11/2/2022 - Update added.
Updates will be added to the bottom!
At the advice of others, I'm moving this PSA from a bulletin to the forums.
* 11/16/2022 - Bulletin removed because I'm tired of people making excuses for Flani on it and/or commenting things irrelevant to the situation.
From now on, if you have anything to add to this situation you can read and comment here while abiding to the PSA forum rules. Thank you.
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Who - flanibun , lanicore, letspartygras , iheartmofu , purinpurin , laniii , kissy, callmebunny [tiktok] [artfight]
[new TH] [new artfight]
Report link to their main
What - Scamming & Ghosting
Owed List
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My experience:
On July 18, 2022 I saw a (now deleted) bulletin by Flani. They stated they were in a bad household and needed money to get out their situation. I contacted them about a commission to help them out. They wanted me to pay via friends & family, which I didn't feel safe doing but did because they had a lot of other buyers/support. I paid and had heard nothing from them afterwards.
Flani-1 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
The bulletin is gone [link] , but I do have a link to some comments to show it's existence. [Comment 1] [Comment 2]
While I am blocking out Flani's paypal, they have kept their comments linking to it public as seen above and in other bulletins.
I checked out their profile later on and on August 8th, saw they had posted a bulletin about how they've deleted their situation bulletin and are taking a semi-hiatus. They stated they had all the usernames of those who've commissioned them on their trello, but didn't link to it. I sent them a DM that was never replied to.
Flani-2 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
By August 19th, I still hadn't heard anything from Flani. I had reached out to a couple of other commissioners/buyers from them and they all stated they had not heard from Flani either. So, I commented on the general PSA thread if anyone knew what was going on with Flani. I also stayed in touch with one of Flani's customers, they last updated me on October 8th on their situation with Flani.
Sta.sh Uploads 3220 - d0ughy's Sta.sh | Toyhouse - PSA Thread | October 8 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
On September 5, Flani finally got back to me. They had posted their Trello and stated they'd be getting back into the swing of things. Relieved they were finally getting back to me, I asked to change the character of my commission since it wasn't started. I even offered to pay more for complexity, which I'll be honest I only offered because I thought that might prompt them to actually hurry up and do my commission if I offered more $. They never replied and this was actually the last I heard from Flani.
Flani-5 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
On October 8th, I saw Flani posted a new bulletin. They stated they'd be in contact with customers, and it seemed like they were finally ditching their account. You can see many users who've commented have paid for adopts that are still sitting on Flani's accounts and not being transferred to their new, rightful owners.
flanibun on Toyhouse | Screenshot just in case
At this point, I was very frustrated with Flani. Every update I've heard on them was either by me seeking them out or other customers asking around for updates. I left a comment on their bulletin to which they never replied and sent them a discord friend request as well that same day. Link 2 Comment
On October 16th, I called Paypal to ask if anything could be done about a refund. They told me that, because I paid through friends & family, nothing could be done on their part but I could try my bank. I decided to not call my bank right away and give Flani more time.
On October 23rd, I was fed up with the situation and sent Flani a final DM stating I wanted my money back. My message is still unread.
Flani-chargeback - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
Since then, my friend request has been untouched despite them being online enough to swap their profile picture 3 times. My comments caught the attention of another customer of Flani's and they reached out to me. They linked Flani's S/O's public Twitter. I did reach out to Flani's S/O on October 26th and explained the situation. They stated it was a misunderstanding and said they'd tell Flani to get in touch with me.
Customer DM | SO DMs
I have heard nothing ever since. My Discord request is untouched, my refund DM is unopened, and there are still no updates from Flani like they said there would be in their bulletin. I called by bank today (11/1/2022) and they told me nothing could be done but I could report Flani's Paypal and report them to better business. I'm not reporting them to better business, but I'm debating reporting their paypal for taking commissions through friends & family. I reached out to Flani's S/O again to let them know that I hadn't heard anything and would be writing a PSA.
SO - 3 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
Sta.sh Uploads 3214 - d0ughy's Sta.sh Whole stash if needed.
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snoozefuze 's experience:
Snoozefuze has allowed me to share their experiences with Flani as well.
on July 17th i purchased an adopt from flanibun
https://toyhou.se/~comments/17318160 (i have ss's too just in case it gets deleted, im shocked it hasnt been tbh)
it technically started on july 14th but paypal was giving me hell for a few days so i couldnt pay till the 17th
it had been a bit and seeing they were still uploading things, i was wondering when the lines to the adopt i paid for would be done so i could color
(the was the "AB #1" option, they would finish the lines, and i could color it!)
i never received the lines! and the adopt had a TH watermark on it , which i was scared to upload, cause even though I PAID FOR IT, i was scared of people accusing me of stealing
i had asked for an updated to which i got ghosted. then i waited a bit longer (till beginning of september) and personally dm-ed them this time
to which i got told i couldnt get a refund, but they could do a chibi instead, since i lost connection to the originally paid adopt.
