Hi! I'm generally known as ‘“Kashi” or “Mori” to the internet world, and am a german-based friend of the owners of the “Silver Lining” from Axel in the Netherlands (the owners being Kelly Thans and her fiancée, whom some of you might know under the handle of “Flora”). I had visited them last Autumn from abroad to help renovate their new home and studio in Axel after following their long road from afar, from looking for a shared home, to finding it at last, and in the end, I joined them in exploring some of the city where they wanted to grow old together. After first hidden damages were uncovered, and struggles on finding a company that would repair said damages, they have been now literally without a roof in January, including leakages and now extreme water damages on the house and the studio due to continuous delays. Kind workers are doing their best to minimize damages, but it does not look good.

Just to be transparent on costs: the first estimate of 15'000 Euros in repairs on the building was in June, which they were able to pay, as this was money they had saved specifically for rennovations. In November, during my visit to help them, damages in the construction of the roof were uncovered, and unexpected costs began piling to fix this. As of the beginning of December, additional costs had reached roughly 25'000 Euros to deal with repairs on the roof alone, with the owner of the company that had agreed to repair the roof constantly demanding more money, and constantly delaying the repairs for various reasons. All of this does not include extra damages currently or upcoming due to the repeated delays in repairs by the contracted companies. Delayed repairs caused severe leakage and damaging the entire building. The roof had not been fully repaired since they first contacted the current to do so, as they start work, then, through delays, never finish their work before new damages appear. Water has been getting into the entirety of the house as of the end of January, leaking through two floors and getting literally everywhere including the setup studio on the ground floor. The damages are thus only getting worse, and the costs are exploding.

Kelly and her Fiancée had to borrow money to pay for the company to repair their roof; they are unable to pay another company to get their roof replaced, if they can not solve the issue with the current company, whose owner claims to see more and different damages every time he contacts my friends, and still asks for even more money. Even if legal measures are taken, it might take months before they see any money, if there is money to get back. And in that time, they have no proper roof, and are unable to live in their own home.

Friends, including me, suggested a GoFundMe a while back, and I finally was given permission to start this project.

I want my friends to move into, and feel safe, in their new home. I want them to have a literal roof over their heads, and one that does not leak. I want to visit them again and explore their new hometown together with them, without any of us needing to worry about a safe space to return to after exploring. And I wish to experience the photo studio and see many creative photos and results of other artistic collaborations; I know my friends wanted to give friends, cosplayers, larpers and creatives in general a place to meet, plan and have their dreams come true. I also know they put a lot of thought into how they could have a positive impact upon their new hometown and community in Axel and the surrounding area as well, even for those without special or artistic hobbies. I want this “Silver Lining” to become a grand sunrise for them.

All funds gained will go directly to Kelly Thans, her fiancée, and the "Silver Lining" including the Studio. The funds will help them pay for repairs on their house. If they wish to use any spare money, they might look for a lawyer to fight against that one company’s owner that literally took away their roof and did not replace it. And if there is any money left to spare, it will be used to pay for other damages, as studio lights and other photoshooting gear might have been damaged.

I will do my very best to keep everyone updated (weekly reports!) if you care for such things.