#more books with realistic depictions of mental health issues

[scarlet--wiccan]

Is Pietro a sociopath? Bc I read this thing from RomaPop that repeatedly calls him one but I don’t remember reading anything like that?

https://hopeburnsbright.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/romapop-booklet-2016.pdf

I'm not an expert on psychiatry or personality disorders, so please take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt.

No, I do not believe that Pietro has ASPD or any related condition. I don't believe that the text properly supports that, and I don't believe that it would be a correct interpretation of the character based on my admittedly limited understanding of the matter at hand. In Scarlet Witch (2015), Wanda and Pietro get into a fight and she accuses him of being a "textbook sociopath." I believe that this terminology was misused and incorrectly applied, and I believe that this statement, much like Wanda's earlier diagnosis of "schizophrenia" in House of M, contradicts prior continuity and character treatments. Since then, I do not believe that notion of Pietro being a "sociopath" has been revisited.

A lot has been said in modern comics about both Wanda and Pietro's mental health, but a lot of it has been pathologizing and ableist, with an unspoken racial element that leaves a very poor taste in my mouth. Obviously, that includes HoM and the 2000s in general, which was just a really destructive period for both characters, but I think it also includes a lot of Peter David's earlier depictions of Pietro and the way his powers affect his behavior.

I tend to get kinda touchy when people want to ascribe certain conditions to either twin, because the material that this perception is based off of is often harmful or just inaccurate, and I think it gets in the way of actually exploring the more compelling, meaningful aspects of Wanda and Pietro's mental health or trauma. When it comes to these specific labels, like "sociopath," which have been applied to them in the past, I would rather disregard those statements, and maybe retcon them by having characters to talk about why they said, that while acknowledging that it was incorrect or misinformed.

For me, the gold standard of modern Pietro characterization is still Quicksilver: No Surrender, which takes a much more realistic and sympathetic approach to the character and all his flaws by focusing how the isolation and trauma he's experienced has caused him to develop unhealthy patterns. From there, maybe we can start to develop more specific language and diagnoses for the mental health challenges he and Wanda face, but I want it to be about their actual lives, not their powers.

And I should say, I believe very, very strongly, that stigmatized personality disorders deserve to be represented with humanity, dignity, and empathy. I just don't believe that this has ever been the case with this character.

I'm familiar with RomaPop and Vicente Rodriguez's work. I think there's a tendency for activists to speak about comic books and other typically niche media without necessarily developing advanced literacy in that media. I've noticed that a lot of people who, you know, do very good work discussing Romani issues, tend to make erroneous statements about comic book characters like Pietro, Wanda, Magneto, Nightcrawler, etc. because, I mean, they probably haven't read all the material. It takes a lot of time and commitment to become familiar with comic book lore and develop a clear editorial perspective on it.

[itscubetime]

Honestly, I fee like a lot of Osemanverse fans treat the books rather unequally. Let me explain.

I'm going to make a ranked list of all of Alice Oseman's books/series in order from most loved to least loved (based on my observations in social media and the availability of different books). I hold no biases in this list, since I have read/watched all of them. Only observations and some opinions.

Heartstopper. I'm pretty sure most people who have heard of the Osemanverse heard about Heartstopper first. You can find elements of this series everywhere, from all the webcomic platforms like Webtoon and Tapas, to the physical books in bookstores and libraries, to reposts of favourite moments, to the piles upon piles of fan-art and, of course, to the Netflix adaptation, which had immaculate casting and has already been green-lighted for two more seasons. I think this series deserves to be high up on the list - after all, the representation is casual and exemplified in the right places, nothing feels forced, the love story is healthy, but no so perfect that it's entirely unrealistic and the characters all have their spotlight moments. However, I feel like the series sometimes overshadows the other books, which I find interesting, considering this is the only book/series that is centred around a romantic love story.

Solitaire. This is probably the most well-known YA novel for a couple of reasons. One, it is the debut novel, the one that is praised in the front cover of every other Oseman novel, with the familiar phrase 'The Cather in the Rye for the digital age', so most Osemanverse fans have heard of it. Two, it's the novel that ties in with the Heartstopper story the most, by far, especially considering that the main character of Solitaire, Tori Spring, is the older sister of Charlie Spring, one of the main characters in Heartstopper. Three, its depiction of mental health issues, particularly Tori's implied depression, is healthy, realistic and educational. Overall, it deserves the love it gets, especially considering how dark it can get compared to Heartstopper.

Radio Silence. Honestly, I think that this could be tied with Solitaire in some cases - it was, after all, the book that first introduced me to the Osemanverse. It doesn't link with the Heartstopper universe as much as Solitaire, but it does focus more on Aled Last, one of the side characters in Heartstopper, and one of Charlie's friends, although it appears that the two drift off before the events of Radio Silence. I absolutely love this book for two reasons. One, the amazing relationship between Frances and Aled, the two main characters, never goes beyond anything platonic, showing that a boy and a girl don't have to be in a romantic relationship to thrive together. Two, it's the first book in the Osemanverse that shows explicit ace rep - better yet, demi rep - for Aled, which was so nice to read even before I began questioning if I was aspec. I love the cameos it gets in Heartstopper too, especially with Aled in the same shot lol.

Loveless. I'm so mad that this book is so far down the list, but I understand that's because it's the latest one. Firstly, PLEASE READ IT!!!! It follows the first-person perspective of Georgia Warr on her journey to discovering that she is aroace. This book has done wonders for the aspec community in giving them awesome representation and increased attention from the rest of the community, because yes! we exist and yes! us being aspec doesn't mean our lives are sad and lonely and YES! not all love has to come in romantic form!!!!! The fact that Oseman was alluding to their own uni experience in this story is just so amazing! Secondly, it deserves so much more attention in the Osemanverse fandom. Oseman put her whole heart and soul into this book and we are gonna love it like it deserves!!!

I Was Born for This. And now, we come across the book with the least amount of copies sold, available in the least amount of places and talked about the least in the fandom, despite it literally being about the fandom (eyyyy). This was the only novel I had to buy because it wasn't at my library (edit: it is now but it wasn't before) and none of my friends had it, but it is so good and criminally underrated. I understand every other story has something going for it. Heartstopper has impactful rep, Solitaire is the debut novel, Radio silence has Aled and the Universe City and Loveless has aroace rep. However, this book deserves love too!!! It focuses on the chaotic mess of fandoms and the impact it can have on the* artists behind the content, because gaining fame doesn't automatically make everything better, in fact it can make thing worse, like with Jimmy's anxiety. The story also having a muslim MC is also really awesome to see, especially since I haven't read many books with prominent muslim MCs (should probs change that soon lol). Anyway, this book is so so good and you need to read it somehow aaaaaaa!

Anyway, this has been sitting in my drafts for a year now and everything beyond the *asterix has been written today, but most ideas in this still stand. Most of the low-ranked books focus on queer people just existing without the plot being carried by a love story (no hate to the latter but i would like to see more of the former too). Anyway, it's time for the post to be brought into the world, especially considering Heartstopper season 2 coming up in August (yayyy!!!).

What did we learn today, kids?

Give all of a creator's work a chance, not just the most popular one! You will discover many gems!

[bonaesperanza]

book ask: 3, 4, 12

I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LONG :( Anyway, this post was for my book ask, everyone else reading it feel free to join in!

3. What were your top five books of the year?

Hoo boy, if I were perfectly honest they would all be Lymond Chronicles books. Those books are PERFECT, they literally have everything I've ever wanted: operatic drama AND Ocean's 11-style competence porn AND meticulously researched historical battles AND a morally grey manipulative messy depraved bisexual protagonist who ends up breaking down into a puddle of mental health issues at several points AND really well-rounded strong female characters. However, for fairness's sake, I'm going to pretend that I can only put in one book in a series, so here goes:

Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett (Lymond Chronicles book 4/6) - I only read this at the beginning of the year and I've already reread it twice. It has all the content warnings, the lushest writing you'll ever see, and it will make you fall in love with it and then break your heart. Two bisexual Scottish noblemen, one of which is Depraved and the other one Repressed and Catholic, travel the Mediterranean in search of the bastard child of one of them, which is held hostage by a sadistic knight Hospitaller. They are accompanied by a maybe-sister of one of them (it's a mystery if they're related and how!!) and a perspicaceous fifteen-year-old girl who can't be convinced to leave even though everyone agrees it's inappropriate for her to be there. As everyone around them dies in increasingly gruesome ways and everything starts feeling like some kind of orientalist fever dream, they bicker constantly due to their shitty personalities and the mounting UST between several of them. The main draw of this series as a whole is that most of the characters are simultaneously manipulative cunning chessmasters and very mentally ill, and you are left wondering (alongside their friends and family) whether their current breakdown is part of some elaborate byzantine plot or if they're just genuinely losing their mind <3

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince book 2/3) - it maintains a laser-sharp focus on the characterizations and character dynamics (and the characters have many layers to unpeel) while rolling out a pretty twisty and well-constructed military/political plot in the background. Also full of lush, sensorial writing and sordid personal drama, just as I like it <3

The King's Shield by Sherwood Smith (Inda tetralogy book 3/4) - literally the emotional payoff of the previous two books, as this series follows a group of military school friends as they grow into their aristocratic roles and here they finally meet up after having spent a book and a half apart. Amazing nuanced and realistic exploration of how growing up in a very militaristic, macho, almost proto-fascist society impacts various types of personalities, amazing unique and detailed worldbuilding that makes you fall in love with the local culture (despite the almost-fascism), complex realpolitik, amazingly lovely and realistic depictions of healthy male friendships, a subplot about defending a castle from an invasion that's harrowingly historically realistic AND makes you realize the practical utilities of why the culture is The Way It Is. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD READ THIS SERIES IT HAS 8 FICS ON AO3 FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (The Culture book 2/10) - wide-scope heavily left-leaning reflections on various properties of culture and society and its purpose and a very... literary fiction-esque approach to characterization, almost, smack in the middle of a book that hinges entirely on sociological storytelling. Very cool mix! And the plot is, just like I like it, filled with cool twists and moves within moves within moves, so it's not like you'll get suffocated by plotless philosophical considerations of the Evil of Imperialism - it's still a really exciting, fairly plotty book!

