Please, please do take a minute to read this, it's been difficult dealing with this but I've got to get this off my chest:

If you check my old store and this thread now I've made mention of starting a fashion brand and whatnot, since almost exactly one year, november 2022 I began making concepts and designs for a satirical and political-protest based brand in my home country of Venezuela, whenever I said I'd have no time for setmaking I was implying in a hopeful, almost manifesting note, that I'd be handling fashion business and working in the field I feel incredible passion for.

This, as of now, has been a tremendous difficulty for multiple reasons, but one is the most important: my country is a dictatorship, has been ruling since I was born in 1999 and most probably will keep on being so for the time being.

Why is this relevant? My designs were of a political nature, what happens to politically outspoken people under dictatorships? They get prosecuted and then silenced, have I been threatened? Yes. Will I do something about it? Yes. Am I safe? Who knows.

I am leaving my country and seeking refuge abroad because I am being threatened for voicing differing political opinions and falling victim to government harassment.

I will be leaving in the middle of february, I've got my tickets and all and it's not like they won't let me go or detain me in the airport because I'm not a known individual neither is the brand since I never got to launch it, but I did do multiple presentations with a number of people I was hoping would become investors, for brevity's sake, one of them got cold feet and would have rather been a rat than associated with it, for their own safety.

So, given all that, I will be still making sets because it's all I can do for these couple of months that I have left here, once I arrive to the destination I will hopefully launch the brand abroad catered to the huge Venezuelan diaspora and then I will retire from Toribash if time needs me to, but for now, I really hope you guys understand. I will still be making killer sets like the ones I've been working on for these past weeks where I've been silent:

I also wish to extend a hand for you guys to ask me ANYTHING regarding my art because I have been saddened by some passing comments, the support and the love for it is immense and is the overwhelming majority, but I believe people need to be truly honest and open and I hold no secrets, I've stated what programs I've used and explained the reasoning and process behind them, even Athin has investigated my setmaking. I put my heart and soul into every artpiece I make and sometimes it is to the artist's detriment, I put so much time into these pieces, I have spent upwards of 16 days working full time for a single set in which I was paid only $100 for because the dude was kind of a prick that didn't follow through with his word, but as BenDover said, art is never finished, only abandoned, and we must learn to let go from preconceptions and judgement.

As you guys know my country is heavy on censorship, once even Toribash was blocked as I stated here. But I've been quiet about the political issues all my life and I've always been fascinated by satire and protesting against unfairness, so I really tried to make it work and maybe the designs seem benign but they're deceitful in their intentions. I am mocking the dictatorship and well I am going to pay the price for it if I keep on pushing with this, I'd rather do it abroad and not be a political prisoner.

Here are two of the more than a dozen designs that got me in trouble

I could go for paragraphs upon paragraphs explaining the lore and subversion of the government that I'm applying here but honestly it's kind of too niche Venezuelan culture-related so I'm posting these for the 2 or 3 other Venezuelans in the community.

I, again, hope you guys can understand. My intention was to retire and keep my word but this is the way that life has pushed me into for now.

I will still be making one free insane set though, no worries about that.

Thank you for reading my rants and for supporting me I hold no shame in having a Tori tattooed on me :triggerhappy:

been taking some days off because I'm doing all of the stuff to move abroad, I'm in the process of certifying myself as a tattoo artist in the entirety of the EU and hopefully I can survive while I get the brand off its feet because that's really what impassions me deeply

ANYWAY

TWO SETS

both amazingcouldn't post this one in november a lot of people would've cum

for two amazing people whom I thank profusely for commissioning.

special thanks and shoutout to Vxtxmxntz and KING aka lord bodhi

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr what happened to that boy
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr what happened to that boy
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr what happened to that boy

this is OUT of this world fr fr

probably among my favorite sets that i've made so far you guys better be sitting for this one, beautiful, pristine full 1024x price was $400

Every set I've made has included ground and trails, always, unless specifically expressed by the client

this fr was amazing to make I absolutely love it.

crazy ordeal ngl, you've got my wishes that everything works out well for you slimefolk 🙏

ily bro thank you

I am beginning the process of making the insane free set that I've promised!!!

I've gotten a request for two sets but payment hasn't been made so as I've done a lot of stuff recently I've chosen to finally begin working on this set, be on the lookout......