Roar Cat Reads

Author: Trish

  • Black Sails Season 3 Episode 2 Review – XX

    Black Sails Season 3 Episode 2 Review – XX

    The Walrus crew battles the elements.  Teach and Rackham have a disagreement.  Rogers and Eleanor set terms for their partnership.  Bonny fears for her future with Max.

    (Summary provided by starz.com)

    BEST FLINT MOMENT

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    TODAY’S RUNNER UP

    Max!  I love her in this episode, both for her practicality when it comes to preparing for the future by converting bulky Urca gold into transportable black pearls, and for her selfless love of Anne.  She tells both Jack and Anne that she knows the two of them will wind up together, though she gives different reasons to each.  To Jack, she says it is because her months with Anne cannot compare to the lifetime the two of them have shared.  To Anne, she says that eventually, civilization will catch up and their love will not be allowed.

    To Jack:  Of course she will choose you.  The fort is going to fall, tomorrow, next week, someday.  I do not believe for a moment you will let yourself be buried beneath it when it does.  It will pain her to leave me behind.  What we have shared these past few months, it will be very hard.  But without you, there is no her.  I am here in part to secure my own future; I will not apologize for that.  But that is not why I’m asking you to cooperate with me. I am asking because though I know we have our differences, I know there is one thing we share.  We both love her.

    To Anne:  You and I spoke of what will likely happen the day England returns to this place.  We spoke of how I must stay, must find a way to enter into their world.  I believe you would want to enter it with me.  But if we are honest with each other, I think we both know sooner or later, the day is going to come when, no matter our feelings, the world will demand that you and I —

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    LOL MOMENT

    The guy cast as the Dumb Pieces of Eight Dude is PERFECTION.  The entire scene in which he requests a second bag of gold in as many days and completely misses Featherstone’s suggestion that he request less is pure entertainment.

    WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS

    One of season 3’s central themes is leadership, and in this episode we see how a Seasoned Leader and a New Leader cope with the reality of losing people under their care.

    When it becomes clear that the top sail’s inability to come down will jeopardize the safety of the entire ship, Flint crawls across the deck to cut it loose, dooming men to fly into the sea with it.  He pauses for a moment, staring up at the men before he begins chopping the rope.  I read that as him acknowledging the consequences of his actions by seeing the men, but moving forward with no real hesitation.

    In contrast, Silver finds himself stuck below deck with Muldoon, who drowns when he is trapped by ship parts and water rushes in through several holes.  Silver does everything he can to save his crew mate, ultimately holding his hand while he dies.  In fact, he holds it long after until someone else opens the hatch from above.

    It isn’t that Flint or Silver has the better reaction.  Silver’s intimate connection to Muldoon’s death is obviously beautiful, but it is also the experience of one new to leadership.  Silver treats his crew mates as friends, whereas Flint has learned to emotionally distance himself from those he leads.  Suddenly the callousness he is so often accused of makes sense, and we are left wondering if Silver will toughen up, Flint soften, or if a middle ground exists between them.

    FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS

    • Our absolutely stunningly blue intro quickly becomes creepy when Flint dreams that Miranda’s corpse crawls onto his ship and below deck.  I have a theory that her appearances become less horrific as Flint processes his grief, and right now it is bad.
    • As Flint sails directly into the storm with full sails, he sends men into the rigging so that they can bring the sails down as soon as Hornigold gives up the chase.  He asks Billy to lead them, and Billy hesitates for a moment.  I can’t help but wonder if he is remembering the last storm during which he did something dangerous with Flint…

    “Flint had them exactly where he needed them: angry, resentful, afraid.  I understand why they would rather do battle with that storm, but he had me there too.  He had me there.  And that is not supposed to happen.”

    • Silver is unnerved by Flint’s power and how he, along with the men, was totally swept away by the speech at the end of the last episode.  He says “that is not supposed to happen” and I wonder if he is worrying about his role as quartermaster or his personal objectivity.
    • We meet Mrs. Hudson, and I immediately love her for calling out Eleanor’s privilege.

    “My understanding is that your father built a criminal enterprise and you inherited it.  The only difference between you and the ladies I have served in the past is their families had better lawyers.”

    • Woodes Rogers shows off the fleet to Eleanor and tells her that he will send her back to London the moment he doubts her usefulness.  She calls his bluff with an amazing, “You don’t know, you don’t know, you don’t know…but I do.  To slay Nassau, you must know her.”
    • The scene between Silver and Muldoon while they plug holes below decks is so lovely.  Silver is desperate not to feel useless, and Muldoon tries to convince him that leg or not, he’s integral to the crew.  They share real vulnerabilities with each other, and they could have been such good friends if only!

    Muldoon:  What part of ‘let us take care of you’ did you not understand?  If it wasn’t for you, we’d all be planted at the bottom of the Charles Town bay. We got a debt for that.  It ain’t right not to let us pay it.
    Silver:  All the shit we been through the last few months, do you wanna know what the most terrifying part of all of it’s been?  ‘We’ll take care of you.’
    Muldoon:  I get it.
    Silver:  Do you?
    Muldoon:  Course I do.  Look at me.  I know what it’s like to be afraid of being the one ain’t strong enough to stick.  But it don’t work that way here. And even if it did, it wouldn’t work like that for you.

    • Hearing Eleanor’s backstory of how she took over her father’s business as a 17-year-old girl by identifying her strongest opponent (Teach) and kicking him off the island makes me love her even more!!  Woodes Rogers is clearly very impressed with her too, though when he realizes she and Vane were lovers, he thinks her plan to make Vane a pardon exception is a lover’s quarrel.  Instead, Eleanor lays out a very concise description of the various kinds of pirates in Nassau.

    “I know Flint is dangerous, but he can be reasoned with.  I know Rackham is devious, but all he cares about is his legacy.  And because I have history with Charles Vane, I know him most of all.  I’m all too aware what he is capable of destroying when he sets his mind on it.”

    • Of course, she is operating under pre-209 knowledge.  Is Flint capable of being reasoned with anymore?  And is Vane quite so destructive?
    • Her comment about mutual self-interest creating better partners sounds a lot like season one Silver.
    • The “slaves rebuilding the fort” plot continues to make me mad.  Vane (though none of his men) works alongside the slaves, but Mr. Scott (!!) tells him to stop in order to avoid a confusion of roles.  Which??  Nassau is a place where roles are reversed!  For everyone but black slaves, apparently.
    • Teach confronts Vane in THE most dramatic way possible, sliding a sword through a linen wall and under his throat, only to wind up hugging his old son surrogate.  It is so theatric, and I love it.
    • Jack’s expression when he sees Teach is priceless, especially after Teach says “Jack Rackham” out loud.  “That’s my name,” he responds in the world’s tiniest, most awestruck voice.
    • Unfortunately, Teach is very unimpressed by Nassau, and I am very unimpressed by his “good ol’ days” attitude.  Jack is talking about Nassau needing an identity, and Vane is talking about pirate alliances, but Teach wants it to return to its old lawless state.  Although I admit he has a point that the influx of Urca gold has made Nassau weak, his complaints do not take into consideration the very real threat of England’s return.
    • Although the sails are now down, the Walrus must still fight against the storm pushing them back into Hornigold’s path.  Billy takes everyone below, except for Flint, who is tied to the wheel alone and did I already mention WOW.
    • Hornigold arrives on Woodes Roger’s ship and is super annoyed that Eleanor has found a way back into his life (her appearance is such a gloriously non-verbal ‘fuck you’ to him).  He produces the Walrus’s pirate flag as evidence that Captain Flint is dead.
    • Not so!  He’s only dreaming that he met death.  When he awakes, he immediately knows that they’re not moving.  They’re becalmed, and with very few supplies.  Yikes!
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    The lighting in these dream sequences is really just fantastic.

    Not done reliving the episode?  Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!

  • This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples

    This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples

    Genre | Contemporary Fiction
    Page #s | 208
    Publishing Date | March 2020

    On an Ojibwe reservation called Languille Lake, within the small town of Geshig at the hub of the rez, two men enter into a secret romance. Marion Lafournier, a midtwenties gay Ojibwe man, begins a relationship with his former classmate Shannon, a heavily closeted white man. While Marion is far more open about his sexuality, neither is immune to the realities of the lives of gay men in small towns and closed societies.

