Some points to remember as an artist who is getting harassed over content:
The Harasser probably isn’t an artist, otherwise they would just make the content they wanted to see, and would understand art and artists enough to know that content controlling is bullshit.
The button that silences this person has more power than this person will ever have. Use it. Blocking people who upset or offend you is A-okay. And the only way you can see them getting their diapers in a twist is if you go looking, which is on you. You control what you see and do, no one else.
These people wouldn’t do this in person, so remember they’re cowards behind a computer thinking they can just get what they want. They can’t. They’re not allowed.
You worked years for what you have. Have it.
I’ve been doing it and i have like, 0 hate on my inbox :>
I came from the days that blocking meant you were a whiny idiot who can’t “take criticism” so its nice to see this. There’s nothing wrong with cleaning the junky people out of your life.
You are free to disagree with me, but arguing is not – my consulting rates are $125/hour, 2 hour minimum, cash only, payment due up front. See my assistant for an appointment.
“I’m a troll, but I come equipped with good grammar and flattery.”
“I think art is a holy and sacred institution governed by peens.”
“I have probably never opened an art history textbook.”
“When male artists draw hot naked babes, they don’t call the naked babes unhealthy crushes. They call them inspiration. And a lifetime of naked babe indulging is called an oeuvre.”
“Once you stop with this whole being a girl nonsense, you can become a real artist.”
"This is 17th century Massachusetts, and the village elders decree that masturbation is a sin, and Eliza should be set in the pillory with her ears nailed until the next Sabbath.”
Gosh, you don’t even have to worry about what bills I pay. All you see is my hobby. Isn’t that nice of me?
You know what. No. I have more to say.
This pisses me off. The implication that 45 is too old for a woman to have fun is fucking bullshit.
JJ fucking Abrams is 50, and he’s a fanboy. He’s making AUs, and he’s doing the exact same thing as any fangirl is doing only with a much bigger budget. There are plenty of dudes just like him, too. Comic book artists, writers, directors—all men, all older than me, (I’m 35 by the way, not 45) who are no different. The only difference is that their work is called work and not “being a fangirl.” Their work is respected. Even though fangirl is exactly what they are.
So fuck your jealousy, fuck your misogyny, and most of all fuck you for presuming to know a goddamn thing about my life and what kind of hard work I’ve had to do—not just to draw this well (read: better than you) but to allow myself to be happy about it when the whole entire world has decided I’m not allowed to be. Fuck you for every girl you ever made feel foolish or pathetic for not sacrificing every bit of herself to you.
THIS
You can’t hear it, but I’m clapping for you right now. This. All of this. It’s absolutely perfect. Go you. Fuck them.
Plus, dude, the Renaissance Era is full-on people being forbidden to draw/sculpt/write anything else than Greek and Roman Mythology(/fairy tales) Fanart (or Christian stuff). At the end of it there were debate over debate about “The Ancient and the Modern” as in : the Ancient had come up with the only possible creative stuff, now poor ol’ us cannot do anything better and don’t you dare be original. Tell any French person that Jean de la Fontaine was pathetic because he wrote fanpoems of Aesop and they’ll laugh in your face. The man managed to full on criticize the King who created Absolute Monarchy through poems that are still learned by every person in the country nowadays. Or say that about
Michelangelo or Botticelli. Most of these artists had fun and many loved Greek Mythology. The idea that everything “has” to be original stems more from a reaction to that time period than to an objective Reality.
Yes but EVERYONE YOU MENTIONED IS A MAN.
Michelangelo, Fontaine, Botticelli. Da Vinci, whoever else. Painters, sculptors, writers.
Whenever people use the argument “Renaissance art is just fanart of the Bible or Greek myth” or whatever else, they’re forgetting that all of that stuff was made by men. The reason it’s legitimate and the reason we hang it in museums and remember it isn’t because it’s fanart of the Bible—it’s because men did it.
The second men don’t do it, it stops being legitimate. Of course Renaissance art is fanart. OF COURSE IT IS.
I know fangirls who could out-scholar a room full of Shakespeare professors. I know fangirls who are the greatest writers, the greatest artists, the greatest talents you’ve ever seen. The most passionate, brilliant ladies speaking more passionately and giving more of their time to the things they love than any man. But because they’re fangirls—the operative word being girls—everyone is waiting around for them to grow up and stop this foolishness.
And what a huge loss. What a huge fucking loss.
