@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
I can imagine that.

@SeraphimDawn  

@SeraphimDawn I wouldn’t doubt most of those are from people that bought things blindly.

B T F O  
T  
F  
O

@Background Pony #1572  
>>Looks at option 3  
Take Digibrony, for example.

@Background Pony #1572  
Which is why I love this fandom.  
There is a little of everyone and everything.  
It’s not a echo chamber on most parts.

@The Smiling Pony  
That’s because you’re a nice person who wants to think the best of someone, and not a cynical asshole who wishes they still could. We’ve got a lot of both in the fandom and neither one is really good without the other there to keep them balanced. Without the nice guys this fandom would be a monster and fall apart, and without the assholes it would just be too easily bought/cheated/conned and would eventually be turned against each other after being herded into little groups centered around things like popular artists or made up celebrities.
 
The problem here was that the it was an issue that just wasn’t talked about, either out of apathy for ‘popular’ people or ignorance or general naivety. Obviously he wouldn’t trace for work he sold right? Therefore when someone who we know doesn’t like an artist claims the artist did something wrong they can be ignored because obviously it was just one time and the accuser’s proof is not important enough to listen to in any way but secondhand. So the person is tar’ed and feathered by the well meaning and the person actually at fault just has it reaffirmed that they’re a good person doing no wrong, and they have no reason to hide anything… except that wasn’t true. Everyone knew this guy traced, no one really listened to each other because it’s easier to assume that he wasn’t stupid enough to sell art he traced. Because you have to assume the best and ignore the assholes being mean.
 
You just gotta give everyone a chance to be a sinner and a saint at the same time, because they’ll rarely dress like whichever one they actually are, so you won’t notice unless you really look at them. It might turn out the abrasive person is not as much of an asshole as they act, or that the nice person is not what they appear.
 
Or they could just be an idiot. That’s always more likely. Like someone who doesn’t realize selling traced artwork is bad because they have bigger idiots who don’t know better telling them it’s ok.

The return of the duck.

@The Smiling Pony  
This.  
So this.

@Background Pony #1572  
There’s also a set of people that knew he was tracing but didn’t realize he was making money off it. I figured the stuff he sold at cons were his original work (there’s plenty of it) and the comics that are full of traces were just “for fun”. It’s what irks me about all these callout images; they’re not doing a good job at highlighting the traced merch he made money off of, which is the real problem.
 
I also didn’t realize he had, like, a fanbase or the like.

@Background Pony #05D3  
Answer to your second question: Three kinds of people,
 

1: people didn’t figure this out ages ago?
 
2: who gives two flipped shits anyway?

I think the “drawgate” tag should be changed to “traceponies”

@SeraphimDawn  
If fraud justifies death threats, how is that an overreaction?
 
It’s a typo, right?
 
Also, I think I misread it as “Friends is wrong”. I’ve never watched Friends.

@Registered Anon  
Some people overreact with “KILL HIM WITH FIRE” or something like that. Frauds is wrong. But it does justify death threats.

@SeraphimDawn  
I guess, but drama is fun.

@Background Pony #A71D  
While I do agree that The Herd needs to learn to calm down and not overreact all the bloody time. Those who called out on the breach of ethics aren’t in the wrong. Ethical breaches are a serious issue.

@Background Pony #A71D  
I never thought of that. That’s funny. I eagerly await Drawgate 2: Tracing Sucks. Or something of the sort.

@Registered Anon  
Just like Sunset Shimmer.

@Background Pony #A71D  
Regardless of how many people forgive him, he definitely won’t live this down.

@CrassMetalHead
 
@SeraphimDawn
 
@Registered Anon  
Either way, I personally think that Drawponies has dug up his own grave and it would take a mighty long time to reclaim his reputation from his capitalist actions.
 
This has been another example of “horse famous” gone wrongfully off the rails and crashed to the ground.
 
 
R.I.P. Drawponies  
2011 - 2015

@SeraphimDawn  
People who defend scams tarnish fandom image. Which our fandom thankfully mostly see through such trap.
 
Compared to many fandoms out there where popularity sit above pretty much all else. Our fandom has pretty good ethical integrity.

@Registered Anon  
I don’t like the white knights who blindingly defends him. Whites knights are the reasons why injustices breed. Which doesn’t go well with me, being a guy who is obsessed with justice.
 
Maybe he should think of donating much of it to charity or something? And start from fresh? I don’t think he has a hard time finding customers even now.  
But he still will have to live by his words. Otherwise, the apology carries no weight.

@SeraphimDawn  
I can understand why people would not forgive him, especially if he’s been knowingly doing this for years. I don’t feel too good towards his actions either. But I’m still not gonna bother totry and reclaim the money I gave him because I don’t think it’s worth it.

@SeraphimDawn  
We are forgiving. But we are not stupid.  
Welcome to the real world.