    Then one night, while roaming the dark streets of Geshig, Marion unknowingly brings to life the spirit of a dog from beneath the elementary school playground. The mysterious revenant leads him to the grave of Kayden Kelliher, an Ojibwe basketball star who was murdered at the age of seventeen and whose presence still lingers in the memories of the townsfolk. While investigating the fallen hero’s death, Marion discovers family connections and an old Ojibwe legend that may be the secret to unraveling the mystery he has found himself in.

    Set on a reservation in far northern Minnesota, This Town Sleeps explores the many ways history, culture, landscape, and lineage shape our lives, our understanding of the world we inhabit, and the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of it all.

    Goodreads

    A dreamy mystery set in a small Ojibwe reservation town in Michigan, This Town Sleeps dives into intergenerational violence, trauma, and stunted potential through the eyes of a young gay Indigenous man. I was totally engrossed by Marion’s story, and though I might have wished for a happier ending, the one that was given was hopeful enough, and true.

    The mystery at the center of the book is not so much why a young man was murdered ten years ago so much as why this tragedy is haunting (literally and figuratively) Marion. An Indigenous nonbeliever, he allows Native spirituality into his life to reveal the reason a revenant dog keeps connecting him to deceased Kayden Kelliher, culminating in a really lovely cathartic basketball game (words I never thought I’d say).

    This book is deliciously ambiguous like the best books with magical realism, full of coincidences that can’t be explained and spectral figures that disappear when someone else enters the room. “Spectral figures” might sound creepy, but it’s not. Instead, the whispers of the past and of death serve to highlight the tragedy that seeps through the stories of every person in Geshig.

    Throughout the book, we increasingly get sections or whole chapters from perspectives of people who are connected to Marion and Kayden; they all struggle with family, loss, and disappointment. The whole town is traumatized. Marion himself keeps trying to leave and start a new life for himself, living on the outskirts of his old home but always returning to childhood haunts. But the pull of place is impossible to resist, as is his relationship with Shannon. Despite the fact that Shannon is closeted and struggling with some intense internalized homophobia, Marion can’t keep away. It’s a theme, and one that is crystalized in the final pages when we hope he will break free of his roots but despair that he will lose something if he does. There are no easy answers here, but the story surrounding the questions is beautiful.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    This is a book for people who want to read fictional stories about modern Indigenous experiences.

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Adventure Queers: Meet Izzy Braumberger!

    Adventure Queers: Meet Izzy Braumberger!

    Izzy Braumberger (they/them) is an armchair historian and philosopher as well as an avid player of TTRPG games and a developing system designer.

    Izzy, you’ve been playing D&D for over 15 years, and during that time you’ve seen some of its limitations, like the way its mechanics and history create a colonialist focus on combat and looting.  What keeps you playing the game despite this, and what kind of changes would you like to see to the system?

    D&D is a very popular system with wide-spread appeal. I think that’s mostly because it has the crunchy mechanical stuff that people enjoy while also being loose enough to leave room for people to make it their own.

    I find D&D to be very transactional and video game-like. The default is a system model that rewards the story “go out, find a problem, kill the problem, loot the room.” This model makes it easy to track people’s success and determine when and how they level up, but it’s also limiting and celebrates a particular kind of playing. Even in parties that try to value equality, the distribution of wealth and power still tends to be dependent upon who killed the most enemies.

    I would like to see the system emphasize rewards based on nonviolent participation. I have seen other systems like Exalted create mechanics to track political and social relationships; it would be as if the bonds and relationships in D&D were put to mechanical use. Instead of always rewarding players with treasure, parties can be rewarded with allies and stronger relationships. This would create room for more kinds of stories and characters.

    In a previous conversation, you mentioned that you’re a history nerd.  Roleplaying games often take place in a liminal space between history and fantasy that is often defaults Eurocentric.  What historical facts would you like to see acknowledged in D&D campaigns?  What is your dream setting for a campaign?

    When I GM, I like to throw in historical facts that have no societal baggage. I don’t want to bring up real world struggles, consciously or unconsciously, but adding little known details to the adventure can make the world feel richer. For instance, let’s say your party is traveling by wagon pulled by a team of oxen. I would include the fact that the one on the right has a two syllable name and the one on the left has a one syllable name – that way the oxen know which one is being talked to.

    My dream campaign would be one that is so grounded in actual history that it seems alien to players. I would like to see a game set in pre-Enclosure England, when the structure of land use was centered on families, and there was no concept of “going to work” because you worked where you lived.

    D&D isn’t very accurate, really. The typical tavern/inn that parties go to would have looked very different historically! There weren’t rooms or subdivided spaces, because there was no way to heat everything. There also weren’t roaring fires, because fireplaces didn’t exist until much later than most people think. Privacy was not a thing until very recently. Even royal houses were just a line of rooms that people had to walk through; hallways weren’t common for most of history. Industrialization changed everything worldwide, so setting an adventure before then would be my preference.

    Roleplaying in D&D provides the opportunity to explore your identity in myriad ways.  For queer people, this can be a really liberating experience.  How have you been able to explore your identity through D&D?

    I have found that role playing games are a wonderful mirror to hold up so that you can figure out what sort of person you would be if you could be anyone. You get to be any kind of person you want and experience how it feels when people react to you in this different way. Self-exploration is expected in these spaces. You can be the manliest man who plays a 4’2″ elf with a high-pitched voice who flirts with guys. No one automatically assumes that’s what you’re into in real life – it’s play. And play is a valuable teaching space.

    For the longest time, I thought it was just play, and I didn’t really take to heart what I was experiencing. I knew I felt free, happy, and more myself, but I didn’t quite get what was going on. It took me time to piece together disparate behaviors and thoughts to figure out what made me feel happy and comfortable. Really, embracing my trans identity was about finding comfort. There were both disphoric and euphoric elements to finding out what I do and don’t like – all together it paints a picture to your route toward happiness. I asked myself a lot of questions: Can I live with this? What do I need to change or give up? What is the fluctuating baseline that I want to rest at?

    The valuable thing about role playing games is that you don’t have to wrestle with all of these variable judgments all the time. I don’t actually play non-binary characters very often. I lean into masculine characters because I don’t get to be that in real life. It’s an interplay of wish fulfillment and that mirror to see who you could be. I’ll be honest, I’ve used some DMs as therapists over the years – it’s always a bad idea, but we do it anyway!

    Self-exploration is a vulnerable process.  In your experience, what makes a D&D group safe to explore or live out your queerness?  

    When you play a roleplaying game with people, you enter a social contract to be cool with whoever your party members are. A good DM will stop people from imposing their will or view of your character on you. If someone says, “Why are you flirting with that girl? You said your character was gay,” a DM should guard and support nuance. Don’t let people police people’s expressions of sexuality or gender identity.

    I think it’s most important to show enthusiasm for people who are exploring new things. Show active positivity, ask questions with the desire to know more rather than judge. Focus on understanding people, not being disappointed or uninterested in what they’re doing.

    When DMing a game, it can sometimes be hard to fight the cisheteronormative culture in which we were raised and populate the world with diverse NPCs.  How do you prioritize representation of trans people in D&D?  What tips do you have to convey the complications of gender identity in role playing games?

    Exploring gender identity is an in depth, nuanced process, and this doesn’t translate to D&D very well if NPCs aren’t given the space or time to explore that nuance (and most of the time NPCs are one and done). When introducing characters, it’s easy to rely on shorthand descriptions to indicate trans people, and that usually means perpetuating potentially harmful stereotypes. The easiest thing to do is to make these NPCs central characters that are returned to throughout the campaign. You can have more meaningful representation when players are emotionally invested in characters and want to learn more about them. That’s when you can have those more nuanced conversations and experiences over multiple interactions.

    Introducing MtF or FtM characters into your campaign can be tricky. How do you alert characters to the NPC’s trans identity without some kind of gross skill check that amounts to “You can tell this character is trans”? In a campaign that I’m playing in, the DM took us into an NPC’s memories, where we saw her experiencing abuse as a child for being trans. It was such a smart way to reveal this fact about an NPC we all really cared about!

    I personally have no problem with straight cis GMs role playing trans characters, so long as they aren’t fetishizing anyone or perpetuating harmful stereotypes. At the stage we’re in culturally, visibility is really important, and it’s a great opportunity to practice they/them pronouns and get in the headspace of people who have had different experiences from you. Having diverse characters can also help communities surrounding property more inclusive.

    Are there any resources you recommend for players or GMs who want to work to create a safer, more inclusive gaming table?

    In general, I recommend you look into TTRPG horror games. Horror has a unique contract regarding the creation of a safe space at the table. You have to lay everything on the table beforehand – your fears, your expectations, your limits – so that you can create a safety system, and you’re expected to check in after the session to make sure people are okay. There is an overlap with the BDSM community, actually. Playing horror games helped me learn how to engage with other people more sensitively, which I think transfers to all kinds of games.

