Topic: Weirdly hostile interaction with a commissioner

Not gonna name names... Just venting because that didn't feel good at all (I also realized the person who blocked me isn't even the artist but the commissioner who owns the right to the character)

So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was (... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

(Not sure if this should go in general or off topic)

wateryblue said:
Not gonna name names... Just venting because that didn't feel good at all (I also realized the person who blocked me isn't even the artist but the commissioner who owns the right to the character)

So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was (... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

(Not sure if this should go in general or off topic)

Idk if that's something to bring up to the mods?

wateryblue said:
Not gonna name names... Just venting because that didn't feel good at all (I also realized the person who blocked me isn't even the artist but the commissioner who owns the right to the character)

So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was (... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

(Not sure if this should go in general or off topic)

Sounds like a younger, newer person still insecure with themselves and figuring themselves out. They may likely be comparing themselves to others and feeling insecure because of it. You are in the right, so just give them time to grow. There is a chance they apologize to you in the future.

wateryblue said:
Not gonna name names... Just venting because that didn't feel good at all (I also realized the person who blocked me isn't even the artist but the commissioner who owns the right to the character)

So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was...

(Not sure if this should go in general or off topic)

I have had a similar experience once, but with an artist over a decade ago.

I reposted one artwork from them because I felt that it looked good.
Thought that it might be proper to ask for their permission after the fact and sent them a note apologising for having done so and am now asking them properly.

Waited a bit for their reply and the response(s) I got were what I can describe as a total meltdown.
The first note was from the artist, with them being very upset and demanding that I take it down at once (which I did back when uploaders were allowed to request for artwork removal within 48 hours).
The second note was from the artist's partner, telling me that I had upset their partner and asking me to immediately apologise to them.
The artist was so upset that they even made a public journal about it all to vent their anger about the whole situation (luckily, without naming any names).

I flagged the post I uploaded for deletion and drafted a message saying that I had done what they had asked and apologised for upsetting them.
Turns out they had already instantly blocked me after sending me their response, so I can't even send them a message back.
So I sent my message to their partner and asked them to forward it to the artist on my behalf.

The moral of the story? Some people are very protective of their artworks and you should learn to anticipate & accommodate such responses.

...(... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

You should not, mainly because sharing them could lead to harassment.
In the end, the commissioner still has rights to request for artworks to be taken down, see takedown policy.

I don't think I have the full picture here, so I can't say for sure if their reaction is justified.
If you were the one who posted their commissions (which they took down), then their response is probably to be expected.
If you were not the one who posted their commissions, then they probably assumed that you were the one since e621 does not openly mention the uploader anywhere (except in the tag history).

I think the main reason for their response is that the artist feels like you did not ask for their consent, and so is hostile because of that, but they aren't realizing that you were acting in good faith. Just takes time for people to grow via their experiences in life. Something like that? maybe?

(Many years ago, when I was using another account) I got some fairly abusive notes from commissioners in the past.

I've always made sure to ask every artist I upload from for permission, and I used to relay this fact in response to the angry person in my DMs - but I stopped doing this after finding out the abuse would sometimes then be redirected at the artist themselves, which has at least once resulted in the artist going fully DNP.

I haven't received any abusive messages in a long time. I don't have my FA linked in my profile anymore, but I do have an email and Discord. I'd like to think it's because e621 has a better reputation than it did in the early 2010s, but that may be unrelated. The link to the profile of the person who uploaded the post is also a lot less prominent than it was back then.

faucet said:
(Many years ago, when I was using another account) I got some fairly abusive notes from commissioners in the past.

I've always made sure to ask every artist I upload from for permission, and I used to relay this fact in response to the angry person in my DMs - but I stopped doing this after finding out the abuse would sometimes then be redirected at the artist themselves, which has at least once resulted in the artist going fully DNP.