(READ BOTTOM TO TOP)
it has not been almost two full months (in just a few days) since that was promised, i have not recived the art, nor a refund, paypal HAS a case open but i doubt it will go anywhere sadly.
so between the start of all this (July 17th 2022) and the time im writing this (November 1st 2022) its has been 107 days. I know its not worth it for $5 anymore, and i stupidly put "friends and family" because i figured i could trust flani but! oh well!
Im just sharing ths now so people can be aware not to buy from them now, or in the future. im tired of getting scammed, especially considering this aint my first " being scammed " rodeo this year :/
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Anon 's experience:
(11/3/2022) - An anonymous user has come forward with more about Flanibun. They've asked to be unnamed so I will only be sharing what they're OK with. The experiences listed are that of the anonymous user, their friends, and other unfortunate victims of Flani. I've snipped personal information out and moved their screenshots to my stash. Please let me know if I've missed censoring any usernames.
"Previous aliases: @svftmlk , LVCKYLXNI , fairybby , bingo , @psmdraws
Access to da accounts:
https://www.deviantart.com/psm-drawz/gallery
https://www.deviantart.com/eclipseiss/gallery
https://www.deviantart.com/biingobongo/gallery
https://www.deviantart.com/peperooo
https://www.deviantart.com/svftmlk/gallery
https://www.deviantart.com/lvckylxni/posts
https://www.deviantart.com/fairybby/favourites
https://www.deviantart.com/lanicore
My mutuals and I have mostly had poor experiences with Lani on a drawing app called Drawcast (made by the same developer that made Framecast, Daniel cota.) The community part of the app has been lost to time since 2020, but I tried to retrieve as much information I could through screenshots that have survived.
Scamming / Ghosting
The thing I wanted to start with first was scamming / ghosting, since that was what the thread was initially made for.
Lani is very well known for this, and has been doing such that has been recorded since 2018.
Stash screenshots of every comment I could find that had also had to worry about scamming / ghosting from this specific account : 2018 Censored - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
After Lani moves accounts, opens up commissions : https://www.deviantart.com/heybingo/journal/3-SLOTS-OPEN-COMMISSIONS-738735202
Person stating Lani opened commissions when they haven’t even started on ones that people have waited on since November : Owed-custom-censored - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
Lanis part of a design trade that wasn’t finished: More Ghosting - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
Experience with user 2, screenshots: Ghosted 1 n 2 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
(The video briefly describes the situation. User 2 gets commissioned to draw Lani’s characters, Lani claims they can send User 2 deviant points for their service. User 2 gets the icons done in short time as they were not given a time limit. Once User 2 finishes said icons, Lani doesn’t want to pay with points anymore, so User 2 offers on characters for the icons instead. The college thread comes around and the designs with the icons are sold/traded away, and User 2 does not receive payment or characters despite finishing all the payments required to.)
Screenshots of a custom I had paid for they never finished: Finished Custom - D0UGHY's Sta.sh (4/24 was the last time they had brought up the customs I had bought all along.)
Consuming / Producing Nsfw As a Minor:
Lani has also produced adult related images and designs, though they are/were a minor.
Saying at a time where they are most definitely a minor that they are okay with drawing vanilla nsfw and some kinks: NSFW - ok with stuff - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
Suggestive characters in question:
https://toyhou.se/7226003.fish
https://toyhou.se/3294992.bingo/8545005.----sketches
https://toyhou.se/7452310.hold
https://toyhou.se/12261433.-100
https://toyhou.se/iheartmofu/art?page=2#50456230 (uncensored content also, only using a sensitive course warning when there are not only nipples showing in the drawing but other common sensitive things like needles and drug use)
https://toyhou.se/iheartmofu/art?page=1#51944750 More uncensored nipples (pink haired rat with green/blue eyes)
With a photo from 2017 claiming they're 12, this year they would be 17-18. As stated on the flanibun account, Lani is still a minor at the time most of these suggestive drawings are made. And even if they are a let us adult as of today; it doesn’t mean they are unable to censor suggestive content.
Copying/Design Inspiration
Lani has also had issues with referencing other peoples characters a little too much, example from user 3 below: Copying - D0UGHY'sSta.sh I will be looking to find more examples of this as if it’s happened twice, it has to of happened a third time!
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Takeaway:
Never pay through friends and family for products or services, even if many others are doing it. You could end up in a situation like this where nothing can be done and you're out art and money.
When it comes to refunds via your bank, even if it's through Paypal you don't have the same time window to file it. I thought I had 6 months (like Paypal would for protection) but my bank told me 60 days.
Flanibun has made a bulletin in the past, now deleted, that they were going to make a new and private main account. I don't know what the username is, but please beware of this user.
