But I haven’t left—I’m still here, still writing this, and if I stay much longer, you’ll wake up and try to stop me… from doing what I know I have to do. Leaving. But I can’t let you stop me, Callum. No matter how much I want to. I have to be strong. No matter what. And if you said even one word to me, I wouldn’t be—couldn’t be. If I stay even until your eyes open and you yawn your silly morning yawn, I’ll break. I’ll still be here.
They said that, sometimes, we make sacrifices so that the ones we love don’t have to. It’s part of protecting them—part of protecting you. Taking on hard choices and going to dark places is an act of love. It’s a gift. So, please let me give you this gift, Callum. Stay safe, and stay in the light. / We emerged into darkness and quickly got to work. This place held both the promise of our salvation and the threat of our destruction.
Redfeather nodded. “I like you, but you’re still trying to be the person they’ll welcome back home. You’re a Ghost. You can’t be that elf ever again. You have to decide who you are going to be instead. So—who are you?”
Rayla balked at her. It was an awful question. She wasn’t an assassin, she wasn’t an elf of the Silvergrove, she wasn’t anything at all, she was just—
—“Rayla.”
That voice again. Rayla pushed away, trying to focus on Redfeather. “I’m—”
“—selfless, strong, and caring—”
He persisted, as he always did, and his voice took her far, far away. She could still see it: the stars of the desert gleaming above her and in his eyes.
“—that’s what makes her a hero. That’s what makes her—”
“Rayla,” she said, meeting Redfeather’s gaze. “My name is Rayla. And I’m going home.”
not enough people really know what credit is for, so it bears repeating:
if I see art I like and want to see more of it, Credit is what gets me to the artist so I can see more of it.
If I’m writing a novel and I see an art style that would be perfect for a cover design, credit is what gets me to the artist so I can pay them for a commission.
If I see something I know my partner would love, credit is what takes me to the website of the artist where I can buy a poster that the original artist gets paid for.
If I see Plagiarism, I need to know who to notify to stop stealing my art, and if they don’t who to report.
Most artists (even the ones with thousands of followers) have a hard time making a living off of art. Giving credit means giving a pathway to the source.
Saying you didn’t make it isn’t the point, you need to say who did.
