What's the general view about this? It's overwhelmingly common for people to include an image as a character description or as a supplement to one, yet I've seen a fair chunk of people that refuse to roleplay with people who do use an image, even if it's only a supplement.

Some people even go so far to call this art theft, and would report people who did to the admins in the hopes of getting them banned. I think this is honestly a bit excessive, but I'd like to hear other views.

Here's my take on it: It's fine to use an image so long as you do not edit it in any way, shape, or form and leave all signatures, watermarks, and other notes on the artwork where they are. Credit the artist if you can (So long as linking to that artists profile/gallery doesn't trigger the adsense, anyway.) and don't claim that you made or own the artwork. Stealing the entire character is a No-No. Write your own character for the image.

A lot of artists (and people) say to ask them/ask the artist first. That's fine and dandy, but what if the artist doesn't respond for months? Do you just use it anyway? What if, if/when they finally respond, they say no?

I know this is going to be a hot topic, so please be civil. I will monitor and report anyone trying to start fights.