none of us is going back

These are clearly the hyenas from Lion King. 

I love doing these films because I love that challenge.

First image: Watching the social worker try to “ de - escalate ” the “ unarmed ” 6'3 “ , 280 pound , buck naked psycho who is covered in his own shit and swinging around a metal pole.

- Directed by a Black woman

- Is written by the original comic’s creator

- has a dark-skinned Black female lead

- has LGBTQ romance

- has Charlize Theron fucking ppl up

Especially since, when I do it, it doesn’t have to affect anyone else’s enjoyment. Nobody’s expected to accept that my new headcanon is The Real Truth and the basis for all future stories. 

Being a fan doesn’t mean “accepts canon plot as the only way to relate to these characters.” It doesn’t mean “accepts canon characters as the only important ones in this universe.” It doesn’t mean “accepts canon characterization as the only way these characters could ever act.” 

If you want to throw out all three of those aspects and write Harry Potter fic involving Salazar Slytherin and your author-insert OC running a coffee shop together, YOU’RE STILL A HARRY POTTER FAN. 

If your entire presence in the Harry Potter fandom is writing OC/Backstory Character coffee shop AU fics?

You’re not writing Harry Potter stories anymore, you’re writing ORIGINAL FICTION.

So WRITE ORIGINAL FICTION.

Take your inspiration from other people’s works, don’t claim it’s fanfic, write the ORIGINAL FICTION you have in your head! Make it good, maybe even try and get it published!

OWN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS.

Don’t trap yourself in the margins of a fandom writing not really fanfiction if all you take from a fucking series is vague theories you like and nothing else!

Take your ideas for a not-Batman character and MAKE YOUR OWN SUPERHEROES.

I know I come across as uptight, but I’m just sick of all the “this character is gay/trans because I said so” nonsense. Plus I personally don’t generally read AU’s that aren’t alternate timelines because most authors have a terrible time keeping the characters IC, and oftentimes you can copy-paste any two characters’ names in the shipping fics, so…

Don’t worry you don’t sound uptight you sound like a homophobe! And considering you’re bisexual you might want to take a step back and ask yourself, “why am i such a square?”

Jesus christ. Fandoms really just are religions aren’t they?

“I honestly try to cater to the author and what they would write.”

That’s really fucking boring! Congratulations on your complete lack of creativity! Do you think you will be compensated for your time if you rigidly adhere to canon and the stylistic choices made by other people?

Cos you won’t!

Transformative works are not the knock off version of ‘mainstream art’. No amount of original fiction is going to eradicate the need for transformative works.

Fan fiction has existed in all its many varied forms since the don of time. In fact, most characters follow archetypes, and 90% of plot lines were already done by Shakespeare.

Even Neil Geiman is on this hellsite telling people to do whatever they want with his stuff because he did the same Goddamn thing with Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft. Dante’s Inferno is just self-insert bible fic.

Listen, bud, you’re almost 40 and need to maybe like take a deep breath and get a little perspective.

My question: If you are writing fan fiction that only adheres to the canon both in plot and overall vibes: WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT OF WRITING FAN FICTION? YOU COULD JUST ENGAGE WITH THE ACTUAL CANON? 

I’D ARGUE THE WHOLE POINT OF FAN FICTION IS TO GO ‘OKAY BUT WHAT IF ___ INSTEAD?’

THAT’S IT. THAT’S THE ONLY RULE. YOU FILL IN THE BLANK WITH WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT. 

And I am not even going to get into the fact that fan fiction exists as a means of being able to say ‘hey i want to write this wild story but i dont have the time and energy to dedicate to writing my own fucking novel???? but i love these characters that already exist and i have a fanbase of people who will like to read this story and instead of spending months and months producing my own novel I could spend a couple days writing some good stuff and then sending it out into the world for other people to read.

I also think what’s fascinating is that you’re calling out people who write fan fiction that deviates wildly from the canon as being entitled for thinking the canon should be “catered to them.”

