Genre | Contemporary Fiction Page #s | 427 Publishing Date | July 2020
Luc O’Donnell is tangentially–and reluctantly–famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.
To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.
But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.
Goodreads
This is probably the worst way to start a book review, but honestly, just go read Spotlight on Stories‘ review of Boyfriend Material instead! It was her review that inspired me to read the book, and after I finished, all I could think was, “Yup, Chelsea was right!”
Boyfriend Material is a thoroughly entertaining book, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily good. It revels in its own cleverness, and the quirks of the world and its characters strain credulity. Everyone here is dialed up to eleven, and it’s kind of exhausting.
But what everyone is here for is the romance, so let’s get into what truly matters: is the spark between Luc and Oliver believable? Well…I guess? Let’s be clear. We’re living in a glorious age of fake dating queer stories, and I am predisposed to adore any story with this trope. And this has a good set up, since the two men knew each other previously, were attracted to each other, but mistakenly assumed the other was not into them. However, there were so many points along the way when I couldn’t support them being together. Luc is a fun character, and I love him, but I do NOT understand why Oliver had a crush on him, and he probably shouldn’t have put up with Luc’s terrible behaviour.
In an effort to even the playing ground (I assume), Oliver becomes the terrible communicator and ridiculous drama llama for the last 50 pages. Although the cause is believable, it is totally out of character for him and felt like an excuse to throw a final obstacle into their path.
All of that is pretty bad, I guess, but I did read the 427-page book in two days, so I do kind of recommend it? It’s good frivolous fun, and if that’s what you’re looking for, I say give it a go!
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
Nicholas Eames (he/him) is the author of Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose, the first two books in the hilarious and heartfelt trilogy The Band. I’m grateful that he took the time to speak with me about the musical influences on his work, how he decided to write a book with a queer female protagonist, and what we can expect from the final book in his trilogy. Please enjoy this interview with Nicholas Eames:
The world of Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose feel very inspired by D&D and RPGs. What is it about those systems and stories that inspired to you write these books?
The main premise of the series is inspired by rock bands, but there are a lot of similarities between bands and RPG groups, namely, getting together with friends to have a good time. I hope the books capture the spirit of roleplaying with the camaraderie and friendship that can form while playing RPGs with a lot of laughter and drinks.
I’ve played D&D since my first year of high school. I skipped school for the very first time to play D&D and had this epic odyssey getting home, jumping ditches and dodging cops. It was pretty memorable. Right off the bat, I immediately knew I wanted to tell the stories myself. I’ve been DMing ever since.
What motivated you to write the second book in your series with a queer woman as the protagonist?
It wasn’t something I set out to do when I originally wrote it. The main character was a boy named Tom, but halfway into it, I wasn’t liking the way his relationship with the band and Rose in particular was playing out. It was all too cliché. I talked to my editor, and even though it was pretty late in the writing process, I made the main character a girl instead. It wasn’t as easy as changing “he”s to “she”s; every conversation became different. I had to go back to the beginning and start over. It made a night and day difference to the story; Tam’s relationship with Rose felt right, and her relationship with Cura developed. The character just fit better.
When my editor and I were talking about making this change, we knew there would be some pushback. Kings of the Wyld was a book about older white cis dudes, and that appeals to a certain kind of reader who is going to expect more of the same. We knew assholes would gripe about it, and we checked in with each other: Do you care? No – okay, let’s do it. Luckily, people responded pretty well. And ultimately, if you get one teenage girl who writes and says she sees herself in the character, it’s worth it.
I didn’t find it difficult to write from the perspective of a queer woman, but you obviously want to be as careful as you can and not to fall into any stereotypes. With all of my characters, their sexuality doesn’t define them. It’s something that affects them, but it’s not everything. A lot of fantasy will make a big deal out of a gay character; I wanted to make it a fact of life.
I really enjoyed seeing the story through Tam’s perspective, and I would love to know why you chose to make her the protagonist rather than the titular Rose?
I was using famous rock and roll tropes, and Bloody Rose is Almost Famous with a rock journalist on the road with the band. When a band is full of self-destructive assholes, you can’t see that as much when you’re in their shoes. You have to see that from someone else’s perspective. Axl Rose telling his story would just be, “I’m amazing.” And yes, Axl Rose is the inspiration for Rose’s name.
Your female characters are all very diverse and complex, and Cura became one of my favorite characters. The reveal that she has been weaponizing and reliving her trauma through her tattooed summons was really powerful, as was the way she eventually started healing. What inspired you to tell this particular story?
Kings of the Wyld was about the music of the 70s, and Bloody Rose is about 80s music. The characters in the second book had to be larger than life, with the equivalent of the facepaint and big hair in the 80s. The tattoos were originally not about trauma. She had butterfly wings tattooed that would come out, and fireballs tattooed on her arm. I hadn’t gotten through the first scene with her before realizing it sucked. I knew it had to be something more, and with the theme of the self-destructiveness and self-harm that happened with 80s rock, I wanted her story to be about gaining mastery over something that haunts you.
