#We use stories bring attention to real world issues. We always have. And we always will.

[genderkoolaid]

lol you’re really slow if you believe that “transmisandry” is on the same level as transmisogyny. no one is denying that trans men face oppression because they are trans men, because they absolutely do! but a lot of the time, when you hear stories about trans men being assaulted or killed, it is purely because of misogyny; because they were perceived as a woman, if not for another outside reason. meanwhile, when a trans woman is killed, it is almost always because she is trans, not to mention that trans women have way more stigma against us compared to trans men. just look at who conservatives always blame for “gender ideology,” it’s ALWAYS a trans woman

"no one is–" yes they do. frequently people do exactly that. for example:

"trans men (mostly) get assaulted and killed because they are perceived as women." downplaying the role transness plays in the violence we experience is not much better than denying it happens at all. also calling me "slow" first thing in an ask is a bad idea if you want to seem reasonable.

First of all, people rarely ever admit that! People genuinely get pissed off at trans men for saying they are vulnerable to misogynistic violence while not being women. You are only admitting that trans men experience misogyny as an argument for why talking about anti-transmasculinity is BadWrong Actually.

Trans men are murdered and labeled women, trans men in abusive families and marriages aren't allowed to transition, so the vulnerability of trans men is never recognized. Woaaaah it's almost like.... the misogyny is intersecting with something..... being trans perhaps?

Second, "you only get murdered because people mistake you as a woman" is also an argument used against trans women, by people who are invested in ignoring the complexities of trans people's relationship with misogyny.

Thirdly, trans men do get assaulted and killed for being trans. Not that they always get enough police attention that the motivations or attackers will ever be known (very much the same case with trans women victims). Do you know any of their names? Do you talk about the violence done to them, ever? Not just Brandon Teena, but Ebeng Mayor? Myles Utz? Ahmed El-Tounsi? Gautam Ramachandra and Shaman Gupta? Zahair Martinez? Abhay Gondane? Ky Peterson? Jacob Williamson? Lourenzo Broken? Andrew Jonathan Blake-Newton? Camdyn Rider? Manoj? Do you ever think about them? Because I think the fact that we only talk about the violence against trans men when we are talking about how it barely ever happens and should be shoved aside to make space for the Real Issues says a lot.

Genuinely, what good do you think you are bringing to the world by sending me this ask?

[mishambles]

☆Being KAEDEHARA KAZUHA’s big sibling

Summary: Having Kazuha as your lil bro <3 Character/s: Kazuha, Beidou, Kamisato siblings, Traveler Warning: the timeline can possibly be incorrect T0T, slight angst, rushed ending lol Note: spoilers to his character quest and the first act of GAA. Reader is around 5 years older than Kazuha and has a vision (not specified).

•As a child, to put it simply, kazuha was clingy. extremely so.

•He isn’t very vocal about wanting attention but he would follow you EVERYWHERE. He understands you have a lot of responsibilities as the future head of the kaedehara clan why can't he help? so he quietly hangs onto your sleeve until you're done.

•When he's feeling extra needy, he asks you for a piggy back ride or just wants you to carry him. He does that thing where he stands in front of you and lifts up his arms and opens and closes his hands. this is a rare occurrence though so make the most of it <3

•He has a habit to (not so) sneakily steal your clothes and act like you when he thinks you're not looking!

•"I am Kaedehawa [name], futuwe head of the Kaedehawa clan." As he poses in clothing that are almost three times his size.

•Did I ever mention he has a slight lisp? He gets suuuuuuper embarrassed about it wishing he could speak the "adult" way and whenever he notices he mispronounced something he covers his mouth and pouts. You're gonna have to comfort him <3

•HE MAKES YOU GUYS MATCHING FLOWER CROWNS. 

•has a habit of collecting pretty rocks and shells and gives them to you when he sees you're tired. Almost had a fit when he realized he couldn't collect maple leaves cause they wilt very quickly but we have a solution

•Flower pressing! After you introduce it to him to preserve maple leaves he's been randomly bringing you flowers to press so he can keep them for much much longer.

•He wishes he could grow up so he can help you.

•As a teen, he focused more on his sword art so he doesn't have much more freedom to follow you around as he used to.

•He asks you to spar with him whenever you have the time (it's the only time you get to bond anymore– you need to take care of the household after all)

•He picked up his flowery language from you! He naturally started speaking like you after watching you converse with others throughout his childhood (please never mention the lisp he still gets embarrassed)

•This is also around the time he was a bit of a troublemaker! Only some little petty pranks like drawing on your face when you're sleeping but nothing that could actually cause any real harm

•He also introduced you to his friend (you're glad he has someone with him, especially since you haven't been able to be with him that much anymore)

•To be honest, you allow him too much freedom all the while chaining yourself down with the issues of the household. It makes him so..frustrated. He can’t do anything to help you but he wants to, he really does, but when all you do is insist you’re fine, then what can he do?

•Am I so incompetent that I’m a dissapointment to you?

•As an adult.. mhm well.. It’s a bit complicated

•After the vision hunt decree, a huge chunk of time in your relationship was spent wondering if the other is safe.

•Considering the fact that both of you have visions, the vision hunt affected you both very differently. While Kazuha went after his friend, you were taken under the Kamisato’s protection and hidden for a long time

•Both of you were separated but you two were able to communicate through letters (though very limited). He’d tell you elaborate stories about his adventures with a woman named Captain Beidou and his recent interest in an outlander. (perhaps.. You could be free like he is?)

•You send him letters about your wellbeing and the current situation in Inazuma. Though, the letters between you two are scarce considering you’re busy helping the Kamisato’s and he’s constantly traveling

•He not-so-subtly suggests you to come with him and explore the world (like you’ve always wanted to). He knows that Beidou wouldn’t mind another person on board and he’d love for you to be more free 

•Perhaps you’ll be able to see each other again once the vision hunt decree is abolished?

[writerbuddha]

Do you think writers should use more of a well-defined morality approach to the widespread "grey"? Though the former has always been criticized for its simplicity and irrelevant to the real world, the franchise under George Lucas looked like a gateway for philosophical understanding. If possible, as someone who understands it well, what is your opinion on the separation of Pure Evil (ingrained by DNA) and Broken characters?

I think that when it comes to writing, we need to distinguish between layout and morality, because only then we can address the problems with separating Pure Evil and Broken characters!

I think writers should use a more well-defined morality approach, but that's different from the conventional morality approach, I call it light-and-dark morality as opposed to black-and-white.

Layout: "black-and-white" and "grey"

BLACK-AND-WHITE LAYOUT:

In black-and-white layout, the characters are arranged along clearly and strictly defined lines: we have the heroes who are Good and we have the villains who are Evil. We have these sides opposing each other, and it's very clear which side we should identify with and who should win. The overwhelming majority of the most popular stories of our time, including but not limited to George Lucas' Star Wars, uses black-and-white layout. Jedi Knights versus Sith Lords, the Rebellion versus the Empire, the humans versus the orcs, wizards and witches versus the Death Eaters, Gandalf the White versus the Dark Lord, Snow White versus the Evil Queen, the Pevensie children versus the White Witch and so on. It's important to note that this doesn't mean that heroes can't turn into villains and villains can't turn into heroes, nor does it mean that there can't be hero figures on both sides, but but it means, that will always be a clear shift from Good to Evil and from Evil to Good, or that the heroes of the Evil side are deceived.

Black-and-white layout sometimes might allow for "grey" characters. The mildest example of this might be Grumpy in Snow White, who is quite hostile to the sweet princess, but who obviously loves her, and then there is Hondo Ohnaka in Clone Wars, who is a criminal and serving only himself, but there are signs of willingness to do good. But most often than doesn't, "grey" eventually must choose.

GREY LAYOUT

Grey layout is understood to be a relatively new type of layout for a story, but Homer's Iliad could be one of the most ancient surviving examples of it: there is a king who fights for his honor, a king who fights for his city, a prince who fights for love, a warrior who fights for glory. We can identify and empathize with both sides, or at least we can find both sides' actions comprehensible, plausible. I think the best example of grey layout today would be Netflix' Arcane, where, even though we can point out the least sympathetic characters, we can't comfortably declare one side Good or Right and the other Evil or Wrong, whereas in black-and-white layout, this is a very easy task.

Grey layout can be seen as a more realistic layout for a story, trying to address complex, contemporary issues, while the black-and-white layout is more metaphorical, focusing on conveying universal lessons and messages in an abstract way that can be translated to concrete situations. In this sense, stories with grey layout seek to present reality and bring attention to concrete issues in the real world, and stories with black-and-white layout are focusing on presenting role models, to raise human beings who are able to solve concrete issues.

Morality: "black-and-white," "black-and-broken-and-flawed-and-white," "grey" and "light-and-dark"

BLACK-AND-WHITE MORALITY

Black-and-white morality can exist only in a black-and-white layout, but it's crucial to understand, black-and-white layout doesn't always results in black-and-white morality. In fact, black-and-white morality stories are quite rare and they can end up being criticized for being overly simplified and for failing to be applicable to reality. In black-and-white morality, everything between birth and death can be seen as a war between clearly and sharply defined poles of Good and Evil. Good is always the most morally pure and satisfying, most just and also nicest thing to do, and the Good Ones are always doing Good.

The only ones who are dissatisfied with them are the Evil Ones, who are willfully and consciously fighting against the morally pure and satisfying, the just and nice, and do Evil, the exact opposite, instead. Black-and-white morality isn't trying to explain or understand Evil, it only focuses on identifying it, locating it and destroying it, which is, of course, the Good thing to do. In black-and-white morality, Evil is understood to be either as is a quality that we are born with (i.e. "ingrained by DNA") or that Evil is something like an infection that is nevertheless under our conscious control (i.e. "you sold your soul!") Lord of the Rings is the closest thing to black-and-white morality stories: the heroes are creatures of light and grace or modesty and simple good-will, they're noble and well-meaning, even though they can be corrupted by Evil, which is a creature of fire and darkness, leading an army of deformed, vile, animalistic monsters.

