Creepypasta Fandom Problems

Oh man, I’ve noticed so many problems in the Creepypasta fandom, so I’m going to outline everything (that I can) here. I used to have a short(ish) video for it, but I had to take it down for reasons that I will not discuss. If you ask, you are going to be ignored unless you are someone on here I trust. (That list is very, very short.) If you’re going to comment on this, for the love of everything, read the whole journal first, otherwise you just look stupid, especially when what you say is false/a misunderstanding of what I wrote/stupid/etc.

I’ll warn you now, this is very long.

The biggest problem I find in this fandom is a huge lack of respect. You’re going to see this show up, because it pops up everywhere.

The first thing I'm going to say is people have really, really forgotten what this fandom is supposed to be. It's become a cute thing with too much shipping and sexual content. It's fine and all to make something funny, like say, a story or comic, but for the most part, keep it horror. Really, it's such a small percentage of the fandom who seem to remember this and it's getting on the nerves of a lot of big artists in this fandom.

There’s a lot of disrespect for those artists who created a popular character. I would say the best example of this is Kastoway who made the character Ticci Toby. When someone makes a character, and it gets popular in the fandom, fans seem to forget that someone actually put time and effort into creating this character, and that the creator is only human. It’s people who abuse and misuse Toby that drove him out, along with a few other factors, such as the immaturity and disrespectful nature that most of this fandom seems to have. Kastoway had three very simple requests if you wanted to use his character, they really aren’t that much.

1) Credit him.

2) Keep Toby canonically shipped with Clockwork, don’t ship with anyone else.

3) Nothing sexual.

Four if you count using his correct personality and not making him act like a child. (Actually, that’s a big thing with any character, because it’s like ignoring how a person actually is and claiming they’re vastly different from their true being. I don’t really know how to explain it, but destroying/disregarding a character’s personality, with any character, is highly disrespectful and annoying.) Kastoway really isn’t asking that much of you. He could ban people from ever using his character, but he doesn’t. So I’d say you guys have enough freedom as it is. The requests are reasonable, and if you think they aren’t, you may want to reevaluate your life. It’s like the Nightvale and Homestuck rules, seriously. Respect them.

The only one people seemed to respect most of the time was crediting him. Now, I understand that this is the internet and every 12.9 year old likes those stories, comics, drawings or Role-Plays that are sexual in nature, but a) that goes against DeviantART rules and regulations and b) if the creator of a character has asked you not to, is it really that difficult to not post it?? Don’t believe me that they break the rules? Look for yourself.

FAQ #3: Are there restrictions to comments?

FAQ #13: Does a Mature Content tag make it safe for me to submit whatever I want?

FAQ #60: Do you allow "Adult," explicit sexual or pornographic content on DeviantArt? How about linking off site?

FAQ #251: You prohibit the submission of 'pornographic literature'; what do you consider this to be?

FAQ #305: Is posting 'Adult' oriented artwork alright if I censor it first?

FAQ #565: You prohibit the submission of 'pornographic imagery'; what do you consider this to be?

Also, the artists making these have a “fan-base” that mostly consists of young or pre teens. Common themes observed are sexual harassment, rape and pedophilia. For example, even if you claim your version of Jeff the Killer is older than the age of consent, dA still recognizes him as his canon age, which is thirteen. Younger than the age of consent. Also, with the paring Laughing Jack and Jeff the Killer, that’s some serious pedophilia right there, LJ is what, several hundred years old in canon? Now, I don’t know SnuffBomb’s stance on people using LJ in these scenarios, but honestly, the oversexualtization is one of the major reasons people don't take you seriously. There’s a semi-popular comic, which I really find to be in bad taste but that’s me, that used, from what I understand, sexual harassment as a joke. Apparently, LJ began to undress Jeff, as he was sleeping, and when Jeff woke up, and told LJ to stop, LJ laughed and continued. I’m not 100% sure what happened after that, but this comic is mostly read by the young members of a fandom that really is supposed to be for the older teens and young adults, and teaches them that sexual harassment is something that is funny and to be laughed at. Another also uses rape in their comics, which according to them, is not actually rape? I’m pretty sure that rape is when consent in not given and the person is forced to have sex. This is also really not okay.