Memory by LoisMcMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga book 10/16... I think? The numbering of these books is Complicated, okay?) - This is a series that's like 80% fast-paced madcap plotty fun but the characters feel like icebergs in that you get constant hints of the 70% that's below the surface. This book is a cut above the rest because it leverages the gradual buildup and reader goodwill accumulated over the previous 9 books and uses it to swerve into a character study of the protagonist, his flaws, how they were shaped by his environment, and his deeply-seated mid-life crisis while ALSO delivering a decently fun mystery plot.

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Absolutely! Technically I discovered Dorothy Dunnett last year, since that's when I started my first read of Lymond, but I finished it this year and am on my second reread currently so I think it counts.

C.S. Pacat is another new favourite - he had Dunnett as a major influence but I feel like they're two very different beasts in many respects - Pacat's writing is less chaotic and more deliberate in its exploration of the characters' inner lives. Dunnett's characters feel like deranged children screaming in the back of the car (in the most deliberate and best possible way), while Pacat's feel like fine, carefully constructed clockwork. Dunnett also embeds her characterization in a sprawling complex plot that can be compared to something like Game of Thrones, Pacat leaves the plot in the background (although it's still complex enough!) and hones in on the character dynamics.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

I am gonna get shit from the Beloved Mutuals for this I think but I HATED The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. I hated it so much, and I had heard so much hype about it before I read it. Like, I literally have a bunch of notes with evidence of it botching literally every aspect of writing/storytelling that I consider important, it's fascinating to me in how I am convinced of it doing literally everything wrong and yet it's so popular? Like I consider it worse than ACOTAR, and I was even thinking of writing up a long post dissecting what I consider are all its flaws, but so many people on here seem very attached to it and I wouldn't like to ruffle any feathers.

Honourable mention to The Secret History by Donna Tartt - technically I'd read it over 10 years ago but I remembered nothing from it so this year I did a reread because a person whose tastes I respect a lot heaped lavish praise on it. But I also hated it and thought it was a fake-deep book for people who like nonsense fake-deep Facebook quotes and Old Money Quiet Luxury (tm) aesthetic boards :S

[thislivsnjutare]

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes delves into the lives of two women from strikingly different worlds, weaving a tale that’s equal parts funny, thought-provoking, and uncannily relatable. Moyes crafts a story that captures the everyday challenges and silent battles many women face, from toxic workplaces to family strains. The book explores these issues with a raw honesty that doesn’t feel forced or cliché, giving it a refreshing twist that readers won’t often find elsewhere. One of the standout themes in the story is workplace toxicity. Here, Moyes doesn’t shy away from showing the uglier side of corporate life, where bosses can be antagonistic not out of romantic tension but simple disdain—a portrayal that’s often overlooked in fiction. Additionally, Sam’s character provides an insightful look at the impact of mental health on loved ones. For once, we see not just the struggles of someone with depression but the emotional tightrope their family walks, highlighting the complexities of supporting someone through mental illness.

Moyes also deftly addresses the deeply ingrained struggles women face under societal expectations. The book captures how the weight of patriarchal ideals is often thrust onto women’s shoulders, an unspoken burden that society treats as normal. These scenes resonate with a harsh truth: no matter how much women accomplish, they are often expected to do more, to be stronger, more resilient, just to prove their worth.

While the story’s authenticity shines, my main frustration is with Sam’s character. Throughout much of the book, Sam is depicted as a pushover, repeatedly letting others take advantage of her. As readers, we want to root for her, hoping for that moment when she’ll stand up for herself. Yet, time and again, she slips back into old habits, and it becomes hard to sympathize with her journey. It’s only in the latter half that we see her growth—an eventual but rewarding payoff that might have resonated more had it come sooner. Despite this, Moyes reminds us that everyone’s journey is unique. Not all women fit the mold of the “strong, independent woman,” a label that can sometimes feel more like an expectation than a form of encouragement. This realistic portrayal of diverse strengths and weaknesses gives the story a grounded and relatable feel.

What I loved most were the twists, the unlikely friendships, and the moral dilemmas that Moyes seamlessly integrates into the plot. These elements add layers to the story, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking. Someone Else’s Shoes is a refreshing, fun, and insightful read that brings an honest look at the complexities of modern womanhood.

[forever-will-last]

Ask game: 15 for PG/ATP Cady

As a bisexual autistic, who also has some of the mental health issues cady faces, this fic has been great for me to process my own emotions and I’m curious to see how cady dealt with that more in depth

Heyyy fellow bisexual autistic with similar mental health issues! You can really tell who I projected myself onto a bit LOL. It's been interesting balancing my own thoughts/feelings/experiences with how I think Cady would handle similar situations throughout the course of this fic series. Anyways, here's the answer!

(Disclaimer from future me, this ended up being WAY longer than I expected. I'll put the stuff about the sex part of the question under the cut!)

15. 😍 - Thoughts on romance and/or sex?

This series began with a point of canon divergence that occurs after Stupid With Love happens, so we can take that prior to Aaron's death, she very much had the same outlook that canon Cady does. I'd also throw in that she had confusing feelings about Regina that she didn't quite understand, and didn't understand that they were similar to her feelings about Aaron, because the thought of being Not Straight had never particularly crossed her mind, but that one's more of a headcanon I have for canon as well LMFAO

Post-Evanston but pre-Regina, it was far from the first thing on Cady's mind, but as she started to get better, she began to allow herself to fantasize again about being in love, although this time, there wasn't anyone in particular. I think she was scared for a long time about developing feelings for anyone, because of her trauma associated with Aaron's death, but the more she exposed herself to romance in media, the less scared of it she became.

Most of her time at home with Betsy in those early years was spent consuming media, primarily TV and movies at first, because it was an easy way to keep her brain occupied and not spiraling. The better she got, the more she got into it, and eventually, began reading again as well. Romance books and fanfiction about her favorite shows were her go-to, and helped her to not only desensitize her to her trauma, but also to start thinking about love and romance as it could pertain to her again.

While romantic relationships in these books, shows, and fics aren't always the healthiest, she often sought out works that were praised for depicting good, healthy relationships, because she really had no examples in her life. She'd never been in a relationship, her mother didn't date anyone until after Cady started dating someone, so her real world examples were practically zero.

This was something she ended up talking about in therapy a lot after years of improvement, as she began thinking more and more about what the rest of her life is going to look like. She had a lot of fears about not being a good partner for anyone (well before Regina's return), and her and Thalia worked on a lot of hypothetical healthy relationships skills together, using examples of fictional relationships they were both familiar with through TV and movies, with the agreed upon understanding that they aren't always super realistic.

After Regina returns and admits her feelings, and Cady starts processing her own feelings about Regina, Cady has to think about it in a more concrete way. She still has her fears about not being a good partner, about not catching cues or understanding things that Regina wants or needs from her, but in reality, it comes up far less than she had initially feared.

Cady, at heart, is a bit of a hopeless romantic. As soon as she starts experiencing the softness of romance, even in more obscure ways, she finds herself happy and comfortable. Even through hardships, she knows she would do anything for Regina, and Regina would do anything for her, because they're in love, and that's what people in love do. It's a very simplified way of looking at it, but it's her way.

When that happiness and comfort isn't available, such as during an extreme crisis like at the end of ATP, it does send Cady into a bit of her own crisis on it. Does Regina really love her if she's not turning to Cady for help in the same way Cady turns to her? All of the soft things said to each other in the past, do they mean anything at all? What is their relationship?

And, well, we'll get to see them start to unpack that in couple's therapy a bit more Soon™️.

(NSFW half of the question under the cut!)

From this ask game! Send me asks :)

Cady's view on sex is something we see develop a lot throughout the course of ATP, and so far, glimpses of it in PG. Cady spent the years following her time in Evanston adjusting to various medications with a number of side effects, including SSRIs, which often lower sex drive as a side effect. It's not that she was never in the mood, but it was certainly very rare. Sex wasn't something she ever felt like she needed to be fulfilled, although the longer she remained inexperienced, the more nervous she got about said inexperience, in both the realm of romance and sex, although significantly more in the romance field.