BLACK-AND-BROKEN-AND-FLAWED-AND-WHITE MORALITY

The reason why black-and-white morality faces with increasing criticism for is the fact that it fails to address the complexity of life: whenever we look deeply into the heart of someone we identified as Evil, we find that they actually don't meet the criteria: they, just like ourselves, simply want to be happy and not to suffer, and this is at the core of everything they do. They don't see themselves as Evil, they didn't vow to destroy Good. In fact, more often than doesn't, they're, too, victims of Evil. Black-and-white morality is sometimes replaced with another type of morality that includes Broken, who is like a white chess pawn moved by the player who is with black: they are not Evil, but, in truth, they're Good, who are the victim of Evil, and because the Evil that was done to them, they are twisted to a place where they themselves do Evil. It would be important to realize that this is still black-and-white morality: it insists on the existence of Evil that must be identified and destroyed without any hesitation or compassion and it asks us to believe and not to ask questions when it points at someone and says "Evil" and at another saying, "Broken."

The morality that separates Evil and Broken is just black-and-white morality trying to delay the inevitable collapse of the entire binary upon which it was built, and by doing so, it also paralyzes its heroes. Treating Broken characters as Evil would fail to meet with the criteria of Good, therefore, each and any character who decides to respond with countermeasures to the Evil done by Broken characters cannot be Good - they're flawed. In fact, so the reasoning goes, Good would make Good attractive enough for the Broken, so they won't choose Evil, thus ultimately, anything that the Broken character did, was the fault of the Flawed characters. True Good characters must gather all their Goodness and radiate it to Broken characters, and turning them back to Good as a result. It would be important to note that this type of morality is often presented as relevant and nuanced, but in truth, it's an even more severely absolutist morality that cannot tolerate nuance and fails to address the complexities of life, insisting on a dangerously simplistic view. However, its popularity is growing in fandoms, even though to this date, it manifested itself only in hot takes built on "death to the author!" theory.

GREY MORALITY

Grey morality can be defined in many ways, but it's essentially the rejection of black-and-white morality paired with the view that Good and Evil are both just ideas and the line between right and wrong is blurred. Although grey morality is seen by many as the morality that moves beyond the dichotomy of Good and Evil, it should be noted that it stops at rejecting this dichotomy - it's either not equipped or not willing to explore a post-black-and-white reality. For this reason, apart from dwelling on the absence of the clearly and strictly defined lines dividing Good and Evil, stories adopting grey morality are not really having much to say, it doesn't really know where to go from there, since although it pushed the old moral compass aside and didn't make a new one to navigate. Grey heroes are usually angsty, edgy, "not good so that's bad but not evil, so that's good" figures.

It should be noted that stories adopting grey morality can deal with complex and relevant issues and can communicate very important messages, and grey characters can develop or mature. In fact, most of them ends up doing immense good to others, so grey morality sooner and later does try to a re-establish black-and-white layout, but it presents heroes and role models who are careful not to rise the bar too high, since grey morality holds an essentially skeptical views on humanity. Although it won't come to any profound conclusion about Good and Evil and how to conduct ourselves in the world, it does try to update Good and Evil in a way that says, "It's OK. No one is perfect, just keep trying to do your best, that's all that can be asked, really." Game of Thrones or Hunger Games might be good examples of this.

LIGHT-AND-DARK MORALITY

Although light-and-dark morality can exist both in black-and-white layout and grey layout, it's the least popular type of morality, since it challenges the conventional story of Good and Evil, even though it defines "good" and "evil" very strictly and clearly. In a nutshell, light-and-dark morality tells us: anything we resent in another person is also within ourselves, a part of all that lives. Evil behavior arises as a result of other causes and conditions, the "dark" parts of ourselves: fear, anger, hate aggression, greed, selfishness, bitterness, jealousy and so on, and an Evil Person is a person who is under the sway of these parts themselves. Therefore, although light-and-dark morality acknowledges the reality of conflict, in place of the struggle between Good and Evil and the quest to identify and destroy external Evil, it emphasizes identifying and conquering our own dark side and the understanding of the true nature of Evil, as a way of really winning battles between what is understood as Good and Evil. Therefore, the struggle is to keep the roots of Evil within ourselves under check and to cultivate compassion, wisdom, generosity and mindfulness.

Light-and-dark morality, therefore, proposes, there is no Evil that we can identify and destroy and then label it a Good and Right thing to do, to which only those will object who are consciously and willfully chose to fight against the most morally pure, most satisfying and nicest thing. This is a conclusion that black-and-white morality tries to avoid by separating Evil and Broken characters, since it clings on the notions of absolute Good and absolute Evil. The light-and-dark morality tale equates Evil with Broken, and it indicates, we must be able to recognize when we have to stop fighting for the Broken and we have to start to fight for those who must be protected from the Broken, who inflicts pain and suffering and harm onto others. Thus, light-and-dark morality rejects the idea, the Good and Right thing is always satisfying and just and nice to everyone: it proposes, we must accept, in many cases, the right thing to do isn't the nicest, the most gentle or most pleasant or most agreeable thing to do; the wrong thing to do isn't always the nasty, mean, unkind, unpleasant thing to do. And unlike grey morality that blurs the lines between good and evil, light-and-dark morality proposes, everything has a dark and a light side: there is no action that is inherently good or evil, whether it becomes a good or an evil act will depend on our motivations and the circumstances we're in. George Lucas' Star Wars story is one of the best examples of light-and-dark morality: he defined the battle between Good and Evil is defined as a battle between selflessness and selfishness, that is, in truth, the battle between no-fear and fear. Jedi Knights are focusing on doing good and to prevent evil from rising, but in order to do that, they must do things that aren't Good according to the criteria established by black-and-white morality.

[magicaldogtoto]

Started watching more of Granbelm and I'm starting to piece together what it is about a lot of Madoka-inspired/edgy Magical Girl shows that seem to be patterned slightly after Madoka that never really appeals to me.

This isn't going to be about Granbelm specifically, which I'm still watching; I have no real opinions on it so far other than "giant robots with magical girls is a good formula, more people should do that." Indeed, it's why I'm curious about the show in the first place (I love Magic Knight Rayearth).

(Content warning: There's some mention of suicide.)

It's not that I don't like darker shows now and then--you can already tell just by looking through my blog here--it's more that I just don't particularly care for battle royale/death game-type stories. I started thinking about this because I was talking to a friend about how I was considering finally reading The Hunger Games, which I put off for about a decade. I always felt kind of squeamish at the idea of kids getting into a fight to the death where only one person can survive and the others die horribly. This was back in 2012 or so; I've since then reconsidered things, and the political themes of the series do appeal to me (I have, however, watched the movies with friends; I even watched Battle Royale, which I don't particularly consider The Hunger Games a rip-off of, but it's the other death-game story people bring up when the latter is mentioned).

And people often do consider Madoka a battle royale-like story (going off to similarities between it and Kamen Rider Ryuki, which I have also watched), but I never really saw it as one, to be honest. It's true that Mami says that Magical Girls will fight each other for resources and territory, but then actually look at the plot of the original twelve-episode show, and... there's only two girls who fight each other. Moreover, the reasons for their fight aren't really tied to the need for Grief Seeds so much as them having very different ideas of how a Magical Girl should act. And that rivalry lasts about two episodes before it gets dropped as Kyubey's machinations become more apparent. Additionally, a lot of these battle royale-type shows always have people fighting with a fixed goal in mind (some prize/wish getting granted). In the context of Madoka, the wishes are granted before the girls fight, so it always felt like an inverse of that to me.

A lot of these shows that feel post-Madoka in their own way also operate on the concept of "more is better," in my opinion. As if in order to draw attention to themselves, they have to up the ante of what they thought people liked about the show. You know, "People liked when Sayaka and Kyouko fought for two episodes in PMMM, so now we'll have all the girls fighting," along with "People liked the five girls in PMMM, well we have more than five now," and "People like the angst and trauma the girls have to go through, so we'll just up that and make it so they're borderline suicidal." (Even PMMM's spin-offs are victim to this thinking, including the ones I personally like.) And this is where I disagree; more doesn't always equal good. I liked the simplicity of the original PMMM. Less characters also means more room for them to develop and for us to understand their issues.

I suppose this is an attempt by others to find what made PMMM work and replicate that ad infinitum for maximum profit, but as someone like me--who encountered PMMM in a bubble in the late 2010s, completely devoid of knowledge regarding the discourse surrounding it and its followers, because I was in college and barely did much in terms of anime fandoms for most of that decade--that isn't what really appeals to me about PMMM.

For me, what appeals to me about PMMM as its own story is a combination of its surreal/dissonant imagery of bright colors contrasted with darker ones, and just the idea of people trying to make their way in the world even though the world seems so callous. I mentioned it on Twitter that when I first watched the show, I was just out of school (beat a huge exam that I needed to take to pass), and I was thinking of all the possibilities of what my life out of college would be like. I was also dealing with someone I know committing suicide, so I was in this weird zone of struggling with the best moment of my life (currently), and one of the worst things that could have happened to me and people I know. Even what Madoka does in the end, I was fine with that. It reminds me of Guillermo del Toro's comments for his writing for Pan's Labyrinth, which also (spoilers) has a female protagonist in a cold world make a huge choice at the risk of her own life to do something that's for the greater good. That idea that, even a small change can have a ripple effect that affects other people. (Rebellion is a whole other discussion.)

Maybe it's because my initial viewing of PMMM is tied to that time, but none of the later post-Madoka type of shows have ever really gotten my attention that way. And I've personally come to the conclusion that the original twelve episodes of PMMM, while fine on their own and for their own story, are a terrible model to use as inspiration for other magical girl stories (which is why I didn't mind MagiReco just straight up throwing things out in the original game).

