Kwillians has multiple currencies that members can earn and spend in different shops, instead of one universal currency that can be used for all shops. This guide goes over how to earn and utilize Gem Shards in the group! If you're looking for other currencies, you can check out the Spendable Currencies using the button below.
Gem Shards are the group's tally currency, a way of representing the art you've done for the group in a number. Shards are earned when you draw any submittable art for the group, meaning art that's at a minimum clean, and usually colored. Shards are most often counted towards applying upgrades, if you'd like to learn more, visit the guide below!
Gem Shards aren't spent when you apply upgrades. In fact your total current amount of shards doesn't matter for applying upgrades, and instead only your lifetime Shard Amount counts. Think of Shards like milestone markers, or player EXP that's not really spent. They're counted overall for your entire account, and once your shards have surpassed 1,000 it can never be reduced below that number again.
The required tracker for all members of Kwillians to use and link in the descriptions of their images or comments (on Toyhou.se) received an update to reflect the changes to the Currency Guide on: August 18th, 2026
As of 04/23/2023, there is now a Gem Shard Tracker that is MANDATORY for all members to use. This Tracker is simple and easy to use, allowing members to not only track how much they've earned but also eventually how much they've spent. It also counts your shards for you, cutting out the tedious task of busting out a calculator to see how much an image is worth.
Below is information on a few of the areas of the tracker! Make sure to click the button to be taken to the tracker to make a copy for yourself.
The overall number of shards you've earned in total. This doesn't include any spent shards, instead being your lifetime amount. This box is used for milestones and upgrade application.
The number of shards you currently have available, aka your total lifetime amount of shards with your spent shards subtracted.
The number of shards spent in total. SHARDS ARE NOT SPENT ON UPGRADES, EVER!
You can make a copy of the tracker by clicking the button below and going to the “File” tab at the top of the sheet, before clicking “Make a Copy” and saving it under whatever name you want! We recommend something easy to recognize, such as “Kwillian Shard Tracker” or something similar!
This tracker must be linked in the description of images or somewhere accessible on your toyhou.se i.e. in the description of a character folder holding your kwillian/on their profiles.
To make trying to count your Gemshards easier, we have provided a handy visual guide on how many shards a piece of art would be worth. Remember, you earn Shards for anything Kwillians that you draw as long as it meets the blanket shard requirements. Meaning it's only an only Kwillians related image, it's made at least partially by you, and it's relatively clean!
There is no current cap on how many Gem Shards you can earn in a single image, however this may change in the future if people attempt to abuse the shards system!
The above image is a headshot as it only shows the neck and head of the character. Headshots must include at least the neck, but can also include the top of the shoulders if desired. Headshots cannot be floating heads without anything attaching to them, the neck at a minimum must be showing!
Partials should be, as shown in the image, the waist up of the character. Partials should be at least 30% to 80% of the character, showing at least their head, upper arms, shoulders, gem/back, etc. To count for shards without the head showing, the partial up to 40% of the character showing.
To count as a fullbody the majority or close to the majority of the character must be visible. This is 80%+ of the Kwillian, meaning less than half of all the extremities (arms, legs, tail, wings, etc.) can be cut off to count for a fullbody. Fullbodies MUST have most of the characters' head showing, and cannot count if the head is not shown in some fashion.
A Kwillian not owned by you! Gifts count for any Kwillian not owned by yourself, meaning other members' Kwillians or even NPCs count for the Gift Shard Bonus! Gift Shards only count for characters that are depicted as Partials or Fullbodies, and do not count for Headshots.
Shading is any sort of clear shadows on a figure or background showing a light source. To count for shading, the shadows must conform to the figure and cannot be vaguely placed or a gradient over the body/limbs. While the majority of the figure does not need to be shaded, simple small cell shadows in only a few places do not count for shading.
Highlights is any sort of clear light on a figure or background showing a light source. To count for highlights, the lighting must conform to the figure and cannot be vaguely placed or a gradient over the body/limbs. While the majority of the figure does not need to have higlights, simple scatterings of dots/circles or lines in only a few places do not count for highlights.
Writing is any literature written by a person that's involving any official Kwillian. Roleplays cannot outright count for shards as half of the roleplay is written by someone else, however, roleplays can be rewritten into proper stories and can then count.
Animations are counted as any animated image with three or more Unique Frames. Unique Frames mean the majority of the characters in a frame are redrawn but not necessarily the background. Unique Frames cannot involve copy-pasted lines or be tweened frames. Make sure to put animations in the #shards-bonuses channel in the Kwillians server to receive your shards after posting the image!
Crafts encompass any real-world craft projects, such as sculptures of wood or clay, fabric creations, etc! Make sure to submit all images of crafts to the #shards-bonuses channel in the Kwillians server to receive your shards before posting the image!
Any amount of an official pet that would count as a headshot or more is counted as +1 Shard. Official pets are any pets found on the Resource Account, meaning unofficial designs or non-pet creatures cannot be counted for shards.
Lineless images count as images with clear definition but having no or minimal lines to the image. This Lineless bonus is counted per figure that is drawn linelessly. Lineless art must still be cleanly colored/clean around the edges.
Sketches and Lineart are counted as a flat one shard per, regardless of how much of the character is showing and whether there's shading or not. Sketches and Lines can be Kwillian or Pets.
To count for a Background Setting, an image must include a midground as well as a foreground or far-background elements. Simple patterned backgrounds such as gradients, repeating dots, or anything not depicting a setting do not count. Shading is not required for Background Settings!
*You can right-click / hold to open the image in a few tab to see it in full resolution*
Shading should at least somewhat conform to the figure and cannot be vaguely placed, such as being straight lines across multiple body parts with no variation.
Sketches and Lines must be clean, which means they must...
Coloring must be clean, which means it must...
Members are welcome to (and even occasionally encouraged to) collab on images. However, when collabing the resulting image can only count for ONE of the users who uploads it (if both upload the image). Whoever uploads an image and submits it first, whether it be a collab or not, is the one who received the rewards for the said image. There's always the option to instead do two collabs, having each member upload one of them to reward both members with the shards, or do however many for each member of a collab though!
This is due to moderation issues. It's important to keep in mind staff have to ask themselves what ifs such as; What if two members collab on a headshot, that single shard can't be split. What if two members collab and one does most of the work, is it fair to split the shards for the image evenly in the first place? What if the image is deleted and doesn't count for shards at all anymore? Instead staff will often reward extra shards to the artist who didn't upload the collab if it's caught during weekly sweeps of the gallery.
There are different milestones in Kwillians, and whenever you reach a milestone you can submit a message to the #milestones channel to receive rewards! Milestones count for spent Gem Shards as well, only your Earned Shard number matters when counting Milestones. The Milestones are listed out below:
Milestones stack each time you claim a milestone if it falls on that milestone.
For example when claiming the 2000 Shard milestone you get rewards for the 250, 500, and 1000 Shard Milestones again as 2000 is a multiple of each of those numbers. However you wouldn't receive the 1500 Shard milestone reward and the 2000 shard one, as 2000 isn't a multiple of 1500.