#yes im uploading this early because nobody reads these anyway so the timing does not matter

[wind-becomes-lightning]

Homecoming v.2

...get it.. because the first chapter of my long form sayuri fic is called "homecoming" and this would be version 2... funny... no you dont get it.. thats ok...

Day 6! :) Uh, I had sooo much on my mind for this one and i shortened it quite some so it wouldn't get out of hand. But there is sooo much still in my brain that will never come out. Classic "In my head AU"

Blink and you miss it reference to @depressedhatakekakashi's Yua because when I thought of this scenario and where Kakashi possibly could have gone, she would not leave my mind.

Uchiha Sayuri is this bitch

Role Reversal Au (but not like a total role reversal, Sayuri still has her scumbag father)

Rated M (there is mention of domestic abuse in here)

4116 words

for @narutoocshipweek Day 6: Role Reversal.

On an Anbu mission out of town Sayuri stood face to face with a ghost.

On an Anbu mission out of town Sayuri stood face to face with a ghost.

She didn’t need more than one look to realise who she had stumbled upon, the hair silver grey and white as it used to be, the uncovered eye lazy and disinterested. He was tall now, yes, stronger, larger, but he was still the same. No matter how many years she hadn’t seen him, she still felt hot now that she was back in his presence.

That Hatake Kakashi hadn’t died wasn’t a secret to her. In fact, she hadn’t thought him dead the moment he had run away. Kakashi was not a shinobi of second class. He had been Jounin at the age of 12 and not for no reason. No, Sayuri hadn’t believed what people had told her that he had died when he ran away from his shame and anger and disappointment. Neither had Rin, for what it was all worth. All of them had strongly believed that he was still alive somewhere, holding on, doing whatever it was that took his mind off things. But as years passed many lost their belief, even Gai after a while thought it must have been true. If Kakashi were still alive he would have sent them a message by name, he would have to have a reputation. There weren’t many people with sharingans running around.

But Sayuri had always known that he was still alive and around somewhere. At least since the mark on her wrist appeared and branded her. Soulmates were a weird concept that she could not wrap her head around until it was suddenly there. Three little symbols on her 14th birthday marking his name on her left hand. She couldn't exactly tell people that she knew he was still alive. Also because part of her wished to never see him again after everything, Rin dying, Kushina dying….. She didn’t feel like explaining this to him.

Running from him forever however just put her right here in this place with him. He was wearing armour, his hair long and pulled back in a tiny ponytail not unlike the way his father had worn it when he had come back from whatever place he had travelled to that had kept him from Konoha as long as it did. Back when he appeared with a child but without a wife and refused to talk about the circumstances. Sayuri of course had not yet been born back then, but her father had complained about it often enough.

Kakashi’s eyes shot up as if he could feel her stare on his face and their eyes met for the first time in almost 10 years. His were still as grey as ever and hers were the signature black that the Uchiha genes provided. He nodded and Sayuri nodded back. What else was there to do? She slid over to his table and sat down on the opposite side without asking if it was alright with him, placing her Anbu mask on the table next to her.

“Your mask is a dog”, Kakashi stated without introduction or hello or other conversation starter. “That’s a fun twist of fate is it not?” 

She didn’t feel like telling him that it was a Hound, which was yes, a dog, but bigger, and that yes, she had picked it because she had remembered his dog pack back from when she was young, instead a million other questions swirled around in her mind. And though she should have maybe asked “Where were you?” or “Why didn’t you message us that you were alright?” or “What the hell are you wearing?” The words she settled on were more personal and expressed a deep pain in her heart that she had maybe always felt, but that was definitely bubbling to the surface now.

“Why did you leave me?” 

This was probably not the right thing to ask, seeing as Kakashi hadn’t left her personally. He had just left their village, their teachers, their friends -one of whom happened to be Sayuri. But it felt like a direct slide to her, now that teachers and friends had died or moved on, she could not help but feel angry and disappointed at it. Here he was, all grown up and healthy and happy from the looks of it and that stung more than she could admit out loud.

Kakashi waved to the barman and he brought two sake cups to place before either of them. He drank the entire cup before he spoke, throwing the long hair into his face. He wasn’t wearing a hitai-ate anymore, but his sharingan eye was covered by a thin bandana bearing rune-like symbols that Sayuri had never seen. He sighed deeply: “You must have known I was still alive out there.”