Just as she turned to media to help bridge some of the gaps in her knowledge and experience with romance, she did the same with sex. Prior to Regina's return, when she was in the mood, she would read erotica, although, this wasn't necessarily always with the intent of using the smut as a masturbation aid. Sometimes it was because the specific dynamics fascinated her, or certain aspects intrigued her. She primarily read straight smut prior to Regina's return, as she was still fairly unaware of her sexuality and had never fully reflected on it in that way. When Regina returns, and she discovers her long-misunderstood feelings about Regina, she starts exploring sapphic smut in a sort of mad-dash to get any sort of basic understanding of it, as the vast majority of this type of "preparation" she'd done over the years through straight smut didn't really translate well to this relationship.

When she and Regina get together, she's very open about this lack of experience and her anxieties around sex. Regina lets her set the pace, goes slow, and makes sure she has a good experience for her first time. Although she's still on the same medications that do still lower her sex drive, those first couple of months, prior to the leaks, she was much more interested in sex than she's ever been in her life. It helps that she had someone to explore with now, and understand what she likes and doesn't like. At first, she assumes the role she felt she always should, bottoming in many of their early sexual experiences together. She plays around a bit with the idea of a role reversal in some early experiences, but she was still feeling inadequate and inexperienced enough to actually take charge. In my view, both of them are true verses in this AU, although they had only just begun to truly explore this towards the end of ATP with the chapter my beta and I have lovingly nicknamed "The Toppening" (Chapter 45).

The Toppening is a very important chapter to me in that I wrote it with the intention of conveying a lot more about the growth of the characters themselves, as opposed to just smut for the purpose of writing smut. Which is certainly valid and great! But I do feel that some of the earlier smut chapters in ATP served primarily as simply an outlet for me to write smut, as opposed to actually driving the narrative and the characterization further. Which isn't necessary in a story, by any means, but the longer this AU has gone on, the more intentional I have wanted to be in where I put smut and why. (Now I have other fics as an outlet for writing smut. Hi, SBAU and psych ward fans!)

ANYHOW, The Toppening serves multiple purposes for the narrative and the characters. For Cady, throughout that chapter, we see immense growth from the beginning of the fic, both in and out of the bedroom. It's the chapter where she finally applies to community college, taking back control of a part of her life that she long, long felt would be impossible to achieve, both due to her mental health and the fees associated with college. It bolsters her independence and confidence, something that early ATP Cady would have shied away from out of fear of failure. That fear is still there, and we've seen a bit of it and will continue to see more of it, but the difference is that now, she has even stronger emotional support and the financial support to know that if, if she does fail, if she cannot do it, if school is truly not for her anymore, she at least knows that she didn't waste her savings or completely ruin her life by leaving her barista job to go to school.

We see this attitude of confidence continue as the chapter goes on, with Cady practically jumping Regina at lunch to make out with her. Importantly, every sexual fantasy they've ever talked about in relation to the workplace has revolved around Regina topping Cady in her office, yet, the first time anything remotely raunchy happens between them there, this make-out session, Cady is the one taking charge in the moment. They're interrupted by Raúl, so it's cut short, but it's another demonstration of her growth and confidence.

And then, of course, we have the actual sex scene itself. Cady is bold and confident, and despite little awkward moments of lightheartedness, very much in control. Regina's into it, which does inflate Cady's ego a bit, which contributes to the demeanor. For Cady, this true role reversal is not only demonstrating her growth in the bedroom, but also symbolizes her growth in their relationship (and her life) in general. She's spent a long time being taken care of by everyone around her, with little bits of independence here and there, but she's been stuck in awkward place in her emotional and social development for the better part of the last ten years. Now, she's navigating a relationship, friendship, a new job, taking back control of her life, and becoming more comfortable in who she truly is, all while still dealing with a lot of mental health problems. She isn't cured, she'll never be cured. But she's not in constant crisis, and she doesn't need to constantly be taken care of like she used to. She can take care of herself, and her partner.

While the Toppening shows Cady regaining control, it's also some slight foreshadowing around Regina's uncertainty in losing control. In the moment, when things are actually happening in the chapter (when Regina finds out about Cady's application, when they're making out, and during the sex scene), Regina is genuinely happy/into Cady taking control. She's genuinely thrilled that Cady applied, and she's very turned on by Cady taking charge in the other two scenes. But after? When things are over, and she has time to process and overthink and analyze every little thing, in the way she always does? She's nervous about the change in the dynamics, and what it means. Or, rather, what her overthinking and spiraling brain thinks it means. Her fears around these changes feed directly into the events of the last couple of chapters of ATP in her big breakdown, although she doesn't quite name it directly in those chapters. We'll explore a bit more of this when we get to the couple's therapy scenes in PG, and how this shift and change effects both of them as individuals and their relationship itself, once it's identified and named. (I know this ask was about Cady, but I couldn't leave Regina's side of the Toppening untouched!)

We'll continue to see how Cady's feelings about and relationship to sex continue to change and adapt, as frankly, after the breakdown, they aren't having any sex for a while. It's far from on the front of their minds while Regina's in the early stages of her recovery, and would probably actively do harm if they did attempt to do anything before either of them are fully ready for that type of intimacy again. Obviously, however, we know from the first chapter of PG, that by the time December hits and they go on vacation, they're fucking like rabbits. We'll see more on how this gets from where they were to where they are as more of PG comes out.

I have no idea how long this is, but I do know it's way longer than I intended... Oops! 😅 I hope this answered your question, Anon, and I can't wait to get back to working on PG and telling more of this story, because CLEARLY I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the characters in this AU!

[ilikeyoshi]

no ok i'm gonna.

mentions of rape and trauma, including symptoms of reliving that trauma.

"many modes of fiction and storytelling aren't expected to trigger tag."

just because it's normalized doesn't mean it's the best or even a good practice.

"printed books don't include content warnings."

no, but what printed books usually have over fanfiction is resources like "does the dog die", which i personally think isn't good enough and that it would benefit (reasonable) readers AND writers if content warnings were encouraged and more normalized (readers so they aren't unexpectedly exposed to harm (except by assholes), and writers so they aren't condemned for heavy topics (except by assholes)).

fanfiction, except maybe the huge juggernaut fics, don't have the popularity to be recorded in the same fashion. (neither do lots of lesser known books, but i think this isn't a good thing for anyone and actually makes the need to normalize trigger warnings in the actual creation MORE important, not less.)

"the content warning 'chose not to tag' means there may be triggering content. it is not the same as 'no tags apply'."

yes, that's all true and fine. for fellow people with bad trigger responses: take note of this. 'chose not to tag' means there could still be triggering content, not that there isn't or won't be triggering content. this is a good thing to know for your safety.

and the biggest issue i have with that post: "readers are responsible for protecting themselves from triggering content."

yes! of course they are. but how are they supposed to do that without trigger tags? like, this is a genuine, non-gotcha question. i want to understand what these writers think triggers are and/or what they actually expect from readers.

and like, as a general "get this out of the way": i do believe there are people who are outraged for the wrong reasons and using this (and endless other controversies) as an excuse to 'justifiably' get mad, and those people are wrong, need to step away, and are hurting the issues they claim to care about. i ALSO believe it is disingenuous to ignore an issue or complaint out of hand just because it was delivered angrily, and that it's unfair to tone police someone who's been hurt. do i wish we could all express our issues calmly and politely? yes. do i think that's realistic or even right? not really. do i think it's important to listen to the heart of the issue as best as we can anyway? very much.

the problem i have with sentiments like "protecting your mental health is your own responsibility" is WHEN they're coupled with sentiments like "it's NOT my responsibility to provide you with the tools TO protect your mental health". the idea of "just close the tab" or "just hit the back button" falsely attributes the experience of being re-exposed to trauma ("triggered") as simply upsetting or unpleasant but not debilitating. this is not what happens.

traumatic triggers are sometimes straight forward: "rape depicted in fiction triggers trauma responses." a lot of times they're less straight forward. "mentions or implications of off-screen rape trigger trauma responses." and sometimes they're completely impossible for an outsider to predict. "omelettes trigger trauma responses (about rape)."

the last example is a real one, paraphrased from an article written by a woman who was raped. she describes (again, paraphrased) that "the morning after, she couldn't/didn't want to believe it happened, so she went through motions of normalcy by making her rapist omelettes for breakfast". it isn't that eggs are traumatic in and of themselves, but that eggs trigger(!) memories and traumatic responses about the rape. it is a trigger by association.

obviously, and as i recall she says this herself in her article, there is no world in which "eggs" is a trigger tag 99% of the population uses. it is a very obscure trigger that requires context to even fully understand how it's a trigger in the first place.

this, i think, is what all survivors of trauma and/or mental illness with obscure (and even non-obscure) need to accept: we WILL be triggered throughout our lives. we cannot remove these things from existence, and it is for our own best interest to develop safe and healthy coping mechanisms to help us through trigger episodes, as well as remove ourselves from the situation as quickly as possible.