“ I like getting into other people’s heads rather than imposing my will on their thought processes. “

I quite honestly have no idea what the fuck this actually means?

And if you’re exploring side plots and characters then you have to be making shit up. That’s how fan fiction works. So no matter what if you are writing a piece of fan fiction you are pissing on canon already. 

Perfectionism is irrelevant. It quite, literally, has nothing to do with the conversation. I am also a perfectionist? I have like 900 wips in my drafts I should be writing. But I also think AUs are completely valid and can engage with the canon on multiple levels. 

There are some authors that think any fan fiction makes a person entitled and that we should all be sued and drawn and quartered for our crimes. 

Also as to the other bullshit about not writing queer characters? Like what the fuck broski? I’m not going to ship only canonically queer characters that’s fucking stupid as hell. Great, so I’ve got like 3 whole shipping options, cool beans. I mean, I wouldn’t want to make grown adults be responsible for themselves, or anything. 

Like, fuck that excuse on a big big level.

everybody has to do their part. as a reference, this was posted on 1 june 2020. if any links are broken or direct to a place they should not, please feel free to add on with corrections. if there is new information with better knowledge, please feel free to share. thank you.

1. donate

do not donate to shaun king. he has repeatedly collected money to “support” black people, but no one knows where the money is.

BAIL FUNDS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST)

note: washington dc and new jersey have cashless bail systems.

bail fund google doc (also includes lawyers for protestors)

national bail fund network (directory of community bail funds)

community bail funds masterpost by @keplercryptids

resistance funds (google sheets; lists bail funds around the country)

nationwide bail funds (split a donation to the bail funds listed on the linked page with a single transaction)

atlanta bail fund

brooklyn bail fund

colorado freedom fund

columbus freedom fund

houston chapter of black lives matter

liberty fund (nyc based; focuses services on people from low-income communities)

los angeles freedom fund

louisville community fund

massachusetts bail fund

minnesota freedom fund (as of may 30, 2020, they are encouraging people to donate elsewhere since they have raised enough money; as of may 29, 2020, they do not have a venmo, as some fraudulent accounts have been claiming, source)

philadelphia bail out fund

richmond bail fund

MORE PLACES TO DONATE

note: more links are listed in the masterposts below.

northstar health collective (healthcare and medical aid for people on the front lines)

reclaim the block (aims to redistribute police funding to help the minneapolis community)

twin cities dsa (provides fresh groceries and hot meals to people in minneapolis)

2. educate yourself

it isn’t enough to sign petitions and reblog/retweet/etc. nonblack people, including people of color, owe it to black people to educate themselves and correct themselves and the people around them on anti-blackness.

note: more links are in the masterposts linked below.

resources and tools regarding racism and anti-blackness (google sheets compilation)

readings on society, racism, the prison system, etc. (twitter thread)

“where do we go after ferguson?” by michael eric dyson

official black lives matter website

3. give out supplies to protestors

people need supplies to protest safely, and even if they bring supplies with them, they can often run out. if you’re able, stock up and hand them out to people protesting. for more supplies to donate, see the “george floyd action” google docs link in section 5.

water bottles (dehydration and heatstroke are not things people should have to deal with alongside bastard cops. if the police in your area are particularly violent or known to use tear gas, get the ones with the sports cap/suction-thing/etc so people can use them as emergency eye-flushes.)

snacks (make sure to take into account that people have allergies of all sorts. foods will have a little label that says “may contain” and then list any potential allergens. write the allergens on the ziploc (or any container you use) in permanent marker, or better yet, write the snacks included in the pack.)

masks (don’t forget there’s still a pandemic going on. also it will aid in deterring facial recognition when the police try to track down protestors,  also part two, if the cops use tear gas, wearing a mask (with the combination of a scarf or bandana) will lessen the adverse effects. lessen, not stop.)

bandanas, scarves, etc. and goggles (ski goggles, swimming goggles, etc.) (see above for explanation on the scarves. same goes for the goggles. anti–tear gas and anti–facial recognition.)

clean shirts (for people who are heavily gassed. also helps deter recognition through clothing.)

wound care supplies (band-aids, packets of neosporin packets or a similar antibiotic, alcohol wipes, etc.; if you can, decant bactine into those little travel bottles.)

a sharpie or another type of marker (for writing bail numbers or emergency contacts on arms, hands, etc. it’s not enough to have your city’s bail fund number stored on your phone; the police won’t give it to you to look it up. give people a marker so they can write it down, preferably not washable so it isn’t easily removed.)

