#i read it with the 2011 adaptation in mind

[bookholichany]

Finally got a copy of much ado about nothing so I can anotate the hell out of it and I'm going to make it everyone else's problem.

[artbyblastweave]

I've seen your capeshit posts thinking about The Boys, Worm, Invincible, the Big Two and their media landscape, etc. and I've enjoyed them a lot. You've got a good understanding of the creative and fandom forces surrounding the superhero genre. The one burning question that has sat at the back of my mind since I read Worm back in 2018, which I think you might have an interesting answer to, is simply this: IS an adaptation of that serial possible? Like in any practical sense? And would a mass-market Worm adaptation, however compromised by the adaptation process, have a positive or even significant at all impact on the genre going forward, and the way it's perceived both by hardcore fans and the average consumer?

People (including Wildbow himself at one point) have bounced around ideas for how you'd execute a tv adaptation of Worm, so I certainly don't think it's conceptually impossible. It would definitely be hard, because you'd be kneecapped by the absurdly short runtimes of modern tv seasons and the long turnaround time between seasons. Worm also has a wealth of detail and scene staging complexity that would be really hard to reproduce in a visual medium where someone has to either dress up as or animate all those bastards. And as the third kick in the teeth, I've mentioned before that there are ways in which I think Worm is in conversation with the superhero genre and fandom as it existed in 2011- the MCU cape boom has really heavily altered the space. Reference how The Boys (comic) was really specifically swinging a bat at the post-crisis comic book fandom, but the much tighter and more critically successful and broadly appealing Tv show is swinging at the MCU and DCEU.

But something I think Worm still has going for it over basically every other cape thing is its status as a worldbuilding project. Even if you don't understand every single comics element that it's riffing on, it's a story that, despite having a single definitive protagonist, does a really good job of having the setting be a character in the world and not just a bare-bones launchpad for that single protagonist. If the adaptation could really strongly integrate the setting-specific ways in which there have been, like, procedural reactions to the existence of capes, cultural reactions- really capture the sense of accumulating entropy that characterizes the tone of the setting, the sense of everyone being caught up in dynamics too big for any individual to control, the sense that all of this is in some way adding up- it would be doing something that's really just really not currently covered by any cape adaptation that's gotten big. And tonally, this would pan out (in fact does pan out) as something unique as well, because the fact that there's this entire setting out there constantly disintegrating under its own weight juxtaposes really well with how Taylor is constantly fighting like a maniac to sandbag her own little corner of purgatory. I really can't think of another superhero work that strikes that balance! And it's a balance you can't strike unless you're able to convincingly render that disintegrating world.

[longwuzhere]

My Adventures with Superman Issue #2 Easter Eggs

The second issue of the My Adventures with Superman's comic book tie-in which bridges the gap between seasons 1 and 2 [W: Josie Campbell, P&I: Paolo M. Collar, C: Nick Filardi, L: Lucas Gattoni] is out this week and so lets check out the Easter Eggs in it! Remember the second issue can be bought at your local comic shop!

My Easter eggs lists for season 1 is here if you haven't seen it!

My season 2 episode 1 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 2 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 3 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My season 2 episode 4 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 5 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 6 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 7 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 8 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 9 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 10 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

Spoilers if you haven't read the issue yet

Starting things off Clark gives us a summary of what happened last issue and he mentions that the military took the Amazo robot back to Mt. Simonson and mentioned the defenses it has like the lead walls and the Cadmus Red Sun Omega Field. I talked a bit about Mt. Simonson's reference here, the lead wall's blocking out Superman's x-ray vision here, Red Sun being a weakness for Superman and Cadmus here, and the fact that the caption using the word Omega in the Red Sun Omega Field and the Kirby crackle in the panel here.

When our Daily Planet trio go to the base to figure out where the Amazo robot is Jimmy gets put on blast for his conspiracies about the things the military may or may not have or be doing. The latter two panels mention a turtle boy and Atlanteans from the Mariana Trench.

The first reference is a nod to Jimmy Olsen's time as the Giant Turtle Man. Giant kaiju turtle Jimmy Olsen makes his first appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #53 (1961) [Cover art by Curt Swan] where Jimmy finds a treasure chest containing an enlarging ray that Jimmy accidentally triggers with a turtle nearby acting as a filter causing the ray to hit Jimmy creating the Giant Turtle Man as seen on the cover. Superman fixes this by using Brainiac's shrinking ray on Jimmy and Lori Lemaris who was once Superman's mermaid partner figures out Goxo, an Atlantean criminal who built the enlarging ray, was involved in all this. MAwS Jimmy also mentions mermaids and I talked more about the only Superman related mermaid, Lori Lemaris here.

Jimmy mentioning mutated Atlanteans from the Mariana Trench brings to mind the Trench from the Aquaman comics. This underwater civilization that was once part of the Atlantis kingdom and when Atlantis sunk to the ocean, the Trench adapted to their underwater environment to be more like the deep sea creatures who live deep down the depths of the ocean floor. The Trench make their first appearance in Aquaman #1 (2011) [W: Geoff Johns, P: Ivan Reis, I: Joe Prado, C: Rod Reis, L: Nick J. Napolitano] where they were seen surfacing back up from the ocean floor. You might also have seen them in the first Aquaman movie where Arthur and Mera are on a boat in the stormy seas and the Trench swarm and attack their boat.

Later on as Jimmy gets escorted to the visitors area, we see Robert and Slade have a dick measuring contest and Slade mentions Team Seven. I talk more about Robert's comic book counterpart here btw.

Team Seven makes its first appearance as Team 7 under the legendary Jim Lee's former comic imprint, Wildstorm in Gen 13 #4 (1994) [W: Jim Lee, Brandon Choi, J. Scott Campbell, P: J. Scott Campbell, I: Alex Garner, Sandra Hope, C: Wendy Broome, Wildstorm FX, L: Richard Starkings, Comicraft]. In the double page spread, John Lynch explains the history of the Team 7 which he was a part of, telling the Gen 13 kids, that their fathers who were all part of Team 7 was exposed to the Gen Factor to give them superpowers thanks to International Operations who now want to control the Gen 13 kids.

When Wildstorm and their characters were absorbed into DC, they became part of the DC universe and during the New 52 reboot Team 7 was reintroduced again with some familiar faces from the DC universe joining the team.

This iteration of Team 7 made its first debut in Team 7 #0 (2012) [Cover art by Ken Lashley and Nathan Eyring], where the team was composed of former Wildstorm Team 7 members, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash aka Grifter, and James Bronson aka Majestic, DC familiars Amanda Waller, Dinah Drake II (the second Black Canary and daughter of the first Black Canary aka Dinah Drake I), Steve Trevor, and Slade Wilson and then-new to the New 52 universe characters Dean Higgins, Kurt Lance (who eventually marries Dinah Drake II), and Summer Ramos.

This iteration of Team 7 is a government affiliated team that is used to stop metahuman threats.

Later in the issue we meet Dr. Killgrave who, along with his team, are doing experiments on the Amazo robot.

Thaddeus Killgrave makes his first appearance in Superman #19 (1988) [Cover art by Jerry Ordway]. In the comics Professor Killgrave was a mad scientist who helped build anti-Superman tech sometimes even selling them to other villains. He also worked for Intergang before Superman was able to stop them all together.

And with that we finish the Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman #2! Come back next month to see what is in issue 3! Be sure to preorder your copies at your local comic shops because not only are you showing DC that there are fans behind this book, but you are also helping out a small local business stay afloat as well!

My Easter eggs lists for season 1 is here if you haven't seen it!

My season 2 episode 1 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 2 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 3 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My season 2 episode 4 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 5 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 6 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 7 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 8 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 9 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My season 2 episode 10 Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

[aagatinha]

Theories

I'm back with my obsession with Tintin and to this day I can't accept that they haven't released a sequel to this overrated work!

But come on... I have a few things in mind, like the fact that (I believe):

1- [about the 2011 movie] ...our dear reporter has already completed all the adventures he hadn't yet met the Captain on (perhaps you'll think: "ok, this one's a bit obvious")

2- [this one encompasses all the adaptations] I also believe that Tintin is orphan

3- [from a psychological perspective]... I don't remember where I read about it, as it was a long time ago, but it stuck in my mind: which is the fact that he has a thirst for adventure and consequently gets involved in dangerous situations... I must admit that I agree that perhaps he has this 'passion' as a way of filling some emotional gap (hence my 2nd theory once again).

This scene makes me think even more about these last 2 theories.

*pause for dramatic moment*

Continuing:

4- [this is not so much a theory, but it sparks a lot of discussion among the fandom...] For me he's between 19~25 years old (chronologically speaking, I believe that in the adventures he did before meeting Haddock, he could have been under 19, maybe 16, 17...)

... For me, in the films (both the 2011 and the old live action films) he has this age range (19~25). If you ask me for an exact age, I would say that in Spielberg's adaptation he is 19 (although they say he is 16. What is it? He doesn't look just that!)

Not to mention that Hergé himself has already spoken about him being between 16-19 (emphasizing 19) when asked in an interview

5- I believe he is 1.65 to 1.70cm (5'5" / 5'7") tall :D (this one is more guesswork, and as a theory, I like to play with my imagination... After all, I recognize that he is not that tall!)

For now, that's it 😃

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Timeline Preface

First of all, it's necessary to make clear which years will be used as reference for each game, for these years will dictate everything else in the timeline.

Persona 1 -> 1996

Persona 2 -> 1999

Persona 3 -> 2009

Persona 4 -> 2011

Persona 5 -> 2016

In total, we will be covering 20 years of in-game events plus a few here and there. The following is a list of the events that WILL NOT be considered canon in the timeline, just to keep it in mind:

Shin Megami Tensei: if... Gakuen no Akuma Tsukai

Shin Megami Tensei if...: Jin of the Expanse

Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn

Revelations: Persona (basically the americanized version)

Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen

Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze

Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection

Persona 2: Innocent Sin ~ The Errors of Their Youth

Persona 2 Tsumi: Lost Memories

Persona 2: Tsumi ga Ataeshi Batsu

Persona 2 Batsu: Infinity Mask

Persona: Tsumi to Batsu

Persona 3: Owari no Kakera

Persona 3: Shadow Cry

Persona 3: The Night Before

Persona 3 Portable

Persona 3 Portable: Velvet Blue

Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

Persona 3 Em

Megami Tensei Chaining Soul: Persona 3

Megami Tensei QIX: Persona 3

Persona 3 Broken Shadow

Persona 3 Illust Puzzle

Persona 3 Escape

Persona 3 Drama CD: New Moon

Persona 3 Drama CD: Full Moon

Persona 3 Social

Persona Ain Soph

Persona 3 FES: Alternative Heart

Persona -trinity soul-

Persona -trinity soul- Novel

Persona 4: Kiri no Amnesia

Persona 4 The Card Battle

Persona 4: Your Affection

Persona x Detective Naoto

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

Persona O.A.

Persona 5: Mementos Mission

Persona 5 Tactica

Persona 5: The Phantom X

Persona Mobile Online

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth*

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth*

Vanilla Versions of P3, P4, and P5

Animation and Movie Adaptations

Manga Adaptations

Bad Endings

Comic Anthologies

Live Action and Stage Adaptations

Drama CDs unless specifically mentioned

Novel Adaptations

That weird promotional P4 flash game

The ones that WILL be considered canon and will be included in the timeline are the following:

Plus the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment PSP additional scenario.

Final Details

After each part, I will be including a "personal assumptions and headcanons" section. None of the things mentioned in said section are confirmed, in fact, some headcanons will be mentioned. Its purpose is just to enrich the canon already established by the timeline. You'll get it when you see it.

If there is a Social Link/Extra Scene/Additional Dialogue in another game/novel/CD that wasn´t in the list but enriches the story, those details will be included (glances at P3 Portable and Reload). A similar thing happened with PQ, which was almost included because of Chronos. Since everyone's memories were erased anyways, I just took Chronos and left them in their pocket dimension to live their non-canon adventures. Same thing happened with the P1 manga, since it offered extra details and more about Naoya. From Tsumi to Batsu I only took the extended Philemon lore.

Possible Questions

“Why wasn't X media included?”

It depends.

I would have been okay with Tsumi if it didn't overlap with what happens in the main game. Batsu did have some interesting elements, but I couldn't find a gameplay in a language I spoke.

I wanted to include Tsumi ga Ataeshi Batsu so badly, but also couldn't find it online.

I didn't include Vanilla P3 since it needed The Answer to feel truly complete. The same happened with Golden and Royal. Portable was already an AU the moment Minako was included (sorry, queen). Honestly, you can just ignore the extra content from the remastered games or change Minato's name to Minako/Hamuko/Kotone to get the timeline you want (if you want the full FeMC experience, also read Velvet Blue).

At the moment of this timeline's creation, Reload still hasn't launched their own version of The Answer.

Ask me for specifics about other media that wasn't included.

"You forgot X media, which wasn't on either list!"

PLEASE, LET ME KNOW! I know the wiki is incomplete (discovered this when I tried doing an iceberg years ago), and that some media slips through the cracks.

If you can provide a link where I can read/watch/hear it (either English or Spanish is fine), I would be eternally grateful (also if someone can give me a translation of the Naruhodona-SEES section of the Persona Stalker Club pretty please, I would kiss you).

Though if new media was released after March 2024, the year this timeline was made, then that's why it wasn't included.

"Are the timelines already done?"

Nope. They're still in progress, but I wanted to leave some things clear before I published them. If you have any proposals or recommendations, there's still time.

That's all for now. See you next week!

[sgiandubh]

If they followed the books they'd be more frisky 🤡

But obviously some of it can't be translated into tv......

Dear Frisky Anon,

You should have discussed it with a real Gabaldon Expert like @gotham-ruaidh, not with Phoney here, who still fumbles around The Fiery Cross. So, I think you will have to ask me once I am done with Bees, which I bet will be just in time for the second half of Season 7 to kick in. I am told J&C do not have any problems in that department until the very end of it, and well, what can I say, it's Herself's prerogative to portray as she sees fit a legendary, all-encompassing love story as the one she magically created out of thin air (all writing is magic, trust me).

Never mind. Your question made me think, just as I was preparing the lazy dinner for 1 (Baby the Retriever is gone until Tuesday evening), about a couple of things, dealing with adapting content to the screen and also about how our minds deal with the difference between a book and the movie/series based on that book.

