#technically fanwrite

[moth-writing-pit]

"Shelter"

Cuphead one shot set in @maxtheweirdo1812's Infection au. Don also belongs to @maxtheweirdo1812. Peter belongs to @phoneheadedemployee

Peter was only travelling with Don because there was power in numbers. The horned cup was annoying at best and unbearably positive at worst. The unlikely pair had been travelling for a few weeks now.

Don spotted dark clouds blanketing the sky. "We should take cover.. the forest won't be safe in the storm," he noted aloud.

Peter nodded slowly, examining his surroundings. The phone headed man saw the lighthouse not too far from them. The old building looked surprising good considering the state of the world.

"The lighthouse. It should do for the night"

Don grinned and Peter led him to the dock beside Elder Kettle's old cabin. The cabin had long collapsed since the infection spread. The dock also wasn't in the best condition. The wood closest to the sea was moldly and falling apart. Curiously the dingy tied to a dock post was destoryed. Although the damage didn't look weather inflicted.

"Looks like we have to swim.. C'mon sunshine n rainbows"

The phone headed man shed his jacket and dipped into the sea water. It was incredibly cold but he figured he and Don could warm up once inside. Don hesitated but followed after Peter. He shivered as he swam but Peter paid Don no mind.

The pair soon made it to the shore where the lighthouse stood. Don lifted his hand to knock but Peter stepped ahead of him and tried to open the door. Locked.

"Peter! You should be glad it's locked! That's so rude! I can't believe you"

"Can't you? I didn't assume anybody lived in there"

He paused for a moment in thought before back up to the water's edge and rushed at the door, slamming his weight into it. The phone headed man fell with the door, stirring a puff of dust. He heard Don's disapproving sigh. The pair was distracted by the sound of footsteps.

A tall figure stood in the doorway of the stairwell. The figure stepped closer. Once soft, vibrant, red and amber fur was dusty, matted and wirey. Even a glimpse of cobwebs tangled in the fur. They could even see their ribs. The figure's eyes were blue. At first it was hard to tell, as their eyes were glossed over with paranoia.

The pair were so focused on the figure poor condition that they didn't see the growing hostility. Lips curled back in an animalistic snarl, pupils narrowed into dangerous slits, hackles raised. Don stepped back, his unmatching eyes wide in fear and caution.

"OUT FLITHY PLAGUE RIDDEN MORSELS! OUT OUT OUT!" The figure's voice has raspy and broken as if it hadn't been used in quite some time. It had a strong quality to it that may have once been charming.

"Hold on, we just came to spend the night. We'll be gone as soon as the storm passes," Peter softly said, keeping his gaze locked with the figure's. One hand slowly inched toward his dripping belt, for his knife, just in case.

"I don't care why you come. GET OUT! You've already brought the flith inside. No more damage must be done"

One more step and the pair could see that the figure was a bat. A bat who seemed to be made of fruit, apple and lemon specifically. No wonder he seemed so hostile.

"Out. Now. Before I slit your throats and leave you to the fish"

Peter grabbed Don's wrist and dragged him back to the sand outside. They would have to shelter somewhere else. Soon, too. Those storm clouds were moving quickly now.

[undergoing-mitosis]

i put on a son lux song and blacked out in a caffeinated autistic haze and when i came to this had just spawned on my page

-----------------

Red Space

And the void reaches out its fragile hands towards my pale throat. It is desperate, clawing for a way to hold on to this side of reality. It digs its cracked nails into my forearms and drags. I remember when pain was an escape. Before I became too tolerant of it. Now, I barely feel a thing. It's pathetic, really. I used to be afraid of this void, what it could do to me. But there's no point being afraid of what lies in the dark when you know you're far worse than anything that could thrive there. I have taken this incessant pain and moulded it into my subordinate.

All that is left is absent pity. Like the real Sunny has left, is floating somewhere out of reach. I left that version of me hanging by the throat.

My identity is lost to this clawing darkness. I am only the child who drifted. The hikikomori boy. My friends are warped. I am hollow.

I sit on a throne of hands. My soul is soaked in blood. And yet I don't feel a thing.

-----------------

inspired by this scene, for obvious reasons. OMORI SPOILERS IN THAT VIDEO!!! plus loud noises, implied murder, death, and a knife. none of it is graphic tho, dw. just classic psychological horror things yk hahahahahaha *screams in pain*

[malulurivers]

editing notice

so, with summer hanging around, I'm itching for things to do. since I really like editing and proofreading, I figured I would offer up my services to anyone who needs it!

I'll proofread anything at all, even for a fandom I'm not particularly involved in (though that would absolutely help, I'm willing to research stuff!). as for editing, I'll do it for a fandom I'm accustomed to (which is a lot, even if I don't post about them too much). I'm also happy to help proofread/edit anyone's original content, it doesn't have to be fandom stuff! I've got a lot more experience with that anyway which may come across in my own writing a bit idk.