I haven't received any abusive messages in a long time. I don't have my FA linked in my profile anymore, but I do have an email and Discord. I'd like to think it's because e621 has a better reputation than it did in the early 2010s, but that may be unrelated. The link to the profile of the person who uploaded the post is also a lot less prominent than it was back then.

Oh dear that sounds harrowing

Honestly it's giving me a bit of a exestential crisis a bit

Because I've put in the time to find the original artists and went out of the way to credit them if possible (even putting in the descriptions of the original art if I can) but now I'm wondering if Im in the wrong, I had a pleasant interaction with a artist about hosting their art on here recently... But that was just one, the other one I messaged... (The commissioner who owns the character...this is not related to the pleasent artist I talked too) Well I made this thread from that...

So it's kinda messing with my head space a bit, making me feel a tad stressed and all that y'know

wateryblue said:
Oh dear that sounds harrowing

Honestly it's giving me a bit of a exestential crisis a bit

Because I've put in the time to find the original artists and went out of the way to credit them if possible (even putting in the descriptions of the original art if I can) but now I'm wondering if Im in the wrong, I had a pleasant interaction with a artist about hosting their art on here recently... But that was just one, the other one I messaged... (The commissioner who owns the character...this is not related to the pleasent artist I talked too) Well I made this thread from that...

So it's kinda messing with my head space a bit, making me feel a tad stressed and all that y'know

Probably just your brain solidifying your updated worldview. Always takes a while to settle in. Your introspection is GOOD, so don't feel bad! ♥

I still can't wrap my head around how some artists (or commissioners) freak the fuck out if their artwork is on another site other than wherever they originally posted it. Like why the hell does it matter if it's also on X, Bluesky, Tumblr, DeviantArt, Pixiv, Furaffinity, InkBunny, NewGrounds, Derpibooru, etc etc vs wherever it originally was? Don't post it online at all if it's something you feel the need to gatekeep to only one community. If it's well received and popular enough it's bound to get reposted to somewhere eventually. Especially in places like those Rule34 aggregator sites or some of those "something-chan" imageboards. Personally if I was making art with the intention of letting other people see it then I'd want it spread out to multiple websites. I'd watermark a Patreon or Kofi url small in the corner of the art so that when people from all those different websites saw it I'd get more traffic and subscriptions on my Patreon. (That's just hypothetical, I'm not an artist nor do I have a Patreon) Like do they not want more fans and money? I know some people are terribly shy and introverted but if they are then they shouldn't share their creations online so openly. I know I'm probably looking at things too black and white but damn if some people aren't way too easily triggered and snowflake-ish

glimglam said:
[...]Like do they not want more fans and money? I know some people are terribly shy and introverted but if they are then they shouldn't share their creations online so openly.

Sometimes people don't want the attention that being spread across the entire internet can give them. It may seem foreign to people right now, but about ten/fifteen years ago it was perfectly normal to be able to stay in your own little communities on the internet and never interact or be seen by anybody outside of it. And no, some people don't want more fans. More fans means more parasocial fans, more parasocial fans means more people who will get upset at you over the smallest, weirdest things. It's a rational fear in the modern day when our privacy is getting ever more eroded by the homogenization of the internet and social media.
That, and sometimes artists just make art for fun and not as a job. It can be stressful to have thousands if not millions of eyes on art that you make for yourself and your little curated group of freaks on the internet.
Sure, this leads to some people overreacting to reposts, but it's perfectly reasonable to want to curate your own community and to curate the people who see your art. The block button exists for a reason. Disallowing reposts is like a block button as well. It's exercising what control we can over our lives.
People like OP are just giving them the courtesy of being polite, which is the least someone can ask for, you know?

moonlit-comet said:
Sometimes people don't want the attention that being spread across the entire internet can give them. It may seem foreign to people right now, but about ten/fifteen years ago it was perfectly normal to be able to stay in your own little communities on the internet and never interact or be seen by anybody outside of it. And no, some people don't want more fans. More fans means more parasocial fans, more parasocial fans means more people who will get upset at you over the smallest, weirdest things. It's a rational fear in the modern day when our privacy is getting ever more eroded by the homogenization of the internet and social media.
Sure, this leads to some people overreacting to reposts, but it's perfectly reasonable to want to curate your own community and to curate the people who see your art. The block button exists for a reason. Disallowing reposts is like a block button as well. It's exercising what control we can over our lives.
People like OP are just giving them the courtesy of being polite, which is the least someone can ask for, you know?