Not a reply to her question, he was just evading what she had accused him of. Of course, he was aware she had known he was still alive. Sayuir’s eyes darted to her left wrist that was at the moment covered under her thick black gloves and then to his hands, which too were behind gloves. If she had his name it meant that he had hers. At least theoretically.

“You could have contacted me”, she now said and the words were bitter on her tongue. Kakashi just shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I did not think I had anything to say”, he replied and sounded like a spoiled little child.

Sayuri took her own sake cup and drowned it down, filled it and downed it again. “Gai thought you were dead”, she said bitterly. “Does that mean nothing to you?” 

“You could have always told him.”

He must have known well enough by now that the soulmate marks were only visible to oneself, and, at least that's what the legend said, to your soulmate. So Sayuri had tried and failed to inform Gai about Kakashi’s wearabouts, had told him she was sure he was still out there, without mentioning her mark, but Gai had always assumed she was just telling him things to please him. “You don’t have to lie to me, Sayuri. It is ok. I am quite fine.” It had been a hopeless case. Even though he’d been away, there was no way Kakashi didn’t understand that.

“Oh yeah, that would have been so easy, you got me”, she spit out and moved her head away. “Still, I thought you’d be more interested in knowing how we are all doing.”

She noticed that he was wearing a tiny Hatake symbol on his frontal plate. It reminded her a little of the Uchiha crest her father wanted her to wear underneath her ANBU armour plate as if it made a difference. She had objected of course, to no avail. Everybody in ANBu was supposed to know which clan she belonged to first and foremost. IT was disgusting actually.

“I was. But I don’t think I could have just returned after I was away for so many years. Don’t you think they would have asked questions?” Kakashi said and he was obviously right. Had he returned after he was declared dead he could have been seen as a threat to the village. Especially if his answers about where  he was and why he didn’t give notice were unsatisfactory.

“But then again, I’m not sure Minato-sensei would have done that to me”, he continued musing. “He did have a soft spot for me anyway… I assume MInato-sensei did end up becoming Hokage, right?”

Of course, Sayuri laughed which gained her a confused look by her opposite, he did not know that they died. Why should he? But that also meant he was in a place so cut off from the outside world that he hadn’t heard about the Kyuubi. He must also not know about Rin, about the other changes in the world. It was so hard to believe that he was away so long and so thoroughly that he missed the death of two of his most important people.

Sayuri emptied another cup of sake. That was three in quick succession and she was well on her way to getting blackout drunk. Maybe that was the only way she could deal with this situation right now, she thought. “Minato is dead. So is Kushina-sensei and….” Her voice broke before she could name Rin.

Kakashi’s eye went wide, she could see him breathe in and out below his mask. “Died?” His voice was quieter and he copied her and emptied a cup of sake. Who knew how many he had had at this point.

“When I was 13, yes. The nine-tailed fox attacked the village and killed both of them. They left behind a baby son”, Sayuri explained and remembered that night. The screams, the chaos, the specific instructions that they were not allowed to help the fighting shinobi. She had just recently joined ANBU on Kushina’s encouragement and felt utterly helpless and horrible. And then the persecution of the Uchiha made her father even more unhinged than he already was…

“You know if you’d contact me once you saw the burn mark on your wrist, then you’d maybe know about them dying”, she said in anger and tapped with her finger next to his left hand. Kakahi pulled the hand away as if she had burned it and frowned: “I was not able to contact anybody at that age. I’m sorry to hear of their death….”

He really seemed like he meant it. “Whatever”, Sayuri said. “Their son looks exactly like Minato, he keeps the village on its toes. Not that I could take care of a child - can’t even take care of myself…” 

It was weird sitting there with him and drinking sake cup after sake cup with a long lost friend. The guy she used to crush on when she was younger and more naive. He looked so similar to the version of him that had been dominating her mind, but he was so different. The lines around his eyes were deeper and his facial structure was more mature. Also his voice, of course, his voice had dropped down and was now naturally vibrant, filling her ears and echoing off her insides. He looked good, well fed, well grown, not a mess like she was. And that, above all, pissed her off.

“So you have been doing well for yourself, huh, have enjoyed some fruitful years”, Sayuri said coldly, gesturing to his belly as if there was any fat there to make fun of. It was a petty thing to be mean about, of course and untrue on top, but she felt petty. 