Everyone probably has different opinions about this; that's fine. I'm just talking about my own experiences here. It is what it is, in the end.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

A Tale of Two Hannya: Flowers Without Names

Last time we dabbled in this area we made it clear we were just scratching the surface. I have a lot I want to say about how Kiku & Yamato play off of each other and how it plays into manga’s long history of playing with gender. We’ve already brought up the classic series on the right, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and how Yamato sorta falls into some of the same pitfalls of the iconic princely lady. But I don’t think this discussion is complete without acknowledging another very important landmark shoujo that still casts a long shadow today. The Rose of Versailles, an iconic 70s series starring the dashing Lady Oscar. Raised as a man to inherit her father’s spot in the royal guard and her “Anthy,” fitting for a story told with the backdrop of the French Revolution, is none other than Marie Antoinette.

So here’s our thesis. Famously the intent of Rose wasn’t initially Oscar. Antoinette was supposed to be the protagonist but was upstaged by such a novel heroine for the time. Utena was the deconstruction of what spawned in her wake. Wano’s Hannya duo? A wickedly smart evolution that’s actually quite responsive to contemporary social changes.

Oscar really does seem like she ended up being this accidental icon, but for all the glory and passion her story is so often wound up in how she can never really escape being sucked in to “women’s games.” It’s a solid recipe; she’s remarkable as a guard & soldier but situations force her to deal with things as a woman. Contrast between battle and courtroom intrigue. It’s a very old school type of feminist work. Similar tone if a different structure than Kozue in the slightly earlier Attack No.1 and a lot of our Pinkie Violence heroines. Deep down there’s always that “A woman is still a woman” element. That’s fallen out of fashion as more feminist depictions have become normal, but there’s a certain power in that internal dynamic. 

The appeal was just seeing a female lead doing cool shit. And this parallels a lot of world media from the 60s/70s. Still pretty old fashioned gender expectations but seeing women buck them at all was fresh. Thing is...give it twenty years and new issues crop up. By the 90s we have a generation that grew up on things like Rose of Versailles and analogues to the point this action girl tomboy is just a trope. A trope bordering on cliche. A trope that allowed how we write most women to stagnate. Love interests, mothers, etc. didn’t have to get with the times. Just toss in a girl that does cool guy things and you’re golden! Most copycats lacked the balance that made Rose so iconic.  Enter Utena, so far ahead of the curve. I’ve heard her described as revolutionary even.

The titular Utena is a fairy tale character in the real world. She is a perfect lil Mary Sue, but the more the story matures the more it becomes obvious a fairy tale character lacks the sense to pick up on real issues. That’s Utena’s magic; juxtaposing the uber cool main character with the actual scary forces in the world. Leading to an ending that lets seemingly useless, docile Anthy drive the point home. A character like Utena can inspire strength...but most girls are going to have to learn other tactics. “Utena” is the Japanese word for Calyx, the outer part of a flower bud that protects it. Smash the world’s shell...

Revolutionary for the time, ahead of the curve in so many ways. But its 30 years old now. We’re at a point it isn’t rare to see casual critique of leaning on the action girl tomboy as a crutch. Nothing new under the Sun, we’ve been here before. It’ll swing that way until a new generation thinks Peppermint Patty is subversive again. And that’s the landscape One Piece got to have fun with.

Which brings us to our pair of breakout new faces in Wano. One of the biggest changes to stories that play with gender roles in this day and age is the reality we pay more attention to why some people organically feel that way. Yamato’s still playing this trope straight. Very straight actually. Background is totally on par with Oscar and the way you go about it feels very similar...for the most part. Could say the same about Utena, Yams is someone who kept that spark of nobility equivalent well into adulthood. There is definitely not a “woman is still a woman” angle with Yamato. The bath scene is a great example. No, you just don’t have that modesty. 

Kiku has that element though, in spades. Her story runs on it. What was old fashioned becomes forward thinking now by combining two tropes. Let the girly trans woman have that old theme if it isn’t as relevant anymore for most women. Same logic I’d use to say she makes a great quartermaster template. It’d be an eyeroll to make most female crewmates the one swabbing the deck or doing laundry in establishing shots...not so much if it’s Kiku. Which gives a cool edge, what’s stifling for some is liberating for others. 

That said...looking at the two together I can’t unsee the gentle repudiation of the very extreme end “all that matters at all is what you say your are” mindset. We’re not getting into discourse here, I’m just identifying trends that exist regardless of how you may feel about them. One Piece is far, far, far from the only reflection the pendulum is swinging the other way even within the community. Yamato’s treated more on the same tier as like, Bon & Iva. He does feel a little more like a caricature at points. And I do think part of the way they’re used together is making a statement about their relative journeys. How certain aspects can feel like Yamato gets the best of both worlds and Kiku the worst. Yamato doesn’t have to care because at worst you’ll think he’s silly instead of creepy and for meeting that impossible bar of being the perfect lady as good as anyone in Wano...Kiku’s “prize” is having to juggle two sets of lofty expectations.  

I feel like Oda really knew what he was doing here. Knew teenage battle shonen fans would bend over backwards to make excuses for Yamato and aggressively ignore Kiku. If OP Academy’s pulling the same trick this was clearly the intent. Both play with the expectations of that generic Strong Female Character archetype One Piece has generally avoided. Oda’s great at writing women but seems to feel that action girl tomboy is a crutch too. We’ll probably revisit this one down the line. It’s a deep well and one that’s delicate to talk about. But I wanted to end this tour of my drafts page for the last year with a bang.

[ghostlymonade]

Now it's Persona-l: Escapism and Freedom in Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Persona 5

On the surface, Tokyo Mirage Sessions seems about as Diet Persona™ as a game can get. With a cast of colourful teens out to save the world using their Stands Persona  Performa, some critique of our society, and the same amount of clueless running around Shibuya, it would be easy to write the game off as a quick cash-grab by their respective studios. But when giving TMS another look, you might be surprised at the depth that lurks beneath the pastel-coloured waters. Today we’ll be taking a deep dive into two specific themes that persist across both games.

For those who somehow missed an originally Wii-U exclusive JRPG which didn’t include the Fire Emblem or Shin Megami Tensei tags in its title, Tokyo Mirage Sessions: FE is a collaboration between Atlas and Intelligent Systems to bring a little Fire Emblem flavour to the familiar Zio-spamming recipe of the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. The game follows Itsuki Aoi, a nineteen-year-old with dark blue hair who has therefore been recognised by the universe itself as the main character. He discovers his ability to summon a Performa— a Fire Emblem character turned to a Persona – and joins up with other Performa users to battle mirages (i.e Shadows), pursuing their dreams and growing stronger as they do. It’s a setup that requires no further introduction if you’ve ever picked up an Atlas game before. They have a rightful confidence in this formula that allows them to focus on refinement and improved storytelling, the benefits of which absolutely shine in Persona 5.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions predates its more successful cousin by two years, but I argue we see the same brilliant attention to detail, themes and realism across both, and nowhere is this more apparent than in how both games handle freedom and escapism. For those still working through these eighty-hour behemoths, not to worry! There are spoilers for the first few story dungeons and other aspects, but not the endings of the games.

The two player teams present an interesting dichotomy, partly because of how similar they seem on the surface. Take their publicity situation. Posters of the Phantom Thieves’ logo plaster every building in P5, and Shibuya 106 is always displaying posters of Kiria or Tsubasa’s newest production— a very nice touch for TMS’s story, considering how much focus is placed on the nitty-gritty, mechanical aspects of building a career in performing. But there is one key distinction. While neither group is recognised for their heroic work in the Metaverse or Idolasphere respectively, the names Kiria Kurono, Tsubasa Oribe and Mamori Minamoto have gathered everything from a cult following to a full-blown fan frenzy. This has fascinating ripples throughout the rest of the story that feel fully considered by the writers.

Within the P5 cast up to Okumura’s Palace, many members join the Phantom Thieves because they feel backed into a corner. In Joker’s case, the corner is very literal. For Ann and Makoto, they could, in a purely technical sense, do the bidding of the villain and escape physically unharmed, but nobody in their right mind would suggest submitting to Kamoshida or Kaneshiro is a good idea. Imagery of imprisonment is everywhere, through promotional art and cutscenes and every line of dialogue. But this imprisonment is rarely a physical thing. Even in the literal jail of the Velvet Room replaces one wall with a huge portal back to the real world, albeit obscured by the camera angle. Restrictions on the Phantom Thieves are often nebulous or even self-imposed, and I find it fascinating that their problems rarely evaporate after they awaken their Persona and gain a new outlook. While the pressures of society are given a face for each Thief, the writers never make the mistake of treating it as if these singular persons are the only issue— instead, they represent a wider imprisonment.

Conversely, the Mirage Masters don’t seem to face these same issues. Not to say they have no conflict, but there is a sense of freedom that permeates every aspect of the game. It’s an interesting approach; their lives aren’t ruined or ended by failure, but their dreams will crumble before them if they can’t push on in their professional journey, and the world will be worse off for the loss of talented creators to the mirages. The Idolasphere may not feel of much import. Obviously there are consequences to leaving it unchecked, otherwise there would be no driving plot force to have the characters enter at all. But the Idolasphere and its adventures seem to be an inconvenience to most of the TMS cast. They aren’t actively seeking out new Idolasphere locations, excitedly searching for new equipment and attempting to train their Performa in their off time, the way the Phantom Thieves do. These are driven young professionals, yes, perhaps with the exception of main character Itsuki Aoi. But not driven by anything the Idolasphere offers- they already have their career aspirations, and it isn’t to fight shadows mirages for the rest of their lives.

This is even reflected in gameplay. Where leaving the palace in Persona 5 ends your day and has you missing out on a limited timeslot, TMS allows the player to jump in and out of any Idolasphere location, at any time. You could say that this is because TMS lacks the limited time frame mechanic that appeared in all three modern Persona games, but I would say the lack of that day-by-day mechanic is, itself, another way to show the freedom the TMS cast enjoy.

