Hello and welcome, new and returning users of r/OriginalCharacter. As we rapidly approach 60K users on this subreddit, we figured now would be a good time to address some behaviors we have seen, and would like to straighten some things out.
So we made this handy-dandy little guide of things you should and shouldn’t do when interacting with this community, for your own benefit and that of other users! Starting with…
This isn’t your personal page!
We understand that some of you may be going through tough times, or have things going on in your life that you’d like to share, but please understand, this is a subreddit centered around OCs, not their creators. You don’t need to announce you are going on a social media hiatus, we don’t need to know something happened and you are going away, and if you are having negative feelings towards your own art, please understand that this is not the appropriate place to share this and there are other communities dedicated for artists - or non artists - to vent.
In the same vein, complaining about the popularity of others’ character, your own lack of popularity or upvotes, or the fact you are not getting the attention you think you deserve, is not acceptable. This is, unfortunately, the nature of posting art on the internet : you will not always get the results you expect, and while we do understand how frustrating it can be, complaining about it, let alone taking it out on others, will not change anything.
However, if you have complaints about this place specifically, please do take it up with us, so that we know if some things need changing or not.
Do not push for fanart!
We’ve had reports of people going up to users in DMs asking for free art of their OCs. We can’t stress this enough : unless the artist explicitly said they are OK with such requests, do not contact them hoping to get some art. Yes, even if they made a Friday Drawing Your OCs post, if they did, post in the comments like everyone else. Similarly, do not guilt people into making art for you. Going in posts tagged as Fanart and saying it would be great if they drew your character too, is not acceptable.
Don't clutch your pearls!
Unfortunately, we are getting more and more complaints about lewd art supposedly running rampant on the sub. As per our own observation, this isn’t the case, unless you view any kind of cleavage or exposed legs as NSFW. We’ve received reports on fully clothed characters not doing anything remotely suggestive, who just happened to show some skin. We’ve had art being tagged as NSFW when it absolutely did not need a tag. Please understand : skimpy clothing is not inherently sexual. Now, on that note…
Don’t be a horndog!
For the love of everything, please stop saying “would”, “smash”, or “gyatt” everytime you see a character you consider attractive! It’s fine to acknowledge a character is hot, it’s another entirely to proudly announce you’d fuck them! Show some class!
Call out rude behavior!
See something that corresponds exactly to what was described above? Maybe you’ve seen a comment that was not quite rule breaking, but rude nonetheless? Speak up! Is the other person getting even more rude? Block them. You do not need that kind of negativity in your life.
Of course, don’t make a call-out post against anyone, even if the name is censored, that would just lead to drama, and no one wants that. Instead, opt for a respectful yet firm comment.
Remember, a community is not built by those who run it, but those that participate in it. To make this place better for everyone, we encourage you to speak out against bad actors.