#fanart etiquette

[hookedwayfinder]

Fandom Etiquette

Some unspoken rules of fandom communities on Tumblr (aka fandom etiquette) for people new to Tumblr.

If you post AI on your blog, prepare to be blocked by a TON of people. Why? AI shits on artists. The majority of people on Tumblr respect artists. If you share AI art on your blog, a lot of people are going to block you, which is probably not what you want. So don't post AI! (Same goes for reblogging AI shit).

Do not steal art from artists. Reposting art is usually frowned upon and if you wish to do this without people getting mad at you, credit the artist by name and link. For example, "This is drawn by Bob on Instagram - link to instagram here" If the artist if already on Tumblr, just reblog their work, don't repost it!

Do not redraw art from fanartists without their permission first! And if you do get permission, credit the original artist in your post, if not, people will think you are a thief and you will once again get blocked by fandom regulars. (redrawing official art from the fandom you're in is usually ok and a great way to learn. Learn to differentiate official art from fanart.)

Pinterest is the den of thieves. Great for finding a ton of lovely artworks with no way to get back to the original artist. Do not follow their example. That's not what anyone wants Tumblr to be. If you've got 50 fanarts saved on your pc and wish to share them with tumblr while you don't know the original artists? Then don't. That's the answer. Don't share art if you don't know who the artist is. Or learn to reverse image search.

Tagging is a way to communicate with the fandom about what you post on your blog without it afterwards showing up in reblogs. You can tag with character names, fandom names, ship names, and also personal tags such as "my fic" or "my art" - so that people checking your post can verify that it's made by you and not just stolen from someone else. Use tags to clarify if art or fic is yours when you post it.

Posting fanfic recommendations is usually a good way to make friends and earn yourself respect if you're not very creative yourself. Drawing fanarts or making edits for said fanfics will earn you god-status. Answering asks or posting meta or headcanons are other things you can do if you're not very creative otherwise.

Be careful sharing gifs and edits that you did not make yourself, even in-between your essays. Once again, it is technically theft, though I think most people view it as a lighter form of theft than art-theft. Crediting is still usually appreciated. Sadly a lot of photoshoppers accept this type of theft as part of the deal.

No matter which rule you broke in the past, you can always learn to do better. When in doubt, ask around in the fandom what you should do with a specific thing you want to post. Making a mistake does not get you kicked out of the fandom necessarily, so don't sweat it, just do better.

Even if you try to be a perfect fan, you will at some point break a little fandom etiquette here and there. You might reblog an AI art by accident... Share an image that was edited without you realizing it... Use someone else's gif without credit... It's ok. We all make mistakes. As long as you respect the fandom in 99% of your posts, nobody's going to cancel you for that.

This is by no means a conclusive list.

[bylightofdawn]

I have a question for the fan artists on tumblr. When I reblog I try and put SOMETHING in the reblog. A little comment, a squee about how I love the art or what it makes me feel or evokes in me.

Mainly because I feel as a creative, if someone were to say reblog my fanfics, it makes me feel even more...I don't want to say VALIDATED but I guess seen or like someone appears to have enjoyed what I wrote if they do something similar. Which, and this is not a read, sadly you don't see a lot of when it comes to the fanfic side of things.

But I also question if that's like....annoying or distracting. I know a lot of people just reblog and maybe they'll squeal in the tags about something.

So I guess, I'll just ask you guys directly. What are YOUR thoughts about people reblogging with squealing commentary? Do you prefer if people just quietly reblog? Do you appreciate someone taking the time to comment? Because I'm coming at this from my personal experience and POV.

If it's like...annoying to people or worse, comes across as disrespectful of their work, please let me know so that I can correct myself.

Because I see a lot of people just reblog with nothing. I don't know if it's just their passive way of interacting, they cannot be arsed or they are trying to be respectful of artists wants/needs. And I'm not NGL i am not checking people's tumblrs when I come across their shiny artwork to see if they have specific rules or wishes when it comes to their art being reblogged. Obviously, you generally only see the don't be an asshole and repost my shit without credit provision

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

personally I think it’s a shame how fandoms “died” too soon these days. I’m not talking in literal sense and I know there are people who stay passionate about their fandoms long after the hype is gone. I’m talking about the “popularity” and how people in general engage with a piece of media they like and how fast they let the hype die down? I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but what I’m trying to say is a fanfic or a fan art of a show that is recently released will get tons of likes, comments, reblogs which is great. but the engagement for fan made content about that same show usually drops drastically — and I mean drastically — once the show is no longer “recent”. and I’m not even talking about when the show is several years old. because you can see the significant drop of engagement a fanfic or fan art about that show receives once the show is like a month old or two. it’s discouraging how most people tend to lose interest and stop engaging with fanfic / fan art once its source material is no longer “new and shiny”.

especially when writing fanfics and creating fan art take time. writers and artists often receive less engagement / appreciation for their works if they take “too long” to create and the source material is no longer “new and shiny” and so people move on to something else that’s new and shiny. it’s heartbreaking to see.

obviously this is in no way to manipulate or guilt trip people into engaging with anything. because yeah you can do whatever you want. this isn’t to force, manipulate or guilt trip anyone into liking or reblogging a fan work or anything. this is just me hoping people will one day take things slower and enjoy things they’re passionate about longer like how we used to in the past.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Guys PLEAAAASSSSEEEEEEEE stop using AI for fanart. I know so many amazing people who literally spend HOURS creating art. HOURS. And they do it for free, or for very little. To use AI for fanart so incredibly insulting to them.

