#thank fuck for the WGA

[eskawrites]

Don’t mind me just getting emotional about the WGA deal

[knowlesian]

yellowjackets just getting weirder and more experimental is everything to me

the weirder this show gets, the more i love it

[getvalentined]

tumblr doesn't have to be a part of a guild to cross a picket line. i need you to stop talking about things you don't understand and stop spreading the misinformation you think you're correcting.

I need you to stop being an idiot in my askbox. Bye.

[gonegrove]

amanda todhunter makes a good point if upside down hawkins is frozen at like the moment will got got as we learn in season 4 how the FUCK did he see shit like christmas light alphabet in season 1?????

[sirswooshnoodles]

I never understood the “they ruined my childhood fav” about the new Star Wars or Disney remakes

Then I saw the Lilo and Stitch is on there (probs for a live action remake) and I just- no. How dare. Is nothing left sacred???!?!?!?

And then I realized…

Also Moana!?!?!?

Do a revamp of the animation at most!! Moana isn’t even old enough for this shit!!! It hasn’t even been a decade!!!!

Good lord fucking money grubbers.

[fans4wga]

Adam Conover: So the writers strike is finally over, and I'm so happy to tell you that...

Full transcript of text on images below the cut!

And we changed not just our industry for ourselves, but for every writer who comes after us. And I am…so proud of us. 

Thank you to every writer who made this victory happen, and thank you, thank you, to every fellow worker who stood with us. 

We are gonna stand with you as well because what this proves is that when workers stand together, we win. 

And now…LET’S GET BACK TO WRITING.

[video ID: Adam Conover summarizes the terms of the 2023 WGA Contract that ended a 148-day strike.

So the writers strike is finally over, and I'm so happy to tell you that...WE FUCKING WON.

These are all things that they swore to us five months ago they would never give us in a million years. But we went on strike and we hung together until they were forced to come to the table and meet our demands. 

Contract Summary

This is the contract that we just spent the last 148 days fighting for. And lemme tell you what’s in it: 

a guarantee that a minimum number of writers be hired on every show, 

comedy-variety writers like me be paid [equally on streaming and TV],

provisions that mean better pay for screenwriters, 

better pension and health for writing teams, 

script fees for staff writers for the first time, 

and protections against AI.

AI Protections

AI can’t write scripts, edit scripts, or undermine our rights and credits.

Success-Based Residuals

And we won a success-based residual! So for the first time, when more people watch a movie or TV show on streaming, the writer that created it will make more money, too.

---

And we changed not just our industry for ourselves, but for every writer who comes after us. And I am…so proud of us. 

Thank you to every writer who made this victory happen, and thank you, thank you, to every fellow worker who stood with us. 

We are gonna stand with you as well because what this proves is that when workers stand together, we win. 

And now…LET’S GET BACK TO WRITING. [/end video ID]

[iww-gnv]

This is part of a series of frank accounts of the strike from Hollywood writers at different levels in their careers. I guess the AMPTP forgot the first lesson privileged parents quickly learn: Do not short-change The Nanny. Carol Lombardini did just that, and now SAG-AFTRA will strike. First, let’s rewind: The pavement was as hard as it’s ever been. The heat, unbearable. Numbers, thinning. The loneliest place on earth, the picket line by Universal’s Main Gate — where the sidewalk literally fucking ends. Paramount was all airpods and sunburns. (Some gracious restaurant handed out lemonade. God bless them.) Even the family-friendly line at Disney felt a little like a chain gang.  Not gonna lie, we knew it would be hard. But by day 72 our souls were cracking. The distant horizon of the strike loomed long and large. But then the AMPTP fucked up. Big time.  Quite possibly the stupidest exec in the business fed Deadline the most monstrous article, in which they finally let the mask slip and said the unsayable: Let the writers starve. “It’s been agreed for months,” the anonymous source confessed. The studios want to break the WGA, drag this out until the writers are “losing their homes.”   “A cruel but necessary evil” to protect their bloated, unjustified C-suite compensation. Those are real quotes. Even Marie Antoinette winced. Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb. Writer Twitter lit up with rumors of a morning-after Zoom where screaming studio heads pointed fingers at each other. Whatever moronic flack allowed that to happen will soon be living thousands of miles from Los Angeles, probably printing up flyers offering 2-for-1 Blizzards at the Bangor, Maine, Dairy Queen. The fun, new parlor game on the picket lines this week is guessing who was dumb enough to say the quiet part out loud. But thank you, whoever you are. Because those quotes turbocharged us. They reminded every writer why we’re doing this. Why we can’t give up — and now, you better believe there is not a single writer who doubts this is possibly the most important strike in the history of our craft and our industry. Nothing unifies like a Big Bad. Nothing makes heroes like an unrelenting villain.