Another thing I’ve noticed is a constant oversexualiztation of characters. People, seriously. I get that everyone likes a bit of romance, but don’t take ships so damn seriously. So many people are forgetting what this fandom is actually supposed to be. I don’t know how, it’s in the name after all. No, it’s not about noodles, it’s about Horror. It’s supposed to creep you out, keep you awake. Ships are good and all, to a degree. Shipping, honestly, is okay as long as;

a) if it's canon that two characters (IE: Ticci Toby and Clockwork) are shipped, and the creators don't wish for them to be shipped with anyone else, just don't ship them with anyone else. It’s really not that difficult.

b) As long as the characters in question are well-rounded (not a mary sue) and KEPT in character and NOT altered for the ship, I'm okay with it.

and

c) People are respectful about it, to shippers and OC creators.

It's mostly the oversexualtization of characters that I hate. When fangirls are like "Oh, Jeff/BEN/Slendy/EJ/whoever is SOOOOO HHAAWWTT" is what I despise. Like, seriously. Please explain how you find JtK attractive. Or any of them, for that matter. Remember, this is a horror fandom, not a romance fandom. You want romance, go read Harlequin novels or something. I’m not a huge shipper myself, the only times I’ll ship something is

a) if it actually makes sense and doesn’t bend characters personality or backstories.

b) if it’s funny, I’ll jokingly ship it, but I actually don’t really ship it.

Also, having some character with no romantic interest is a good thing! Maybe have an semi/unrequited one, like what I did with my characters Chains and Break Away. Or better yet, just friends, because friends are great. But don’t have them screwing each other if they’re just friends. I’ve seen this excuse used, and let me tell you, it’s a poor excuse. Don't make shipping your characters your priority, making a true horror character should be the priority. Don't overship either, it's really annoying and kinda makes your character look a lil slutty, for lack of better word. 

Now, for the oversexualixation of characters in their design, male or female. I find this is a lot more prevalent with female characters than male, but I’m still going to discuss this.

KEEP CLOTHING PRACTICAL. In fact, keep the design practical and for the most part, realistic.

It’s really off-putting when you have a horror character whose clothes a) don’t suit them in any way, shape or form and b) are so impractical for what they do. Not suiting them would be someone wearing a gas mask when they kill with a knife and have no exposure to chemical fumes or heavy amounts of smoke, or a female character who’s supposed to be tough and hardened in a girly outfit. Then there’s impractical outfits; I’ve seen characters where they're supposed to run their victims down, but they’re in a dress. Some even have heels. No. Nononono. It’s tough to run in some dress styles, let alone heels on uneven terrain. Now, there’s also a lot of female characters who have a ridiculously curvy body shape. I know some women have large chests, but they aren’t that big! Have some variety in bust sizes. I’m actually working on a character where she isn’t overly curvy or anything, but uses her looks to her advantage, to lure in her victims, much like a black widow or praying mantis, seduces her "mate", and then kills him.

Also, originality. So many OCs I see are the same thing over and over and over. A lot are rip-offs of Jeff the Killer, Eyeless Jack, etc. etc. People, just think outside the box. Looks can be deceiving! Use that to your advantage! People always seem to think that because it’s a horror fandom, (even though they seem to neglect that fact a lot) the character has to be visually horrifying. Not always true, especially with Proxy-type OCs. If your character is to go out into public, I’m pretty sure that walking around in clothes with blood stains or carrying a massive weapon would raise people’s suspicions. On the other hand, looking normal is something a Proxy can use to their advantage.

I was actually given crap by a few people because of my OC Razorback and her design. RB is a punk, and that style often has brightly-dyed hair, which I used. Now, apparently because she doesn’t look creepy, she can’t be a Creepypasta OC. Now, those who did this did the equivalent of looking at Rainbow Dash, and with no knowledge about the character, saying “Oh she has a rainbow mane and tail, she’s a Mary sue.”  The biggest kick I got out of this was the first person to do this actually has characters with bright colours. They claim only a particular section of their OCs have bright colours and their CP OCs do not. Their characters actually have hair with bright red, yellow, etc. hair streaks. Hypocritical much? When confronted by a friend of mine, they said “it only counts for rainbow colours” and then blocked my friend over this. That’s a very petty move on their part.

