And then there's the part where one of the $500 backer rewards is the completion of a WIP by Gyzym. Meaning fanfic is being offered for straight-up monetary gain here, no charity auction in sight

Does anyone else remember the Good Ol' Days(tm) when every fic had a clever disclaimer about how no money was made but the author would love to bang the characters? Because this past year or two I've seen more and more authors taking "commissions" which is just ultra-sketch to me.