Safety Statement for FC25 (working title “Fight Club 2”)
As a working artist for more than 30 years, I feel a responsibility to offer this safety statement for readers of the work and for participants in the related class project.
The central character in FC25, Marla, is written as someone who identifies strongly with a fictional figure from the book and movie Fight Club – a character who experiences addiction, mental health struggles, identity disturbance, and delusional thinking as the story develops. She is a fictional character at the center of a constructed narrative. Her perspective is intentionally unreliable.
I, Kathryn Born, am the creator of this work. I am a professional artist, and FC25 is a work of fiction. This is not my first novel, nor my first exploration of a troubled or unreliable narrator. Much of my work has centered on characters shaped by trauma and difficulty who nevertheless move toward resilience, clarity, or transformation.
FC25 – which encompasses the novella, the screenplay, the actual film and all local and global project related to the work – those things explore alternative communities within a fictional world associated with Fight Club. The work may depict anti-war movements, along with a world that contains violence, instability, and other extreme forms of behavior. The “public stakes” (per “Writing the Breakout Novel”- Maas) is that this character believes that her movement is the last stand for non-violent protest. The work touches on many controversies. Fiction is not a model for real-life conduct. Any attempt to commit violent, coercive, or self-destructive behavior in real life can cause serious harm.
I am making this statement because some online readers may encounter brief excerpts or promotional material in which I intentionally blur the line between author and character for artistic purposes. That creative approach should not be read as a reflection of my own mental health or lived circumstances (or lived experience). At the same time, I understand why some readers may respond out of concern, and I want to address that concern clearly and respectfully here.
I also want to be clear about professional boundaries. In relation to Chuck Palahniuk’s work, I am a paying subscriber to his Substack and an admirer of his published Fight Club sequels and writing instruction. I recommend his book “Consider This.” If this project ever refers to Chuck Palahniuk or to actors associated with Fight Club, including Helena Bonham Carter, any fictionalized communication will be clearly labeled, and any real-world outreach will be conducted respectfully and professionally. Related contextual materials will also reflect a commitment to ethical partnerships with artists and creatives, including appropriate compensation and responsible use of AI. (More on that in future posts).
Artists today often work in a climate where some audiences are actively seeking leadership, meaning, and connection. That reality makes care, love, community, empathy and clarity more important. Works of art can provoke strong responses, and in rare cases people may act harmfully, or do self-harm, after engaging with them. The word “trigger” is very real, and many people are suffering today. For that reason, I believe artists should address safety and context directly, even when doing so briefly interrupts the illusion of the work, and takes the fun out of it, for a minute.
If any reader finds these themes distressing or destabilizing, I encourage them to step back, engage at their own pace, and seek appropriate support. That said, telling people to get help is a trope in itself. (again, more on that later).
This statement is offered in that spirit: to clarify the fictional nature of the project, to support reader safety, and to set a respectful framework for participation.