For making a story, work off what scares a lot of people or yourself. When I created Skinwalker, I went with the old “Things aren’t always what they seem” because Walker takes someone’s place to get closer to the next victim, using their skin as a disguise. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be horrified to find out something else took your friend’s skin and was wearing it so it could kill you. People let their guard drop when it’s someone/thing they know and they don’t suspect anything bad to happen because they know them/it. Also, try to stay away from using too many clichés in horror. ( I have a list somewhere) Do some research if you’re going to give your character mental disorders. People say their character is bipolar/schizophrenic/etc and then they don’t actually portray them as such. Also, too many people say that their character was raped by someone. This, to me, has gone way too far. Yes, rape is a traumatic experience, and I find this fandom treats the subject of rape far too lightly, almost like it’s nothing to be concerned about. But it is.

There’s guides to help you make a character, such as those done by KomradApex which you can see here. (I’m working on writing one, for fandom or not.)

Another thing is that I find a lot of people in this fandom are actually extremely rude, especially when new. (Not everyone, I know, but a lot.) There was an incident involving myself, a friend, and a new fandom member and her friends. Now, this started because I thanked them for a favourite on my Ticci Toby cosplay, and they commented that they love Ticci Toby. I responded that he’s a well-made character and that I wish people would just respect his creator, as that drove him out of the fandom. They remarked it’s hard to find much of him (it’s really not) and that her friend and herself are writing a story, and her exact words, “He’s my love”. I told her that the creator of the character has asked for Toby to only be shipped with Clockwork, and they responded that they do not care. Now, my recommendation was to not post it publicly. She got mad, and things went seriously downhill. She said “why not it’s a fanfic youre not the master of creepypasta.” I am very aware of what fanfiction is, but when it’s a character where the creator is known and has asked for some things not to be done with their character, it’s a matter of respect and treating them like a human being. I remarked that it’s the fans who abuse and misuse the character that drove him out of the fandom, to which she countered that “No, it’s from jerks like you leave me alone I can do what i want”  Kastoway himself got involved, and, after much butt-hurt from her and her friends, it got somewhat cleared up.  Now, it turns out that her and her friends were new to the fandom, and she was unaware that these characters, including Toby had a creator, (even after I mentioned Toby’s creator multiple times), she thought they were like anime and no one really owned them. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure even anime has creators and owners. After all, things like that just don’t pop into existence. So in short, I got blocked for trying to explain that you are going against the rules of the creator. This is just one example, there’s plenty more around. Believe when I say this fandom needs a good reality check.

People are also forgetting what a critique actually is. A critique is where you point out what the person did well, and what could be worked on. IE: “You did well with that part, but this part seemed (a little lacking/a bit too much/needed something to bring it out and pop).” Get the idea? I see people often pointing out everything they think is wrong. That’s really just bashing a character, that’s a seriously asshole move.

Another thing! People asking artists to draw things for them, without compensation, when the artist clearly has buttons/icons on their page that say they don’t do requests. I see this a lot. Is it really that difficult to actually take twenty seconds to look around their page to see if requests, commissions, art trades, collabs, etc. are open, closed or if they only do them for friends or not at all? If they don’t have any of these buttons/icons on their page, then ask first. “Oh, um, do you do requests?” Just do that. Seriously. If they have them open, then go ahead! But understand that because they are doing this to be nice, that it’s probably not their top priority. Commissions come first, as do their own projects. So don’t bug them every day. Sure, check up on it in like, a couple months, but give them time. We don’t just ingest some art supplies and spit out art.

And another thing. With artists like Inkswell who actually keep characters in character, quit yer complaining. I see users complaining that they want a good comic/story series where the characters are in their true personality, and as soon as they find one, they complain about it. IE: “Oh I want Jeff the Killer to be darker and not this silly person.” Then they read Insomnia. “OHNO NOT THAT DARK!” *insert load of bull rant here*

Seriously, stop that. I see people complaining about her having Jeff actually kill in this comic, going “Oh she’s making Jeff kill kids, who would do that?!” Like, um, I’m sorry, but did you forget that he’s called “Jeff the Killer” not “Jeff the lovable clown”??? I’m pretty sure a killer kills people. Some might have standards (if you want to call it that) like not killing kids or the elderly, that’s not really sporting. It’s like if you went hunting (for sport, not food) and killed a mother animal. They’re simply trying to protect their young, they’re a sitting duck. (Don’t do that, if you go hunting, actually.)