    Specifically, I want to recommend the podcast DMs of Vancouver. They intentionally interview diverse guests and value showcasing a variety of perspectives. [Note: Izzy was a guest on DMs of Vancouver. Check out their episode here!]

    Roar Cat Reads is a blog for queer nerdy content.  What is something queer and nerdy that you would like readers to know about?

    • League of Ultimate Questing – an amazing podcast with a pretty diverse cast of characters. They do a great job of normalizing inclusivity.
    • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – the mechanics of the world support the gender identity of the character Theo in some really cool ways.
    • Philosophy Tube – the trans host of this YouTube channel has one of the best coming out videos I’ve seen.
    • Inn Between – another podcast with great representation AND one of the most interesting handlings of a body swap episode I’ve ever encountered! 

    Thank you for spending some time with us at Roar Cat Reads, Izzy! If anyone would like engage in more of their content, you can check out their episode on DMs of Vancouver. And stay posted! They’re in the early stages of an actual play project that we can’t wait to learn more about.

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

    Genre | Historical Fiction
    Page #s | 391
    Publishing Date | June 2017

    Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

    Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

    Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

    Goodreads

    The world’s straightest title masks a deeply romantic bisexual love story. If you love Old Hollywood, (fictional) tell alls, and confident women who are unapologetic about the course their life has taken, then this is the book for you!

    Smartly written, protagonist Monique has been plucked from reporter obscurity to write a biography of superstar Evelyn Hugo for seemingly no reason. While Monique’s story is interesting, Reid knows that once we are introduced to Evelyn, hers is the narrative we want to spend the most time with.

    Framed in a timeline that takes us through each of her husbands, Evelyn is young Cuban woman who wants to escape her life of poverty and the dangerous look in her father’s eyes. At age 14 she marries an older man to escape to California and unapologetically uses her sex appeal to start her acting career. Throughout the novel, Evelyn insists that she does not regret any of her actions; what other options did a woman in her position have?

    This is what makes Evelyn such an appealing protagonist. She has lost much – her Cuban heritage when Hollywood executives change her name and dye her hair blonde, her innocence when she realizes the only currency she has is sex – but she is so ambitious and determined that she never lets these tragedies define her. They happened, but they served a purpose, and she wouldn’t unwrite them.

    In fact, the only thing that she regrets is the spouse that no one knows about – as a Hollywood starlet determined to be the kind of rich that doesn’t rely on anyone ever, her relationship with co-star Celia St. James had to be hidden. And in hiding their love, Evelyn made choices that nearly ruined their relationship. Now, at the end of her life, she wants to tell the world that she is a bisexual woman and that her seven husbands didn’t hold a candle to her wife.

    This book is compelling, fun, and a total page-turner. Just when we are fully engrossed in Evelyn’s life, her story merges with Monique’s authentically and ties hints from the beginning of the book to its conclusion. It’s a smart, entertaining read that should satisfy anyone looking for a fun summer read.

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    As I mentioned in the review, Evelyn Hugo reveals that the relationship she considers most important was with a woman. More than that, she is unapologetically bisexual, despite the confusion and pain this causes both her heterosexual and homosexual partners. One of her best friends is also gay, and it is heartbreaking to read how even the world’s most powerful people were forced (and often are still forced) to hide who they are to maintain that cultural power.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Literally everyone! But if historical fiction about strong women appeals to you, this should satisfy.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • My Dream D&D Party of LGBTQ+ TV Characters

    My Dream D&D Party of LGBTQ+ TV Characters

    A couple months ago, I created 5 LGBTQ+ Book Characters I Want in My D&D Party, and I had so much fun! I couldn’t stop with books when there are so many excellent queer TV characters that I would love to throw together into a D&D party.

    To start with, I must (of course) choose Captain James Flint from Black Sails, my favorite character of all time! I see him as a Lawful Neutral Battlemaster Fighter. He’s a brilliant tactician and a pirate captain, so the “lawful” part of my decision might seem strange. But one of the best parts of the show is the slow unveiling of his military background. Although occasionally chaotic (especially in season 3, yikes!), I believe he is fundamentally lawful. I wanted to give him the “good” alignment because he is my very good boy, but let’s be real, he does some seriously bad stuff. Committing evil for the sake of good balances out to neutral.

    [SIDE NOTE: It is a testament to Black Sails that I could have made an entire queer D&D party from its characters alone. Please know I desperately wanted to include Anne, my other favorite angry queer redhead.]

    Every captain needs a first mate, and there’s none better than Pearl from Stephen Universe. Can you imagine this tall slim alien gem enforcing Captain Flint’s orders? I CAN, and it is beautiful. I would cast my favorite anxiety lesbian as a Lawful Good Paladin, so long as we agree that her adoration of Rose counts as worshipping a deity. I’ve got to move on, because now I’m picture Pearl and Flint in a fusion dance, and my brain can’t stop being delighted by this weird mashup.

    Let’s get some magic in this party! Who better to include than the recently official bisexual (in the MCU anyway)… Loki! I barely have to try with him, as he is obviously a Chaotic Neutral Sorcerer. The true joy here is imagining Flint and Pearl desperately trying to keep his machinations from derailing their plans. But you just KNOW that Flint would come up with the perfect plan to unleash his charming chaos onto the world.

    Just in case Loki double-crosses everyone, I’m adding Perfuma from She-Ra to the group for some Lawful Good Druid magic. I am not sure if she is canonically queer, but she’s definitely dating Scorpia, right?? Anyway, I’m claiming her. The group might be a little intimidating to her at first, but Perfuma grew a lot during the series and learns to embrace all kinds of people. I enjoy the thought of her hugging the other people in this D&D party and the pained faces they would make at such a display of affection.

    The person making the most uncomfortable face? Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, our Chaotic Good Barbarian! We definitely need a non-cartoon woman on this team, and she is just the person to mop up all the baddies whilst also engaging in stone-faced office pranks during their time off. She would be especially useful at anticipating and thwarting Loki’s mischievousness since she’s had a lot of practice with Jake and Gina.

    There we are! Captain James Flint, Pearl, Loki, Perfuma, and Rosa Diaz are my dream team of queer TV characters. Who would you include?

  • Black Sails Season 3 Episode 1 Review – XIX

    Black Sails Season 3 Episode 1 Review – XIX

    Flint and his crew wage war against the world.  Eleanor receives an offer of clemency.  Vane objects to Rackham’s methods.  One of Nassau’s most notorious returns.

    (Summary provided by starz.com)

    BEST FLINT MOMENT

    “There will be no battle today.  Our disadvantage is too great.  But what price surrender? To beg forgiveness from a thing that took my woman from me?  My friend?  Murdered her, displayed her body for their amusement.  I can walk away from this fight if I just sign my name beneath a solemn oath never again to do violence against it.

    No.  Not after all it has taken from me.  Not after all it has taken from you.  I will do great violence against that thing.  They say they will pardon us all, but I say to offer to pardon something one fears is the act of a coward.  To offer them in volume suggests that their fear of us is becoming unmanageable, that we have shown them what we are capable of and it terrifies them.

    Do any of you want to surrender to men who fear you?  Lay down arms in a battle that we are winning?  Neither do I.  Fuck Benjamin Hornigold, his king, and their pardons.  This war isn’t nearly over.”

    In an episode dominated by Flint’s lack of emotion, here we see his disgust for England and “civilization” in full (the first time he shows an emotion is when he says ‘took my woman from me” and my heart died).  This is Flint at his most magnetic, convincing men to scorn pardons when just weeks (months?) earlier, Silver gave a speech convincing them that pardons were their best option.  And although Flint says this is for “all it has taken from you,” it is very clear that he’s rallying these men to fight for his revenge, his grief.  And they do.  Because he frames them as winners, and winners have no reason to forfeit.  He’s given them a vision of themselves that they want to hold on to.

    TODAY’S RUNNER UP

    Honestly, this episode felt very much like Flint & Everybody Else.  But amidst those clamoring for second billing, Silver probably wins out.  He’s both better and worse than we’ve ever seen him before.

