It was absolutely essential to my survival that I drew this

I am someone who wants very much to be popular. I don’t just want you to like me, I want to be one of the most joy-inducing human beings that you’ve ever encountered. I want to explode on your night sky like fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong.

Here she is being walked to school under the protection of Federal Marshals because angry white people were ready to harm or kill her. 

Here she is in 2010, eight years ago. 

The generation that enforced segregation is not dead, fucko. They were our fuckin grandparents, and it was not that goddamn long ago. 

I’m 31.

My MOM was born the year before school segregation ended.

She was NINE when MLK was shot.

She remembers race riots in her school over school segregation ending in our home state.

My MOTHER lived through this. She’s 61 years old–which means while her own health is shot, people from her generation will be around for another twenty to thirty years.

1956. This is not colorized. IT WAS SHOT IN COLOR. Look at that–segregation was still ongoing in the age of neon lights.

Same exhibit. 1956. Banana splits, poodle skirts, and the ability to get “colored” drinking water only from the white folks’ backwash. You can see the pipe connecting the white tank to the colored fountain behind the little girl in the light pink dress.

Less than ten years later. That’s Martin Luther King, Jr. in the middle. Have you ever seen him in a color photograph before? There are many, but for some reason … maybe because black-and-white makes things look old … nobody ever uses them.

Look at the bank logo in the back. Colored squares like that were a thing in the mid-to-late 1960s. The slicked-down hair on the Black girl in front says we’re not yet to the mid-1970s, and since these signs all say “Honor King” it’s quite likely this is 1969-1970. You know what else was happening in 1969? Not Woodstock, not the moon landing, although both of those things happened. No, something we think of as being much more recent.

THE INTERNET STARTED.

1969 was the launch of ARPANET, which would later become the Internet. BLACK PEOPLE WERE STILL MARCHING FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS WHEN THE INTERNET WAS STARTED.

This picture was taken sometime between 1956 and 1958. I don’t have a precise date on it, but the sleeveless sundress says later 1950s, the hair on Orange Plai says this was after Elvis, and the stars on the flag say that’s not a modern 50-star flag, which was first used in 1959. (We had a single year, 1958, with 49 stars.)

Ah yes. It was so long ago. Let’s get some more perspective:

Donald Trump was eight years old when school segregation was declared illegal in 1954. He was nineteen when the police beat and shot at peaceful Black protest marchers in Selma, Alabama and twenty-two when MLK was assassinated by the FBI for trying to encourage desegregation.

Hillary Clinton was seven when school segregation was declared, eleven when it went into effect, and eighteen when Selma happened.

Bernie Sanders was thirteen when the integration ruling occurred, 19 when Ruby Bridges started going to a formerly all-white school, and twenty-four when Selma happened. Joe Biden is only a year younger than Bernie.

Elizabeth Warren was eleven when Ruby started her new school, fifteen when Selma happened, eighteen when MLK was shot.

You will notice that all of these people are running for President, or were rumored to be running for President, this year. They’re not just alive, they’re thriving. And they were all alive for desegregation–in fact Trump, Clinton, and Sanders were all old enough to either endorse or oppose what happened at Selma.

But let’s keep looking, because they’re probably outliers, right?

Hm. Three of MLK’s children are still alive. They’re between 56 and 62 years old. (His elder daughter died of unknown causes; her family suspects an undiagnosed heart condition.) In fact one of his siblings is still alive, and she was born before him! She’s 96.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Yeah, she was 21 when school integration was made the law of the land. And she’s still serving on the Supreme Court.

But tell me again how long ago it was.

We are pleased to announce that we here at HanLeiaSecretSanta will be hosting a fic exchange for the 2019 holiday season!

Our holiday exchange is inclusive of all types of canon and encourage anyone that loves our favorite scoundrel and princess, no matter which version, to sign-up!

The schedule is as follows:

Sign-ups will remain open until Monday, November 25th, 11:59 PST.

Assignments will go out no later than Wednesday, November 27th, 11:59 PST.

Drop-out deadline is Sunday, December 22nd, 11:59 PST.

Posting day is Wednesday, January 1st.

This means sign-ups will remain open for seven days and allow participants five weeks to write a fic of at least 500 words.

Interested? Here’s the sign-up form! We’re excited for you to join us in celebrating Scoundress this holiday season!

We kindly ask that you read our FAQ/Guidelines page before sending an ask.

Still have a question or concern? Drop us an ask and we will be happy to answer it to the best of our abilities!

The Driver’s Seat

Leia’s instincts and her speeder driving skills get her and Han out of a tough spot on a mission. Now to find a place to hide out, patch up, share a drink, and avoid any of the awkward moments that seem to follow them more closely than the Imperials these days. Written for HanLeia Challenge for August 2019: Getaway.

Read The Driver’s Seat on fanfiction dot net here.

In the spirit of “better late than never” and “I may not have finished the August challenge in August but technically I did start it in August,” I’m happy to share my contribution for the August 2019 @hanleiachallenge!