The absolute best part is that, even if you caved into their stupid demands, they’d still complain, “Why aren’t you doing fan art any more? no one wants to see your original characters!” and other bullshit.
There’s no appeasing these fucking fools who sit and try to dictate how you should live your life, because it’s not that they are upset you are doing something, they are upset you are a WOMAN doing something.
You are 100% right, the reason that when I was in grade school classes talked about art and poems and stuff of people from long ago is because they were made by men and they are considered valid. The reason that women throughout time have sat down and used a pseudonym on their work is so that people would think they were men, so that their work would be taken seriously.
It’s all a stupid world, a world built by old white men who are afraid of people doing what they want, doing what they like, having fun, because they don’t understand it, because they are sexist or homophobic or whatever, they are afraid; They have power as long as you bend to their will and don’t do what you want, don’t enjoy your life, so screw them, scare them, do what you want and have fun doing it!
When I tell people to delete anon hate, to not publish it, it’s not me saying “ignore it and it’ll stop; don’t fight back.” It is 100% petty and spiteful. Honestly, I can’t think of anything better than the person who sent the hate obsessively checking your blog and refreshing and refreshing, waiting for you to reply, and getting increasingly frustrated when the ask they so masterfully crafted never pops up & you just keep posting cute pictures of your pets and talking about how nice your day was.
I love you guys, too! You make my day on a daily basis *u* This is a social media platform after all, it’s all about making those connections w/ your followers and the ppl who you follow, even making some closer friends out of mutuals.
You actually already hit upon the main parts of running a great fandom blog, to quote you directly: “it’s not just about dedication and chasing off haters (which are super important) but like the mechanics of it (organizing posts, engaging followers, keep people interested).” And of course it’s about “being so kind and welcoming with all your followers!”
The main thing is to Make the blog you would want to see, and build social connections w/ other bloggers. You’re not posting into a void, this is a very public forum; ppl are more likely to engage w/ your content if you engage w/ them and/or their content, too. Some will just follow you for your content, some ppl are also looking for that *~meeting of the minds~*. I think that’s what ppl get from my blog, that their opinions are validated, or that they like to consider and possibly absorb whatever ideas I share here.
–It’s Not About Your Follower Count.– Mine fluctuates, I lose some and gain some
almost daily. It’s not like you’re going to get an award for it at the end of the year! If all you want are followers, then you’d have to ask a much more popular blog for pointers on that. If I gave just one person #feels through smtg I shared here, that’s reward enough for me. I think of it in terms of “What would have made my 15 yo self happy?” Bc she couldn’t find the fandom! My 15 yo self is always very thirsty for the content and the interactions of fandom >;} And I think that passion translates through and that’s why ppl choose to follow this blog.
I do have some pointers and they fit in well w/ what you wrote, I just rearranged the order a bit ;]
Make the blog you would want to see. Obviously! Don’t post stuff just bc you think ppl will like it, post what -YOU- like. Your passion for your topics will come through; that’s what ppl follow.
Add your commentary on reblogs respectfully. If you want to praise fanart, go for it, but realize that the fanartist might see it, especially if they posted it originally. I really enjoy reading other ppl’s commentary on all my posts, even when I disagree with it. Sometimes the commentary improves the post so I’ll reblog it, which promotes that other blogger, and that’s almost always appreciated. You can also message them directly and tell them you liked their opinion, strike up a conversation about it. You might make your new friend who’s always up for talking w/ you about X topic ;]
If you’re iffy on whether your commentary should be added, put it in the tags. I put lots of commentary in there and when ppl copy and paste it and reblog it to make it visible bc they liked it so much, it gives me such feels! I also read other ppl’s tags and it’s pretty hilarious when ppl write out their hyperbolic reactions like “WHY WOULD U DO THIS??” “MY HEART” and even the fake-mad stuff like “DELETE THIS” and I love that stuff.
Relatable stuff: So my blog is a fandom blog, and half the work is done for me w/ the characters and stories being relatable to ppl who love the them already. So if I can make posts that just exemplify those things, ppl who already relate to the material will relate to the posts. Like this one of Louis smashing his own reflection in the mirror. Ppl identify with him doing that, and by adding that textpost I’m underscoring his feelings of self-hatred. Ppl also sometimes have that same feeling when passing a mirror so it’s relatable.
TAG E-V-E-R-Y-THANG. Try to tag every character that’s in the post, whether shown in fanart or mentioned in the topic. Bc ppl track tags and then your post will end up in their dash, even if they don’t follow you.