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders: “You Uchiha have always been a major pain in my ass, really. It was so quiet with none of you around.” Now he was being petty back at her.

“Oh yeah?! Well you have my brother’s sharingan eye, so show a bit of respect to my family!” Sayuri screamed a little louder than really necessary. Kakashi pulled a brow and she could read the question on his face before he even said it. No Sayuri’s connection to her family had not deepend, no she still despised the fact that she had been born into the Uchiha clan. Using them to win an argument was stupid. Idiotic. Childish.

It was even worse because now people’s heads turned over and put Kakashi into their lenses. A shinobi running around with a sharingan eye for the taking was not usual, especially if they weren’t actually part of the Uchiha clan. Sayuri could clearly feel the eyes of all of them aimed at their table and could sense the killing intent polluting the air. 

“Let’s go into my room”, Kakashi hissed quickly and grabbed her, before she could stop him from it. She had just about time to grab her mask before he dragged her up the stairs into a small room with a tiny futon and a kimono folded over a bamboo chair. At least that answered the question that she hadn’t asked and showed her that he did not always wear this weird armour outfit.

He let go of her hand and she laughed a little cruelly: “Can’t you defend yourself anymore? Did the last ten years make you weak?” Kakashi turned his head, it was a little red with anger. “I didn’t want to cause a scene, something you should understand or not? Anbu squad leader Dog” Kakashi said back and a shadow fell over his eyes.

“Hound, actually.” Sayuri shrugged her shoulders theatrically: “Wouldn’t have surprised me if you had not been able to do something about them. You don’t at all seem like the person you were when you were a child.” She looked up and his icy glare met hers. “I mean except the part of you not caring about your friends and comrades. You were good at that already when you were ten.” She grinned a lopsided grin and knew she was now dangerously close to crossing a line. 

“I do care about my friends and comrades,” Kakashi growled between gritted teeth.

“Ohhh, well if that would be the case, why didn’t you send a message? At least to me?”

“Why do you think you are entitled to have me message you? Why do you think of all the people that I trusted, you were the one I would tell where I went and what I did? You were only a pain in my ass most of my childhood, “ Kakashi’s eyes now were alight with a fury that ignited her own.

Without saying a word she ripped her arm protection off her arms and pulled her gloves down. All of it fell to the floor with a loud clunk and she pushed her wrist into his face: “Because of this! Because I felt like you would want to talk to me about this. Was this nothing to you?” The skin below her left wrist was burned in like the tattoo on her left arm. Three tiny symbols were visible right beneath it and it had Kakashi’s name on it. He looked down on it and stretched his left hand. Then he looked up at her arm.

Sayuri was full of bruises, it was the way she was. Her missions took a toll on her and she was clumsy when she was distracted. Kakashi touched the arm, let his thumb run from her wrist to her elbow and up her arm to her sleeves. He was surprisingly gentle when handling the wounds and his first direct touch in many years made her blush against her will. 

“Who did this to you?”, he asked with a grumble and picked up her other arm to inspect her bruises. She bit her lower lip. There was this inclination to lie to him. It could have been so easy-  she lied to her subordinate Tenzo all the time about it. The reality was embarrassing and terrible and a little hard to admit to herself. But somehow she couldn't bring herself to lie to Kakashi specifically. She squirmed: “I came home late recently”, she explained. “He did not like it.”

“You father?” Kakashi asked and his eyes went wide again. He grabbed her wrist so that his thumb hung over his own name. “He is still hitting you?” Sayuri nodded, though she did not look in his face. “You should be stronger than him now, right?” he seemed genuinely angry on her behalf, “Why don’t you put a stop to this?”

Sayuri tried to get out of his grip but he held onto her even tighter: “I don’t know! He is my father. I have nobody else. Maybe - Maybe - Maybe I deserve this..” She bit her tongue at the last part. She knew she’d said too much. 

He seemed like a slow erupting volcano: “You don’t deserve this. He should not do this. I’ll- I’ll get him to stop…” She laughed a cold unforgiving laugh as a reply: “And how? You don’t even want to go back to the village. You could have helped me long ago, but it did not matter. Rin didn’t matter, Minato didn’t matter… Obito didn’t matter…” She dragged the last name out and knew she was hurting both of them by calling it.

 His face went white and then red with anger. He stepped forward to press her back against the closed door. “Well I’m trying to help you now, am I not?”