For the Phantom Thieves, the metaverse is their escape. Even in official art, you can see the grins as they jump into action:

Regular life, for the Thieves, is a tedious Sisyphean battle, where they feel like they have little power and little control. The power of a Persona is one thing that elevates them, makes them special, in their minds, anyway. Right from the flash-forward at the start of the game, it’s clear that the world is hostile to them. While Joker bounces around with a grin on his face and heaps of style, crowds react to him with fear, scorn, and derision. This in spite of the fact he has seemingly done little more than nab a prize and disappear, in true phantom thief style. And when Joker is caught by the police, the prospect of the truth being discovered becomes more and more unsettling, the closer the Phantom Thieves grow to each other. Beside the criminal charges: Ryuji is separated from his single mother, Ann loses her career and support network, Morgana loses the only people who understand him, Makoto loses her best chance at individuality and self-expression. The world is out to get the Phantom Thieves, and if that happens, they lose everything. They won’t die, presumably, but their lives are likely to become hollow and empty. This again emphasises the idea of their imprisonment being a less tangible thing, hard to fight and much harder to escape from.

I could probably go on for another few pages but we’ll draw things to a close for now. Escapism has always been a less talked-about motif in Atlas games, rarely the ‘point’ of any one story, but it’s often there, an interesting compliment to the main theme. Persona 3 delves into mortality, and I believe escapism is a fascinating part of that, as a way to distract from it and try to live a happy life in spite of the inevitable end. Persona 4 focuses on finding the truth, despite a society that tries to force conformity, and they discover comfort and freedom by finding people who let them be their true selves. Persona 5 was merely the first game to push these themes into the spotlight. But let’s not forget the lesser-loved Atlas games, either! And hey, maybe if you see Tokyo Mirage Sessions on sale? Give it a go. I promise it’s pretty good.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

I guess it's different with Belos because of what he represents. Characters like Vader or Palpatine are more abstract. Belos represents corrupt religious leaders, abusive authority figures, bigotry, colonialism..etc, he's more down-to-earth. Ironically, the more realistic villains are the ones that need to be dehumanized in order to make sure the audience knows the writer doesn't condone them. In real life, most bad people are the product of shitty upbringings, but in fiction, it's becoming taboo to say they didn't manifest as horrible old people, or weren't destined to be evil from birth no matter how they were raised.

So, I think it's rather funny that Belos represents all of these real world issues, which means we can't get into his backstory otherwise the audience will think the writers actually sympathize with real world bigotry.

Vader and Palpatine represent fascism and the Empire is a literal dictatorship, and we had a whole prequel trilogy explaining how Anakin became Darth Vader. And no one worried whether George Lucas was a fascist sympathizer or not.

Authors can reveal their political ideologies and bigotry through their writing but it's not usually because they humanized their villain; it's usually because they used the tragic backstory to justify the character's actions. There's a clear difference between exploring a character's past to see how they got there and use that as a warning for the audience versus simply excusing them.

Good writers are able to take even the most realistic, down-to-earth villain and show their humanity without ever excusing their actions. It just takes more time and attention to the story and characters.

Also, Belos may represent colonialism, bigotry, etc. but it is extremely surface level in terms of world-building and characterization. When people talk about how much they hate Belos, they usually always bring up Hunter first because abusive parents in media are more triggering for the general audience. So in terms of what they represent, Belos and Darth Vader are both abstract--little kids aren't going to pick up on the larger themes but they will react to Belos hurting Hunter or Vader killing Obi-Wan.

As for the last part of your comment, I'm rather confused; what do you mean that it is becoming taboo to say that villains aren't born evil? Because that sounds like a rather online argument; most people in the general audience don't fret if a movie or TV show explores the villain's past--especially if they're already setting it up. It's only in fandom circles for kid's shows where I hear people being "worried" that the show will redeem the Big Bad or give them a tragic backstory (which few shows actually do but that's another topic of conversation).

Bottom of the line, Belos is not special or unique. A lot of movies and tv shows typically use their villain as a stand-in for a real world issues or show them being shitty parents but most people don't freak out about whether liking that character or not means you support them.

I think Belos gets so much hate because he does not have any good traits or even flashy, entertaining qualities to balance out the evil that he does. We're also in this weird zeitgeist where kid show fandoms have this neurosis about whether or not it's appropriate to like a villain because of what they represent or whatever. It's tiring.

[j9staflower]

HIHIHIHIII!!🧡

SOooo, Quick explanation of the current situation with all this. Apparently there are discussions not only about designs but about the backstories and ethnicities of the characters (not entirely sure if that's the right word to describe it, but if anything it would be about race) in the game.

Before giving my opinion I want to clarify that we all have a say in this matter, no one is excluded by gender, skin color or any other kind of excuse that someone wants to use to invalidate the opinions of others.

Let me introduce myself, I'm Pat, Mexican, I'm mixed race, olive-colored skin, I don't know, I won't say I'm black because I'm not, at least not in terms of skin tone, gender fluid, of legal age and pansexual, I belong to other communities as well but that's the most important thing so far.

Personally I think these discussions are stupid, as always. People who try to put so much focus on things as detailed as the background of a secondary character are not wrong however the probability of having the full story on this is very low and is what was being discussed with both Baxter and Terry.

Let's keep in mind that the creators/writers will not focus so much on other characters that are not as important as the main one, in this case Cove, and the secondary ones being Derek and Baxter. I understand that some people want to know more about Baxter's life and the situation with his parents, but why want so much explanation of a topic that the character may not want to talk about? The game deals with real-world problems as a REAL situation, however it will try as much as possible to avoid so much emphasis on these issues because its main mission is to bring comfort and peace to the player, not more seriousness to something that probably can make some else triggered by the topic.

Regarding the transphobic comments about Terry's clothes. It's pure shit. Not all trans men want to wear baggy clothes that hide our clothes, sometimes we really like a t-shirt and we wear it with a binder underneath or without it because of course, we can't always use the binder maybe or we haven't made our full transition yet.

Terry is a character that is still in process during step 4, it is up to your imagination whether later on he is someone with or without hormones because we do not know if Terry really wants that or just whether Terry wants to have surgery but not take hormones or vice versa.

As for the background theme I think it is equally interesting because we never have the opportunity to know how or when he and Miranda meet up.

And because of Cliff's race and the idea of Cove having some race or nationality.

Oh my god, pure shit again. Why not leave it to the imagination? Why not just enjoy the plot? Why not do your part of the work and assign them their own provenance?

Personally, I'm not someone who pays attention to race when it comes to love or platonic interests. I don't care about them because in any case it would be a racist act to pay attention to who I usually hang out with or fall in love with, it just doesn't make sense and I never care about it unless the person wants to bring the topic with me.

Even if the creators wanted to give him a race, many would be complaining like right now about the fact that the character does not have the aspects of that nationality or race, or that the creators are to blame for calling them racists.

They are just people looking for reasons to complain because they are not happy with anything.

Now, I accept GB Patch's apologies, Why? Because I can and because I want to. This dispute is stupid and pointless, I have not been offended and I am sure no one else has been offended directly.

Now look at me and my Lamborghini😍

[thebookishbruja]

I've never watched Heartstopper, so in that sense, I don't go here. But in the sense that I am a bisexual with opinions, I do go here. (I saw that they forced that boy to out himself as bisexual and I have thoughts.)

I just think it's highly ironic that people have taken the inclusive, positive (as in, do something actively to add to the world) concept of 'Own Voices' and made it exclusive, negative (take away stories, police people's identities), and then used it for clout, pretending that they have any moral authority.

LMAO THAT'S ABSURD. YOU ARE ABSURD.

The entire point of 'Own Voices', and having people tell their own stories is to bring more people into the fold. It is to prevent the all too common bullshit of studios and publishing companies and powerful straight white men, of benefiting from marginalized communities while at the same time, leaving them out in the cold.

The point of Own Voices is to put a stop to the common Hollywood phenomenon of "oh look at that brave straight man willing to debase himself and play gay for a role" and lauding him with awards. Meanwhile gay men can't even get in the door because 'you're too femme' or 'no one will believe you as a straight man.'

The point of Own Voices is to address the fact that there are a ton of unemployed trans people because 'we don't know what to do with you' and 'we don't think you are versatile enough to play cis people' or 'we don't need any 'niche' writers, thank you' meanwhile they've got cis people picking up Oscars for the 'brave incredible' act of pretending to be trans for a few months. It's having people lining up to suck you off because 'oh look how much you care about those people' but in real life, they wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.

The issue is, the vast unemployment problem for visibly queer people, and then, us having to watch the people who exclude them parade around acting like their savior.

The answer is always…if the money is flowing, you need to make sure little dams are not being built to keep it from flowing to the communities you are profiting from.

The solution is to make sure marginalized people are in the room in positions of influence, so that the characters aren't mocked. To make sure the stories are told in an authentic manner.

If you are telling queer stories and you haven't got any queer people on the project? That's a problem. If you are making money off communities and excluding them? That's a problem.

Own Voices is a principle that targets the capitalist element of producing art. It looks at the people who fund the project. It takes into account makeup of the project over all. It makes sure that the capital is flowing to the places it is benefiting from.

IT IS NOT an exclusionary principle of 'you have to be of that exact queer identity in order to depict that queer identity'. That's literally absurd. It inhibits empathy. It restricts storytelling. And, it goes in the dead opposite direction of where we want to go!!

AND it is actively homophobic and destructive and malicious, because it leads to policing people's identities. It leads to outing people. It leads to reductive, predatory, behavior, it leads to harassment. And for bisexual people, it creates this constant hostile environment of we cannot just be. We cannot just exist. We have to keep proving ourselves.

I remember when I told one of my friends that I was bisexual. (I talked about this in my day of bi visibility post) She told me she didn't believe me. That all girls like to kiss girls for boys attention and for fun. She told me when I ate pussy, she'd believe me. (lmaooooosob I know!) And this is a common common common attitude towards bisexual people. "I don't believe you. Perform a sex act." PEOPLE I'M NOT KIDDING THIS IS ABSURDLY AWFUL AND HORRIBLE AND YES SOMETIMES FEELS DARKLY COMEDIC BUT IT IS SO HARMFUL AND IT IS SO COMMON. STOP IT.

Now, is there nuance to the question of casting queer people in queer roles? Yes. Of course. As a feminist I would be remiss to not mention trans women. (actual feminists give a fuck about all women not just cis women, just, you know, for the record) For example, with trans women, the most overbearing stereotype of trans women is that they are men in disguise. There are quite literally legal defenses that are built on it that have (and continue to allow) men to murder trans women and escape punishment in America. That they are just men under women's clothes, tricking you. Waiting to spring the truth on you. They are literally murdered behind this vicious bigotry. When you have a cis man playing a trans woman, you risk feeding into that stereotype.