I'd like to earn a little bit of cash eventually, with emphasis on the 'eventually', so that wouldn't be right off the bat (especially if it's a small thing!). I just genuinely really enjoy proofreading, I find it really satisfying, and I want to be a part of a writing community and help out where I can! as the proofreading-editing part is usually the not-so fun part ':D

anywho, if you're interested feel free to dm me!

~ malu

[xitsensunmoon]

I'm glad to announce that I chose the official name for my vampires + donor dca au!

"Biting the Hand That Feeds" au, name idea by @/kagedbird (thank you so much for your big brain lmao). bhtf au if shorter. I edited all the posts with the au, I will keep the old tag(vampire au) because it's technically still a vampire au but if you want to find all the posts on Tumblr with specifically this vamp au the new tags will be in this post<3

I also sorted everything!

Tag list:

Main tag(includes ONLY my art) - #biting the hand that feeds au (you're still encouraged to use it, it's just for easier organisation on this blog specifically)

Tag for everything connected to the au(including fan content) - #bhtf au

Fanart - #bhtf au fanart (PLEASE USE IT WHEN CREATING SOMETHING WITH THE AU SO I WILL 100% SEE IT!!)

Answers to questions about au - #bhtf au ask

Fan writing - #bhtf au fanwriting (same thing applies!!)

I also tag characters like this!

#bhtf sundrop

#bhtf moondrop

#bhtf yn

There were so many silly and smart names but I was specifically looking for something that will display that it's not just a vampire au but also a donor one. Thank you all for your suggestions!

[lesbiansforboromir]

What do you think about that theory that Elves were using Edain as soldiers and meat shield since they reproduce faster?

WELL. I suppose my loose and undeveloped opinion is it's a choice fanwriters are making that could be both excellently or badly executed. Like it's a fairly plausible concept, although themactically speaking I would call it too blatantly nefarious, Elven villainy requires quite a few steps removed and a lot of deniability, it has to be a little difficult to pin down precisely how culpable they are. I don't think they would so consistently make choices that 'cast them in a bad light' so to speak, they are supposed to be the morally superior higher beings after all.

HMM... I mean I suppose this did happen technically... , regardless of how purposeful it was. Humans definitely did bulk out the ranks of elven armies and did often die for them. But also I do not think human civilisations in Beleriand ever got populous or prosperous enough to actually churn out enough of an army for this kind of thing, especially not to entirely replace elven soldiers. Elves may be slow to reproduce but they do not get sick and nor do they get as hungry as quickly.

I would also say that, if this was the intention, then they did a bad job. The meat shield did not really shield anyone did it. Elves and humans fought and died in the same battles and most everyone wound up crushed into Sirion in the end. So I suppose my opinion is if it happened and it was on purpose, then it cant have been a sustained policy and also it just didn't work very well. Yet another elven L.

It is 4am however and I can only ever muster partial investment in silmarillion specific discourse.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

at the risk of making people very angry at me i DO think there's a pretty fair reason for ao3 to be hesitant to put forth any hard rules about machine-generated content. and that's that historically they have been an archive for ALL fanwriting, no matter how morally heinous or technically shitty. which they nod to in the latest news post iirc. so in order to justify banning machine content, they can't just say "politically we object to this," they need to make a strong case that it doesn't qualify as fanwork by the definition they use to determine content.

and the plagiarism angle is the obvious one, but if they start with that i can basically guarantee you that the people abusing this software will have an immediate rebuttal in the form of like, podfics. well those don't write anything new, they just take someone else's existing story and transform it, what do we think about that! and it's like. well that has, explicit or implicit permission. you didn't have permission to data scrape a million fanworks and melt all the soul out of them to make generally worse content. but then you're gonna get people going back and forth about what qualifies as permission and potentially opening up a whole LEGAL argument between otw and openai and whatever other training set collectors are out there.

so it's like. yes i also personally wish they would just bite it and ban them. BUT as someone who likes it being extant and going as hard on the line of "archiving all fanworks no matter what" as possible i also get why it's not a fast process. yanno.

[can-i-make-image-descriptions]

[Image IDs: Image #1: Tweet from cuntry roads or whatever john denver said (@/ hairMetals) on Oct 15 reading; ao3 getting millions of dollars almost every year in donations but as a fic author you cant even mention needing money in the end notes of your own fic because ao3 will ban you swiftly for that . cant even have a button thats like hey if you liked my works pls consider just $1.

Quote tweet from em (@/ brosnyaa) on Oct 17, 2022 reading: I see the "AO3 should let us make money" takes are gong around again, so as a copyright attorney, I'd like to again provide some information about fanfiction and fair use.

Image #2: Reply from Pleb (@/ SolmUnable) on 10/18/22 reading: Wait so these twitter writers that made us pay goals for the next chapter of fanfic is doing something illegal??