“Don’t you think that's a little late?” she spit back.

“Sage, do you ever shut up?” 

“Could ask you the damn same.”

They stared at each other, the air between them sizzling with electricity. He was still holding her wrist with his name under his fingers. Sayuri was breathing heavily now as if the air had suddenly gotten unbearably humid, which was so unusual for the country they were both in at the moment. She stared up at the grey eye and the bandana, and looked into the face of the man who used to be a boy that was her friend. Now he was just… Well, she did not know who he was.

Her fingers found his own left hand and without breaking eye contact she undressed his glove and let it fall to the ground. There were some new scars around his hands, from sharpening swords or kunais or whatever he had been doing, but when she looked down she could see the three symbols engraved there. Her heart jumped a little when she saw it was her name, even if she had known it before. Maybe deep down she’d still be scared that she was somehow misunderstanding this whole soulmate thing.

Strangely mirroring him she let her thumb run over her own name, gently holding his wrist between her fingers. Kakashi let her do this and watched her from overhead. Neither of them spoke for a bit, the fight seemingly on hold like they had both been put in a daze. Soulmate marks were odd and seemed to evade proper research. Nobody knew where they came from and why they appeared and disappeared. And nobody knew what incredible power they held once they were unified next to each other.

There was a pull right behind her ear, as if it was dragging her head upwards. Something magnetic was forcing Sayuri closer to him and she let it happen, let herself get dragged into his orbit. Kakashi too seemed to be pulled in by the gravity and he let go of her wrist to move  finger mechanically up to his mask. They looked at each other one moment and Sayuri was confused and insecure and felt the weight of everything crushing and disappearing around her, but the next moment her eyes fell shut on their own and she just let whatever was happening happen.

Once as kids they had kissed, or rather, Sayuri had kissed Kakashi as a fun prank. It had been so long ago that she’d forgotten most about it other than the embarrassment she had felt after she’d done it and his shocked face. This was not like that time. It was like they had always done this, as if they had kissed each other a million times before this one. It was so easy, so intuitive and it felt like coming home from a long mission. Kakashi pushed forward into her and she let him, a little dazed at the taste of all of it, the encompassing feeling of melting away under the touch of someone else.

They got dragged underwater like in a spiral, hands grabbing each other greedily and fast as if there was sudden hunger involved. The leftover glove dropped and Sayuri who did not know how to get the armour off let her finger get guided by his hands until she figured the clips and slings out, while his mouth explored her cheeks, her neck and her shoulder. Neither of them spoke much other than affirmations and sighs and names. The world ceased to exist and there was only them and their pull to be as close as they possibly could.

Every of his touches felt like a flame moving up her skin, each of his kisses left a little bruise behind that did not sting like the others did. He was careful with her injuries, she found more and more scars on his body. Wherever this body had been in the last ten years, Kakashi had definitely looked after it even when he was injured. There were so many questions that needed answers, but right at this point she just let herself be undone by him. Maybe she should have been angry still, but she found herself unable to think and feel anything but the greatest desire.

Kakashi held her steady when they were done, both on their backs on the floorboards. They hadn’t walked to the futon that was not far from them and had instead stayed on the hard ground, unable to make it one more metre for more comfort. The wild feeling had not yet passed completely, but Sayuri could feel her breath calm under his embrace, could feel herself ease into the crook of his neck. It was like this place had always been her place and in some way this might be true. After all, they had been branded soulmates.

“Come with me”, he whispered into her ear suddenly and she opened her eyes to turn to him. She had pulled the bandana from his head and let his hair fly down over his face in her frency, but he had kept his sharingan eye pressed shut all through it. It made her smile to think that he felt like this moment was too private to share with Obito, no matter how much Kakashi must miss him.

Sayuri reached her hand forward and ran her fingers through his hair: “Come with you, where?” She still had no idea where he had lived most of these years and he had not told her about it. 

“I was in the Land of Iron” Kakashi explained and Sayuri moved away from him a little. The samurai land? Getting in there was surprisingly hard and usually foreigners were killed on sight. If he had lived there for so many years he must have been very lucky. But on the other hand this would explain why he missed so much of the world news. The samurai were notoriously against engaging with the outside world. “Turns out my mother is still alive there” he continued. 

“Y-your mother..” She blinked at him. It worked with the stories she had heard of Sakumo staying away for a few years and suddenly returning with a son and no woman to show for. Maybe she’d stayed there. Maybe she hadn’t been permitted to leave.