Want art? Find something that's created and boost their work by reblogging!

Better yet, commission an artist! So many of these people are using commissions to pay for rent, or other bills, or fucking top surgery. Don't take that from them.

Stop using fucking AI.

[tekkiperson]

Hello rottmnt fandom please accept me

[suzypfonne]

All of this is very important, but I'd also like to put some of the onus back on the author. Please allow me to explain.

"Triggers" are real psychological phenomena. It's a word that's been co-opted to stand for a thing I really don't like, but psychologically speaking, a trigger is directly related to a trauma, emotional or physical, and can cause actual harm to a person. The severity of harm varies from experience-to-experience, person-to-person. What makes one person uncomfortable could cause a dangerous spiral in another. Authors should warn about possible triggers and upsetting content to avoid harm to their consumers.

"I, an author, shouldn't be responsible for someone else's issues!" Okay. Sure, to an extent. How about a comparison that might be easier to understand?

Say a person has a food allergy. Allergic reactions can range from mildly annoying to life threatening. The person with the allergy is ultimately responsible for avoiding the food they're allergic to. Do you know what helps them do that safely? Ingredients lists and allergen warnings. Information helps people with food allergies avoid the things that could cause them harm. Does providing this information cheapen the experience for people without allergies? No. Does it make eating less enjoyable for others? No. Does it benefit one group while remaining completely benign to other groups? Yes.

So yes, people with trauma are ultimately responsible for avoiding upsetting content and triggers, and what triggers one person may not bother another, but that doesn't mean the first person wasn't harmed by the exposure. Labeling your art and fics with content and trigger warnings will help people avoid possible harm (both minor and major).

Afraid your fic will be spoiled by providing a warning? Perhaps we could start a new tag? I'll suggest #contains nuts for that very case. This tag would prompt a reader to contact the author or be redirected to a less visible section, like the end-of-chapter notes, where the full list of CW/TW is available for those who need it. Authors should accept advice from readers about what should be labeled (kink-tomato) and understand it's not a moral judgement, it's looking out for one another. Thank you for being kind.

Please return us to a world where Notp and squick are used for a ship you don’t like instead of just making up a load of bullshit about how immoral it is or w/e lol 

[m00neroni]

unpopular opinion but no fan artist or fan writer should have to "apologise" for their absence or "delay" in updates; and nobody should ask them for explanations if they simply stop publishing their content one random morning. for whatever reason

[laur-the-cat-prince]

how Etiquette ☔️

[preciousprongs]

why is half of fandom culture rn just hate. like everyone’s either talking shit about each other or posting content promoting hate for hc. i’m so sick of the only marauders content im seeing be “what ur least favorite ship” or “what a hc you really hate” or the worst one of all “what a popular fic you really hate”. i’m actually so lost on when we started to allow this to be acceptable fandom etiquette. you guys do realize fanfic is free right? meaning none of these authors owe you anything. the best way i’ve seen it put is “this is content that is shared with you not made for you” by messrsrobyn on tiktok. meaning take a step back remember that this is supposed to be for fun, and sharing opinions and promoting hate are 2 very different things.

[blanc-ci]

Woaw what’s going onnnn

Inappropriate workplace relationship smh

[midbam]

"But the lock has always been bolted, and Buck resigned himself to the fact that he’s not an indoors creature—places like hearts and homes have never been meant for him."

- i love you like a dog on ao3

@shitouttabuck .... soo I might have read the 'I love you like a dog' series and become a lil obsessed with the whole thing. I never usually draw fanart, much less post it but I just couldn't help myself. So I hope this isn't weird and maybe you enjoy it. I just felt I had to let you know how very lovely I think your writing is <3

[tiredfinch]

I think they should teach Fandom Etiquette Courses in schools by legal mandate because I want people to stop being fucking mean to each other.

[valverii]

hi guys, happy holidays, i wish u a very merry skkmas and a happy new year 🤞🤞

[kranberry1006]

I drew Turtle Casey from Cass Apocalyptic Series by @somerandomdudelmao

Raphs Outfit Mikey

I might make another in the Raph outfit but I just watched Mutant Mayhem so it might have to wait until after I draw mutant mayhem.

I finished the Raph one and now that I've read the latest CAS update I plan on doing the mikey one next

finished mikeys, this is it unless Cass makes a Leo outfit

[avephelis]

if you like silly gay people in love read @phantom-does-a-thing's They Ain't Casing Out Weddings the clothing descriptions have me in a chokehold

[cheatingtime]

you wanna know how i got this scar... ?

The Dark Knight: Bully Edition (by @fear3loathing)