Now. There is more nuance on top of that. If the project involves trans people, trans women are writing it, is it well done, is it humanizing? It may have value! But people also aren't obligated to feel overjoyed about it either. People are allowed to point out that connection and to prefer to see a trans woman in a trans woman role.

BUT THERE IS LITERALLY NO NUANCE ANYWHERE that allows you to take this concept of own voices, and use it to say "you must always be x to portray/write x or we will harass you." THERE IS NO EXPLANATION ANYWHERE that allows you to require people to 'prove' their identities to you. There is LITERALLY NO WIGGLE ROOM for you to demand people to perform sexual or romantic acts for you to 'prove' who they are. That is disgusting. And it is actively hostile to bisexual people.

And when you fix your fingers to get on twitter and say that a boy (HE IS BARELY 18) is APPROPRIATING queer identity because he hasn't fucked a dude for you on camera, I mean lol you don't give a fuck about queer people. STFU lmaooo. You don't look like Marsha P Johnson, you don't look like Harvey Milk. You look like a petty, small minded little asshole with too much time on their hands, trying to get clout on the internet. (I also suspect there is some horny fetishizing behavior at play there because people want to watch him kiss other boys. This is the whole....please understand the difference between fiction and reality. Enjoy fictional queer relationships all you want. Find men hot together all you want. But do not treat REAL LIFE ACTUAL men and boys like they are your little performing dolls ffs. Gross, people. Gross!!)

Anyway,

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE QUEER TO PLAY QUEER. We can demand broad and consistently inclusive projects, AND not be utter assholes and police people's identities. I promise you. We can. In fact, it is perfectly logical, consistent and normal. We can include gay men and bisexual men in projects that depict them, without bullying children. I promise you that. It's easy. It's simple as pie my dears.

And if you get online and use the language of social justice to be a heinous little bully, I hope you know everyone else can see you for what you are. No one thinks you're smart or that you care about social justice. You're just a clout chasing asshole and you need to stop.

[cocogum]

Why don’t the turtles just use cloaking brooches??

It’s clear to say that the brothers in a half shell can be excruciatingly horrible at concealing their presence when fighting out of the sewers.

As much as we’d like to think that they’re experts at hiding in broad daylight or during nighttime, we can’t help but admit that in most of those times, they have either been unnoticed by sheer luck or have simply encountered some humans who seem to somehow not question their looks.

Sure, it must be extremely difficult to hide some parts of themselves while fighting in front of the public so some instances where they’ve been caught couldn’t have been avoidable.

But in some cases, there shouldn’t have been any excuses.

Whenever one of the brothers (or all of them) decides to go outside for whatever reason, they somehow do not catch any attention to themselves when an errand goes horribly wrong or if they simply would like to hang out away from the sewers for a change.

This is surprisingly not the issue here.

The new yorkers are just unaware for some reason.

No, the real problem here is why don’t the turtles use cloaking brooches.

Ever since I watched the thirty-first (18A) episode named “Operation: Normal”, I began to wonder why the turtles did not adopt the newest method of concealment.

In this episode, April desperately wishes to at least have a normal day without anything abnormal ruining it.

Leo, who opposes that idea of hers, claims that that “dream” would be impossible to grant since she has always been a huge magnet for craziness.

He also adds to his explanation that he, along with the rest of his brothers, cannot bring her to any human places due to how they physically look.

That last comment of his piqued my interest.

Because as soon as Leo bursts her bubble, she, later on, meets a young Yōkai by the name of Sunita who is inconspicuously hiding her true appearance thanks to a mystic brooch.

When the trio for this episode learns that the new girl was non-human this whole time, they learn that her disguise was actually done by a cloaking brooch which is a mystic device capable of hiding its user’s true appearance.

After meeting the slime Yōkai, you’d think that the turtles would have learned that there is a better way to completely mask themselves from the public and can now use the same mystic brooches to easily roam around the outside world with no difficulties.

Well… that’s not what they did.

They still proceeded as normal and kept hiding in clothes to hide their skins.

So in other words, even when they found an easier way to hide their appearances from the general public, they still chose to stick with the old method.

The fact that the Hamato family kept their old ways and did not even attempt to at least test one brooch bothered me so much.

There were so many instances in both seasons where I could have practically screamed my ears off at the fact that some situations could have been avoided if they had some of those brooches.

And so, I wondered if there was even a point to all of this.

Why would the turtles deliberately not choose an easier way of disguising themselves?

This question started popping up in my head from time to time until I finally came up with two reasons why the green idiots don’t use them.

1) They would lose their iconic images

I am aware that if the turtles did adopt that way of camouflage, then it wouldn’t feel like we would be watching TMNT anymore since their struggles with avoiding attention have always been a key factor in their characters.

Not to mention that it’s always entertaining to see what kind of clothes they’d pick to hide in.

Due to this problem, I would understand from a fan’s point of view why the story hasn’t taken this route.

On another hand, however, making the brothers use some magic brooches from time to time wouldn’t necessarily ruin their iconic images since Rise! did change some elements about the world like the existence of Yōkais, Draxum and Big Mama being two of the turtles’ enemies, Karai being their ancestor, a younger version of Baxter Stockman known as Stockboy, Splinter’s past, the Purple Dragons being evil tech teens, the Hidden City, and so much more.

Because it’s extremely odd to see no one in the Hamato family talk once about the possibility of using cloaking brooches as a practical technique.

Of course, I’m not suggesting that they should use cloaking brooches at all times since I would personally miss their old-school ways.

They could be able to at least only use cloaking brooches during hangouts.

But at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to at least make an episode exploring this topic.

A part of me would like this since I would want to see what they’d look like if they took human forms.

That is IF they take human forms.

2) The cloaking brooches might change them into their original forms

The thing about these four mutant turtles that separates them from any normal mutant, is the fact that they weren’t human before they got mutated.

Mutants like Meat Sweats, Splinter, the Sando brothers, Warren Stone, the DIGG band, Ghostbear, Hypno-Potamus, Stanley, Repo Mantis, and Todd Capybara all used to be human before receiving the injection.

We all know that a cloaking brooch is used to cover the true appearance of its user but the way it hides the true form of the individual is rather odd.

For humans who get turned into mutants, the cloaking brooch will hide their current mutant appearances in the way that they used to look like when they were human.

Mutants like Meat Sweats and the Sando brothers are examples of this phenomenon.

For Yōkais, the cloaking brooch will hide their true forms with a human appearance that matches their physique OR it might just hide the original body with an object like a toy.

Yōkais like Sunita and Draxum are examples of this situation.

As for actual animals who get turned into mutants, the ability of the cloaking brooch seems to be blurry.

We don’t really know what could happen if mutated animals use a cloaking brooch since we’ve never actually seen a case like this one happening in the series before.

The objective of the cloaking device is to conceal the supernatural facade and replace it with a normal appearance.

So if the turtles and other mutated animals like Piebald were to ever use this mystic device, the chances of turning into their original animal forms or humans would be a 50/50 scenario.

This means it would be possible for mutated animals to have the appearance of what they once were (in addition to the brooch pinned on them) or to look like full-fledged humans.

This could also explain why the Hamato family doesn’t seem to be trying out the brooches: it might be impossible for them to appear normal because they are a special case so they do not want to risk it.

.

.

.

To conclude, we have two possibilities as to why they probably don’t use cloaking brooches.

The first is because the rottmnt team simply wouldn’t let the turtles use those in case they’d lose their iconic appearances.

The second is because there is a 50/50 chance that if they use cloaking brooches, then it might not work exactly like how they had thought it would.

However, there is a third possibility.

Third, the turtles are huge idiots for not using the best solution right at their disposal and are wasting a good opportunity to hang out in the open with their human friends.

(Ngl I legit think this is an actual possibility cuz these turtles act like imbeciles every five seconds-)

Those options seem plausible and easy to believe but it’s clear to see that we’ll most likely never get a straight answer from the rottmnt team regarding this topic.

(Btw u have no idea how hard I wanted to bash my head on a table ever since I saw Mikey buy Draxum a cloaking brooch to hide him from the Hidden City police. LIKE THE GUY KNEW ABOUT THOSE MYSTIC DEVICES THAT COULD HELP HIM AND HIS FAMILY ROAM OUTSIDE BUT NOOO THE DUMBASS DOESN’T THINK TWICE ABOUT IT AND JUST WASTES HIS MONEY BUYING ONLY ONE.)

[andydrysdalerogers]

Sliding Into Home ~ It's A Ruff Life

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Not Just A Pretty Face

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

“Where are we going?” 

“Places.”  

“Frank!” 

“Mary!” 

“Abby, where are we going?” 

“Surprise.”  

“Scott!” 

“Same answer.”  

Mary crossed her arms. “I don’t like this.”  She huffed her indignation and stared out the window.  

“Can’t you just trust me Nugget?” Frank looked back at her through the mirror.  “You don’t even know if it is good or bad.”  

“If you’re not telling me, then it’s bad.” Mary’s eyes widen.  “Are you sending me away?” 

“What?!” All three adults gave her a look.  

“Why would you think that Nugget?” Abby asked.  The bruising on her face had almost disappeared, just a few lingering lines left.  She still had to be gentle with her ribs, but her wrist had been removed from the cast and now just in a brace.  

“Because you’re not telling me where we are going or what we are doing.” Mary’s eyes glassed over. “Am I in trouble?” 

Frank calmly pulled over onto the side of the street and climbed out.  He opened Mary’s door and crouched down to her. “Mary, why are you thinking that?” She shrugged. “Mary, you have to be the most loved little girl in the whole world.” He undid her seatbelt so he could hold her close. “This is just a surprise. I won’t let anyone hurt you or take you away from us, ok?” 

Mary looked at him as two tears fell. “Promise?” 

“I promise Nugget. I love you, ok?” 

