Copyright & Terms of Use
Last updated: October 2026
Copyright and Ownership
© 2026 Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all original content published or made available through this website belongs to Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Blog posts and personal essays
Memoir and creative non-fiction
Manuscripts and manuscript extracts
Draft and completed chapters
Book proposals, synopses and submission materials
The Ordinary Monsters™ series
Original narrative expression
Article and chapter titles
Original taglines and descriptive text
Character concepts and monster classifications
Website copy and editorial arrangement
Cover designs and promotional graphics
Typography and visual layouts
Original illustrations and human-created artwork
Manual paint-over work, image corrections and graphic editing
Other original literary, artistic and design elements
Copyright protection applies to both published and unpublished material, subject to applicable law.
Nightshade Comics™
Nightshade Comics™ is a personal creative label used by Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton solely for the visual presentation and branding of the Ordinary Monsters™ article series.
Nightshade Comics™ is not a publishing company, commercial publisher, literary publisher or third-party rights holder.
Its appearance on artwork does not indicate that Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton, Ordinary Monsters™, Son of Lion: Hear Me Roar, or any other manuscript has been commercially published, acquired, represented or placed under contract.
All literary, publication, adaptation and associated rights remain with Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton unless expressly assigned through a separate written agreement.
Nightshade Comics™ is not affiliated with, authorised by, endorsed by or connected to any similarly named character, publisher, company, imprint or entertainment property.
The ™ symbol indicates that the name is being claimed as a trade mark. It does not represent trade mark registration.
Ordinary Monsters™
Ordinary Monsters™ is an original series of personal essays and creative non-fiction created and written by Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
The series title, written articles, original character classifications, taglines, editorial presentation, cover designs and related human-authored material may not be reproduced, republished, adapted or commercially exploited without prior written permission.
The monster names and supernatural imagery used throughout the series operate as literary metaphors through which the author examines personal experiences, relationships, behaviour, identity and memory.
The descriptions are not intended to be interpreted as literal supernatural claims, medical diagnoses or clinical assessments of any person.
Artwork and Creative Process
The cover artwork, illustrations and promotional images appearing on this website are developed under the creative direction of Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
Some artwork may begin with AI-assisted visual material produced according to the author’s concepts and creative instructions.
Selected material may then be manually edited, painted over, corrected, retouched, recoloured, recomposed, cropped, typeset or otherwise developed by the author before appearing on this website.
Selected Ordinary Monsters™ artwork may display the Nightshade Comics™ creative label as part of its fictional comic-cover presentation. This branding is decorative and does not represent commercial publication or ownership by a separate publisher.
The final cover designs may include original human contributions involving:
Creative direction and concept development
Selection and arrangement of visual elements
Manual paint-over work
Anatomical and facial corrections
Colour and lighting adjustments
Background alterations
Typography and masthead design
Titles, taglines and captions
Layout and composition
Branding and visual presentation
Final editorial selection
Copyright is claimed to the extent recognised by applicable law, including in the author’s original writing, manual artwork, paint-over work, editing, typography, arrangement, graphic design and other identifiable human-authored contributions.
Blogs and Public Articles
All original blogs, essays and articles published on this website remain the intellectual property of Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
Visitors may read and share direct links to the original website pages for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Publishing a direct link does not grant permission to copy, reproduce or republish the content itself.
Complete articles, substantial extracts, cover images and other original material must not be:
Copied and published on another website
Reposted on social media as complete content
Included in newsletters or publications
Distributed through private groups or mailing lists
Adapted into videos, podcasts or other media
Used commercially
Presented as another person’s work
Uploaded to an artificial intelligence service
Used to develop derivative material
Brief quotations may be used where permitted by applicable law for genuine criticism, review, commentary or reporting, provided that the author and original source are clearly identified.
Where appropriate, attribution should read:
Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton, leonsheltonofficial.com
Nothing in these terms excludes any use permitted by applicable law.
Password-Protected Manuscripts
Certain manuscripts, draft chapters, book proposals, synopses, submission materials and other unpublished works may be accessible through a password-protected section of this website.
These materials are private, unpublished and commercially sensitive.
The manuscripts referenced or made available through this website are unpublished and remain available for consideration by literary agents and publishers. Nothing on this website indicates previous commercial publication, acquisition, representation or assignment of publishing rights.
Access is granted solely for confidential evaluation by the particular individual, publisher, literary agent, editor, authorised representative or organisation to whom access has been provided.
Receiving a password or being granted access does not transfer:
Copyright
Ownership
Publication rights
Adaptation rights
Distribution rights
Licensing rights
Commercial rights
Permission to reproduce the material
Access permits the authorised recipient to review the material privately. It does not grant permission to copy, publish, circulate or use the material for another purpose.