[38sr]

I know this is gonna be a strange one, but I do have an industry question;

I've been looking for a job for the last 4 years post-grad, I've tried every bit of advice I've gotten over my 6 years in school and 4 years out. Is it too late for me?? Or more so what advice would you have at this point?? I'm starting to feel really negatively about this venture, and getting a day job has been just as difficult;;

Hello Sky! Hope it's okay to call you that. Ah post-grad job hunting.....I don't miss that period of my life at all. Before I begin, just want to preface that what I say going forward is strictly from my perspective/experience. I am not the absolute of the animation industry so if what I say doesn't align with you, you do not have to follow it haha. Alright, advice for post grad job hunting.... Well, I think I want to start off giving a bit of context for the animation landscape these past 4 years that has been rough for everyone (trust me it'll come back around to your question): 1.) COVID Pandemic

This one might be a confusing for some people because when COVID hit in 2020, the only facet of entertainment that was able to keep going was animation. If you remember, during this time streaming numbers went up because people were stuck at home, every studio was launching their own streaming platform (HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, etc.) and celebrities were given animated shows because live-action had stopped dead in its tracks. This period allowed artists outside of California state to get hired because what's the point of capping the talent to the local area when we're already working remotely? In short, it was a boom. But an exponential boom rather than a gradual boom. You never wanna grow too fast because you'll crash out quicker (and harder) which leads us to our second factor.... 2.) Netflix's first ever round of layoffs in summer 2022, streaming actually isn't profitable?????

In short, this year is when Netflix's growth finally stopped and was the beginning of The Great Animation Contraction. Other studios who were looking to Netflix as a the new model of distributing/creating entertainment had realized Netflix wasn't invincible. As well as their business model. So naturally, they got scared and and take action (aka layoffs). I was affected by these layoffs while working at Marvel Studios and many artists got laid off at studios to save face from the mistake that was streaming (though at this point studios were still double downing on it). Also, around this time live-action was slowly restarting thanks to vaccines and social distancing protocols. So those celebrity studded animated productions dwindled down (and also they caused so much havoc for us animation workers because most of those celebrities had no animation production experience). Which now leads us to...

3.) Mergers everywhere! Yeah, uh, mergers fucking suck. People kept losing their jobs because companies kept absorbing into each other and multiplying their debts to ungodly dollars amounts! Apparently no one took a math class and understood if you multiply any number by zero you will always get a zero. These merger also caused more shows to get shelved and canned, making the job market even slimmer. And by then we get to 2023 and the....

4.) WGA, SAG and TAG Contract Negotiations By now, studios have realized that streaming is losing them money because it costs a butt load of money to not only create a streaming site, but also maintain it, update it, create new media for it, acquire established franchises for it, and maintain the current library. Streaming shows aren't being advertised like they used to on cable so shows don't last beyond one or two seasons. Worker contracts are becoming shorter and shorter (I had a co-worker who had a 3 month contract! Isn't that insane?). And what happens in the midst of this streaming meltdown?

