i dont really know you, and i dont know if/when youll see this message, but i wanted to share my own perspective as you decide what to do next.
i dont think ccs have the right to dictate what fanartists create. they just dont. pyro has every right to decide what he he wants to see and block tags/curate his online space accordingly, but fanartists dont make things *for them* - theyre for us.
i know this fandom goes on about respecting cc boundaries, but dictating what others do isnt a boundary. a boundary is a response to a behavior - blocking tags and blogs you dont want to see. you dont get to come into someones lawn and demand you take down your lawn ornaments. this fandom simply isnt a space that is meant to cater to ccs.
obviously you can have your own opinion, but you seemed to be struggling with losing the months you put into your work, and i wanted you to know that i really dont think you have to do that. your space is your own, and your work does not belong to any cc.
Hi, anon. I was planning on talking about this in detail a little later, and I probably will, but I'll say something now too.
I know some artists in the fandom prefer to think of anything they draw that includes the content creators' characters as a gift to them. Or at least as something the content creators can see and have an opinion/reaction to. That is, artists try to only draw things that will please the content creators. Make them happy. Will fit with the character's canon. Etc. And I think this way of being an artist in the MCYT fandom is valid.
But it's also not my way.
I don't see my art as gifts to the content creators (unless I specifically tag them or say it's a gift). I create content for fans as a fan, and I primarily expect my followers to react to my drawings, not the content creator whose character I drew. A CC can like or comment on my work; approval is always very nice, but ultimately I don't expect it or want it.
Sometimes I'll even deslike it if a CC notices and interacts with my work. And not because I drew something "evil" or boundary-breaking, but simply because it embarrasses me. Yes, I get embarrassed when CCs see my shipping content, even if it doesn't violate any boundaries. And I'd prefer it if they only interacted with my regular G rated art, for that matter. And I think being this type of artist in the MCYT fandom is also valid.
Moving on to the topic of Pyroscythe's changed boundaries specifically... I won't open this can of worms now about what actually means setting boundaries and what is an attempt to police the fandom. I don't want to get into that right now, I don't think I have anything new to bring to the table in this conversation, and I'd rather focus on the topic of art.
So, what upsets me most is the fact that the value of my work has dropped in the eyes of others.
No one will share my Pyro characters shipping art anymore, and I myself (I assume and feel pressured to do so) am expected to act as if my shipping art never existed. I'm not supposed to ever talk about it or be openly proud of it anymore. And it hurts, because it took months of my time to create. And now I'm literally forbidden to be proud of my work. And I repeat, it hurts. Because I value my art very highly. I love drawing so much, and I consider myself a very capable artist who deserves praise. And no, I don't think my ego is more important than Pyroscythe's and Maddie's feelings about shipping and how they're uncomfortable w it right now. If you're reading my words that way, then I don't know. You clearly have no empathy for the artists in the fandom.
I'm just trying to say what pains me the most, and I think I have every right to do so. I want to be proud of my work, but that right has been ripped out of my hands, and I feel robbed of a certain freedom, shackled by expectations. It's hard, it's sad.
And it's doubly sad that no fanartists seem to talk about this feeling at all. I wonder if I'm alone in this...
Okay, I'll wrap this up here, since this post is already so long. Thanks for the ask, Anon!
I hope my answer has been detailed enough so far :)