Reply from abby (@/ andAWasp) on 10/18/22 reading: for a story they're using another author's characters for? technically yes. /End IDs]

Plain text: (key smash) Twitter writers did what now? And people paid them?

[Image IDs: Images #3-8: Series of tweets from em (@/ brosnyaa) on Oct 17, 2022 reading: In the US, the reason we can create fanworks without getting sued is the fair use doctrine. A lot of you are probably familiar with this - it allows us to use existing IP in limited contexts (i.e., when the work is "transformative")

What most people don't know about fair use is that it's an affirmative defense. An affirmative defense is used when you Did violate the law, but the law provides exceptions where that's okay.

All fanworks are infringing by default. When you invoke the fair use defense, you're saying, "Yes, I did infringe on this copyright, but it's okay because x, y, and z."

I think this is something a lot of authors and artists don't realize.

When you write fanfiction or draw fanart, you are engaging with someone else's copyrighted work. You're allowed to do this, but you have to understand that you're doing it with certain rules that need to be followed.

Two of the big factors in determining whether you can use the fair use defense are:

whether you were paid

how much of the original work you used

The 1ist is obvious. It's Huge.

The 2nd is, unfortunately, why fanart is generally more acceptable than fanfic when it comes to copyright. Fanart captures a single moment while fanfic uses characters, settings, themes, etc. It's more drawn out.S

So saying "but fanArtists make money!" doesn't work. The analysis is completely different - fair use is a balancing test, and writing v. art tips the scale in different directions.

Do I agree with this? No. FanWriters should be able to make money! But that's how the law is.

Back to the 1st factor. There are a lot of creators who are fine with fanworks now, but they're Only fine with it because fanfic is free. If that changes, we would most likely see more lawsuits.

As a non-profit, AO3 is able to face the world and say "all our fanfic is free."

Their policy is in place so that they're able, in good faith, to certify that all of the fanfiction on their site is unpaid. It's a Massive boost for the fair use defense. It means that if anyone sues the site or an author on the site, they'll have a much harder time of winning.

I won't tell you not to include ko-fi in your twitter bios or to tweet fanfic links with tip jars, I just want everyone to understand why AO3 has this policy.

Because heres one other thing more people could understand: lawsuits are Expensive. Especially copyright suits.

It's really a gray area what's allowed and what isn't in terms of fanworks, but the point is, if someone sues you and you win, it could still cost you A Lot Of Money.

What AO3 is doing isn't only to protect you legally, it's to make sure that no one even Tries to sue you. So yes, they are being more cautious than the law necessarily requires, but in this case, caution is a very good thing. /End IDs]

The rest of the thread is here.

tl;dr: Don’t monetize AO3, kids.  You won’t like what happens next.

[pawapoppet]

Presses as if to carve it out, but he can't, (not again)

Fanart for "against a sodden sky" by @wellthengetouttathesoupaisle ! Please check the fic out!

I took some liberty in the interpretation for my favorite line, I hope you like it :^)

[balladoftime]

Quote from Dimensional Links, Chapter 19: Lightning, Which Is Also On Fire

@changeling-rin

“Mirror Shield?” Ocarina suggested.

“Made of metal and highly conductive. Terrible idea,” Mask informed him.

“…You say that like you’ve got personal experience.”

“Spoilers.”

Here is my interpretation of one of the events behind that “Spoilers” comment.

Mask, when he was still Ocarina, fighting Ganondorf:

Link rolled out of the way, breathing hard. He eyed the ball of lightning that exploded as it hit the wall behind where he had been moments before. Maybe…maybe I can absorb it with my shield? Like what happened during the Twinrova fight? At the very least, maybe I can deflect it and send it back his way… Link returned his attention to Ganondorf, widening his stance as he steadied himself. Ganondorf grinned and threw another ball of lightning towards Link, laughing. Link lifted his shield arm, bracing himself for the blow. The ball of lightning hit the shield right in the center—and Link promptly screamed, falling to the ground as his muscles spasmed from the electricity. Gasping for breath, Link pushed himself to his hands and knees, shooting a glare at Ganondorf. Okay. Ow. Note to self, don’t do that again. Link leapt to the side, avoiding another energy ball. It splashed harmlessly onto the ground where he had been. Growling, Link put his shield away and went to pull out Biggoron’s Sword, but hesitated. The sword is made of metal, so…it would probably conduct the energy too, right? What’s something that I could use to deflect the energy and not get shocked… In his moment of indecision, Link got hit by another ball of lightning and was thrown back into the wall. Crying out in pain, he fell to the floor and forced himself to get back up. He shoved his hand into his pouch and pulled out a bottle of red potion, downing it in one go. Link sighed in relief as the after effects of the lightning attacks faded away and his pain quieted. Hearing the tell-tale crackle of the energy ball, Link whipped his head up and yelped, swiping at the energy with his hand right before it hit his face. To his surprise, the energy ball went flying into the wall behind Ganondorf, and Link didn’t feel any lightning shock from deflecting it. Link glanced down at his hand, running his thumb over the smooth glass of his now-empty bottle. It felt warm from where it had made contact with the energy ball. “Well,” Link murmured, looking back at Ganondorf with a wicked smirk, “if it works, it works.”

