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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/Free_Farm5743 on 2023-09-16 17:29:18.

When I(21m) was younger, I was the biggest thomas the train fan you could find. As I got older, I started getting more into real-life trains, and I eventually got into model railroading. I recently started making real life takes on thomas the train characters because 1, thomas the train got me into modeling, in a roundabout way, and 2, my nephew(8m) is really big into thomas and is starting to get into model trains.

Around 6 months ago, I was making a real-life take on a character named Neville. Neville is my nephews all-time favorite character. No one makes a mass-produced Neville, so I decided to make neville for my nephew for his birthday. Neville’s pretty easy to make, and I even 3d printed his face and stuck it on the front. I have fairly high standards for models I make myself but I set my standards way higher for the one I made my nephew

My nephews birthday was today, and he was so happy when he opened my gift. One of my nephews’ friends’ mom asked me where I got his gift from. I told her I made it, and she offered to pay me if I could make a couple of characters for her son. I accepted, and we exchanged contact info. After the party, my step brother(22m) came up to me and started accusing me of trying to one up his gift. He bought my nephew a character named Oliver. My nephew really likes Oliver, but Neville’s his all-time favorite character. I tried to tell my step brother that I wasn’t trying to one up him, but he wasn’t listening. Then he started going off on me for “promoting my side hustle.” I, again, tried to explain that I wasn’t trying to one up him or trying to “promote my side hustle.” The only reason I made the gift I did for my nephew is because I was making a model like it already, and it was easy to make. Long story short, he convinced my step mom that I had an ulterior motive and everyone started arguing. I feel like all of this could have been avoided if I waited on giving my gift. AITA for making my nephews birthday gift?

Editing to add, my step brother is another uncle

Also adding, I don’t have a side hustle. This was the first time I made a character for someone that’s not me.