    He’s settled into his role as quartermaster, comfortable offering Flint advice, conveying Flint’s orders with a positive spin (as he does with Dobbs), and shouting ship-speak to the crew.  But he’s also deeply possessed by a fear of other people’s perception of him.  This is because he now has a position he fears losing, but more than that, this is because he desperately doesn’t want to be known for his crippled leg.  He isn’t cleaning it properly, and he’s avoiding using crutches despite being told this might lead to his having more of his leg cut off.  The poor man is on a mission to prove that he’s more than his limitations, and this is a VERY different turn from the guy we first met who was happy to let you think he was more limited than he actually was.

    LOL MOMENT

    Anne sits beside Max in a bath and, after listening to the sounds of sex from the next room, dryly comments:

    “We got all the money in the world.  Maybe we could find a room that ain’t in the middle of a whorehouse.”

    WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS

    Flint’s got a death wish.  He’s always been recklessly violent, but he is no longer careful in the slightest.  In his first scene of the season, Flint strides into the city he’s sacking, walking directly at a man who tries to shoot him.  Flint doesn’t duck or pause; the only thing that saves him is pure dumb luck that the gun misfires and Flint can cut the man down.  Later, when he lists all the reasons they shouldn’t go onto the Bait Ship, he lets the wrong decision be made instead of sticking to his opinion.  And when Silver tries to send someone else before Flint for safety, Flint crosses over first with zero fucks as to what happens.

    When they find the marooned captain’s log scrawled with “we die alone” over and over again and it’s mentioned that he must have gone mad, it’s easy to draw a comparison to Flint.  This comparison is solidified when DeGroot says the storm Flint wants to sail into is a ship killer, and Flint replies, “Then he’d be mad to follow us in there,” (AKA I’m mad for going in there).

    Losing Miranda and losing his last connection to Thomas (in the form of his dream of a colonized Nassau) has utterly undone Flint.  He has a new purpose now – to take down England and see Nassau free of its influence – but he cares very little whether or not he lives to see it happen.

    Poor Silver has a big job ahead, saving Flint from himself.

    FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS

    • We meet Blackbeard for the first time!  He’s very composed, erudite, and ruthless.  But not ruthless like Ned Lowe in season 2, so I am HERE for it!

    “There is no forever.  Everything moves toward its end.”

    • This feels especially prescient now that we’ve passed the halfway point of the show.  In this episode, it really FEELS like everything is moving toward its end.  Eep!
    • Ninja!Flint OMG ❤
    • Yikes, Ninja!Flint has no emotions in his mission to avenge hanged pirates.  This particular magistrate is banking on the fact that Flint is a good man.  We know he is, so we expect him to either mete out a lesser punishment or at least show remorse for murdering him.  Nope!  This empty Flint murders both the magistrate and his wife, and when he hallucinates Miranda’s corpse as his victim instead, he just leaves the room, blank-faced as ever.
    • Billy is not very perceptive in this episode.  Silver can see that Flint has changed, but Billy is just like, “nah, it’s a mood.”  And later when on Ship Bait, Billy is all “why would they maroon their captain on a boat rather than an island?” while Flint is figuring everything out.  Billy, my man, step up!
    • It feels very odd to see Vane as Featherstone’s captain.  But I love this side of Vane, who both 1) refuses to let slaves die and 2) refuses to let the slaver ship escape.  Very clever move on his part to use the launches!
    • I really dislike Max in this episode.  The fake Eleanor trial is in poor taste, and it highlights the fact that Max panders to people rather than inspiring them.  She is okay with the status quo, so long as herself and those closest to her are treated well by it.  And later, when she says the iconic “In another time, another place, they would call me a queen,” I couldn’t help but notice that everything she lists as evidence are Eleanor’s accomplishments.  I wonder how much of this is something she realizes and fears?

    Mr. Scott:  You wanted to replace Eleanor.  She was the one Nassau relied upon to solve those problems no one else could or would.  I hope for all our sakes you are up to the task.

    • Anne is caught between Jack and Max.  Jack calls Max Anne’s “husband” and later Anne warns Max that she’s getting close to the one thing she promised never to do – make Anne choose between the two.
    • I ADORE the scene when Silver walks in on Flint while he’s asleep.  It belies the intimacy they now share, though Flint is very much keeping up some walls.  When Silver tries to use the power of emotional speechifying against Flint, he is Shut Down (for being a little too correct).  Silver is trying to step into his role as a partner, but Flint doesn’t want anyone that close after losing Miranda.

    Silver:  I understand this is all incredibly personal to you after the loss of Mrs. Barlow.
    Flint:  Now, wait a minute –
    Silver:  And I understand the burden of playing the role you currently play must be taking a toll even you cannot fully comprehend.
    Flint:  Stop.  Now you have wormed your way into the heads of the men out there, and they’ve granted you authority over them because of it.  But in my head, you are not welcome.

    • I REALLY wish we’d seen the meeting between Flint, Vane, and Jack right after season 2.
    • Vane is pissed at Jack for sending him after slaves to use in the fort.  I am baffled by this plotline?  After quite eloquently explaining how awful slavery is, Vane just…agrees?  Is the point of this supposed to be that our heroes can use slave labor so long as they feel badly about it?  Why not use the power of their names and start working themselves and inspiring their crews to join them?  I buy Jack thinking of this plan because he’s got enough white man privilege to blind himself to what he’s doing, but Vane?
    • Flint wants to avoid the ship bait, but Silver is in favor.  They’re in need of resupplying and there’s a storm coming.  Silver is annoyed that Flint thinks he made the wrong call and says, “How would you have argued [it]?” leading to another excellent Flint speech!

    “These days any man who can sew a black flag and get ten fools to follow him can take a prize.  They can take it because of the fear that I and men like me have instilled in their prey.  But they can’t do what I can do.  They’re not built for it.  And sooner or later, they’ll be exposed.  Any fool who followed Hallendale deserves whatever end they got in his company.  You were right – the war is getting more dangerous.  The strong among us must stand together and face it.  But the fools and the pretenders, they were were never truly among us to being with.  As their quartermaster, it’s your decision.  But that’s how I might’ve argued it to my men to avoid unnecessary delay.

    • UM, am I reading too much into Silver’s look when Flint says “the fools and pretenders were never truly among us to begin with”?  Does Silver feel like a pretender and fear that Flint sees him that way too?
    • Flint’s realization as to the purpose of the Bait Ship and his plan to evade capture is SUCH FAST THINKING.  Oh Captain, my captain.
    • Max wants to be a queen, and she knows that “when civilization returns, do you know what they will call me then?  The whore that lost everything.”  Her rags-to-riches story only exists outside of civilization and their status quo.

    Billy:  Whoever that is out there, he has us.
    Silver:  Bullshit.  That man [Flint] has a goddamned answer for everything.  He’s working on an answer for this.

    • Ooooh Silver, remember when you said, “I’m certain I won’t make the mistake you both [Billy and Gates] made.  I don’t believe in him.  To me, he is the means to securing a very valuable prize, no more, no less.”  Sure sounds like you believe in him now!
    • Ugh, Hornigold and Dufresne.  I hate them, but it’s not even an interesting kind of hate.  They just suck.
    • Just wanna draw attention to the fact that I already quoted Flint’s amazing anti-pardon speech at the very beginning of this post, and it’s worth reading again in the flow of the episode!  One thing I didn’t mention there – after calling Miranda his “woman,” he adds that she was his “friend.”  One term is for his men to understand, the other is his truth.  I love that he needs to say out loud who she was to him.
    • Woodes Rogers appears!  I like his introduction, mostly because he admires the way Eleanor gave her testimony in court.  And I like his honesty about his selfishness, how he wants to use her story to bolster his own.
    • My love for Eleanor only grows when Rogers tries to comfort her emotionally, and she’s all, “yeah, yeah, yeah, but let’s get down to practicalities” and then immediately tells him the one name he needs to worry about.
    • The first time I watched the series, I hated Eleanor and was so confused by her season 3 arc.  But we left her in season 2 with Vane confirming all her worst fears of pirates by murdering her father.  Last she heard, her plan with Flint was to partner with England to restore Nassau, so aligning herself with Rogers against the Dangerous Pirates (Vane) in order to restore a proper governor to New Providence Island is exactly in character for her.
    • So many soldiers!  So many ships!  oh no!

    Not done reliving the episode?  Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!

  • Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

    Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

    Genre | YA Science Fiction
    Page #s | 283
    Publishing Date | April 2021

    Tina never worries about being ‘ordinary’—she doesn’t have to, since she’s known practically forever that she’s not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She’s also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it’s going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible. Tina’s legacy, after all, is intergalactic—she is the hidden clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth disguised as a human to give the universe another chance to defeat a terrible evil.