Adapting Gabaldon is a very difficult task. Take for example The Fiery Cross' never-ending Gathering. My God, all those words to describe just 24 hours! I have just finished with that unfortunate thief and I am so dizzy with it, I can't even remember if they had breakfast yet. The only solution they had was to go off canon and invent something at The Ridge, because it would have taken forever and hey, it's all about a healthy costs/benefits ratio, too. And mark me: Herself is no Marcel Proust, able to make us dream for hours about his description of Vermeer's View of Delft, somewhere In Search of Lost Time. FYI, I had to wait, as millions before me, until I fucked my meniscus skiing (or attempting to snow plough, to be honest) to discover Proust, but never looked back. Also FYI, Luchino Visconti tried to make a film out of Proust's voluminous saga, but failed. Nina Companeez managed (2011) a very, very poor TV series: unwatchable, and I tried. It is unfeasible - so, overall, I think the series scriptwriters' team did a very good job slaloming between botanical babble, Appalachian folklore, the White Sow and yes, J&C getting frisky.

But the thing I wanted to tell you (so long for distributive attention, I've just burnt my baguette and chicken and will have to start it over again) is just how different the experience of reading something and watching the same thing being translated on screen is. I am obviously no neuroscientist, but I am an avid and normally a quick reader. When you read something, you are at once completely spellbound and totally free: you are taken with the characters' interaction, but you are the master of your course imagining them. You placate your own vision of the world on what you read and, at the same time, you are being overtly manipulated by the storyteller: how this can be is, for sure, a mystery. When you watch an adaptation of what you once read, half of the work is being already done for you: you don't have to imagine these people interacting, they are walking and talking in front of you and then, you focus on other things. It's all about the energy they manage (or not) to convey: acting is, in a fair measure, akin to channeling that energy.

As far as I can tell, the scriptwriters opted for a more subdued approach to Jamie, Claire, sex and old age. But can you say with absolute certainty we aren't collectively projecting our own fantasies on what is certainly Herself's very euphemistic, almost conservative way of writing sex scenes? Anais Nin, she ain't. Embraces and moments of - ahem - togetherness abound and we are left to our own devices to imagine things.

Thus, the horrendous and, to be honest, childish battle between the Book Purists' Crowd and the rest of this fandom. It apparently was dealt with pretty quickly, but it did manage to leave a nasty, long lasting legacy: the Book Boyfriend had to go on and remain a screen fantasy. That is wrong. That selfishness almost floundered the book adaptation project and I bet whatever you want me to bet it took deep feelings not to also compromise something else, money can't buy.

A long answer for a simple question. Make of it whatever you wish, Anon: I wrote it with pleasure, though. :)

[scarlet--wiccan]

I'm new to comics, and I've seen a lot of people in the fandom say Quicksilver ages super fast cus of his powers Is there a specific issue or panel that confirms this? (If you don't mind)

No, it's not true. I mean, it's obviously not true-- if it was, don't you think he'd be, like, dead by now? But it's also not a canon fact. I tried looking around online to see where people are getting this idea, and it seems like it's mostly just forum users speculating and theorizing without actually looking at the material-- and most of them are just talking about the movies.

There are canon explanations for Pietro's powers, and how his body and metabolism are able to negate, or compensate for, the damage that a normal human body would incur from being moved that fast. You can find this information, with citations, for yourself on the Marvel wiki, but I have a shorter summary here. But you can take it as read that Pietro's body is highly adapted to support his powerset without negative side effects.

As far as I can recall, the only time Pietro's powers appear to have an adverse effect on his aging is in Son of M, which is a story set in the aftermath of House of M. I know you're new to comics, but one thing you need to know is that 2004 to about 2011 was a really dark period for Wanda and Pietro. Starting with HoM and Disassembled, the characters got dragged through the mud by writers who had no regard for their history or integrity, and there are several contradictions and incongruities that since been swept under the rug. If you're serious about getting to know these characters, then you do need to read these comics, but you also need to be able to take them with a grain of salt and understand that these treatments do not and should not apply to Wanda and Pietro's larger history.

Anyways, in Son of M, Pietro is abusing Terrigen, which is the substance Inhumans use to activate their genetic powers. The Terrigen restores Pietro's speed, which he'd lost, and also gives him the ability to move through time, which appears to be physically draining. We see a dramatically aged version of Pietro from the future who claims that his condition is a result of time travel. Present-day Pietro starts to look a little rough by the end of the series, but he gets better later on. Pietro no longer posesses Terrigen or time-travel powers-- by all accounts, he's back to "normal," and his base power set does not effect his aging.

There's also some particularly unflattering artwork, especially from the 80s and 90s, that makes him look weirdly old, but that's just an unfortunate aesthetic choice. It doesn't mean anything, and it's not the case any more, as you can clearly tell from modern comics where he and Wanda are obviously the same age, and actually look younger than they probably should.

[jtownraindancer]

top 5 burn characters go

Good gods Anon this is evil. Only five!??? 😭💕

I spent like three days trying to make up my mind on this, and I'm still not satisfied, but as of the moment, in no particular order:

The Best Boys

Mr. William Guppy of Kenge & Carboy, Bleak House

He's awkward, he's manipulative, he has no real social skills to speak of, and he's in love. I actually really disliked this character when I first read the book circa 2011, but as Burn seems wont to do, I ended up being completely won over in the end. ^_^; His Guppy is expressive, less a comic relief and almost sympathetic. I mentioned in a conversation with @synthapostate about how Guppy is technically an antagonist, but he's played in such a way that you really can't see it (unlike the book). Also the camera is half in love with Burn this entire series, and it makes it very, very easy to fall in love with this dorky, curly-haired puppy of a man.

Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, Pacific Rim & Pacific Rim: Uprising

I could write sonnets about Hermann for how much I've come to love him. 😅 He's one of the Characters of All Time for me. From his passion, his stubborn resilience, and his sharp humor, to his unwavering loyalty for those he cares for and his ability to care so deeply, how could I not irrevocably fall for him? (Also singlehandedly the cause of the 2023 Burn Binge.) Hermann found his way into my heart from the very beginning, but I never realized how at home he had made himself until the day I turned around and he was patiently waiting for me to see him. I think I fell for him and Newt in the same fell swoop, and my love for both of them is unwavering.

Dr. Owen Harper, Torchwood

I've been in love with this bastard since 2013; I've been repressing that adoration for 10 years. I- I don't really remember the exact moment that my opinion of Owen shifted from extreme dislike to him carving a permanent place in my very being, but there it is. He's sarcastic, an incorrigible flirt, and has one of the biggest, kindest hearts I've ever come across in fiction. At the time, I was pre-Med, and I aspired to be half as compassionate a doctor as him. After Exit Wounds, I gave up Torchwood (I couldn't, not with Tosh gone too.), but I've slowly been dipping my toes back in via Burn's reading of some of the books & the Big Finish audios. It's been 10 years, yet I think I'm more in love with this bastard than I ever was before. (And okay, I admit, he might be my favorite-favorite ^_^;)

Sgt. Detective William Blore, And Then There Were None

Bill, Bill, Bill... He's a crooked cop, he's tired of everyone's nonsense, he's filled with regret, he's probably gay. Detective Blore is yet another classic lit character that I first met back in the late 20-aughts, early 2010s who I really didn't care for. Then 2023 rolls around, and not only did I come to love him in this adaptation, but I've ended up going on an Agatha Christie bender because of it. Burn made me... well love would be too strong a word, but I definitely rank Blore as "a poor little meow meow."

Major Edmund Hewlett, TURN

How could this list be at all complete without including my beloved major? (Just picking a gif for this made me realise how badly I've missed him. 🥺) Edmund is... How do I explain how much I adore this guy? How do I possibly pin down the levels of pride I have in his journey, in his growth, explain the way my heart aches at the twists and turns that will tear him apart and build him back even stronger? How do I possibly do justice in conveying how damn aspirational he is, how merciful, how delightful? I can't, really. He's a force of nature that one must experience for themselves. (And I need to resume my rewatch methinks~)

Runner-Ups

(or the characters who have been spinning in my brain nonstop like rotisserie chickens and absolutely deserve mention)

Ben Jarvis, Cheat

I... I have entire essays I want to write about this guy. I have theories I want to discuss, but as most of them are... I can't. Yet. Maybe soon? I- Anyway. Ben was a huge surprise, and definitely nowhere close to what I was expecting when I finally got around to watching this show. I would be lying to say it wasn't a pleasant surprise, and I absolutely love how Burn was able to do a lot of solo work this series, with a lot of focus on body language and his uncanny knack for killer expressions.

Jacko Argyle, Ordeal By Innocence

This... This beautiful little shit ♡ One of the first Burn movies I actively chose to seek out, my second in his Agatha Christie adaptations, and my first dive into gif making. And Jacko-! Oh, Jacko... You stole my heart then broke it in only a few, few precious moments of screentime and backstory. He haunts the entire film, he haunts me still, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet him.

Martin, Up There

(Oh look yet another one of my gifs 😅)

Martin is absolutely one of my favourite characters, especially for his absolute growth during the film. He crawls out of his downward spiral, he finds himself again, and ultimately discovers that there can be life after death. He just- He's grumpy, he's beautifully sarcastic, he's depressed, he's loved, and he just- Seriously I love him. Martin feels like a friend who I haven't seen in an age, and it's always a good day to bump into him again.

Reverend Benedict Marley, Lark Rise to Candleford

I almost forgot my favourite clergyman??? D:

Benedict Marley came into my life just to shake my very foundations, send me on an existential journey of self discovery, and waited for me at the end of it all with a soft smile and encouraging words. He only had one episode in the show, but his story was so easily woven and understood, his humility humbled me, and in ways that make me almost afraid to admit aloud- I felt seen in a way that I ever so rarely am. I connected to him; I understand him. He has depths that I could hardly explain in a single paragraph, but I can say that- out of all these characters- my feelings are birthed more out of a very deep respect and admiration.

I can't say this list will stay the same- I'm far from through with Burn's portfolio- but for his on-screen roles, these guys firmly remain top-tier for me. :)

(If you'd like to hear about his voice work instead, please let me know; I could go on for Hours about some of those lads. ♡)

Thanks for the ask Anon, and if you haven't seen any of these yet, I definitely recommend them!

[darkcircles4lyfe]

labor of love

Thinking back on the books and shows that have captivated me most over the years, I’ve noticed that a significant part of my enjoyment comes through glimpses of the creator themselves. The human, fallible, subjective, personal, and unique perspective that bleeds through. I'm forever trying to see things from the other way around instead of as the audience. As I become more familiar with a person’s work, I almost imagine myself as the close friend who can see bits and pieces of their loved one in everything the write. 

When I deal with fandoms or read and listen to media criticism, I inevitably get slapped in the face by the absence of this habit in other people. Maybe it’s because of concepts like “entertainment” and “consumption” making art into a product we spend our money on, and therefore we feel it owes us something. Maybe it’s the trend of pretending arbitrary differences in taste are actually somehow a basis for objective criticism. Regardless, even though I see plenty of reminders all over fandom spaces encouraging people to just enjoy things without worrying about whether they have some sort of intellectual merit, I don't see much acknowledgement of the creator’s point of view here. 

So let’s talk about creative work as what it is: somebody’s dream, which brewed in the dark and solitary chambers of their mind, real but invisible to the outside world. By some miracle of good fortune and incredibly hard work, that dream is made accessible to us, the audience. It’s difficult to express how surreal that really is. Not all media is like this, of course. But sometimes you can see when a story is made with love, that the creator is so in awe of this miracle that they bring all of themselves into it. When that happens, I too fall in love, and preference no longer seems to matter. It’s not, “I enjoy this thing because it’s so ME,��� it’s more, “I enjoy it because it’s so THEM.”  

I worry sometimes that I have rose-tinted glasses on, but here’s the thing. We seem to over-associate criticism with logic, and praise with delusion, when in reality they are both limited. What I’m talking about here is neither. Sorry if this sounds cheesy, but I think “to love,” means “to know.” It’s where flaws and strengths blend together into a whole that is understood as it is cherished. 

All these various observations have been tumbling around in my head more and more since I’ve gotten into this funny little thing called Boku no Hero Academia. It’s so popular, so polarizing, it draws in such a wide range of opinions from so many different kinds of people. I find it fascinating to watch, but, like I just said, it also tends to slap me in the face. Not out of personal offense, mind you. More than anything I’m stunned by how disconnected a lot of people are from this human element, whether they are being negative or positive. Even if they know enough to invoke the name of Horikoshi, they treat him like more of a figure than a real person. 

It’s true none of us can actually truly know him. However, I think that while the author/audience relationship is a somewhat parasocial one, it’s worth acknowledging the mutuality of it as well. Let me take you all on a little journey to bring “the creator” down to Earth. 

First, a few plain facts: Before bnha, Horikoshi was able to get two other manga into serialization: Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage. The former lasted 37 chapters from 2010 to 2011. Barrage lasted 16 chapters, in 2012. Juxtapose this with Boku no Hero Academia, which as of writing this, has been running for over 370 chapters spanning 8+ years since 2014. Horikoshi is currently 36 years old (born in 1986). 

Now let’s go back even further. His first one-shot was published in 2007, when he was 21. It’s called Tenko, and you can read it in English here. Most obviously, we can see that this Tenko character was later adapted to the Tenko we know in bnha, with a similar power, backstory, and appearance. But I actually think there are a few other ways we can draw comparisons from this genesis of Horikoshi’s career, all the way to the present. 

Here is the intro that prefaces the 2007 one-shot:

^I get chills looking at this, and it makes me grin, no joke. Please take a moment to read all the little tidbits. It sounds like the intentionally foreshadowing first scene of a famous person’s biopic, but no one had a clue back then. I just find that so hilarious and moving at the same time.

So think of the Tenko one-shot as a window into who Horikoshi was as an artist and a storyteller pre- pro industry, with the assumption that certain aspects of his work are probably simultaneously a bit more upfront but also underdeveloped. You know, like a kid. There’s both honesty and naivety there. I can also think back to being around 21 myself (only a few years ago lol), about the stories I was writing in school, the workshop classes I was in with other people my age, what they were writing, the things that were important to us that we discussed informing our work. It’s a formative time, right?

One of the primary things I notice about the Tenko one-shot is that it centers themes of power, heroism, and trauma, and has a resolution which involves bridging misunderstandings. 

It’s all very ideological, but also full of raw emotion. I read somewhere (sorry can’t remember where) Horikoshi saying that in formulating his idea for the ending of bnha, he has kept asking himself, what does it truly mean to be a hero? It seems he started asking that question way back in 2007, through this little story about swords and their wielders. The Tenko one-shot acknowledges that people and power are morally complicated, as is the idolization of heroes. The ending is hopeful, and looks ahead to times changing for the better by the will of progressively-minded and determined people. 

