#very good that ko-fi doesn't take money too

[jjeremysstash]

oh wow so hum...

first ko-fi received ??? what???

(I never thought it would ever happen and yet here we are)

[sauroff]

I know this is really weird but hear me out. My dad (62yo) has always been a fan of racing, and has gonne to some local races (I used to go too as a small kid, always rooting for whoever had a purple car). But he has always dreamed to see a F1 race. This year, he was very shyly considering going to Brasil's. For the first time in a long while, there is a latino on the top 10, and just recently another one, from our country, also entered the top 20. So, he is ecstatic.

The thing is, as soon as the prices were posted, he realized it was much more than he can spend. Just the ticket is way too expensive, and he has to add the plane tickets, place to stay, etc.

Enter me here, trying to get that damn ticket, while my brother takes care of the other expenses, to take him to go watch his cars go brrrr I don't have the money, but at least I can try to get it.

That being said, let's get to the important part!

PRIZES:

1- 50usd to use on my Redbubble (or someone's else if you want to! I'm not gonna get jealous)*

2- 40usd commission (can be one full body, a half body couple, etc)

3- 20usd to use on my Redbubble ***

ANYONE WHO BUYS A TICKET GETS AN AVATAR AS A THANKS **

IMPORTANT: The raffle will only take place if at least 35 tickets/numbers are sold. If you bought one ticket, but we didn't reach that number, you will get your avatar and a refund.

Tickets can be bought via Ko-fi or Paypal invoice. Send me a DM and I'll help you out with it :)

* If Redbubble doesn't deliver to your country, you can change it for 50usd in a commission, from me or another artist. If you do want the original price, you must also be comfortable with giving me an address to deliver the goods to!

** The style of the avatar will be this one:

*** If you are not from the Tolkien fandom, you can check more of my non-tolkien related works on my IG or my Artstation. Almost any work can be made into a print or sticker or other products from RB.

♥♥♥ Shares are greatly appreciated ♥♥♥

[k-tarotz]

PAC - What your friends like about you

Just a little pick a card made with tarot and intuition! This is a general reading so only take what resonates and leave what doesn't ♡ pick one or multiple card(s) you feel drawn to!

Please support our post by reblogging or tip us on our ko-fi it would mean a lot to us and motivate us a lot, even if it's not a big amount!

˖⃗ . ݁ ࣪ ، ₊ ˖ ་. ࣪ ، 🥢 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶ Paid readings ˖. ݁ ࣪ ، ₊ ˖ ་. ࣪ ، 🥢 ، ࣪ ⊹ ֶ

Pile 1

Cards: 3 of coins, 4 of wands, 2 of cups, knight of coins

You have a very innocent vibe to yourself and have a soft heart, you are a very supportive friend and often listen to your friends venting or just when they need someone to talk to. Your friends appreciate that you are there for them when they need you the most. You are also someone smart and often give good advice, your friends learn sometimes from you whether it's from your advice or you telling them some facts they didn't know before. Also whether your memory is good or not you try your best to remember things about your friends, that's also something they really like about you. You are naturally cute and actually some of your friends have a secret none serious crush on you. Your friends cherish you because you are such a nice person with warm words who has no bad intentions. You are loyal and most likely dislike the same people that your friends dislike as well. You also always think of your friends feelings, if something would hurt them you would either not tell them, for their own best, or you would think how to word it in a way it will definitely sound less harsh/hurtful - this is something your friends also really like about you! They know you wouldn't hurt them on purpose.

Things that could be related: nature, water, flowers, aquarius, air signs, 222, 777, plush, animal, A, S, Y, N

Pile 2

Cards: 8 of coins, queen of wands, 6 of wands, the world

You are the kind of friend who puts others (your friends) before yourself [short reminder; please keep in mind how important you are, you should come first before anyone else. Your comfort is important too!] and therefore you are always there for your friends, whenever they need you, even in the middle of the night if you are up. You are a very honest person and immediately tell your friend if you know something that could be relevant for them. You are also overprotective of your friends and stand up for them if they are in an uncomfortable situation. You could possibly be the mom friend or the quite friend that is very caring and lovely, quite scary when mad but you rarely get mad. You like go take care of your friends whether you are older or younger than them doesn't matter. You are quite mature for your age, especially mentally and emotionally, that's one thing that makes your friends feel safe around you. In fact you might be the safe place of one of your friends. They value you and your kindness a lot. Not to be dramatic but you also give the vibe that you would catch a bullet for your favorite person, to protect them. Your friends also know if they tell you a secret you will keep it a secret, they love you for who you are.

Things that could be relevant: hair, virgo, earth sign, anxiety, black, night, 444, 15:15, dreams, spring, R, K, H, L

Pile 3

Cards: 3 of wands, 4 of coins, ace of cups, the star

You are the type of friend that gives there all, no matter the situation. There is a lot of love and adoration in your heart, it’s like you can’t help it but show it no matter what or you might go insane. Not literally, of course, but you could get overwhelmed by how much you adore and love your friends. So you might like to spoil them and help them out in any kind of way possible. For many of you this is related to money (or could be a daydream of yours) but it can just be being there for your friend no matter what happens between you two. You are a very loyal person and even if your friendships were to break up (which they usually don’t, or at least it’s after years for you) you never share secrets and never cross boundaries that you know the other has simply out of love and care for them. You are a ride or die kind of friendship, respectful in your own right no matter what happens. You might also value vunerablity a lot, which is really a big bonus because it makes you understand and kind, none judgmental towards all. Tbh a lot of your friends can view you as a safe space, someone they can rely on at all times and know that they can always count on. You could also be a really fun friend to be with! Your love language must be quality time, or at least just one of it! You could be type of person to love braiding or styling your friends hair, putting make up on them or simply polishing them up and helping them through hard times and they don’t have the energy to do some things themselves.

Things that could be relevant: lipstick/lipgloss, styling, water sign, pisces, summer, tulips, 333, 1212, M, J, D, C

Thank you everyone for reading, liking and reblogging this! Thank you in case you tipped us, it means a lot to us! 🤗🩵

- Hun & Candy

[gojosattoru]

Hello everyone! Hope you are doing well cuties! I've missed you all so much! ^^ *hugs* So I'm doing this post to announce that I will start taking commissions again. I have been working as an illustrator, it has been really fun, my boss she's cool and has nice ideas but the issue is... she doesn't pay me on time... and sometimes I wait till 2 or 3 weeks till she pays me.. I'm really needing to gain more money... I have been trying to find a second job but it has been difficult.. No matter the curriculums I send.. no one responds or they say i don't have enough experience....... I'm really getting frustrated..

So I'm coming back, fortunately I have been feeling much better lately thanks to my psychologist and my medication. I want start editing again and tho on opening commissions on Tumblr and for Twitter! I can make icons, headers for both websites (or for any other social media if you want) I too have been doing a lot of chibi drawings, (you can see them on my art page on twitter and my blog and sideblog @letsbeeart) if you are interested and you could help me, I would really appreciate it :) If anyone wants to request feel free, but if you could give me even a small ko-fi :https://ko-fi.com/gojosattorus it would be wonderful, if not it's okay i'll do requests nonetheless ^^ so the prices for the commissions are these:

Headers alone are 10$;

Icons (anime and manga) alone are 3$;

Batch of both they are 11$. 