Kakashi nodded: “Yes, she was there. I travelled around on my own for a while and then I heard rumours. I did some searching and finally found my way into the Land of Iron, which was very dangerous of course. She protected me though as soon as I found her.”

Not surprising that his mother would be a strong, independent warrior, Sayuri thought and her mind’s eye showed her her only far long gone memory of her mother. “She will protect you too if I bring you, I swear.”

“I’m not sure… I have responsibilities and… subordinates… and Gai…” Sayuri thought of Tenzo, her number two, who was like a brother to her and all the others that had been in her graduating class. If she would also disappear suddenly it would just open old wounds again. She squirmed away from him a little more, though his hand kept hold of her hips.

Kakashi smiled and she saw the kindness in his eyes: “If you want to contact them, we could do that. You could write them all about this, if you want. As long as you leave my mother out, at least for now.” He put his forehead against hers. “I just want you to be safe from him.”

Sayuri touched her own arm and let her own fingers run over the bruises. Her father would probably not care if she’d disappear. He would assume she had died and feel better because of it. Her friends however would surely worry, no matter how worthless she sometimes thought she was. She looked up at Kakashi and knew that he was sincere with what he was saying.

Maybe this was her destiny. They had been marked as soulmates after all. She leaned up to kiss him and he held a hand against her cheek.

“Fine. Let’s go home together.”

[daisymondays]

For the title meme ✨✨✨ 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14

Aahahaha !!! Wow thanks Nonnie !!! I’ll try not to babble too much because otherwise this’ll get super long and possibly annoy every one on my time line but thankyou

1. Favorite fic title, and why?

It’s got to be my current one Karma’s A Fake Orgasm and Its my favourite because 1. I find it hilarious 2. The series is now called Revenge Is Best Served Horny because I once again find myself hilarious, and 3. really the whole naming process of the fic was just really funny. I couldn’t think of a name so we were throwing around so stupid names and then when I tried to think of a serious one nothing could top Fake Orgasm so here we are. Stucky, Banter and my mates, this title is a product of everything I love

2. Least favorite fic title, and why?

Urm I dont know if I have a least favourite title as such as ones I don’t care about as much, which is a few of my shorter fics or just the ones I’m not as attatched to

3. Song names or lyrics as a title in any fic?  

Yesss, If We Were Honest was inspired by Honest by The Chainsmokers as the song was playing when I was plotting out the fic and heard these lyrics:

X

And I’m not gonna tell you that I’m over it‘Cause I think about it every night I’m not sober, andI know I keep these feelings to myselfLike I don’t need nobody elseBut you’re not the only one on my mindIf I’m being honestYou said I should be honestSo I’m being honest

and they just fit the story I was trying to tell sooo much and so yes, if Im being honest became If We Were Honest

4. Fics with literary references as a title?

Waheyy same answer as above really, If We Were Honest is a blend of Honest by the Chainsmokers and a book called If We Were Villians that I read just before I wrote this fic and really enjoyed, and so yes, the title is quite clearly a smushing together of the two things (i would rec this book if you enjoy dramatics and a Secret History)

5. Have you let someone else (a beta, a friend) name a fic for you?

Yesss, I cannot count the amount of times I’ve appeared in @aibidil‘s DMs like HELP ME WITH THIS TITLE so I’m 99% sure she’s basically named at least one of my fics for me

6. A fic that had a very different working title as a WIP?

Yeeeppp, Highly (in)Compatible had the working title of Fuck Fate which while fitting of the plot didn’t quite work for a title so I managed to come up with something better

7. Do you use all lowercase letters in any fic titles? Uppercase?

I use Uppercase, i tend to captialise them correctly rather than aesthetically cause im boring like that

8. How did you choose the title of your very first fic?

Once again I’m ignoring my old old fics that have either been deleted from the internet or I pretend don’t exist, which means we’re starting with Lost Children which I actually named pretty easily, like the plot of that fic just came to me at once and the title came with it. Its set straight after the war and during that summer and its called Lost Children because thats what its about, its Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Pansy, Ginny etc etc. trying to figure out what they’re supposed to do with their lives and who they’re supposed to be now the war is over, and realising that maybe its okay not to know everything