This reminds me of the current arc of the bnha manga, and how the whole story might eventually end. Horikoshi has shown us that the villains are worthy of sympathy, that they are a product of society’s willful ignorance, that “heroes” have also done abhorrent things. But he has also embraced the pure optimism of youth. He seems eager to ask the big questions about right and wrong, and present us with both ambiguity AND certainty. The final fights are not at all a contest of strength, and there are no winners and losers. I’m very curious to see how far he takes this. I’m sure it will ruffle some feathers, and leave some people unsatisfied, but that’s probably a good thing.

The other major thing I notice in the one-shot is the character Hana. Now, as she shares her name with one of the main characters in Oumagadoki Zoo, and they are also similar in personality, that could be where the comparison ends. However, that’s nothing to say Horikoshi didn’t continue her themes elsewhere. The Hana in the Tenko one-shot is primarily preoccupied with her goal of becoming a warrior, and she was inspired some time ago by a warrior who saved her. This other warrior, conicidentally, turns out to be a brutal, a-moral, self-proclaimed demon, and he actually doesn’t take Hana seriously. In some ways, this reminds me of Hawks with his own idols, Endeavor and Lady Nagant, and more generally the idea in bnha that someone you look up to might not be all you imagine them to be. Like All Might and his hidden suffering. Or like Ochako looking up to Izuku up until his solo arc, after which she proclaimed, “special powers are one thing, but there’s no such thing as a special person.” 

Speaking of Ochako. Hana’s primary source of angst in the story is that since she is a woman, her “masculine” ambition is laughed at and dismissed. Her dialogue with other characters is very direct about this, which I find pretty interesting. 

You can really feel her frustration and see the blatant misogyny in how she’s treated. Even though things are stated kinda bluntly, it feels genuine, ya know? Note that she also wears men’s clothes, and nothing about her appearance is catered to the “male gaze.” I mention all this because to me it contextualizes Horikoshi’s more recent female characters. We can infer that he carried this perspective on, but in subtler and more nuanced ways that might not be immediately noticed. They may sometimes look like shonen stereotypes and be influenced by a misogynistic world, but this is likely an act of parody and/or criticism on Horikoshi’s part. For example Ochako’s fight in the sports festival illustrates a similar point to Hana’s struggle as Katsuki is the only one who takes Ochako seriously while other male classmates see her and other female opponents as inherently weak or potential love interests. 

Hana remains ambitious, fostering her own motivation beyond her previous idol, and her ultimate goal is to help people. She reminds me so much of Ochako’s recent convictions. Ochako is fully herself now, and I’m confident her fight with Toga will show this even more, in a way that is much more direct. Since ch 374, I anticipate we may be getting confirmation of things pretty soon, so I wanted to restate that ASAP. 

I’ve said this before, but it really does trouble me how a lot of people assume so much about bnha based on other shonen, disregarding the fact that Horikoshi is his own person. This either leads to undo criticisms or expectations that will likely not be delivered on. It makes me sad because I want people to enjoy this story for what it is. I hope this is a reminder that although it may seem on the surface like Horikoshi is rehashing the same old thing, his work really is a labor of love, of knowing. It is an homage, which both celebrates and deconstructs. Please remember that for the day when folks will be scrambling trying to figure out how we got here. Ironically, the signs were there all along, from the start of Horikoshi’s career, if you only care to look. 

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo's Queer Media Syllabus

For those who are not aware, I have decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s Queer Cinema Syllabus and have officially started Unit 1: Coming of Age Post Moonlight. The films in Unit 1 are Pariah (2011), Get Real (1998), Edge of Seventeen (1998), My Own Private Idaho (1991), and Mysterious Skin (2004)

Today I will be writing about 

My Own Private Idaho (1991) dir. Gus Van Sant

[Available for rent on: Amazon, YouTube. Run Time- 1:44]

Summary: In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant. (from Just Watch)

Cast:  River Phoenix as Mike a homeless queer male sex worker with narcolepsy Keanu Reeves as Scott the mayor’s son, “homeless” sex worker who is friends with Mike William Richert as Bob, I don’t have any other way to describe him besides this character is Falstaff in Henry IV. 

Content Warning: mentions of sexual assault, prostitution, conversations around incest. homelessness.

So the first thing before we start, if you are planning on watching this film you have to remember this is based on Henry IV by Shakespeare. Because if you forget that (like I did until about 40 minutes in) there is going to be dialogue that makes you go “no one talks like this?????” (which honestly was not a bad thing, but remembering that it was Shakespeare did stop me from going down way too deep a rabbit hole about reality and unreality so…thank you brain! Now, unfortunately, I have not read Henry IV and also unfortunately I will not read Henry IV for the sake of being better able to analyze this film. 

In hindsight, Scott is a dick and the film so perfectly sets up/foreshadows how we are going to get to where we end up with Scott, but as it is happening, it feels like a massive, unexpected punch in the gut the second you see him back from Italy, in a nice suit, in a nice car, driving blindly past his old pal Mike, who is collapsed in a sleep attack on the sidewalk. 

I always love when media humanizes homeless, drug user, and sex worker communities so for me watching this film, that was a huge win. Unhoused folk, drug users, and sex workers are so fucking dehumanized in my society, and frequently blamed for their own life conditions, and considering the statistics on how many homeless people in the US are queer, and particularly how many queer youth are on the streets, it is particularly important to me that film, queer film especially, allows its audience to love, root for, and mourn for homeless queer people. 

Gif by @camyfilms

I like that you don't really know exactly how Mike got to where he is. But there is enough context with the flashbacks we get and his medical condition to understand any number of ways that Mike ends up unhoused. I think it is particularly notable that there are multiple moments in the film where a house or other form of stable shelter is destroyed in his mind. Where I appreciate not really know exactly how Mike became homeless, because in a way it feels like his entire life was set up so that was the only inevitable outcome. Scott, however, I have no idea how he got to where he is, homeless and doing sex work, when he is set to inherit his father’s fortune soon. 

And looking back at how the entire story plays out, knowing that Scott will eventually abandon Mike to pursue a love interest and wealth, it makes a lot more sense as to why we never truly find out how he got there. Because for Scott, it doesn’t fucking matter. Because for Scott, he is playing at being homeless. This is a funny little game for him, he can give a middle finger to his father and act out, and struggle for as long as it is entertaining and fun, knowing that at any point he can return home, shape up his behavior, and have more money then he knows what to do with. 

Which is why I am truly and deeply obsessed with the fact that Scott wears a suit when he is amongst the other unhoused folk he is living with. Because of how much that visually separates him. I like that it is serving as a reminder of his status and almost like a reminder to himself that he is actually separate from everyone else here. And this theme is repeated in how Scott interacts with his father too. Because, while he wears a suit when amongst the unhoused, when he is summoned before his father, he dresses with a collar, and denim jacket without a shirt on underneath. Visually he looks a lot more like the other members of the community he has been running with, and that literally only happens so that he can get a rise out of his father. 

gifs by @vintageblr

And that playing at oppression aspect of Scott’s character is marked so clear by the line he says near the end: "I think I need to take a break for awhile" or whatever the exact wording is, when he meets a girl in Italy and sends Mike home. Scott has money, and while a part of me still believes that Scott cares about Mike, he doesn't love Mike. So the second that Scott has something that he loves, something that he wants, he pumps the brakes on the struggle bus and puts an end to his life of sleeping rough and engaging in sex work. 

And like I said before, while I felt hurt and betrayed and pissed the fuck off when Scott drove by Mike on the street, looking back at the entire film, the signs have been clear from the beginning. Because Scott is never going to be able to give Mike what he wants, at any level, in any capacity. Scott promises that he will share the wealth with the community when he inherits the money, he has the means, motive, and opportunity to perform such an action. He has the ability by the end to give Mike the support that he needs. To help him get on his feet, but he never does it. 

Even just by way of Mike being in love with Scott and Scott being straight and not being able to give Mike what he wants.

I will be thinking for way too long about the way that Scott stares at the ruckus everyone is making at Bob's funeral. Because, I don't know, I feel like there is almost a part of him that is longing to be there. That is missing it a little bit, or maybe feeling a little guilty. At least, that is how I am reading it as someone that worked with and considered myself friends with unhoused people. When I stopped working that job, I lost all connection with them, and the last time I got to see any of my friends again…was at a funeral. 

When discussing my thoughts on this film with @bengiyo and @emotionallychargedtowel I was really cycling back and forth between where I landed in believing that Scott cared at all for the people he lived among for years. 

Like there are shitty people who are homeless, sure, but there are also so many really wonderful people who are homeless, and there is no way that Scott, even as a rich bitch that was playing at poverty, did not forge genuine connections with people. At one point, he was sitting in a diner, comforting a woman who was upset. Do you know how many times I've seen that?

And when I started saying that I did believe that Scott cared in part for Mike, I was slammed with a visceral memory of Scott leaving Mike out in the cold, to sleep on some random guy’s lawn while he went back in to town. 

gif by @thejingshi

That said, he gave a reasoning of Mike being safer sleeping in that wealthy neighborhood with no one else around, then he would have been back in town. And similarly too, Scott holds on to Mike's half of the motorbike sales fund until it is time to send him away and also...he doesn’t give Mike all the money cause EVEN THOUGH SCOTT DOESN'T NEED IT! 

I don't think he fully could have not cared. If he fully didn't care, I don't think the moments of tenderness would exist. 

I don't think Scott would have gone to fucking Idaho

I don't think he would have been staring off the way that he was at the funeral

But you can't even get into the thought of like, Scott has strict rules to follow now that he has the inheritance money. But like…

No he doesn't.

His Dad is dead, and he has the money, what is anyone gonna do if he doesn't act like a refined gentleman? Nothing.

God I want to punch this man. 

At the very least Scott and Mike were friends. 

gif by @peeta

gif by @thejingshi

And so whether or not Scott gave a flying fuck about anyone else in that community, there is someone that he cared about, that he left to rot because it was more convenient for him. And I’d like to think Scott has to face that a bit during the funeral scene. Cause based on the way that it was shot, it looks like Mike is staring straight at Scott, but when we get the shot from Scott's POV, you can only see like the barest tops of heads and chairs flying so I don't even know that Scott and Mike

And the ending of the movie? God, heartbreaking. This whole film just made me see so many echoes of people I care about, having shit luck their entire lives, ending up on the streets, getting in to sex work of some kind, casually referencing their latest rape by a client, maybe having things be good for awhile (getting housing, getting reconnected with someone they care about, getting accepted in to school) and then just having that ripped away from them. Getting their shit stolen. 

And on the other side of it too like, being connected, talking with one another, taking care of each other. All the times that someone has been having a particularly bad day, and before I could even go over and talk to them and check in, someone else from the community swoops in comfort them, and make sure they were doing okay. 

I loved this movie. I think everyone should watch it. 

By/For/About?

The Gay Trifecta! 

We know that this is an About Queers film, because Mike is queer.

By Queers: I'm not 100% certain if the director is gay, it didn't say it explicitly anywhere, but he is behind a number of keystone queer films, and I think I saw an interview about gay activism that involved him.

For Queers: This is a story about the struggles of being a queer man, among other things. But I think the center of, loving a man you know can never love you back, and being fucked over by that in the end reads very much as for a queer audience.

Favorite Moment: 

Everyone going buck fucking wild at Bob's funeral. It was such a moment of unrestrained energy, and I like it all the more for what it did to Scott.

Favorite Quote:

gif by @magnusedom

"I really want to kiss you, man."

If you know, you know. If you don't, watch the movie so you too can understand how devastating that line is.

9.5/10 Film

[bookholichany]

[mahounomanga]

Kurumi-tic Miracle

In the early days of the genre, it was relatively common for magical girls to have more open-ended power sets. Rather than having one or a few set applications, their magic could do just about anything. Since the turn of the millennium, most magical girls have powers designed for a specific task, such as fighting evil, but today I want to take a look at a character from the early 2000s whose powers can do anything she puts her mind to.

Kurumi-tic Miracle is a 2003 manga by Chitose Yagami. It stars a run-of-the-mill schoolgirl named Kurumi Nanami, who lives with her grandfather in the oddities shop he owns, together with her pet hamster, Momo. One day, while helping clean the shop, Kurumi discovers a mysterious magic stone that affixes itself to her wrist in the form of a bracelet. With this magic bracelet, any wish she makes will instantaneously come true. Initially she uses this power to pursue her crush, Naoki, but as the two gets closer, it becomes clear the magic stone has a bit of a history, and the potential to cause problems.

Kurumi-tic Miracle was serialized in Ciao magazine from the February 2003 issue to the April 2003 issue: a three chapter run. These chapters were compiled into a single tankobon volume on June 21, 2003 by Shogakukan under their Flower Comics imprint, along with a couple of Yagami's older one-shots. A digital re-release, also by Shogakukan, was made available on July 10, 2015. Official translations were released in Indonesian and Chinese, but not English. However, a fan translation by the group Da Gurlz Translationz is available for all five chapters, including both one-shots, and can be found on various unofficial manga sites.

The series was created by Chitose Yagami, a shoujo manga author who debuted in 2001 with Magical Project, a one-shot which was later included in volume 1 of Manga Mitaina Koi Shitai! a.k.a. Fall in Love Like a Comic, one of her more popular works which was even officially printed in English by Viz under their Shojo Beat imprint. Much of Yagami's work contains elements of romantic comedy, middle/high school slice of life, magic and the paranormal, and working in the entertainment industry, be it modeling, music, or manga. She is still active to this day, both professionally and on social media. Her most recent manga, a BL series titled Shoujo Manga no Hero ni naritai no ni Heroine Atsukaisareru Ore., began serialization in 2021 and is still ongoing. None of her works would get career-definingly popular, but Kurumi-tic Miracle was successful enough to land her her first autograph session, so that's cool. It seems she didn't do much adapting of existing work, save for contributing to a shoujo Inazuma Eleven anthology in 2011. That same year, her manga Oresama Kingdom (Kings of My Love) got picked up for a direct to video anime adaptation, running for 14 episodes of 11 minutes apiece until 2013. This was the only manga of hers to get an anime adaptation, and it got a Nintendo DS game too, also in 2011. This was the second video game based on a Chitose Yagami manga, the first being Kiss x Kiss for the GBA in 2004.

Speaking of video games, this came up a lot in my research so I just want to point out that this series is unrelated to the 1997 Playstation game Kurumi Miracle, in which a young witch whose name is also Kurumi goes to an island to hone her magic by helping the local townsfolk.

Because Kurumi-tic Miracle is so short, it's difficult to recap the plot without giving spoilers, so if you'd like to go into the series blind, I advise you to do so before reading the rest of this post.