People also ask “can u draw jeff and mah totes sexy oc doin the do?” NO YOU STOP THAT. STOP IT. NOW. (See paragraph above, about requests and commissions.) People also bug her about putting a sex scene with Jeff in her comic. Also, stop that. It’s a horror comic, not a 50 shades of grey thing. (That book is atrocious, never read it, it should not have ever been published it is a disgusting thing.)

There was an incident not too long ago where InvaderIka made a call-out journal about those artists who break the rules continually. Now, the “White Knights” of the artists who make those comics/fics/art/whatever that are sexual, claim that Call-Out journals are against the rules. Actually, no, no they are not. HATE JOURNALS are.

FAQ #34: Are there any rules for the journals?

Ika never hated on them, simply pointing out that hey, dA Admins, what they’re doing is against the rules, and could you please get on the ball with upholding your rules? (dA Admins, I’ll be honest, don’t pay attention to most of what’s going on on their website.) Now, one of the things said in the call-out is that they have sent their “fans” to attack those who disagree with what they’re doing. One such artist claimed that they actually don’t, then proceeded to make a journal, linking to the call-out journal Ika made, and complained in their journal about how rude and how much of a hater Ika is. This sent their “fans” to Ika’s journal, where they started bitching and complaining without even reading the journal, let alone growing a spine and forming their own opinion. Way to be seriously hypocritical there.

Another person, who claimed they were not taking sides in this, made a journal which they titled “Informative Bitch Hate”. You can just tell that this is not going to end well. First off, they claimed that censoring and putting a “mature content” tag on it allows you to post whatever you want, which it actually doesn’t. They then went into what they called “Bitch mode AKA opinion mode” where they flat-out hated on Ika’s OC Ally, with practically zero knowledge of the character. Another thing that this person did was saying that they (the artists making sexual works) don’t have a “rape fetish” but a “pet fetish” and defined the “rape fetish” as “forcing intercourse by some random person” which isn’t always true, and is also the incorrect definition. Rape is when there is no consent given. A lot of rapes are actually committed by someone the victim knows. The “pet fetish” is apparently when #1 is the ‘master’ to #2 and #2 is forced to have sex for reason, putting examples in brackets. These examples included power, death threats, capture, torture threats. Now, telling someone “have sex with me or I’ll kill/hurt you or someone you care about” is basically rape because the person isn’t actually giving their consent, they’re being forced to. Also, saying as long as they weren’t actually going around raping people and that a fictional character raping another is okay, wow, um, you reaaalllyyy need a reality check and now.

They also said that they were an “informative hater” as they provided ways for Ika to “improve” her character. Actually, they never did. They simply hated on Ika and her character.  There’s a lot of things in this journal I could cover, but honestly, it makes me sick reading it.

Here, you can take a look for yourself. You might have to download the full image to read it, as it’s quite large. sta.sh/0rkwxzj25iz

Apparently, the user’s girlfriend took over the account and sent a comment reading “Lay the fuck off her if she reads this her condition could get worse” You can see the chain of comments between myself and this person: sta.sh/01u402gea02i

I have a general rule of posting your opinion; if you can’t take the heat, don’t post it. Seriously, the only time I’ll delete a journal or whatever is if a) it was linking to something that no longer exists (IE: Webpage, other journal, etc.) b) I was requested to take it down by someone in a very small, select group of people who do not use dA. _{(That’s actually what happened to my video on the topic of this fandom’s problems.)} But that’s me. If you want to delete a journal because you keep getting hate on it, or another reason, go ahead. Your call. But do remember, just because you deleted it, doesn’t mean people are going to forget you made it.