WGA, SAG and TAG are gearing up for their contract negotiations. And as we know SAG (actors) and WGA (writers) did strike which good for them! But now there are no live-action jobs and once again, animation (TAG) is the only one running because our negotiations don't officially start until 2024. At this point, so many animated productions have been cancelled left and right for the sake of "saving money and cutting costs". And the effects were very much being felt in the animation work force. Some animation workers were starting to leave the state of California to more affordable cities, some getting day jobs as baristas, hell some leaving the industry all together. It didn't help that studios were kind of withholding production greenlights 'cause 1) they're greedy corporations 2) these strikes were putting pressure on them. And when we did enter 2024 for our contract negotiations, that contraction was at the tightest. The job market for animation had become so bone dry that you have director-level talent taking entry level jobs to stay afloat. But because of that new, emerging artists are blocked out from breaking in. Anytime a job listing would go up people would go in a frenzy and try every thing they could to get the job. That's how little shows were in production this year specifically. Of course, by now it is public that TAG has ratified the contract (meaning we will not strike). But up until then, studios were quite literally waiting with baited breath for the duration of negotiations. A ton of stuff was in development but nothing was getting a greenlight in fear of a strike. So many animation workers at this point have been laid off for at least 2 years, got priced out of LA county, or got so burned by the industry that they left for a more sustainable paycheck. At this point of the post you're probably thinking, "Why is she talking about all of this and not answering my question?"

And the reason for that is because I what to highlight you didn't miss your chance. You unfortunately graduated at a time where the circumstances were not good for breaking in for the past 4 years.

I'm not saying this to deter you from animation either. I just want to be transparent and honest about the current state of animation because it really has been bleak for the past 4 years. So it's not your fault but rather the industry was just in a seriously bad drought. Both emerging and veteran artists have been struggling to find work and when they do it didn't even last for 6 months. Hopefully, with the renewed contract studios will start greenlighting productions again so everyone isn't fighting for one job opening. But I can't tell 'cause I am not Raven Baxter haha. But what advice can I give during this tough time? Start developing your own projects. Things may be pretty dry right now but now is the time when you can create and develop your own original stuff that can be used in your portfolio. Short or long form, showing progress videos, just create. Because once you start working it's gonna be hard to find that personal project time (trust me I'm going through that right now haha). Also, you'd be surprised how just doing your own thing can garner the attention of someone who does have the power to hire you. How do you think I got to work on the shows I have in the animation industry? Almost all of my jobs happened because I was just creating my own thing and it just happened to match the sensibilities of a show produced by a Hollywood studio. And if I had any additional advice... it would probably be don't think that Hollywood is the only way you can tell your stories.

This one is more of....a recent revelation I've had after going through a pretty bad work experience but Hollywood isn't the only way you can be a storyteller. Whether it's comics, games, streaming, animation, or film....the Hollywood system isn't the end all be all. And by Hollywood system I'm referring to breaking into a big studio like Disney, Nick or something and trying to get your own movie/tv show to win an award or something. That system often works for a certain group of people and fails other groups. That's why I say develop and create your own thing because you might find something that fits your creative voice more than Disney or any other Hollywood studio. Maybe that's inconsiderate of me to say as someone who's been incredibly lucky to work in the animation industry for almost 8 years now....but I still wanna be honest that there are other avenues that isn't the Hollywood way. All in all, please don't give up or beat yourself up. The current state of animation within America was out your control and resulted in many artists struggling to find a job. You aren't too late. In fact, I would say now is your time to do your thing in preparation for when that hiring boom comes again (or you can just take another route to tell your stories). I hope that answered your question!

[ravencromwell]

Yes, there is absolutely! a comment period, and it has been extended to June 12th! As far as I understand: you can make public comment here. I think it's crucial to note that while this encompasses negligence around broken and mishandled equipment, and people with those sorts of horrors should absolutely submit comment! it by no means limits itself to that. This rule also concerns itself with enforcement of improper transfers, ala the grueling, humiliating ordeal of Charles Brown. Which I'm frustrated more people aren't emphasizing, as it matters so fucking much to get voices who've been dehumanized in similar fashion into the comments, too. There's a brilliant list of Do's and Don't's linked as a list on the comment page. Per that list's request, I'd urge you to peruse the full regulation before commenting

As a disabled person who's loved LEVERAGE and LEVERAGE REDEMPTION since the beginning - for the characters but also the whole ethos of performing acts that help people against crap systems, it's wonderful to be reminded that it springs from reality.