Chibi Commissions: (i should say this, if you want to commission me chibis please ask for fandoms i'm into! Since I'm more familiar with them and gives me more motivation to draw it helps me a lot! Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are good too ^^)

1 Character -> 25$;

2 Characters -> 35$

+ Characters -> 50$

with background -> 15$

It would be awesome if you guys could spread this post around as much as you can…Sorry for coming out of the blue with this.. I have been on hiatus for a month and a half due to my mental health and now I suddenly appear to open commissions (like i said i can take requests too you could give me a lil ko-fi if not it's alright too) but I have been thinking a lot recently since I don't gain THAT much and my boss always delays the pay day.. I should do something to gain more money! I have been practically doing nothing recently... So if you could support me, even just a lil it would help me a lot!.. Thank you for all your support, love, kindness and strength you have been sending to me recently and for keeping liking everything I do guys, makes me really happy whenever I see your messages ; U ; I will keep doing my most effort to create the best for you guys and I hope you like them and can enjoy too! Thanks for reading and to reblog. Anything you are interested in, or any doubt, you can always message me and we will talk things through. Wish you all the best and I love you very much!! 💖💖💖💖 Have a lovely day/night! *hugs* Take care!

[anexperimentallife]

Help a disabled, neurodivergent, interracial family get back to the US for medical treatment

After three bouts of COVID and other medical issues over the past six years here in the Philippines, my health has deteriorated to the point at which I'm worried I won't get to watch my little girl grow up unless I can get back to where I can use my Medicare and VA benefits for various surgeries and treatments.

Unfortunately, even with all y'all's help, @thesurestthing and I are still in debt from the two-year ordeal of fixing our daughter's stateless status, so we can't do this on our own. My little sister started a fundraiser for us, and there are a couple of other ways to help, as well. If you can't help, please reblog. Thank you! (The PayPal link takes the lowest fees, but whatever works for you is best!)

If you want more details, they're under the cut:

Six years ago, while still grieving the deaths of my adult sons and a painful breakup, I moved from the US to the Philippines with just what I could carry, in large part because it's actually possible to survive here on the pittance US disability pays. I had kind of given up on life and figured I would sort of drift off eventually. I wasn't going to kick my own bucket, mind you; I just wasn't going to try very hard to keep living. And I figured I'd just pass away someplace beautiful.

Soon after I got here, though, @thesurestthing (also American) started messaging me from the states, told me she was going to come to the Philippines and be my girlfriend (even though I told her no at first), and eventually joined me here. We had a baby under lockdown, and got married.

So now I had something to live for. (And most of y'all know the drama with the error on El's birth certificate that left her stateless and took almost two years and a lot of money to get fixed.)

But I have had health scare after health scare over the past few years, including three bouts of COVID (some of you remember the month I spent hooked up to an oxygen machine), two bouts of pneumonia, a persistent two-year foot infection that took surgery to clear up (and is going to require another surgery to keep cleared up), damage to my heart and scarring in my lungs from long covid, a literal hole in my throat that is growing bigger, a spine injury, joint injuries, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, a traumatic brain injury that affects my memory and concentration, adhd, bipolar disorder, autism, and other issues.

(Not even getting into the dental stuff--Hope to be able to get that done before we go back, here where it's cheaper, because Medicare doesn't cover that.)

I'm terrified that I won't be alive to watch my little girl grow up unless I can get someplace where I can use my Medicare and VA health benefits.

An old friend of mine is a social worker and on the school board in a small Minnesota city with its own VA clinic, and has offered to help us get settled in there, but we still have to find a place to live (suitable for a couple that includes a physically disabled adult, and who have a toddler), some basic household goods, some cheap used transportation, and need to survive for a couple of months while Zoey looks for work.

Given our situation in general and the fact that right now my disability is our only income, we're probably looking at having to pay at least six months (or possibly an entire year) of rent up front in order to get anyplace to lease to us.

We can't stay with friends because every single stateside friend we have with a spare room also has a cat--and I have an anaphylactic allergic reaction to cats, meaning that I will literally die if I'm around a cat for too long. I've had to go to the ER because I slept in a room that had a blanket in the corner that a cat had momentarily lain on. The only way I can be around cats is if I'm on massive doses of immunosuppressive drugs, which, well... The whole issue here is that I keep getting deathly ill, so suppressing my immune system even more is a non-starter. Oh, and Fel D 1, the protein secreted in cat dander, saliva, and waste, can stay even on hard surface for up to two years, and even longer on porous surfaces.

Again, if we weren't still in so much debt from El's birth certificate debacle, we might be able to do this at least mostly on our own. But as things stand, we can't do it on our own. We need your help.

If you read all of this, thank you very much. And again, if you can't give, please reblog.

For more medical details, check my Rob Gets Medical tag. For more details about Eleanor's birth certificate saga, check my Baby El tag.

[pigeon-behavior]

By the way, here's a heads up for people who may be somewhat new to pigeons (and excited to get a friendly one!) and have heard the term "ethical breeders" passed around.

This has a really specific meaning. And unfortunately how we use it in the pet pigeon community is not going to be how people in the rest of the pigeon community understand it.

You may be saying, "Well I don't know how the pet pigeon community defines ethical breeders!"

Well I may as well walk you through the whole thing:

For the purposes of this post let me clarify that the "pet pigeon community" I'm referring to here is the CPC discord server and its satellite entities, including the tumblrs and instagrams of prominent knowledgeable individuals and/or breeders. I'm not sure what say, GLPRs definition is, and for the purposes of understanding what I'm saying here, I am going to refer to them as the rescue pigeon community to help differentiate. God knows Palomacy doesn't deserve the title.

So then, what do we define as an ethical breeder?

Well, ethical breeders must do certain things.

Some examples:

-Provide adequate predator-proof, clean housing for their birds, without overcrowding

-Practice hatch control (aka not letting birds breed endlessly, for a variety of reasons)

-Work towards a goal (produce good temperaments, better a line's structure or color)

-Be willing and able to provide vet care

-Not seek monetary profit (if you're doing it right there will never be profit, only a black hole you throw cash into)

-Never handraise babies on purpose (but shit happens)

-Know your individual pigeons, understand their personalities and bodies, and what they have to pass down to offspring

-Socialize young parent raised pigeons

-Put animal Welfare before animal Rights. Animal rights are useless. Animal welfare makes a difference.

-Be willing to euthanize a pigeon that needs it

-Work with ethical breeds, or be actively in the process of making a breed more ethical (aka functional)

This is probably not exhaustive but its what comes to mind now. It's a decent core of it.

When you get a pigeon from an ethical breeder, you're likely paying more money. And you should be. More money was already invested into that animal.

And what did you get out of it? Well, for one, a MUCH lower chance your new bird is going to cost you $500 in vet fees. And that isn't even MENTIONING the enormous, ENORMOUS difference in temperament between your average pigeon and one that comes from an ethical breeder under this definition.

