If
you’re still feeling shy about writing fic, if you’re feeling that
that’s now how you’ll grow as a writer or publish, know that some pretty
well-known names wrote fan fiction—and then went on to write original work, work that
generated its own fandoms.
Hugo-award
winner Lois McMaster Bujold, author of stories like The Mountains of Mourning,Paladin
of Souls, and Cryoburn, wrote Star
Trek fan fic as a young girl. Andy Weir, writer of The Martian, the book from which the movie was made, wrote Ready Player One fan fic. Mark Gatiss, co-creator
of Sherlock, has been writing Doctor Who stories for decades.
There’s
more. R. J. Anderson, best-selling author of young adult fiction and writer of
the novels Knife,Arrow, and Swift, started out with fan fiction and says getting online,
sharing her stories with other readers, and meeting other writers, encouraged her
and improved her skills.
Neil
Gaiman, author of Neverwhere, Stardust, and American Gods, used to write fic, saying he earned a Hugo “for
a story that ripped off Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories and H. P.
Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos.”
Gaiman
goes on to say that all writing helps
you hone your writing skills. “I think you get better as a writer by
writing, and whether that means that you’re writing a singularly deep and
moving novel about the pain or pleasure of modern existence or you’re writing
Smeagol-Gollum slash you’re still putting one damn word after another and
learning as a writer.”
Then there are fans who took their geek passions and turned
them in to award-winning programming. Irish filmmaker Emer Reynolds devoured
sci-fi growing up, her shelves full of Philip K. Dick, Michael Moorcock and
H.G. Wells. In this last year Reynolds released to world-wide and award-winning
acclaim the feature length science documentary The Farthest.
Writer Chris Charter couldn’t get enough of The Twilight Zone, loving it so much he
kept fiddling with the format—leaving failed TV shows in his wake—until he went
on to create The X-Files, a programme
so popular in the early 90s that people avoided making Friday night plans—me
among them!
These examples are just the tip of the fic and creativity
iceberg and the take home
message is simply this:
Just
damn well write the stories you want to write. Create the art you want to
create. Love the fandom you love.
It’s
that love and passion and practice that can take you so very, very far.
White racists pulling the “Wakanda as an absolute monarchy that doesn’t share its secrets is so fucking problematic” card as a “gotcha” to excuse their antiblack racism or get one over on Black fans of the film (“how can you be anti blah blah blah if you like this problematic country”) is beyond annoying.
Where’s the insipid commentary on how monarchies are bad related to Thor and Asgard, hmm? No one had a problem with absolute monarchies until Black people were running one.
All these fuckers parrot about Wakanda sounds like it comes straight from white supremacist handbooks and it’s so transparent considering a fictional monarchy run by black people in Africa is basically a tipping point for them and their anger.
It’s the same hypocritical bullshit of this person going “I’m not going to pay to watch Black Panther because they are exploiting Shuri who’s a minor” when they didn’t boycott Civil War or Spiderman Homecoming despite Peter being exploited by Tony in both movies. They really think they are being subtle with this crap but they are not.
Asgard/Odin literally conquered other planets and shit and committed genocide but noooo they don’t care.
Am I wet? Am I on my period? Did I pee my pants?- next on wtf is going on down there.
I’m so glad this is a universal wondering among vagina-owners, haha.
‘Vagina-owners’
Tune in next time for: Are these menstrual cramps? Am I pregnant? Is it just gas? I wouldn’t have to ask these questions if I didn’t have a damn uterus
Next week: Is it a bladder infection? An ovarian cyst? Do I have endometriosis? Oh God please do not let it be cervical cancer! A 20/20 special
Y’all are forgetting the all-time classic: Is it just my period or is my appendix about to burst? Some nice tea and a heatpack or 911 and emergency surgery?
There is actually a test for that last one!
Place your hand over the pain, press down slightly and release. If the pain doesn’t change by any great margin, you’re fine. If it suddenly becomes some painful you can barely stand, Get thee to an Emergency Room
Conservatives from the 60s: I can’t watch Star Trek, I don’t want to watch an asian man or a black woman in a professional role on my TV! Damn liberals! I can’t watch a show that promotes integration!
Conservatives in 2017: I can’t watch Star Trek, I don’t want to watch an asian woman captain or a black lead actress on my TV! Damn sjws! I can’t watch a show that promotes racial diversity!
THANK YOU!!! THIS EXACTLY!!!
… women make gender visible, but most men do not know they are gendered beings. Courses on gender are still populated mostly by women. Most men don’t see that gender is as central to their lives as it is to women’s. The privilege of privilege is that its terms are rendered invisible. It’s a luxury not to have to think about race, class, or gender. Only those marginalized by some category understand how powerful that category is when deployed against them.
‘I don’t sleep in the same bed with my submissive. I don’t go on dates, that’s not what I do. I don’t make love, I fuck, hard. So what do I get out of it? Me’.
All these bullshit lines are from Fifty shades and some people actually believe that to be a Dom means you have to be demanding and distant all the time. That if you show kindness then that’s being weak or submissive. Get the fuck outta here with that and stop trying to act like a dysfunctional character from a popular book. The acts of kindness you do for your sub may or may not look like things I do, but unless you’re planning on being in a very short-term, unrealistic relationship, you’re probably going to do nice things for each other. That has nothing to do with roles or a power exchange. Being a Dom means being able to be Dominant. That’s it. Doesn’t mean you’re heartless or unable to show affection or care for your lady, it simply means that you enjoy taking control and being in charge. If you want to be a mean and strict dominant all the time and you find someone who wants to serve that kind of Dom all the time, then that’s awesome. But don’t be delusional and think that’s what everyone wants. Because they don’t. I like being a good Sir who cares for his princess at times and a bad Sir who makes his princess suffer for him and serve his every word at other times. Sometimes I like being greedy and doing it all. The most important part is to find out what works for you and your partner and not try to convince others, your way is the only way.
Seriously though it would have been so easy to have canon gay characters in the Harry Potter series. All this stuff that JK Rowling said about not having enough time or would distract from the original trio is nonsense. Case in point:
Seamus gave a great roar of delight then ran to give Dean a lung crushing hug before pulling him down into a desperate kiss that was hungrily returned. Harry supposed ‘best friends’ was no longer an accurate description of the pair.
or:
There were duels all over the stairs and in the Hall, Death Eaters everywhere Harry looked. He saw Alicia and Katie share a passionate kiss before they raced down the corridor to join the battle.
or maybe:
“Did I know in my heart of hearts what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. I chose to be blinded by my love for him. A choice that has haunted me ever since”
or perhaps:
As Harry entered the great hall he walked past Lavender and Parvati who were sitting opposite the latter’s twin with their bodies pressed close together while their hands held the others in a death like grip that showed no signs of ever being let go.
or even:
“Albus Severus” Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear him, who tactfully turned to talk to Oliver and Marcus as they waved off their own three boys.
See all I had to do was just add in a sentence or not even that and suddenly ….. wow a gay character. That wasn’t too hard now was it JK.
This is also a great reference for all my anons who ask how to go about introducing more queer background characters.
Beltainefaerie's Flights of Fancy 