Maria Levato's Blog

Hello, and welcome back to Nerdology 101, the blog where I explore all things nerdy and you read it because you’re a good little nerd just like me. That’s right. Good nerd, you keep reading this blog like the little cutie you are. LOL. #PraiseKink - Nerdy Edition. I’m your weekly blogger, Maria Levato, a proud fellow nerd and indie author. Let’s get started!

This week, we’ll be talking about character design! I chose this topic because I’ve been seeing a lot of discourse around it—particularly from other indie authors who keep getting ghosted by people they hire. It’s no good, so I figured I’d do a deep dive and talk about my experieces with it. Hopefully, this helps someone weed out the AI slop and false artists to find that ever-elusive perfect match. At the end, I’ll also name a few character artists I know to be legit.

What are your experiences working with character artists?

I’ve worked with two of them. The first was in 2023. I hired this one off of Fivver. He did great work, designing art for my whole original cast in The Islands of Rune universe. The price was affordable at $75/piece for 6 characters, full body, single pose, no backgrounds. I loved the pieces and it was a great time. Unfortunately, though, we eventually went our separate ways. It’s worth noting, though, that AI wasn’t as much of an issue on the platform a few years ago as it is now. I cannot speak to what searching would be like on there today. If you have worked with someone on Fivver or a similar platform recently, please share that experience in the comments to elaborate on this. However, for the time being, I will say that my experience hiring someone off of the platform was positive and that, if nothing has changed that makes it more complicated, I would recommend using it.

The second time I worked with a character artist is right now. A few weeks ago, I put a call out on Threads asking artists to drop their work in the comments. As you can imagine, a mass of them flocked to the post and I was left with the task of sorting through it all. It was a wild ride, but a good idea. It boosted my engagement and profile signifcantly while also offering an opportunity to people that allowed them to display their work. There were a ton of great submissions, but ultimately, I found my artist. As of now, I’ve commission two pieces from them (one NSFW and one SFW). These two are slightly more expensive than the original two, but this time I also wanted full, exclusive rights to the work and for the pieces to reflect scenes from the book they’re associated with—meaning there we’re backgrounds and more than one character in the images which makes it more complex. Given that, the additional cost makes plenty of sense and is still great for what I’m getting. I paid 50% of the price upfront via PayPal—this is where it goes wrong for a lot of authors—but I wasn’t ghosted! Ever since, I’ve recieved a few updates per week from the designer—which is a huge help in making sure they aren’t using AI—and communication has been consistent. This is mostly the experience we’re going to be talking about for the rest of this post because there’s a lot to learn. We’ll discuss: How I made sure I wouldn’t get ghosted, how I checked for AI on the original post, and a few other key topics that may help someone hiring a character designer for the first time—especially if, like me, they’re still learning how to spot the less obvious AI.

Does follower count matter?

Sometimes, but it’s not an end all be all way of making a judgement about whether you’re dealing with a bot or not. While this can indicate that the profile is bot-run, I’d call it a yellow flag because there are a lot of other things that this could mean. For example, since Meta and TikTok favor white, western, eurocentric content, sometimes someone who doesn’t speak perfect English or has a style that doesn’t fit into that narrow box can struggle to gain a following. Also, there’s new people. Maybe the artist just opened their commissions for the first time or just started pursuing it as an income stream. There’s also the possibility that they’ve been doing this for a while, but haven’t found quite the right combination of hashtags that work for them. Social media is hard. Trust me, I will struggle with it because I’m video shy (I start stuttering and get anxious every time I try to record one). For someone who doesn’t post reels, growing a following is a slow process. So, make sure that you aren’t knocking a perfectly valid artist because of something that isn’t necessarily indicitive of their humanity or talent.

