just a heeeaaads up that some of these art commission scammers are upgrading their technique
they will now actually take notes of things that really happened in your fic, they make it sound personalised and genuine, but there's a way they talk that feels weirdly artificial, there's always a vague mention of some 'ideas' they have, if it raises your hackles trust those instincts and tread carefully, because ultimately-
they will ALWAYS LEAD YOU TO A SECONDARY LOCATION
suddenly changing up their writing style is a big red flag, wanting to take you off platform to some other site showcasing their 'art' is an even bigger red flag, REAL ARTISTS DO NOT DO THIS
no matter how genuine they sound, trust NOBODY advertising their art in your comment section, trust NOBODY who wants to take you off platform, NEVER go to that secondary location
STREET SMARTS!
The only time someone should be mentioning their fanart in your comments section is when they are
A. Asking if they can draw fanart of the fic
Or
B. Telling you they drew something for the fic and where to find it
Also, be aware that there are bots going around accusing people of using ai in their fics, those are AI bros being mad they were called out about scraping ao3 and other art sites, don't pay attention to them.
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important additions
the AI brobots will usually say something about some discord blacklist they've put you on so people will know not to touch your work, it's all bullshit, there is no list, don't believe a word of it
This is happening on FF.net as well, just a heads up.
The usualy pattern is someone following you or your story, then immediately dropping a gushing comment about one of your fics and finishing with 'I have so many ideas, please message me on (PM, insta, discord, whatever).
These are all scams. I'm so sorry to any newer or younger writers who are seeing what seem like genuine, really lovely comments, but you can't trust any of them.