i suspect this is what these writers are trying to say too—and it's GOOD advice. it is.

however... i find it, to be perfectly frank, callous and dismissive to suggest that writers—or any kind of creators—are irrelevant in this issue when they write knowable triggering content (NOT eggs, but things like rape) and do not take incredibly simple, easy, 2-to-5 second measures to warn for that content. i fear they do not understand (or do not respect) what being triggered—really, actually triggered DOES to a person.

the symptoms of trauma triggers are vast, and no two people experience them the same way, but some common and/or significant symptoms include: flashbacks, delusions, fight or flight response, vomiting, fainting, and suicidal ideations. the effects of these symptoms can result in extreme distress, exhaustion, mental illness, physical inability to go to work/school, damaged relationships, serious injury and death.

triggers are not "upsetting". they are debilitating and even life-threatening. and in my experience, they get demonstrably worse when the person experiences them AFTER establishing trust or interest in the triggering thing; as in, after they're 3, 5, 10 chapters into a fanfic, when a trigger warning before chapter one could have hurt them incredibly less, if at all. this has happened to me.

no, it is not a writer's fault that someone is traumatized or mentally ill, and no, i wouldn't hold a writer accountable (socially or legally) if someone died after having a traumatic response to content in their fic.

but i think it is so... weird? that some writers who KNOW this about trauma and mental illness are not immediately compelled to add a few words to their tags to prevent this from happening to someone. sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, it reminds me of healthy people who weren't masking for covid, despite the fact that if they were infected and asymptomatic, they could expose the elderly or immunocompromised to infection, which could KILL that person. yeah, you didn't hurt them, their trauma did—and yeah, you didn't kill them, their infection did—but how can you ACTUALLY feel perfectly comfortable not doing the bare minimum to protect another human being? how does it not eat you up inside that people might be dead as a ripple effect of an incredibly easy task you chose not to do?

i sincerely am trying to understand it, but i don't think i can. as a person who has been traumatized in multiple ways, both well-known ways and obscure ways, i cannot IMAGINE knowing there's a way to prevent someone else from experiencing the horrors (and dangers) of reliving it and just Not Doing It. especially when it's SO easy.

i see a lot of concerns about "spoiling the story" via trigger tags, and i can't help but think... that's not really how it works? i don't think "there's a rape in this story" is a spoiler, i think it's a content warning. i think if you're prioritizing spoilers over someone's mental and physical safety, that's weird as hell.

BUT, if it's really that big of an issue for you or your story, i have an alternative, equally simple suggestion: link to a google doc that lists all trigger warnings (that you know to apply; again, i'm not asking you to know one person in the world has an "eggs" trigger, and no other reasonable person is either), and tell people "this link contains trigger warnings that may include spoilers".

i think it's, frankly, a little entitled to say you won't trigger tag your fanfic because of spoilers. i think people should have the ability to make informed decisions, in advance, about reading your story. i think they should be allowed to spoil your story for themselves for literally any reason, ESPECIALLY to protect themselves from triggering content. this IS what people do for mainstream media, this IS what "does the dog die" does. this IS an established long-standing norm in public fiction.

as i said, i fully believe there are outraged idiots out there who don't actually care about the issue and just want to get their brownie points for being mad and aggressive. i do not think it's fair or reasonable to dismiss the issue entirely because idiots are co-opting it. there are idiots on every side of every issue ever. they do not lessen the merit of an issue just because they're loud and awful; they are living straw men. we cannot stop them, including by forsaking the issue they're co-opting.

and what really bothers me about that mindset is that there are people—genuinely harmed people—who may not express the issue politely or calmly, but their experience is still important and they're still saying important things. we HAVE to accept that people, right AND wrong, are going to tell us their side of things angrily sometimes, and we have to be willing to listen to what they're saying. you close yourself off to a TON of growth and opportunity for compassion if you refuse to acknowledge or respect other people's pain because they 'expressed it wrong'.

and you're right, no one can force you to do it. i just don't understand how you possibly justify not WANTING to do it without being, at best, ignorant, and at work, just... really selfish.

[nats-reads-reviews]

January 2025 Book Reviews ❄️ 📚

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (3.5/5) This one had high spice levels! Lol I’ll just start out by saying that. I think Nate was a great portrayal of healthy behavior but he was almost too perfect - exactly like a man written by a woman but that’s just me. I think Ryan’s character was completely unnecessary. Stassie could have commitment issues without Ryan’s character and it would made her more endearing. I did really enjoy the emphasis on Stassie’s mental health which was great for readers. I liked it but not great writing beyond the spice - still enjoyable though!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (3/5) This was a really neat book! I loved that the Rose could pick up so info much from the food she ate - including where the ingredients came from and the emotions of those who cooked it. It brought a lot of anxiety into her life around her mother’s cooking due to her family’s dysfunction and I thought that was so creative. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind and the author did well portraying the emotions and experiences of Rose’s upbringing.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida (1.5/5) The concept of this book was so cute and I loved how the cats helped people work through the problems they were experiencing in their lives that brought them to the doctor. However, I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters and some of their problems seemed weird to me. Also, the doctor and his staff were supposed to be quirky but the way they behaved just didn’t land or come across endearing lol. Idk, I liked the concept but it wasn’t executed well for me.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (4/5) I loved this book. Christina Lauren makes such good romance books that are actually realistic in the sense that the characters are dealing with real life relationship problems. I loved that the couple was faking their marriage for a variety of financial reasons but ultimately found they were perfect for each other on a forced vacation together. They were really good influences on each other and they experienced a lot of growth together. Good spice too!

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (3/5) This was an entertaining, fast-paced, and easy to follow murder mystery. However, of all of Lapena's books I've read, this was probably my least favorite. I felt like the big reveal at the end wasn't that shocking. Majority of the book was the characters just pointing fingers at each other and talking to one another or the police. It just wasn't a lot of suspense in comparison to some of her other books. However, I still enjoyed it and it kept my attention.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (4/5) I enjoyed this book and that there were two stories happening simultaneously. I liked that it took place in Italy and Hawkins drew inspiration from Fleetwood Mac, as well as Mary Shelly and Lord Byron’s relationship. It was a pretty cool book but best read as a physical book. The audiobook could get confusing with the multiple storylines within the same chapter.

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (5/5) Damn, Anne Rice was such a good author. Her story telling goes far beyond the world of vampires - she discusses religion, history, philosophy and sociology through her characters. After reading Interview With the Vampire, I thought there was no way I’d like Lestat or his story but wow, she really shows how we can misunderstand people through the lens of other’s experiences with them. I loved it!

Butts: A Back Story by Heather Radke (4.5/5) This was a pretty interesting woman’s studies book covering the role of butt’s through out history and the influence they’ve played in media and beauty standards through out time. You never realize how much butts influence us but this book really brought all of it to light. I found it very fascinating!

Infinite County by Patricia Engel (3/5) I felt like this book has a very accurate and realistic depiction of immigration and the trials that come along with that for both those who immigrate to a new country, and those who stayed behind in their native country. I thought it was a good book but also nothing happened that really got me hooked on the story either. I liked the message that despite time and distance, family is family and love always remains though!

[cat-in-a-box13]

The After Disaster Broadcast: A Review Four Years Later

CW: Mentions of violence, abortion, romantic estrangement, the apocalypse, death, mental health issues, potentially terminal illness, and sex work.

A little over four years ago in March of 2020, the After-Disaster Broadcast released its 29th episode. Then the world imploded, and the podcast stopped releasing updates with little information. The Patreon was paused, the social media accounts went dormant, and as far as I can tell there has been no information released since about whether or not it will ever be coming back.

But that doesn't mean that what's there isn't worth listening to- far from it in fact. The After Disaster Broadcast follows former radio show host and present disaster bi Jo Pendergast as she tries to navigate the world after the Yellowstone super volcano erupts. Luckily for Jo, her uncle was a doomsday prepper and she's safe in his cabin in New York. Unluckily for Jo, she's completely alone. After Jo spends a good chunk of the first episode descending into desperation for anyone to talk to, her salvation comes in the form of Jee-Hyun and Scout, the world's most unlikely travel companions. They're heading to Chicago, and Jo decides to take a leap of faith and leave the cabin to join them and hopefully reunite with the people she left behind. Told through Jo's constant broadcasts to any fellow survivors via her handheld ham radio, the travel companions band together to navigate this post-apocalyptic world in ways that are both gut-bustlingly hilarious, heart-wrenchingly tragic, and heartwarmingly hopeful.

Spoiler free conclusion: The show doesn't try to say that everyone is evil and just waiting for the apocalypse to have a chance to revert to our base desires to pillage and plunder. It also doesn't say that people are inherently good and just waiting for a chance to show it. It just shows people as people, and I think that's what I like the most about it. Our characters are messy! They lash out and they hurt each other, and they love each other too! They fuck up and they don't always apologize, but they try to be better for themselves and each other. Each character is carrying the unimaginable weight of the end of the world as we know it, and the podcast doesn't shy away from showing the effects of that. Each character is drowning in grieving something, but in that grief they are clinging to each other and kicking like mad to stay afloat, and I don't know what that means, but I think it's beautiful.

