Deviantart Ettiquitte

I've had a Deviantart account for years, but only recently, since I've got back into Dr. Who, have I really started using it. There are a lot of really good artists who do artwork of the Classic era Doctors, and I enjoy looking at the artwork and letting the artists know when I think they're doing a good job.

The problem is llamas. As near as I can figure, you can give someone a llama if it's their birthday, or you really like some artwork they did, and other such stuff. The thing is, I can't draw to save my soul (I specifically noted this in my profile), yet somehow, I've acquired seven llamas. A couple of them were gifts from people I already knew prior to following them on Deviantart, but the rest have come from various people I've faved or started watching.

Are you expected to give a gift in return if someone gives you one? As near as I can figure, the only way you can acquire 'money' on the site is to post artwork, and I can't really do that.

I feel like I'm obtaining llamas under false pretenses (I imagine most people don't bother to read profiles, so they're not aware I'm not an artist). On the other hand, I don't want people to think I'm being unfriendly.

Yeah, I know it's not heart surgery, but I tend to be awkward in social situations where I don't actually KNOW the people well.

Llamas mean nothing. Points are DA's currency for prints (worthless outside of DA).
If I remember correctly, llamas started as an April Fool's day joke, and they just kinda kept it. There is no ettiquitte for them. The same way some people feel horrible if they haven't replied to EVERY SINGLE comment or fav, while others consider it hideous spam.

Do what you want.

Now if I had an actual herd of REAL llamas, I could make some money off them. Apparently, their wool (fleece?) is favored by a lot of crafters, and I've seen advertisements with people selling their meat and milk to.

Instead, I have a herd of pixilated llamas that serve no purpose.

And Nih, I kind've suspected it was a bit of a 'look at my artwork!' thing. Unless they're drawing either Dr. Who or Torchwood art (and it has to be GOOD Dr. Who or Torchwood art) it's unlikely I'll be looking at it. The only person who doesn't draw either that I follow is Toastuh, because her stuff is awesome.

Last I remember the llama was just a huge emoticon (though what situation it was intended for I can't fathom)...

You know, back when I had decent, MURRCUN internet, I played Counter-Strike. And later, Counter-Strike Sauce, as we called it.

In both iterations, "llama" was an insult. It basically meant "lamer," or "shit player." A punishment for career whiners was to "llama" them, which meant that no matter what he typed, everyone else would see llama sound effects coming from that player in chat, e.g.:

PwnerAwesomeMan: GG everyone
Llama: Bleeeeeat!

Well, it's no surprise to me that in media as lame as DeviantArt, a llama is a good thing to be or have. What is this, a Maxis game? LOL DROMEDARIES LOL. Clearly, the more DA llamas you have, the more you deserve to die from a random TMP headshot. All these fools need Winamp, as "it really whips the llama's ass!"

I don't really get the llama thing either, but I guess it's just a "lol llamas are so funny!"-lol random thing.

The only thing llamas are good is that you can trade them for DA points. And, usually for me I get them when I either watch somebody, or fav something. And, I usually give them to people for doing the some thing to. So, they can be a free thank you gift, or "look at all the llamas I have! Worship me!" type of deal.

Honestly, I think it's a LOL RANDUM thing mixed with "gotta catch 'em all." The more llamas you have, the different your llama icon looks--super llama, ninja llama, etcetera. It's pretty stupid, but it appeals like hell to thirteen-year-old girls and the creepy Sonic sub-fandom.

A lot of the time, if someone you don't know gives you one, they're likely just giving a llama in hopes of getting one in return and thus boosting their own llama count. And I've used the word 'llama' way too many times for a post that isn't about The Emperor's New Groove, so I'm going to stop before I give myself a brain injury from the hilarious randomness.

Llamas mean nothing and I have only given out one to this day, in order to gain free comissions from a friend.

And then it turned out it was an April Fools joke on his part

I'm friends with the person who started the whole original llama thing on dA. >.>; It started as an in-joke with his friends and followers, and then it just...took off?

Anyway, I've had an account for three years and even though I never go on deviantArt anymore (I actually try to avoid it as much as possible, but that's a different story) people still give me llamas. But occasionally I'll check my profile page and I'll have five more and wonder who the hell keeps giving me llamas when clearly I am not going to reciprocate.

/twocents

I just put 'is sick of llama's' in that little quote space you have under your username on your profile.

I saw no point in them and I was getting sick of having my inbox spammed with ' (username here) gave you a llama!' messages. Plus I had no idea how to send a llama back so I ended up feeling rude half the time...

Llamas is such a stupid idea, I mean it doesn't improve DA in any way.

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

Llamas is such a stupid idea, I mean it doesn't improve DA in any way.

I think it's only the DevWatch and Pageview whores that really use them anymore... atleast that what I think considering that I had never even heard of, much less talked to, roughly 90% of them

I've got a couple, but it's mostly new artists who I watch and favorite. I think they're greatful for someone to pay attention to them. Major artists on DA never, from my knowledge, give llamas. They realize the stupidity.