    But when the beacon activates, it turns out that Tina’s destiny isn’t quite what she expected. Things are far more dangerous than she ever assumed. Luckily, Tina is surrounded by a crew she can trust, and her best friend Rachel, and she is still determined to save all the worlds. But first she’ll have to save herself.

    Buckle up your seatbelt for this thrilling sci-fi adventure set against an intergalactic war from international bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders.

    Goodreads

    Boasting some of the most creative sci-fi elements I’ve ever seen in a novel, I really wanted to like Victories Greater than Death. Unfortunately, the characters felt unrealistic and the plot felt like a series of events that the author wanted to happen rather than a cohesive series of consequences.

    Tina’s mother always told her that she was an alien with human DNA who was implanted with a rescue beacon in her chest. I kept waiting for this to be questioned by someone, but no, it is a fact that is accepted despite Earth having no previous contact with extraterrestrial beings. When the rescue beacon does, in fact, go off, Tina and her best friend Rachael are whisked into an interstellar adventure.

    There were many details that enthralled me and kept me reading. Some were pure creativity, like the Cydoghian egg burst, an alien meal that expands and contracts as you attempt to eat it. Others were politically creative, like the culture they come across that only allows people to participate in governmental leadership while pregnant (male or female) because they are then more likely to consider the future. I also love the queer expansion of a sci-fi trope, making the universal translator automatically include people’s pronouns when they introduce themselves.

    And then there was the legitimately creepy death goo coating the Big Bad’s hands. When he touches someone, they melt into a puddle. Even worse, everyone’s memory of that person is permanently tainted, leaving them with the belief that the deceased was a worthless, gross being. This is so cool and disturbing! Unfortunately, it also loses its bite, since Tina quickly realizes what has happened and constantly reminds herself that this feeling isn’t true.

    This is a YA book, but this lack of a bite is felt in a lot of ways, and I think the novel suffers for it. Tina and Rachael bring four other earthlings aboard the space ship before they book it into outer space. These four are explicitly meant to be the smartest students on the planet, but they’ve definitely never left the planet before. Nevertheless, it is our humans who save the day and stay alive while much more experienced creatures die in the emotional moments. Eventually it made me lose any fear of confrontations since I knew who would survive.

    I did enjoy reading this book, and as I said, the creativity is really fun. But I feel like it could have used another round of editing while asking, “Does it make sense for this person to say and/or do this right now?”

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    Undoubtedly, the queerness of this book is the strongest point in its favor. In addition to my earlier mention about sharing pronouns being standardized, there are multiple nonbinary and trans characters in addition to multiple gay, pan, and queer characters, plus a description of a culture where polyamory is the norm.

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    This is a good book for someone who wants a light read and is more interested in world building than in plot.

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • How to Find Source Material for D&D Adventures

    How to Find Source Material for D&D Adventures

    by Rachel

    If you want to DM a D&D adventure but don’t know where to start, I’m here to help! It can feel daunting, but the first step is to decide on the source of your material. In my experience, there are three common ways people get started: Published Materials, Creations from the Internet, and Homebrew Content. Keep reading to find out which ones have worked for me and why!

    Published Materials

    Examples: Lost Mine of Phandelver, Curse of Strahd, Tales from the Yawning Portal

    This is how I started DMing, and it gave me the foundation to run games of my own soon after. Published materials hand you fully formed adventures with all the resources you will need to run them. (Note: With the exception of the D&D Starter Set, published materials might assume that you have other books or resources available like the Player’s Handbook or the Monster Manual. However, this material is available online if you search for it, so you don’t need to buy them until you’ve DMed a few times and decided the books are worth the purchase.)

    The quality of published materials is reliably good, and because it is widely distributed, there is often a lot of supplementary material available online that can give you examples of how it plays. Before running Lost Mine of Phandelver, I listened to The Adventure Zone podcast that loosely covers the same material. It was very helpful to see how the game ran and how easy it was to add my own twist to the existing material.

    One of the biggest drawbacks to published material is that it requires you to read and absorb the adventure as is. While there is room for your own creativity, the plot is already laid out for you. When your players veer off to a location that you haven’t read about yet or don’t remember fully, there is often a moment of panic where you hope you don’t mess anything up that you can’t retcon later – published materials make it possible for the DM to feel like they have ‘made a mistake’.

    The most important thing you can do is find the right material that you want to run, like finding a good book. Yes, you could read (or run) anything, but finding the right book that draws you in and makes you excited to share with others will make running it more enjoyable for both you and your players. It’s also worth considering the fact that published materials can be expensive, so it’s worth doing a little research to choose the one that is right is for you.

    Speaking of expense – the price of published materials is a big drawback. When there is so much out there for free, why would you want to pay for it?

    Creations from the Internet

    Examples: Feudal Attraction, Into Wonderland

    People love making D&D adventures and many people make them available to others for a modest price or even free. DriveThruRPG offers a huge selection of adventures ranging from one or two-page dungeons to full on campaigns (and a bunch of supplementary material). Need a quick adventure last minute? Searching for ‘one page dungeon’ will bring up a ton of short, easily digestible adventures for your session that starts in an hour. There is so much content out there!

    The sheer volume of content is both the great and terrible thing about other people’s creations. There is so much to wade through, it’s hard to know what is going to work for you. Is it in a genre you like? Is it written in a way that is easy to understand? It can be difficult to search for what you want. Occasionally you will find a great adventure, and you can look for more by that author or more on that website, but there is no guarantee. You might end up reading through 3 or 4 or more different adventures before finding one that suits you.

    These adventures are usually not as polished as published materials. They might include made up monsters that are unbalanced, have plot holes your players will inevitably find or just don’t make sense to you. On the other hand, they might be great! I’m currently running Into Wonderland, a 240-page adventure set in the Feywild, and it is amazing. I found it on ‘pay what you want’ on DriveThruRPG after seeing it recommended in a blog post. If you’re willing to wade through a lot of subpar adventures, you will occasionally find a gem.

    Homebrew Content

    Do you want to avoid all that research and reading? Do you want the perfect adventure that’s exactly your style? Make it yourself! But be prepared to spend just as much time-if not more-in the process. 

    Lots of DMs make homebrew adventures (that’s where all those internet creations came from), and if they can do it, so can you. You don’t need to know every rule or think of every possible outcome to make your own adventure, but it will take time to mold your ideas into something comprehensible. Luckily, there is a lot of advice out there about how to make adventures yourself. Perhaps I will even get around to writing on the topic! The bottom line is you need to find it fun and enjoyable to write an adventure. You’ll be spending a lot of time on this project, so if you are not having fun making it, go ahead and try one of your first two options above.

    Conclusion

    I think there is a time and place for all of these methods to finding your D&D source material. In fact, you could mix and match. Perhaps you take an adventure you found on DriveThruRPG and add it as a side quest to your published campaign, or maybe you take that same found adventure and use it as a basis for your own creation. Drawing from different sources improves your DM skills as you expose yourself to new ideas and spark creative inspiration. Have fun!

  • Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

    Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard

    Genre | Fantasy Novella
    Page #s | 99
    Publishing Date | February 2021

    Award-winning author Aliette de Bodard returns with a powerful romantic fantasy that reads like The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world.

    Fire burns bright and has a long memory….

    Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.

    Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.

    Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate—and her own?

    Goodreads

    Although the themes of power differentials and self-empowerment were great, the fact that they were portrayed through the lens of two romances that I found fairly equally unappealing led to an ambivalent reading experience for me.

    Thanh is in her home country of Bihn Hai, still reeling from a traumatic fire six years ago and feeling useless in her position as princess and diplomat. When their powerful neighbor to the north comes to negotiate, Thanh must make some huge decisions that will impact both herself and her country. Her ex-lover, Princess Eldris of Ephteria, has come to propose, but Thanh isn’t sure that this is what she wants.

    I think the biggest problem for me was that we get hints of Eldris’s anger and control because Thanh says so, but we what we see is someone who professes their love and defends their relationship against those who would try to exploit it (until the end, anyway). I do appreciate the fact that in this relationship, Thanh would never truly be Eldris’s equal because of politics, but I’m not convinced that the romantic alternative is much better.

    Now, I love a fire elemental. But the fact that this book opens with Thanh having a traumatic flashback to the fire that almost killed her (and did kill others) but finds the elemental responsible a viable love interest didn’t track for me. Thanh! You don’t have to choose between two powerful and dangerous women! Find yourself a better girlfriend.

