The Illusion Of Choice

fart fight attack for @snippit-crickit

Ragna and Nu parenting hcs plsssssss ty!

Ok I have like 2 asks that are older than this one but the random motivation went brrr so fuck it we ball. Also that one Ragnu fic on fanfic.net was a big help in getting this done.

This is...probably not my best, but this ship is fucking hard to do.

-Taking place in an AU where Ragna doesn't have to sacrifice himself at the end of CF, whether the two of them decide to adopt or Nu is able to have children, these two are...odd as parents to say the least.

-Ragna takes the parent role much more naturally, though that's not really saying much when Nu used to be a weapon created for war, but she's starting to have normal emotions now and very eager to learn. Chances are though she's probably going to need more attention than the kid sometimes to make sure nothing goes wrong.

-Ragna does have at least some experience with kids? Luna and Sena, at least, and might as well throw Tao in there because she might as well be one. Though one that's supposed to be his is another matter entirely. He's not the biggest fan of them normally, but the little rascal manages to grow on him somehow.

-The kid's going to grow up one of two ways: a smartass delinquent or an innocent, mildly socially awkward kid, maybe a bit of both.

-They're also going to grow up with an affinity for swords, there's no avoiding that. Someone's going to need to keep a constant eye on the kid and keep innovating on new places to hide any and all sharp objects.

-As long as Ragna's around, the kid's going to learn how to defend themself when needed, half out of necessity and half out of a subconscious fear Ragna has of something happening. Terumi still fucked him up beyond full repair after all. Also he's not gonna let them not learn how to cook, the last thing he needed was his own progeny ending as up another Noel. Kind of a hardass sometimes, but a cool dad.

-Nu is one hundred percent the one that spoils the kid. She just can't help but dote on them, though sometimes Ragna has to keep her from taking it too far so they don't end up a spoiled brat. This might earn some pouting from her, but it's probably for the better.

-At the very least, poor Ragna and Nu aren't going to be alone. Noel and her friends, Lambda, Celica, Jubei, and to a lesser extent Jin (though he's going to be a fucking tsundere about it) are willing to help out. When it comes to a child as chaotic as they are any and all help is greatly appreciated.

-Rachel would probably not want much to do with the kid, at least until Ragna talked to her about it. The kid could use a godmother, even if the world was a much safer place than the last one. He half expected an immediate no, but he was pleasantly surprised.

-To be honest Rachel herself was surprised as well. But since the insanity of Terumi and the looping world had finally all ended, she felt as if the world had finally been taken off her shoulders. She could finally live and enjoy life for what it was. And if part of that was Ragna's child, so be it. She did want to see where it went, though she'd never admit that out loud.

-The kid's got one gigantic found family, with plenty of positive influences in their life. Ragna and Nu are optimistic that they'll turn out for the better as long as they don't royally fuck up.

I unfortunately fell for this a while back.

Artists, let’s talk about Instagram commission scammers

There’s been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists don’t know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.

How they begin

Usually the scammer will write to you asking about a commission. Something deceptively cute - mostly I encounter asks about pet portraits, with one or two photos sent. They’ll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like “It’s for my son’s birthday”. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they don’t follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.

What to look out for:

Their profiles will either be private, empty, or filled with very generic stuff, dating at most a few years back.

Their language will be very simple, rushed or downright bad. They might use weird emojis that nobody ever uses. They will probably send impatient “??” when you don’t answer immediately. They’re in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know. 

They’ll give you absolutely no guidelines. No hints on style, contents aside from (usually) the pet and often a name written on the artwork, no theme. Anything you draw will be perfect. Full artistic freedom. In reality they don’t really care for this part.

They’ll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD (EDIT: I know it might not be a lot for some work. What I mean here - way higher than your asking price, 100 and 300 are standard rates they give). They’ll often put in a phrase like “I am willing to compensate you financially” and “I want the best you can draw”, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. That’s because it is.

Where the scam actually happens

If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. They’ll try to get to this part as soon as possible. 

Usually, they’ll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. They’ll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). They’ll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - that’s what they’re after. If you insist on any other method, they’ll just circle back to the transfer “for easiest method”. If you do provide them with the info, most likely you’ll soon get a scam email. It most likely be a message with a link that will ultimately lead to bleeding you dry. Never, and I mean NEVER click on any emails or links you get from them. It’s like with any other scam emails you can ever get.

A few things can happen here:

They overpay you and ask for the difference to be wired back. Usually it will go to a different account and you’ll never see that money again. 

They’ll overpay you “for shipping costs” and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, you’ll never see that money again.

The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize there’s been something sketchy going on and request a refund via official channels. Your account will be charged with fees and/or you get in trouble for fraudulent transactions. 

You will transfer the money from your PayPal credit to your bank account and they will make a shitstorm when they want their money back, making your life a living hell. They will call you a scammer, a thief, make wild claims, wearing you down and forcing you into wiring money “back” - aka to their final destination account. 

Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how it’s supposed to go. Use PayPal Invoice for secure exchanges where the client needs to provide you with their email, not the other way around.

You can find more info on that method HERE.

What to do when you encounter a scammer:

Ask the right questions: inquire about the style, which artwork of yours they like, as much details as you can. They won’t supply you with any good answers.

Don’t let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. That’s how they operate, that’s how they make you lose vigilance. 

Don’t engage them. As soon as you realize it might be a scam, block them. The sense of urgency they create with their rushed exchange, and pressure they put on you will sooner or later get to you and you might do something that you’ll regret later.

Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info. 

Don’t be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because it’s there now doesn’t mean it can’t be withdrawn. 

Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized it’s a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very “by the book” with it. 

Please share this post, make it reach as many artists as possible. Let young or inexperienced artists know that this is going on. So many people have no idea that this is a thing. Let’s help each other out. If you think I missed any relevant info, do add it as an rb!

Also, if you know other scam methods that you think should be shared, consider rb-ing this post with them below. Having a master post of scam protection would AWESOME to have in the art community.

I wonder what Mae got up to this Harfest 🎃🍂

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We NEED more Dragon Install.

all these GEARS!!! dragon install sol, dragon install ky, dragon install sin, dragon install dizzy, and justice with both her forms for good measure :)