caede styles (caede17223)
hi, i like to write and illustrate little stories about fictional people. i also like my OCs the normal amount for an a-spec AuDHD person. sometimes i do localization and video game QA, so that's fun too.based in montréal, canada. and bluesky.🔞 this site and its works are intended for adults only.
Latest release (2025/6/4)
🔞 Dominance & submission 101A kinky slice-of-life romcom about a newbie dom and his 'brat' girlfriend, and an experienced domme and her 'good boy'. Queer neurodivergent dorks in love. That's it, that's the comic.
caede styles: works
✿ = original work
2025
✿ Dominance & submission 101 (39-page comic)
✿ The Dollmaker's Toy Collection (illustrated short story)
✿ Comics & illustrations via Bluesky / Reddit (2023 - ongoing)・ Serenity in Surrender: Doting Dominatrix (QA, 2024 - ongoing)
2023 ~ 2024
✿ Big Guys Want to Be Desired Too! (illustrated short story)
✿ Soft & Gentle (digital comics & illustration art book)・ Wo haben Sie Reisecken? / 三角ライスはありますか? (English translation; German proofreading and editing)
・ Several undisclosed video game titles as per NDA (English localization QA, German localization QA, Japanese language support)
work with me
Are you looking for a guest artist for your zine? A sensitivity reader for your autistic character? A little polish for your indie game? A speaker on niche topics like gentle femdom or fictosexuality?I'm happy to provide limited work for free depending on my schedule, or at a pay-what-you-can rate for independent creators, small businesses, zines, events, websites, networks, and organizations - especially those related to neurodiversity, kink/sex positivity and education, LGBTQ+ rights, body positivity, and indie art.
Services
✿ Guest art and illustrations
✿ Merchandise design (pins, buttons, keychains, standees, ...)
✿ Light novel / web novel editing and illustrations
✿ Sensitivity reading for autism, ADHD, and the asexuality spectrum
✿ Writing and speaking on:
- neurodiversity (autism, ADHD)
- kink (gentle femdom, kink as an autistic person, education)
- niche sexualities (fictosexuality, aegosexuality)
- gender identity (gender fluidity, non-binary identity)
- body positivity
- being a full-time indie artist & writer
✿ Video game functionality and localization quality assurance
✿ English <-> German translation and localizationIf you'd like to work with me or have any questions, drop me a message: caede17223 at gmail dot com
If you have a question not covered here, or would like to make a collab/business inquiry, you can reach me via [email protected]!
usage & collabs
✿ Q: Will you join my zine / event / itch.io bundle / etc.?
I'd love to hear about it! Shoot me a message if you think I'm a good fit.✿ Q: Can I repost your work?
❌ Do NOT repost my paid content (e.g. books, Patreon exclusives).
❌ Do NOT repost to Twitter/X. Do NOT repost to Bluesky: share my posts.
❌ Do NOT upload directly to Discord etc. - post a link instead.
❌ Do NOT repost or use for personals, roleplay ads, or for any kind of commercial use (including aggregator accounts, findom).✅ Reposts MUST include a LINK to my work/accounts that is CLEARLY visible in the post. If you can't add a link, do NOT repost (e.g. Instagram).
✅ Ask yourself if your repost will help more people find my work.
about my work
✿ Q: I like your stuff, and I want more of it. How can I support you?
Thank you for being awesome and supporting indie creators!What you can do for free:
- Comment on/like/share my posts (Bluesky, Reddit)
- Show my stuff to your friends, partner(s) & other people who might like it
- Create content about my work (reviews, interviews, ...)
- Know a place I can post my work to, or a small business/website that could be interested in working with me? Let me know!What you can do with the magic of money:
- Buy my books
- Commission me to draw my own characters
- Become a Patreon member (comes with book download keys and more!)
The Indie Artist and Writer's Guide to itch.io
last updated 2025/6/10
Hi, I'm caede. I write and illustrate stuff, and I'm here to make a case for fellow creators to put their work on itch.io!18+ ONLY. I create adult fiction and will be linking to NSFW examples. You can apply the guide to SFW works. You cannot be here if you're a minor.
❔ What is itch.io?
itch.io is a platform for independent creators to share their digital creations. It's best known for indie games but also has a place for novels, comics, and more.❔ tl;dr — what's cool about it?
Lots of things. Here are a few:
⭐ Set your own price (including free/PWYW)
⭐ Free, no ads, choose the cut itch.io takes from sales (including 0%)
⭐ No algorithmic downranking for linking your socials, Patreon, etc.
⭐ Not a social platform - no pressure to upload/post regularly
⭐ Many users are indie enthusiasts who are happy to pay/tip
⭐ No strict approval process (unlike Google Play Books and others)
⭐ Supports adult content (unlike Gumroad, Ko-fi, and others)
❔ "Hold up—I'm an illustrator. I don't have any books."
