Heya.

I really appreciate you considering donating to me!

If not, then I still appreciate you checking in here, either way!

Before I give you any resources to the platforms I'd accept donations through, there is something I gotta address first.

I wouldn't exactly say that I am not using any platforms that can work for both of us - I am actually using one that literally works for both of us - but I thought it's necessary to provide some context as to how I got to use the platform I am yet to talk about in a moment.

I was born - and unfortunately still reside - in Russia.

...I feel like you know where this is going to go, considering the current ongoing events. Frankly, I was - when I first heard of them ever starting - and still am just as mortified and disgusted as you are, considering that we live in a time where the idea of any war conflicts should only appear in multimedia and not occur in real life - considering how many lives on both sides are heavily impacted by them.

In an attempt to stop the Russian government from continuing their efforts, many heavy sanctions have been imposed on the country, but - sadly - seemingly to barely any avail, considering... that the aforementioned efforts are still persistant.

During the first year of the invasion, leaving the country was not an option for me due to having to finish college - not to mention that I didn't have a proper source of income (I do have one right now, but I can't quite say it's stable enough to let me move out any quicker); dare I mention that the document filing, travelling and housing costs certainly haven't gotten any cheaper? I did plan on one day moving to another country once I graduate college for a huge variety of reasons, like finding a proper safe space where I can be openly comfortable with my orientation, being able to spend plenty of my freetime developing my passion project, Stramedia: my_MISADVENTURE, without fearing I might get conscripted out of the blue and probably die mid-service, and the current events only add more to the reasons justifying my need to get the fuck out of there whenever I get the sodding chance.

But of course, due to the aforementioned sanctions imposed by the US, UK and European governments, my options as a Russian citizen to receive donations for my game, my videos, art and hobbies are heavily reduced, meaning that you can't directly send me funds through PayPal nor Wise (ex. TransferWise), and I can't open up Ko-Fi, BuyMeACoffee and other donation-oriented platforms that usually rely on PayPal and Stripe for performing transactions.

Though, while I do have a job that pays decently enough for me to start saving up to fulfil my escape plan, I am in the process of setting up profiles on Boosty and Patreon.

My Patreon page is still in construction, as I am still working on figuring out certain bits to ensure it's opening goes as smoothly as possible.
My Boosty page (https://boosty.to/polyvishap), on the other hand, is almost complete, it can be visited, it already has some content up, you may be able to send donations (keep in mind that Visa, MasterCard and PayPal are acceptable payment methods, regardless of where you live; the recipient is the company that owns the platform and processes the incoming payments and stuff). However, before you decide to subscribe to any tier levels, please keep in mind that I will not be able to make new content on the platform until further notice, so please do it at your risk.

Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter, BlueSky, Mastodon and Game Jolt for potential further updates regarding both Patreon and Boosty.

In the meantime, allow me to remind you to pledge the money you would want to donate to me to Ukrainian citizens instead - they are still struggling to survive in these difficult times and they really need any help they can get. If you wish to support Ukrainian citizens who couldn't leave their country due to certain challenging conditions and whose families and lives have been heavily impacted by the ongoing conflict, consider making a donation to Disasters Emergency Committee's Humanitarian Appeal. The aid they're providing is highly praised by them and every tiny bit of British Pounds helps them a lot.

For more info, you can visit
https://www.dec.org.uk/ukraine-one-year-on