To paraphrase ...

[veronica_rich]

... the erstwhile fabu, if you want me to look at your art and comment, or read your story, it helps not to just throw in random character-bashing in the product description. While I realize a great deal of fanfic apparently can't exist without the crushing defeat, emasculation, or villainizing of a non-villain character I like, I was not aware visual arts that don't even feature the character in question could fall under the same guidelines. When you draw a perfectly cute little scene that I would otherwise happily comment upon and feel the need to note that it's celebrating getting rid of said character (when such information is really not germane to the drawing), you can expect no comment from me. :-D

Oh, sure, it's your art, and you can say what you want in your own journal. Just don't expect as much feedback as you might've gotten otherwise, especially if you're going to crosspost to general communities where everyone may not appreciate your bon mot as much as your pairing-specific friends do. I know too many artists who don't resort to throwing in random desultory comments when presenting their work, and they're more deserving of praise.

Comments

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Really sad, because the art without the note would have been super-cute, but the author's note made it completely OOC. :-(

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I know. I was ready to comment positively when I opened it. But since I can't bring myself to bitch at someone about their fic or artwork, I just didn't put anything. I think it's fair to warn a reader about something in a story (not "I hate Elizabeth, whee!" but "things do not end happily for one of our characters" or some such), but I don't consider notes that really have nothing to do with the artwork or story as part of that art.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well, scratch that, I DID reply to someone who replied to a tease of mine. Let's hope someone who doesn't bash in the name of a pairing (like you) comes along to point out I'm wrong.

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Not like it matters if I do; people who want to make that generalization will make it anyway, regardless of any and all evidence to the contrary--and regardless of the fact that your comment was more or less sarcastic.

*is bitter*

I really shouldn't care what people think, but I'm so, so sick and tired of hitting my head against the brick wall of that stereotype. I'm also sick and tired of the character bashing. It's like...assholes everywhere I turn, you know? I really need to learn how to pretend they don't exist, and maybe they will go away. The Jack Sparrow approach to dealing with fandom...

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry about it. People who know you know what you are and the rest don't matter so much. It seems I am like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills that won't fall over no matter how much of a beating I give them, and those are the ones that don't care anyway. So we're each trapped in our own little prison because we care too much. :-)

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Someday, I will learn to pick my battles?

And that you can't fight stupid with, well, anything. Although fire might work.