[isahorcrux]

In light of the recent announcement of the Harry Potter TV Show and the fact that this is primarily a Harry Potter fan fiction blog, the below needs to be said.

I am not excited about this show.

If you told my past self 5 years ago this, I’d be shocked.  Five years ago, if they announced a Harry Potter TV show I’d be doing everything in my power to be involved some way or another.  However, in the last five years JKR has shown her true colors and spent her free time and money attacking the trans community.  There are many reasons why I’m not excited about the show or looking forward to it in any regard, but to me the most important is that this show gives JKR more money and cultural capital to further her anti-trans agenda.  This is unacceptable.

I think a lot of us raised on Harry Potter really wanted to separate the art from the artist, dive further into fanfic and fandom and just ignore that the woman who created a world in which we’ve spent most of our lives escaping into.  However, we can’t do that.  It’s come to my attention over the past few days that a lot of people aren’t even aware of the active harm JKR is doing to the trans community.  Most people just say, ‘oh she said some weird stuff on twitter’ right?

Well, yeah.  But, did you also know she launched an active campaign against a reform bill that made it easier for trans people to legally change gender?  You know what happened?  The UK blocked that Bill and Scotland now has to launch a legal challenge to the government block.  She’s also funding a Sex Abuse Crisis Center that excludes trans women.  Yeah, that’s right.  She’s using her money from a book about love and acceptance to actively exclude a marginalized group from a crisis center.  She’s also publicly admitted via twitter that she funds anti-LGBTQ political activity in the UK.

So yeah, there’s a direct line of fans supporting official trademarked Harry Potter anything and that money directly harming transpeople.  Sorry for that rude awakening, but some of y’all are doing backflips to avoid seeing this.

Now, is there a way to prevent Warner Brothers (and Max, lol) from making this show?  Probably not?  After mergers and at a point when the tv and film industry isn’t booming, they need money.  You know what makes money?  Harry Potter.  Which is why they’re rebooting it.  Another question that’s been raised, will the looming writer’s strike affect this?  I would guess probably not?  Most UK writers (and International writers at large) are not in the WGA.  JKR has always wanted the most amount of British people involved in Harry Potter adaptations, so they’ll use the strike to find a UK writer and get them to work.

So what can we do?

Don’t watch the show.  Or, if you do.  Pirate it. In fact, cancel your Max subscription before the show launches.

They’re going to spend A LOT of money on this.  If the numbers aren’t there for them they will do what every other streamer does with an unsuccessful show and cancel it.  They announced 5 Fantastic Beast movies, and yet...where’s that last one?

Anyway, thanks for reading this whole thing if you’ve gotten this far.  Please share with friends who are excited about the show.  Please engage in meaningful discussions with other Potter fans.  Please support our trans friends and strangers.

Once again, this blog says FUCK JKR.

[pedge-stuff]

strawberry margs (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)

a/n: same vague universe as “marked,“ per usual, yada yada.

happy belated labor day, y'all! tip your servers and thank your union reps.

(my union is on strike rn and, while it is ass, I'm very grateful for the people who are working hard to secure a better future for all of us. wga strong!)

summary: a totally normal labor day cookout with no big announcements whatsoever.

—————————————————————————

"Hey!" Pedro is slightly out of breath, flushed from the cocktail and the dry heat. Sometime in the fifteen minutes he's been gone inside the house, a tiny sombrero-on-a-headband has made its way onto his head. 

He plants a kiss on your temple, slinging an arm over your shoulder; the man gets a little possessive, after a couple drinks, but not in an unpleasant way. There's a pitcher of pre-mixed margaritas on the picnic table, and only a thin finger of the same drink left in his plastic cup. You squeeze the hand that now rests on your right shoulder. 