    The romances are central to the story, but what I liked best was Thanh’s growing confidence as a diplomat and a stateswoman. She is eventually able to stand up to her mother the Queen and create a path to a more independent future for her country. That stuff was all awesome, and if the romances had been left out I might have liked the book a lot more (chalk that up to something I never thought I’d say!).

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Despite my ambivalence, this is a great little book to give to a friend who wants to dip their toes into Asian-based fantasy worlds with queer lady protagonists.

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • D&D ONE SHOT | School Sucks! A High School Horror Adventure

    D&D ONE SHOT | School Sucks! A High School Horror Adventure

    If you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you will love this D&D adventure created by Rachel and Tricia full of nods and winks to the Buffyverse. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the Robert Flutie Memorial High School is having a strange Halloween – vampires have overrun the school hallways, and it’s up to your group of plucky teenagers to find the ritual items that will stop the master vampire from rising!

    This adventure is available to download on our Ko-Fi shop
    FOR FREE or Pay What You Want.

    Rachel wrote this story in 2018. Take it and enjoy!

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  • Black Sails Season 2 Episode 10 Review – XVIII

    Black Sails Season 2 Episode 10 Review – XVIII

    An unlikely ally comes to Flint’s aid.  Vane’s crew wants a change.  Silver makes a sacrifice.

    (Summary provided by starz.com)

    BEST FLINT MOMENT

    In the midst of escaping Charles Town, Flint stops to free some caged slaves who help him kill an attacker.

    I love this as Free the Slaves! Flint, but I like it even more for how it’s presented in context.  Flint is a revolutionary, and he’s more open to those society ostracizes than most white men, but he is still a man of his time.  He probably wouldn’t have gone out of his way to free those slaves if they hadn’t helped him.  It’s also worth mentioning that his strategic mind assumed they would cause further chaos and violence which would help Vane and himself escape.  BUT, I do think he recognizes the humanity and the shared Otherness of the slaves, and that this makes him pause for a crucial few seconds to free them and let them make of freedom what they can.

    Basically, I don’t want to give Flint TOO much credit, but also, it’s hella satisfying to watch.

    TODAY’S RUNNER UP

    For the first time ever, I have to give TWO characters this coveted position:  Vane and Silver.

    This is really the first time I whole-heartedly love Vane.  I liked him before, but was always wary of him.  Now that he sees the larger war and is able to put his personal squabbles with Flint to the side, he is electric!  THEY ARE SUCH A GOOD TEAM.  Their banter while sitting in chains!  The way they run together, fight together, escape together!  So good!

    But definitely my favorite Vane moment of this episode, the most Quintessential Vane Moment, is when, in the midst of the trial, he stands and starts addressing the crowd.  A stodgy dude in a white wig insists “It’s not your turn to talk” and Vane is all “Uh, Imma talk anyway, because I believe in claiming your own freedom and couldn’t care less about your ideas of order or law,” and I’m all <3.

    It felt like a disservice to ignore Silver, though, so he gets space here too!  Although honestly, I want to give this award specifically to Luke Arnold, who makes the most phenomenally painful expressions while having his leg pulverized and later cut off.  The agony he shows through expression and voice is doubly gut-wrenching because of how completely vulnerable he is in those moments.  You see his every emotion: his fear, his regret, his confusion.

    I didn’t realize until this watch through that he LET his leg be pulverized, knowing that the keys had been stolen back when he was dragged away from the Walrus crew, trusting that they would escape their chains and rescue him.  That is such an act of trust and camaraderie, and it is this first step toward community that you can see he immediately regrets.  I might be reading future plotlines into the present, but when he’s told, “The crew will look out for you, don’t worry about that,” his face flashes with this emotion of “but I don’t want that, I don’t want this.”  Oh, Silver!

    WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS

    I want to pause and take a moment to think through what Flint’s plan originally was, and how it has changed.  This is something that caused me a lot of confusion on my first time watching the show, especially with what happens in season 3, so I want to clarify as much as possible here at the center of it all.

    In 209, we learn that his plan was for Nassau to “return to colonial rule with existing power structure in place.”  The existing power structure is Eleanor, which is why he allied with her and supported her business endeavors.  He sought the Urca gold because he thought that would give her a secure financial base from which to work (and as backup in case their plan fell through and England retaliated).  But he did want colonial rule, a return to “legitimacy” to use Eleanor’s oft-repeated word.  He wants to remove the cloud of fear that hangs over everything, allowing pirates to become tradesmen, farmers, and soldiers.  With this plan, there will be compromises, but Flint believes they are worth making.

    In 210, everything has changed.  Despite the corruption in England that led to Thomas’s death and James and Miranda’s exile, Flint believed that there was still good in civilization.  This hope is personified in Peter Ashe.  Despite being an avid pirate-killer, Flint believes he can convince Ashe to see a bigger picture of humanity and hope that will influence a change in civilization.  But in Peter Ashe, Flint realizes that civilization doesn’t change, it just reveals deeper corruptions than previously imagined.

    When Miranda screams at Ashe for his actions in betraying her loved ones, he insists he betrayed them for the safety of his own family.  He says, and I think this is the crucial quote that changes Flint’s mind, “You wish to return to civilization, THAT is what civilization is.”  This is only confirmed when Miranda is shot for…being an unarmed woman moving toward an unarmed man, and to cover up the mess, an innocent Flint is tried for piracy to divert attention.  Civilization is, above all, concerned with appearances, and in order to uphold those appearances, all manner of evil is considered justified.

    Flint is done with this.  Fueled by personal pain, he has no more interest in helping Nassau return to colonial rule.  He wants nothing more to do with England or legitimacy.  I’m not sure if he has a vision of what he WANTS for Nassau yet, but he definitely has a vision of what he does NOT want.  Thanks to Colonel Rhett’s 208 statement that “the moment you stop fearing [piracy], it loses all its power,” Flint knows the way forward.  Make Nassau powerful by making England very, very afraid.

    FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS

    • POOR ABIGAIL.  Nowhere is safe for her, no one is safe for her, what a horrible way to come into adulthood.  Although the repeated piano note hints at the ways in which the actions of this season have broken her, she shows that she is still fierce in her confrontation of her father’s hypocrisy.  I love her!
    • I think I solved the mystery of how Billy was changed by torture (my question from 207)!  Silver thinks they’re going to be okay, but Billy points out all the ways in which Vane and his men could still double-cross and kill them.  Silver responds, “Well, that was dark,” and THAT’S IT.  Billy now sees the worst in people.  His innocence is gone.
    • When Flint is shown on display for the people of Charles Town, my first thought was “God, his boots are sexy.”
    • Ashe is awful because while he’s hurting you, he asks for your forgiveness.  Then maybe he’ll hurt you a little less and in private, but you’re still definitely gonna be killed.

    Ashe:  Let her go to her rest peacefully.  You cannot tell me that isn’t what she would have wanted.
    Flint:  She was clear about what she wanted, and I don’t think it had anything to do with begging your forgiveness.  What she wanted was the truth to be known.  What was the truth of it, my lord?  Why did you betray those closest to you all those years ago?  Was it really so small and vile as a bribe?  The promise of lording over other men in this place?  Or were you simply too weak to say no?  Too cowardly to do the harder thing and preserve your decency?  Tell me it was the latter.  Tell me this is all happening because of your cowardice.  I could accept that.  I might forgive that.

    • Flint is asking Ashe to do the exact thing Ashe suggested he do in 209: make yourself weak so that I might forgive you.  But while Flint was willing to submit himself to that humiliation, Ashe cannot.  Which only goes to show how weak he really is.
    • I honestly cannot handle the desecration of Miranda’s corpse.  It is this moment that I return to when the sacking of Charles Town feels excessive, because THERE ARE NO INNOCENTS.  I hate everyone in that crowd.
    • While Featherstone tells the story of a Spaniard named Vasquez, Jack and Anne finish their conversation from 209.  Anne has done some significant soul-searching, and she now knows who she is and what she wants from Jack, who is super grateful to know that she wants anything from him at all.

    Anne:  You saved me from something awful, Jack, and I owe you my life for it.  Maybe there’s some part of that you just can’t owe.
    Jack:  But you can owe it to Max?
    Anne:  I don’t feel that way with her.  I was in every tavern in that town trying to find us spies, build out this thing we started.  And every time I said my name, they knew my name.  The first thing they said every time was your name, like we was two halves of the same thing.  I can’t be your wife, Jack, but you and I are gonna be partners till they put us in the fucking ground.

    blacksails-2101127
    • It’s super emotional when Vane’s quartermaster takes Silver and all the Walrus men stand and fight for him.  He is loved!  He is wanted!
    • When Flint is on trial, the purposefully limited way that Civilization views those they have Othered is put on display.  The prosecutor says Flint’s actions were “with malice and without regret,” when we know that he is eaten up with regret!  But no one wants to take the time to know Flint the Person – this mob just wants to judge him as Flint the Pirate, which leads to one of the best quotes in the whole damn show!