2. Okay, then how do I find the bots?

That’s a layered process. First, give instruction. Tell people to drop their work in the comments. Those who DM you anyway are either bots or people who don’t listen well. You don’t want either because even if they are real, an artist needs to be able to follow the specifications provided in the commission. It’s the same reason those of us who are pusuing trad publishing have to follow the guidelines provided by lit agents/agencies when querying. So, this step will weed out some of the bots, but also some of the people who exhibit signs that they might not be suited for your commission. Next, watch language. One thing I continuously saw that registered as a red flag for me is this one phrase that came up in multiple submissions: “I look forward to your positive reply.” It’s not all that often that I hear a human say something like that, so to see it in multiple subs put me off. Most of people understand that’s manipulative and shifts unfair pressure onto the commissioner to hire. It’s especially weird for an artist to say because it makes the assumption that they’re getting a commission over every other interested party and most true artists respect the work of other artists. Thus, I see that as either a bot or a narcissist, so again, it’ll weed out more bots and people with undesirable traits that might make them hard to work with. Once you narrow it down, DM 3-5 artists. TALK TO THEM. Ask questions. Discuss rates. Talk about the commission. Anything. It won’t take too long for you to notice if the conversation feels manufactured, as if you’re speaking to a bot. This functions as a vibe check and a bot check.

3. And what about the people who are actually people, but are using AI?

Spotting AI is becoming increasingly difficult as the technology continues to invade creative industries, but there are still things you can do to spot it. Lines are a big one. Humans have distinguishable lines around their drawings. Think of a coloring book. Each object in the photo has a clear outline even after its colored in. If we removed that, the picture wouldn’t look quite right to us. AI usually doesn’t have these lines. That’s one way you can spot it. Of course, there’s ways slop generators get around that too. It’s easy to do, especially if they do AI-assisted art. This is where AI checkers come in. There’s more than a few sites that offer this service free. My advice: Use more than one. Some are good at catching certain things, others excel at catching other things. It’s always good to have more than one source. Another helpful tip is that AI is no good at mimicing extremely unique styles. What it generates typically fits into a more generic version of what its prompted to create. If an artist has a style you don’t see all the time, they probably didn’t use AI to make it.

4. That’s good to know, but now, how do I protect myself from people who are just out to scam me?

As with everything, written agreements are the best way to protect yourself. I used Jotform to create mine. Set it so the form is private and only those you send invites via email can access it. Add signature fields and a recaptcha—and if you’re really suspicious, add a second check in the way of a “Select all that apply” question to be extra sure the bots don't get in. Define your terms clearly. Define what the total payment is, what the deposit is, when it will be paid, and when other payments will be made based on your discussion with the artist. Make sure you state clearly that the artist must work within the specifications, not use AI in any capacity, not be affiliated with anything that would have affected your decision to hire them, etc. Make sure it’s clear that violation of terms will void the contract, that they’ll owe you a refund, that any legal recourse available will be pursued, etc. You should also address rights to the work in there. There’s levels to them. For most authors, you either want commercial use or full, exclusive use. Commercial is fine for most authors and will allow you to sell, but it leaves the artist the right to reuse designs made for your characters as long as they aren’t selling them. This isn’t an issue most of the time, one rarely interferes with the other, but in my case, I particularly wanted the designs to be synomous with my book. That comes with an upcharge and most artists don’t default to it. I was lucky to be in the position to pay it when I hired this time. Don’t stress too much if you aren’t, just be sure you know what your liscence includes.

Name your obligations as well. Write it all out. Then, even if you get ghosted, the payment platform will be inclined to reimburst you—or your bank will via a dispute if the platform refuses. Most payment platforms will do it without this, but on the off chance you run into an issue, this is good to have because it acts as evidence that you are owed the refund. The character artist I ended up hiring had no issue signing the agreement and I doubt many legitimate ones would, so long as the agreement is fair and reflects both sides because then, it protects them too. This is a perfect final line of defense. By this point, you’ve weeded out bots, jerks, and most problematic people. The artist you’ve chosen is a vibe match and you get along. You can see yourself working with them and you’re confident in them. This agreement is just there because sometimes even the best of us can make an error in judgement and something slips past us. It never hurts to have something in place just in case. The right artist won’t be insulted by this. If they are, most of the time that’s a them problem. Unless they provide some type of legitimate complaint or are suggesting a reasonable ammendment, don’t fall for the “Oh, you should just trust me.” Real artists are well aware of the struggles indies face when it comes to this and are glad to see that more of us are learning to protect ourselves.