"Are you having fun?" 

Truthfully, yes. Parties usually aren't your vibe, and you'd been nervous about this one, for some reason. Had expressed as much to him, beforehand.

Oscar and Elvira usually host in the summer, the little patio attached to their apartment far surpassing anyone else’s outdoor space in the city. No reason at all to be nervous— you were just here, for the 4th of July, alone, kindly invited while Pedro was still filming in Morocco. (And oh, how the summer had changed.) Had been here almost every weekend since then, while things were shut down. 

But, this was the first party since… well. Since you’d put a ring on it, so-to-speak. 

The social etiquette of the whole thing has you flummoxed. Are you supposed to tell people? Is that annoying? Do you just not say anything? Wait for them to notice? Take the rings off and break up so you don’t have to do this at all? 

Ultimately, these are Pedro’s friends, so it’s been Pedro’s call. Not that you communicated that to him. Which might have been a mistake. Regardless, you’re deferring to him, despite the pit of stupid anxiety it left in your stomach leading up to the party. 

Not that you’re not proud of the ring, either. You couldn’t be fucking happier. Social anxiety is a tricky thing, apparently. (You might have way, way overthought all of this.) 

“Yeah,” you smile at Pedro, shaking cobwebs of shitty thoughts from your brain. “Yeah, this is lovely.” 

Another kiss, this one soft on your lips. He tastes a little fruity, some kinda flavored syrup in the margaritas. You’d accidentally opted for an IPA that tastes like ass, so you’re just carrying around the can as a prop. His fingers are sticky from something, you discover, as he licks them clean.

The arm around your shoulder steers you towards the long picnic table, around which most of the party is gathered: the hosts, and a few extended family members you’ve definitely been introduced to, before. Sarah is here, with Holland, which is a nice surprise. The kids are deep into a game of corn hole, in the small grassy area. 

You settle at the table, folding chair pulled flush against Pedro’s. A large hand palms above your knee, exposed below the inseam of your shorts. The sun is warm on your skin, fingers wet from the condensation of the can you’re pretending to nurse.  

“— the AMPTP doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Holland is saying, from where you’ve entered the conversation. 

Oscar’s brother, whose name you should know by now, laughs. “Been four months now, though,” he shrugs. “You think someone would’ve budged by now, but—“ 

"Woah, woah." From his perch on his wife's lap, Oscar points, looking scandalized. “What the fuck is that!" 

Pointing, unexpectedly, at the ring on your finger. 

"Uh." Pedro's looks sheepish. 

"You're joking!" A hand dramatically clutches his heart, while Oscar swoons against Elvira. "I'm wounded. Sarah, did you know about this?" 

Across the table, she raises a glass, mockingly. "I picked out the ring." 

"That's not true—" Pedro begins to protest. 

"—Sorry, I forced him to make a fucking decision because he'd been agonizing over three options for like a month." 

Pedro shrugs. "I wanted it to be perfect," he says sheepishly, "sue me!" 

"No, no, backup," Oscar says. "I don't care about the rings. I can't believe you didn't tell me!" 

"I can," Elvira offers, "you've got a big mouth." 

He groans. "It's not like it was a secret!" 

Loud interruptions from across the table. "It was absolutely a secret, that's the whole point!" 

Oscar throws a hand up. "You already act like you're married, is anyone surprised about this?" 

"You were surprised." 

"I was surprised you didn't tell me! Wounded, frankly. Irredeemably. To the core." 

"Are you done?" Sarah rolls her eyes, squeezing Pedro's shoulder affectionately. "About damn time, but we're happy for you." 

She gestures at Oscar. “Yeah, yeah, we’re happy for you.” 

“With feeling this time.” 

“Guys,” Pedro interjects, “I wasn’t keeping anything from you. It happened two days ago!” 