There is no better chance of receiving a bird that is friendly out-of-box. Which is really big, considering it can take half a year to bond with a pigeon.

But there's unfortunately a problem here. And it's that people new to this community who are very excited about getting a pigeon don't know that people elsewhere are going to have an entirely different definition of ethical breeder.

If you go on Facebook, where most of the Old Pigeon Guys reside, and ask in a breed group, "Are there any ethical breeders in here?" hoping to find yourself a pet, a bunch of guys will come in to the comments and be like

"well of course we're ethical breeders"

Having no idea what you're on about, but generally being too polite to question your weird phrasing.

And you will have been misled. Through no fault of anyone's. Through no malicious intent.

But if you're looking for an ethical breeder for a friendly bird, the result you get that way will be a disappointment.

I hope someone finds this informative and helpful. Shoutout to my buddy at Renaissance Loft for bringing up this issue recently and planting a bug in the back of my brain about it lol

If you like my posts, please consider tipping me on ko-fi!

[not-poignant]

Hi there! I absolutely love your works and, having followed you for a while now, I also really admire you as a person and an author in general. Every update on AO3 and Tumblr is always such a delight. I'm sorry if this ask is coming out of the blue or if it's something you've been asked before, but how did you take the plunge from writing predominantly fanfic to posting original fiction in serial form and also self-publishing novels? I'm currently in the process of drafting two original works after writing/posting fanfic regularly for years, and I'm just lost as to how to set everything up. I have a general idea (post chapter-by-chapter on AO3 and offer early access and some exclusive content on patreon or some other subscription service), but it all feels so daunting right now. Any bit of info or advice on how you got started would be immensely appreciated <3

Hi anon,

Tbh, I went from writing fanfic to original fiction because I had original characters in my fanfiction and readers asked me about them.

I had no kind of...dreams of being an original author in this way, I was published via other pathways already, and fanfiction was really an escape for me, a chance to break with all the conventions of standard writing and just do what I wanted.

But I needed a broader cast than what the movie gave me re: my first fanfics, and I added my own OCs, and left them in the background as much as possible, but even back while writing that fanfic, even the OCs were getting fanart. Sometimes readers would send me anons about them, or ask me more details about them.

Finally, I decided to write some hatesex between them, just something to kind of...idk get it out of my system? Answer what the readers were looking for?

The flow through therefore felt natural. Game Theory flows very naturally on from From the Darkness We Rise & Into Shadows We Fall. And from there, moving into other original works has been easy, in part, because I've often being doing alternate universes from a core of original characters.

If I want to introduce new original characters, I introduce them in stories where pre-existing original characters have already been established.

I didn't even start writing original works with a view to making money off that. In fact I thought it was a very foolish thing to do. A lot of people on AO3 don't want to read original works on AO3 and refuse to do it or only do it if it's PWP / pornography.

I started my Patreon account because readers asked me to. I got asks from very very generous people who wanted to know my Paypal, or asked if I'd start a Ko-Fi, and finally a few people just asked if I'd start a Patreon. I said I didn't think it was a good idea, and they said it was up to them if they wanted to pay me or not, but I should at least consider giving them the choice.

From there, I found it all very overwhelming. I made lots of mistakes. I had to go on hiatus for a year because I promised too much and couldn't deliver on many of those rewards. And for many years I only offered one early access chapter per week for one story, and my main stories were never early access (and still aren't, Underline the Black goes up for everyone at the same time - and while that may change in the future, it's definitely unconventional).

I've always been transparent with my readers that with very few exceptions, if they just wait, they eventually get everything for free. But if they want to support this kind of writing and/or enjoy it, and can comfortably afford to send some dollars my way, they can ensure that I can keep writing this way.

I have for a long time offered no exclusive content at all, I believe that can do well, but it's not my preferred way of doing things.

This career has been incredibly reader driven, anon. I would not personally attempt it cold, without a really fantastic readerbase who encouraged me every step of the way in the first place, because I am a cautious, insecure writer who doesn't like to take risks. So I can't give you advice on how to build this career without the support of the readers there in the first place, and I believe the only reason why I had their support was, in part, because of the actual strength of the writing itself. Which isn't to say it's the best, it's not, it's what I needed at the time and it's what a few other people needed, and that's basically how this works.

If you turn up with the writing, and the audience comes, and they want the story, you have the career.

In terms of practical advice - you can introduce original characters in fanfiction, just be aware that readers tend to be hostile by default if they pull any significant 'screen time' away from the fandom characters (and readers are extremely savvy to authors trying to build a financial business through AO3)

It IS daunting, but the good news is you can do a soft launch. You can open a Patreon or Ream account tomorrow and tell no one. You can mess with your graphics and your tier rewards to your heart's content when you don't have any subscribers. Build a buffer of early access/chapters, and make sure you don't overpromise on anything. Whatever you think you can realistically deliver to readers, cut it in half, because the stress of chapter update deadlines every month can really add up and it's a very different landscape to novel releases.

You can take your time, you can build interest slowly.

Remember you can never ever mention any kind of site where you're getting paid inadvertently, sneakily, or directly on AO3. You can't mention Ream, you can't mention Patreon, you can't mention Ko-Fi, you can't go 'learn more about my writing here' and link to those places. You can't mention buy links. You can only mention sites like Tumblr, Linktree, Twitter etc. Places where the point of sale isn't happening. Not doing so risks AO3's Not For Profit status and risks your entire account, and it's not worth it.

I did an interview with Subscriptions for Authors where I actually talk about many of these things so you can watch (or listen to) the podcast here if you're inclined! It also talks about the importance of community-building, gratitude to the readers, and generosity.

I am here because my readers wanted me to be. So I'm very concerned with making sure I can give them the best writing possible within my abilities. This makes me not very suited to offering 'how to start in this career' advice because it was a happy accident. It's hard to teach something I have never done your way myself, anon, because I worry I'd give bad advice. My writing had people turning up, but I'm not sure anything else I did, added much! I think responding to Tumblr asks and replying to every comment helped too! But...I don't know for sure.

But this career path does make me pretty well suited to offering 'how to keep this going' advice, because I've been doing this for ten years. <3333

[monratarot]

Hii! ✨✨ I was wondering if I would be able to get a tarot reading? I appreciate your time and energy 💘

For the past year I have been doing lots of acting classes and workshops and study, I have found I really have a passion for it. I’m wondering if this year I will have any career opportunities regarding acting? 🎞️

Thank you so so much! 🫧🫧🫧

E D B - Aquarius 🌊🌙🐲🌌🪐

Hello, dear! Thank you for your patience and interest in my blog and your request.

Feedback is very much appreciated and if you consider tipping me, you can do so on my ☕️ko-fi.

Count of questions/requests and answers 27/30

Without wasting any time, let's get into your reading!