5. I finally have my character artist. Now what?

Congratulations! You made it to the part of the process that’s actually enjoyable. Now, you get started. If you haven’t already sent it to help the artist quote you accurately (some will want you to, others have standard rates), send the artist a document addressing the specifications for your project(s). Go into full detail about what your characters look like, what size you need the images to be, if you want them in scene and if so, what that scene looks like, reference photos, etc. For reference on how much information you should include, my document was 6 pages long for 2 characters, 2 scenes, and there were still holes I had to find reference photos for after the fact because I hadn’t thought of it (positioning for the NSFW scene. Lol. We spent a whole morning exchanging hentai pics to get it right). After that, if you defined a communication frequency with your artist agreement, which I did, you should hear from them with about that frequency unless they have questions. They should send you progress updates so you can see the work as it progresses, reassuring you that its not AI, but also giving you the opportunity to give additional feedback and let them know your thoughts along the way. Feel free to ask questions. Unless you draw too, it’s normal to have things you don’t know or need to ask in order to make sure the art is coming out as you want it to. Enjoy the process, it’s rewarding and is a huge part of bringing your imagination to life. Hopefully, if all goes well, you can return to this artist for future projects and continue to work together.

6. Artists I Feel Comfortable Recommending?

This is the one I’m working with now. As you can tell, I’m enjoying working with them and have zero complaints.

https://www.instagram.com/sincerrio/

This artists was one of my top choices. While I didn’t end up hiring her, she does amazing work and has worked with plenty of other authors, including some very prolific ones.

https://www.instagram.com/whet.paint/

This artist was also one of my top choices. Again, he wasn’t my final, but his work is still awesome and works he’s done for other authors are included in his portfolio.

https://www.instagram.com/officialich...

So far as I know, all of these artists are accepting commissions at this time.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks Nerdology 101 segment. Make sure you let me know in the comments. Share your experiences, ask more questions, recommend topics for future posts, etc. I’ll see you back next Friday at 3PM ET for the next one. As always, have a nerdy week!

Welcome back to Nerdology 101! I’m Maria, your fellow nerd, reporting from my desk as I cling desperately to my coffee (one of my cats is after it).

This week, I wanted to talk about the Fall of Freedom movement. If you don’t know what that is or why it matters, you’re in the right place.

The Issue:

Censorship is on the rise across America. According to the American Library Association (ALA), 2,452 different books were targeted for censorship in 2024. That’s a lot of books for a country that claims to free speech as one of its core values. These attacks will only increase as many continue pour fuel on the fire that leads to them. What’s so bad that they don’t want us to read it? Well, if the ALA’s 10 Most Challenged List is any indication, anything written about women’s issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, anti-authoritarism, or racial issues. As with anything, these challenges disproportionally target members of marginalized communities.

Beyond banned books, we’ve seen it in other aspects of life as well. Social media is another example. The censoring of certain language, particularly in a way that softens it (I.E. killed turned into unalived, rape turned into graped, pedophile turned into PDFile, protest turned into music festival.), has grown into a common phenomenon. There’s a danger in that. When we soften the language we’re using to describe such weighy subjects, we start participating in our own censorship and downplaying the seriousness of real issues.

Don’t think for a second this doesn’t apply to you too, anime and gaming lovers. Where do you suppose anime’s like One Piece, featuring powerful anti-government themes, are going to be accessible if speech in disagreement with authoritarian policies continues to be censored? Nerds are just as much a part of this as the rest of us. We’re a community that thrives on living outside of the normal social practices, oftentimes embrassing alternative lifestyles, hobbies, and interests. Censorship is a dangerous road and one that we’ve seen play out many times in media both media and history.