Fuller, more spoiler-y review below!

The After Disaster Broadcast has everything you could want in a podcast. A host of wildly diverse cast, found family, metal health issues, realistic depictions about what the end of the world as we know it might look like, period drama, and insulting depictions of Ohio's roadside attractions.

All of the characters are multifaceted, with their own reasons for joining the band. Jee is trying to get back to her estranged wife after the volcano eruption caused the plane she was piloting to have to make an emergency landing, stranding her states away from the woman she loves. Jee is former military and the group's unofficial leader, and she's as stoic and badass as all the implies. However, she also has a softer side, and while her jokes are rare, they're always hilarious.

Scout is a southern redneck with a mind (and a mouth) that goes a mile a minute. She's terrifyingly accurate with an ax and has never-ending stories about her cousins. She's also a former social worker with serious PTSD who provides a lot of really good mental health advice to the other character, especially Jo. Her reasons to get to Chicago seem to stem from a mysterious incident with Jee before Jo joined up, and the reveal that there's nobody living left for her to get back to where she grew up.

Elliot is a nonbinary librarian who adores books, knitting, and not talking to people. That doesn't mean they're timid though, as evidenced when they use their knitting needles to STAB A MAN IN THE EYES. Seriously, how cool is that? Elliot also has an extreme fondness for traps and joins up with the original trio as a way to get anywhere but their hometown.

Zoey is a shy, extremely paranoid abortion doctor. She's also a true crime fanatic and possess the fight half of fight or flight instincts. Zoey gets the least amount of growth due to the fact that she joins the group last, less than a dozen episodes before the podcasts abrupt end. Still, she becomes a permanent member of the group after discovering that there's nothing left for her in her hometown, and flashes of her hidden spine of steel are revealed whenever she needs to treat a patient.

Lastly, there's Jo. Jo is extremely anxious, extremely social, and extremely fed up with the whole "end of the world" thing. She's trying to make it back to her family in Chicago, but the show continuously drops hints that her family is way more messed up than she's letting on. Jo is put through the wringer in this podcast, but despite being the main character and nearly only narrator of events, the show goes out of its way to show the struggles each individual character is facing and expertly wields "show-don't-tell" to flesh out Jo's fucked-up world.

This podcast doesn't shy anyone from the nitty gritty parts of the end of the world. More than one episode is dedicated to just how inconvenient periods can be without proper supplies, and Jo frequently laments the loss of both toilet paper and french fries. This podcast showcases the best and worst of humanity as the group encounters a dangerous and destructive band of men, a (mostly) peaceful sex worker commune, two different groups of cannibals, multiple bands of middle-aged moms, a community inside a furniture store, and more than one cult.

Humanity is a mess, and so are our characters. The sex workers cut off a man's finger for getting too pushy, and our characters are understanding at the necessity but horrified at the violence. Jo kills a man to save Jee's life and is horrified with herself afterward. She takes it out on herself and the people around her, but they don't stop trying to reach her because they love her. Scout gets sick with an illness that is life-threatening, if not possibly terminal, but there is never any discussion of leaving her behind. At the same time, they're all insistent that Scout doesn't stop fighting, even though that illness is debilitating and extremely painful, and she is within her rights to determine what course of action she wants to take when contracting a mysterious brand-new illness with no potential cure in sight for possibly years in a world that will actively fight her every effort to stay alive. Even Dave gets to be messy when he makes the decision to withhold potentially vital safety information from Jo because he doesn't want her to worry, a decision that he never really apologizes for even though Jo is understandably livid with him when it puts them in danger.

All of the characters are flawed in different ways, and I could write an essay on them if I had the time. However, the only flaw that this podcast has is its extremely abrupt ending in the middle of season two, with no closure on any official accounts.

Final Rating: 10/10

[being-mughal]

7.A Mirror of the Dominance of Game Archetypes in Representation

We live in a society and what happens in the video game industry reflects what society is; its values, challenges and discrimination. Representations of identity in games have remained relatively stable over the years and are still associated with stereotypical images and certain standards of appearance. But as the medium evolves, it is able to challenge current paradigms and also become able to take on more adoptive identities.

This blog basically revolves around the main archetypes in the game, one of the most typical visual patterns, and how it's possible for developers to break the mold and be more diverse.

Best and Frequent Identities Among Players:

1. Acting as the standard bearer of white male protagonists Here I have a classic example of rough and tough heroes in Kratos of God of War and Arthur Morgan of Red Dead Redemption 2. These heroes portray the most common western masculinity in terms of strength, self-reliance and toughness.

2. Women in limited positions Even today, there are many examples of characters still being stereotyped even though there are more opportunities for female representation.

The Fatale Femme Hypersexualized concept, like the characters in Bayonetta, are sexually oriented for a male audience.

While it's refreshing to see female protagonists like Horizon Zero Dawn's Aloy exist, they're presented as the exception rather than the norm.

3. Optional, Shallow Homosexuality In some games like Mass Effect, sexual relationships are allowed, but in these the main characters are caricatures and only included in the game to meet certain diversity quotas. The few times when cultures from the non-Western world were shown, the subjects were caricatures and the characters turned into caricatures rather than real and complex characters.

4. It is another case where the antagonist is different Views in related video games are associated with legendary or cultural negative images, such as the "demonic other" or tribal comic book "barbarian".

Similar Aesthetic Trends:

1. Hyper-Realistic Designs in AAA Titles Premium video game characters often have proportional face and body proportions, the emphasis is on high-contrast flashy realism. The accuracy of the body shapes and appearance depicted is generally limited by this realism factor, so several stereotypically sized models can be used.

2. Color and Costume Symbolism

To emphasize and portray muscularity and strength, the clothes used by the heroes are most often found in noble dark shades such as gray and blue.

When characters are depicted in lighter or more stable colors than characters in darker or brighter ones, the colorful and irregular patterns represent villains and antagonists or something that is dangerous or chaotic.

3. Impractical Costumes Although more attention has been paid to the games' realism, the male characters are still portrayed with a focus on the game's sex appeal, while the opposite is true for the female characters, regardless of the fact that they also take part in combat-heavy roles. This increases the contrast between external and internal form and between visual impression and the importance of use.

New Directions Redefining Representation in Games:

1. Expanding the Diversity of Main Characters On location, the white male archetypal live-action video game hero like Spider-Man's Miles Morales must step out of the shadows. Miles is an 18-year-old Hispanic youth from Brooklyn, and his ethnicity is relevant to the theme: the young man is cartoonish, and the runner is portrayed as a character who needs sympathy from the audience.

2. A New Approach to Aesthetic Design So it's the independence games that are at the forefront of ignoring visual traditions. Which are abstract Instead of realistic games like Gris, they deal with issues of identity and mental health through symbolism. Cultural Representation Authenticity Raj The ancient epic, which removes the exotic from the work, embraces the real aspects of India.

Video Insight: Artistic design in Gris

3.Inclusion of Black LGBTQ+ stories How careful rendering can fully embrace queer characters without reducing them to tropes are plays like Tell Me Why (2020), which is centered around trans characters.

Cyberpunk 2077 Case Study:

Firstly, Cyberpunk 2077 has gay, trans, bisexual and non-binary characters; Players cannot choose the main character's gender, body type, or voice. While this was rather encouraging, critics noted that the narrative integration of the various identities itself was not very sophisticated. The game also shows when worrying about difficulty is a beneficial practice in game and product development, as well as when it becomes a disservice.

What’s Next for Representation:

1. Behind-the-Screen Diversity

The idea behind casting diversity is. about the assembly of several teams, the main goal of which is to occupy. The real world can allow studios to at least employ artists from marginalized groups to tell the truths of such worlds.

2. Multi-Layered Narratives Whatever the images are, they are not necessarily only associated with visuals. In this regard, fun games must have stories associated with multiple self-stereotyping.

3. Evolving Aesthetics The industry demands more diverse, less stereotypical sexualized portrayals and greater bodily and visual variation and cultural representation.

The Power of Games to Change Perceptions:

By embracing diversity, the gaming industry can shape a cultural environment that respects all identities and rejects traditional beauty standards. Now is the time for all players, regardless of their background, to see themselves represented in the worlds they explore.

Referencing:

Hall, S., 1997. The Work of Representation. In: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage. Available at: https://fotografiaeteoria.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/the_work_of_representation__stuart_hall.pdf [Accessed 16 November 2024].

GLAAD (2024) Where We Are on TV Report. Available at: The Guardian (Accessed: 16 November 2024).

Supergiant Games, 2020. Hades. Available at: https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/hades/ [Accessed 16 November 2024].

Dontnod Entertainment, 2020. Tell Me Why. Xbox Game Studios. Available at: https://www.tellmewhygame.com/ [Accessed 17 November 2024].

CD Projekt Red, 2020. Cyberpunk 2077. Available at: https://www.cyberpunk.net/gb/en/ [Accessed 16 November 2024].

