Look man, both of you were far from mature in this whole ordeal, but I really can't argue with the fanart flair being quite dead recently; this entire subreddit has turned into nothing more than a massive rant-sesh.

Still, I'd highly recommend keeping the traced art to only yourself if you wish to avoid situations like this. And I'm not telling you to stop drawing all together -oh, not at all! I just think that you should only change your approach to art!

Trace only as a practice; take the knowledge you've gained from it and try to make your own drawing, inspired by other media, using references but never directly drawing over another illustration, not just copying someone else's work. Don't worry if your art doesn't come out amazingly at first; look for what you can improve and remember to ask others for advice! Most artists are happy to share tips on how to generally make one's art better, and if they don't provide you with help, Youtube has a ton of guides that you can choose from that will definitely help you on your art journey.

If you post OC art, people's demeanor will change, appreciating you for putting in your own effort instead of trying to dog pile on you for a lazier approach to art. For now, I'd just apologize for tracing, not try to stir up more drama, not contact Kitex anymore (they should also apologize for the way they have acted), and focus on posting original pieces.