The Movement:

What Fall of Freedom is doing is putting out an urgent call to a community with a long history of getting louder when told to shut up. The artists, the writers, the creatives, and the nerds. They want the anime-loving painter making fan art and the aspiring writer who barely has a platform to speak out against this censorship alongside more prominent names. That’s what this movement is about. Together, we will use our voices through our chosen mediums to let those who target our passions know we will not be silenced.

What Can I do?

The answer to that lies in your creativity and knowledge. Authenticity is key in this movement because our point is that authentic, diverse, and yes—critical—voices matter. Whether you host a reading of a banned book, post on social media, paint or design an image of what censorship looks like—what erasure feels like—it matters. Express yourselves and be sure to put Fall of Freedom’s logo on it so everyone knows you stand with the other creatives who are expressing themselves. Your voice matters and I’m looking forward to watching as they sound off in solidarity with this movement.

Will that even work?

You may ask yourself why this plan would work? Because it always has. The Dark Ages didn’t end because the powers that be decided to stop censoring artists; The Dark Ages ended because artists decided not to comply. Anti-war art during the Vietnam War is another great example here. The unpopularity of that war wouldn’t have been nearly as widespread if not for journalists, artists, writers, and people who were willing to help the masses see and understand what the atrocities truly felt and looked like. Art has always been a match unhesitant to ignite change. That’s why all throughout history oppressive powers have sought to silence creatives. It’s the demonization of the Gaelic language and it’s literature. It’s the books the Nazi’s burned. It’s the information hidden in South Africa during Aparthied. It’s the Indigenous stories that were dragged from their ancestral homes and forced onto reservations with the people meant to tell them. Writers and artists of all kinds have always been able to create change. Those in power wouldn’t be attacking us if we weren’t a threat to their power.

We must once again take our stand against censorship with Fall of Freedom’s movement and beyond. Every voice matters and I encourage you to use yours. No effort is too small or too big. Share a post, make a post, write a poem or a blog, go to an event, host an event—it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you speak up. Fall of Freedom’s webite provides more information as well.

Don’t forget to comment and let me know how you decide to use your voice. I’ll see you back next Friday at 3PM ET for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Have a nerdy week!

The Authors Guild is supporting this movement. Visit their website for more information on how they are standing up against censorship.

Welcome back to Nerdology 101: The blog where I rant about random stuff and you rave because it’s just so fun! I’m your weekly ranter, Maria Levato. Indie author, fellow nerd, and this week? A very happy anime watcher.

This paragraph contains light spoilers for Season 1 of the anime. If you haven’t watched it and want to be surprised, don’t read it. If you aren’t familiar with Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, it’s an anime that originally aired in 2018. It follows Aoi, a young lady who was taught to cook for the yokai pallatte by her grandfather. One day, after her grandfather’s death, an ogre named Ōdanna appears at her home. He swoops her up and carries her off to his realm where he informs her that her grandfather owes a substantial debt to him. As collateral for the debt, her grandfather offered her. To recoup his losses, Ōdanna wants Aoi to marry him. Being a strong-minded person, Aoi refuses and insists that he allow her to work off the debt. To accomplish this, she opens a small restaurant where she serves her food to the yokai staying at his inn. While she struggles at first, she finds her way and eventually her great cooking and kind personality gain her customers and allies in this new world. Still, she grows closer to Ōdanna day by day. End Potential Spoilers.

Now, with Season 2 finally coming out, I’m stoked to see where they end up. Beyond that, the return of Kakuriyo is giving me so much hope for the return of other animes. As we’ve seen in recent years, a lot of them are making comebacks. From Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War to Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest, and even Black Butler: Public High School and Emerald Witch, many are returning. This phenomenon is hardly a new concept in anime—or any medium for that matter. The difference with Kakuriyo, though, lies in the fact that aside from Fruits Basket, this isn’t happening with romance anime at quite the same frequency.