Chandler, D. (2002) Semiotics for Beginners. Available at: http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem01.html (Accessed: 17 November 2024).

Rockstar Games (2018) Red Dead Redemption 2. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2 (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

CD Projekt Red (2020) Cyberpunk 2077. Available at: https://www.cyberpunk.net (Accessed: 17 November 2024).

Guerrilla Games (2017) Horizon Zero Dawn. Available at: https://www.playstation.com/horizonzerodawn (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

Nomada Studio (2018) Gris. Available at: https://nomadastudio.com (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

Insomniac Games (2020) Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Available at: https://www.playstation.com/spiderman-milesmorales (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

BioWare (2012) Mass Effect 3. Available at: https://www.ea.com/games/mass-effect (Accessed: 18 November 2024).

[montyterrible]

Puss in Boots, Interest in Plot

There are fairly heavy spoilers below for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and lighter spoilers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Watching Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) so soon after The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) really helped me further suss out my issues with the latter through contrast with the former.

The 2011 Puss in Boots was kind of a huge surprise for me in terms of quality when I finally watched it last summer. I had skipped it when it first released, along with a lot of other animated films, because I was in that period C.S. Lewis describes in the dedicatory letter addressed to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield at the beginning of his famous novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: “I wrote this story for you, but . . . I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales. . . . But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” Lately, I’ve felt myself sort of coming back around like Lewis describes, and I’ve been catching up on some things, like Puss in Boots.

As I suggested before, the first film surprised me with how “good” it seemed to be—specifically, or most relevantly to this piece, how much of a genuine, enjoyable adventure movie it was, in contrast to the more wry, pop-culture-indebted Shrek film franchise it spun out from. It felt quite separate from those movies, and while I was initially a bit worried about The Last Wish when I saw and felt a stronger link between it and Shrek (via some quick cameos and perhaps a marginally pop-ier soundscape and some level of silliness), it eventually settled into the sort of more dramatically satisfying mode I wanted, and I ultimately enjoyed it a lot, which was a stark contrast to my experience with The Super Mario Bros. Movie,when I just felt like the plot washed over me without much impact, without, we might say, “emotional friction.”

When The Last Wish was new, there was some… discussion online (or at least on Twitter) regarding its depiction of a “realistic panic attack”—what started as a praise and became a lightning rod for mockery. As I was reflecting on the movie after watching it, I found myself thinking about that scene, though not exactly in terms of its portrayal of a mental health issue.

In brief, The Last Wish focuses heavily on Puss having lost 8 of his 9 lives in frivolous ways over the years. Down to his last life, he’s being pursued by the physical manifestation of Death, which wants to kill him for his lackadaisical approach to living in the past. The periodic encounters with Death are presented quite dramatically and borderline horrifically, with Puss experiencing panic/fear/terror at the prospect of losing his life (for good). The “realistic panic attack” is a result of one of these encounters and is where Puss finally allows his new companion, “Perrito,” a wannabe therapy dog, to comfort him, and he also then opens up to Perrito about a falling out with his love interest from the 2011 movie, Kitty Softpaws, that occurred between that film and this one.

The reason this scene stuck with me, post-viewing, is because I realized it was such a good example of what The Super Mario Bros. Movie lacked—friction, and a willingness to let conflicts develop and breathe. So much of the conflict in that other movie felt perfunctory to me, like it was just going through the (Mario-colored) motions of having any kind of dramatic elements. The panic attack scene (and other Death encounters) also stand(s) in contrast to the trend that I hate in writing, filmic or otherwise, where moments of tension are so frequently undermined with “comedy.” Balancing humor and tension is a good and fine thing, but this tendency to not trust the audience—of children or adults—to sit in a moment and feel it for what it is bothers me.

Mario pays lip service to certain internal and external conflicts—the upcoming fight with Bowser, Mario and Donkey Kong trying to make their fathers proud—but I just never really felt those conflicts. The victory over Bowser was obviously guaranteed, and I just didn’t feel the fathers’ disappointment in any meaningful way. Like I said before: “Perfunctory” is the operative word here.

Meanwhile, The Last Wish has other good examples of letting conflicts be felt. The way it adapts Goldilocks and her bears is a great example: They start as just a Shrek-ified subversion of the original fairy tale (since they’re kind of rough -looking and -talking criminal types), but then the question of how all four of them are going to get what they want from a single wish is introduced, and we start to realize that “Goldi” has her own private idea of what the wish will be that puts her at odds with the “family.” We later find out that she wants to wish for a real (read: human) family, which explicitly puts her in conflict with the other bears’ wishes and how they feel about her, but they resolve to still help her anyway because they love her, and then the climax of their story arrives when Goldi gives up a chance to seize control of the titular “last wish” during the all-hands scuffle at the end of the movie and chooses to help save Baby Bear instead. And she and the bears then help Puss and company destroy the magical map to both prevent the evil Jack Horner from getting his own wish and because they already have what they want, we’re told. This is a storyline and conflict that is teased and revealed and that develops and transforms over the course of much of the film’s runtime, offering tension and a certain amount of uncertainty regarding its final outcome.

There are certain things in The Last Wish that are essentially predetermined: We can assume that Jack won’t get the wish (given how obviously catastrophic it would be) and that Puss probably won’t die, and savvy viewers will probably guess that Goldi will give up on her wish as well just based on how these stories usually unfold; however, there are still unknowns here: Like, at one point Perrito seemed to bond with Goldi and the bears, which made me wonder if he’d end up with them in the end as his new family, and no one getting the wish was actually kind of a surprise I hadn’t anticipated either…

What’s critical is that The Last Wish gives its internal and external conflicts room to grow, which is a little surprising given just how many characters are involved. It’s willing to let things linger and develop. Puss’s comedy beard that he grows when he’s feeling washed up is a fun little example. I thought for sure that the beard would just disappear between scenes once he started being more active again; however, it sticks around for a while, until he specifically begs Kitty to shave it off, which is both a funny moment and an opportunity for the conflict between the two to bubble to the surface and be teased ahead of the panic attack scene. Puss is also missing his signature swashbuckler’s blade for most of the film, which changes how he has to fight—first with a stick and then with a little dagger given to him by Kitty. It’s a fun, lasting wrinkle and also an obvious symbol. That sword has essentially been part of Puss since his first appearance in Shrek 2 (2004), and him losing it during the first encounter with Death, when his intense fear is introduced, but regaining it during the final bout, when he overcomes that fear, is a symbolic gesture on top of adding to the drama and comedy. He’s recovered a critical part of himself and is willing to once again fearlessly dance upon the razor-thin edge between life and death that the slender, almost delicate, blade could also be said to represent.

Having said all that, obviously one movie does not need to be written exactly like another one. It’s possible to mischaracterize what I’m saying here as “Mario needs to be Dark!” (because The Last Wish is tonally overall a bit more dramatic and serious), but that’s not it—It’s that one movie treats its conflicts more thoughtfully and credibly, while the other does not. Mario is welcome to stick with “easy,” “light” stuff like a lack of fatherly acceptance if it wants, but it could at least execute that stuff competently so that it actually feels like it matters, and that’s what The Last Wish does.

While I don’t know that I’d claim with any real certitude that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is “condescending” toward children, that is one thing that C.S. Lewis essentially says not to do in his essay “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”: “That is the proper meeting between man and child as independent personalities. . . . An author . . . . is not even an uncle. He is a freeman and an equal, like the postman, the butcher, and the dog next door.” Movies like the Puss in Boots duology or Arthur Christmas (2011—another animated movie I should not have “skipped” years ago) seem to me to embody that principle well. They’re created/written at a level appropriate for children, but they don’t use that as an excuse to do nothing but fart jokes, or to skimp on their conflicts.

[hattrickeryreviews]

Empty Net (Scoring Chances #4) - Avon Gale

"Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.

Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.

Please be advised: This book does contain some non-graphic references to past childhood physical/emotional abuse as well as issues relating to ED (bulimia and restricted eating, disordered thoughts about eating)."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Isaac Drake and Laurent St. Savoy

Tropes: Abuse, Enemies-to-Lovers, Healing, Hurt/Comfort

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 4/5

Isaac: Isaac has attitude problems, a dark past, and blue hair. He mostly enjoys talking with his fists, but he’s trying to learn how to think first. His arc is focused on internal growth but is also highly centered on helping Saint.

Laurent (Saint): Saint is freshly removed from under his father’s thumb, but years of abuse have made him volatile and highly anxious. He feels like he doesn’t deserve anything good and sets out on a mission of self-sabotage whenever things get too good. His arc is focused on healing.

There’s a lot of tragedy with these characters, and I spent a lot of the book feeling bad for both of them.  They’re both well thought out, with qualities that make sense with their base characterizations. They both go through a lot of development and healing throughout the plot, and I really like how their mental health issues are handled. I do think it move a little quickly, and I think a lot of the issues that we see the characters have are solved much faster than they would be in real life.

Believability (Hockey): 5/5

Just as the previous books in the series did, this book follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. The trades mentioned in the book are realistic, along with the trajectory of the games themselves considering the improvements made from the start of last book.