9. Do you think your method of naming fic has changed over time?

Yes I used to cry at the computer screen and now I scream. Urm no not really, i just kinda have a few ideas and discuss them with people and play around with words until i’m happy – which i think I’ve always done

10. Can you share the title of a WIP?

The current working title of the Bucky POV part of the Revenge is Best Served Horny is Playing The Long Game which has a dick pun in if you squint – i want something more obviously related to the other two espeically as Bucky is the king of sexual puns in this series so he deserves it – but i also kinda think this title is fitting so idk

11. Do you name your chapters?

No!! i wish i did!! i wanted to for Karma’s A Fake Orgasm but I couldnt think of anything witty so im pretty boring with chapters 

12. Do you find yourself generally naming a fic early or late in the process?

It really depends, like I have some names that I’ve pulled out of my arse while uploading to AO3 and some that have been there since I started the fic. I am nothing if not consistently inconsistent 

13. Have you ever changed the title of a fic after publishing?

Nope, im far too stubborn for that, no takesies backsies on shit titles !!! nah, i just dont hate any of them enough to do that

14. Give us a fic rec for one of your favorite fic titles from another author!

Not Easily Conquered from the Stucky Thirteen Letters series, if there ever comes a day I stop reccing this series presume I’m dead. Like literally. Or an imposter!!!! Anyway, this series is the way I finally managed to drag @synonym-for-life into Stucky (mawhaha) and its just beautiful, honestly some of the most fantastic writing and story telling I’ve read ever and I wish fanfic was more widely accepted purely so I could rec this series to more people. Its angsty and heart breaking, but hopeful too and just truly looks at love and the different things it does to people. No character is perfect and no one is pure evil, every one has their actions and you can understand them, you may not agree with what they did and it make break your heart but you can understand it. Its just a real look at humanity, the good and ugly, and on that note i’m off to read it again !!

I’d give the link but i’ve answered all the questions now !! thankyou Nonnie, this was super fun

[viralhottopics]

Want to Profit Off Your Meme? Good Luck if You Arent White

Gather round, ye olds, and thrill to a tale of yore. Summer 2014, to be exact. The place? Vine (RIP). The hero? AChicago teenager calling herself Peaches Monroee, who uploaded a video in which she described her eyebrows as “on fleek.”

Yea verily, Peaches Monroee’s neologism spread far and wide. Ariana Grandejumped on board, as didKim Kardashian. Brands, not surprisingly, werenext. And lo, wheniHopandTaco Belluse a slang term, aForever 21 crop topcan’t be far behind. Evenrapper/flat-eartherB.o.B goton the act,proclaiming himself Fleekwood Mac onhis song Fleek. But to this day, despite enterprising companies cashingin on the phrase’s “YOLO”-level popularity—“on fleek” hats have adorned multiple celebrity heads—its originator hasn’t seen a cent.

Now, Peaches Monroee, whose real name is Kayla Lewis,hopes to change that. Last week shelauncheda GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign in order to launch a cosmetics and hair-extensionline, asking anyone who uses the phrase to chip in a few bucks. Good for her, right? But also, why didn’t she get college scholarships like Chewbacca Mom, whose claim to fame boils down to laughing while wearing a plastic mask? Lewis’s problem is part intellectual property law, part access to influence, and all systemic racial inequalities. However egalitarian the internet was supposed to be, creatives’ ability to profit off their viral contentseems to depend on their race.

Guys it has been set…everyone has been asking me to start this GoFundMe so I can get some type of money so I can start my own business and get some money… any amount can help the link is below. Hopefully we can get this in the hands of some wealthy people thanks ! #gofundme #gofundmedonations http://bit.ly/2lNCmGF

A post shared by Peachie Peach (@officialpeaches__monroee) on Feb 19, 2017 at 11:04am PST

What’s in a Meme

The internet may have started as a utopian dream, but becoming an engine of capitalism was just about inevitable. And starting around2010—when Hot Topic stuck Rageguy on a T-shirt, much to 4chan’s, well, rage—the meme-to-merch-to-money pipelinehas been humming. Some of it has even benefited thememe creators themselves. “The people behind keyboard catand Nyan Cat did a really good job of capitalizing on their intellectual property,” says Kate Miltner, an internet researcher at the University of Southern California. “Grumpy cat wrote the textbook: There was the book, the movie, they even have grumppuccinos.”