While I love anime from many genres, romance has a special place in my heart (Duhh. I’m a romantasy author). Beyond the normal stuff all millenials watched that none of us are likely to have recognized as anime at the time (Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblades, etc), my first intentional consumption of an anime was another beloved romance anime, Inuyasha (and that burn burned about as slow as a burn could burn), which inspired the priestesses in my writing. Since that time, some of my favorite anime have been romance anime. There are so many I’d love to see return. Special A, The Forbidden Academy, and so many others all deserve the same treatment. Don’t even get me started on the way I need more Maid-Sama. I’d love to see more of Misa and Usui. My hope is that we see more of all of these, especially given that Kakuriyo is thriving in this new season. I. Am. OBSESSED.

What animes would you like to see make a comeback? Are there any more that you’ve heard of potentially getting “Fruits Basket treatment”? Let me know in the comments! I’ll see you back next Friday at 3P.M. ET for the third segement of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Hiya! Welcome to my new blog, Nerdology 101, where we explore all things nerdy. I’m Maria. My professional bio can be found on the homepage, but here, I’ll give you the fun version.

 

I’m a playful, goofy person who’s weird neither starts nor ends at her public persona. I embrace all the quirks so please be prepared to bring your weirdest to my comment section. My nerdy qualifications involve a plethora of books, anime, and historical/mythological/scientific/philosophical rabbit holes and it’s a list longer than any textbook you’ve ever seen. Here’s a few basics, though. Favorite authors: Amber V. Nicole, Harley Laroux, Xiran Jay Zhao, H.D. Carlton, etc. Favorite animes: Fairy Tail (guild mark tattooed on thigh), Inuyasha, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Record of Ragnarok, Bleach, Naruto, and My Happy Marriage. Philosophy, history, and mythology are all kind of one big hobby for me. I’m fascinated with culture and the way humans think/function, so I research all three. I’ve focused on cultures from around the world at different points, but Japanese, Egyptian, and Greek, and Norse are the ones I’m best versed in.

 

Now that you know a bit about me, let’s get into some NERDOLOGYYYYY! (please read that in hype voice with alarms sounding in the background).

 

This week's topic is: Ask the weird thing. With the trend on social media telling us to “say the weird thing,” I want to encourage people to ask the weird questions. Weird questions tend to lead to weird information and any good nerd knows that knowing weird stuff is our area of expertise. My most recent weird question involved a scene I was writing where, for reasons most likely attributed to creative sadomasochism and a need to track power scaling, I decided I needed to know the answer to a hypothetical math/science question with little to no basis in reality. So, you know what I did? I asked. Amazingly enough, I got an answer from a scientist willing to indulge hallucinations affiliated with my profession and I now know how many joules a random tsunami crashing out of the sky would generate. The information is otherwise useless to me outside of the context of what my brain tells me I need to know in order to write the scene, but what’s more nerdy than otherwise useless information?

 

As another example, I'll bring up someone I admire—someone who built her entire career off of asking the weird thing—Dr. Esmé Louise James (@esme.louisee on IG). She’s a sex historian who wrote a book titled Kinky History. As you may have guessed, sex history isn’t a major offered at most colleges (or any, to my knowledge). But she always asked the weird thing and ended up crafting a field perfectly suited to her niche interest. This led her to a career she’s passionate about and a slew of interesting information that few have taken the time to learn. Thanks to that career, she's been able to cultivate similar interests in sex history in other people and find a following of people who love her work almost as much as she does. To me, Dr. James is a nerdy shero deserving of every bit of success she’s built.

 

Asking the weird thing is the key to nerdiness. The way we become absorbed in our interests—allowing them to consume our soul—makes us who we are as people. For that reason, I encourage everyone to be open-minded and to ask the questions that seem strange, or even socially unacceptable. So, who are your nerdy sheroes/heroes? Do you have any weird questions you want to ask, or have asked and want to share? Let me know in the comments and make sure you come back next Friday at 3P.M. for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Have a nerdy week!

This post was made with the permission of Dr. James’s manager, Ben Grand, at Stage Addiction. If you’re interested in Dr. James or her work, please see her website .