Well, dear, there are signs that you will achieve something that you want. You just need to be a little bit cautious and discrete. Also, you will have a period when you will focus more on your studies and you will work hard for your dreams. Just be careful with deadlines(if you have exams or need to finish a project). Just keep in mind that you will need to do some things(concerning to studies) that will be far away from your comfort zone, and it's really fine, it will help you grow. Money and opportunities are on your way as a result of your previous efforts and decisions(you will have some opportunities to gain new skills). All the work that you are going to put into your future will help you have the promotion that you have been looking for. You will get your diploma and your dream will come true. Don't try to do everything perfectly, mistakes are also opportunities to grow. You won't get exactly the results you want at this moment but everything takes time so don't worry too much about it. Success is on your way. You can get some money for your studies(it can be an opportunity to study abroad or in a bigger city). So you aren't alone on your road, there is someone who will be there for you. You are likely to see the fruition of your efforts and it will be rewarded handsomely. Don't expect new opportunities to fall into your lap, you have to keep on working for them, but by doing this harmony will soon be yours. Events will speed up and any blocks will be lighted. You will make progress and there are again signs of travel or emigration. Just be careful, if your situation doesn't feel good anymore there is nothing wrong with changing your situation. Enjoy every experience and learn as much as possible from everything because everything will be fine in the end. Angel message: Everyone has some beauty in their soul, so seek it in others, Remind them of their qualities and you will illuminate them. Surround yourself with things and people with a beautiful vibration, for we are all influenced by that which is around us. As you tune more and more into the incredible wonder of yourself, others, and the planet, your resonance becomes that of beauty. Others will perceive the radiance of your soul and be touched by it. Affirmation : I recognize my beauty and that of others.

Wish you only the best!🍀

Moni🧚‍♀️

[pebblysand]

okay, i'm going on a rant and i might make enemies but honestly this has been brewing inside me for weeks and i can't hold it in anymore.

i've seen a lot of content lately (and this is no one in particular, just a general trend) of people getting mad when fanfic writers 1) try to monetise their craft and 2) try to link their ko-fi/patreon/what-have-you to ao3. the general consensus seems to be that this endangers ao3 as a platform, that these "gen z-s" who aren't scarred by anne rice don't know the risks they're taking, that everyone will get sued, etc.

now, for the record, i do not put my own ko-fi in my a/n-s because a) i do want to respect the rules and, b) i don't really need to make money from ff, but:

i wish people would mind their own fucking business sometimes. if someone wants to take the risk to monetise their work because they need to, then that is their risk to take, not yours. stop acting as though Money Is The Devil. money allows people to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. i've always found it sort of ironic that ao3 keeps lamenting every year about their struggles re:staff turnover and lack of diversity when only very fortunate people with a lot of time on their hands can actually afford to dedicate hundreds of hours of their time to allow them to function. not everyone can afford to work/do art for free. and, sure, we can all agree capitalism is bad but also that is the world we live in. you want to change it? revolt. have a revolution. don't report people to a fucking website.

this is tied to my first point but when it comes to links on ao3 specifically, just because AO3 has been the best site so far, doesn't mean it cannot be questioned ever. for the record, i love ao3. i think it's a great website. it's a fantastic idea. but, after spending an evening looking through their public accounting (yeah, i'm ✨fun✨ like that), i have loads of questions about the hundreds of thousands of dollars they seem to be hoarding year on year and refusing to reinvest to "keep it safe". ao3 as a website are extremely risk-averse in their functioning. that is their ethos. and, it can be a good thing (i'm not denying that) but that can also be a bad thing. we should at least be allowed to publicly debate certain decisions without being called "traitors" who want to bring the website down. it's healthy to debate.

for the love of jesus, mary, joseph and all of the people of jerusalem, stop telling people that if they make money off fanfic they will get sued and die. first of all, the legality of the monetisation of fanfiction is a lot more complicated than tumblr discourse makes it out to be. i don't want to go into too much detail because i have a life but know that: just because you monetise, doesn't mean you will get sued (and lose). at the same time, just because you do not monetise doesn't mean you won't. since these people love quoting anne rice as an example, i will say this: the people who got cease and desist letters, as far as i know, were not monetising. that is because monetisation is one of four factors related to the fair use exception, not The Only One. this is me making an educated guess here but i suppose that when they refuse to monetise, ao3 is actually just protecting itself and its users (again, that ngo, risk-averse strategy). they are not only leveraging that in a potential fair use argument, they are also taking a gamble that the lack of monetisation will discourage lawsuits. this may come as a shock but very few sane people sue each other for no money. it is thus safer not to monetise fanfiction, but not safe. making people believe in that dichotomy is misleading.

building on the above, i think the misunderstanding here comes from the fact that ao3 has become so mainstream and has outdone itself so much that the use of it has superseded its primary purpose. ao3 sees itself as an archive first and foremost, not as a reading tool/content host. its purpose is the safekeeping of History, which is why it's so risk-averse. but, that might not be what we need anymore as a collective. i don't know. but the idea that AO3 is going to get sued and disappear immediately if people start profiting from fanfic is flimsy at best. ff.net runs ads and monetises, so do tumblr and wattpad. they're fine. yes, it is a more difficult position to defend, but not an impossible one. tumblr even lets you put your fanfiction behind a paywall if you want, and the money transits through them. sure, that means that their terms of service push the responsibility onto you to respect copyright laws and defend yourself if you get sued (it's obviously a very different business model) but it is a thing. the fear-mongering about the doomsday of ao3 if anyone at all sought to question their system is ridiculous.

which brings me to my next point: stop blaming this on gen z. who allegedly don't remember what it was like "before," when we all swam in a sea of cease and desist letters and fanfiction websites were collapsing left, right and centre. this is not the first time i make this point online but why are we, millennials, turning into our parents, questioning young people's capacity for intelligent reasoning? even if the above was a realistic picture of the 00s, it was twenty years ago. times have changed. fanfiction has become democratised. we do not know what would happen if people started earning money off fanfiction. we don't know that they would get sued. if they did get sued, we don't even know what would actually happen because very few fic-like cases have been litigated. so let's just step back and let people do what they want.

lastly, a lot of people seem to think that bringing money into fanfic (even the smallest amount) would ruin their enjoyment of it, and would ruin the whole medium altogether. i understand this, i feel it sometimes myself. but, that's sort of a me problem, isn't it? we are projecting our own issues about how we feel money would decrease our enjoyment of fanfic onto other people. but that's for them, not us, to decide. to each their own.

and, bonus point: this is HP specific but if you are one of those people who only buys merch off etsy creators because you don't want JKR to profit and then scream at fanfic creators for trying to monetise, you are making literally no logical sense.

which is all to say: the conversation about the monetisation of fanfiction is a fascinating one, and a very complicated and nuanced one. there is no black and white. i have doubts myself and i have been thinking about these things for a long time. i do still feel very uneasy about the idea of the exploitation of someone else's property by another without their consent. it's tough. but i think it's important to sometimes get off our high horses and see both sides of a story, and feed intelligent discourse, not fear-mongering.

