I want to thank you all for checking out my little corner of the internet for all those years (since Dec 2008) and posts.
As a thank you, here is my guide to making 40k memes.
IF you don't follow us on Facebook, you should, because that is where all my meme magic happens.
Magic like this
That is probably the most successful meme I've made to date. If I had to say why, it is because it is something we all can relate to laid over a reference we all understand.
First lets take a look at my earliest memes on FB
Tanksgiving was done to celebrate... well Thanksgiving (USA holiday). I have actually posted this one each Thanksgiving since. Thunderer is one of my favourite tanks in all 40k. And this is just a great picture of one. A key element to some great memes is to just take a great picture and do something to it. BUT this really isn't the type of meme I'm best known for. Next is the first of those as far as I can tell.
This was done to go with the announcement of the release of Deathwatch Space marines. Genestealer Cults weren't an army yet. Necromunda re-release was still a ways off. Those are my own models. But it was the timing that was key, and a good reference to known 40k lore. Deathwatch were all the rage, people going crazy about them. So I bottled the moment and made fun of it, exploiting lore that a lot of people should understand.
I also want to point out here, none of my memes are watermarked. IMO it goes against what a meme is. Once I make it, they belong to you. Sharing is nice, but I'd rather see them freely used in the wild then be worried about getting "credit" for a meme.
So how do I make memes? And how do I tend to make them so flipping fast?
1- First of all, have a warhammer obsession and waste your life online. Not ready to commit to that, well you can just give up now.
2- Have the right apps on your phone. Yup. I do 99% of all my meme work on my phone. I use instagram layout and an app called "Eraser" and then just do the words and positioning of things on imgflip.com. When I do use a PC, I tend to use MS paint and powerpoint to assemble things. So that really all there is to the technical side of things. And generally, that is only for really complex memes like this one.
3- Don't stop scanning the web for new hobby content. In a meeting. Browse. Eating. Browse. On the Toilet. Browse. The moment you see news break, think "what joke can I make?" And I mean THE MOMENT. I am in TONS of facebook groups and regularly check Warhammer Community, see things from Spikey Bits, Faeit 212 and the like and kinda have to stay plugged in (IE WASTE YOUR LIFE). Be hawkeyed and vigilant for new stuff. That way you can do stuff like this within 10 minutes of the reveal.
4- Have a uselessly large knowledge of obscure/geeky pop culture references. The more late 90s/early 2000's TV, movies and internet you consumed, the better. Popular Animes like Gundam and Miyazaki stuff helps too. When I say uselessly large I MEAN USELESSLY LARGE. Like enough to always win 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon against Kevin Bacon large. And then don't be afraid to Cross the Streams. ALWAYS CROSS THE STREAMS! Forget you Egon and your "It would be BAD!" opinion.
Here are some examples. When is the last time you thought of Sealab 2021? Or Seinfeld? Or Jimmy Nuetron? Or Technoviking? DBZ? Wild Wild West? YEARS. But you remember them. And I exploit that. That Star Trek reference in the last one. Real stretch. But it pays off for those who get it.
Here are some more. Being able to spot similarities is key. That Space Wolf really does look like Fat Bastard. That Fyreslayer terrain is strikingly similar to the floating head in Zardoz. Zeon references are on point.
Just more examples, all made to tap into the ethos of our hobby... being super salty.
But sometimes you just need to simply connect a reference and the picture and it does all the work for you.
5- Don't be afraid to rehash old jokes. Stand up comedians do it. You can too.
First one I did when PETA demanded GW get rid of Fur. Second I did later when the BB Rat Ogre was released.
These tie in with the previous rule. Good solid Dune reference. Dune references are always good.
6- Make a joke at the expense of someone's hard work. Don't worry if you offend/are controversial. It is a joke. Most people get that. With that, ignore the haters. Every real comedian has detractors and humor is a subjective human experience. If you think its funny, it will be to at least SOMEONE else.
7- SPOILERS. The GoT AoS post I showed up top. I posted that the day after the episode. Same with this one. If you wait too long, someone else will make the joke. Enough people saw the episode of whatever popular thing it is you are referencing, that the meme will be relevant.
With that, don't shy aware from current pop culture references in general. All these were made at the height of the popularity of their subject matter.
8- Just be salty. Everyone else is. Kinda touched on it above but here are some more examples.
9- Low effort OC is always better than a repost. ALWAYS.
10- Know your popular real world memes. Then violate them
11- Lastly, if you see a cool picture, don't be afraid to steal it and sully it.
And that is the art of meme making.
Just to be clear, everything I said...