The manga starts off as a pretty straight forward slice-of-life romcom with magical hijinks, but the more we learn about the love interest Naoki, the clearer it becomes that something is amiss. He has a rather distinctive ring, and he seems very interested in Kurumi's bracelet. It turns out there is another magic stone, and the person who controls it wants them both to himself. The plot reveal is that this person is not Naoki, but his little brother, Satoru, who found the other stone by chance and became corrupted by its' power. He has bequeathed unto Naoki a fraction of that power for the purposes of collecting the other stone.

The magic systems in Kurumi-tic Miracle are really interesting to me. Because the scope of what they can do is so broad, the characters are limited only by their imagination, which gives us a stark contrast in how Kurumi and Satoru use their powers, despite those powers deriving from the same source. Kurumi's magic tends to be cuter, more harmless, and at times downright childish. Satoru's magic is scarier, emblematic of his ruthless attitude, and representative of a genuinely serious threat.

To pad out the tankobon release, two of Chitose Yagami's one-shots were included. The first, 2003's Dokitto Boys X Love (just Boys X Love in the fanslation), is sort of a comedy-of-errors in which a teenage girl accidentally switches bodies with her favorite male idol, and the two have to stick together as she learns his routine. It's not especially groundbreaking, but it's cute. The second is titled Otokomae!? Jajauma Musume, which I thiiink roughly translates to Boyish Selfish Girl. The fanslation uses the title I Love Tomboy. It was originally published in 2001 and according to Weblio was Yagami's second ever manga after Magical Project. It's a romantic comedy in which a tomboy attempts to become more feminine to win over her bully... which sucks. It sucks so bad. This one-shot is infuriatingly gender essentialist and sexist. A lot of effort goes into categorizing what separates girls from boys, all of it very stereotypical, and even though the resolution is that the protagonist is more comfortable being herself, the message is lost in all the steps it takes to get there. She does have some personal struggles with wondering if she's really a boy after all, and there's a plot twist that the elder sister figures who helped her throughout were actually crossdressers the whole time, so I'm sure you could read some queer subtext into this if you wanted to, but that is VERY clearly not what was intended. I hate it.

Taken on its' own, Kurumi-tic Miracle strikes me as a diamond in the rough. Most of the flaws I can point to in the main story could easily be alleviated if it were given more room to breathe. Three chapters just wasn't enough for me to get fully invested in these characters or their world. Despite this, the core concept shines through. This manga had some genuinely intriguing ideas about its' magic systems and how they can be applied for creative problem solving at a time when that modality of magic was becoming increasingly rare, despite the magical girl genre as a whole reaching market saturation at around this time. It's short and cute, even if it's not particularly substantial. It's very of a type, but if this is a type you tend to enjoy, I highly recommend checking it out.

[lenalee-academy]

So I’ve been sleeping on Jane Eyre but listen. I am now INFORMED.

Have I read the book yet? No but it’s forthcoming I’m sure. I decided to watch it in the background while I gamed sdv since my sister told me about it once like 5 years ago and said it was good. And it was. It was SO good…..

Except I ended up watching the entire 2006 miniseries while my game was either on pause or while doing mind numbing repetitive motions while fishing. (Lava Eel + Broiler = $$$$$)

Except my LANTA they did him wrong. Who knowingly does that to family? Who knowingly does that to friends? That is low.

Except that I was rather upset when they had to part but I mean… what was she supposed to do?

Except I was shocked and appalled when I learned he went blind. But wait not like full blind right? Just one eye? No. Blind. He can’t see and EXCUSE ME? I paused to yell at my sister and cried for an hour.

Except it was a happy ending right? Lies that is what is called bittersweet people and I cried for another hour afterwards, this strange mix of happy/sad tears that left me exhausted.

Except that I kind of loved everything about it and am now watching the 1983 series of it and am very predictably loving everything about it.

First of all why is he so TALL! The height difference between the two is way attractive but okay whatever moving on anyway it’s clear that this man just wants to be with her and not be so unbearably alone, but he has no idea whether shouting works best or petting her on the head works best, so he liberally does both hoping one sticks and I am cackling!

I am also about to cry at the same time because it’s so obvious how desperate he is for true companionship and it’s very clearly something she also really desires but it just can’t happen right now.

Also wow this actress is good at silences. This man asks her like 3-5 questions before she gives him a three word answer and I kind of feel his pain like Come on Jane! Answer the man before he breaks into violent tears woman!

Pretty sure I’m going to be in ugly tears again at the end of these 11 episodes but okay.

I am fully aware there are even MORE adaptations than these two. Got my eyes on the 1943 one and the 1996 one looks pretty good too, plus the 2011 one has my guy Michael Fassbender in it so of course I’m watching that one. Not to mention the actually book and well…..

Clearly I have a problem.

[saglaophonos]

Do you have Brontë tv/movie adaptation recommendations?

okay so i've read jane eyre, wuthering heights, agnes grey, and the professor, the latter two i've never seen an adaption of

the definitive jane eyre for me is the 2011 version. its just the best depiction of jane in all her complexities and if you havent seen the fireplace scene you're missing out. i have also seen the 1943 version which i do recommend as well because it is beautiful and orson welles is the best rochester. he manages to be insanely pathetic & annoying while also being insanely attractive

wuthering heights 1939 is pretty much the definitive version. if you enjoy the book it cuts out the second act which i honestly did not mind at all but i think the movie is Just Fine. i've heard good things about the tom hardy miniseries in 2009 but i just haven't gotten around to it....wuthering heights is good but i don't go crazy for it like jane eyre. if anyone feels very strongly about another wuthering heights adaptation i'd love to hear about it

[ashiki666]

A love letter to George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

Disclaimer: I have not read the books or seen the BBC adaptation (which I plan to). I am only interested in the film itself, rather than the quality of the adaptation.

Gary Oldman’s performance as George Smiley, the meticulous spy with seemingly infinite patience, captivated my heart, even though not a single word was spoken throughout the first 15 minutes of the film. One of the unusual qualities that Smiley has, compared to other protagonists, is the “everyman-ness” of him; a common office worker that you’d easily find on the street, carrying a case and arriving at the office day in and day out—a man that many might think of as invisible, as dull, and as mundane as the office job itself. Initially, the director Tomas Alfredson found it difficult when casting George Smiley and it seemed not too far-fetched that Gary Oldman’s name would eventually come up in the conversation, given his reputation as a "chameleon”, able to change his appearance, voice, and physicality for every role that he takes on. We can also see his ability in depicting the “everyman-ness” in other roles, such as Jim Gordon from the Batman franchise.

Smiley was unassuming at the beginning. It started when the top officials of the Circus (aka The Secret Intelligence Service) decided on Control’s (John Hurt) resignation, and Smiley followed suit without saying a word. The opening sequence then rolled. Not much seemed to be happening—or so I thought. On a closer inspection, we can already see the sublime acting happening on the screen when Control announced that Smiley would resign with him as well: the subtle head turn, eyes shifting downward and the tiniest head nod. It happened quickly, and I admit I didn’t catch it the first time, but that series of miniscule facial expressions is telling. Smiley was surprised and reluctant and despite all that, his unwavering loyalty to Control won—as demonstrated when he walked out with him. There is no flashy cinematography or choreography. When both of them arrived at the front, Control failed to say anything to Smiley and simply walked off, leaving him just as lost and puzzled.

This level of acting exists in other films, but here, the silence makes all the difference. In several interviews, Alfredson mentioned that his previous work in television informed him about dealing with information overload; long monologues can overwhelm the audience, so he learned to insert moments of silence. In this film, it also accentuates the subtle yet mind-blowing performances, cutting out unnecessary noise. From the extremely still and contained yes-man in the conference room to the mundane daily chores that he attended to, it conjured a sense of mystique. It was as if the silence was inviting me to take a closer look at this man’s life, challenging my preconceptions and urged me to look past all of the dull and boring office work life. And the opposite became apparent, when Smiley checked for a tiny splinter wedged in the entrance of his own home. That the paranoia from the 70s had already spread from his peculiar workplace to his household. That he had to spy on his own home and in turn, his own wife.

“Contaminated” was one of the terms that Alfredson used to describe the environment to Oldman during the scenes where Smiley had discovered the mole’s safe house. Smiley’s fastidious mannerisms, emphasised by the slow and deliberate accent that Oldman employs, made it seem as though every movement, gesture, and sentence is meticulously crafted, akin to the works of forensics scientists and expert negotiators. And with it, comes a sense of detachment and coldness. An investigator, a detective or—an observer. Naturally, part of it comes with the job, but part of it seem almost inhuman. And here lies the most fascinating part about Smiley that this adaptation decided to focus on: the “sadism and masochism” of George Smiley, as Oldman cleverly pointed out in an interview.

On one hand, Smiley demonstrates an extraordinary level of professionalism, admired and trusted (to a certain extent) by the likes of Control and Lacon. His methodical and careful approach to intelligence is reflected in the scene such as the one with him and the bee in the car, and during his investigation of the mole. The “sadism” rears its head with Peter Guillam when he would warn him of the danger of the mission and ask for complete confidentiality in an icy tone, seemingly devoid of any care for him. His cruelty becomes clear when he would threaten Toby Esterhase with deportation to obtain the location of the safe house and when he promised Ricki Tarr to save Irina, fully aware that she is already long gone. There are definitely moments that would suggest otherwise, such as the scene with him and Connie Sachs reminiscing about the past and his superb monologue recreating his first meeting with Karla, the infamous Soviet spymaster, to Guillam. But we can all agree that he would put his duty before anyone and do whatever it takes to catch the mole.

This extreme professionalism never wavered. When Smiley was interrogating Esterhaze, it was clear that Smiley values loyalty, to fellow colleague and to his own country, which is reasonable as this is perhaps one of the most, if not the most, redeeming qualities in his line of work. Later, it was revealed that Bill Haydon was the mole in the Circus, and with Karla’s advice, had an affair with Smiley’s wife to further confuse and cloud his judgment. The cuckolding is brilliantly foreshadowed in an early scene where Smiley would stare at this painting, which we later on realise was a gift from Haydon—given when Smiley bumped into him in his home, presumably after the affair. Our suspicions are confirmed in a later scene where Haydon’s hands were all over Ann, his wife, and in which Smiley saw and recoiled as the Soviet Union’s national anthem played obnoxiously in the background. Crazily enough, Smiley never confronted them on either occasion.

It is a spectacular betrayal on both a professional and personal level. While Haydon eventually meets his demise, there is only one real confrontation between Smiley and him at the very end of the film. Notably, this is the only scene where Smiley raised his voice and showed visible anger in the whole film. And despite that, it seemed like Smiley was still going to do his bidding. Cuckoldry is a common trope that creates conflict between couples, often in unhappy marriages. In heterosexual marriages, it not only questions trust and, in many cases, sexual loyalty, but it also serves to humiliate and emasculate the male partner. Historically—and even today—marriage has been viewed as “the man owning the wife,” and thus, being cuckolded is seen as “having your property stolen.” Setting aside this problematic perspective, Smiley’s love for his wife is evident when he admitted to Guillam that Ann is his only blind spot, or when he gazed at her lovingly during the Christmas party scene. So the fact that Smiley neither stops his wife’s affairs nor confronts her is peculiar and adds to the notion of “masochism” in his character.

This led me to consider that the textbook professionalism might be a form of revenge, allowing him to outsmart and destroy Haydon. Or perhaps it is his way of overcompensating for his inability to act on his wife’s infidelity. While pondering this, I found my answer in the song playing during the Christmas party scene, just before the Soviet anthem took over: "The Proudest, Loneliest Fool" by Charlie Rich, which offered some insights into Smiley’s predicament.

I needed her love so badly But like a fool I let her go I kept my pride but deep down inside I'm the proudest, loneliest man I know

The pride he takes in his exquisite spy work, rigorous work ethic, and unwavering loyalty—where he bested many with his intellectual prowess—is the same pride that prevents him from stopping his wife’s affair or ending their marriage. Which is what the film suggested with the choice of music, but is anything so straightforward and easy? Let’s go back to the scene where Smiley stared at the painting which was given from Haydon. It would be very reasonable for Smiley to take it off/tear it into pieces/throw it into the bin so that it never gets hung in the first place, and yet he does nothing about it. Assuming that it was hung up by his wife, perhaps it was just an act—to pretend that it was just a harmless gift—or worse, an act of rebellion—that she was allowed to disregard their marriage vows. If it were the former, Smiley could just be playing along, believing that it wouldn’t happen again. If it were the latter, then how? This is a sign of failure; of decline, and of betrayal.

This is why I love this film: Alfredson manages to hide a massive amount of information in plain sight. Every scene where seemingly nothing was happening, I find something new when I re-watch it. It has been a joy where you can almost become a detective, dissecting each scene and piecing together information that forms this multi-faceted character.

And that is why I love Smiley: he carries this facade of being the perfect spy who catches the bad guy in the end, yet he is ultimately unfulfilled. There is a part of him that will never feel complete, stopping him from getting what he truly wants. His inability to take action is more telling than those actions themselves. The way this film understates the emotional context—much like how Smiley restrains his emotions—is a true gem. This, I believe, is at the core of the film. Amid the paranoia and melancholy of the 70s, the race against the Soviet Union, and the intellectual nature of espionage, the focus is the dichotomy of George Smiley, the perfect spy that faces the ultimate betrayal of his career and marriage; in both professional and private capacities.

[de-fright-ful]

A M I T Y J O Y — F U L L A B O U T

🎃 I M P O R T A N T L I N K S

BLOG, RULES, VERSES. PUBLIC V PRIVATE INFO, POKEMON TEAM, HEADCANONS, WANTED DYN.

🎃 SYNOPSIS. Amity Joy (Japanese: ジョーイ アミティ Ami Joy) is a trainer and Pokemon specialist who serves as the 6th Gym Leader of the Saijikaran region— representing the late summer & fall season and celebrations. Amity’s Gym, known as the ‘Old Joy Property’ or the ‘Fogweaver Estate,’ is located on the outskirts of Kiyose. She hands out the Kaika Badge to those who defeat her. While not EXCLUSIVELY a Ghost-Type Specialist, Amity is renowned for her expertise & talent with Ghost Pokemon & the Supernatural.