[tired-beholding-bitch]

okay but is there anything better than opening your email and seeing someone left an absolutely lovely detailed comment on the fic you spent every waking moment of the week writing

because no there isn't ❤️🌺

in short god bless readers my day is made

[chaossmith2]

Hey there! Fellow fanwriter(??) of treasure planet oc-related stuff (though just keeping it personal between my gf and I) and I just wanted to say we have such a DRASTICALLY different interpretation of Flint, it's absolutely hilarious. Love your work, though. Your determination with the webcomic is admirable, oh god

Thanky! And hey, the more the merrier, all takes on Flint are valid 😂✨

And if we’re being honest, all interpretations of him are technically canon unless proven otherwise lol

[the-storming-sea]

like look listen i love apollo as a concept but I can never get behind his thought process when it comes to his parent/mentor issues or when fanwriters write about them. “my dad never visited me” your father is a war criminal and is on a no fly list and you were technically an illegal immigrant in the country you grew up in. “phoenix forged the ace and didn’t care about me” his daughter was in the same building as the man who tried to ruin his life and killed her bio father and he was going to be arrested and leave her alone. “his mom didnt tell him that she was alive and that trucy and apollo were siblings and hes definitely gonna hate her when he finds out” for one we all know capcom held out on us on that reveal because they wanted people to become more excited for new ace attorney content. for two yeah that decision is shit but also. their mom was fucking SHOT lost her memory for SEVERAL YEARS and when she came to not only did she learn that her second husband died and left their daughter with a disbarred attorney and her dad psychologically warfare-d said second husband and her other friend because she died but she also learned her son who she thought died in a fire in an entirely different country was alive. i think id have a mental breakdown if i was thalassia gramarye 

anyways disclaimer i dont think any of this is even apollo's fault i think capcom just sucks at writing

[bettsfic]

Writing is hard. It's deliriously, unimaginably hard. And yet, many of us choose to do it, because we're compelled by the need to externalize our inner experiences. My favorite thing is to help writers do that — guide them to create work that is meaningful to them, and that most clearly conveys their aesthetic and thematic interests. I've taught writers of all ages, at all stages of their writing careers, to realize their work onto the blank page. 

I use my background as a university-level creative writing instructor, coupled with the organizational management skills of a decade in commercial finance, to help writers go from "I have this idea and I have no idea how to start" to polished manuscripts. I take even the most ambitious, ambiguous projects and help writers break them down into manageable tasks.  

Here are the services I offer: 

Consultations

This is my most popular service. A consultation includes:

Feedback on any work up to 5k words (optional)

1-hour video conference call

Step-by-step action plan

Reading recommendations (if applicable)

1- or 2-week follow-up email to check on progress

Consultations are great if you have a single piece of writing you want in-depth feedback on, or if you want to get started on a project but don't know how. They're also good for working through writers' block, asking questions about writing in general, brainstorming or plotting, or finding the motivation to write. 

By the end of the call, you'll know exactly the next steps you need to take. I’ll ask you, "Are you comfortable and confident moving forward?" and stay on the phone until the answer is yes. 

Consultations are a one-time fee. I invoice at the end of the call.

Coaching

It's like having a personal trainer, but for writing! Ongoing coaching includes:

A video conference call either monthly or bi-weekly

Feedback on all work you want me to look at

Ongoing action plans and accountability emails

Coaching is best for those juggling multiple projects or who want to work toward eventual publication. 

For ongoing coaching, I track my hours and invoice monthly on the first. 

Editing

Editing services include:

Developmental/structural feedback

Sentence-level feedback

Proofreading using the Chicago Manual of Style (or MLA/APA, if applicable)

End note with my overall thoughts

Reading recommendations (optional)

Editing services are good for writers looking for a final polish, application essays/cover letters, journal articles, or for sprucing up your prose. I price edits by word count and invoice when complete. 

