gex no thats helpful!! i didnt think of putting the oc on private, but yeah ill try to find any potential proof that im allowed to keep the character lolz ;w;
tldr me and my ex got in a big dispute a few months ago, and i have a character that I do not know what to do with.
The character in question has not been uploaded to toyhouse by him (to my knowledge, we have each other blocked) and before we had this falling out, he agreed i could keep this character. he designed the character even though i tried to have some say in it, he ended up designing and naming this character entirely on his own. the character was originally meant for use in a project we were working on, but as it stands he isnt being used by either of us.
i dont know if my ex would change his mind if i asked him again about this character - we are not on speaking terms and simply do not like each other.
unfortunately i dont have photographic proof (unless i have screenshots hidden somewhere) that he agreed to let me have this character, as most of our conversations were over the phone.
can i actually keep this character? if i uploaded the character, and he reported it out of spite, what kind of trouble could that land me in? i still love the character at the end of the day despite everything, i dont want him to be wasted because of a shitty relationship.
As long as he said the character is yours and he has made no move to keep it for himself, than I don't see any issues with keeping/uploading them. Just don't forget to properly credit him for the design and any art he's made regardless of whether you guys are on speaking terms or not, as not crediting a design could land you in hot water and would give a reason to have the character taken down. As was mentioned previously, if you're concerned about him reporting the character, you can set them to private/authorized only.
Another possible idea would be to have a friend ask him about the status of the character? Once again I'm not sure the lengths to which this dispute goes, and I'm not sure how willing you would be to approach him on this matter. If you trust that the feelings will cool down you could wait a bit to ask/have a friend ask him, provided you're willing to wait a bit to start using the character. It would be the safest bet as it would give you a solid answer as to whether you're in the right in uploading the character. But once again, no one can force you to approach someone you dislike, especially if you both have each other blocked, it's just a thought if by any means it is a possibility.
I hope this gets sorted out soon for you!
UPDATE / i tried crediting him for these designs but he declined outright, despite him being the creator of both designs (mostly.)
this gave the rights back to me, but like, could i get in trouble for this? i still have proof i was allowed to keep them, but he refuses to take credit for their creation. not gonna lie he probably didnt know what the button meant when he pressed it...
what do i do now? id like to actually use the characters lol,,,
maybe keep the credit box as is (until u talk or he figures out what the credit button means), but add a field or something in the description crediting him as the designer + maybe a link to proof u can keep it? i honestly think the mods would be fairly understanding, but i agree that keeping the design on private/authorized only would be a good idea