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Some of you may be aware of the fact that a lot of us older members are upset over the fact that people are here for all the wrong reasons. This news is what this news will be focusing on.

Yes, this fan site is out of control, and needs to be fixed. At this rate Animation Source has gone above and beyond the words "fan site". So I would like you to ask yourself, am I truly a fan? Think hard, and think seriously. Because if you are a truly a fan of whatever site you may spend your time on, then you wouldn't be using this site as a character hub. You would be sending in submissions of strictly fan related content. Animation Source is not an alternate site for Deviantart. Nor is this a character hub. I've seen a lot of people who come here and make nothing but characters.

I would also like to stress the fact that this makes this site not able to function like it should. How? Well, let's take me for example. It makes it harder for me to post a fan news when there isn't much of any content worth sharing. You see where I'm going with this? No food=no dinner. This can also be said for the selection of the week. Sometimes this can be the fault of the mods, but sometimes it can also be the fact that there isn't anything to rotate to.

The following quote is by Imagine, and I have received her okay to post it here.

Link to post | The topic itself

"There's a difference between liking something and being a fan of it.

To like something, in terms of fan art, means to just draw something related to a movie or TV show and post it somewhere, (something like that) and it's okay if you only like something!

A true fan would be completely committed to drawing only characters from from that particular movie or TV show. Well, not 24/7 obviously, but on a fan site dedicated to that movie.

I like a lot of things. Oranges, pencils, vacations, softball, wasting time on the internet XD and if we're talking about movies. Animated--Lion King, Beauty and the Beast; Live Action--Just Go with It, Benchwarmers, and Valentine's Day (I'm a sucker for comedies XD)

But if I want to be a FAN of these things...I would be almost obsessed with them!

And then there is the size of fan. Meaning are you a BIG fan...or only a small fan? This is where it gets tricky... and I also think it's kinda hard where to draw the line between a fan, and a person who only likes it, especially if they claim to be a fan/not a fan. If it were easy, the problem would already be solved.

Here's the dictionary.com definition of "fan."

..."an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer"...

Enthusiastic. That's the key word in there. I have to admit I might be contradicting myself the more I write this, and that may be the problem this site has had for a long time. There is no device telling you how many fan arts of Balto you post in order to become a fan, or how many semi to non-related stuff you post in order not to be a fan. People have to decide that for themselves, and people...have their own opinions on such things. And BAM! Explosion of fights, flames, and wars reek havoc on innocent members...Bum bum buuuum!"

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As of May 16th, the character hub idea has been voted out.

That doesn't mean that this over, and that you will be able to proceed with your characters. We're now considering a committee.

I would highly recommend, if you haven't already, to move ALL of your non-related characters to DA. Or any other site that you may be a member on that accepts art. 

Do you guys remember my joke from last month? The joke that all your characters will be moved to a new site? Well, this idea may just come to life (NOTE: This is just an idea. It may or may not happen, so don't panic). Like I said above, a lot of you seem to focus only on your characters, and a lot of them, at least from what I've seen, isn't even related to Balto. A lot of us members have thought that this site would be a good idea (Steet is okay with the idea). And before you go and say, "but this is Animation source". Any of you remember Gamebook Land (no longer exists)?  Well, Animation Source didn't exist at the time, but this site was completely indipenant from from Balto Source and the Lion King Source.

Quote by Steet | The topic itself

"- The difficulty of what is allowed or not is the main problem, as it can't be something really objective. As we've seen previously, having a character being "related" to a Balto character just doesn't work because people cheat.

- On the french side, since about 6 months, the characters must be activated before being on the site, and the moderators are filtering what comes in. It seems to work, but let's not forget that the amount of characters being validated on the french side is not even 1/10 of what's on the english site! Also, more submissions and more mods = conflicts over what should be allowed or not.

- And I remember that when mods had to validate characters on the english side, there were lots and lots of characters in the waiting list, always, no matter how many mods.

Here's what I suggest :

- Making the "Characters Source" site as suggested, and on this site, allow any kind of characters (as long as it respects the no-sex, no-violence rule), and no validation required by the mods.

- But on any other site, the submissions will have to be validated, and mods will filter what comes in.

- Then, I would post a news on the sites to let everyone know about this change, and allow them some time to move their "wrong" characters and art there.

- After that while, mods will be allowed to filter and delete any art/character that doesn't fit a site."

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What classifies as not related?

Sparkle dogs

unrealistic designs

wings

legwarmers

pircings

scarfs

Anything that can be described as scene dog/emo dog, etc. If it can't happen in the movie of concern, then chances are you shouldn't send it.

Also, this doesn't mean you can't be creative, so don't go there. You can be just as creative with a realistic dog that is related to the movie of concern.

What is allowed?

Realistic colors and markings

Collars (if the animal of concern can wear one)

Relation to Balto. And not just: He lives in nome, or he knows Balto. Try and be more complex and devolop the character.

Your own version of one of Balto's un-named pups, or a character that was seen but has no name.

Human characters, but keep in a style that is from that time period.

If you're interested in helping in restoring this site, then  this is how you can help: Go through your galleries and delete anything that shouldn't be there. Go through your characters and clean them out. Send in content related to the site. The last thing you can do is use this banner here in your profile. But ONLY if Hecate says you can, she's very picky on who uses it.

So that will be all for now. Have a nice day!