Make some! No need to make a whole comic or write a book if you don't want to—but why not make an art book? My first book on itch.io, an art collection of my OCs, is mostly images that were already posted online. Compilations are great for people who don't wanna hunt down every last image on socials."PDFs are king because they work on any device," says long-time indie creator DarkChibiShadow. When opting for images in ZIP files, for instance, be aware that many mobile users will be left in the dark. You don't need paid software like Adobe's CC; I recommend the free open-source LibreOffice, and DCS adds that Google Docs also gets the job done (thank you!).
❔ "Okay, I've got a book. How do I make a good project page?"
There's nothing much you have to do (except tag adult media). What works best is different for each creator.My number one tip: describe your book for a person seeing your work for the first time. People want to know what they're downloading, and there's so much media out there, they'll be hesitant to 'take risks'.✔️ Tell people what they're getting, and how much: is it a 20 page art book or a 60 page comic? Is it a 5,000 word short story or a 70,000 word novel?
✔️ Use familiar genre terminology and tags: is your 'adult' comic vanilla or kinky? Is your BDSM novel gentle femdom or transhet maledom? Is your sci-fi art book about space politics or the local robotics club? Is there any 'enemies to lovers' action, or can people expect wholesome softness?
✔️ Add images: even if you're uploading novels, people want to know what The Thing(tm) is gonna look like, and it never hurts to have a sample!Check out some examples:
⭐ 18+ Big Guys Want to be Desired Too! by yours truly
⭐ 18+ Mothman is Trans and He's Going to Fuck Me! by DarkChibiShadow
⭐ 18+ Who We Were, Who We Are by aeritea
❔ "How do I set a price?"
Up to you! The following advice assumes that your work is part of your income, or that you're interested in getting started on that. (You're always free to make it downloadable at no cost or suggest a non-mandatory tip amount.)The amount of pages, time spent, your country's tax rate for freelance income, cost of living—there's a lot to take into consideration. Here's what I personally think indie creators should do: charge more."But if my book is cheap, more people will buy it and interact with it!"This isn't inherently true. Consider the following:
💲 Any price tag at all can be a deal breaker. That's just how it is.
💲 Someone who's willing to spend $8 on an indie book is very likely also willing to spend $10. You can charge a price that's fair for you!
💲 A price that is 'too low' can create the impression that there's something 'wrong' with the product. Stores often raise prices to drive sales.
💲 Ever seen a Steam library of 500 unplayed games that were all bought for dirt cheap during a sale? That's the culture that pricing our stuff at $1~2 creates.
💲 Do NOT underestimate payment processor fees and the likes. Some platforms will outright tell you not to sell anything below $5, in part due to these fees.My first two books are priced at $4 and $10 respectively. Yes, the $4 one has sold more copies, but the $10 one has made more money and more people have actually talked to me about it.
❔ "Okay, I'm all set up. How do I promote my book?"
Of course, people won't magically flock to your profile—it's still up to us to help establish itch.io as a place people go to for books at all. Compare the 1 million+ games available vs roughly 11,000 pages categorized as 'Books'. Narrow it down even more, and you only get around 1,000 'Books' tagged 'Adult'.Here's what I recommend:
⭐ Tell people your work exists in this format: add itch.io to your Linktree and pinned social media posts. Maybe offer an art PDF for free to your Patreon members (there's a built-in integration on itch.io!).⭐ Thumbnails & taglines: create an eye-catching thumbnail, keep your tagline simple and to the point. I used to be awful at categorizing my work, now I'm slapping "body positive gentle femdom" and the likes on it because it's accurate and it works. (Don't be afraid of 'clickbait'—you're describing the actual content! People are looking for it, make it easy for them find it!)⭐ Collections: anyone on itch.io can create collections, and creators can also display them on their profiles. This is an awesome way to cross-promote or help your favourite genres grow. Get searching and start a collection now!⭐ Sales & bundles: We're all drawn to a fancy sales tag and good deals. itch.io hosts several sales throughout the year; there'll be a banner in your dashboard to remind you 7 days before the sale starts. Joining isn't mandatory, and you're also free to create your very own sale anytime. You can put individual books on sale, or create bundles—including bundles with other creators. (Heads up! If the title of your book is too long, the price and sales tag can get cut off...)
♥ Gentle Femdom ♥ collection curated by yours truly
Be curious. Browse the platform yourself, see what other creators have to offer. Read stuff and leave comments, find works you genuinely enjoy, be inspired—if your peers thrive, you also thrive.If you have anything to add or any questions, feel free to contact me. Best of luck out there; I hope to stumble upon your books on itch.io soon!