🎃 B A S I C S

NAME. AMITY DE-CLAIRE - JOY is only ever referred to as AMITY JOY*

NICKNAMES. Ami, Hyu~dorodoro (or Hyu) (from her father exclusively)

OCCUPATION. Gym Leader (Primary), Homecare Worker (Secondary) & later School Nurse (next-gen verse)

TITLE. Nurse (licensed & board certified), Gym Leader, 4-time Champion of independent competitions in the Region

AGE. 26 (primary verse),

35 (next gen verse)

BIRTHDAY. April 11th (rough birth year is 1998, but I have no idea how timelines work for Pokémon)

GENDER. Cis Female ( She / Her )

SEXUALITY. Bisexual, HEAVY fem preference (85/15 split roughly)

BIRTHPLACE. Tatewaku Village

CURRENT HOME. Old Joy Estate, Kiyose Outskirts

RACE. Mixed, Saijikaran-Unovan-Paldean, real-life equivalents are; Japanese (through her father), White and Latinx (through her mother)

REGION. Saijikara

LANGUAGE(S). Saihōka (native language of Saijikara, mother tongue; all of Amity's Pokémon answer exclusively to this language)

English (a common tongue of sorts across the Pokemon world, invaluable for travel, secondary)

Sinnoan (understood primarily because of proximity to the Sinnoh province, spoken with some difficulty on the accent)

🎃 P E R S O N A L I T Y

ZODIAC. Aries Sun, Cancer Moon and Virgo Rising

MBTI. ENFJ-T

ENNEAGRAM. 3x2 - The Enchanter

MORAL ALIGNMENT. Chaotic Good / Neutral Good-cusp

MAJOR ARCANA. THE PRIESTESS / THE HIEROPHANT / THE EMPRESS

MENTAL HEALTH. OH, IT'S NOT GOOD, CHIEF. Amity, while not OFFICIALLY diagnosed with anything. Is falling apart at the seams in most conceivable ways and emotionally spent beyond. Amity never went through the channels of grief she needed to for all of the loss she’s experienced since the birth of her youngest sisters.

In short succession, Amity lost her MOTHER, ALL POTENTIAL PEACE WITH HER OLDER SIBLINGS, THE LAST CLOSE PARENTAL FIGURE IN HER LIFE, HER DREAMS & CHANCES FOR ADULTHOOD, AND BEING JUST A SISTER TO HER SIBLINGS. And it’s only been sharp up-and-downs since then with little room to breathe. Amity is running from emotions and herself on momentum cause if she doesn’t? It’ll drown her.

In terms of a proper diagnosis, I would say Amity has UNDIAGNOSED DEPRESSION & ANXIETY

POSITIVE TRAITS. APPROACHABLE, BOLD, CALM, COMPASSIONATE, CONSIDERATE, CENTRED, EMOTIONALLY RESILIENT, HONOURABLE* (at least HER idea of honourable, for what that counts), PATIENT, PERCEPTIVE, RESPONSIBLE, MATURE, SENSITIVE,

NEUTRAL. EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED, SARCASTIC, OPEN-MINDED, ALTRUISTIC, ADAPTABLE, PRACTICAL, FAMILY-ORIENTED

NEGATIVE. ANXIOUS, CUNNING, COMPETITIVE, DISHONEST (when she believes lies are the best method to achieve a ‘greater good’ that would excuse the lying), DISTRUSTING, DEFENSIVE, EMOTIONALLY DISTANT, INSECURE, INHIBITED (read as repressed emotionally and neglecting herself in all ways that aren’t socially noticeable), REPRESSED, SELF-ABASING, PASSIVE

FEARS. Losing what’s left of her little family. Death. Pregnancy & Childbirth. Deep Water (i.e the ocean), Clowns and Mimes & Human Hospitals (funnily enough)

🎃 F A M I L Y

*Of note: this family is INCREDIBLY dysfunctional. Keep this in mind when reading ahead.

FATHER. KIJA JOY † (1969 - 2011, 42 years old at death)

MOTHER. RHIANNON DE CLAIRE † (1973 - 2016, 43 years old at death)

MOTHER’S LOVERS / FORMER PARTNERS:

EIJI HAYASAKA— an affair partner of 6 years (unknown to everyone but Rhiannon and Kija), the bio-dad of Mira, born during their marriage. Kija accepted her as his own, and Eiji was never named father or even given the chance to meet Mira, but many suspected the truth.

MATEO FOURNIER † — boyfriend of 1 year, fiance of 2 months, father of Orin & a text-book gold-digger with a storied, royal name from the Kalos region.

He’d sought out Rhiannon following the De Claire name and hoping for access to riches left by Kija, only to find everything tied to Kija’s bio children and especially Amity, not Rhiannon.

He later left Rhiannon after it became clear there was no social climbing through her. Abandoning the Region and his son in the process. Mateo died in 2022, by what circumstances Amity and Orin have no clue. Orin feels conflicted about Mateo's death and his inheritance from Mateo. Due to his age, Amity safeguards Orin's inheritance for him with a dragon's fury.

TAKUMA SATAOI — Rhiannon's longest-running boyfriend, Yuhuza's father & involved in Yuhuza’s life w/ part custody.

Although Takuma came into Amity's life during a rough period for the family, the rocky waters quickly cleared, and Amity grew fond of him and Takuma, in turn, became paternal and fatherly to Amity & her siblings. When the relationship between Takuma and Rhiannon began falling apart with her mother’s growing instability and abusive temper. Amity begged Takuma to take care of himself and Yuhuza and leave.

Takuma ends up breaking off the relationship and going their separate ways from Rhiannon but continues to have a warm relationship with Amity & co-parents Yuhuza with her, allowing her contact and normalcy with her other siblings.

AXEL GRAVES †- Rhiannon’s last live-in boyfriend at her death and father, or rather sperm-donor to her twin daughters, Yvita and Yvona. Abusive and unpleasant are the two words that come to Amity's mind when describing him. Axel was no stable or parental figure by any stretch, and at barely 9 years older than her, Amity wasn't exactly warm when Rhiannon brought him home. Amity believes her mother chased after him because of his younger age and the thrill of being desirable to a younger man, regardless of his personality and what little he had to offer.

After Rhiannon's death, Amity attempted to bury the hatchet between them and, out of respect for Rhiannon's love of Axel, allowed him to continue residing in the palace. Still, there was no improvement between them, and without Rhiannon's tempering of his temper and solidifying his 'superior' status over Rhiannon's children, tensions grew greater and greater. Eventually, his ire moved beyond heated arguments between Amity and him and into cruelty towards Noriko and Orin; Amity threw him out of the home and willed to her & her full siblings. There was an altercation; he beat Amity savagely, threatened to take the twins & left, never to be seen again. (KILLED BY AMITY’S HAUNTER, MAGNUS)

FULL SIBLINGS. (KIJA & RHIANNON)

JUSTICE ‘JUST’ JOY (1994b, 30) is estranged from Amity and has an openly hostile, antagonistic relationship with her. They haven’t spoken in seven years after she bought him out of the family estate & Justice pressured Amity to give up their half-siblings to Foster Care rather than waste her time on ‘whore’s bastards,’

TEMPERANCE ‘PERRI’ JOY (1996b, 28) is estranged from Amity and has a non-existent relationship with her. Amity cut contact after she sided with Justice in a feud over Amity’s decisions with the property & her decision to keep her younger siblings. They haven’t spoken in years since & Temperance is not allowed on property after an altercation she had with Mira. She was bought out of the estate with minor hassle.

CHARITY JOY (1997b, 27) is in low contact with Amity but not estranged. Due to Charity’s open judgement of Amity, they have a cold, impersonal relationship. Worsened by the emotional distance between them. Charity visits the estate annually, though she has been legally bought out of the property and has a lukewarm relationship with her half-siblings.

PATIENCE JOY † (1997-1997, SIDS death), Charity’s twin sister, died before Amity was born. Charity never fully recovered from her death & holds her memory against Amity out of grief for losing her sister— her other half, meanwhile Amity, a mistake, unlike Patience was allowed to live longer than Patience was.

HALF SIBLINGS. (RHIANNON & LOVERS)

NORIKO 'NORI' JOY (2004b, 20) is Amity’s oldest half-sibling, treated like a full sibling. Amity had full custody of her until she became a legal adult. Amity and Nori have been inseparable since Nori's birth. Amity has always cared little that they didn’t share much physical resemblance and cared even less about the rumours about her parentage. Amity shielded her from their elder sibling's abuse and public judgment & regularly refuted any insistence she wasn’t Kija’s daughter, even as Noriko grew to resemble Amity less and less over time. Despite the age gap, Nori loves Amity and sees her as her twin sister; after all, they've always been as close as all of the twins she's seen in movies, even down to having a code unique to only them! While she'll never share it, Nori worries greatly about Amity and her lack of self-preservation in pursuit of finding stability for her siblings. Nori continues to live on the estate while studying at a local university, hoping to someday take to the medical field like her older sister before her and become a doctor like their father. She doesn’t want to leave the local area out of fear for her family, siblings, and oldest sister. She’s terrified that if she leaves, Amity will burn herself at both ends until she dies young like Kija did. Nori is often confused for her older sister by strangers and non-locals, a comparison she finds to be equally complimentary and hilarious, given she towers over her older sister and stands at 5'8. Nori favours her mother and her mother's side of the family in appearance, being thin, graceful and tall with light brown hair and dark eyes. She enjoys fortune telling and divination as a hobby and offers a service to determine an egg's stats, moves, and nature before it hatches. She will randomize all of them in exchange for Star Pieces.

ORIN FOURNIER (2012b, 14) is Amity’s second-oldest half-sibling. Amity has full custody of him until he becomes a legal adult. Orin is nonverbal and mute & can be considered a stern or solemn figure if a person doesn't know him well or takes his resting scowling expression at face value. In truth, Orin is shy and reserved but deeply warm in his own way. He is upbeat, loving hugs and high fives and making it a point to greet everyone each morning with a happy wave. He has a particular interest & affinity for Pokemon Breeding & is involved in rebreeding region-exclusive Saijikaran Pokemon that went extinct back into the wild.

YUHUZA SATAOI (2013b, 11) is Amity’s third-youngest half-sibling by Rhiannon and her most stable, long-time lover, Takuma. Yuhuza is a bright and upbeat little girl with little memory of the deep turmoil their broken family faced during the youngest years of her life, including the briefly abusive period between her birth father and mother and their explosive separation. Even after Takuma rightfully left Rhiannon, Amity kept maintaining her friendship with Takuma to keep a relationship with her younger sister. While Rhiannon was never given any custody time with Yuhuza in life. After Rhiannon's passing and a torturous time of fighting to prove her responsibility in Takuma's eyes. Amity was given partial, informal custody of Yuhuza with Takuma to allow her to grow up with her half-siblings in arm's reach. Despite some arguments between Amity and Takuma, Yuhuza begins her Pokemon Journey early, joining the main character of the Region, Comet, with the Third Starter, thanks to Amity's long-term friendship with Banyan, which allows her to squeeze in.

YVITA JOY and YVONA JOY (both born in 2016, 8) are Amity's two youngest twin sisters and Rhiannon's last children. Amity has exclusively raised both girls since their biological mother died during birth and their biological father failed to step in to care for them.

Despite not being biological members of the Joy Family, Amity gave both girls HER last name and their first names. Amity did this for manipulative but selfless reasons, worrying that if anything ever happened to her, the twins would be left without any family to care for them and hoping that by giving them the Joy Family name and the distant but devoted family structure to emotionally leverage her distant family into taking them in like they would for their own blood.

Because of the Joy last name and Amity's maternal role in caring for them, many believe the girls are Amity's biological children & refer to them as her 'daughters'. Amity is disconcerted by the assumption and is always quick to correct strangers when they make that assumption - but she can never bring herself to correct her sisters when they call her 'Mom' or 'Mama.'

Neither girl appears to have processed their parental loss; they don't grieve for parental figures who were never a part of their lives. How can one mourn a mother when their older sister has always filled that role and been exactly what a mom should be? And how can they miss a father when the man who should have been a dad is merely a shadow, defined by the empty space and tales of cruelty from older siblings? In truth, Amity worries a lot more for them than she should, and her concern is not borne by observing anything amiss about them; they're ordinary little girls, a bit quirky but average, but more by her guilt about the uneven hand dealt them by fate that SHE couldn't prevent.

Regarding their older sister, Yvita and Yvona IDOLIZE her. They put any fan club to shame with their love of her, and they've taken to Pokemon training, hoping to be elite trainers too, just like her, and someday live up to fill her shadow and take over the Joy Estate.

🎃 A P P E A R A N C E

HEIGHT. 4’10 in, or 147 cm

WEIGHT. 107 lbs or 48 lb

BUILD. PETITE & COMPACT, somewhat slender but best described as ‘sturdy,’ wide hips with softly rounded edges, long, solid legs and thicker ankles

SKIN TONE. PALE & FAIR, with warm undertones. There are few marks/blemishes other than scars and her tattoos.

HAIR. NATURALLY WHITE, after developing CANITIES SUBITA, was previously SALMON PINK.

FREQUENTLY dyes her hair bright colours (x, x, x, x, x) and styles beneath hats.

EYES. JADE GREEN, crescent-shaped with a particular softness about them. Often shaded by her hats (x, x, x, x, x, x)

FACECLAIM. Kero Kero Bonito / Sarah Midori Perry

VOICECLAIM. DayumDahlia ( X, X speaking | X, X singing )

PHYSICAL HEALTH. FINE, NOT GREAT. 20/70 vision, requiring glasses. Low mobility in the left arm, requiring an arm brace, and occasional muscle pain. Had asthma in her youth, but it has waned in intensity since she’s grown up.

TATTOOS. A COMPASS ROSE with flowers and a bird on her inner right wrist with the dates ‘12/07/1969’ on the top right edge and ‘06/11/2011’ on the lower left edge and the phrase ‘Wherever you go,’ in Saihōkan

A KAIKA SYMBOL on her left inner ankle stems from folklore in the area about the Kaika in the mountains around the Joy estate and is in reference to the badge given out by her gym.

TWO TRADITIONALLY STYLED CAMEILLA CONNECTED BY A SPIDERWEBS, AND A STYLIZED SPINIRAK on her sternum, along with the dates ‘11/19/2017 - 08/16/2019,’

A SIMPLE, WRAP-AROUND TATTOO OF FLOWERS AND LEAVES starting above her collarbone and wrapping from one shoulder to the other like a stole just above the cameilla and spiderweb tattoo.