So for example, that Louis gif is tagged: #twerkingdead (for the OP of that textpost) #textmeme (type of meme) #memeything (my word for my own memes bc they’re didn’t seem to fit the definition of a meme when I started doing them) #mirror abuse (so I can find this one or similar ones easily) #Louis de Pointe du Lac (for ppl looking for stuff about him) #iwtv #interview with the vampire (for the movie and book, which ppl track) #gif (in case smne just wants to look at all my gifs, or they want to block gifs w/ Tumblr Savior).
Mechanics of it (organizing posts, engaging followers, keep people interested)-
Variety: I post a variety of types of posts: fanart, fanmixes, fanfic, fanvids, music, commentary, news (old articles and new), other related fandom material, headcanons, RP, non-fandom things that are too good to pass up, non-fandom things that I can somehow lasso into being fandom things (#How to make a post a VC post), the occasional shitpost, cats (well I can’t help that c’mon), aesthetic sets… I tend to queue the things I’m not as passionate about bc as long as it ends up in my collection eventually that’s fine.
Brass tacks: Keep your theme clean.Make it easy for ppl to find your “Next page,” “Like,” and “Reblog” buttons. Make the text easy to read. I’m in the process of revising my layout bc it needs a facelift/makeover like, yesterday, but I’m patient, slow and steady wins the race ;]
Nav page/Tag list: I gotta do this, too. But it will make it easier for your followers to find the specifics of what they’re looking for on your blog, and then send you an Ask if they want more.
FAQ: I gotta do this, too. Bc first-time visitors to your page may not be aware you’ve answered smtg already. Though, on some topics, my opinion changed over time, so it’s kind of refreshing to reconsider the same question, especially if it’s phrased a little differently.
Post your own original content. Even if you can’t do graphics, you can write your thoughts, it might inspire fanartists.
“Shitposting”: So I try not to do this, bc I don’t want to be that offensive, but I get it, it’s just being silly. If that’s your thing, go for it! They sometimes make for good text posts for me to use in memeythings, admittedly. I’ve seen whole blogs of just shitposting and it can be really funny!
Comments on reblogs: Did smtg on your dash make you think of smtg related to your blog’s topics? Happens for me often. You can reblog that cool quote you found w/ your own commentary and ppl may jump on it.
Reblog immediately: fresh fanart, stuff that you know is news related to your topics. Fanartists who post original content love getting a bump!
Queue for later: older fanworks, things that are not time-sensitive, so that when you’re away from your blog, the content will still come out. Plus, it will be in the dash for ppl in a different time-zone than you. I have about 100 posts in my queue at any given time.
Moderation? Yes and no: So I have a personal post limit, I try not to post more than 10/day, bc I am really discerning about the fanworks and other stuff I post, and I also don’t want to spam ppl’s dash. HOWEVER, I have seen other blogs rise to huge success by posting up to their limit on a daily basis. So that’s up to you, but I feel like being more selective has given my blog a more curated feel.
Post respectfully: I know I mentioned it before but consider who might see your blog. Put spoilers under cuts when possible. If you have fiery criticism, that’s fine! But try to frame it respectfully, because the creator of the media you’re criticizing might see it and you wouldn’t want your blog shut down over one fiery post, right?
Being kind and welcoming with all your followers!-
Be the blogger you would want to interact with. Part of why I’m so open and responsive is that there were ppl I had fandom crushes on and the ones who were responsive to me made me so happy! Senpai noticed me *u* I still get that feeling from some fandom ppl. They know who they are.
Make friends with other ppl who blog about your topics. You can find them in the tags you follow.
Answer ppl who message you privately. They may be too shy to want to interact publicly. That’s fine.
Answer all your Asks. Be sincere with your answers. I’m behind on them, admittedly! But ppl have come to expect that it takes me awhile to percolate on some answers and it’s always worth the wait ;D Support your answers with reasons.
If you’re not getting Asks, post Askmemes. Here’s one site I found with them @fyeahaskmemes. Or you can invent your own, like, “Send me a character and I’ll tell you the first song that comes to mind about them.”
Add graphics like gifs or fanart to your answers whenever possible, we are visual creatures! Try to include the source for your graphics. If they are a common gif reaction you’ve seen floating around, that’s not as necessary, but ppl put time and effort into making fanart, so linking back is advertisement back to the artist. Its respectful to do but they might also be really flattered that you used their art to illustrate your answer ;] If they ask you to take it down, do it as soon as possible.
