Endymion Story Update

I just spoke with a couple days ago and confirmed the use of his character, The Umbrella Man (Umbrella Man 38), for use in the last book of the Endymion story.  The condition was that it's properly credited (which of course it will be), and that it's not for profit.  So, that basically means the final book in the series will end up being released free, either as a free ebook, or I'll just have it posted on whatever is my site at the time (I don't think I'll stick with DA forever, and at the rate things are going, I'm honestly not sure if I'll be sticking around much longer, what with it's quality going downhill and so many of the people who made me love coming here leaving).
I didn't immediately say anything because Rythmear's non-profit requirement made me have to stop and think about how I'd go about it.  I actually didn't ever know if I'd actually be using UM in any of what are basically my Cannon Stories (the ones that take place inside my story multiverse and have some sort of loose or direct continuity with the whole).  Lady Cane ('s character) has evolved into a specific place, though her planned appearances outside of Endymion's story are all brief (but small parts can be very important) and I think I've talked with him about that, though I'm going to have to make sure.
I had to decide, do I really need to use UM in this story?  The answer is, technically, no.  UM could be replaced by a different character who serves the same role, or the story could be rewritten to not need a character like UM, but I thought, if I do that, why would Lady Cane be necessary either?  Lady Cane was created to be a nemesis of Umbrella Man.  And the role that the story idea currently demands fits with UM so very well.  If I drop one, why keep the other?  Do they make sense without each other?
Ultimately, I kind of decided that the argument was really unnecessary.  Why was there an argument at all?  The question of whether or not I could make money off of it.  But, as some of my followers know, I've basically come into a lot of money recently.  After living my whole life as a member of the middle-class, I suddenly find myself the beneficiary of trusts and wealthy relatives - in other words, to my mild horror, I've become a trust fund kid.  While a huge chunk of the money right now is earmarked to pay off my school debts for my second degree, I'll have those paid off within a couple of years and then the money will just accumulate.  Top that off, my degree opens me up for jobs that pay really well (entry positions of $15 an hour).  So, money is probably never going to be a real worry for me.
I feel almost like a class traitor - or I would if I ever gave a shit about class to begin with.
In any case, if money's not really a worry for me, why the hell should I worry about it?  I've said before my writing is something I do because I love doing it (now, if only I could get back into doing it regularly . . .) and the only reason I even think about seeking official publication was to make some money on the side so I don't have to worry about bills and other life expenses.  If those are going to be covered no matter what I do, why quibble?  Besides, plenty of authors have released whole novels for free like this before, so there's already a system set in place to allow me to do this.

This may raise a question, though.  If it just creates these complications, why use other people's characters at all?  Well, the answer to that is because a huge part of my story multiverse is the Dream World.  It's a dimension that connects all minds everywhere and is made up of bits and pieces of the thoughts of every being that has ever lived.  I've already incorporated a number of Public Domain characters into it, but I also wanted some more modern creations to be a part of it that weren't my own, to sort of create the idea that the Dreaming really was more than just my creation.  And since the Dream World connects all realities, powerful beings can use it to traverse the dimensions, entering universes that they were not native to.  UM and LC are both characters that fit the mold of what I want for beings capable of doing that.  And the fact that they are not characters I personally created is a way of expressing that notion I want to achieve of other minds breaking the boundaries between worlds as sort of an expression of how all people are influenced by other people around them.  No one creates in a vacuum.  If I'd ever happened to see one of Rythmear's UM performances (I understand he created the character specifically as a form of performance art), I might have been inspired to create a similar character, but this just takes it a step more into the open.  I'm not just inspired by another person's creation, that person's creation is actually breaking through into my own head (and what else would you call inspiration?).
Does that make any sense?  I think it does, but I'm the one thinking it up, so I may be biased in my own favor.

I'm hoping that actually posting about this will push me to actually get back into writing.  About three, maybe four years now I've been fighting consistent depression that's got in the way and I'm finding it really hard to get back into steady writing again.

Also, a journal's a good way to keep the two other people up to date, since DA now alerts people if I mention them in my journal.  That way, they know what I'm thinking about and if they have objections can raise them in case I forget to make sure things are 100% clear, or if my thinking changes in a way that they object to (which is possible, since two whole novels have to be written before I get around to using these characters).  Given how things go with work and school, it may be a while before I get back into anything resembling a rhythm and I don't want to forget anything.  With this journal on the front page, it'll be a reminder.

Also, I can point people in the direction of some awesome artists to check out.