Come back on Monday for strip 1500 and Season 10!
Hi. My name is Story (she/her). I’m trans.
This is a big change for me, and a long time coming. I decided to come out a few years ago, but… well, stuff happens. I started telling my friends and family about a week ago (some of you already know). Everyone has been really great and supportive!
From now on Modest Medusa (and all of my work) will carry a “by Story Richmond” byline, instead of “by Jake Richmond”. I’m leaving that name behind for good. Although I’m changing my name and going by she/her pronouns, the character of Jake in the comic will remain unchanged. We’ve always been separate people, and Jake will go on to live his own comic life and do just fine!
(Oh, I wear glasses now!)
Over the next week or so I’ll be changing some things on the Modest Medusa site and other places around the internet. So if you suddenly see Story Richmond out and about, that’s me! Changing stuff takes a bit of time, so bear with me!
That’s it for now. Thank you all for your support and care, both now and for so many years. I’m doing great. Really, for the first time in a long time I feel good.
– Story
Pop is wise , or can see the future both are good
I’ll tell Jenny, that’s all she drinks!
That had me howling. XD
Will a comic!Story be appearing in the comic? Separately from Jake?
Also, how does Jenny stay hydrated?
Modest is probably exaggerating. Or maybe not?
I don’t think we’ll see a new version of me in the comic. But who knows!
I think Story (you) should appear, my idea is as a new neighbour, just saying hi and trying to get used to the new environment…which you sorta are doing now anyway….so lets see Story (you) in the comic….YAY.
I will consider!
Omg congrats on your journey Story!! I’m so proud of you for being strong enough to be public about it. By the way, you look great :]
Also, speaking of story, this one is awesome. The whole thing you created that I’ve been following for years obviously, but this arc has just been a little slice of what life should be about
Thank you so much!
Thanks for telling us! Good luck going forward
Thank you!
Oh wow, that is a big change. Just remember that it is not a race. My friend transitioned a while back and it took her years to be comfortable with where she is now. She’s living her best life but it was a journey to get there.
Thanks Todd! You are 100% right, and thats great advice. I’m going slow.
Congratulations and glory to your gender as the Klingons would say.
Pops neighbor is wise and I’m glad you included him as a character. Lovely to see him make an effort to create a connection.
As an older male, I’m kind of tired of seeing people assume terrible things about me. It feels as if many people think terrible things about men in my age group, seemingly universally appying negative tropes, traits and political groups /moral viewpoints.
I might be sixty and white, but niether of those things automatically make me (or anyone else) a racist, a MAGAt, or even right-leaning.
But it feels like that is the new assumption.
Thanks!
It often is the assumption, which sucks. I know it can be frustrating. Equally frustrating when you see people like you doing shit and think “Hey, don’t do that! You’re making the rest of us look bad!” I think all any of us can do is keep being a good person.
Actually, in my country (Denmark) the tendency for the last 10-20 years has been for older people to be to the LEFT of the general population (which doesn’t keep a lot of young people from applying the same negative tropes, though)
I just want to throw a bunch of emojis like hearts and stars and thumbs-up because I don’t trust myself to say more. Great job, Story.
Thank you so much!
Congrats on the trans! I was wondering what the S was about.
I’m glad to see the neighbors overcame their first curmudgeonly instinct and are reaching out.
Thank you!
I think Aisha may even grow to like modest, in time.
But will Cookie and the hair snakes ever become friends?
That’s the question! We’ll see eventually.
Congrats Story! Best wishes on your journey!
Thank you so much!
Congrats on transitioning! Discovering I’m Gender Fluid was huge for me, can’t wait to dress fully the part during femme moods (not in a place I feel safe for it)
If you ever do put a representation of your current self in the comic, maybe a Yeldian? Since by the sounds of it, you discovered yourself through working on Yeld based projects?
Thanks, and congratulations to you too! That’s wonderful!
Maybe someone from Yeld! Thats a neat idea.
(“Hi, I’m Story”) OK, so this is a meta thing where we’re somehow hearing from the personification of the narrative itself? (Continues reading) Oh! (Blinks) Yeah, now I remember that this came up in passing when someone commented on your having drawn Jake wearing a trans flag pin, and I kinda forgot about it since then. May your journey be safe!
On another topic, I see that the neighbors are a mixed-race couple — and it wasn’t until my third time reading the comic that this struck me as noteworthy.
“May your journey be safe.” is a such a nice thing to say. Thank you.
Well – – – Okay.
It’s nice to meet you, Story. 🙂
Thanks!
OMG congrats Story, amazing name!
I’m just happy for you, and as a trans person too who’s been reading Modest Medusa for years, I feel excited too, I cannot really put it into words but ❤️
Oh jeez, thank you!
ANOTHER COMIC ARTIST I FOLLOW COMES OUT AS TRANS LET’S F’N GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hell yea girl! I’m a trans woman myself, I love to see this!!
I love to see it too!
Glad for you – I know it’s a difficult step, but I’m proud of you. I have said it before, but I really like this comic, it’s one of the only webcomics I still read, and I intend to keep reading. I hope your readership only keeps going up from here.
Also, Story is a really cool name. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!
Thank you so much!
Always sort of felt you were probably one of us, at least ever since I read Ghost Kiss. Welcome out!
Thanks!
I’m curious what about Ghost Kiss tipped you off?