Say i wanted to draw Erika or Crystal: Would i need to go through anybody first? Or are they pretty much public domain?

Well, technically they're OCs of specific people (so, Crystal is a Zko original for instance) - that said, I feel fairly confident in saying a number of people have used them in their pics without their creators minding. As long as you don't make money off of them, I'm sure it's okay.

That said, I am speaking in place of people, and I don't know their real stance on it, so if you're really unsure you might be better off contacting them directly, via PM or the like.

Erika is based on an actual girl named Erika, she's not around much but might be best to DM her first.

Yeah, I think a bunch of these OCs are very closely identified with their creators, and it would be ... potentially awkward... to just use them without asking.

Aurora is based on me and you can draw her as much as you want. this counts as blanket permission for anyone.

Sick, asked and answered. Thank you.

While you didn't mention her, I know I can speak in that I always prefer to be asked if any one is going to draw Kaa'lin so I know these two would like it as well :)

You're free to draw my characters too if you want (Lara, Sara, etc). Just send me a private message or something beforehand, so I can see if I like the idea.

I'm almost always fine with people using mine, but I dunno if I'd call mine "Hub favorites" hahaha,

I won't say no to a drawing of Queen Lindabelle, though I would want it to be run past me to make sure it's not something wildly out of character for her or anything.

Do ya all contact Disney ever time you draw kaa the snake? Or the Pokémon Company for anything pokemon related? Or Funimation for most anime stuff?

As long as the work differs from the original its considered parody and/or fair use

The murderous duck makes a surprising good point...

That's true, but to be honest I don't think it's about a parody in that sense. I mean on the legal side yes absolutely, that's a fair point, so there's probably no "need" to ask anybody first, but if a character is sensitive to their creator and they ask why a character has been drawn without consulting them (unless they explicitly stated that they encourage this) I don't think an answer like "it's just a parody of your character" would be a good answer. I think seeking them out in private might still be the best and safest course of action, even if it's not necessary.

All this take of parodies makes me want to post this link:

www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html

Last panel.

Not only does this sound tone deaf wrt the artists who have requested their works be taken off this site, it also implies that you've somehow never had a creative pursuit in your life.