Caution: BrokenVocaloid

So this starts on June 17th, 2020 when I commissioned them for a $20 YCH. I'm also in the market for a new reference sheet at the time, so we briefly discuss that as well. (Please note that the original YCH posting I won appears to have been taken down, however with how many YCHes the artists generally posts it's a non-zero chance that I'm just unable to find it).

I completely forget about it and don't hear anything until March 8th, 2021, when I get this note. 

I assume there will be updates there so I join. Turns out she calls the server "BrokenVocaloid's Good Boys" and everyone who's commissioned her gets the role "good boy". I mention I'd like her to create another role maybe called "Good girl" due to myself being transgender and being called a "good boy" causing dysphoria. She doesn't discuss anything with anyone, over reacts, and completely revamps the server. (I did not take screenshots of this, and have since been removed from the server). I feel horrible about doing this to her out of nowhere, so I ask to support her at her "Golden Children" tier, which is supposed to come with benefits like free art, etc, etc.

As mentioned earlier, when I got the YCH I told her I might be interested in a ref. Again, I felt bad I caused her to completely redo her server, so I moved forward and asked for a ref of Ruby.

I don't hear anything that week. So on the 16th, I ask for an update on the WIP. I only asked for the update because she said she'd send the WIP within the week, normally I give artists like a month before I poke them for an update unless they give me an expectation. She ignores me. I ask again on the 19th. She ignores me.

On the 24th I message her again. She points to the fact her grandmother was testing for cancer as the reason I don't have the WIP (this was posted on her journal on furaffinity here https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9797437/, and is public knowledge). I'd also asked about the YCH which at the time was 9 months overdue before her grandmother went into testing. She dodged that question. I backed down since I figured she was grieving. Ends with "I'll do it now", setting another expectation.

On 4/3, I realize I might never get the ref, so I hedge my bets. I like getting all my refs from the same person, so I ask her if she can switch to my Umbreon character instead as I care much less about that reference sheet. She says she's already started working on Ruby.

On 4/13, She randomly solicits me for another commission since she functionally needs something for her portfolio. I still feel bad from the original interaction in her server, so I accept. Note that she said "I will have ALOT of wips for ya tomorrow"

On 4/17 I message again. She says she can send the WIPs that evening. She then sends me a discord invite to her streaming server, so I figure she's gonna stream herself working on my commission. She spends the entire evening streaming other people's commissions, and I feel extremely disappointed. So I message her again on 4/18, I'm ignored.

4/19 I write up a small wall of explanation of why I'm upset doing my best to be reasonable and professional. I get another story as to why she doesn't have them done, I'm willing to accept it at face value because things happen, and it's a somewhat reasonable story.

By 5/7 I'm sick of asking for updates. I at this point noticed her artist bewares and saw someone reference her having a trello in one of them, so I ask her for it. Ignored. 5 days on 5/12 later I message her again, she doesn't even answer the question I asked at first.

On 5/19 I reach a point of frustration where I tell her I don't want the art anymore and tell her to just not bother. She's been posting a lot of YCHes and saying she needs money for food, so I'm willing to let her keep the money as I'd feel bad taking that money away from her.

This is the image I sent her in the previous screenshot.

She says she's not going to keep the money without doing the work, so I relent. She says it'll be out within the week again.

On 5/27 I ask for a refund because frankly she basically begged to be allowed to finish the commissions and then ignored her own deadline without even bothering to communicate once again. I clearly state that I'd like it back within 2 weeks or I will be filing a chargeback as I've seen other people here have issues getting refunds. I still forgive the $25 from the "Golden Child" tier because there was no direct tangible agreement there, and I feel like asking for that refund would be unreasonable. Her comment "I have a life and stuff happeend personally i had to take care of ^^; I know people dont care about that so I dont push it on them" felt like a personal attack implying I don't care about her at all, which feels completely unwarranted.

Discussion about the refund. I suspect she sketched out that "WIP" in the hour and a half between my message and her message just based on how resistant to showing me she was right up until that point, the fact her explanation makes no sense, as well as the fact that the change in the way she types (using the ~ at the end of the sentence for example) comes off as smug in some way. 

Today (6/13) I still haven't received the refund. She's stated I'll have it tomorrow, so I'm giving her a single final chance to follow through, otherwise I'll be filing the chargeback.

I strongly recommend you do not work with this person under any circumstances. The entire interaction felt disrespectful, disingenuous, and like a long string of excuses for the fact she takes on more work than she can handle with no intention of ever completing it, and I'd estimate that your odds of getting your commissions are a coin flip at best. I will be genuinely impressed if I get the refund I've been promised at this point.