    Prosecutor:  Will you say nothing in your own defense?  You see?  These crimes are so vile that even their perpetrator is struck dumb when given a chance to speak.
    Flint:  I have one regret.  I regret ever coming to this place with the assumption that a reconciliation could be found, that reason could be a bridge between us.  Everyone is a monster to someone.  Since you are so convinced that I am yours, I will be it.

    • And then Vane appears!!  With Abigail’s testimony, which is hella embarrassing for Ashe, but not dangerous because the prosecutor admits that the jury is rigged.  Because this is Civilization and “law.”
    • I like the touch that when the prosecutor says Flint’s associate will be hung right beside him, referring to Vane, the camera cuts to Nassau where an effigy of Eleanor is hung.  Flint’s true associate!  ❤
    • Max is buying up Nassau.  She’s such an interesting character.  She is self-protective in the way that both Silver and Vane are, though more like Vane since she has Her People that she protects as well.  But I just don’t really admire characters like this.  When confronted with the fact that her bringing the Urca gold into Nassau will cause chaos, she is silent.  Does she not care?  Or does she think she can manage it?
    • Vincent believes Silver is still a survivor at the cost of everyone else, having said that “you have no real connection to this crew.”  Silver proves him wrong, but his choice to protect his crew results in Vincent’s death.  God, there are no easy choices in this show.
    • The conversation between Flint and Vane is one of my favorite things in the whole world!  I would NEVER have anticipated feeling this strongly about a F/V team up, which just goes to show that these showrunners are geniuses and I trust them entirely.

    Flint:  What the fuck are you doing here?
    Vane:  Came to take your ship.  Stayed to get you out of all this.  Figured if anyone was going to make a trophy of you, it really ought to be me.
    Flint:  So this is your plan?  Walk in here and read a girl’s diary?
    Vane:  More or less.
    Flint:  I see.  So now you have everyone’s eyes where you want them, on the two of us, what happens next?  When it happens, once I’m free, whenever it is, you won’t want to get in my way.
    Vane:  When it happens, we will be moving to the jetty and out of this place.  Didn’t come all this way to have them kill you steps from the gallows.
    Flint:  They’re all trying so hard to convince themselves that they have nothing to be afraid of.  How is running going to change that?
    Vane:  What do you suggest?
    Flint:  That we remind them that they were right to be afraid.

    • LOL, could Flint have said anything that would turn Vane on more?  It’s so fascinating to see how they’ve come from opposite sides and met in the middle.  Vane, who gloried in strength and selfishness has opened up to the big picture and a grander purpose.  Flint, who gloried in self-sacrifice and ultimate good, has narrowed to a place of violence and vengeance.  Here in this space, they are the same.
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    • “Her word will be the last word for this place.”  I LOVE that Flint so obviously wants Miranda to be avenged for Miranda’s sake, and not for his.  It is fitting that Ashe lives long enough to know that his decision to frame Flint resulted in the destruction of the city that he received for betraying Flint in the first place.
    • Flint and Vane fighting together, shackled, carrying pistols and swords, is super super sexy.  I am so excited about townspeople getting blown up.  I am THRILLED when the Man O’ War destroys Colonel Rhett.  This episode is one long forced self-observation that, oh yes, I have quite a bit of darkness in me too.
    • Earlier in the episode, Vane said “men of Nassau” instead of separating men by Walrus or Ranger crew members.  Here at the end, Flint repeats the same theme, insisting that “I know what happened and I don’t care,” because this is now pirates vs. civilization, full stop.  The fact that he trusts Vane to keep his men in order because he knows Vane shares his vision is Doing Things To My Heart.
    • Silver wakens in Flint’s room, looking super uneasy about a lack of leg and what has happened, which is that he’s now quartermaster!  Flint is adorably pleased by this.  But then there’s a huge emotional turn when Silver admits what happened with the Urca gold, and I find it interesting that Silver’s first act as quartermaster to “his” crew is to sell out his dead partner.  Survivalist Silver is still VERY much alive and kicking.
    • The Walrus is back!!
    • “Would you like to see something shiny?”

    Not done reliving the episode?  Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!

  • Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

    Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

    Genre | YA Fantasy
    Page #s | 356
    Publishing Date | September 2019

    The story is supposed to be over.

    Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after…

    So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

    What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light…

    That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West.

    They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place…

    With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It’s another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.

    Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero’s journey might be over – but your life has just begun.

    Goodreads

    When I first read Carry On, I expected to love it as a self-referential ode to Harry/Draco fanfic. Instead, I found a thoughtful book in its own right. Wayward Son moves even further into its own unique space, taking Simon, Baz, and Penelope on an American road trip to save Agatha and avoid the existential angst of outliving one’s role as the Chosen One.

    I adore every single character in this book. Simon is depressed, having lost his magic and his purpose (though he also gained a tail and wings) after the events of the previous book. It is painful and all too real to watch him doubt himself and his relationship with Baz. Speaking of, Baz is going through his own struggles trying to support someone with depression; he also gets a wrench thrown into his vampiric worldview when he meets American vampires who aren’t absolutely monstrous.

    Penelope shines in this book, confronted with consequences as a result of her controlling tendencies; I loved that her arc included realizing she is bossy but responding, “Yeah, well, I should be the boss; I’m the smartest.” And then there’s Agatha! My darling Agatha, who just wants to get away from the fantasy world of magic and danger. I’m so glad she has continued to be a part of the story after fleeing England, and I hope she is an even bigger part of the next book.

    The third book in this series, Any Way the Wind Blows, comes out today! I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    Simon and Baz are in a gay relationship, though since this is the middle book in a trilogy (?), they are not in the best of places. They are constantly misunderstanding each other and missing opportunities for romance (though that means when they DO connect, it is all the more precious).

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Anyone who enjoys loving deconstructions of traditional YA books and storylines.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

    d.

  • 10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    In general, queer literature tends to get less press than other genres, although increasingly, LGBTQ+ stories are getting the attention they deserve. Still, many excellent books are underrated on Goodreads (aka have less than 5,000 ratings). I wanted to give them a little extra love, and I hope you will too!

    Idea taken from Kat Impossible.

    10 Underrated LGBTQ+ Books

    Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield

    The Alice Payne novellas are time traveling adventures centered around women of color (one is queer) from different time periods. They are fun, feminist, and philosophical.

    Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi

    A literary novel about a Nigerian mother and her twin daughters breaking apart and coming back together. It’s a book about love, travel, trauma, and the liminal space between mental health and spiritualism.

    Camp by L.C. Rosen

    An adorable YA novel about a diverse cast of queer kids attending a supportive summer camp. The premise is ridiculous (an effeminate gay teen goes masc to win over his crush) but handled with surprising care.

    The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

    A beautiful fantasy graphic novel about two young twins who escape a royal slaughter into a magical convent for girls. One wants to get back to his life as a prince and reclaim his throne, while the other realizes she feels more herself as a girl and hesitates to leave this refuge.

    FINNA by Nino Cipri

    What if IKEA was a(n actual) dangerous labyrinth that passes through wormholes into different worlds? This delightful novella places two underpaid employees going through a breakup in life-or-death situations and, in the most queer story imaginable, centers on successfully rebuilding a relationship after romance.

    Flamer by Mike Curato

    A black and white YA graphic novel that uses color for emotional effect about a young Boy Scout coming to terms with his attraction to his bunkmate in honest, heartbreaking, and joyful scenes. His dreams of the two of them acting out fantasy romances are priceless!

    Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

    Queer Shakespeare geeks rejoice! This short novel follows a post-The Tempest Miranda back to Milan where she must confront the ghosts of her past while navigating falling in love with a woman.

    Naamah by Sarah Blake

    If you’ve ever wished the Bible were gayer and more feminist, this is the book for you! Noah’s wife Naamah is given a voice as she struggles with living through a disaster that killed her female lover and wrestles with what it means to relate to the god who caused such tragedy.

    Trans-Galactic Bike Ride edited by Lydia Rogue

    A novella anthology of short stories centered on trans narratives and biking through space…weirdly specific and utterly delightful! I guarantee that some of the stories will be your flavour, though who knows which ones that will be.