Conditions of Manuscript Access
Access to the password-protected manuscript section is subject to these conditions.
Access is provided only to authorised recipients for private and confidential evaluation. Authorised recipients must not share, reproduce, publish, circulate or distribute the protected material without the prior written permission of Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
Unless prior written permission has been provided, manuscript material must not be:
Copied or reproduced
Printed or downloaded
Photographed or captured through screenshots
Recorded through screen-recording software
Forwarded to another person
Shared with another publisher or organisation
Uploaded to a website, cloud folder or external platform
Quoted publicly
Published in whole or in part
Adapted into another work or format
Translated
Used commercially
Used to create derivative material
Submitted to an artificial intelligence service
Used to train, test or develop an artificial intelligence system
Analysed through an automated external service
Retained after access has been withdrawn
Passwords must not be shared with another person or organisation without prior written permission.
If another person within the recipient’s organisation needs to review the material, authorisation should be requested before the password or manuscript is shared.
Unauthorised access, password sharing, reproduction or distribution may result in the immediate withdrawal of access and any other action available to the copyright owner.
Copyright in all manuscripts and associated materials remains with Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton unless those rights are expressly assigned through a separate written agreement signed by the copyright owner.
Nothing in these conditions excludes any use permitted by applicable law.
Permission and Reproduction
Prior written permission is required before using any original material from this website for:
Commercial publication
Advertising or promotional material
Merchandise
Print or digital anthologies
Educational resources outside legally permitted use
Podcasts or videos
Film, television or dramatic adaptation
Translation
Audiobook production
Artificial intelligence training or processing
Commercial research
Derivative works
Republishing on another website or platform
Any use that implies endorsement, affiliation or collaboration
Permission requests should identify:
The material requested
The intended use
Where it will appear
Whether the use is commercial
The proposed attribution
The expected period of use
Requests can be submitted through the contact details provided on this website.
No permission is granted unless written approval has been provided by Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton.
Nothing in these terms excludes any use permitted by applicable law.
Personal Reflection and Creative Non-fiction
The blogs, memoir material and Ordinary Monsters™ articles published on this website reflect the author’s memories, perceptions, opinions and lived experiences.
Memory is inherently personal. Other individuals may remember or interpret shared events differently.
The material should be understood as personal reflection expressed through memoir, creative non-fiction, satire, psychological observation, gothic storytelling and literary metaphor.
Nothing on this website should be interpreted as professional medical, psychological or legal advice.
References to behaviour, personality types or monster classifications are literary and editorial devices. They are not intended to diagnose any person or attribute a medical or psychological condition to them.
Privacy and Identifying Details
Names and identifying details may be changed, combined, omitted or altered to protect the privacy of individuals represented within the work.
Certain events, conversations or timelines may be condensed, reconstructed or presented thematically while preserving the author’s recollection and understanding of the underlying experience.
The use of an altered name does not necessarily mean that every other detail has been changed.
Any resemblance between a fictionalised or renamed character and a person unconnected with the events described is coincidental.
Nothing published on this website is intended to encourage:
Harassment
Threats or intimidation
Unwanted contact
Public identification
Speculation about private individuals
Interference in another person’s personal or professional life
Readers are asked to engage with the writing as memoir and creative non-fiction rather than attempting to identify the individuals represented.
Third-Party Material
Any third-party names, titles, trade marks, quotations or other protected material mentioned on this website remain the property of their respective owners.
Their inclusion is for identification, commentary, criticism, review or contextual reference only.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, no sponsorship, endorsement, authorisation, partnership or affiliation is claimed or implied.
If third-party photography, artwork, fonts, software or other licensed material is used, that material remains subject to the rights and conditions of its respective owner or licence provider.
Website Use
This website and its content are provided for general reading, literary, artistic and informational purposes.
Visitors may access publicly available material for personal, non-commercial use.
Access to the website does not transfer ownership of its contents and does not grant a licence to reproduce, adapt, distribute, publish or commercially exploit the material.
Visitors must not attempt to:
Circumvent password protection
Obtain unauthorised manuscript access
Share access credentials
Extract protected content through automated systems
Scrape or systematically collect website content
Misrepresent the origin or authorship of the material
Remove copyright, trade mark or attribution notices
Use the website in a manner that infringes copyright, privacy or other legal rights
Nothing in these terms excludes any use permitted by applicable law.
These terms may be amended when necessary. The current version will remain available on this page.
Contact and Permission Requests
Questions concerning copyright, licensing, manuscript access, publication rights or permission to reproduce material should be submitted through the contact details provided on this website.
Please identify the particular article, manuscript, image or other material involved and explain the intended use.
Copyright Notice
© 2026 Léon Jordan Ashley Shelton. All rights reserved.