If you don’t know the answers, toss it out for your followers to answer and/or tag ppl you think might know. It’s so flattering when ppl do that w/ me!
*~Ask Karma~* Send Asks to other ppl! They will probably return the favor. And your followers will enjoy watching the conversation.
Reblog and contribute to someone else’s Ask response. Although some RPers prefer that you don’t do that bc that may be a muse/muse thing. Can you add anything to the discussion? Even a funny gif might be adding alot!
A couple of Don’ts: It’s your blog and you can do whatever you like, but just from my experience, these are things that tend to be divisive rather than inclusive.
Don’t brag about your follower count. I get it, when I got to certain numbers I was pretty damned surprised that so many ppl wanted to follow me, how could there be ppl who even cared about my opinion in this fandom? When you reach your first few hundred, it feels really gratifying, so I wouldn’t stop anyone from being proud of that, butI have found, from watching interactions here for the past few years, that posting your follower count breeds jealousy among other bloggers, which can lead to drama and/or invite anonhate.
Don’t do too many Follow Forevers, if you feel the need to do any. Try not to post things that portray you as very cliquey/exclusive, unless that’s what you want to express. I have seen too many ppl post Follow Forevers, and those that were left out may have felt, well, LEFT OUT, and it engendered some off-site animosity and gossip. If you want to give a shoutout to a specific blog, do it as its own post, or send that person an Ask praising them, they will be very flattered 😉
Don’t repost art w/o source links. Do the google Reverse Image search and include the source link. If you’ve done that and found nothing (or a ton of pinterest/weheartit/etc. links), add in the tags smtg like, “Source unknown- if you know the source plz tell me and I will add it”. Speaking of which, I don’t know the source of the bunny pic above, if anyone knows it, plz tell me and I will add it! Generally, with ubiquitous memes like that, the source is unknown, so I usually don’t mention it in the tags.
Don’t take your fandom blog too seriously/personally. Even if you get anonhate (YOU WILL, everyone does eventually), or ppl write to you disagreeing w/ you (THEY WILL, everyone does eventually), be calm, collect your thoughts. Remember the old “sticks and stones”? Words can never hurt you. If you realize you posted smtg that you may regret, delete that post. It’s not a sign of failure or weakness to retract a statement rather than go deeper into a dialogue you may not be informed on enough to continue.
Chasing off haters-
Best way to chase off haters is to expose how silly and trolly they are by giving them the most minimal response possible. While it might not have been hate per se, smne sent me an anon that “vampires are stupid” and rather than argue the point, I just plopped in this gif of Lestat (by @gifsfortc) reacting [X]. A picture is worth a thousand words and I think what makes it even funnier is that it’s a gif, so he could be sobbing or being more emotional, but his expression is just a kind of pity!
You are not obligated to respond to hate, I give you full permission to just delete it.Isn’t it actually kind of better when you know they are constantly refreshing your page, hoping for a reaction that never comes?!
Hope all that helps! I’ve left out alot of normal etiquette for topics like social justice (bc that’s more along the lines of life advice than a fandom-specific blog), and left out specifics about blogging to my own fandom so that it can apply to any. I might do a followup post about engaging ppl in this fandom specifically.
As always, anyone is free to reblog and add their own ideas 😉
I was talking w/ @takemetocoffin-or-losemeforever about this scene from Far and Away (1992), another fave movie of mine (and they pulled this gif for me!). Joseph Donnelly (Cruise), similarly to Lestat, has 2 older brothers that we hardly get any information about except their antagonization of him, and a father who we only see as an invalid, IIRC. Look at the bro on the left, just waiting for the cue to start throwing punches. Like Lestat, Joseph runs away to a more promising land (‘MURICA) and deals w/ a whole bunch of awful reality there, too, but it all has a happy ending bc PERSERVERANCE. There is probably a lot more of a comparison to be made but I’ll leave it at that for now.
I love this line especially bc rather than engage w/ their taunting that he’s such a fuckup, he makes a suggestion to improve them well it’s throwing the poor innocent goat under the bus but oh well. Such a positive influence!
Bullies are everywhere, even in our own families, and you don’t have to engage w/ it. Be original! Come up with a better response to it! Try not to suggest bestiality, though. That’s not nice.
I-want-my-IWTV 