Believability (Plot): 3/5

There’s a whole lot of realistic elements to this book that were made slightly unrealistic by the timeline. Again, we are dealing with a 200-page book taking place across a single season of hockey. There were a lot of things that needed to happen with not much time to do so. I would say there’s a lot of things that took place which, in real life, would probably take many years to occur, or at least more months than they were allotted. I believed everything that happened; I didn’t believe how fast it all happened.

Uniqueness: 4/5

There are not many things that happen in this book that I’ve seen in other hockey books. You’re looking at a story of tragic abuse and how that impacts interpersonal relations and the hockey game itself. When you’re looking at typical plotlines for hockey stories, it definitely isn’t something I have seen before.

Trope Integration: 4.5/5

This book leans heavily on its tropes, but in a good way. There’s a lot of underlying reasons for just about everything that happens in this story, and the plot stays true to those elements. I would have liked to see a couple other tropes, just to help cut through how dark this book leans, but it does well with what it has.

Series Integration: 5/5

I’d say this was a perfect transition from the previous book. We already know Isaac very well before the start of the book, and we were already introduced to the animosity between him and Saint. We see characters from the last book remain highly relevant to this one, leading to a really nice reading experience.

General enjoyment: 4/5

This is an excellent book; it is also incredibly serious, especially compared to some of the other books in this series. I truly enjoyed reading it, but it is also a dark plot with many elements that you can’t really call “enjoyable”. Still, very well written and highly compelling.

Overall Score: 29.5/35 or 4.2/5

[ao3feed-gratsu-brotp]

Flickering Light

by azalea_petals

It has always been Lucy Heartfilia's dream to join Fairy Tail, the most popular guild in Fiore. When she has the fortune of meeting Natsu Dragneel and his companion Happy, that dream quickly turns into reality. Alongside four other mages from the guild, the three of them create the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer, known to the world as Team Kizuna.

However, dark forces are starting to lurk in the shadows of Magnolia and beyond, both from long-term enemies and former allies. Will Lucy and her new friends be able to protect Magnolia and their family from these dangers? Or will they, too, succumb to the darkness that crowds around them and plagues their past?

Words: 4990, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Chasing a Fairy's Dream (Fairy Tail)

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Gen

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Happy (Fairy Tail), Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Original Characters, Erza Scarlet, Makarov Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss, Levy McGarden, Cana Alberona, Elfman Strauss, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockser, Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine, Bickslow (Fairy Tail), Evergreen (Fairy Tail), Fairy Tail Guild

Relationships: Natsu Dragneel & Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel & Happy, Happy & Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel & Happy & Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster, Gray Fullbuster & Original Character(s), Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel & Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster & Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia & Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia & Original Character(s), Natsu Dragneel & Original Character(s), Erza Scarlet & Original Character(s), Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet & Original Character(s), Fairy Tail Guild & Fairy Tail Guild

Additional Tags: Macao Arc (Fairy Tail), Hi no De | Daybreak Arc (Fairy Tail), Lullaby Arc (Fairy Tail), Galuna Island Arc, Yuuki no Shihaisha | Phantom Lord Arc, Loke Arc (Fairy Tail), Rakuen no Tou | Tower of Heaven Arc, Battle of Fairy Tail Arc, Team as Family, Team Bonding, Protective Natsu Dragneel, BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, this is a darker & more realistic telling of fairy tail, this also expands on the characters more, headcanons galore too, Inspired by Fanfiction, Major Original Character(s), no i am not ashamed of it, Betaed, Communication, Mental Health Issues, Protective Gray Fullbuster, Protective Erza Scarlet, everyone is protective (and a bamf) honestly, natsu might not be book smart but he has dragon senses

Source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47500387

[leinterested]

Highlights from Grandon DC Interview

Before we get into the new season, I’d love to rewind for a second and address the ending of Young Justice: Outsiders. For a little while, it looked like Tara Markov would betray her teammates like her comic book counterpart did, but you pulled a surprise swerve during the season finale. Can you talk about plotting that story?

Greg: We felt that the Judas Contract had been done authentically multiple times in animation, and we wanted to provide a twist that would suit our version of the character and highlight the abuse Tara Markov had suffered, while showing the possibility of Terra’s redemption instead of her death.

Brandon: We hoped Tara’s traditional story that fans know and expect would serve as a misdirect for the ironic, be-careful-what-you-wish-for ending to Brion’s story in season three. In effect, we were going for a double twist ending that would cap our season-wide storyline about meta-kids caught in the crossfire of Earth’s genetic arms race.

This season has a new opening theme sequence that the fans absolutely love. Can you walk us through how you put it together?

Greg: There was a desire to get back to our core characters, the season one team, in essence. So, we asked our Model Supervisor, Dou Hong, to draw our leads while our Art Director of Motion Graphics, Matt Girardi, and his team put together some slick visuals to accompany Dou’s art.

Brandon: Back in season one, we asked our composers, the Dynamic Music Partners, to score the theme with synth elements to reflect our young heroes. Symphonic instruments were reserved for older heroes in the Justice League. So, music was used to reflect generational differences. But our young heroes have aged and by season four we wanted the music to reflect that. So, you’ll notice the original synth music is still there, but now accompanied with symphonic instruments. The result is powerful!

one of the biggest differences between Earth-16 and more traditional takes on the DC Universe is the very present and active Martian society. What was behind that decision?

Greg: Way back when, while developing the first season, we decided that Krypton should be unique in its destruction. Having every alien come from a dead world brought us nothing new. But having M’arzz be a living, thriving—if troubled—society was bound to bring us stories.

Brandon: If that society was extinct there would be far less dramatic weight hanging over M’gann. And we needed that weight to craft a truly unique coming-of-age story for her.

Last season, you explored Gar's mental health with the episode "Nightmare Monkeys," and this season revisited the theme during the episode "Volatile." Can you talk about dealing with mental health in a superhero show, and why Gar was the character you chose to tackle that topic?

Greg: I was on a convention panel once, and an Iraqi vet talked about his post-traumatic stress and wished that his favorite shows dealt with this topic more. I felt like a cloud was lifting. Of course, Young Justice should deal with these issues. And given his history, Beast Boy seemed like the character to focus on.

Brandon: We never wanted Young Justice to feel like a cartoon where bad things happen, but problems are solved in thirty minutes and forgotten by the next episode. High stakes superhero lifestyles must have an impact on mental health at some point. So, we wrote therapy scenes into our series as early as season one in order to add realistic consequences to dramatic events. But again, writing is a learning process and we eventually realized we needed help from professionals to make sure we depicted mental health issues properly. Dr. Janina Scarlett has been huge source of guidance and inspiration on that front.

Young Justice has always been great at Easter eggs. Seemingly random background characters turn out to be obscure DC players like Bash Bashford. Are there any hidden gems during these first four episodes that fans have missed?

Greg: Every named Martian is a character from the comics—with an Earth-16 twist. Plus, you know, we name dropped Detective Chimp.

Brandon: You never know who will pop up in the show. Or in the credits. Or AFTER the credits. Source https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2021/11/01/sixteen-questions-with-the-young-justice-showrunners

[youranemicvampire]

My favorite shows and movies I’ve watched in 2020

Not a professional critic or film girl, jus wanna recommend some good stuff. Random order. 

Russian doll (2019-)

Natasha Lyonne is a genius. A death loop that gets deeper and more creative every episode and it has only 8 so you can binge it and be satisfied. 

The good place (2016-2020)

Comedy and Philosophy? This is the one. It’s one of the shows that i would recommend to every person on the planet so we can all be better people without reading those incomprehensible and inaccessible philosophy books. 

The disastrous life of Saiki K. / “” Reawakened (2012-)

The most hilarious anime i’ve seen! And i can’t even explain why. It’s just about a psychic and idk how they made it that funny every single episode. Effortless and Random. 

Sex Education (2019-)

America should take notes. Still about s*x, but it’s closer to reality than most American teen shows + It breaks stereotypes. idk how to describe it., this show is cliche, but in a refreshing way?? Weird. It’s good. 

Pose (2018-)

Now, This is how you do it. I’ve seen a lot of music/dance-themed shows and movies and most of them are mediocre and inauthentic. Pose has a heart, passion and it stayed true to their culture while casting real gay men and transwomen. Overall, It’s realistic and hopeful at the same time. 

Diary of a prosecutor (2020)

A comedy depicting the daily lives of prosecutors. Freaking hilarious. The situations they’ve been, everyone’s comedic timing and reality of being a prosecutor are on point. 

Swing kids (2018)

About Korean kids with dreams and passion for tap dancing in a middle of senseless war and divide. A dance movie with an actual good story.

SKY castle (2019)

If you watched Parasite and hyped the f out it, you should do the same with SKY castle. It highlighted greed, Korea’s educational system and mental health by using satire, drama and suspense. A masterpiece. Literally the best Kdrama i’ve watched. I know it’s the 2nd highly-rated show in Korea, but Internationally, very underrated. So watch it! NOW! It’s on Netflix!