“Love you too Frank.”  She hugged his harder. “I wish you were my real dad,” she whispered against his chest. Frank’s heart clenched and he hugged her a little tighter. He couldn’t respond. When he felt her calm down, he pulled back.  

“Ready to trust me?”  She nodded and climbed back into her seat. Frank closed her door and took a moment.  Scott and Abby hadn’t heard Mary and he wasn’t going to bring attention to it. He wanted to be her father but feared that Mary would resent him at taking away her chance to find her real father.  But if what Diane had said was true, Mary’s father needed to stay far away from them.  He walked back to the driver's side and climbed in.  

“Everything all right, love?” Abby studied her husband.  Five years apart and she could still read him.  She could tell something upset him but he wasn’t distraught, so it wasn’t anything bad.  

“I’m alright Cricket,” he flashed her a smile.  “I’m just happy.” He put the car back into drive and took off.  

Arriving at their destination, Mary jumped out of the car.  “We’re at the animal shelter?!?” 

“Yep,” Frank said.  He offered his hand, and she took it. “I thought we would volunteer today.”  He walked them to the front.  “Hi, I’m Frank Adler and this is my family. Director Barnes is expecting us.”  

The receptionist batted her eyelashes, much to Abby’s annoyance, but she remained silent.  “Right this way, Mr. Adler,” the receptionist said, with a rather breathy tone.  

They followed the woman and opened the door to see a man seated at a desk, a large golden Labrador at his feet. Mary squealed when she saw the dog.  “Can I pet him?” 

Director Barnes smiled. “Of course, he’s very friendly. He’s name is Winter.” He watched the little girl bend down to pet his dog.  “You must be Mr. Adler.” He offered his hand. “I’m James Barnes.”  

He shook his hand. “Please call me Frank.  This is my wife Abby and my best friend Scott. The troublemaker on the floor is Mary.”  

Abby caught the eye of the receptionist, who was frowning at the introduction of Abby as Frank’s wife and Abby smirked a little.  Back off bitch, she thought as the receptionist retreated back to the front.  She turned back just as the director was offering his hand to her.  “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Barnes,” she said.  

“Likewise, but please call me James.” After shaking hands with Scott, Director Barnes moved to the door. “Well, I know we talked about volunteering so follow me.  Its playtime for the dogs so you will be helping with that.” He guided the group to a large outdoor area.  “So, the rules are simple: toss, tug or run with the dogs.  They should all be friendly, but they might nip since we currently have a lot of younger dogs who are still learning.  If you need help, I’ll be back in about twenty, but our staff will be in the yard with you.  Have fun.”  

Mary let out another squeal of delight as a horde of dogs, some puppies, some older, raced into the yard.  They attacked the group with jumps and licks as they battled for attention.  Frank sat down and was ran over with puppies, his laughs loud as he was attacked.  Mary ran around as a group followed her.  Abby and Scott were like Frank, sitting on the floor, playing.  

They spent an hour playing with the dogs before helping the staff with feeding time.  But one puppy in particular followed Mary around any time she moved.  When Mary sat, the puppy climbed into her lap and stayed there, even when she was petting another dog. Frank went up to the director.  “What kind of dog is that?”  

“It’s a golden retriever.” The director smiled. “That one is very attached to your daughter.”  

Frank opened his mouth to correct him but decided to let it go. “Is it up for adoption?” 

“He is.” James checked his tablet.  “He’s the last of a litter that came in a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, the mother died but a couple of good Samaritans saw the puppies and brought them in.  He was the runt, but he grew once he got some attention.  Funny enough, the staff named him Dodger, because he would dodge them when they tried to treat him.”  

All of the dogs were eating but the little guy wouldn’t budge from Mary’s lap. Mary decided to hand feed him and he ate his kibble right there. Frank crouched next to them. “You like him, Mary?” 

“He’s so fluffy.” Mary bent her head so her cheek could be against his fur. “He’s a cuddler.”  

“Would you like to take him home?” Frank smiled as Mary’s head whipped around to look at him.  

“Seriously?” 

“Seriously.”  

“I can take him home? Like for forever?“ Mary’s eyes began to glass over again, this time with happy tears.  

“Yeah, Nugget, for forever. But you have to promise to help take care of him. Walks, clean up, baths, everything.  Like you said, you’re nine now. Practically a grown up.” Frank scratched the puppy under his chin and received a few kisses in returned. “We got a deal?” He held out his hand.  

“Deal!”  Mary picked up the puppy in her arms and dove into Frank’s for a hug. Dodger was in between and squirmed to get free, licking both of faces.  Mary pulled away to show off her new puppy to Abby and Scott.  Frank stood up with a smile.  

“Ready for the paperwork?” James clapped Frank’s shoulder.  

“Let’s do it.  

A few days later and Frank was waiting on his family to get to the car to take them to the airport. “Let’s go!”  

“But what about Dodger? I can’t leave him here,” Mary said tearily.  

“Mary, he’s going with us,” Abby said. “Its why Frank got us a private flight.” She hugged her niece. “He’s still too little to stay home and we’re not about to leave anyone behind for this All Star game.”  Abby stood up. “Two minutes Frankie!” She ran back up the stairs. 

Mary smiled.  “Ok! Then I need to get his bag together.”  

Frank tilted his head in the air. “For the love of God, can we please get moving!” 

“Stressed, Frankie Boy?” 

Frank looked out the door to see Johnny and his sister smiling at him. “Hey guys, welcome to casa Chaos.” 

Dodger chooses that moment to make an appearance at Frank’s feet. “Oh my god, look at that precious little bean,” Sue squeals as she bends to pet him.  

“Dodger!” Mary comes screaming out of the hallway with the dog’s bag.  “Have you... Johnny!” 

“Hey Strawberry! Oof!” He catches Mary as she launches herself at him. Johnny adjust her in his arms. “Now, who were you calling for?” 

“My puppy!” She pointed down to where Sue and Dodger are on the floor.  “He’s coming with us since he’s still a baby.”  

"Nice. I like the name too!” Johnny put her down and looks back at Frank.  “I thought we had to leave at 1?” 

“We do, but try telling my wife, niece and best friend that.”  

“I’m here,” Scott said breathlessly.  “Ha! I beat Abby out!” 

“Not fair, I had to pack for three!” Abby yelled from upstairs.  

“I packed myself!” Frank yelled.  

“And who packed our niece?!” 

“Fuck,” he muttered, admitting defeat.  

“That’s a dollar for the swear jar,” Mary sings.  

“It’s a quarter,” Frank retorts.  

“Abby said for the f-word it’s a dollar so maybe you will learn not to use it so much,” she sassed back.  She grabbed the dog’s bag and the leash, clipping it on before taking Dodger down to the SUV that was taking them to the airport.  

“Abigail Cecilia Hernandez-Adler!” Frank yelled up the stairs.  “Let’s go!” 

“Did you just government name me?” 

“Yes and you just cost me a dollar to the swear jar with your stupid rule change so get your ass down here now!” 

“I need help with the bags Franklin!” 

“Fuck my life.”  He turned to move and pointed as his friends.  “Anyone tell Mary I said that, I will make you fly commercial home.”  

Arriving in Boston later that night, Frank carried a sleeping Mary down the steps to the waiting SUVs. He stopped mid staircase and smiled.  “Cricket, we have surprise weloming party.”  

“What do you mean by...” Abby stopped.  “Papi, mami!” She raced down the stairs and into the arms of her father.  

“Mi hija (my daughter),” William Hernandez said as he cradled his youngest child. “Welcome home!” 

“I missed you papi,” Abby cried as she held onto her dad before letting go and hugging her mother Ana. “Oh Mami.”  

“Mi bebita (my baby), you look so much better now.” Ana cradled her daughter’s face. “I’m sorry we couldn’t make it out to you.”  

“Its ok Mami. I had a good husband who took care of me.” She smiled before looking at Frank.  

“Mr and Mrs Hernandez,” he said. He shifted Mary to offer his hand but Ana pulled him in.  

“Stop it Frank. Its either William and Ana or Dad and Mom, mi hijo (my son).” She hugged him the best she could with Mary in his arms.  Frank shakes William’s hand before moving to put Mary in the car.  “She is getting bigger every time I see her.”  

“I know, she’s growing like a weed,” Abby giggles.  She sees movement in the corner of her eye.  “Oh! Mami, Papi, let me introduce you to Johnny Storm and his sister Susan and of course you know Scott.”  Handshakes around until Ana notices the fur ball on the floor.  “And that is our newest addition, Dodger.”  

“Que Lindo!” Ana scoops him up into her arms. “Are you staying at the hotel?” 

“Just for the two days of All Star stuff,” Frank said, “we’ll be at the house for the two days before and after.”  

“Perfect, then tomorrow dinner is at our house,” Ana said. “The whole family is in town to watch you, mi hijo. Johnny, Sue, of course you are welcome to join us.” The siblings nodded.  

Abby covered her mouth to squeal, not wanting to wake Mary. “My brothers?” 

“Everyone, bebita. We’re gonna head home and let you get our Mary to bed.  We’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Of course Ana,” Frank said. “Mary’s been blabbering to see her abuleos (grandparents).”  

Abby’s parents waved as they walked to the car and everyone piled into the cars. “Are you sure its cool that we crash with you guys?” Johnny asked.  

“Of course,” Abby said.  “I would love to show you both around our hometown.” Abby smiled but inside she was nervous.  She hadn’t been back to this house since she had left almost six years prior. Her leg bounced and she clenched her fingers. Frank reached over and gently pulled her fingers apart.  

“Talk to me Cricket.”  

Abby’s lip wobbled a little.  “Haven’t been back to this house since...” 

Frank smiled softly. “I understand.” He kissed her hand. “It’ll be ok.”  

Pulling up to the house that she and Frank had started, Abby was thrown back to the day they bought it.  

Eight Years Earlier 

Abby stared at the house. “It’s big.”  

“Yep.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“We need the room, Cricket.”  

“No, we don’t.”  

“Yes, we do.”  

“Why?” 

“For our babies.” Frank smiled down at his girl. “We’ll have babies some day and I want this to be our forever home. Mary will be a big sister to them one day.”  

