UPDATE Here is the original image, in the form of a child friendly link. Obligatory warning Photo is of blood from my peeeeeeriiiioooood~

That seems to be the case as far as polite conversation goes, though there is a saying that "polite conversation" is rarely both. It's a little sad, even pathetic to see people overreact to menstruation.

I know blood scares the hell out of men, whether they admit it or not. They'll put lots of it in games and movies so they can feel so great about themselves when they can stomach the gore while their girlfriends cling to their arms, but when you present them with an excess of it in real life, most of them will just get queezy. Never mind what happens when you show them blood coming that came out of a woman's *bleep*. Never mind that menstruation is the whole reason we exist as a species, and the fluid is just all your brothers and sisters that didn't quite make it. Yes, there are unfertilized eggs in that shit, and one of them could have been you.

An artist's husband apparently asked her to draw her MegaMan, and her medium of choice was menstrual blood. Of course, the folks at GameGrep (and the site that posted it) freaked out. Seriously, it's like everyone has been reduced to the state of awkward teenager who's scared of touching girls. Maybe 4 years of art school has just exposed me to more things... opened my mind to some things most still consider taboo or GROOOOOOSSSS EEEEEEEEWWWWW.

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Edit Keep the comments coming, no matter which side of the fence they're on. That's also not the actual piece. It's just a photo I took documenting the process, and the paper in the background just has practice strokes (diluted with water).

And just so you guys don't think I did the piece just for kicks, I included an explanation somewhere in the comments.

quote RCG

Traditionally (and to this day), sons are more desirable in Asian cultures because the son carries on the family name. Yeah, I know that there are people who take on maiden names and what not, but somehow that's not enough. That's why there's all those stories of daughters who were killed or abandoned years ago due to China's one-child law; today, it is illegal in China for doctors to tell a couple if their unborn child is male or female because people will sometimes abort the fetus if it is a girl.

This piece pertains to my mother's side of the family and the fact that is has come to an end because of two daughters (and a son who has no children). That's why the menstrual aspect was so important -- it addresses the feminine aspect.

It all has to do with what you're trying to convey. Example, African American artist Alan DeSouza did a racially driven piece using the blood from his veins; in his case, the blood represented him as a black man, just as feminist painters often use menstrual blood to convey their feminine identity.

Edit x2 Image removed? Had a talk with a Supermod and apparently a vat of menstrual blood "sets precedents" for the younger readers. This is pretty unfortunate, but I guess it means our blogs will have certain guidelines soon. I respect the decision, but I'm definitely disappointed. I enjoyed the discussions that took place here, regardless, though in a weird way, the removal proved something I really wish weren't true.

Edit x3 Thanks to everyone who expressed their support. This whole situation actually makes me laugh, from the first comment to the Supermod interference. Didn't expect it to cause such a hullabaloo! I'll present my case tomorrow, and we'll see what happens.

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