He launches into the tale, eggplants and double-rings and all. The hand stays planted on your knee, and you take advantage, laying yours on top to thumb over the band on his ring finger. Someone tops Pedro off, and you reach for a sip— strawberry, you determine, is the marg syrup. You’re not really listening, but you lean back, content to watch him retell the story. 

The next time he kisses you, as the sun sets into the Brooklyn skyline, you taste like strawberries, too. 

[akajustmerry]

I support the wga strike 1000000% and want the writers to get everything they need and deserve. i also will be beyond ecstatic if the following shows are canned due to the strike (because I do not wish to see more of these shows)

Bridgerton and its spin-offs. Always have, always will hate this racist phoney show!!! A cancellation would make my day!!!!

Any and all mcu related shows (they're not real tv and they all suck thanks)

Rick and morty - is this show still going? Idk it shouldn't be!!!

Sex Education - this show shoulda ended YEARS ago. everyone in it looks too fucking ancient to even be there.

the last of us - fuck this show, fuck neil Druckmann's zionist ass

the Mandolorian - if I never see that green rat again it will be too soon

The white lotus - the way people talk about this show is so ANNOYING. I need to end so I can have peace and quiet

The Crown - you can shove your prestige monarchist propaganda up your assssss

the witcher - lmao Henry cavill leaving should just mic drop the whole show. anythings better than seeing liam hemsworth get employment

literally any of those shows that are called like "171 moonfire" and they're about cops dating fireman or something idk I call them "cute copaganda" same goes for all those ass medical shows where people cure illness by gazing into each other's souls

house of dragon - I love lesbian subtext as much as the next gay but there is no way this show is getting better. quit while your ahead, babes!!!

any true crime series, but especially ones produced by glee war criminal ryan murphy

[ashfae]

The WGA and Sag Aftra strikes aren't just cruicial in their own right, they're crucial for the precident they'll set if they succeed. This is hugely important, and not just in the entertainment industry. It's worth mentioning that a new Minimum Service Strikes Act just became active in the UK in July 2023; it's been framed as a necessary thing to make sure essential services (emergency services, border security, transportation, education, etc) keep working even when there's a strike on, so the public doesn't suffer, but of course that that means is that any strike becomes less effective, possibly even ineffective. The Trades Union Congress has actually just this week (September) reported the UK government to the United Nations because of this. Long story short: strike law is very convoluted, do your research before assuming someone is crossing a picket line and don't abuse them, and support all the strikers. Because the rights they're fighting for might be your own, too, and if nothing else they pave the way for future battles that will affect you. And all that is easier said than done given that strikes mean you have to get emergency childcare for your kids who can't go to school, or that the medical treatment you need is delayed again because the junior doctors are on strike, or that holiday you've been desperately looking forward to is cancelled because you can't get there by train, or the next season you want is postponed until who knows how many years down the line. It is frustrating. It's supposed to be and it has to be. That's the point. All these jobs are vital and the people doing them deserve to be supported and protected and compensated. Since their employers aren't doing it, we'll have to, for now. But that does NOT mean you should just assume anyone who's working in a striking industry is a scab. CHECK FIRST. You help no one by assuming the worst and bullying them. Frankly you help no one by bullying scabs, either, they're usually just as desperate in their own ways. Just don't support them and do support the strikers. The goal is to improve the whole system, not to feel self-righteous by pointing out someone you think is doing something wrong.

I’m just going to say this here so people aren’t concerned.

I am a writer and actor. I am based in the UK and Ireland.

We are not currently striking.

We are being affected by the strikes, there’s certainly not as many jobs around, but we aren’t striking.

If I take a UK-production company job, I am not scabbing.

We have different unions. There are actors represented by both Equity and SAG-AFTRA, but I am not one of them.

(I’m actually not even in Equity yet, I’ve only just earned enough to be accepted and I can’t afford the membership fee at this moment)

We are not allowed to strike in the UK. We have terrible anti-strike laws. We are also being screwed over a lot, but I’m hoping if WGA and SAG-AFTRA succeed we might get some trickle down help.

It’d be totally different if I took an American based job, which I won’t because I want the writers and actors to break the big studios.