A STYLIZED BAT WITH TWO FACES on her inner upper arm, a reference to Laverna, undoubtedly

TRADITIONALLY STYLED MIRRORED PEONY FLOWERS on both sides of her torso, stretching from her lower stomach to her waist

A DRIFBLIM WITH GUSTS OF WIND located on her right upper Ribcage

TWO FULL FRONTAL LEG SLEEVES PATCHWORKED FROM NUMEROUS INDIVIDUAL TATTOOS

A PLAYFUL GENGAR SURROUNDED BY SPIRIT FLAMES on the back of her left calf

PIERCINGS. BOTH EARLOBES ARE TRADITIONALLY PIERCED; Amity is incredibly fond of esoteric and outlandish dangling earrings and deeply dislikes stud-style earrings.

DUMBELL STYLE PIERCING ON THE BRIDGE OF HER NOSE

HORIZONTAL PIERCING THROUGH HER NASAL SEPTUM; often worn with a tight-fitting, silver, lace style hoop with a skull in its centre

VERTICAL LABRET STYLE PIERCING THROUGH HER LOWER LIP, which is often worn with a silver hoop

GIVEN THE MORE CONSERVATIVE ATTITUDES IN HER REGION & THE PERSISTENT BUT OUTDATED ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BODY ART AND CRIMINAL AFFILIATION. AMITY CHOOSES TO DRESS CONSERVATIVELY AND COVER THESE TATTOOS / TAKE OUT HER PIERCINGS DURING OFFICIAL APPEARANCES WITH THE LEAGUE. ON HER OWN, SHE WEARS THEM OPENLY AND PROUDLY

SCARS / MARKS.

Upper forearm, elbow and shoulder of her left arm are covered in thick, raised, third-degree burn scars. & Reconstructive plastic surgery scars from efforts to better salvage the arm.

Faded first and second-degree burn scars on her left chest

Three distinct gauging-type scars going from her last rib to her navel on the right side

Small faded scar under her lower lip, the result of a biking accident at 10

Several bite wounds across her body from taming and training her Pokemon

Missing the tip of her left ring finger, though it’s far less noticeable beneath the scars on that arm.

Noticeable, patchy bald patches the size of dimes and quarters on her scalp, the result of Alopecia Areata: Amity tends to try and style her hair to cover these spots or wear hats

A raised scar on her lower back, just below the dip of her hip that is shaped like a fishhook; she doesn’t enjoy talking about it.

🎃 B A C K G R O U N D

WARNING, this is Really Long and includes mentions of Childhood Bullying, Child Death, Parental Death, Death during Childbirth, the Child Protective Service, Sibling & Peer Bullying, Ghosts, Possession and Fugue / Derealized Mental States after Trauma. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED.

0 - 7 YEARS OLD

Born in the small community of Tatewaku, Saijikara, shortly after, the entire family (Kija, Rhiannon, Justice, Temperance, Charity & Patience) returned to the region after living in Unova for a decade prior.

Amity was an unplanned child born prematurely the year following her older sister, Patience’s death—such an unfortunate timing, in conjunction with being born prematurely & having higher needs, meant Amity’s older siblings were never able to bond with her.

It certainly didn’t help that she was the apple of her father’s eye.

Wherever Kija went, Amity was the silent shadow following after him with adoration and such rapt curiosity — it scared the crap out of him more often than once, earning her the nickname Hyu~dorodoro, like a ghost. But Kija adored the frights, no matter how many times he jumped out of his skin.

To Kija, Amity felt as though she wanted a level of love from her father that her older siblings reserved for their mother alone. Amity wished to follow him and be taught—to hear stories from the lab, learn about the family trade in medicine, and take the inspiration with a grin.

At 4, Amity and her family moved from the small family home in Tatewaku to the Old Joy Estate in Kiyose, ostensibly to help care for Amity’s Grandfather, Chikao, who had recently begun losing his mobility.

In reality, many (including her older siblings) suspected the move was made because of Rhiannon’s latest pregnancy and heavy suspicions that the child wasn’t Kija’s, which she wasn’t, ultimately.

At this time, Amity & the other siblings met many of the close family friends for the first time, including: Illumise Mikasa, Kazuya Mikasa; Junpei Eurya the late professor for the region.

The move was difficult for all involved & despite her young age, Amity was not spared the growing pains.

At 11 and 10, respectively, Amity’s older siblings levelled much of their grief onto their youngest sister. Blaming her for the move, taunting her to tears and eventually escalating into Amity’s first, but not final, unfortunate brush with bullying.

After the move, Amity found little respite in leaning on her father for acceptance and affection. The negative of the move meant her father had to travel 2 hours daily to work and often couldn’t return home at the end of the day. And efforts to lean into her mother were a moot, pointless endeavour, like trying to pull blood from a stone.

Amity found herself alone for the first time until Mira was born. Mira, Rhiannon’s 6th child and legally Kija’s, though in reality she was fathered by Rhiannon’s affair partner, was Amity’s best friend from birth and the one piece of the broken, broken family that fit beside Amity. Mira gave Amity strength and a kind of resolve that pushed her to finally distance herself emotionally from her older siblings.

Amity stopped chasing after love she wouldn’t get from her older siblings. Mira was affectionately known as ‘her baby’ given how often she was seen playing with and caring for the baby — pushing her pram, feeding her and reading her stories.

This was the origin point for the later parentification that would balloon to incredible lengths later in life.

For her 6th Birthday, Amity's grandfather gave her the gift of enrollment in a local School for Pokemon Trainers. Despite the family's reigning precedent of only employing personal tutors for previous generations of children, Chikao and Kija wanted Amity to have the chance to make friends beyond the family.

Despite this, getting Amity to explore beyond the home & staying with family friends did little when she was suffering under the circumstances at home. The results of the ongoing bullying from her siblings and emotional neglect from her parents were plain and present: Amity’s former jubilant personality of a happy little shadow always underfoot and wanting to be a part of everything was just… gone. Amity became evasive, furtive & fearful, and it hurt to watch. To see her shrink so far inside herself, become shy when that wasn’t her, and go numb to the mistreatment that had become so normalized at home.

At 7, Amity’s grandfather, Chikao, died, leaving his 4 household Pokemon to be passed down to his descendants. Kija, still deep in his grief and struggling with the loss of his father *who he had only begun rebuilding a relationship with*, couldn't bear to take the Pokémon on himself and instead passed them onto his children to distribute among themselves. But the cruelty and dysfunction of the relationship at play came to unfortunately rear its head through this matter, and the 3 older children (Justice, Temperance and Charity) took all 4 for themselves, arguing the fourth had to go to Charity, as it was only deserved by her deceased sister, Patience. Amity, who had a good relationship with her grandfather, was gutted by the decision and was despondent. By the rejection, insult of her siblings, and loss after loss. Illumise tried to interject on Amity’s behalf to bring the subject to her parents, but Kija didn’t have the strength for it, and Rhiannon saw no flaw in the logic and let it stand.

Illumise, however, was stubborn and grieving in her own way. Perhaps she saw herself in Amity, or maybe it was how she just seemed to accept that this was her reality and that fighting it would prove nothing. She couldn’t let it stand and brought Amity to her home to give her a Pokémon directly: a Trapinch, born from her Flygon, which Amity’s late grandfather had caught for her 40 years earlier. Illumise hoped she would accept the Trapinch and that it would ease her pain, make her feel powerful and valued and not forget the waysides of grieving. But, when presented with the offer, Amity bristled, terrified and misty-eyed. She rejected the Trapinch presented to her as politely as she could. She didn’t like Pokémon; she never wanted a Pokémon, and she couldn’t. She was sorry and scared of Pokémon, so she had to go. Illumise was at a loss, dumbfounded. Amity was terrified that much wasn’t a lie, but everything else? There wasn’t a thread of truth in any of it. Amity loved Pokémon and coveted one; she once made a ‘persuasive’ poster to convince her parents to let her adopt a Swablu. Hell! The first thing she always wanted to do when visiting Illumise was to check on her team. Where was this sudden change coming from? Short answer: it was her siblings.

Amity could be evasive from her siblings' wrath, slip away like a wimpod beneath the waves, but her younger sister, Mira, who was only a baby? She couldn’t learn to evade like Amity could at her age, and if their anger didn’t go to Amity, it would surely go to her. Amity WISHED she could be sure they wouldn’t pull a baby’s hair until she cried or pinched her until it bruised, but truthfully? She couldn’t be. It was better for her not to rock the boat and openly go against them for her safety and Mira’s.

So ashamed of herself for turning down Illumise’s gift to her, Amity couldn’t bring herself to visit her adoptive Aunt’s home for months. It broke Illumise’s heart — but Amity blamed herself, in her child’s mind, she’d committed an unforgivable crime. She WANTED that Trapinch, she WANTED to make Illumise happy, she WANTED that last bit of her grandfather, she wanted it, she wanted it so bad it made her chest ache, but it would make her siblings angry and if they’re angry and she isn’t around— she couldn’t. Amity successfully dodged Illumise for a month but broke down in tears and sobs when she finally asked directly.

That day marked a change for Amity and Illumise. Not only did they bridge the sudden gap, but came out stronger for it. But Illumise no longer felt right in her soul, leaving Mira and Amity under Rhiannon’s watch. From that day, subtly, Illumise would host Amity and her younger sister at her home, watching them as long as Rhiannon would let her, which at times was for full days at a time. Her home became theirs.

8 YEARS OLD

From this point in her memory, everything becomes a blur for Amity—a fog of colour, bleary faces, and the vaguest disembodied feeling of terror and distress—like listening to the shrieks of some B-movie star from the next room over.

One morning - September, she thinks. She'd just returned to school, and she had this- what was it, a cleffa backpack for school. Yes, that's it, that brings it back. It's embarrassing to admit, but it was a gift from her father, from the CITY, and that was a big deal back then - hell, many in Kiyose had never been so far. She was so proud of it; that morning she'd wanted to show it off to her friends.

Her friends, it's a thought that brings pause — knotting her throat, but her friends met with her that morning, bright and early before school at the gate of the property. She'd thought, she THOUGHT they were going to walk to school together, get there early to get started on making a club — but they sort of laughed - it was a mean sound, now that she thinks about it, but it seemed sweet back then. They had other plans.

They knew there were wild Pokemon on the Property—it's always been something of a reserve—and they knew she didn't get one when Chikao died. They felt so bad for her, especially since so many of them had their own. They—so considerately, she thought—were going to make up for it. They were going to take her to the back of the property and catch one for herself - they had the Pokeballs and everything, and with their team together, Amity. She felt safe, she was excited, she was so so appreciative.

They went back, to the pond — she'd thought they'd stopped there, where the frogs slept, but no — the main girl, ████ laughed, 'c'mon, you deserve better than a tadpole,' Amity paused, she remembers the burn of shame at the back of her throat and the start of something, she thought it was just embarrassment then — don't make yourself look MORE stupid - but it was her gut instinct that this was... off. But she took them at face level, and she WANTED to, deeper and deeper, she followed them.

They seemed to know where they were going, but Amity had never gone this far back—she remembers Chikao always warning her against it. The Pokemon were powerful and proud there. This land was a sacrifice to them. They won't back down, so steer clear. But they INSISTED - that's all the more reason, Amity, this is YOUR house, you shouldn't let them tell you where you can and can't go - you're like the boss, right? Amity wanted to disagree, but she didn't, she wouldn't, she didn't want them to think less of her. Then, they started to tell stories - some she'd already heard, but haunts, the tales of angry haunts, endless woods that change like mazes to trap you, and missing people.

By the time they'd taken her to the final destination—the Forgotten Minka—Amity's breathing was laboured with fear. She didn't need to stare at the building long, the splintered, aged wood choked by brambles and vines, while pieces of the finery had fallen away—it already seemed to glare at her with anger. She didn't care about the Pokemon anymore; she just wanted to go back, go home, and go to school.

But the girls looked at her with such - betrayal - she didn't know how else to put it— it makes some part of her boil when she thinks about it. Don't you trust us? She had, she did, she stopped. She tried to calm herself down: she dropped her cleffa bag into the dried leaves and tried to steady herself. Alright, I'm sorry, we can go, let's do this. Then, on cue - there was this sound, a pager; one of the other girls paused. 'Hey, hold on a minute, I think that's my dad,' a lie. 'I'll stay out here with you,' 'Oh, wait, Amity, here - you take the ball and go in ahead — we'll be right behind you. Promise!'

It's okay. I trust you. I trust you. Amity tried to steady herself and pulled herself over the step into the building. She heard the girls behind her, and she felt relieved. She opened the door and looked down the hallway, which was dusty and sun-bleached but... untouched. No Pokemon activity, or vermin or- something was really wrong - she turned around. 'I'm sorry, I ca—' Push, and she fell back hard. Her body hit the wooden beams with a thud as the door was yanked closed, and she heard giggling.

After that — well, she remembers screaming, pulling at the door the girls barred shut from the outside — she was crying; someone said something, 'feeding her to a Gengar,' but the exact sentence was lost in the details. She remembers feeling like she was choking, clawing at her throat —feeling warm run down her fingers to her wrist - then it went black.

Amity was missing—it wasn't noticed for the first several hours, even when her group of girls returned to classes without her by their side. It was not until her final-period teacher noticed she never showed up that the community took heed. Teachers talked to teachers, spoke to the principal, spoke to everyone. Kiyose & its outskirts were a tight-knit community—and soon enough, every phone line seemed to be jammed—call after call after call, panic gripped the status quo.

Amity's friends said they had last seen her at the gates of the family's estate, clad in her little pink cleffa backpack and in light fall clothing with a red patterned jacket and that she had told them she was heading to school and was excited for the Moon-Viewing Festival -- they never cared to mention all the details that followed, of the adventure into the wilds and the Forgotten Minka and their 'prank.'

Immediately, many feared the worst—and locals will say that Autumn Day was when time seemed to stop entirely in Kiyose. Local businesses shuttered for the day early, leaving to join in the search. Police from local districts journeyed down the beaten country roads, and even the local Pokemon Gym, Center, & Doctor's office were closed to aid in the search.

For the secret happenings of what happened to Amity in the Minka, see the end of this post here

Eventually, in the dead of night, Amity stumbled out of the Minka and slipped into the forest around it, her clothing torn into shreds and in what could only be described as a fugue state. Unfocused and entirely unaware of the danger of her surroundings, she enacted what Magnus would later describe as a death march. Stumbling and falling in the brush and growing sicker with every mile, she walked further and further away from her home into the wilds' depths.

She was easy prey—no, not even that suffices to describe how delicately her life hung in the balance and judgement of the wilds'. Amity's foot was firmly lodged in the spirit world, more dead than alive, and her light ever dimmed under her body's demand to keep moving, just keep moving.