#rantover, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[holylulusworld]

okay but i have a question about stolen fics. I sometimes copy paste stories to my notes app, changing up the names if i see a story that would fit another fandom and that particular fandom has none/very less stories of its own. I am not a fanfic writer, and i never ever post these edited stories anywhere. But would it still be wrong? or do writers object to this. i swear it's just cause im always in such niche fandoms and im desperate for fics lmao

Hmm...good question, hun.🤔

It's hard to tell, to be honest. I used to (when I was a teen) download stories from ff.net/livejournal etc. and changed Y/N or reader to my name...😅 I never reposted them, of course.

People can download stories from AO3 too. You never know what they do with the stories.

If you only do it for yourself and don't repost the story, to me, it would be alright if you change the name of the main character.

I want my stories to make people happy. If it makes you happy to change Dean/Steve/Bucky/and so on, to whatever character you like - it doesn't harm me. You still enjoyed the story.

Some artists don't want you to download their stories, though.

To me, stealing is about taking my fic to repost it /post it, pretending you wrote it. That's unfair and wrong. Sometimes they even got a ko-fi account etc. and want to make money with stories/artwork they stole from other people.

I don't know what other writers think about this. I can't speak for them.

[theratinthehat-yyssgb]

TWITCHCON EU SHOW-and-TELL !!

Long post, many pictures, artist socals!!!

So, i attended my first twitchcon! Yayyy! There was so much to do and see, i cant even get into all of it or this post would be a hundred times longer.

Long story short, i spent most of my free time in the artist ally. Too intimidated to engage with other activities, i made rounds between the booths. Since i like taking my time to decide, it was a good way to familiarize myself with items on offer. And I'm glad I did since i walked out with a big bag of goodies :]

So that's what I'm here to show you. Everything i bought from each artist and to show them all some love <3

small disclamer! For better reading!

i refer to everyone in this post as "they". pls do not take that as actual pronouns and look up yourself.

commisions are often on twitter / a fill out form. should be easy to find with the links provided

if an artist name is linked, it leads to their twitter. "and more" lead to to the artist linktre, carrd, etc. (pls do tell, if its better to put twitter as its own separate social media)

First up is Amigosh! They were the first to catch my eye. I got a big bag with my purchase, it was supper helpful! Sadly i couldn't find any phots of their booth, but it had this cute cut-out on the table!

the whole stand was so so cute o(≧∀≦) i stood there for a hot minute deciding, so hard! Anyways here are their socials and what i bought!

Amigosh streams on twitch, has an ETSY, do commissions, and more!

↑ i mean, look at how cute even the back of the postcard is!! with a cute little stamp and holographic sticker!! there was so much cute i wanted, the booth definitely made my crow eyes sparkle ✨

Now, i belive Grrnele to be next. it was a very cozy stand with all the art put up and from what it seemed, there had been an option to ask for small commissions? i couldn't be sure since they were all sold out.

there were pins and pictures and mystery bags and.. ahhh!! It was all so COLOURFUL!! 💙💚💛 even a book to sign for passers by! (i didnt have any words of wisdom, so please tell me what to say next time an opportunity like this arises)

GRRNELE has a homepage from where you can find commissions, ko-fi, MERCH, and more!

now, some of you might have noticed a little puncture on the cat illustration... that is because those pickles are badass 😎 and while it doesn't bother me, it is also a reminder for me to pack sharp object facing away from delicate things. (literally no shade to the artist, it was a very busy day and how could they have known)

next i wanna show you Gleamyguts! You just saw their amazing art on the last picture in the form of an adorable keychain! (i think) i love love love their style! You have to check them out!

GleamyGuts does commissions (check status), runs an ETSY shop and more!

I honesty would have bought the whole booth if i had the money >.< i love monster high, love y2k and early internet vibe, this is an absolute win in my book!

PS! The one next to the stickers is a business card, and the one holding a notepad was a A5 thank you card with socials!

Only problem i had was that they roll their posters up. a little sad but understandable, since people didn't really have any way to transport them. Also, when looking up pics to show of the booth (didnt find any), I saw Guts had been at a different con and it had shirts?! I would have bought them in a heartbeat! They weren't even on etsy (┬﹏┬)

2 more artists! Next we have Church! Amazing! They had it all, a game demo, walter white stickers and keychains, pikmin, hatsune miku, and probably even more i couldn't grasp!

Look! Thats the game demo! so go and wish list it!

The game "Patient Seven" is by Church & Mark and form KumamakiStudios (twitter)! At their linktre you can wishlist the game and find other social media (linktre twitter is broken).

Church was selling the items, they do commissions on ko-fi, have shop, stream on twitch and so much more!

while I've shown the charms with the other things i bought, I didn't think the photo did them a enough service. So i HAD to show a zoomed in one where all the details were visible! so pretty!

and i also had to include their business card, it ties in so well with the videogame theme while being unique! PS! (you can see the little rgb alien test-thingy postcards in the top right corner of the booth photo)

And last and of course not not least, Mimichair!!! once again, you saw their stickers next to Churches. I mean... just look at how the colours pop on the posters! and while i have no clue who they are, i was still very exited to bring those 2 home ^^

And how could i forget, MimiChair streams over at twitch, has a Artstation, sells T-shirts, and is making a Webtoon!!! and even more!

And once again, i had to include the business card! There was actually 3 different versions available. I'm so sad i didn't take them all!! but i did find a picture of the booth, so i can point them out in that. But before i show that, i have some things to explain.

... I actually bought 2 stickers from mimichair. I'm not saying they definitely forgot, i could have just as easily lost it. In fact, i hope I lost it, since by the time i got to the booth, it was the end of the day. The sticker, out of all of them, has the best chance to be in our car or in our apartment. But I've already looked for it... I think what I truly mean to say is that I'm just sad i don't have it :(

also, a nit pick, the poster was a little big for the clear packaging they put it in (idk what to call it, it was an envelope kind of situation) But they put one over the other, to make sure the open mouth was closed, so it was all good. the envelope made the poster bend the tiniest bit but caused no damage. It was the largest poster, did not fit in the bag amigosh gave me (maybe its good that GleamyGuts rolled theirs up?)

But I will show you the artist booth that was set up. And all the cool that i would have wanted. Btw, you can go and check out art of the momo sticker i lost on their insta. As of writing it is their latest post. (i'd link, but insta hates my computer and only shows errors)

That was the last one! please don't take that i dislike mimichair, they were very talkative and lovey and made me feel very comfortable taking my time to choose! i enjoyed every minute I spent at their table!

In fact, I enjoyed every artist! I spent at least 10 min around each table i bought from. I wouldn't have stood there quietly staring, occasionally noticing something on display with a little "ooh" or "aah", if I didn't enjoy it.

And I also want to give a shout-out to all the artist i didn't mention. It was the highlight of the day seeing everyone's creations. I even got complimented at one of the stalls for my outfit! furthermore (🤓) it was so lovely to see the attendees chatting with artists, it seems i just tend to be a little more to the point kind of person.

So, to make sure everyone is seen, here is a link to the map of the twitchcon expo hall 2024, from where you can find the artist ally, and see the artist connected to each booth!

Now, im not sure if they will keep this link up forever, so i ALSO made a version of it! Since the screenshot made some of the names unreadable, i wrote them down bigger!

