Wow, what a chat here! 
Hey bro! Your art is weak. The scanlines makes it even more weak. So you better remove the lines, so your art become a little bit better. And get over it and move on. That's it.
Nobody hates you or whatever.
Scanlines are perfectly fine and do not break any rules that PixelJoint has. There are many awesome pieces in the gallery with hand drawn scanlines. (like this one http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/114446.htm) I think the biggest issues this submission faces are high color count for such a small canvas (111 colors), and a very abstract/rough design that's sort of hard for people to read.
I'm assuming the high color count comes from a transparent layer used to make the scanlines. This is probably why it was also brought up.
"Retro vs Modern"
I think there are very good reasons for traditionalists to exist. Without people keeping tradition alive, with all of the rules and regulations, we wouldn't have a lot of the basic techniques that create the foundation for most art today.
Personally, I like to take the old principals of game design and combine them with more modern elements. My art is pixel art. I'm not living in the 80s, using old technology and I'm not limited to 8 colours. To me creating pixel art is about knowing the history: of palette shifting, limited palettes, dithering techniques, etc etc and respecting them while also bringing in new techniques and modern elements. Everything is hand placed, detailed with love and this means nothing to you, but I value my creativity. I don't see a lot of pixel artists like me and I figure'd it'd be cool to see that there are other styles that exist. When working with a very small canvas, I frequently say "well there's only so many ways pixels can make a ____" but it simply isn't true. The way that we can all use pixels to represent what's around us is as boundless as any other medium.
I'm very inspired by space and nebulas and so are other pixel artists! What I like most is that my style isn't similar to other space-based pixel artists. Where I could look at this and think "I don't fit in, I'm awful, my art is worthless, I'm worthless" (and I do), it's largely more productive to accept that we all see things through different lenses.
I know I haven't shared a lot of my art here. There's no way that you can tell anything about me, or my process or why I do the things I do but nothing about this shows me that anyone's interested in helping people be better. This reads like rules finicking and a reluctance to bring in new things.
And "processed" and "automated"? Man, that sucks. If you take a hot minute to look at the image, you can see the lines in the background and foreground only. The intention is to subtly draw your eye to the centre. It's the difference between crackle popcorn ceilings and plain white drywall. Both types of ceilings are perfectly legitimate and they're used in different situations. In this instance, the popcorn ceiling is to draw your eye to to the big black hole. You would see that the lines are used on two sections of the image and no where else. It just tells me that no one really looked if you can say that it looks automatically applied and that's not very fair at all.
(end)
I understand what you're saying here, let's talk
"Higher level artists go through this as well"
I'm by no means thinking that my art is better or lesser than anyone else. I'm also hugely into criticism and I love getting good feedback. Being told that (let's just call them what they really are:) the stripes I used to create subtle texture look automatically applied is beyond crazy to me though, and this "I understand that's a kind of subjective point of view, and I can't tell for sure if the scanlines were applied automatically or not. If you leave them on it might be a while before this gets approved for the gallery, or might not even get in at all" sounds incredibly gatekeepery. Perhaps this has more to do with monitor settings? I would have no problem changing my art if I thought there was a problem but having some incredibly subtle stripes disqualifies my art? Why?
My frustration lies mostly in the fact that there are no rules against stripes or against scanlines. I read through the rules carefully, as it's never been my intention to act outside of a community. I want to get involved, I want to support other people but heck man, it feels like coming up against a cliff face and some very confusing gatekeepers. It would be hugely different if I was breaking a rule, at least then I would understand.
(continued)
It's very appreciated that you're changing habits and doing your best to fit in with what's required by the public gallery! Many people get discouraged by all the time their submissions spend under scrutiny in the public queue. But, just know, it's not only you that has to go through this process. The higher level artists, such as Hapiel and Gecimen, must go through it as well. No one will ask you to do what each other member isn't being asked to do as well.
You have a great concept here, so don't give up! In a community like pixeljoint, communication can be a key to helping others understand what they're looking at. Be specific in your comments when trying out new styles and methods if you can. That can help others get ideas and see your progress as a pixel artist. Keep sharing your creativity! You can do it! 
The scan lines seems to be a misunderstanding, but that can happen. The issue I would have with them is the low contrast between them combined with the already dark background color choices. At 1x zoom, it's nearly impossible (for my eye, anyway) to see that they're even there. So when you do zoom in it looks fishy and a little bit artificial. I hope that's a better explanation. We don't mean to be"snobby" and we know that it's art, which means there's no"wrong way". Pixeljoint is much more lax than it could be and there's no pixel art law. In fact, many pixel art purists may have issue with some of the works that HAVE been allowed in at times. But there are definite principles that should be followed if you want to be approved for the gallery. It's not just pixeljoint, too.Non-pixel art galleries have rules for the art within them.Pixel art has a long history and Pixeljoint is proud to carry on that legacy. There's lots of articles and interviews about pixel art and why people have strict views on methods and "tools". Many feel that those methods are killing true pixel art. Even retro gaming created today is only really pixel art in name. Mostly that's due to the lack of tools that Were originally available to pixel artists at the beginning. But there is a certain respect for heritage that comes with pixeling that we'd like to keep going. Just the fact that every article about the difference in today's views of pixel art and true pixel art begins with "just because a picture is made with pixels doesn't make it pixel art" proves that many, often even those submitting to the gallery on pixeljoint, don't really understand why pixel art is so special. I and everyone here hopes you continue to come back and submit your creative ideas with us and to talk about pixel art together. We look forward to your next submission and growing in our skills together!
Hello mentalpop. Sorry you feel unwelcome here but for years we are trying hard to keep a balance between “being welcoming” and “anything goes”. Please understand that it is hard to keep the gallery at a minimal level of cleanness. There is nothing against yourself or new members in general, it is just that we often try to encourage new members to polish their pieces as much as possible before accepting. Please don’t feel offended.
They're certainly intentional, used to provide texture to the background and foreground and attract your eye to the middle (the focal point) of the image.
I really don't understand pixeljoint. Months ago, I posted one of my first pieces of pixel art, and you replied back and told me about not using gradients. Since then, I've redoubled my effort and have come a long way, taking a special interest in the way that pixel art and game design meet and using retro elements in juxtaposition to more modern lines. Sure, it's subjective you say but man, it's ridiculously hard to feel even marginally welcome in this space. Thanks anyway.
They take away the original colors, and make it look as if some automated process made everything fuzzy. With solid colors instead of the scan lines, it looks less "processed" and more clean handmade :). I understand that's a kind of subjective point of view, and I can't tell for sure if the scanlines were applied automatically or not. If you leave them on it might be a while before this gets approved for the gallery, or might not even get in at all, I'll leave that to the other mods.
Hi mentalpop, do you have a clean version without the scanlines?
Checked your site, BTW, Kaitlyn. You are a damn good artist, so did you make all this thread on purpose?
You can totally make some great arts with colours and stuff, but you post this piece of smth with 111 colors... Why?