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Updates:
(11/2/2022) I contacted Paypal last night to report Flani for taking commissions via friends & family and woke up this morning to this message from Paypal. Hopefully their account is penalized or removed or something, that way they stop taking money from people.
20221102 062303 - D0UGHY's Sta.sh
(11/3/2022) Someone came forward anonymously to reveal more information about Flani's bad business practices. They've been scamming since 2018. Their experience and information are listed below snooze's experience, right above the updates section.
(7/14/2023) It appears Flani might be back on Toyhouse under the username @666fruitz, the same username they've changed their tiktok and artfight to. The tiktok account is using the same name, "Lani", so I'm 99.99% certain it's them.
JUL1AN You're completely right, so I ended up deleting it. I'm not interested in interacting with that blog, the only reason I even saw that post was someone linked it on my bulletin. At least them blasting this PSA is bringing more attention to it and Flani's bad business lol.
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comfortzone I second what Scarlet said, you can file a ticket with the admin and they can force the transfer since you did the art payment for it.
i've also had a ton of bad experiences with Flani, which they have been getting away with not being called out about since the app was shut down (the app was FrameCast which got shut down around 2020) but I won't be talking about those since I cannot back anything up with photos since I did not screenshot them while the app was up and people have the right to not believe me. However i do have screenshots of them ghosting me on a design they offered on (which for me and my friends was very common of Flani to do). this is only one of the many to happen but its the only one I can back up fully
so the oc I am talking about is Pup who still has a description saying I am waiting on payments from them since 2021. They made an offer on him over discord basically a whole year ago (the convo about ocs to use in said payments happened 08/04/2021(dd/mm/yy) so about at the start of April) I had known their behavior when agreeing so it is totally on me for that, but it still should be said that this behavior is VERY common when it comes to Flani as I have waited on payments for several months from them and always had to remind them months after, having them never start. I also feel like I should mention we were "friends" at the time, but I do not refer to them as such now. I knew them as a minor as well and yes they have been taking paypal for a long time. but back on topic Pup here was up for offers since I was cleaning out my characters, and Flani offered 3 fullbodies on them which I accepted so we went over to discord to discuss.
Images of us talking about their payment in the spoiler.
them asking what was okay for payments we landed on 3 fullbodies and as noticed they had commissioned me at the time for 12 chibis at a rate of 5$ for the whole thing (it was in dA points) but thats totally on me as i was stupid and didn't realise how unfair that was for me but thats kinda a part of this, so we talked about their comm and they never brought up their payments again and the only time we ever conversed was about payments. I cancelled the comm since i couldn't do it at all and gave them a full refund. still today the last thing we ever talked about was a freebie.
i knew they were like this so I didn't even think of it since I was so used to it. so i gave up bascially and just took the oc off of pending since it had been basically 6 months with complete radio silence. not even a mention of needing more time or backing out or even just sending wips. the last ever message we sent to each other was in 28/06/21 and I still have not had any updates or anything. while they had been still active and doing commissions taken after the offer.
this has happened multiple times specifically to me but i do not have images to back up my claim so it isn't as important but they also did this to me before the aformentioned app (framecast) got shut down but i got my payments then. they had also bullied and harrassed me and my friends on there but once again I didn't scs these interactions as i was 14 and scared of them, and i also didnt think that it would get shut down.
just wanted to add another experience with who I knew as Lani, since I have had to deal with this stuff since I was 14. and I know it is totally on me for not reminding them, I was just so used to it that I definitely gave up reminding them cause it got so tedious to do it every single time they would do art payments for me. dont know if this is exactly where i should put this but i want this to be public since Lani has scared me for all these years to even begin to talk about what they have and still do (sorry if this isn't well written I tried my best but I am awful at writing)
kalosiantoast I don't think that's them, just going by the art style - they have a lot of art and very few of them seem to have the features that flanibun's art is really distinctive for. The lineart finish and eye shapes especially seem totally different.
kalosiantoast I'll add it to the PSA, ty for pointing that out.
Hiilumaru svftmilk is a past alias of lani and it's still very connected to the laniii account.
laniii acc is def them considering some of the art (check page 2 on art tab) has the Flanibun watermark
oo.. https://toyhou.se/kissy/characters/folder:3698301
would the above be another one of their aliases as well?
their dessertbuns account...
the below is taken from lani's most recent bulletin ^__^
characters with a star (☆) in their name means they have art that has not been uploaded yet. its most likely my art or art fight art!
if you spend more than $50 worth of characters (within the 4 folders below), you can get any character for 25% off.
$5 / art offer characters: https://toyhou.se/flanibun/characters/folder:3353744
$10 - $20+ characters: https://toyhou.se/flanibun/characters/folder:3353743$30-$50+ characters: https://toyhou.se/flanibun/characters/folder:3698235
- dessertbuns: https://toyhou.se/kissy/characters/folder:3698301
- sales account, buy $30 worth of anyone here and get a free character: https://toyhou.se/letspartygras/characters