And that marks the amount of images tumblr allows in one go. If there ever is pt.2, about the experience as a whole, i will show the outfit that was worthy of getting 3 compliments.

but go rest your eyes, this was a long post :]

[c-h-stevens]

After a couple months of neglect (well, two and a half), I finally updated the AO3 mirror of my serial. Which is to say, I replaced the polished draft I'd posted there with a more polished and (I'm pretty sure) final draft.

Despite dropping off the face of the earth, I'd gotten one new subscriber--I wonder if that's a fandom veteran like me. Children these days aren't used to WIPs easily taking months or years to update, or to walk uphill in the snow for an update, blah blah old man ranting.

Though I have to say I'm not sure if I'm going to keep updating on AO3 forever. Strangely enough, I did a lot better on Tapas. Maybe it's not that strange, considering Tapas is actually oriented toward original fiction. But in that app, my readership is actually growing steadily, whereas in AO3, I got a bit of attention at first and then just--ended up posting new chapters weekly to a grand chorus of nothing.

Fine, not nothing, just the view count going up by 10 or so. And that's just not enough to build a readership on.

To be perfectly blunt, I'm not even talking about comments or kudos--I'm talking about money here. Because AO3 (for very good reasons, don't get me wrong) doesn't let you monetize your postings, the only way to make money posting there is to have a following big and enthusiastic enough they'll follow you into social media. It's a very roundabout way of doing things.

Meanwhile, on Tapas? I can do that passively. I mean that, though my readership is still on baby steps, I already know people are engaging with the story, and because I have a link on my profile with "go here if you want to read more and support me", I know people have followed that link into my Ko-fi. (Side note: cliffhangers tend to have this effect 😉)

Anyway, on AO3 I can't have that passive engagement, and I can't really tell people "go here and give me money". And because nobody was engaging beyond reading silently, it felt like a dead end.

(By the way, my fanfic account still gets kudos every now and then, despite being a no-name fan writing in tiny fandoms.)

Also, AO3 lets you download EPUB copies of the stories posted there, and I like that very much for fanfic--I heartily recommend everyone downloads every single fic they like, because you never know when they'll be gone.

But when it comes to my original fiction, I want to sell EPUBs in Gumroad or my website, so that people who want to support me but can't or don't want to purchase a Ko-fi membership can do so. And though having the AO3 version (theoretically) circulating around isn't a huge deal, I do find it slightly irritating.

So I'm currently on the fence about continuing to update on AO3. To be honest, the biggest reason why I didn't delete outright is that, after I got banned from Patreon, I wanted a backup I could be more or less sure wouldn't be deleted. Anybody feel like sharing any thoughts?

👇 OBLIGATORY PROMO, BECAUSE I'M STILL WORRIED ABOUT PAYING RENT 👇

A post I made yesterday about my rent problems and what I'm offering if you feel like giving me money

Links to my writing and other stuff

You might as well have an AO3 link too I guess

[wonderfuldeath]

.o| It's a small world : II |o.

Warnings : Violence, injury, graphic depictions

Please, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi ! ♥

The noise of the club, the lively music and the various bodies colliding... to be honest, Elyzabeth can't remember what they've come here to celebrate, but she savors without any qualms the various cocktails that the charming bartender, whose name is Jin, or Seokjin, she doesn't really know, pours for her without even asking for any money. Taehyung had been very reluctant, since he'd just had a really long service, but he also seemed to be enjoying himself. Her eyes wandered over the crowd, as she wondered where Jimin had gone, before a new glass, this time of lemon water, took its place in front of her. 

« - I think a drink of water will do you good. You've had enough. 

- Thank you, Mr. Jin.

- My pleasure. » 

A pout passed her lips as he turned to speak to the other girls, and she sighed deeply before taking the glass of water, downing it in one gulp before motivating herself to move from her stool. Taehyung seemed to be doing something, in fact Elyzabeth seemed a little too drunk to know what was happening in her life, moving to join her friend, trying to make her way through the various people before an arm grabbed her. Pulling her so that she ended up pressed against a warm chest, and lips caressed the nape of her neck, before Jung Hoseok's voice sounded in her ears.

« - It's dangerous walking around here alone you know? A pretty nurse like you, wandering around a crowded club of randy men. Aren't you worried? 

- Worried? No. You, of all people, should be worried about yourself, shouldn't you? I'm sure harassment is punishable by law. 

With a slight smile, he steps back, raising his hands as a white flag, but he doesn't go far, staying close all the same. 

- Harassment ? You're the one who's everywhere I go. » 

No answer passes her lips, too drunk to say anything, she tries to stay upright, but stumbles and ends up against Hoseok's body again, the world seems to turn and she gently tries to push him away, before feeling him move to carry her, certainly to a better place, or a room. But Elyzabeth doesn't really seem in a state to protest, or even to push him away. Letting herself be completely, before falling into the strangely sweet limbo of the restorative sleep of a well-watered night. As the sun caresses her cheeks, the young woman wrinkles her nose before stretching, rolling around in bed trying to remember the night before, quite surprised when she notices she's in an unfamiliar apartment, without a dress. The snatches of memory from the night before hit her like a punch, and she sits up mechanically. Had Hoseok done it after all? Had he "fucked" her before simply leaving her there? The smell of coffee made her shudder and, rather disappointed with herself for not paying attention, she grabbed her dress, folded on the desk, before going into the kitchen. 

« - Finally awake? 

- Sir Jung. 

- Oh please, call me Hoseok. 

- Did we...? 

- Sleep together? No. I may not have any manners, but not that much, I assure you. Besides, I'd hate to see you add rape to my specifications. » 

He turns around, a plate of pancakes in his hand, and a hot cup of coffee which he places on the kitchen table, along with a small jug of milk and some fruit. Elyzabeth sits down in front of him, rather doubtful, before pushing the peaches away, trying to sort out the pancakes and any fruit that might have touched the peach skin, before deciding to potentially eat. 

« - What's the matter? 

- I'm allergic to peach skin. 

An 'oh' forms at the level of his mouth, and he quickly reverses the plates, not having put a peach in his yet, before coming to settle down. 

- It would be a shame to add murder to my CV. » 

A small smile passes her lips, before she feels her phone vibrate in the pocket of her dress, pulling it out, surprised that it still had some battery, straightening up quickly, stuffing the three pancakes into her mouth, thanking him for breakfast, before slipping away without looking back, catching her heels and disappearing, into the elevator. Leaving a lonely Hoseok in front of his pancakes, cursing as he pushed his plate away. 

« - The nurses. Never go around the nurses Hoseok. » 

                                                           -x- 

It was around twenty-two o'clock when Jimin stopped training. Yoongi was a very demanding person. He wanted perfection, always giving a critical opinion on everything he could see of the choreography, giving Jimin the impression that he was trying to kill him with work. Stretching to relax his muscles, he doesn't hear the door open. So he's surprised when a hand lands on his shoulder, making him jump and groan in pain, when he feels one of his thigh muscles tense in the movement. 

« - Oh shit ! Couldn't you just talk? 