IMPORTANT: KNOWING FIRST AID

tear gas: if you’re hit, get out as fast and as soon as you can. take anyone you can with you. the longer you’re in the gas, the harder it will be for you to see, and it can irritate your airways, making it hard to breathe. if you’re hit, don’t run; it’ll only make things worse on your lungs. when you leave the area, take a cold shower. don’t use hot water (it will only reactivate the agent); don’t bathe (it will only spread the CS around). (source 1) (source 2) (cdc fact sheet on tear gas)

move them to a clean and ventilated area where it’s as safe as possible.

ask them if they’re wearing contact lenses. have them remove it. if they’re wearing glasses, rinse it with water.

solution of half liquid antacid, half water. spray from the inside going out, with the head tilted back and slightly towards the side being rinsed. if they say it’s okay, open the eye slightly while doing this. (source)

bullet wounds: the most important thing is to stop the bleeding. be sure to check for an exit wound and cover that as well. treat both wounds, but treat the worse one first.

stop the bleed (youtube video by uc san diego health)

first aid in active shooting scenarios

making a tourniquet (a commercial tourniquet is best, but improvised ones can work as well if done properly; the most important things to remember is that tourniquets are for limb injuries and are not meant for the head or torso and that they have to be very tightly wound on the injury.)

how to apply pressure dressings

miscellaneous

adult cpr tutorial (youtube video by cincinnati children’s; think of “staying alive” by the beegees or “uptown funk”)

4. be a source of information

be responsible with this. people’s lives are at stake. that being said, the media is a fucking joke and the best way to get accurate information in a grassroots rebellion is amongst ourselves. record everything, but if you are going to share any information at all, be sure to blur people’s faces.

signal (encrypted messenger app; messages delete after x amount of time): app store | google play

tool for scrubbing metadata from images and selectively blurring identifiable features

tech tips to protect yourself while protesting (by rey.nbows on tiktok, via vicent_efl on twitter)

cop spotting 101 (google docs)

know your rights (by personachuu on twitter)

NUMBERS TO CALL FOR ARRESTED PROTESTORS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER; SOURCES LINKED TO THE NUMBER)

remember to keep phones OFF unless absolutely necessary. cell phone towers, stingrays, location notifs can all be used to track you and other protestors. don’t fuck around. if your phone must be on, keep it on airplane mode as often as possible and only communicate using encrypted methods. no, snapchat doesn’t count. (a twitter thread on stingrays, for those interested)

lawyers assisting protestors pro-bono (by riyakatariax on twitter)

atlanta: 404-689-1519

chicago: 773-309-1198

minneapolis: 612-444-2654

5. miscellaneous links and links for protestors

masterpost of petitions to sign, numbers to call, places to donate, and more (carrd by dehyedration on twitter)

#blacklivesmatter (google docs by ambivaIcnt on twitter; includes information on relevant events, other masterposts, lists of petitions and donation links, how to protest safely and protests to go to, and more)

george floyd action (google docs; includes information on apps to download, supplies to buy and donate, places to donate to, protest safety, resources on unlearning racial bias, and more)

how to get out of ziptie “handcuffs” (by finnianj on tiktok, via katzerax on twitter)

how can i help? by @abbiheartstaylor

how to make a signal-blocking cell phone pouch

tips for protestors by @aurora00boredealis

twitter thread for protestors (by vantaemuseum on twitter)