Art Thief Season is open again, woo -__-

I don't know what goes through the head of plagiarists, seriously. "Oh wow, this picture is kind of neat, I know it because it was in someone's favorites / it has a ton of comments on it / it was reposted by someone else in photobucket or some other gallery / etc" seems to lead straight to I MUST BE THE ONLY ONE EVER WHO HAS SEEN THIS PICTURE. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!!! "

The perfect crime, ladies and gentlemen.

Plagiarists are all fucking dumbasses. I can't wrap my mind around the necessary gymnastics to understand the reasoning that makes it seem like 1) a good idea, 2) something they would even truly benefit from.

What do they get from it?

Attention?
"Look look I can draw in several different styles barely one week after posting my first badly-traced picture in yet another different style!" yeah, you're gonna get some attention alright, only most of the attention comes in the form of "I've seen this picture before somewhere else D:" and the rest is all "I've never seen any of those pictures but I'd have to be blind not to notice they're all by different hands and that you suddenly jumped a dozen levels in ability," and unless you've stolen from some poor sap who doesn't yet draw much better than you (and yet is still a much better person and ARTIST on account of at least attentiong to improve their own damn self with their own hard work) it's about 75% certain you'll be found out and exposed eventually and then woo public shame. If you're lucky people will merely ignore you because they can tell exactly what you are and they don't think you're even worth the bother.

The pleasure of pulling the wool over people's eyes?
Wow, someone who doesn't know you or I from Adam and has no reason to be wary can't guess at a glance through the anonymity of the internet that you're not the original author, such an amazing feat, what a master of deceit and trickery you are! What's up for your next trick, trying to convince a toddler to hand you their lollipop? Good luck with that one.

Seriously, what an empty pleasure. Not only is it selfish and hurtful and pitiful, but it leads nowhere. This picture, even if no one ever guess, YOU will always know -- you didn't draw it. You don't deserve the comments you're getting on it. You can't tell people what technique was used to draw it. You can't do it again, but for your own ideas and dreams this time around. You have not grown as an artist from creating it, you have not gotten a single compliment that was truly meant for you and now you're locked in a lie that'll grow more convoluted and lame-legged every day until it crumbles under its own weight, you have not gained anything. What's the fucking point?

I have never met one art thief who wasn't a dumbass, and as proof: of all the art thieves I have had the misfortune to have to deal with, not a one has offered me a sincere apology.

Fake ones, yes.

Really BAD ones, pretty much each and every single one of them.

FauxApology one: "It wasn't me it was my sister/classmate/neighbor's poodle." (Even if that were true, and HAHAHA does it look like I was born yesterday, that excuse is older than the internet, it's still your account and your responsibility.)

FauxApology two: "wah wah you're so mean for making me take it down you're persecuting me by forcing me to face the consequences of my own actions wahhhhhh IM LEAVING DEVART FOREVER." (please do feel free.)

FauxApology three, the one that almost LOOKS like an apology if you squint: "I'm sorry that Society made me. Okay I stole but it's society's fault for not granting me awesome art skills/adoration from the masses at a snap of my fingers and it OWED me and also what do you care you have a ton of pictures anyway." (One, fuck you. Two, all those people who haven't been around as long as I have or have such an amazing net of watchers and fandom friends looking out for them and helping them around say fuck you for not giving a damn how much more hurtful that is for them than for me and that it happens to them too. Three, fuck you again and learn to draw your own fucking self, there are no goddamn shortcuts worth a damn out here and stealing isn't even a shortcut so much as a shortbackward in the first place since you're only learning to rely on your lazy, dishonest, sticky fingers. Also, fuck you and the sense of entitlement you rode in on, this is not an apology, it's not even close to being an apology and I'd rather you just shut the fuck up than shower me with that hypocritical, bad-faith bullshit.)

(FauxApology three and a half: "I'm sorry I got caught." (I'm just going to let that one... sit here. And stare at it. Yeah.))

FauxApology four: "WAHH WAHHH WAHHHHHH I AM SO SORRY, SO SO SO SORRY THERE IS NO BOTTOM TO THE DEEP WELL OF MY SORRYNESS LET ME CRY YOU A LAKE OR THREE now please allow me to graft myself on you like a limpet and suck out all your willpower until you give in and forgive me out of utter exhaustion, after which all will be sunshine and butterflies and you will love me and we will be best friends and I will be able to pretend it never happened and also get all my adoration needs through you like some kind of fandom vampire and bug you for advice nonstop and whine when I get crit instead because I don't actually want to bother working at getting better I just want someone to payyyy attention to meeeeeeeeeee." (=____________= -> my face.)

In the end my favorite reaction from plagiarists is the one where they just shut up and don't even try to apologize and just allow me to forget they even exist.

Now let's see how this latest one is going to play out. I predict whining and martyrdom and self-entitlement!