- Sorry, I thought you heard me. Are you all right? Do you want me to take you to the emergency room? 

- No, I'm fine. A muscle strain, nothing more. » 

Yoongi looks at him, positioning himself at his height, before huffing. As if Jimin was annoying him, before he felt him pick him up, without much gentleness, to take him back to his car. Yoongi had a lot of money, yet he had a small car, the make of which Jimin didn't really know. He didn't complain when he saw the older man start the car and drive to the big estate. A real villa, huge with a garden most certainly maintained by someone other than the rapper. He let himself be dragged into the large living room, rather tense, not understanding why this guy had brought him all the way here. 

« - Settle down, I'm going to get something. 

- Okay? » 

Settling down on the sofa, Jimin remained silent, looking around at the sobriety, it was quite impersonal as a place, no frames on the wall, perfectly white walls. A TV screen as big as a movie theater, and sofas in circles. Everything reeked of money and success, but not of home. He remains silent, until the Min returns with a massage oil, telling him to take off his pants, so that he can visibly come and help him in his pain. 

« -I... No. Thanks for the offer, but it's all right, I assure you. It really is. 

- Take it off. It's just a massage, nothing more. » 

Jimin hesitates, before finally obeying, what could be so serious? He settles on the black sofa, closing his eyes and opening his thighs, not without the tension of tensed muscles, making him squeal softly in pain. Yoongi's icy fingers pass against his skin, before he feels the warm oil join the visibly expert fingers. This guy was a god, allowing Jimin to forget he was in his underpants, in the middle of a stranger's living room, getting a massage on his inner thigh. Quickly, he felt the tension in his muscle disappear, slowly, before a muffled moan passed his lips, his hips moving as the tongue moved against his member, making him open his eyes wide. The massage taking an obviously surprising turn. 

« - What the...? What's that? 

- Shh, let yourself go. You won't regret it. » 

He doesn't know what to say, feeling the mouth resume its gentle caresses, running along his straining member, making him moan louder and louder, his fingers getting lost in the minty hair, seeking a little more contact. When Jimin felt the release of his tension, pointing straight at Yoongi's face, he placed his hand against his mouth, refusing to let out the slightest yelp for this sadistic pervert. Except that Yoongi wasn't just good at massages, his mouth was divine, making him arch his back and almost beg for more, Jimin always seemed sweet, and cute. But in reality, in bed, he could be a real wild animal. Moving his hips in a rhythm that Yoongi follows. Deliverance comes all too soon for Jimin, clawing at the sofa with his fingers, catching his breath as best he can. He can feel Yoongi's breath against his face, and keeps his eyes closed, ready to let him kiss him and go further, before they hear Yoongi's phone vibrate against the floor. A heavy silence falls, and finally Yoongi moves first. Reality hits Jimin, and without further ado, he gets dressed, mentally kicking himself for letting himself go so easily. When Yoongi turns around after his call, he finds himself alone, with an unpleasant erection, huffing angrily as he thinks he's hung up correctly. 

« What? 

- I hate you Jungkook. 

- Oh, to what do I owe all this love? 

- My sexual frustration. »

[zoeykallus]

idk if you’re taking hc ideas right now BUT if you are maybe tbb finding out that their crush’s hands are almost always cold 💕

Like mine? ^^' I know the reson though I need more vitamins and money to use my heater XD

The Bad Batch x Reader HC's - Cold Hands

Warnings: Partly Suggestive

Hunter

You are cuddled up together after a long day. When you touch his chest he takes a sharp breath and says, "Maker! Cyare why are you hands always that cold?"

"I don't know"

Hunter takes your hands between his and rubbs them warm gently, each finger and your palms, kneeding them softly between his strong hands. When he finally feels they are warm enough he lets you sneak them back under his shirt with a soft sigh.

Echo

He tucks you into blankets every night and kisses and breaths on them to get them warm.

"You need to get more vitamins and better food. It's not a good sign if your hands are always that cold"

Echo is so caring, as always, making sure to warm you up. He never minds when you touch him with your cold hands, at least he's not comlpaining. But he is always worried. You can be sure he'll take care that you eat well and get warmed up.

Wrecker

He's not complaining but he likes to warm your hands up between his big hands. Wrecker isn't as worried as Echo but he still cares as much. If he feels it makes you uncomfortable, he does everything to warm you up.

He lets you warm them up on his body too if you like, pressing them softly agains his chest or belly. Wrecker doesn't mind if later on, when your hands are warmed up on his chest or belly, if they sneak downwards, if you catch my drift.

Tech

Yet another chance for him to info dump on you.

"Vitamin and mineral deficiency (B vitamins, calcium, potassium, magnesium), could be a reason for your cold hands. But there are a lot more possible reasons.

Starvation, dieting. Drinking too little. Lack of exercise. Lack of sleep. Stress, mental strain.

Just to name a few"

He makes a plan for you, for sleep, food and vitamin intake and watches very closely if you keep it. But of course he also warms you up every time your hands are cold, with his own. And he gets you a portable heating pad.

Crosshair

"Maker!"

He is almost angry about it. Almost. Crosshair warms you up whenever you get closer. Cold hands are a mood killer for him. Especially when you two get a little closer in bed.

As soon as you are warmed up, he let's you touch him again, but not any moment earlier.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

[sohcah-toa]

Hi hi may i request genshin men (DZKC + thoma and xiao) as call center agents?

I’ve been reading too much angst and I think I’m starting to became like xiao🤞🤞

I need some crack in my life 😹😹

Feel free to ignore this if you have lots of work to do :> your health is priority!!

Stay safe and happy mwahhh!!

sure! and i hope you're doing fine! ♡ stay safe and have a good day/night!! 😙

Genshin Men as call center agents | toa

ft. Diluc, Zhongli, Kaeya, Childe, Thoma and Xiao

w — sfw, hc's, crack, modern au

donate or tip if y'all want to: ko-fi

n — lol i edited some ugly ass pix

extra context: Aether started a company called Smoodeez, its tagline is "It's a mood you can drink" (got the idea from todd in bj horseman lol i love him) and the boys work there as call center agents for extra help. There has been a lot of questions lately.

— #

DILUC

- quiet one, likes to get straight to the point so it can be finished asap

- gets annoyed very easily (when he has energy)

"Do you have a horny drink? My mood right now is horny"

"Yes. We do."

"The name of the drink is horny?"

"Yes. Sir"

"You sure?"

"For the love of Barbatos, Luigi, you've been fucking asking that question for the last seven fucking minutes. The goddamn drink is called horny because it's a fucking mood and our motherfucking store is called SMOODEEZ, it's a goddamn mood you can drink! I'm going to go get myself a fucking angry drink right now because of you!"

"FUCK YOU, 1 STAR!!" — end call

- gets annoyed very easily (when he has no energy)

"I've been telling you for ten minutes already. I WANT THE DRINK HOT"

"SIIIIIIIGHHHHHHHH"

"Excuse me? Did you just say the word sigh?"