Happy Fanfic Author Appreciation Day! I have not been very active in the fanfiction community in the last two years, mostly because I’ve been trying to get ahold of my “real life.” Fanfiction as an “institution”, however, and the time I have spent among Han/Leia and other writers, is still precious to me. 

To celebrate one of my favorite days, therefore, I am going to list both works I already love and works I am looking forward to reading (because I am so behind). Please, if you do read, leave these great writers the gift of a comment- even if it’s short, and even if you feel like you can’t find the words to capture what you mean, please say something, anything. Commenting is the best way to thank people for their hard work. 

@onwardintolight - The Opening (multi-chapter)

I won’t link to it now because I know Onward has been completing the full multichapter and revising what’s already been written. But the word on the street is it’s finished and in the process of getting ready for publication. I am so excited to continue to read this psychologically mature and nuanced take on Leia opening herself to a relationship with Han over the course of trip to Bespin. Onward has real mastery into both Han and Leia as well as in how human beings process complex emotions. Her writing style makes me think of the word “lyrical.” I can’t say enough good things about this piece. Check it out and/or her excellent one-shots at AO3 or FF.net. 

@lajulie24  - This Gun’s for Hire and Sampler (one shots), Epic Love (multi chapter TFA fix it)

I legitimately didn’t know what of hers to recommend, because she has written so much and its so consistently great. So I chose these two just because I love Bruce Springsteen (can you guess which song This Gun’s for Hire is based on?) and because I selfishly got LaJulie to write Sampler for me. Both stories are just as good as everything else she writes, but honestly (like so many of these writers), you could put her stories on a dart board and read whatever you hit. It is also important to me to shout out Epic Love as it is a phenomenally on-point TFA fix-it that makes me angry Lajulie’s not writing for Disney.  Go read her stuff at AO3 or FF.net.

@organanation - Her Worship’s Kaffe (one shot)

I am a sucker for Han and Leia drinking hot beverages and any and all headcanons that come with them, so this little one-shot has always been close to my heart although @organanation has written many more fluff pieces and multichapters (including a bit of Bail and Breha Organa!). Organanation is now sharing her talents with the Perry Mason fandom, but she will always be part of my Han/Leia experience. <3 AO3 or FF.net.

@madame-alexandra‘s - Bloodstripes, Identity (multi-chapters)

I have been waiting years to read Bloodstripes. For a long time my excuse has been that it wasn’t written yet. Now it has been, so it’s time for me to get reading! That being said: I loved every snippet of it that I read on tumblr, so I’m very excited. I also may or may not remember a specific summer as the summer I spent counting minutes between Identity updates and ensuring I had special time to relish them when they hit. (Not that kind of special time, get your heads out of the gutter!) Check out these MCs as well as some wonderful one-shots at AO3 or FF.net.

@yoyomarules (aka spinninginfinity) - Gifts, Here Where Our Pieces Fall in Place

Gifts is only 1500 words but it made me LAUGH! And then SpinningInfinity, sly things, just slips in the sentiment in a way that is just… so effective and touching. Her work and all of its elements are great, but she has a real gift for dialogue and for always capturing the humor without shying away from the other feelings. Pieces is a tender and real NSFW moment between Han/Leia post his ROTJ rescue. On AO3 only. 

@otterandterrier - Inventory of Han Solo Kisses (collection of one-shots), Homecoming (multi-chapter)

Anything by her, really, but I can’t get enough of the Inventory series and am looking forward to catching up with her post-ROTJ multi-chapter. I especially admire @otterandterrier‘s ability to make things feel “real” while still being (to me, at least) thrilling, romantic, and well-written. Check her out on AO3 or FF.net. 

@chancecraz - Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns (Multi-chapter, time-travel TFA fix-it)

Another on my long-time to-read list, but every snippet I’ve ever read makes me feel all the feels. Even if TFA and time-travel fix-its don’t seem like your thing, she has such a fantastic grasp of the characters that she reels you in. Can’t wait to do a proper read. Chancecraz is on AO3 only. 

GreyAthena - A Journey of A Thousand Miles  

A lovely multi-chapter of Han and Leia’s relationship spanning the trilogy. Chapter one is my favorite fic interpretation of the trip from the Death Star to Yavin ever. On AO3 only.

@gondalsqueen - En Route (One-shot, NSFW)

pactole asked you:

Could you draw Star Wars Han x leia :3

Pffffft absolutely, excellent suggestion! Hoth Leia is best.  

Never drawn anything like this before…new things new things. Stretching my art muscles.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo Characters: Leia Organa, Han Solo Additional Tags: Trip to Bespin, Second Time, Cockpit Sex, Porn with Feelings, Smut Summary:

“I’ve had choices, of course, but was always aware the consequences were not just for myself—they affected my family, my planet, the Rebellion. Choosing something just for myself was a terrifying impossibility.”

A conversation in the cockpit on the way to Bespin becomes a little more.