Yeah man you're totally right. I was definitely looking at it from a complete inexperienced outsider's perspective. I have gotten more used to seeing the internet being spread all over the place instead of squared off into separate spaces like that. I didn't consider denying reposts as like a block button, that's a good way to interpret it. It's selfish of me to think in a way that takes control away from the artists like that. Now I feel rather foolish. Also yeah more fans and exposure would definitely lead to more issues from the kinda toxic troll like people that are always lurking around waiting for an attempt to ruin a good thing

wateryblue said:
So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was...

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

A thing is that some people are very possessive of their art and especially (and perhaps more relevant for a commissioner) their characters. They want the sharing of the art and characters to be under their control and can perceive unauthorized sharing as a sort of theft of something that's close to them, like a virtual version of someone kidnapping their characters.

Is it insecurity? Maybe. Maybe not. For all we know, someone may actually have tried to steal their art or character, harass them over it, or some other unsavory thing that shouldn't have happened. It really doesn't matter on our end.

As for you, thank you for asking them, regardless of the outcome. I totally understand where you're coming from, and it's very understandable that you'd feel this way.

(... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

You're right that you shouldn't. We don't need the commissioner doxxed. If the Mods ever need the screenshots, they'll ask for it with instructions on how to keep things private.

clawstripe said:

You're right that you shouldn't. We don't need the commissioner doxxed. If the Mods ever need the screenshots, they'll ask for it with instructions on how to keep things private.

i mean I can edit the name of the person out easily... Even if this person was acting like a complete jerk in my opinion I still wouldn't Doxx them on purpose

Anyway I feel a little better that you guys understand where Im coming from, makes me feel like "less of a bad guy" (can you tell I haven't really been in much Internet fights... If we can even call this a fight?)

I agree with the other reasons cited but also the possessiveness is very cultural. It's a huge ingroup marker in some artistic™ communities to try to manage their art like a brand.

The second note was from the artist's partner, telling me that I had upset their partner and asking me to immediately apologise to them.

Was that note from like, a public-facing account? Otherwise there's a possibility it was also the artist pretending to be a partner lol, I've seen that kind of thing happen.

I don't think we should accommodate any response

zigaton said:
Was that note from like, a public-facing account? Otherwise there's a possibility it was also the artist pretending to be a partner lol, I've seen that kind of thing happen.

It's on FA, from two separate & distinct accounts. Their profile walls stated that they were together.

wateryblue said:
Not gonna name names... Just venting because that didn't feel good at all (I also realized the person who blocked me isn't even the artist but the commissioner who owns the right to the character)

So they issued a takedown of their commissioned art before so I decided to reach out and get permission next time to put on this site... For some bizarre reason they got really mad at me, heck I even took a screenshot because of how bizarrely hostile the interaction was (... I don't know how or if I can post screenshots in the forum... Heck maybe I shouldn't)

what was especially weird is they accused me of trying to steal the art?

(Not sure if this should go in general or off topic)

Seems like to me the commissiomer did not understand that they may be providing the art as a service and didnt know that it was going to be posted publicly? Or maybe they felt they had liscence over its distribution because they paid for it?
Honestly they went a little awol on you if they didnt tell the artist they wanted it private.

Ive had people ask me to drae them things and then also asl for me to not post it before, i had to add it in my tos that i reserve the right to post it unless negotiated and agreed before the commiasion orocess begins because liscence ownership and just buying a commissions peice are 2 separate things entirely and a lot of people dont know that