She smiled softly. “Promise?” 

“Promise. This will be our next adventure.” 

Abby walked through the door and it was as if time stood still. Their carefully chosen furniture, artwork, even some of the photographs were exactly as she left them. Her breath hitched with emotion.  

Frank let her have the moment. “I’m just going to put her down,” he said softly, kissing her shoulder. “Scott is showing Johnny and Sue to the guest rooms. I had the service open the rooms. Take your time, Cricket.”  

Abby walked the room and touched everything, needed to feel to make it real. This home that they had built themselves, made theirs and she just walked out, leaving it behind. She walked to the shelves and saw all the pictures of Mary growing up but one was in the back that caught her attention.  She picked it up and stared at it.  It was of her and Frank, at the Red Sox benefit, the first year he was with the team.  

“I couldn’t get rid of it.” Frank leaned in the doorway. “You looked so beautiful that night. It was...” 

“I remember.” Abby smiled. It was the first time they made love. She blinked to focus her eyes. “Frankie, I’m sorry.”  

Frank walked to her and lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her back to their bedroom and placed her on her feet by the bed. Cupping her face, Frank stared into her deep brown eyes, eyes that had always captivated and made him feel like he could lose himself. He didn’t know what to say, so he bent forward and captured her lips with his. Abby wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer.  

“Help me,” he rasped. “Help me erase all of the bad memories from this house, Cricket.”  

“Yes,” she whispered. Frank smiled against her lips and lifted her up again so he could lay her on the bed and stay on top of her. He gripped the back of her head to hold her in place as he placed open mouth kisses along her chin and neck.  She let out a low moan.  

“Quiet, baby. We have company.”  

“I can’t Frankie,” she groaned. “You feel so good on top of me.”  

Frank was holding himself off of her slightly, conscious of her ribs. “I’m not hurting you, right?” 

“No.”  

“Good.” He rolled his hips against her pelvis, and she arched, the feeling of his rock hard member against her heated core. As she exposed her neck, he took to the opportunity to nibble and lick down her chest.  

“I need you,” she moaned, trying to keep her voice down.  

“You have me. You’ve always had me, my love. My Cricket. My Abby.”  

They helped each other remove their clothes, Frank taking every opportunity to kiss Abby’s skin, remarking her as his. Abby couldn’t stop touching him, her feather-like touches sending bolts of lighting through his body.  He hadn’t touched her since the assault. He had been afraid to, scared to put her in more pain. But now, here in the home they made together, he was determined to put their relationship back to where it was before.  

Frank stared down at his love, her body open to him, miles of smooth, olive skin that had a slight tone of pink from her being heated. “Can I taste you?” 

“You don’t have to ask,” she said.  

“I won’t take from you anymore. Not after...” he stopped. “I’ll always ask Abigail. You’re my equal and I’ll protect you.  You’re mine.” Abby gasped at his words as Frank positions himself in front of her pussy.  “Am I yours?” 

“Mine,” she gasped as he licked from the bottom to the top. “Frankie,” she cried softly.  

Frank sucked and licked until he brought her to her first orgasm. “Fuck, you always taste amazing.  But I need to be inside you now.”  

“Yes, yes please,” she begged.  Frank flipped them to have her on top. “Why?”  

“I don’t want to hurt your ribs, baby.  Sink down on me.” He helped her lower himself onto him.  “Your pace Cricket. Take what you need.”  

She rocked back and forth as he held her hips to steady her. “Touch me,” she pleaded quietly. “I need you to touch me.”  

“Tell me where.” 

“My breasts,” she whined. “My clit, anywhere, Frankie. Just... ahh,” she cried as he took her breasts in his hands. He tweaks and pinched, watching as Abby’s head dropped back. He let his left hand wander down and his thumb pressed against her clit. He could see her about to wail so he clamped a hand over her mouth.  She looked down at him with wide eyes.  

“You have to be quiet,” he said with a smirk. He moved his hand away from her mouth and to her neck to pull her down to him.  He kissed her softly, distracting her when he pushed his hips up into her. He let go of her clit to pull her hips down on him. The action made his pelvis brush against her, giving her the stimulation to finish.  

“Frankie,” she mumbled against her lips.  

“Go,” he urged. “I’ve got you Cricket. I’ll catch you. Let go baby.”  

With a soft cry, she detonated around him, squeezing him as he helped her through, trying to reach his own end. After a couple of thrusts up, he released with his own groan in her ear, pumping her full.  

As he stopped, the only sounds that were made were from them catching their breath.  Frank held her close, staying inside of her, needing to feel the closeness.  “I love you, Cricket.” He kissed her head.  

“I love you too Frankie.” She smiled as she snuggled into him.  

“Welcome home Cricket. Its finally home again.”  

Next

A/N: The results are in and we finally meet Dodger! Also, I have no idea what's up with the taglist but hopeful doing it like this helps.

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@before-we-get-started

@tinkerbelle67

@jennmurawski13-writes

@bunnyforhim

[eroticcannibal]

I’ll just get this out of the way: I believe in transandrophobia or whatever people want to call it, I believe in listening to trans mens experiences.

BUT. I cannot stand most of the big people on here who discuss it for reasons similar to the recent post you made about how privileged women still experience violence.

I once saw a thread of trans men all saying that cis white women who fear violence and being kidnapped murdered, shouldn’t fear that, and that any cis white woman who is scared of misogynistic violence has just been brainwashed by mainstream true crime and crime shows, and a couple people said “lol they don’t want you why are you scared”.

I am a white cis girl (I’m also a trans guy but that’s not super relevant rn lol). I fully know my privilege and frequently have discussions along the subject of white privilege with friends of color. I don’t shy away from the topic.

but I have almost been kidnapped twice in the short 18 years I’ve been on this planet. One of my earliest memories is that experience in a shopping mall. Every cis girl I know, white or not, has had real life experience at least once with this kind of thing.

and when I saw that thread, it made me feel ill. To me it feels like so many other trans guys on here decided that the “being a man doesn’t make you bad” doesn’t apply to any other privileged group because they didn’t want to be seen as deniers of other forms of privilege. I also saw an entire thread where a shit ton of trans guys were literally saying that, because white cis women are the physical “vessels of the white race”, then apparently we are not at risk of domestic violence because cis white men need us to keep their dream of a white supremacist world alive. and many people responded with righteous outrage just to be dismissed as “well they are just trying to defend white women”.

the fucking rampant misogyny in these spaces is so fucking hard to deal with, and they complain all day about how people ignore issues men have, then turn around and act like one form of privilege means your other experiences of oppression don’t matter.

so long story short thank you for those posts I’ve been so ducking exhausted lately trying to find a balance between discussing transandrophobia with other transmascs, and protecting my mental health from all the misogyny in those spaces. it’s so fucking tiring.

U get it. U get it. And yeah this sickening attitude towards women is rampant in spaces that support the idea of transandrophobia (and honestly I think this most recent wave of "progressive" misogyny is squarely on trans men who believe in transadrophobia, and insay that as one of them) I wasn't sure if I was gonna call out that group specifically myself but since u bring it up!

Also I think we saw the same post cus that sounds like one of a few that set me off lol

Like im not even shocked at ur experiences there. I have experienced and seen some SHIT while playing the role of a white cis woman. And it was all normal. The women who raised me to always be on guard did that for a reason. The distrust of men among white women isnt from brainwashing, its from knowing half your friends were molested by their male relatives and seeing their mothers get beat every evening.

But also that other example you discuss... now I've not seen it in these spaces specifically but I have seen *some* people dismissing violence against white women due to something something white supremacy and just. Its truly sickening. Its evil. (And shows a fundamental misunderstanding of white supremacy, female subjugation is an intrinsic part of it).

And yeah like you say. Any time someone brings attention to any of this shit its "how dare you defend WHITE women". As if they arent still women.

And especially when the social space i occupy still overlaps with the experiences considered that of white women, when I'm facing these justified fears of violence (again) in my day to day life.... yeah. Its fucking exhausting. When the spaces that claim to support my experiences as a man dismiss my experiences and fears because those are the experiences and fears of icky white women. (When they arent even mutually exclusive categories, and even people like me and the most cis of cis women have more in common than difference)

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (762): Thu 18th Apr 2024 

I got started on the next Philip K Dick novel Vulcan's Hammer. This book was written by Dick in the early fifties but not published until 1960. It's set in a world where mankind had forfeited all it's decision making to AI computers. The computers are maintained by a group called The Unity who are threatened by the uprising union named The Healers who seek to return to a life where they could take risks. I assumed that it was called Vulcan's Hammer because there was some sort of Thor-esque God in the story who wields a giant hammer but it turns out it's because there's a computer that defends itself by sending out an army of small hammers with laser beams on the heads...wasn't expecting that. To be honest I'm glad to see that Dick was not above using slightly surreal and dare I say goofy imagery in his novels because although I've enjoyed the works I've read of his already it would be a drag if all the books and short stories of his were done with complete seriousness because it's good to get a good laugh from a book every now and again.

Checked out last night's AEW Dynamite hich featured the final confrontation and a pull apart brawl between Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe. I really hope Swerve ends up winning the belt. I know AEW has come under a lot of scrutiny over the last two years or so and some of it is deserved but one of the best things they've done in the face of all the negativity is rocket Swerve to the moon. I'll give credit where credit is due they allowed Swerve to do his thing, little by little he got himself over with the fans and he is currently the most over guy in AEW and I've always said the most over guy in the company should always be the world champion. We also got to see Chris Jericho's latest reinvention which he calls The Learning Tree where he touts himself as mentor to all the young erformers in the company and offers his help to them and if they refuse he gets angry and tries to force it on them. I didn't even realise until Maffew from Botchamania pointed it out but this new character is meant to be a knock on CM Punk. I'm hoping Jericho can find a way to make this character work like he's done with most of his previous aliases because in-ring wise he's been somewhat of a disappointment plus there have been allegations made about his backstage behaviour so he really needs to do something wonderful to assuage people's perception of him. 