Testimonials and my credentials below the cut

Testimonials

I have extremely positive things to say about my sessions with Beth. I started out with a lot of big ideas and no idea what to do with them, and Beth has helped me organize and streamline my process, teaching me tools and techniques that have given me a lot more confidence in my ability to execute my vision. Since I started working with Beth, I find it easier and easier to produce, and also feel that the quality of my work has noticeably improved. — Shan

Beth's approach was so relaxed and friendly; I was nervous going into the conversation, but felt a thousand times more calm and confident coming out of it, and now I also feel that have the tools I need to approach the rest of my project. Her approach is intuitive, almost alchemical; I'm not entirely sure how, but she managed to convince me without seemingly trying that I already know what I'm doing, and that my skills are up to the task I've set myself. — Jen  

I submitted the first chapter of an original work for editing, and I am beyond satisfied with the results. Betts did an incredible job. As the writer, it's easy to lose sight of the rhythm and pacing of your own work, so her comments on how the chapter felt in those terms were invaluable. I appreciated the line-by-line suggestions of where I could add color and texture without messing with the flow of the story. Also, I really liked the rhetorical questions she asked in the comments. They provided insight regarding what a fresh reader is thinking or feeling in the moment. — Anna

I found the consultation helpful both technically and emotionally! It was great to talk through what I was thinking with someone who gets the fanwriting experience and who could also help guide me as I thought about pacing, pov and arcs. I appreciated that you came with specific questions. The questions themselves were pointed but always from a place of seeking to understand, and with the assumption that I knew the answer even if I hadn't thought about it yet. I came in with questions about setting up conflict and left feeling like I had a much better grasp of that. The cheerful encouragement was also great, and reminded me that I am (theoretically) tackling this story because it is fun, not only as a chore. :) — Elizabeth

You are clearly extremely knowledgable about writing, and the advice you gave was professional, succinct and very helpful! I feel much better about my story now--you have my sincere thanks! — Kiri

It (the consultation) was very helpful and thorough. The questions I was asked were very useful in order for me to realise what I truly wanted to work on and what mattered to me most. Breaking my goals down into tiny little steps was very beneficial as I develop my writing and editing style. — Soph

The consultation was fantastic and super helpful! The most beneficial thing for me was definitely your emphasis on finding what it was that I wanted a work to be doing, then talking about how to get there. I really appreciate how openly you read stories,  that you don't try to bend something to genre or format or outside standards. I also picked up a ton of larger ideas--about the work of simile and metaphor, how to structure a short story, using "you" as a narrative pronoun--that I'll be reflecting on when I'm writing other things.  — Marie 

Credentials

I received my MFA in creative writing and pedagogy from Miami University in 2018

I'm about to begin a PhD in English, emphasis in fiction, beginning fall 2020 at the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Writers

I've been teaching at the university level for 4 years

My fiction has been published and has won or been nominated for awards

You can read more about my teaching philosophy here

Notes on content

Unfortunately since we live in a time of unrestrained purity rhetoric, I feel it's important to note that I will read any content and offer feedback on the merit of its intentions, never my personal moral beliefs. Moreover, I am happy to look at both fanfiction and original creative work, as well as nonfiction operating outside of creative aims, such as application essays, cover letters, or even car manuals, if that's what you're into. I have experience writing/teaching scripts, plays, novels, short stories, personal essays, poetry, hybrid/experimental forms, memoirs, graphic novels, and academic articles. 

Contact me

If you're interested in any of these services, please message me here. Tell me a little about yourself, your work, and what you're looking for. If you're shy and have a question about something that's not addressed here, you can shoot me an anon. 

If you're not interested in services but still want to support me, you can reblog this post or become a patron.

Check out my newsletter Sure, Betts for updates on monthly availability.

[westcoastsmoked]

update, a serious-ish one at that

so i’ve been posting here about my film in progress for fluid script productions for a while, titled some kind of fallout. keyword here: FILM. and that was going well. but things have changed

after some creative differences with me and an owner of fsp, skof was dropped from fsp as an official project, which means i could work on it within fsp but it could not debut on fsp’s youtube. that being said, i have decided to take it a step further and i will be pulling skof from fsp as a film, and it will become a webcomic.

there was no way for skof to be properly produced as an sfm film by fsp without the direct support of the owners of fsp. i do not have the technical skills, or the reputation to 1. acquire/make certain assets and 2. get people to work on my film, by myself. with the dropping of skof as an official project, i lose the backing power of it as a film. although i really wanted to get this made as a film for a multitude of reasons, it’s no longer possible. a sfm webcomic? much more possible for me to complete.

the webcomic will go into production in the coming weeks, starting with me going in and writing out my third, fourth, fifth draft of the script. while i work on refining my script to the best i can be, i will be on the lookout for SFM artists, modelers, and tf2 fanwriters (to help me pull the script together).

the webcomic will be posted at @somekindoffallout , updates to come soon on there hopefully.

[noromojustkeith]

Pippythewriter submitted to noromojustkeith:

Okay, so I’m Pippythewriter. I’m fanwriter who has been lurking in the shadows of various fanfic sites for several years. I’ve been reading fanfic since April of 2013. I’ve been a (relatively) silent part of the Voltron fandom for a little over a year now, and a lot has happened since then. I want you to know that after many years of not understanding my feelings towards other people, your blog personally helped me discover that I’m ace, and that that means a lot to me. Through your Tumblr I’ve found a handful of others in the same place as me. So in return I give you this story. It may not seem like much and it’s very choppy, full of typos and antiquated info, but I’ve never shared my writings and I thought this was a good start. I hope you enjoy. Introducing, October 23rd.

