artist: am314__ on twitter .co/ulzzang this will eventually be moved to my neocities. when it is moved, this will just be a link to that site an extended version of these .co/ulzzang

  1. there is no rulebook to fandom
    • the most important rule in my opinion. there isn't a wrong or right way to be in a fandom or be a fan. fandom etiquette is not a rulebook or a "how to be a fan" guide. it's just a list of things that will help you and others be more comfortable in your fandom spaces
  2. don't like; don't read (DLDR/DL;DR)
    • means exactly what it says on the tin. see a fanfic with an au you don't like? don't read. see fanart of a ship you hate? skip it. don't hate interact, don't interact just to get angry at the creator, and read the tags before you click the fic
  3. ship and let ship (SALS)
    • also what it says on the label. if someone ships something you don't, then don't attack them or try and start a shipping war. is often used in pro/anti ship debates, but is also used outside of it and by people who don't know about or care for the discourse
  4. your kink is not my kink (YKINMK)
    • has a few variations, such as YKINMK+and that's okay, YKINMK+but your kink is okay, or YKIOK (your kink is okay). same as DLDR and SALS, it means exactly what you think it means. be polite about opinion differences. kinkshame in private and to your friends, not to others online
  5. your fandom's okay, my fandom's okay
    • from what i can tell, it means both be respectful to fandoms of media you hate (ex: hate marvel? don't post your hate under the marvel tag) and that fandoms are wide and varied. if you want to be comfortable in your fandom, you have to accept people are going to be fans in different, "weirder" ways
  6. appreciate fan creators
    • this is done in many ways, but the bare bones is that if a fan creator is making content that you like, appreciate, thank, and respect them. don't repost art, credit (and ask if needed) before using art for icons or banners, reblog it if you like it, don't send hate, give them support through commisions, asks, or reblogs, give kudos and leave comments, don't demand content, etc
  7. criticism is not an attack
    • more specifically, criticism to your fandom/media is not an attack on you personally. if someone makes a post criticizing the racism in a certain fandom, they are not calling you racist. if someone says they think a piece of media is ableist, they are not calling you ableist. acknowledge criticism as an inherently neutral thing and not a net negative
  8. hate the art, not the fandom
    • relates to etiquette 4 and 1: if you don't like a media, that's fine. hate on it all you want! but don't hate the fandom. don't go out of your way to mock xyz's fandom for being cringey or weird, don't go into their tags with your hate, and don't act like the fans are responsible for the creator's actions
  9. don't feed the trolls
    • fairly normal online etiquette but something i think a lot of people in fandom forget. if someone starts trolling or being a disturbance on your profile, blog, or website, don't give them attention. block them, report them, remove the chatbox, etc, but don't personally try and reason with them
  10. actors aren't their characters
    • actors are humans, not characters. thus, they should be treated as that. do not dm them or talk to them as though they ARE your fav and don't get angry when they say or do something their character "would never do". also, don't harass them for answers for lore. actors may not know everything the plans the director has, and if they do, they're not obliged to tell you (and are likely contractually told NOT to tell you)
  11. tag your shit (correctly)
    • make sure tags are accurate and as clear as possible. don't try and censor it in weird ways (such as using unique fonts or going "t|-|1ng" instead of just "thing"), add trigger warnings, add spoiler warnings, and don't tag everything in a fandom for one thing (ex: making a post solely about pikachu but tagging it as a ton of other, unrelated pokemon)
  12. casual fans are still fans
    • relates to etiquette 12 and 13. if someone is a casual fan, they are still a fan. it doesn't matter how little or how much they post about it, how much they know about the media, etc, if they call themselves a fan, they are
  13. fans with different opinions are still fans
    • relates to etiquette 11 and 13. if someone has different opinions then you, they are still a fan. it doesn't matter how much you disagree, what the opinion is, etc, if they call themselves a fan, they are
  14. ai is not a fan
    • relates to etiquette 11 and 12. ai is not a fan of your media. ai does not have opinions, thoughts, or emotions. reblogging and supporting fan artists and fan authors does not include ai artists or ai authors, as the ai does not care about the media and is not apart of your fandom
  15. kink is inevitable
    • relates to etiquette 3. a vaguely revised version of rule 34: just as how if something exists, there is porn online of it, if a fandom exists, there's a kinky part of it. don't go into the smut tags of a fandom expecting non-kinky smut, "normal" smut, or smut that only aligns with your kinks
  16. not on my website
    • don't go onto private blogs, websites, or forums expecting to be catered to. if you're going against the rules or doing something the mods have said to not do, don't be surprised when you get a warning, kicked, or banned
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Pub: 05 Jun 2025 23:29 UTC
Edit: 06 Jun 2025 21:55 UTC
Views: 4