Nobody Knows (2020)

Bias included, I watched it for Kim Seo Hyung (The same actress from SKY castle who just won top excellence award for this so you better give her flowers) and stayed for the story. It’s a mystery drama about a cult, importance of good adults in life and empathy. Slow-paced, but never had a dull moment. Full thoughts without spoilers here.  

Disclosure (2020)

Watch this so you’ll know representation is not just a “woke” shit. It’s fucking important! It shapes how you perceive reality. 

But i'm a cheerleader (1999)

A QUEER FILM CLASSIC. Seriously. It’s on the top of the list of films new queers should first watch. It’s a satire about a lesbian cheerleader in a conversion camp. Funny, cute, entertaining, relatable and happy. Yes, HAPPY! Done with tragic ones.

Black lightning (2018-2021)

Not even a superhero fan, but it gave me adrenaline rush, and made me think. What i also love about this is the parallels with reality. I get it that it’s sci-fi, but isn’t it more engaging if you can imagine it possibly happening in real life. +They treated the wlw storyline as a normal thing as it is. 

The L word (2004-2009) / The L word: Generation Q (2019-)

Ok this is not the best show in the world. It’s too white and got A LOT of issues, BUT i’m still gonna recommend it to “new” lesbians like me (R18+) especially when you experience this isolation stage. It’ll make you feel normal. If you don’t wanna watch the original one, i think you can skip to Gen Q because it’s more diverse, has a better treatment of transmen and transwomen and got a lighter tone so far, just watch a summary/recap of the OG.

More recommendations:

2019

2018

2017

[thatwasthenightthingschanged]

so, I personally think The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is one of the best (if not the best) teen book of all time and in general just one of the best books out there and I’m tired of it being slandered as “pretentious” so here’s a list of reasons why it’s so freaking good:

first things first, I feel like Stephen Chbosky is one of the few (adult) writers who truly gets what it’s like to be a teen. some writers pretend teenagers are unknowing little kids, some do get closer to what the reality looks like but he just. went all in. Charlie has so many of the typical teenager experience while also being a really deep character who has profound conversations about his friends but sometimes also just gets really high

Charlie in general is one of my favorite fictional characters ever. as a teen, I was struggling with similar feelings as him, and I felt so undersood by him. like how he would sometimes just spend hurs looking at other people asking himself what their life might be like. how he is painfully awkward and doesn’t know how to tell a girl he actually doesn’t like her that way because he doesn’t want to hurt her. how he literally says he doesn’t want to be dead, he just wishes he could fall asleep for a little while. the way he so deeply cares about his friends even if he sometimes goes about it the wrong way. and so much more

the quote “we accept the love we think we deserve” has literally changed my life. like, I think it’s so true and oftentimes when I looked back on toxic people I couldn’t let go I would think back on this quote and be like. oh. yeah. it makes sense.

the fact that I’ve read the book over five times now and watched the move like 20 times and every time I still find something new and intriguing about it. like, it just never gets boring

the first time I read it was when I was 15, like Charlie, and I felt really down and sad all of the time and this book gave me a sense of hope. Like, maybe not everything will be perfect one day, but it will get okay, eventually.

I just generally like the message it carries about mental health. I literally have the quote “So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. Maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even though we can’t choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” memorized. Whenever I experience a difficult time, I remember this quote and know that yes, what is happening to me is shitty and I can’t do anythign about that or what has been done to me in the past and traumatized me but I can still choose how I want to proceed. I also love the notion, as I said, of “we can try to feel okay about them”. like, I don’t even have to feel happy about my life. Maybe okay is enough. Okay is achievable.

while we’re on the topic of its messages, I also like that it tackles the issue of feeling as though you cannot complain about difficult stuff that’s going on in your life because others have it worse. Several of my friends (as well as I once) struggle with reaching out to others because we think our problems are not worth talking about. I really like that Charlie concludes that yeah, there will always be people who have it worse but that doesn’t make your struggle less valid. If it’s difficult for YOU, it already deserves to be talked about.

quick not-that-serious note but THE MUSIC? okay that’s not so prominent in the books but Charlie’s music taste is just. impeccable

(SPOILER) I love that the book talks about sexual assault both on men and women. Sexual assault is still a topic of taboo, but definitely was even more so one when the book was released. And it also tackles it in such a good way imo.

LET’S TALK ABOUT PATRICK. I love how the book and Charlie don’t make a big deal out of Patrick being gay. I mean this book was written from the perspective of the 90s, still the author chose not to focus on homophobia towards Patrick, but rather on how he’s a normal person and just wants to love and be loved like everyone else, and everyone in his closest circle supports him wholeheartedly.

one thing that is diferent from the movies which I love about the book is its talk about masculinity. In one scene in the book, Charlie remembers how his father went into the kitchen and cried after watching the last episode of M.A.S.H.. He teaches his sons that crying in public is not acceptable and I love how the book discusses the negative influences of toxic masculinity on men and how it might lead to them feeling as though they cannot express their emotions, ever.

another scene I love in the book is when Charlie talks about his grnadfather and how he grew up poor and wanted his daughters to do better and so he slapped them if the got bad grades. I also love the introspection of his grandfather and how he recognizes that some of that might have been the reason why Aunt Helen turned out the way she did. The book also talks about Charlie’s dad, and how his father was abused by his father as a kid, and as a result he promised himself to never do physical harm to his kids, ever.

another thing that I found really relatable is how Charlie is constantly not really there. He either, as I’ve already mentioned, wonders what other people’s lives might be like or thinks about how someday all of what is currently happening to him will be just a story, and that also prevents him from really being there. I am definitely guilty of that too and sometimes I have these moments of coming back down to earth and realising that all this time has passed and I never really participated in life.

honestly I could go on and on (for example about Sam and the discussion of making onself small so that a love interest might like you, or his sister and her abortion, etc etc) but I’ll stop now. All of this to say is that The Perks seriously improved my life massively and I think it’s not only relevant to teens but also adults, since it tackles a lot of big life questions in such a good and valuable way. I actually find it far from pretentious and rather a very realistic depiction of so many people’s life and mental issues and undermining the way it has genuinely improved other people’s life is shitty and I think people should, just, stop it. Just because it’s a teen book doesn’t mean that it cannot be good

[soleilibrary]

Book Review: Don’t Overthink This by Kelly Piazza

When a best friend’s wedding presents a second chance for a recovering drug addict to regain the trust of his first and only love, will his new dedication to sobriety be enough to convince her that this time things could be different?

Matty Arvali fell in love with Keelie Santiago thirteen years ago. The two of them were inseparable, until Matty’s oxycodone addiction chiseled the bond they shared and left their relationship in shambles. As Matty descended further into his addiction, Keelie is forced to sever ties with him to save herself from his destruction.

Now, after two years filled with regret, Matty craves the life he used to have more than he craves the pills that destroyed it. When his best friend’s wedding presents a second chance to regain Keelie’s trust, can Matty stay out of his head and away from pills long enough to win her back?

Charming, witty, and uplifting, Don’t Overthink This is a love story lost in the tangles of addiction, searching for the escape that might finally lead to happily-ever-after.

5/5 ★

Content Warnings: Alcoholism, drug abuse, mentions of suicide, suicidal thoughts, graphic depictions of mental health issues, sexual assault, coercion, infidelity This book definitely covers a darker subject matter. It is mentioned in the summary but be warned going into this that the heavier topics aren’t just glanced over. The brutal reality of addiction and the path to recovery are the main focus of this story, not the second-chance romance.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Foxglove Publishing, and Kelly Piazza for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

To preface: I read this in one straight shot, from 11 pm to 3 am, despite knowing I have to get up for work at 8 in the morning. I think that says more than enough about how much I enjoyed Don't Overthink This.

As someone currently pursuing an M.A. in psychology, I went into this book hoping to see a realistic portrayal of addiction and that’s exactly what I found. Piazza doesn’t glamorize it—it’s shown to be something raw and ugly that ruins lives. And that is exactly what happens to the main character, Matty. Seeing his battle with addiction from inside of his head was eye-opening. It shows you how the disease affects your brain and makes you blind to what is right in front of you: how wonderful your life is and how many people love you. The portrayal of other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, was also executed well.

A part of the story I really love is the way that flashbacks intertwine with the present. It simultaneously broke my heart and made me root for Matty’s sobriety more than I already was. I wanted him and Keelie to get back together, not just for his sake but for hers. I love that Piazza makes sure to also highlight how hard it is to love an addict and what that side of things looks like.

Seeing Matty fight his addiction and regain control over his life made me so happy. I almost cried tears of joy at the scene where he flushes his last pill down the toilet. Every time he recognized his destructive behaviors and was able to change them, the little cheerleaders in my head went wild. And then seeing him patch up his relationships, not just with Keelie, but with everyone else in his life... It was so heartwarming.

So yes, this book is a second chance romance. But it is also so, so much more than that.

P.S. I also have to say that I feel like I learned a lot from Adam, the therapist friend of Chris’ that Matty goes to see. I hope I can make my clients feel that comfortable someday. Also, my Italian heart was really happy to see all the Italian included in the story!

Full review on Goodreads.