My apologies for taking a little to get to this submission; been away this weekend at a family event. But this was so neat to find when I opened my inbox today! I’m thrilled to hear that this blog has had such a positive impact on you, and flattered to death that it encouraged you to share your writing! (Which, by the way, you did a great job on! You have given me EMOTIONS!)

The fic in question is under the cut!

October 23, 2066

Kyle Kogane knows only 3 things right now. First, he is now 18. Second, he LOVES racing on his hoverbike. And third, because of the other 2 things he’s never felt freer in his life. That is, until he crashes. One second he’s speeding across the desert and he’s feeling the wind in his hair, and next thing he knows he’s got a cut on his eyebrow that’s sure to scar with his arm broken. His parents lecture him on how he should know better than to do things like this at his age. And he and his little brother Kent just nod their heads. Of course, mere moments after his parents leave the room his brother is at his bedside raving about how cool that was. Kyle promises he’ll teach him how some day.

October 23, 2067

A year later and that race seems miles away, standing at his parents grave hugging his sobbing brother close to him. He doesn’t cry, not until his brother’s safe in bed next to him after crying himself to sleep. Then he finally lets go, and makes a tearful promise to his parents that he’ll try his hardest to do better. To be the big brother Kent deserves, and maybe, to someday be even half the father his was.

October 23, 2071

A few more years have passed and now Kent’s on his own, and Kyle’s a firefighter. He’s working hard to save people from what he couldn’t save his parents from. He married a beautiful woman, they had a child that he loves more than all the stars in the sky. He loves her, Krolia, too. He misses her dearly, though he knows that she left to protect them. Which may sound like an excuse, but to be fair the survival of earth actually depended upon it. Now Keith’s a year old and the spitting image of his mother. Keith misses her dearly as well and is making it known by wailing his little heart out. He hasn’t said any real words yet, but Kyle isn’t worried, as Kent didn’t speak until he was 5 and he turned out fine… Well, mostly fine. Anyway, so he does the only thing he can think of and swaddles the kid and takes him out to see the stars. Surprisingly enough, it works, and Keith starts gurgling and laughing happily.

“I don’t know how, but I think you just figured out where your Mama is.”

October 23, 2075

Keith’s 5 now, and is about to start kindergarten. Kyle’s temper flares when they want to put him in the CDC class just because he still has trouble with verbal speech. He tries to explain to them that he taught Keith Morse code, and that if he has a nonverbal episode, he’ll use that. Eventually though, he has to compromise, and they agree that Keith can go to mainstream if he takes speech and if he sees a therapist. Kyle reluctantly agrees and after several hours with the behavioral therapist, they get a diagnosis. Autism. Keith, has autism. They want to put him on medication for it, but Kyle refuses. On the way home from Keith’s first day of school Keith has a thoughtful look on his face.

“Daddy?” He asks.

“Yes kiddo?” Kyle replies.

“What does retard mean?” When Keith asks that Kyle almost crashes the car.

“Who called you that?” Kyle bites out angrily.

“Why?” Keith asks.

“Keith, tell me who called you that.” Kyle repeated, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

“His name is James, but what does it mean?” Keith asks, nothing but innocent curiosity in his eyes and Kyle sighs. Kyle was hoping this wouldn’t happen at least for a few more years.

“It’s…” Kyle tries to gather his thoughts. How do you tell your autistic 5 year old that he just got called the allistic version of the N word? “It’s not a very nice thing to say.”

“Oh…” Keith replies, eyebrows furrowing. Before Keith can question further, Kyle interjects.

“How’d you like to get a soda to celebrate your first day of school?” Kyle asks, and Keith’s face lights up.

“Can I get strawberry fanta?” Keith asks and Kyle chuckles.

“Okay, just this once.” Kyle concedes, and the way Keith’s beaming is almost worth the headache he’ll get later from Keith bouncing off the walls (red dye number 5 is a truly terrifying foe)

October 23, 2080

Keith will never forget his feelings that day. The utter terror of facing an early death. The pain of the flames licking his cheeks and the smoke in his lungs. The crushing loneliness of realizing that he was all by himself. And the all consuming guilt that his father died saving him. Kyle Kogane died a hero at 31, just 3 days shy of 32. He survived by his 10 year old son and his brother who couldn’t take care of him because of a technicality. Keith remembers his dad’s last words to him.

“Keith, when I’m gone-” Kyle started, but a sobbing Keith interrupted him.

“No dad. You’re not gonna die. You- you can’t! You- you just can’t!” Keith stuttered, and Kyle stroked Keith’s long hair through his fingers like he always had to soothe him.

