Okay so it seems like almost every time I post an image asking for people not to leave creepy comments, I get someone asking "what is a creepy comment?", or just leaving one anyway. I seriously feel concerned that people even need to be told not to do some of this, much less that they don't even comprehend what "creepy" is. So, I'm going to do my best to explain how not to be a creep OR rude in the comments section of my (or any) pictures, all at once. It seems an appropriate time since I'll be posting a pic with one of my characters in it soon.
A good rule of thumb would be to not type anything in a comment you would not say aloud in the presence of the artist, your friends, and random strangers (in other words, the people who will be reading your comment). It also helps to stop a moment and ask yourself "does this comment relate to the picture or would it be better as a private message?"
Below are some specific examples of what NOT to say in the comments of my, or honestly anyone's, art if you care at all about seeming creepy and/or rude.
Creepy:
- "I want to fuck [character]!" HOW is this ever acceptable? Do I really need to explain this? I can sort of understand when it's an explicit picture, but it goes from weird to extremely creepy the closer the image is to safe. It's also against most site's rules to leave comments that are above the rating of an image.
- "*Sniffs and nuzzles the messy diaper* (or any RP post as the comment)" The comments are never an appropriate place for this, I know some artists are okay with it but at least ask first. Especially if you don't know the artist (or their character's) sexual preferences and kinks.
- "I wonder what would happen if [character in the pic] met my character?" Considering I generally don't know the people who leave these comments, who knows? What are you expecting to get out of this question exactly? I especially love when it's a picture of Stilken because the answer would likely be she's tell them to "get the %$&@ away from me".
Rude:
- "I wish I was in their place." or "I want to see myself (or my character) like this!" I understand most people mean this as a compliment, but it just really makes it sound like you only care about art involving yourself/your character. It's especially unacceptable on commissioned work, where somebody PAID to be drawn in that situation. You're basically saying "I know you paid for this but I'd prefer if it was my character instead". It's disrespectful to both artist and commissioner.
- "I like this, except for [character in the picture]." Again, this is especially disrespectful on a commission, because you're pretty much insulting someone's character on a picture they paid to have drawn. I've been guilty of this in the past with poorly designed pony OCs, but honestly it's just inappropriate. If you really hate that OC design so much, just shut the hell up and move on to another picture you might like better.
- "Could you draw a request for me?" First off, anyone who asks me this clearly didn't even take the time to glance at my profile where I clearly state I don't do requests, nor has the common sense to realize most artists who take commissions don't do free requests. That would be like selling apples and then also giving them away for free to anyone who asks for one. Second, the comments section of a picture is never the correct place to ask for a request, even if the artist takes them. That's what private messages are for.
- "Hey, this reminds me of this pic/story I made (generally with a link). I get it, you want some free views on your art and you think it's clever to offhandedly bring it up on other, more popular artist's work. The thing is, it's not clever, it's hamfisted and sleazy. If you want more views on your art, do some requests, giveaways, or draw more interesting things. If you still aren't getting popular, work on your actual skill and style. If you have more established friends on the site, politely ask them to pimp your page in a journal. Everyone has to struggle to get noticed at first, being annoying isn't a good way to do it.
- "Ew gross why would you draw this?" Use filters. There's simply no excuse for this on Inkbunny or any other site with filters (sorry FA, you still suck). It's actually breaking a rule on Inkbunny as well.
- "Hey, how's my request (or commission) coming?" I honestly hate being pestered about updates when I'm working on a picture, it makes me feel rushed and makes me take longer because I lose the motivation to work on it. That said, commenting about it on someone else's commission or even a personal picture is a thousand times worse. Ask in a private message, or better yet just be patient and give the artist time to work. If you honestly think you've been forgotten or something, be polite about it at the very least.
- "Are you going to draw more of [fetish]?" and "Will this comic continue?" This is even worse than asking about commissions because generally, it's about a comic series or picture/fetish I did for money and whether it continues isn't even up to me. For my personal projects, I don't keep a schedule but if anything was cancelled or dropped entirely I would inform people. If there's no recent progress, there's likely a journal talking about why, so go read that.
That's about all I can think of off the top of my head, if anyone has anything else comment below and I may add it to my list!