I also tuned into tonight's Hollyoaks. This episode culminated at least the implication that evil JJ raped his sister Frankie. I've been quite outspoken about what a terrible character Warren has become and how happy I am he's being written out. Having said that...if he wanted to fuck JJ up on his way out of the village that wouldn't be the worst thing. As good as the actors who play Frankie and JJ are I dont think I can watch these two anymore as this storyline is too gross. I'm glad they're doing the storyline as it's important to bring attention to real issues but at the same time it's making me feel sick. I also discovered that the whole Patrick appearing to Dilly storyline is already over and it was basically just a one off hallucination caused by a head injury. Aw man. I was hoping she was going to be revealed to be schizophrenic and we were going to get a Dilly & Patrick vs Sienna and Maxine story. Which would have been WAY better. So she's not out for revenge on Sienna anymore? That big build up for Patrick's return was all for that one cameo appearance in the school and then she immediately got fixed? That's like the Ghostface killer failing to kill Drew Barrymore at the start of Scream and then the rest of the film is just the kids at school and the killer never re-appears

[20thcentutygeek]

The Creator of Mind MGMT and DEPT. H is Teaming Up With his Mother, Margie Kraft Kindt, for a Brand-New Whodunit Murder Mystery

Bestselling cartoonist Matt Kindt has shattered crowdfunding records with Keanu Reeves on their blockbuster BRZRKR graphic novels. He’s created acclaimed comics with fellow indie comics darlings Jeff Lemire and David Rubín and his talented studio mate, Brian Hurtt. And now the creator of Mind MGMT and Dept. H. has a new and entirely unexpected writing partner: his mother, Margie Kraft Kindt. Together the two Kindts are creating Gilt Frame, an eccentric and electrifying crime thriller starring the most unlikely detective duo in the history of murder mysteries. The 3-issue whodunit will be published at Dark Horse Comics through Flux House, Kindt’s boutique imprint that features crime, science fiction, and humor stories, all told and presented in startling and untraditional ways. 

“Although it is a privilege and thrill to collaborate with someone of Matthew’s caliber and of his generation, the real joy and value is personal,” said Margie Kraft Kindt. “What a bonus at this time of life, the gift and pleasure of so many hours and days in the company of a grown-up son, sitting across from each other at our partner table, settling into our chairs as we brainstorm plot twists.Each of us takes on the roles of our characters. I develop the energetic persona of the star of Gilt Frame, the take-charge Meredith Pearson — Aunt Merry to her beloved nephew and best buddy, Sammy — while Matt shoots out dialogue for him. We toss around how they would play off each other — so completely immersed in the exhilarating work we are both passionate about, that every once in a while, we stop and ask each other, ‘Are you getting this down?’”

A classic whodunit that spans the globe from Paris to Hawaii to Montenegro, Gilt Frame stars Sam, an orphan in his early twenties, and his well-off Aunt Merry who has an outsized appetite for antiques, travel, and solving crimes. Sam was adopted by his aunt years ago and together they have solved some of the most notorious murders in the world. Now their latest Parisian adventure is cut short when they stumble upon a murder scene so bizarre that only a raging psychopath could have produced it. To solve this crime, Sam and Merry will have to wrestle with jewel thieves, art-forgers, gun-runners, the century-old ghost of the woman in black, a lost puppy, and a master French detective who just might solve the crime before they do.

“Sam, the young nephew in Gilt Frame, is really the star of the show here,” said Kindt. “The voice of reason who generously gives old Aunt Merry just enough screen time” not to embarrass herself. He’s always looking out for her as they solve a real puzzle of a murder. It’s not a locked room murder mystery. It’s more of an unlocked…UNHINGED murder mystery.”

 For over 20 years, Matt Kindt has been writing and illustrating inventive, independent comics that balance action-packed storytelling with a highly personal creative vision, with titles like BRZRKR (with Keanu Reeves), Apache Delivery Service, BANG! Dept. H, Ether, Fear Case, MIND MGMT, Folklords, Revolver, 3 Story, Super Spy, and Pistolwhip. But he’s never had a collaborator quite like this… “While we were working on this book it brought back memories of me when I was ten or so…and Mom constructing pretend “crime scenes” at home for me to solve,” said Matt Kindt. “ Follow the fake bloody footprints to figure out what happened. Pay attention to the broken clock. Why is that door open? That childhood memory actually explains a lot. Very formative. So of course it only makes sense for us to build another crime scene together. Brings me back to my roots and to what writing has always been for me – play. We’re having fun.”

The 64-page giant-sized Gilt Frame #1 is due out in comic shops on August 7, and advance copies will be available for sale at the Dark Horse Comics booth at San Diego Comic-Con. Follow Dark Horse Comics on social media for more news, announcements, and updates.

[tatiekfuji]

Review wisely by Denny Ja’s chosen work to 40: tomorrow in the morning, it is uncertain

In the world of literature, the work that becomes the conversation of many people must have its own charm. One of the works that succeeded in capturing the hearts of the reader is “tomorrow morning, the evidence” written by Denny JA. This work not only attracts attention with its unique title, but also with a story full of surprises and the nuances of mystery. This time, let’s review wisely by the 40th selected work of Denny JA.    “Tomorrow in the morning, the apartment is uncertain” presents an unexpected story in everyday life. This story is centered on a character named Terrap, a young man who has a normal life. However, his life changed drastically after he woke up one morning and realized that his future was no longer certain.    In the course of his life full of uncertainty, therapy met with a variety of interesting characters. Denny JA with his expertise describes humans in his work, inviting the reader to know my likaliku real life. The depiction of deep and realistic characters allows the reader to feel emotions and get involved in this story.    In addition, Denny Ja also succeeded in creating a thick atmosphere in every scene. The reader will feel how tense the atmosphere is when the apartment is trying to find answers to the uncertainty of his future. In every page, Denny Ja managed to bring the reader in an adventure full of surprises and intrigue.    Not only that, “Tomorrow morning, Introduction” also raised several relevant social issues. Through this story, Denny Ja invites the reader to reflect and question the meaning of life, not only for the main character, but also for us as humans. This story raises awareness of the importance of living life with meaning and dares to face unexpected challenges.    Denny Ja also succeeded in presenting a language style that captivated the reader. With the use of beautiful words and well -structured sentences, he is able to live the reader’s imagination. Every written word has the power to make the reader drifted in the story described.    As the 40th chosen work of Denny Ja, “tomorrow morning, the apartment is uncertain” proves that this author has extraordinary abilities in creating interesting and deep stories. In this work, Denny Ja managed to show his expertise as a writer who can arouse the reader’s feelings and present stories that can inspire.    In the world of Indonesian literature, the work of Denny Ja is always awaited by his loyal readers. The work is always able to present stories that inspire and meaningful. “Tomorrow in the morning, the apartment is uncertain” is one of the tangible proofs of Denny Ja’s expertise in writing and presenting extraordinary stories.    Denny Ja’s selected work is very worthy of praise and is the subject of discussion. We are invited to follow the mysterious and uncertainty journey. Denny Ja jelly describes daily life full of surprises, making us the question of what will happen next.    For literary fans, “Tomorrow morning, it is not sure” is a work that must be read. Denny Ja, with extraordinary intelligence and imagination, is able to present an unforgettable story.

Check more: review wisely by Denny Ja’s chosen work: tomorrow morning, the apartment is uncertain

[onlyswan]

hi art!! I just recently came across ur acc and im curious abt some stuff like for one what are ur fave musicians to listen to ? Bc I remember the first thing I read from ur page - I forgot the name 😭 but it was when oc and jungkook kept meeting on a train while she was listening to cas and reading a book and omg since that moment I knew u were my favorite writer bc you were able to capture all my feelings and I just resonated with ur writings sm !! And I also have been using cas as my safe music for years now so seeing someone else also feels the same from years back makes me feel heard somehow !! I felt so safe and just so happy reading ur stuff like I forget about all my struggles I get excited to go to bed since my routine consists of reading ur stuff and it’s literally a daily thing now lol, and if u ever think about doing a long fic or even a novel pls do bc I am in LOVE with ur writing style you are able to capture the smallest details without dragging a story or make it boring you truly can bring stuff to life !! I used to read a lot and try and write poetry and sometimes stories too but thing got in the way and is slowly stopped but you made me remember why I love books so much and why I wish I couldve been a writer and that’s something so special !! also when did u first start stanning bts and have you ever been on the editing community lol? sorry for the rant and bombardment of questions and extreme enthusiasm but tbh I’ve realised that since I love ur fics so much I should start to get to know a bit about the writer and how you came across to writing them !! I hope u know how many peoples days you make better with these stories and ur so sweet too, keep being u !! :33

some of the other artists i listen to are txt, iu, frank ocean, beabadoobee, niki, mitski, fka twigs, omar apollo, hozier, the rose, wave to earth :D and i became an army during mots7! and i assume you meant writing community? :O but since i was like 9 i’ve been writing short stories and mainly poetry as a hobby and hid them all in the drafts. i never rlly published anything until i started this blog !

OMGSJDHDKDKF you’ve been here since gold rush!? this is so insane to me bcs i was pretty much mia in 2021 plus i was in my experimenting phase :| thank you so much for being here all these time !! 😭😭😭💗 i’m so happy we were able to connect through music <3 my favorite form of art <3

and i reallyyyy wish i can do a long fic but i have such a horrible attention span and committment issues lmao 😭 once i get annoyed or bored i immediately detach myself from something it’s a big problem </3 but thank you for your interest i can’t believe you would want to read an entire novel from me 🥹🥹🥹

I am in LOVE with ur writing style you are able to capture the smallest details without dragging a story or make it boring you truly can bring stuff to life !!

oh i’m gonna cry 🥲 i love you so much you have no idea how much i needed to hear this! i’m always insecure about being too much or too little with my writing so this is so comforting 🫂🫂🫂

and omg don’t be sorry i love this energy 🥹 !! i sometimes receive asks from ppl that seem to forget that there’s a real person running this account and that makes me feel dispirited so you’re such a breath of fresh air <3 thank you beloved for being so sweet and kind and reading my works it means the world to me 🤍🤍🤍