I am probably insane for this, but...

I feel like the fanfiction/fanart portion of this announcement will be awesome and exciting for a few fans out there.

First, tomorrow's chapter is already available for free on Patreon for free members. It is about 2 hours earlier than my '12 hour access promise,' but that's because 12 hours is the guarantee, but I often make it available earlier in the day, if I think I may be busy around that time.

And sorry. I know, I know, I've released way too many damned announcements recently.

But, the bright side to that is that it is all because I appreciate you guys and I'm currently trying to make the experience richer for you guys and I very much enjoy engaging with anyone who is enjoying the story.

And it doesn't change the writing or release schedule in any way.

So, I realized recently that people actually start becoming fans. Like real fans of the story. And while I have to fight imposter syndrome on that, I also have to acknowledge it, accept it, and facilitate a better experience for those fans.

My wife has contributed to that line of thinking a lot, telling me the entire time I have been writing this, that even though I do not 'spicy' stuff myself, someone eventually will write some spicy fanfiction. I'm totally cool with that.

And I am also a massive lover of fan art and fanfiction. I always take time to look at fan art of the stories I love. And though I'm not a huge fan of most fan fiction, many of my favorite Star Wars stories were basically just published fanfiction at its core.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

So, I thought of how I personally wanted to handle these aspects of being a writer. And I want to do something I have never known any creator to do. Maybe someone out there has done it, but I've personally never seen it myself.

I want to give everyone the opportunity to create canon within the story.

Let me be clear and explain. I will decide whether something becomes canon or not. Obviously, being tied into my story, I will definitely need to be discerning. And no fanfiction will ever be included in my story directly.

However, from now on, any submitted fanfiction or fanart (as long as it isn't morally reprehensible or very offensive) will be linked (fan fic) or posted (fan art) on Patreon for public view. I will give the authors and artists full credit for their own work, and will NEVER take any credit or publish anyone else's work outside of those Patreon posts.

Submitting your work obviously means agreeing to having the work linked or posted.

Should I decide something become canon, I will acknowledge it as such. Though some of the rippling effects/consequences of your work may present themselves within my own story, I will not directly write your characters or stories within my own work.

However, it creates some interesting opportunities and scenarios, "What's happening in India or Africa with the system while my story is taking place? What other unique classes exist out there? Who is struggling with the system and who is doing well beyond the scope of what my story is telling? There's a lot of fun potential and opportunity beyond the edges of the story I have written. I welcome people to explore it.

And again, I will never take credit for anything anyone has written or created.

I may not have the fanbase to even kick this off or have any attention for this, yet. However, I hope I will, one day. And I wanted to get ahead of it and do something I don't think has ever been done before.... be an author who gave other people the ability to help shape and influence the world they were creating.

I hope this is exciting for someone out there. If not now, eventually. Maybe it will encourage someone who needs it to do the thing and write, draw, paint, sketch... create.

If you'd like to submit something, you can send it to my email:

[email protected]