“Keith, you know I love you more than all the stars in the sky, but this is out of my hands. But no matter what happens I want you to remember that I love you.” Kyle said fighting off his own tears.

“N-no y-you-” Keith stuttered.

“I’m sorry kiddo.” Kyle said, as he closed his eyes for the last time. These are the things Keith will never forget. But there are things that he won’t remember. His first social worker’s name, the first family he was placed with, even the first year after his father died. He won’t remember not speaking aloud for that year, though he frantically tapped out Morse code to anyone he thought might listen. And years later he would forget what their home together looked like before it went down in ashes, no matter how hard he’d try.

October 23, 2085

“Shiro?” Keith asks tentatively, and he gets a warm smile in return.

“What is it Keith?” Shiro asks.

“Can you take me somewhere? Tomorrow?” Keith asks.

“That depends, where do you want to go?” Shiro asks.

“Nevermind, forget it.” Keith says, not making eye contact.

“Keith, I have to know where we’re going. Otherwise how are we supposed to get there?” Shiro tries to lighten the mood but Keith still won’t look him in the eye. Shiro sobers. “Keith, what’s going on, huh? What’s wrong?”

“I… The place I want to go to is a graveyard.” Keith states vaguely.

“Okay, which one?” Shiro asks, and Keith, of all things, blushes.

“I- I’m not sure what it’s called. It’s, the one in the city? For… For ‘fallen heroes’? I think…” Keith asks, unsure.

“I think I know which one you’re talking about, I can take you there.” Shiro replies, smiling reassuringly.

“Thanks.” Keith says.

“Okay well, if we’re going to make that trip tomorrow you better get some sleep.” Shiro states, firm but kind.

“That’s all you’re gonna say?” Keith asks, confused.

“What else would I say?” Shiro asks.

“You’re not gonna ask me any questions?” Keith asks, afraid of the answer.

“Why would I?” Shiro asks curiously.

“I don’t know, just… I don’t know.” Keith trails off. Shiro gives him that same reassuring smile.

“I figure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” Shiro shrugs, and Keith finally looks at him.

“Thank you.” Keith replies empathetically.

“No problem kiddo.” Shiro says, not knowing what he’s gotten himself into. He finds out at 5 AM when he hears a knock on his and Matt’s door. Thankfully Matt is still (not after waking up, but STILL awake) awake, and answers.

“Why if it isn’t Kashi’s shadow? You want me to get him? SHIRO! Keith’s here for your late night escapades!” Matt yells, Shiro groans.

“It’s 5 in the morning Matt.” Shiro says and winces when he realizes his mistake.

“Well then someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Matt says and narrowly misses the pillow that Shiro throws at him. “Sorry Keith. But it looks like it’s too early for your hero to do the one thing-”

“I’m up, I’m up.” Shiro protests and proceeds to get up. “Just give me a second to get dressed.” Keith nods and Shiro gets dressed. “Okay, let’s go.” The ride to the graveyard is silent, with Keith looking out the window with a solemn look on his face. “Alright, we’re here.”

“Can… Can you wait in the car? I won’t be long.” Keith asks, the tentative tone returning.

“Sure, take all the time you need.” Shiro reassures. He thinks he hears Keith mumble 'thanks’, and Keith leaves the car. While Keith’s gone Shiro catches up on his emails and gets sucked into a bizzare pun war with Matt and his little sister Katie.

“Okay, we can go back now.” Keith says as he gets in the car, and Shiro can’t help but notice how his voice wavers.

“Buckle up.” Shiro states and Keith nods, once again refusing to make eye contact. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Keith shrugs, buckling his seatbelt.

“Alright. But I’m here if you need to talk.” Shiro says, and is met with a contemplative silence.

“My dad was a firefighter.” Keith whispers so softly that Shiro almost doesn’t catch it.

“That’s cool. Did he save a lot of people?” Shiro says, and quickly realizes it was the wrong thing to say because Keith flinches. “You sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.” Keith states weakly, but Shiro’s getting more because Keith’s shaking now. Shiro pulls over.

“Keith, Keith it’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready.” Shiro tries to reassure Keith, but he’s inconsolable at this point.

“No! No, I… I have to.” Keith states almost resignedly.

“Are you sure?” Shiro is met with silence. “Keith…”

“You deserve to know.” Keith says, and this time it’s said with the determination that Shiro remembers.

“Okay, take your time.” Shiro reassures softly.

“My dad, he… He was the only one who cared about me. For a long time it was just the 2 of us. When I was 10 there was… Our house caught on fire. He gave me his breathing mask… We both got out but… He died a couple of hours later in the hospital. It was a little over 5 years ago.” Keith was trying so hard not to cry at this point and Shiro could tell.

