Animation Source Forums

Recently, I was submitting a request I had completed for someone.

I get a very interesting PM back.

This image was not validated as it needs to include a character with a character page.

Now, that's all very well if you're submitting images of your own characters.

But what if you're submitting images of someone else's characters? A request/trade/gift?
Do you know what problems this could cause? I thought of a few.

What if you are waiting for permission to be given? Sorry, have to wait.

Sometimes people never end up giving you permission even when they're active. Sorry, can't do that.

Sometimes people don't have the character on site yet because it's waiting to be approved. Sorry, have to wait.

Sometimes people don't have the character on site yet because it requires a body image, and the image you are submitting is to be used as the body image. You either have to upload the image elsewhere for the author to send the character and wait for it to be approved. Otherwise, sorry, can't do that.

Sometimes the character was deactivated under fan character rules. These rules obviously do not apply to what is acceptable to submit for fan images as it is a different section, right? Sorry, can't do that.

Sometimes the image is a very old one from before the fan character section, and the character does not have a page, but you want to share the image. Sorry, can't do that.

Sometimes the image features a character that does not have a page since the character author is inactive/had left. Sorry, can't do that.

The worst one of all... sometimes someone else's character was deactivated due to inactivity. You want to send a fan image of them, but you can't ask for permission because that character is deactivated. You can't send the image because the character is "inactive" despite the fact that this new image would make the character "active" under normal circumstances. Sorry, can't do that.

This brings me great anger. Were these situations even thought of when this rule was introduced?
It's causing more hassle for the members to even use the fan characters section than improvements for the section itself.

What is to be done when these situations occur, hm? Then what?

Another one.

What if you want to send an image of your OWN character whom is waiting to be approved? Sorry, can't do that.

Does anyone else feel this way? That it's not agood thing?

This is also practically banning blank renders. Was that the idea? Why didn't you just ban blank renders then? To avoid drama from the people who make them?

Sure, this rule works providing nothing goes wrong in the process of obtaining permission/having a page... but what if it does, and normally once in a while it does?

Sorry, but this is a nightmare for anyone who wants to do requests/trades/gifts when problems arise. It doesn't seem to help them much. This rule came about unannounced so we don't even have a reason as to why this came about.

Was it to make sure people are rendering images of characters that actually exist? Apart from the blank renders, I don't see how this was ever a problem. It just makes the whole submitting process longer.

It's just getting tiring to use the fan characters section now. And what if this rule comes into place for fanarts, which it might? Then you'll see a lot more of these cases. Bad system! Bad!

This has happened to me before! I agree, it's just rude, the rule makes no sense. It only makes our online experience on Animation Source more difficult, which isn't needed, believe me (I love the site, but it angers me every now and then.).

I'm glad Cobaltie brought this up, because it's bothered me, too.

P.S. One of the fan image mods on TLKS deactivated an image of mine because it wasn't 'made properly' but it was a fairly good render (well, better than most of mine). I had to re-activate it and speak to the mod who did this, and she or he probably thought that they need to be photoshop renders or something, although she/he never responded. Yet another thing on this site that pulls me out of my happy place.

Photoshop renders? Just no.
You'd have to buy Photoshop...
Did you speak to a lead mod?

I'm extremely confused by your post, and I did read it word for word. Let me know if I got the basic gist.

There are a lot of holes with the current fan character attachment system, mostly having to do with characters you don't have control over (characters that don't belong to you.) and the main problem here is that there is absolutely no consistency in that section.

And the last part, I agree. It's a total cointoss what happens when you submit a character depending on which mod picks it up. I always thought it was a lack of communication and lack of a basic guideline (or ignorance of basic guideline) that was the issue.

The solution I see here is writing down a manual for the mods containing a list of rules and guidelines having to do with their respective sections. Read it and carry out what's listed in there. No personal preferences, no flip-flopping, no nothing. It's right there written down and you follow the "law."


Seeing how some blank render makers are resorting to snarky unnecessary passive aggressive comments on their blanks and getting snarly at people who don't like blank renders which makes me never want to use, fave, or comment on their work for fear of dealing with their immature childish attitude problems? Probably. Can we ban blank renders or at least put a cap so there aren't entire galleries filled with nothing but lineart and blank renders? Pretty please?


Speak to a lead mod. That's redonkulous, there's no law dictating you have to use a certain program.

I agree that the current rules have getting to a point where it becomes more frustating than anything to send fan content, especially in relation to the characters.
That's due to the fact that we wanted to avoid people sending "bad" content, so we added more and more rules, but in the end it doesn't work well.

Which is why I gave a possible solution here :

too-many-rules-an-idea-t30402.html

Unfortunately, as long as I haven't prepared everything (meaning : creating the categories and changing the fan sections pages to display them), the current rules have to stay or else we would have an uncontrollable situation.

I'll just ask you to be a little patient...

That's what has been done recently, but I guess not everyone is looking at them, as I see there are still issues.

Yeah, that was sort-of the idea, although the main problem was its unfriendliness to users trying to submit works. If there's a problem involving an image you made and a character you don't own this rule doesn't really help you at all, it shunts you back.
Especially in the case of trying to send an image of an inactivity deactivated character, you can't because the character was deactivated, despite the fact that the image would make it active again.
It's too complicated for mods to figure out what to do when unique situations come up.
And it's frustrating for members when they don't get any answers (as seen recently)

Ironically, nobody's enlightened us on why this rule came into place.



I'm sorry to say this, but they way it's going we're gonna have one anyway