So I was talking to Freakachris ([link] ... yeah, I can't do the nifty little icon link thingie) this weekend regarding the flack that some of the lovely ladies producing female OC TMNT artwork has been receiving lately. Never ceases to amaze me how far people will go out of their way to harass people who aren't hurting anyone, just to make themselves feel good. Freaky-poo agreed, and we traded horror stories. God, it all reminds me of high school. And middle school. And primary school. Yea, I was never a very bright child, and I never DID fit in. Went through a LOT of torment. Probably why I hate to see people get picked on.

Thusly, I would like to propose the following thought for people who regularly flame other people's work, be it fan art or fiction, or what have you. If you don't like what you see, then just quietly move along please. I'm not talking about neglecting to provide some helpful critiquing regarding technique that the artist/writer might find useful, I mean picking juvenile fights over subject matter. This is not helpful to anyone. All you're accomplishing by picking fights with artists/authors is proving that you're an ass. You're trying to hurt someone who isn't doing anything to intentionally harm you, which is very, very cruel, and this should not make you feel better or superior to anyone else. Also, some of us might LIKE this writer/artist's work, and discouraging them from continuing and that might make us angry... Some of us might already be PMSing and don't need any encouragement to start flaming your work in return. It's a cruel vicious cycle. This argument might fall on deaf ears, but heck, it's worth a try.

People, keep doing what you love, regardless of what petty peons might think or say. Don't limit yourselves. There are a lot of mean people in the world who will try to do that for you, there's no reason to add yourselves to your list of enemies. Also, I like and respect your work and don't want to see it stop. ^_~ Have fun and do your thing.