Hey, remember that Slenderman-themed stabbing a little while ago? And how a fair-sized portion of the fandom have started saying “It’s creativity, not reality” and writing that, along with the Operator symbol, on themselves and posting photos? I do. Now, I did not agree with doing that. Why? Because it shows you are more concerned about the state of your fandom than the life of a girl who was in hospital from being stabbed, what, 19 times? I get you wanted to show your support, I really do, but that was the wrong way to go about it. The family of the victim could have viewed it as an attack and the media could have used it to further paint us in a bad light. I found that it showed a degree of immaturity in the fandom. A better way to show support would be to do what the mother asked, which, if I remember, was to send in hearts made of felted wool (I’m sorry if that’s wrong, I can’t remember exactly what it was.) or by donating to the donation fund for helping to pay the medical bills. If you were unable to do either of those, spreading that information would suffice.

Also, blocking people because they ask something like “why do you say CP OCs shouldn’t have bright colours and yet you have bright colours on your own, that’s hypocritical” is pretty much a dick move. A lot of blocks are actually over something pretty insignificant. The only time I’ll block is when someone actually warrants it, as in harassment. Say someone is being rude or something, and you’ve asked them, multiple times, to leave you alone (Go away, please stop, leave me alone, fuck off, whatever you say) and they persist upon continuing that conversation. That would warrant a block. Someone constantly posting spam and the like on your page or art would warrant a block, if after you’ve asked them to stop they don’t, or if it’s a spam account. (I hate those) Just blocking because they disagreed with a very simple opinion (IE: coke VS Pepsi or something trivial, or saying that you agree with something and they do not) is just a flat-out jerk move.

Abuse of Power*deep sigh* This is what I despise...
Please note I will submit this to a couple groups: This needs to be known.
Original post/message here.
So, my friend CreepyJC wanted to make a guide to clichés in the Creepypasta fandom. In the original post, Jch stated the following; "I'm thinking of doing a comprehensive list of Creepypasta OC cliches. I'd do a full guide, but I think :iconshacklesoul: has already tackled some OC tidbits. This is the list I've got so far:" and then proceeded to make a base list of the clichés they've noticed in this fandom, ranging from appearance to weapons, to backstory. They covered every aspect, they just hadn't gone into detail yet, as they wanted to see if anyone had any more suggestions before they started to write the full guide. To get mroe views, Jch did what any normal person would do, submitting it to a group.
Specifi

There’s also this, which is a pretty good example of things like that, among others. If you are a group admin, don’t abuse power, such as kicking someone out of your group because they disagreed with you.

Also, I’ve seen someone people with a serious victim complex, in scenarios like that. They twist around whatever happened to make it look as though they are innocent, and that everyone else is in the wrong, when they actually are.

Oh yeah, comments. If you are going to comment on something said in a journal, or any length, or on something in a story/comic, go back and re-read that bit to make sure you haven’t misinterpreted it. It just makes you look a bit more like an idiot.  Also, on anything, read the description. Seriously, there is most likely information in there that could be useful, save you from asking a question they get a lot (and thus, respond is a possibly rude way), etc., etc. Seriously, just double-check whatever you’re about to comment on and always read the description. It really doesn’t take that long.

There’s a bit more on commenting here:

How NOT to comment.I get comments at times where upon reading it, I think "why would you comment that??"
Now, people vary, I know, but these are things I've picked up and learned.
Just read before you comment and no comments like "k" seriously.
Some of these can apply to cosplays, writers and artists alike, some only to one or two.
1) For cosplayers, asking "where did you get (hoodie, mask, prop, etc.)" because its basically saying that you think it was bought in a store. That really hurts and it's insulting. You're basically saying that we can't make things very well and therefore we bought it. A better question would be "how did you make (hoodie, mask, prop, etc.)" but if that's all you're going to ask, first off, read the description. It could be in there. Second of all, its more something you could ask on their profile. 
2) Don't put things like "not bad" because you're suggesting its average, nothing special, like we put on regular, everyday clothes and called it cosplay, or spent no time worki

And I like how Inkswell put it; "After talking with a few folks, it was concluded that giving the main attention to the stories, rather than making a whole bunch of OCs could help the fandom. It's likely though that it could split into two separate districts, in which case may be beneficial." If this was done, I feel that maybe, just maybe there is some hope.

Okay, this kind of evolved into a bit of an internet rant too, but I covered practically everything I could think of when I wrote this. _{I might update later on, with further problems/evidence of problems, information/links, etc.}

So, thank you for reading through this about 4,000 word rant, unless you’re one of those TL;DR people. If you are, go back and read it before you comment.

Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the dead bite.

~The Mongoose

---

Edit/Update
Couple things I forgot!

First off, this journal on the fact the fandom is sex-biased when it comes to OCs.

Is the CP fandom is sex-biased against OCs?A pretty good point brought up by a friend of mine. They wish to remain anonymous for now, hence why I'm posting it. Read on.
Example 1: female OCs are penned Sues even when a exact copy in male form would get passed off
Example 2: female OCs don't get as popular as male ones (Sally, Jane and Clockwork for example)
Example 3: if your OC isn't sexually appealing to horny hormonal preteens then you get no popularity, even if said OC is well made
Example 4: if your OC is well made and has every reason to be popular but it (HE, who am I kidding?) can't be shipped then it will be ignored (Ticci Toby?)
Example 4: if your OC has a beastly appearance/ can't be humped by little girls it will be ignored (ex. Rake, BOB, Mr. Widemouth etc. Etc.)
Example 5: the only creepypastas that exist and shall forever be loved and worshipped will be Ben, Jeff (no offence, his design is cool and all, but hell, he's 8 years old -he was originally posted on yt in 06, btw- and blegh. He's just gotten so

And second of all, the users posting those so-called "experience" stories/videos/whatever about you and some CP character, well... That demonstrates a lack of common sense, maturity, etc. If you, or someone you know, does these, you may want to review the difference between fiction and reality. Because there is a pretty big difference. (No, Marble Hornets and the like does not count as this.)

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EDIT/UPDATE 2
As CreepyJC put it, saving the fandom:
I don't know when the downward spiral started either; I know that people blame the fangirls for the downward spiral but my theory is that maybe the people with more creativity in mind migrated out or maybe they were even pushed out, I dunno. I've heard that at one point this fandom consisted of good, scary OCs but it was inevitable that there were going to be some bad seeds. I mean, not everyone's majorly creative, but lately all this character bashing is pouring salt in the wound. People don't understand that screaming at all the bad characters can drive newcomers away, potentially driving away potential new ideas as well. If this fandom is in a sort of depression then we NEED new minds and creative ideas, this fandom does live off stories and OCs to a lesser extent, after all, but the problem is that people are too stuck-up and proud to acknowledge innovation when they see it, so instead they drive it out like it was the bubonic plague. Taking Ally as an example-- people can't acknowledge that she's a good character, and I can EASILY delve into how people have used, abused and misused the term Mary Sue to bitch at female characters that they don't like even if they are character-wise devoid of Sue symptoms. People need to wake up and stop being so arrogant, especially to female OCs. I know that females in this fandom have gotten a bad rap but people need to ditch that stigma, same with OCxCanon and so forth. Just because it's been done wrong in the past, that doesn't mean that it CAN'T work effectively. I can also use Jane as an example, too, as people pick on her more often than I'd think.

Its happening againPlease, do explain how hate helps the fandom. It's petty, immature and downright rude.
http://www.enjoygram.com/m/808218438717184275_1394307597
People do not bother to actually read Razorback's character sheet, which wouldn't take them long at all, and instead bash on appearances. 
To top it off, that blog is using ScarletKnightmare's artwork without permission.
Seriously.
If anyone's got an account there, please tell them that have neither artist's permission or the creator's permission to use the art and character and to take it down.
Also this; http://comments.deviantart.com/4/26024030/3593175438
Seriously wtf. 

Shipping EtiquetteYou may or may not realize it, but there is an etiquette to shipping, like many things in life. 
The key aspect to be a good shipper is RESPECT. Why? Read on. 
Now, I know everyone has a ship, at least one. Its the internet, you can't escape them. However, I find the biggest ship problems stem from a lack of respect and I suppose you could say common sense as well. 
First thing I want to talk about is, what kind of ship is it? When most people hear the term ship, they think romance and more than likely sex as well. Well, there's way more than one kind of ship and its actually a lot of fun to imagine some of these between characters. 
Here's the kinds of ships that I know of and consider to be major types of ships. 
Romantic - exactly what it sounds like. The two (or more, if polygamous) are in love and are a couple. Basically, they're dating, possibly married. 
Platonic - simply friends. That's it nothing more. Could be like a BROTP, whe