    The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

    An excellent fantasy novel about a lesbian orc who works as a wizard’s assassin and struggles with her life’s meaning after fleeing a cult who wanted to sacrifice her to appease an ancient god. That should be all you need to know to be assured that this is so much fun!

    What underrated LGBTQIA+ books do you want to boost?
    Leave a comment and let everyone know about them!

  • Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy by Leslie Brody

    Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy by Leslie Brody

    Genre | Biography
    Page #s | 335
    Publishing Date | December 2020

    In this inspiring biography, discover the true story of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh — and learn about the woman behind one of literature’s most beloved heroines.

    Harriet the Spy, first published in 1964, has mesmerized generations of readers and launched a million diarists. Its beloved antiheroine, Harriet, is erratic, unsentimental, and endearing-very much like the woman who created her, Louise Fitzhugh.

    Born in 1928, Fitzhugh was raised in segregated Memphis, but she soon escaped her cloistered world and headed for New York, where her expanded milieu stretched from the lesbian bars of Greenwich Village to the art world of postwar Europe, and her circle of friends included members of the avant-garde like Maurice Sendak and Lorraine Hansberry. Fitzhugh’s novels, written in an era of political defiance, are full of resistance: to authority, to conformity, and even — radically, for a children’s author — to make-believe.

    As a children’s author and a lesbian, Fitzhugh was often pressured to disguise her true nature. Sometimes You Have to Lie tells the story of her hidden life and of the creation of her masterpiece, which remains long after her death as a testament to the complicated relationship between truth, secrecy, and individualism.

    Goodreads

    I was excited to read a biography of a lesbian children’s author, but I found it very difficult to connect with Louise Fitzhugh and therefore the book itself. In a stunning example of intersectionality at work, Fitzhugh’s race and class gave her so much privilege that her queerness very rarely resulted in consequences. If I’m totally honest, she came across quite spoiled, and though there were some interesting anecdotes, on the whole I wasn’t interested.

    The best parts of the book were the beginning and the end. Her parents tumultuous marriage and public divorce was novel for the time, and the fact that they tried to hide it from little Louise was definitely traumatizing. But her storyteller brain spun herself into a victim and potentially kept her from enjoying healthy relationships with her stepmother at the very least.

    I did also enjoy her early forays into romantic and sexual relationships. I was surprised that she was sure of her attraction to women early on, and no one seemed to care beyond the heartbroken young men she passed over for a woman. I appreciated the stories of her romantic attraction to various men and how she tried to see if it could work before ultimately realizing the sexual attraction wasn’t there.

    Unfortunately, it then devolved into a rotating series of relationships with women who gave and gave, but I wasn’t sure what exactly Louise was giving back. Apparently she was quite the charmer, but she seemed very unhealthy to me.

    Readers who are more strongly attached to Harriet the Spy will likely be more interested in its author’s story, but I couldn’t get past her unexamined privilege. Has anyone else read this? Am I missing something?

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Fans of Harriet the Spy who want to know how Louise Fitzhugh’s personal life influenced characters and themes.

    Rating: 3 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

  • Meet Victoria Fraser, the Woman behind the Board Game B*tch Podcast

    Meet Victoria Fraser, the Woman behind the Board Game B*tch Podcast

    Victoria Fraser (she/her) is a freelance writer and podcaster.  She has worked on several podcasts, most notably Boardgame B*tch where she reviews board games and has all sorts of fun board game badassery.

    I recently had the privilege to be a guest on Boardgame B*tch to discuss one of my favorite table top games: Wingspan! Check out the episode now on the Podcast delivery site of your choice: Apple | Spotify | Google Podcast. I wanted to get to know Victoria a little more, and she kindly agreed to chat with me about her history playing games and some recommendations of board games that I’m eager to try out!

    Victoria, you host the podcast Boardgame B*tch where you discuss the rules and playability of table top board games. What prompted you to create Boardgame B*tch?

    I got into podcasting during university through the UBC Creative Writing program. We had to focus on three different genres; although I mostly took classes in children’s writing, comics, and poetry, during the last semester I took a podcasting class.  Honestly, I hadn’t really listened to a podcast before that class! I knew about radio plays and radio dramas, though, so I thought it would be fun. 

    That class made me fall in love with podcasts! My classmates recommended some of their favorites, like “Spirits,” “Serial,” and “The Adventure Zone.”  We had to make practice podcasts for school, which made me want to start a podcast of my own. From the very beginning, I wanted to host a podcast about board games because they’re one of my favorite things to talk about. But it wasn’t the right timing at that point. Instead, two years ago, my friend Allie and I started I Like Your Dress where we reviewed Vancouver-based restaurants, festivals, and other things. That’s how I became connected to the Cave Goblin Network.

    A year ago I started freelancing and focusing on my business, and that left less time for our podcast. I stepped away, but couldn’t stop dreaming about that original idea of a board game podcast. When my life felt a little more balanced, I decided to give it a try. Boardgame B*tch was on Patreon for a few months before going fully live in April 2021, and I’ve just started my second season!

    It sounds like board games have been important to you for a long time. What is your history with board games? 

    I like to say I’m a third generation gamer! My grandmother played bridge, and my mom loves playing games. In fact, she bought a bunch of D&D books in the 80s but couldn’t find anyone to play with. I taught her how to play a couple years ago as a Mother’s Day present! I grew up playing cards, poker, board games, and Euro games with my family all the time. I have a picture of myself when I’m 2 or 3, and I’m rolling dice, looking super fucking pumped; I still play “Dice” (a simplified version of Yahtzee) with my family.  Every Christmas we all get board games as gifts and then we spend Boxing Day playing them.  

    That’s amazing! And what would you say is your favorite board game currently?

    I’m glad you said “currently”! It changes all the time, but right now I would say Tokaido. It’s this great game set in Japan where players are tourists traveling the Tokaido road taking pictures and buying souvenirs. It’s a very peaceful board game that is artistically very lovely and has cool mechanics and movements.  

    I also love party games!  Even if they’re mechanically simple, they’re so much fun socially.  Rules are great, and I love a complicated game, but sometime you just want some quick fun with your friends.  I especially love Superfight, a game where you create fighters in a ring with weird traits and Cult Following, where you’re all cult leaders trying to start a cult. You have to create a story and recruit more players to join your cult than someone else’s.

    I have not heard of any of those, but I’m definitely going to check them out! If someone wants to get into the world of board games and table top games, what are 2-3 options you would suggest as starter games?

    I think it’s important to introduce people to games with something simple and fun. You want a little bit of complexity, but not too much!

    1. Citadels.  It’s an easily transportable card game that only takes about an hour to finish, and it doesn’t take up much space.  It’s a game with a lot of player interaction, and it’s set in a Medieval setting, so people can easily latch on to that. It’s not new, but it holds up!   
    2. Betrayal at the House on the Hill.  This is a game that is good for storytelling.  It’s one of the best co-op games, so it’s great for people who are learning and want to work together.  It’s a good middle game – not so complex that it’s impossible, but it’s not so easy that it’s boring.
    3. King of Tokyo.  This is a dice game that is pretty simple but gets more complicated with expansions, which makes it great to slowly build up for people.

    I love all of your recommendations! If someone wants to hear more of your thoughts on board games, which podcast episode would you suggest people start with if they want to start listening to Boardgame B*tch (other than my episode on Wingspan, obviously)?

    I really love the “Hive” episode.  It’s a two player game, and my guest and I had a really fun conversation goofing off and talking about bugs.  Otherwise, scroll through the options and choose the one that resonates with you!

    What can we expect to see from Boardgame B*tch in the future?

    When I first launched my podcast, it was a solo show. Now I am focusing on board game interviews and board game conversations with guests. I’m branching out a beyond just reviews to have episode about things like board game design and D&D etiquette.  I would also like to someday do episodes about conventions outside of Vancouver!

    One last question: Roar Cat Reads is a blog for queer, nerdy content.  What’s your favorite nerdy book of the moment?

    Welcome to Mina’s: A Diner Comic Anthology by Cloudscape Comics. It’s a Kickstarter project that I backed because I know Haley Boros, one of the creators, and the premise sounds really cool. It takes place over time but always centered on the same diner in Vancouver. A couple of the chapters focus on queer couples!

    I also really like Sidequesting, a fantasy podcast about avoiding the main plot. It’s not queer, I don’t think, but it is very nerdy and fun.

    Thank you so much for talking board games with me, Victoria!

    If you would like to see more of what Victoria is up to, check out her Bio and her Podcast. Listen, subscribe, and share it with a friend!