But, for Whinnie the Drifloon, something about the sight of her — like the living dead — he couldn't leave her to die. She reminded him far too much of his former best friend and of the accident that took his life. Whinnie saw him in her, and he wouldn't — couldn't — let another child die because he couldn't protect them, and he sure as hell wouldn't let any other Pokemon hurt her. That was Whinnie's stance, and his stance gave him strength through grief and guilt that Magnus had never seen.

Magnus wanted to wash his hands of it at first — he and Whinnie were companions of convenience. They couldn't understand the trauma compelling him to stick himself out to protect the pitiful girl, nor could he understand endangering himself for the dying. But Whinnie's resolve inspired him, and despite himself, he followed suit.

So, they joined Amity — and she remembers that — a daze, a mantra in her head finally breaking when she saw the glimpse of the soothing purple in the brush and a soft 'woo' that seemed, afraid? Afraid of scaring her? It was a Drifloon, Whinnie, and their eyes were so... kind. She could never shake that — even years later and in the fog of that day.

Amity took Whinnie by the hands—despite every warning from every legend and folktale to exist—and rather than being shepherded to her doom, the pair guided Amity through the forest towards humanity, giving her berries (thankfully keeping her from dehydration) and watching her in her derealized state.

Two days passed, and it seemed the entire countryside had been checked over twice, but there was no sign of Amity or clue to her whereabouts.

It wasn't until the dawn of the second day that Amity resurfaced into humanity. The sun rose, and she stirred from the nest that had been created by Magnus for the trio. Looking at the clouds and hearing the distant chime of... school bells? Something clicked in her brain. School, I was supposed to go to school. It's my first day. I don't want to be late.

Amity stood and wandered away from the nest and onto the country road - dishevelled, blood and bruise covered, hair a mess and now a deathly white, and pupils the size of saucers. By the time Magnus and Whinnie noticed she had wandered away - it was too late - she had wandered back into humanity where they knew they couldn't stray.

When she entered the school, Amity didn't say a word—instead, she shambled to her first room, interrupted the class inside, wandered to a desk, sat, and emotionally shut down.

Amity has no memory of the chaos that followed. She only learned of the events through later news reports and was told what happened by her parents, siblings, and friends. Elaborated on at length here

In short, after returning to school, Amity was rushed to the hospital, given her dire state of health and held under medical supervision for weeks. Amity wasn't very responsive during this time - either due to her treatment or disassociation from the trauma. She was entirely mute, much to the bewilderment of the adults around her, and her family underwent intense and intrusive investigations by CPS to ensure the household was safe for Amity to return to.

The broken family drifted further apart, and sides began forming after Rhiannon blamed Amity's near-death experience on the older children for their tormenting of her. Amity refused to speak about the incident or explain how and why she went missing, and all that kept her going were the brave nightly visits of Whinnie and Magnus, who came to check on her and ensure she was healing well.

9 - 10 YEARS OLD

Quietly, Amity's time under the custody and supervision of Protective Services continued, even after she was released from the hospital, and there was this growing sense of - guilt? Guilt was the only way Amity knew to explain it.

Illumise was the font of stability during this period that Amity relied on the most heavily emotionally - if only because Illumise could contain her devastation - she could treat Amity like Amity - not a cracked porcelain doll, not a tragedy, just... herself.

Amity was home again, and though her homecoming was warm, her house wasn't, even with everyone buzzing around. It felt... wrong, even at the time. Like a puzzle with jagged pieces, they never fit together, regardless of how they were rotated. She was given smiles, but she knew they were hollow, as was the reassurance that 'everything is fine,' but they weren't; she wasn't fine, and things felt forced.

Well - except with her mother, Rhiannon had been cold since Amity had returned - but not the sort of disinterested, forgotten cold that had filled the space of their relationship before. Rhiannon seemed angry in a way Amity could never fix - like something about Amity's presence annoyed her - or something she did that was unforgivable. Amity... well, she tried apologizing for a while. Still, apologies did nothing - her mother, she felt, wanted nothing to do with her & Amity was fine (not fine but able to accept her reality) simply... leaving her be. From a glass child - seen through - to an annoyance. She'd manage.

Kija had cut down on his 'business overnights' and 'trips to the city' (were they ever required?) and set things 'exactly as they used to be,' Amity was his shadow again; he took her everywhere, but it wasn't by her choice.

It almost seemed to her like he couldn't relax if she wasn't always in his eyesight - that trust was gone, and all of her former freedom with it. It was frustrating with a burn of parental control friction, but it was layered with a sense of distance that couldn't be bridged. Everything Kija did, frustrating as it was, dripped with a level of guilt she could FEEL, and she wanted to apologize for worrying him, but... well, she couldn't.

She knew he used to cry at night after he'd thought she'd gone to bed. Amity was alive, but he felt he'd lost his little girl - and to that end, he wasn't exactly wrong - but Amity was still there, not the same, but still there, in front of him, his daughter, not a ghost.

Given Rhiannon's attitude - Amity leaned far more heavily on her father and Illumise during this time.

Amity was put into speech therapy with the hopes of returning her ability to speak and overcome the 'mental block' as was concisely put by the child psychologist - to no avail.

The smallest mercy of the period was that Amity was allowed to continue her friendship with the ghosts, Whinnie and Magnus, and at 10, presented them with Pokeballs, which they willingly entered, cementing the bond they had formed since the incident into tangible reality, which hit Amity like a hot blanket after marching through the snow. At that time, she truly needed them to warmly return her friendship, and they were there unflinchingly and without hesitation.

OF NOTE: AMITY DID NOT BEGIN THE TRADITIONAL GYM CIRCET AT THIS TIME. Amity simply had her friends and trained and grew alongside them on the property: her parents would never have entertained letting her walk away like that after almost losing her.

Per gentle persuasion by the counsellors that Kija splurged on in the efforts to treat Amity - she was subsequently signed up for extra-curricular and student clubs with the hopes of aiding in her 'return to form.'

These namely being:

Shogi Clubs

Ikebana / Traditional Flower Arranging Classes

Arts & Crafts Clubs (teaching her, among other things, Calligraphy, Mizuhiki / Artistic Knot Tying, Furoshiki / Artistic Giftwrapping & Origami) 

& Dancing

Despite the mistaken assumption that Amity would ever return to the girl she was before the incident, the efforts DID help by giving her a positive social outlet without judgment, which gave her the space to heal her heart of the betrayal without closing herself off entirely.

On the subject of friends, Amity never spoke out about the truth of what happened that day—not only in her words but also in her actions. Close family, like Illumise, have always had suspicions, but nothing could be backed without evidence or word from Amity.

Amity, for her part, disconnected from those girls for a lack of better terms. Some part of her just stopped after the incident; she stopped wanting to ignore herself, her gut, and the past.

Before the incident, Amity thought it would be much worse to be alone than to only have them for friends. But it was wrong; they proved her so, so very wrong. They were worse friends than no friends, and she was tired of them and tired of being hurt for their entertainment. They tried to make amends in the hospital, and one by one, the families came with cut flowers and sweets and meaningless words: 'We went back, where were you?' 'it was a prank!' 'I'm sorry,' but it meant nothing to Amity then. She'd heard the excuses before; she was done, and she cut them off rather than fight.

11 - 13 YEARS OLD

Amity continues training Magnus and Whinnie, and their bond deepens intensely. While Magnus had previously been sucked into taking an interest in the girl by Whinnie and his resolve and agreed to the trainer bond out of personal respect formed for Amity, her strength and her transformation unfolding before Magnus' eyes. Magnus begins viewing Amity with much deeper fondness, which frankly taps into his previous life; she becomes like a granddaughter to him, and thus, they form a deeply protective, playful, nurturing dynamic.

This set the ground for Magnus's role as Amity's defender and Whinnie's role as her supporter, which continued into her adulthood and her team-building strategies.

Amity also meets her Shedinja, named Enjeru, while training with Whinnie after a gust blew it down from a tree at their feet. For some reason unknown to the rest of the waking world, Amity quickly becomes smitten with the humming, sentient exoskeleton (despite a lack of palpable life or personality that ANYONE else can determine) and, after begging to keep it, is allowed to keep it and adds it to her party. Where Enjeru became a mainstay for 7 years until it passed on to another life.

At 12, Amity began experimenting and participating in local youth Pokemon Tournaments held by her school and local community centers. Three events into the effort, she won her first gold, to much support from the friends she'd made, but most especially, Illumise, her most significant support and involved motherly figure.

Illumise mused that with golds and silvers beneath her belt, she should try for the traditional rites. And with that, her victory and seeing her friends all preparing to venture off on their own for the same. Amity emboldened her resolve, she threw out the idea of starting her journey and doing the traditional circuit around Saijikara—to no support from her parents. No, nope, not happening. What are you thinking about Amity? They'd given her some laxity, especially in keeping her Pokemon, but that was too far even for them.

Amity was GUTTED, but unfortunately, not surprised. All her older siblings had been allowed! Charity had been sent off as a gift for her 12th birthday! And it sparked a period of frustration for her little heart - Illumise tried to make the blow less crippling, letting her become a gym trainer beneath her - but it wasn't the same, and the pain lingered.

Though Amity didn't continue with ALL of the hobbies she had picked up in the aftermath of the incident, she continued with her dancing and flower arranging, going on to demonstrate in performances, display her flowers in local exhibitions, and earn a fair few ribbons and small medals for her efforts.

Just weeks after Amity's 13th birthday, Kija's father seemed to cut all contact with the family. There was no word, no calls, not a letter, postcard, or anything—nothing but the empty, aching place left by his absence. Rhiannon was furious, Just and Perri were non-fussed, Charity was confused, but Amity? She felt dread - like a pit of lead in her stomach—she knew, she KNEW—long before Interpol contacted the family to break the unfortunate news about his death.

But hearing your father is dead and suspecting your father is dead are two entirely different points of despair, and Amity broke. Worse than after the incident, worse than after the move, worse than any of it. Amity & Kija didn't have the perfect relationship, but she loved him deeply; he was her person, even when all she felt from him was guilt and pity.

Amity was never told the full details about what happened to him - only that it had been a 'work' accident and that he would be returned to them already cremated. It never made much sense to Amity, but she didn't have the heart to question it - she barely had it in her to attend the services in his memory.

Despite all of the turmoil and strife of those few years, Amity began finding her voice once again—slowly, mind you. By the tail end of 13, she had only begun having full sentences with close, trusted people like Nori and Illumise, but it was all an upward climb.

14 YEARS OLD (BRANCHING STUDY ABROAD VERSES BEGIN HERE)

Amity's clashes with her mother began to come to a head after Kija's passing. This manifested in one-sided screaming arguments, which Amity rebuffed with snarls and bared teeth as best as she could. Rhiannon wanted to run and forget that pain, anger, and truth by wiping the slate clean. No artifacts, no memories.

Rhiannon wanted an easy exit; she wanted to fall into the comforts of her past (dating around, being 'taken care of,' etc.) and look to a future without painful reminders, but Amity wanted, needed to remember. Memories were her comfort, her connection, and the last bits of her father she truly felt him through—Amity has always been that sentimental sort.

It began when Rhiannon began throwing away Kija's personal belongings—clothes were one thing; they didn't need the suits—but his degrees, the family photos, his journals, and the knickknacks and hobbies he'd collected over his life well lived. Not even the family shrine was safe, and Amity—Amity couldn't stand it.

She tried to save what she could—sweeping in like a Murkrow to pick through the garbage bags to salvage what she could from her mother's efforts—but Amity couldn't get everything, and several small items were lost, much to her regret and anger.

Once Amity's older siblings learned about this, the oldest of the group, Justice, who had already moved out and was living independently with roommates, opted to take in his two younger siblings, Temperance and Charity. Leaving Amity and Nori in Rhiannon's custody.

During this period, Rhiannon began reverting to her neglectful habits from before Amity's disappearance. Rhiannon spent most of her time away from home, leaving Amity there alone to care for Nori and herself. Amity welcomed her absence in a way, it made the house feel less hostile.

But it came with consequences. Amity had to drop out of some extracurriculars, such as her Ikebana, and cut down on others, like her dance.

Amity refused to cut down in her role as a gym trainer with Illumise, though that was an area she would not budge - because the gym and Illumise had become her escape from worry. Illumise was an observant woman, though - she noticed Amity's downturn and how tired and run down she had begun seeming - she had her suspicions, and when she offered to let Amity bring Nori along to the gym with her - Amity's visible relief explained it all and Illumise's stomach turned.

Amity became drastically more independent during this period than any girl her age should be. out of necessity of living, unfortunately - she's learned to cook for herself, manage the morning and evening routines, work out travel (walking) times for school both ways and budget for groceries with the 'allowance' left by her mother.

Then HE came into the picture - Mateo wasn't the WORST of Rhiannon's boyfriends; even years later, Amity couldn't damn the man with that scathing assessment, but he was far from a good man - in fact, Amity would describe him as a mediocre man with a royal name - but his introduction came at the worst of Amity's resentment towards her mother.

Amity hated Mateo because he was the enabling force that let her mother run away from them, and the responsibility grew greater and greater for Amity. & Amity would admit, at the time, she did want them to break up - if only for the foolish impression that maybe if he wasn't around, she'd step up. (she wouldn't)

For a time, Rhiannon debated boarding Amity off elsewhere—family, a school, anything—to get her away from her home and from ruining her life, but ultimately, Rhiannon didn't. Amity was too much of a needed help to throw away—and the inconvenient truth is that she, Nori, and her older siblings owned the home and property, NOT Rhiannon. If Amity was thrown out, she'd go to the streets with her.

So they played balancing the boat - the mutual animosity was palpable - but they dealt with it. They dealt with it. First names, no warmth, Amity was the caregiver to her sister, and the lovebirds lived almost separate lives, and time ticked forward.

Then Rhiannon became pregnant, creating waves that couldn't be calmed by time apart and silence alone. Amity didn't want a brother - she didn't want more responsibility - she didn't want to babysit another, and she didn't want to be put between her older siblings and her.

But Rhiannon didn't care; she didn't even care enough to make false promises about changing, 'you'll adapt,' she'd said, and Amity did - but her view of Rhiannon did as well.

When baby Orin was placed in Amity's arms, any respect for Rhiannon and the last of her rose-tinting left the world, and she knew - she'd be stepping up for this baby now; it would be her responsibility.

For the first months of Orin's life, Rhiannon maintained more of a presence at home - caring for Orin in some ways, the more convenient ones, Amity would point out - but still leaving much to Amity, such as the nighttime care - as Mateo seemed uninterested in the child.

The late nights took their toll on Amity. During the day, she became more and more zombie-like, dozing off during classes and finding it impossible to concentrate on her work. This led to her grades suffering despite Amity being capable of so much better.

