#mari mccray

[blackqueercharacters]

Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray

The characters are featured in Tee Franklin’s 80-plus-page graphic novel, Bingo Love. The comic depicts a romance between two black women that begins at a bingo hall in 1963 and spans decades after.  

[ladygeekgirl-and-friends]

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Tee Franklin when we both attended a Gail Simone comics signing. I had no idea who she was at the time, but when Gail greeted her with an excited exclamation, I figured they might know each other through the comics business. (As it turns out, they did both work on the Love is Love anthology, which raised money to support victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting.) After learning who she was, I also found out that Tee was definitely doing some important work for comics: she is the author of the delightful-sounding graphic novella Bingo Love.

I took home a postcard advertising the story and looked it up right away when I got home -- and immediately decided this was something I needed to get my hands on. To let Tee describe it:

Bingo Love is an 80 page graphic novella that revolves around Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray, two thirteen year old Black girls who, in no time, become the best of friends. As their relationship grows, they discover their deep love for one another, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Two girls in love are bound to be star-crossed in 1963, and their families forbid them from seeing each other again.

Not only do the young women have to endure the pain of separation, but they’re also both married off to men they don’t love. They seem destined to live apart, permanently cut off from one another, but fate — and bingo — have another plan for them. Nearly fifty years later, Hazel and Mari once again see each other across a bingo hall, and all their feelings come flooding back.(x)

So you can see why I might be hooked.

Read More

[dustbunny105]

Title: As Time Goes By Fandom: Bingo Love Ship: Mari/Hazel Word Count: 400 Rating: G Summary: Sometimes what they have is too much to handle at once. A/N: I just got around to reading Bingo Love today and, omg, my heart. I just had to do a little bit of fluff for Mari and Hazel. It’s accidentally a little bit depressing, but only if you think about it too much.

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It's just overwhelming sometimes, having this-- having Mari, their life together. The rest of their lives together. Emotion crashes over Hazel like a wave just when she thinks she's got a sense of the tides.

"Elle?" Mari asks, looking around over her shoulder and then turning outright, making a mess of the seams Hazel was lining up and probably sticking herself for her trouble. "Baby, what's wrong?"

For her own part, Hazel has enough of her head about her to put down the pin in her hand before swiping at her tears and then grabbing up Mari's hands in her own. She folds all four of them at her chin and says a prayer deep in her heart, bowed like she's at an altar. "Nothing is wrong," she manages to say. She looks up at Mari to show her the smile beneath the tears. "Not any more. This-- I made clothes for you all these years, you know? And now..."

It's not the first time Hazel has confessed this, but Mari's breath still catches just like it did the first time. And just like the first time, she pulls Hazel close and says, "I wish I could've-- I wish I'd been there to wear them for you, Elle."

"You're here now," Hazel says. There's still a part of her, young and selfish, that feels that it isn't enough. But, God willing as He seems to be, they're going to cram enough into however many years they have left. She gives Mari a last squeeze, breathes deep and draws away. She wipes at her face with one hand so that she can keep holding Mari with the other and crooks her smile. "And you'll wear this dress for me, soon as I can get a hold of myself and get it made."

"Take your time," Mari whispers, leaning in to press her forehead against Hazel's. There are tears shining in her eyes, not yet falling and left to be. She's still got one arm around Hazel and she brushes her free hand against Hazel's face-- and through her hair, and down her arm, up again, across her back. Like she can't stop touching her, and Hazel sure knows that feeling. "I've got a hold of you in the meantime, Elle-- and I'm never letting you go again."

Hazel pecks a kiss to Mari's lips and says, "I'll hold you to it."

[heyitspizzaking]

Black Ink 2018 Part 14 Hazel and Mari from Bingo Love