gone, there's little reason to choose it over its competitors, save for the fact they won't name-search you on other platforms .. yet
So, where does this leave us?
Well it's not good, it means that the majority of my currently available content is done - can't post it, can't link it, can't embed it - there's not much else I can do. It might've kicked the production of my fantasy comic into high gear for one.
The way I see it, unless there's a competitor that is able to fill this niche, I only have a couple of options..
1. Move to a more mainstream platform
Due to content restrictions now being virtually identical between platforms, there's little reason to continue using Substar, with its clunky quirks and restricted user-base - however my biggest pause when it comes to platforms like Patreon is the off-site surveillance, although I'm not sure if Fanbox has this policy.
2. Stay on Substar and pivot to Untamed and other projectsI could keep it simple and stay here, all cub, beast and incest stays public on my Inkbunny, while SS is used for non-taboo projects, and start moving earlier on my fantasy comic, Untamed, and other creative projects like indie gamedev.
This will nonetheless have to be the case in the short term, no matter where I plan on ending up.
3. Idk go work at McDonalds I guessThrough your generosity, I've been able to complete a full 54 page comic, revived a dead project, been plugging away at stuff in the background, and been able to keep drawing what I wanted - you've kept me afloat as I took this risk going full time 💗
To be honest, while I've certainly been making a living creating art, I've done exactly that, kept afloat - I quit my job with a pretty decent savings account, and that has more or less stayed stable - I'm likely able to weather the storm for maybe a year if income goes to 0, but this has definitely been a punch in the gut..
I'll have to consider my options and weight their pros and cons, if you have any thoughts or suggestions I welcome them in the comments.
After breakfast I'm gonna compile a zip folder with all the substar-exclusive content, so that you're able to download it before it's deleted.
Hell of a week, huh?
- CS
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