A month before her 15th birthday, Amity had her final dance performance. She didn't know it at the time, but weeks later, she finally gave up the ghost and dropped the hobby entirely out of necessity. She simply didn't have the time or the energy. But the performance itself was more bitter than sweet—she stepped onto the stage and scanned the audience, and only Illumise and her sister were seated in the crowd—her mother absent.

Regarding her team during this time - Magnus evolved from a Ghastly to a Haunter, though Whinnie and Enjeru remain the same. Amity also adopts a small Spinarak, no bigger than her hand, and with a penchant for mischief, she names Trix.

15 - 16 YEARS OLD

Continuing her path upwards in Illumise's Gym, Amity becomes one of the two attendants / sub-bosses (essentially) directly beneath her.

Amity adds

Despite her troubles at home, she THRIVES in the position, less because of the battles - those are a bonus - but more in her position of helping the challengers and their Pokemon find their footing before facing their hardest challenge.

This is when Amity begins to find her passion in medicine, healing Pokemon and people, comforting, and teaching.

When Orin is 7 months old, Mateo leaves Rhiannon - to no one's surprise other than Rhiannon - it is just a matter of time until the lack of affluence and social climbing and piddling excitement of the country lifestyle drives him away. Amity predicted as much early into the relationship. Still, Rhiannon had perhaps deluded herself into believing she was different, that he'd change, or she'd just be inherently loveable enough to be the exception. She wasn't, though, and emotionally, she shut down for a time, putting the matter of Orin and Nori entirely on Amity.

Somehow, during this time, Rhiannon (through a single parent's support group) met Takuma and quickly began a short-lived and doomed relationship.

Amity was exhausted this time around. She didn't have the energy to resist her mother's push to forget her father and move on with a new 'father' to push down her throat. (Not that she would take him as a father, efforts or not.) But Takuma surprised her.

Takuma wasn't a cold shoulder or an iron fist attempting to crush her into submission. He showed interest but took things slowly and understood her distance; he allowed it and often stood in her defence before Rhiannon when she poked and prodded Amity.

Takuma wasn't only a positive presence for Amity; for a time, he had a familiar effect on Rhiannon. With him around, she seemed to take an interest in Orin and Nori - like she wanted to be a mom, if only to impress Takuma. It was cutting (she could do this for a man but not her own daughter?) but a relief nonetheless. Amity wasn't obligated to be a primary caregiver - not when Takuma was around, and Amity was too tired to not embrace the opportunity.

With Takuma now around, Amity made her stand and put down her foot: she would be doing the circuit and the challenge. Rhiannon tried to argue against it, but Amity was determined. She arranged approved leave from school: she WAS doing it, and she did—in record time, frankly.

Amity's role as an official Gym Attendant had already hardened her team against many of the challenges she'd faced thus far. Working the circuit, she only cemented the name she had made for herself in Illumise's gym and polished her team further.

On her way home from her journey, Amity received word from home that Rhiannon had once again gotten pregnant, this time by Takuma. Though, at least at this point, she felt some relief - with Takuma, things would have to be okay, right?

Amity's beliefs were dashed when she made it home, only to find the home a war zone again. Rhiannon was worse than Amity had ever seen her before—she couldn't explain it—she was just angry. She was always furious at everything and everyone, but she took it out on Takuma more than anything or anyone else.

It broke Amity's heart and scared her for him - he was a good man; he didn't deserve this, and Amity couldn't see this getting better. He toughed it out for the last end of the pregnancy, but after her younger sister was born - he took her and left. Amity couldn't blame him; in a way, she was glad, even though it meant she rolled back to the bottom of the hill.

Takuma leaving - her younger sister having a more stable home - and being left with Rhiannon and her worsening state with her siblings gave Amity a new fire beyond feeling sorry for herself and her circumstances. She was resolved, Amity wanted out, and she knew she COULD do it; she thrived during her Journey. She needed to stop asking for permission and waiting to be let onto a path - she had to barge through, no apology.

Amity knew what she wanted to do—she wanted to be a Pokemon Nurse, so she created her plan with unmatched fire.

Amity did an almost 180 on her schoolwork - from scraping just above passing grades to a solid B and A student. She officially filed the volunteer work she'd performed with the Pokemon League for the past 3 years. She collected all of her awards and efforts, and she prepared to

It certainly helped her resolve that the strained relationship between Amity and Rhiannon had worsened. Rhiannon frequently picked fights, accused Amity of 'being a traitor,' and sided with Takuma and helped him 'steal her baby.'

At this point, Amity finally started speaking at a degree that she had before the incident—not without strain—but she struggled with slipping into muteness during stress. Still, she was feeling confident in herself and her communication again.

Then Rhiannon met HIM, that bastard, that motherfucker, what a tool. Rhiannon brought Axel into the family home not even two months after Takuma had left. He made a bad impression on Amity quickly after that when she returned from school one day to Nori sobbing because she'd been moved out of her room to give Axel a 'man cave' close to his and Rhiannon's room (they live in an Actual Palace, there was space available he simply chose to flex his relationship and his perceived power.

17 YEARS OLD

Amity and Axel's animosity worsened as Axel attempted to assert more power over herself and her siblings.

Axel wanted to be the man of the house. Rhiannon was more than happy to give him that power, but Amity opposed it. Not out of pride—no, she couldn't care less about her mother's dating life anymore, her feelings mattered nothing to her mother—her opposition was only to protect her younger siblings from Axel's temper.

Axel was the sort of man who would create rules after you'd 'broken' them as an excuse to belittle you. The kind of man who'd throw china and glass to the floor to make you have to clean it up. The sort of man who refused to call you by your name: you were girl or boy to him. He was the sort of man who would've put his cigarettes out on you, if not for the fact he knew it'd leave a scar.

In truth, all that was achieved by that was putting Amity directly in the line of verbal abuse.

With the tension at home worsening, Amity began sending her siblings over to Illumise's more often, a favour she would never repay. To the point that 'visits with Aunty Mise,' became code for 'Axel is starting shit, I'll handle him, don't let the kids see it,' which Nori caught on to quickly.

In the meantime, Amity struggled to maintain her grade average and was forced to drop her volunteer work at Illumise's Gym, aware that she was running herself into the ground.

Somehow, someway, despite the hardship at home, Amity managed to secure herself a full-ride scholarship to the Poke RN nursing program in Saijikara's capital. Though terrified at the prospect of leaving her siblings, she wept out of joy. This was the way out - this was the way out.

After a particularly awful argument, with words flung about Amity's biological father, Amity had enough. Amity threatened to throw her mother and her mother's boyfriend out of her and her siblings' home. Axel was undeterred, but Rhiannon, knowing the truth of who owned the house and realizing just how far Amity had been taken, backed off and finally pushed back against Axel, too.

Axel never took Amity and her threats seriously, and on some level, he knew Amity didn't have it in her to throw her mother to the street. Still, at the time, Rhiannon did—and thus, she told Axel to leave the home during the day, which alone made him scarce enough for Amity and her siblings to breathe.

This pregnancy was different from Rhiannon's other pregnancies, though, and that became evident quickly. As time passed, she grew sicker and sicker, relying more and more on Amity. Yet, Amity, tired as she was, felt conflicted, resentful, and frustrated, and yet, this was the kindest Rhiannon had treated her in years. She almost seemed like a mom—maybe she knew in advance that this would be her last—or maybe it was manipulation. Amity had no idea.

When Rhiannon went into labour, Axel, per usual at that point, was missing in action, with no way to contact him and resting bile in the back of her throat about the thought of him even being there. It fell to Amity to bring her mother to the hospital and comfort her through the delivery.

Amity witnessed the life draining out of her mother; she heard screaming that would never wholly leave her mind and lurk at the back of nightmares, and when she bled to death on the table. Amity was there, disassociated but there.

With no one else around, Amity named her two newly born sisters, Yvita and Yvona, the first names that came to mind, the ones she'd earmarked to give to her own children one day.

Neither of the twins was strong enough to leave the hospital immediately, so, calling out of school for the first time since the incident, Amity remained by their side in the NICU for a week until they were discharged.

When she went to return home, she remembers distinctly the memory of her with the truck; she was so exhausted she could feel it in her bones; every step hurt and now, with both girls and no hands. She struggled to carry both car seats up into the home. She remembered that feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness, and then, Magnus and the others floated on over. Probably distracted from their playing in the gardens, they met her at the car. She remembers the sound of their joy, cooing and soft cries as they gathered around to see the tiny life. Their happiness was so infectious; it was like the horror of the last weeks was melting; then Magnus, the Haunter, sensing her fatigue, gingerly picked up one of the carriers for her and gave her this look, 'Let me help you,' and she could've cried out of joy.

With Magnus and Lamentation carrying the baby carriers, Amity walked in, feeling lighter in spite of her grief—only for her joy to turn ice cold when she saw Axel sitting in washitsu, eating a meal—utterly dispassionate, relaxed even. He turned to her, her ghosts, and the baby carriers and only barked, 'Where have you been?' without thinking to her mother, the children, or anyone besides himself.

Amity never felt hatred like she did in that moment, frozen, staring at him, unable to move because she couldn't be sure she wouldn't fly forward to strangle him.

She said nothing, instead walking deeper into the home - but that was the beginning of the end.

Amity was the one to break the news to her half-siblings - she'd called Illumise for support, to make it softer, but truthfully, SHE needed her more than her siblings did. They didn't cry, that hurt, they only seemed shocked and scared. 'What's going to happen to us?' Amity hated how her chest hitched; she wanted to say, 'Nothing, we'll be okay,' but she didn't know.

(following Rhiannon dying, Amity was appointed legal guardian of all but one of her half-siblings after she was the only one to step forward and both she and social services raised concerns about separating the siblings due to the vastly different parentage of all of them)

She was also the one to break the news to her full siblings—yet somehow, that call went harder. They seemed happy; they didn't ask about her or their half-siblings. They wanted to know about inheritance now that 'the bitch,' was dead & Amity was going to age into accessing the ones left by her grandparents on Kija's side.

After Rhiannon's death, Amity, in the immediate weeks, didn't have the emotional bandwidth to go through the inevitable drama of kicking Axel to the street - and with him seemingly bettering his act for a time, she was content to try and keep from rocking the boat.

This was until Amity broke the news that Axel would need to leave before her graduation from Senior High. This sparked a particularly violent fight, during which Axel raised his hands against Amity.

Amity was battered, and after the attack, and realizing what he'd done, Axel fled the house, yelling threats about taking 'his daughters' and that the matter wasn't finished with.

Amity didn't follow - hurting and stunned, she'd called Illumise instead, telling her to keep the kids as she 'sorted things' at the house (locked all the doors and treated her wounds,) but what neither realized was that Magnus, Amity's Haunter had heard the noise and followed them to find Amity hurting and Axel running.

Amity didn't follow, but Magnus did. He wouldn't let anyone raise a hand to his trainer or split apart his family—no, Magnus had seen enough, Magnus had let enough pass by for Amity, but this was too far. Magnus DEMANDED retribution for her, and Haunters aren't known for their mercy.

Axel disappeared that night—like he dropped off the face of existence. Neither he, his bike, or any trace of him was found after he'd gotten onto the roadway, though rumours persist. After Amity went into town with her bruises poorly covered in makeup, locals whispered that Axel didn't run away, and Amity's ghosts dragged him into the spirit world for hurting her.

Leaving Amity alone, with her siblings and an uncertain future (though Axel was far from a significant loss)

18 - 19 YEARS OLD

WIP (jot notes I'll expand on later)

Amity's Haunter, Magnus evolved into a Gengar. Her Murkrow, Verity, evolved into a Honchkrow & Amity gained her Noibat, Laverna through her work with sick and injured Pokemon.

Amity got access to the trust funds created for her by her grandparents and father; however, in the process, she learned that Rhiannon had been stealing and skimming money from both her and Nori's accounts for years.

Amity was able to make it with her full-ride scholarship, though unfortunately had to leave Nori and Orin under the partial care of Illumise (who Amity paid through her trust funds to keep them safe and check on the property)

Amity moved to Saijikara's capital with her two youngest siblings and cared for them while studying to become a Poke RN.

In the meantime, she performed odd, one-off jobs, such as voice acting, and participated with her team in local Pokemon tournaments for additional money & became something of a micro-celebrity in the area.

20 - 21 YEARS OLD

WIP (jot notes I'll expand on later)

Amity added Malik, the haunted blade, to her team after a family member who had heard of her gift with Ghost Pokemon (based on her team and micro-celebrity status) surrendered him to her care. Amity's Drifloon, Whinnie, evolved near the end of the year into a Drifblim.

Amity finished her studies and graduated with her bachelor's degree in Pokemon nursing. She continued to serve in that role for several months while becoming board-certified for the region.

After realizing Amity wouldn't be able to cleanly pick up her new career and skills and drop them into her home community on the Outskirts, she changed pace and took a lower-earning job as a Community and Pokemon Healthcare Nurse (after taking another, far shorter and more manageable, course)

Amity scraped by in this position while continuing to participate in Pokemon tournaments and competitions for the prize winnings until Illumise had enough.

At the time, a former Gym Leader had retired, and they needed a new, young spirit to take their place and Illumise saw no one she felt could serve the position better (and needed the money) more than Amity

She proposed the deal to Amity, and with some hesitation, Amity agreed and began the trials to become a gym leader and register the estate as a gym and challenge location.

Amity was QUICKLY brought on board with excitement by the League, despite hesitation in some of the Gym Leaders. With her expertise and the offer of access to her land to create a gym, it was their simplest, easiest, and cheapest option.

Amity became a new Gym Leader to much acclaim, if mainly for the energy and novel take she gave to the antiquated role. In the eyes of much of the public, Amity brought modern excitement and the draw of incorporating elements foreign to the region in the form of 'rough battling' to what had become seen as a dull and antiquated theatrical performance for old people and children alone. Of course, that came with controversy in itself.

A short time after taking over as a new Gym Leader and halfway through renovations on the property to install an internal battling arena, there was an accident that left Amity being caught on fire by a competitor's attack, leaving her left arm entirely covered in scar tissue. Whinnie, Amity's Drifloon, evolved during the stress of the incident.

Despite her injury, Amity refused to retire or take extended leave from her position and doubled down, continuing to battle and remain active in it.

At the end of 21, Professor Banyan and Professor Inox move to the Region, filling the vacant position of Pokemon Professor, and Amity quickly befriends them.

FOR HER LIFE AGES 22 - 26 PLEASE SEE HER VERSE PAGE AS THEY'LL BE EXPANDED ON AT LENGTH THERE