The windfall isn’t confined to cats, either. Besides Chewbacca Mom, financial successes include Daniel Lara of “Damn, Daniel,” who parlayed his Vine fame intoa lifetime supply of Vans and an Ellen appearance. Or Danielle Bregoli, whose threat to a Dr. Phil audience—now meme-mortalized as “cash me outside, howbow dah?“��catapulted her to $30,000 paychecks for meet-and-greets.

Lewis’ immediate barrier compensation is partially the way in which her work became a meme. “A phrase is a difficult thing to protect,” says KJ Greene, a law professor at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. “If you’re wealthy and legally savvy, you might be able to trademark your catchphrase, like Paris Hilton did with ‘that’s hot.’” But that’s still tricky to pull off: President Trump failed to trademark “You’re fired.”

But there is another thing that separates Lewis from the Lara’s and Bregoli’s and Hilton’s as well: she’s black. “I cannot name a person of color who has created something viral and capitalized off of it,” says April Reign, managing editor of Broadway Black and originator of the annually-trending#OscarsSoWhite. And considering the amount of incredibly popular memes created by people of color—spanning from Kimberly Wilkin’s(AKA Sweet Brown) “Ain’t nobody got time for that” to Confused Mr. Krabs to the first Arthur-fist memeto “on fleek”—that’s a significant omission.

When Remixing Verges on Whitewashing

Of course, twas ever thus. “Going back to the minstrel period, there is something about African-American culture that drives pop culture trends,” says Greene. “But musicians from places like the South Bronx had no idea they were creating something that would be a phenomenon, and IP law struggles with things created by a community rather than an individual—it was hard to tell who created that blues riff or that beat.”

To some, memes creators face a similar issue as blues musicians or early hip-hop pioneers. “Memes are remixed and often appropriated, so they mutate over time,” says Sanjay Sharma, who teaches courses on new media and internet politics at Brunel University London. “Most folks who share a meme are oblivious to who originated it. People who claim Peaches shouldn’t be compensated can trade on this kind of argument.”

It’s a fair point, but it also falls apartin the face of how white meme creators have capitalized on their proverbial 15 minutes. That points to a stark difference in the way creators of color are viewed. “What Peaches does,what Sweet Brown does, is always viewed as lower class, and an example of what all black people must be doing,” says Andr Brock, who teaches race, ethnicity, and new media at the University of Michigan. “When white people do that online, it’s promoted as their command of the digital space. Black people are never seen as enterprising.”

The problem is especially glaring since many successful memes scoop their punchiness from black culture anyway. “The reason the ‘cash me outside’ girl is ‘funny’ is because she’s a white female using a voice associated with black culture,” says Catherine Knight Steele, who teaches race, gender, and media at the University of Maryland. “Sweet Brown isnt funny in the same waythe humor is different. It’s mockery. ‘Cash me outside’ almost feels like shes in on the joke.”

“It’s very apparent that it’s happening along racial lines,” April Reign says of the meme monetizationgap. “Are the IP lawyers and trademark people reaching out to people of color? Are publicists reaching out and saying, ‘Hey let’s get you on The Ellen Show?’” For now, it’s clear that they are not.

And while somebody can argue that Ellen‘s audience (and booking agent)is way more likely to have seen “Damn, Daniel” or Chewbacca Mom on Facebook than Lewis on Vine, the excuse is getting a little tired. Even digital spaces that black culture fueled—like Vine—seem to forget about their creators of color when its time to go take things IRL and make some money. “There was an entire tour of kids who were popular on Vine, but I dont remember seeing many black kids on that tour,” Miltner says.

There may be hope;Kayla Lewis has managed toraise $11,000 in just 8 days of crowdfunding. (She’s aiming for $100,000.) That’s due not only to hertenacity, but tothe internet at large. “Now you have receipts,” Steele says, referring to the verifiable proof that Lewiscoined the term. “Online content creation creates a way to trace something. And you can push back in the same medium used to steal from you.”

Even better, Lewis isn’t the only one.There’s a growing force of people of color bent on getting their due for their digital creativity. “Im in conversations now about what we can do for black content creators to make sure that theyre monetizing,” Reign says. “The next step is to determine how to ensure people are recognized as the original creator of a work. Nobody envisioned the internet when they were writing intellectual property laws. I think theres an opportunity now for lawyers to do something really important.” Because getting just rewards for your efforts? Definitely on fleek.

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