"Yes. Also, there are no hot smoothies. Goodbye" — ends call

- hate it when Kaeya and Childe eat food on their desks but he does the exact same thing

- most likely to rage and flip out

ZHONGLI

- earphones only cuz he broke

- he doesn't even know what they are selling, he's only in it for the money

- tries to act like he knows everything when it's the opposite

- is actually a fast learner and a smooth talker

- can get anybody to do anything for him (this is what he thinks. the truth is, it's only childe, his desk buddy, who does things for him)

"I'm feeling kind of thirsty"

"I'm going to go get some water"

—

"What an adorable tanuki teapot"

"Already bought it"

—

"How do you- do this?"

"Here, let me do it for you"

- always say the customers have to sign a contract before ordering

KAEYA

- doesn't even answer calls most of the time

- pretends he's a cop

"Hey, um hi, I just have a question about your delivery services? Do you make deliveries in Inazuma?"

"Sir, this is the Inazuma Police, is something the matter?"

"Police? Oh uh sorry wrong number"

"Be careful next time" — ends call

Aether: "What the fuck, Kaeya?"

- always take breaks, likes to hang out in the bathroom (especially when thoma is in there to tease him)

"What's up, Thoma?"

"Stop staring at my dick, Kaeya"

"Geez. Just comparing is all"

—

"Oh Lord, why are you always here?"

"What? I gotta pee"

"Kaeya, please don't pee on my shoe like last time. That was a new one"

- answer calls just to prank customers

- is a hoe

- if it wasn't for the lack of workers, he's be fired

CHILDE

- doesn't explain anything, just pushes the customers to go and buy it

"I just have to make sure about your business. It seems pretty interesting but also pretty stupid at the same time"

"I'm drinking one right now and I love it, buy it now, the stocks are limited, a lot of people are buying! Hurry! Hurry!"

"O-Ok! I'm on my way!"

- always flirts with zhongli but zhongli doesn't realize this

- only works there because of zhongli, he doesn't even need the money

- speaks to his siblings on the phone most of the time, "sibs unite for an hour" as what he calls it

- actually does his job well

- the business is still standing because he pays for it, so he could work with zhongli

- most likely to pay a customer just so they could stop talking

THOMA

- tries his best but the customers who always call are very specific and mean

- just wants to help everybody but his co-workers are either mean, too inlove or stupid

"Mr. Zhongli, need help in the —"

Childe: "Back off dude, I got this, I got it"

Zhongli: "So aggressive. I apologize Thoma"

—

"Hey, do you need to print something? I'm going to the —"

Xiao: "No, leave me alone. Kaeya said you shit while standing. That's a red flag"

"What the fuck?"

—

"Kaeya, are you spreading rumors about me?"

Kaeya: "Yeah, it's pretty funny"

"Is it because my dick is bigger than yours?"

Kaeya: "... n-no"

-

"Diluc-"

Diluc: "NO

/sad thoma noises/

- is also their janitor

- #stressed

XIAO

- first call of the day and he already wants to pass away

- the laziest one of them all, he just sleeps

- would rather die than to deal with a karen

- pretends he's working

- almond tofu

"Are your smoodez limited? I mean do you have all the moods in the world?"

"Just buy almond tofu, it's way better"

"I want smoodez"

"Goodbye" — end call

/angry aether coming/

- most likely to curse a customer or make a customer cry

- hates his co-workers, would rather shit himself than to talk to them willingly

- gen z

[kiisaes]

Kii hiiii!!!! I want to start doing commissions soon but I have no idea how and where to start. I mean yeah I'll make a comission sheet and specify stuff I know those basics. But like how do I kinda know that people would actually comission me for stuff? How did you know when to start and like what was your whole process like? Don't mind me I'm just trying to ask about this to some artists I admire and who do commissions what their experiences were like so don't feel too pressured to answer this lol

hi anon!!! that's a really good question that i unfortunately feel like i'm unqualified to properly answer, because my commission work experience was also ... how you say ... less than desirable LOL. i didn't even make a commission sheet and my overall process was super wonky so you're already doing better than me!

honestly i don't think there's any real way you can gage if you even will get commissioners. the shitty thing about any freelance work is that opportunities aren't guaranteed, and you just have to put your foot out there and hope for the best. which is scary and overwhelming, i know! especially if you're down on yourself and your abilities, because your brain will always try conjuring up reasons as to why you shouldn't. i'm pretty sure almost every artist out there has felt like their art isn't good enough so people won't commission them — trust me, i've totally been there and i'm still there LOL — but those nagging voices in your head telling you that you're full of shit ... are full of shit and you should just ignore them. or at the very least, live unbothered by them.

because the fact is, you are your worst critic! you'll always spot mistakes and flaws in your work that others literally won't even notice. so in regards to when to start, i'd honestly say whenever you feel ready to, you should! there's always art appreciators out there who i'm sure would love to give artists a shot, whether beginner or master, a rookie or wholly experienced. i can't guarantee that you'll have customers, but not trying at all already bars you from any customers in the first place. if you try and you fail, take comfort in the fact that you tried!!! that's already amazing!!!

that being said, i think probably the "easiest" way to get commissioners is to understand your audience. know what your viewers like to see from you, and perfect that! and honestly i feel quite hypocritical saying this because i go to art school and the overall vibe here is "draw for yourself and don't sell out" but the truth hurts and that truth is, if you're looking to grow a client base and make money off of your art, it doesn't hurt to draw stuff you know your audience eats up. it leads to more interest in your art, and more potential people who are willing to pay you for that art. it also might make you seem more credible as someone who draws distinct things and people follow you for those things! i hope some of this makes sense because i am so bad at wording sentences that i end up going on long rambles LOL

personally, i'm very spontaneous and i just do things without even thinking twice, so i opened ko-fi commissions last year literally because i was bored and i wanted to avoid my other trillion responsibilities. i figured if i could get some money off of my art, why not give it a shot? i did NOT expect people to commission me actually, but it was a pleasant surprise that people found my art interesting enough to pay for :) i didn't make a sheet (which i probably should ... heh) but i have drawn enough uncolored line work art + flat color work where i think my audience knew what they were getting into (uncolored line art and flat color were the initial two options i provided btw).

i also think pricing plays a huge part into whether people will commission you, which is honestly so ass because i'm a firm believer that the majority of artists, myself included, undersell their work. like, reeeaaallly undersell it. i'm talking "this artist should charge $100 or more for what they're offering but they're only charging $40?!" kind of deal. art is a product of both time and energy, and is a direct antithesis to capitalist work demands. you can't force an artist to churn out art like a machine would, and an artist's efforts towards making a personalized art piece should also be taken into consideration regarding pricing ... but unfortunately people don't want to pay a lot for commissions. and it's understandable because not everyone has enough money to throw around whenever they feel like it, so oh well. anyway my point is if you charge lower, you're probably more likely to get people willing to pay :( it sucks i know, but that's just how it is. i'm sure your prices can raise exponentially once you have credibility as a reliable commission artist though!

i hope some of this helps ?? i'm not like a seasoned commission artist or anything but this is just from my own experiences ... your experiences might be completely different! so take my advice with a grain of salt as well but uhh yea B)