“Keith I’m…” Shiro starts, but trails off. Instead he decides to start stroking Keith’s hair, not knowing that Kyle would have done the same thing. Keith finally breaks down, and Shiro pulls him into a hug. “It’s okay Keith, I’m… I’m not your father but I’m here. And I’ll never give up on you.”

October 23, 2087

Keith hasn’t gotten off the couch in 3 days. It’s been 2 months since the Kerberos went offline. 66 days since the Kerberos crew was declared dead. 1589 hours since Shiro… 3674598 minutes since he became alone. 94608000 seconds since he found someone again. 5720400000 milliseconds since he became alone again. Keith so desperate for a distraction that he used the calculator to do the math. He had to get up, so he did. He took his old hoverbike to the graveyard and visited his dad’s grave.

“H-hey dad I…” Keith trails off and there’s no one to stop his impending breakdown now. He wants someone anyone, to come to him and stroke his hair like Shiro, or like the father he tries so hard not to forget but finds slipping away little by little. He remembers both and cries himself to sleep when no one comes.

October 23, 2088

The day after the incident with Lotor and the storm planet is the day Keith’s been dreading all week. He hides in his room and turns off the lights. He knows that he messed up, that he should apologize to the team, to Allura. But the person he really wants to apologize to isn’t here and it’s his fault. And as if the universe wants to punish him there’s a knock on the door.

“Hey Mullet. Come on, open up!” It’s Lance, obviously. Keith doesn’t have the energy to argue so he opens the door wordlessly and let’s Lance in. “Hunk made those amazing arepas for breakfast you have t-”

“Lance is there something important you want to talk about?” Keith says, feeling guilty but wanting Lance to let him suffer in silence.

“Well I just wanted to cheer you up, but since you insist on being the broody loner why don’t we talk about how you totally demeaned Allura’s idea that she was totally right about, by the way.” Lance states angrily.

“I messed up okay! You try leading!” Keith retorts defensively.

“Here we go again! Keith gets to be leader and he’s pouting about it!” Lance replies.

“Do you think this is easy?” Keith asks.

“I think we deserve better!” Lance answers.

“Do you think I don’t know that?! Do you think I WANT this?!” Keith yells, and Lance is taken aback.

“What?” Lance asks, startled.

“How do you think I feel?! Knowing I’m failing the team, that I’m failing the ONE PERSON THAT CARES ABOUT ME! Knowing that my dad would have been 40 today and that the universe would have been better off if he’d put the STUPID MASK on himself instead of ME!” By the end of his rant Keith is panting and tears are running down his face. Lance doesn’t know what to say.

“What did that last part mean?” Lance asks, afraid of the answer.

“What?” Keith asks.

“The last thing you said, the part about your dad.” Lance answers.

“What are you talking about?” Keith asks and Lance gets upset.

“You KNOW what I’m talking about, the part where you said you SHOULD HAVE DIED instead of your dad.” Lance states on the verge of tears.

“Just forget about it.” Keith blows it off.

“Now you see I can’t forget it, because ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS JUST SAID THAT THEY WISH WERE DEAD, and that is NOT I repeat NOT okay!” Lance is crying now.

“I’m sorry.” Keith chokes out.

“You don’t have to be sorry, you just need to ask for help.” Lance states firmly.

“I just… I don’t know how.” Keith stutters, still holding it in. Lance pulls him in for a hug, and strokes his hair. Keith finally let’s go.

“… Lance?” Keith mumbles.

“Yeah buddy?” Lance asks.

“I… I need help.”

[caitlynlynch]

How "BAD IDEA" is it to Patreon fanfic? I know of some writers will write a fanfic drabble for their patreons, or release chapters early/write exclusive fice content for patrons. On the one hand, I see fanartists do essentially the same thing all the time. On the other hand, I feel like fanwriters are more likely to get sued?

Technically, fanfic and fanart are the same thing in terms of derivative content. As a general rule, though, companies go after mass-produced unauthorised shit, rather than one-off fanart. Therefore, if as a fan artist you sell one-off originals or limited run prints, you’re probably OK. Postcards by the thousand? Wouldn’t recommend.

There’s something of a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy around fandom. Content creators avoid acknowledging it exists bc if it did, they might have to legally enforce their copyrights, or at least expend lots of money on their lawyers trying to do so. At the same time, they encourage fandom at conventions, and in the case of a few shows, actually include it in content. (In Marvel fandom, the one I’m most familiar with, there was a very meta moment in Agents of SHIELD where Patton Oswald’s character told Daisy Johnson about smutty fanfiction of her and Black Widow - ship name Quack).

Patreon is private, and what you do in your private spaces is less likely to get you sued than, for example, putting a fanfic book out on Amazon and hoping nobody notices.

My verdict, bearing in mind I am not a lawyer and in no way an expert so you shouldn’t take this as legal guidance or anything like that:

Grey area. Probably illegal but you can almost certainly get away with it as long as you fly under the radar.