Support the strikes, but please remember not everyone is American.

[desperatelyseekingcannibals]

ecstasy (dogsdogs) - shortfic

Explicit // M/M // Nigel (Charlie Countryman)/Will Graham // Tags: club owner Nigel, rookie cop Will, strip club, trans masc Will, virgin Will, references to drug use, attempted non-con drug use, getting to know each other, flirting, banter, hook-up, lap sex, grinding, unprotected sex, mix of AFAB and AMAB terms for Will's genitalia, first time, loss of virginity, prompt fill.

For the WGA Server's Fic Scramble. My prompts were:

• Bottom Will trope: virgin Will 

• Scenario/place: strip club 

• Random tag: bantering 

• Random thing: ecstasy

Dragged to a strip club by co-workers, rookie cop Will is about to have a really terrible night - then Nigel steps in.

ecstasy (3.7k):

Nigel didn’t like trouble in his club, and the group of men currently at the edge of the stage had looked like trouble from the moment they walked in. They were rowdy in a way he didn’t like, in a way that usually meant one of them would try and touch the girls. And all but the youngest of them looked like fucking thugs. 

Between their thick meaty fucking heads, Nigel could see a young man who looked really fucking uncomfortable. He hated that shit. 

He wasn’t stupid, he knew that the vast majority of customers in his club didn’t give a much of a shit about the girls, didn’t appreciate their skills, or the fucking art of the whole thing. But he hated it when people were forced into his club. Usually dragged along by some toxic macho dick cheese that thought they needed to man up, whatever the fuck that meant. 

“Hey,” Nigel called across the bar and caught the server’s eye, then nodded towards the group. He received a nod in return and the server picked up the walkie-talkie from next to the till point and spoke into it. Nigel couldn’t hear over the noise, but he knew what was being said - this was how it worked. 

A few minutes later, one of the bouncers appeared at the back of the club and positioned himself to watch the group. The moment even one of them stepped out of line, they were fucking gone. 

*

Will grimaced. This was not what he had wanted.

He became a cop because his dad was a cop, before he’d been retired by a gunshot. The man had been miserable all through Will’s childhood, forced to fall back onto boat maintenance and telling Will he should aspire to be a cop like he had been before that damn perp. He’d been raised to not really expect or want anything different - to be a cop was to be a man, a real man as far as his dad was concerned. And yet, he hadn’t realised how much his heart truly wasn’t in it until he went through his training. 

And now here he was, a rookie surrounded by some of the worst men he’d ever met. 

“This is it, Willy boy! Need to get you a private dance. Might even get your dick wet!” 

A large hand slapped him on the back as he tried not to cringe outwardly at the words. Thank god none of them knew. The thought of it all coming out terrified Will - they were shitty enough with him as it was.

They all went back to rowdily and now drunkenly, shouting at the women up on stage as they stripped off their bras and danced on poles. It was actually amazing to watch - not because women did anything for Will at all, but because their skill was undeniable. One woman moved in a way that looked almost like a magic trick, he had no idea how she was even still holding onto the pole - it looked like she was floating. 

He was at least grateful that his colleagues seemed to interpret his wonder at the women’s skill as lust. He just had to get through the rest of this evening. 

With a sigh that he tried to stifle, Will picked up his drink, raising the glass to his mouth. 

Before he could even press it to his lips, the glass was violently slapped from his hand. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

Continue reading on AO3

[witchern]

heads up: these kids are the fucking best.

[Image ID: Letters addressed to the WGA from a group of grade school students at St. Timothy School in Century City. All of the letters begin with the same typed intro: "Dear Writer, My teacher taught us about the Writer's Strike in our Performing Arts class. I wanted to show my support."

The following are all handwritten additions by the students:

"I hope this ends soon. Stay safe while protesting. DON'T GIVE UP." From Jordan, 8th grade.

"We fight with you! Keep up fighting. You are built different than AI." From Sean Park, 6th grade.

"It must be very tough to strike but you have to take those steps to secure your future. We want to work as it is enjoyful but we can't let AI take our jobs so we protest." From Nick, 8th grade.

"I hope they give you everything deserve I know it's not fair and its a pain to protest but we all wish you the best of luck!!! You're doing amazing!" From Eden Harker, 8th grade.

"Your feet must really hurt from all that protesting! I don't want AI to take over. Theres alot of movies/shows I like. Like the fallout, coraline, queens gambit, Level 16 and more. Thanks for being so amazing!" From Misha.

"Stay safe dont get run over. The strik will end soon. Keep going" From Michael.

"YOU DESERVE MORE MONEY AFTER ALL THE GREAT MOVIES U MADE. I LOVE UR MOVIES UR AMAZING I LUV U" From Lauren S, 6th grade.]

[ohworm-writes]

I know that, to a lot of people, what I’m about to say is unimportant. But I just wanted to put this out there to the general public of people who follow my content.

I have been writing for years. I have written stories, short and long, since I was in Pre-School, and I’ve kept with that passion since. I love creating complex characters and dynamics, creating worlds and landscapes of my own because- fuck, it’s fun!

And as I’ve grown older, I’ve expanded my work. I’ve done short story commissions once or twice for friends at school because they want to see their own original characters come to life! I created a Tumblr blog (this very one) because I loved seeing the passion people put into writing fan works!

And do you want to know something else really cool? I co-wrote a play for my old highschool. I preformed my own scene on stage with others and I fucking loved it. And after that I decided I wanted to be a screenwriter! Because, holy shit! I genuinely cannot imagine my own work being put onto a big screen, my passion shown to the world!

But now? It’s hard to thing about. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike, the WGA since May 2nd and SAG-AFTRA since July 14th. They (the WGA) are fighting for wages that they can live on. That is the bare fucking minimum.

I don’t want to come across like I’m oh so unique for stating this, because I sure as hell am not, but- this up and coming generation of individuals who have similar ideas like mine, wanting to put their writing on screen and share their thoughts with the world, have to understand that this is real and this will not stop unless something is done.

I’m not off-put by this and this isn’t going to influence my decision of coming into this field, but it’s a slap to the face. A bucket of ice water dumped over my head. When I grew up, I’d always watch the end credits of films and television shows to, in my little head, thank everyone who worked on the piece.

I always thought that everyone who worked on these became rich because they worked on movies and television. Like- how could they not be paid fair? They worked and worked and worked on these things to make what I was watching real!

And now, wanting to go into that field and seeing so many people- my idols having to fight for basic things, it’s heartbreaking but it also motivates me even more.

As a fan-fiction writer, it’s especially interesting. Do you want to know why I and many others don’t do commissions for writing about fandoms? Because it can be seen as illegal. The works we write about are under certain copyright laws that we have to abide to, whether we are conscious of it or not.

Also? It’s fucking immoral! I can write all of the fan-fiction I want for free, and there’s no problem with that. But, once I start to say, “I’m opening up commissions, so you guys can pay me to write about these characters or fandoms with whatever flavoring you want! I get a profit, you get something I could post for free!” Fair, right?

I won’t ever charge for people to see the things I write because I love writing them! I want everyone to see what I write, whether it’s on a Tumblr blog or on a big screen. That’s the point of it all.

None of these writers, people who write fan-fiction included, want fucking artificial intelligence to write for us- that’s our fucking job! C.AI, ChatGPT and whatever the fuck the others are- just write what you want to see! Ask a writer to write it for you! Pray?! Don’t turn to a fucking machine and say it’s so much better than what people do for fun or, again, a living!

But you have to understand what these people in the WGA are fighting for is the right to be fairly compensated for their work. To have a wage they can live off of and not have a fear looming over them about losing what they’ve worked towards making.

This cannot be too much to ask for, because if it is? Every person, whether you write or consume these kinds of media or not, are doomed.

Pay these writers. Use your platforms for publicizing these types of important issues. Show your support.