One of my favorite themes is “hurt people hurt people” and the cycle of violence. We see this on both a personal and systemic level in your books. Why did you choose to focus your story on this theme?
I wrote Kings of the Wyld as a standalone, but my publisher asked if it could be a series and obviously I said yes. I knew I was not going to keep the same main characters, which turned into the idea that the series would move through eras of music and involve different generations. You can read them in any order, but the events in one affect what happens in the next. Within each book, the characters carry something forward from the past – like resentment of or love from parents – and consequences are always cascading into the future. That cycle is the point of the whole series.
What can you tell readers about the third book in the series?
It’s called Outlaw Empire, and it’s inspired by 90s music. If I’m picky, it’s about early 90s anti-establishment music: grunge, hip hop, Rage Against the Machine. They were all angry about things. I’m going to keep the book funny and light, relatively, but it will definitely be defined by its music.
There will be some carry over characters. It’s the final book of the series, so anyone who’s alive might be in there at some point. If anyone had kids, you can almost guarantee they’re in there. In fact, you’ve already met three of the four band members. One of the characters is a kobold named Shortknife; he’s mentioned briefly in a Kings of the Wyld scene. By the time I was writing the third book, I knew the group would be made up of both men and monsters, and he was a perfect character to put in. He’s got a really cool power, and he’s that one character who gets to say the fun and ludicrous things (in the first book, that was Moog, then Roderick in Bloody Rose).
It must be a very different experience to write a book on your own in contrast to writing the third book of a series with an already established audience. How has that experience been for you?
Before I wrote Kings of the Wyld, I spent ten years writing a giant grimdark fantasy book. I was racking up rejection letters, and I decided I wanted to write something that was the exact opposite. I didn’t want to get lost in worldbuilding, and I let the story be funny and goofy. Kings of the Wyld was a one in a million idea, and I’m so lucky that I thought of it, and that no one else had thought of it first. Bloody Rose is good, but it was more challenging to write.
I was hellbent on finishing Bloody Rose quickly while Kings of the Wyld came out. I had a rough time dealing with expectations, especially in my own head. Honestly, I had a relatively miserable time writing most of it. There came a point at the end of it when I had also started writing the third book that I just snapped. I knew I couldn’t keep stressing out about it. I would lay in bed and get out a calculator to work out how far behind on my word count I was, and how many days were left until the deadline. But I came to the realization that nothing is worth your mental health, so I took a big step back. Now I’m working toward finding a balance.
Is there anything else readers should know about your books?
I have curated playlists on Spotify (Kings of the Wyld | Bloody Rose), with songs that are a chapter by chapter breakdown for Kings of the Wyld on my website. They’re not imperative, but they add a lot to the books. Certain songs were so important that they unravelled scenes I was stuck on, and you can listen to them and read the chapter beat by beat.
Queen’s song “Too Much Love Will Kill You” is Freecloud’s song, and Meatloaf’s “For Crying Out Loud” is the final battle scene in Bloody Rose. I listened to it 4 or 5 times on the way to work to plot out that scene, right down to a pause for the moment Tam releases her arrow.
What queer and/or nerdy things are you enjoying at the moment?
Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth. Harrow in particular is bewildering as hell, but worth the read for the writing itself – it’s phenomenal. Both books remind you that you can tell a fantasy story with a contemporary voice.
The Unspoken Name. My god, I love it. It’s great, and the last sentence is absolutely beautiful.
For more information on Nicholas Eames and his work, please visit his website.
Nothing can beat Real Slim Brady, even without McCaffrey, not even actual Tom Brady! Krista had this wrapped up by Sunday night with players left to play. The Seacows didn’t even have the points on the bench. If losing is “water off a Manatees back” I remind myself Seacows are aquatic. Better metaphors please, and better players, who’s for a week 6 redraft?
Finger Puppets vs Bad News Bears
Another game that was all but decided on Sunday night, Bad News Bears needed Tampa Bay defence to come out of the game with 6 points, Carrie needed a big upset and while the TB defence took a physical beating and lost some key pieces, they held on for the win. Unlike the Seacows, however, Carrie could have won it but left a few too many points on the bench. Better days ahead for the Finger Puppets, enjoy the winning while you can, Bears. They play again in week 14…
ECD vs Team Sorto
At the end of Sunday night: ECD 99.66 / Sorto 99.72 with Waller still left to play for the Doves. Zero point games do happen (#sideeye #Jaysesucks #otherleague #playoffs2019 #Alshonisdeadtome #donut) and it was a slow start to the game for Waller, but Las Vegas found their stride. The Doves pick up their first win since week 1 leaving Team Sorto needing to make some changes to turn their season around.
Beards R’ Us vs Replacements
Wow, the computer didn’t see that one coming. Beards got weedwhacked rather than manscaped! Hot off their first win last week, the Replacements mercilessly hacked away at the matted mess of Beard outscoring them by a ratio of 2:1, we’ve seen some blow out games before but my this was brutal. Top score for the replacements!
Fire Pandas vs Purple Moose
Another blow out, although to a lesser extent than the beard/replacement debacle. Turns out Eric’s team is human and can be stopped! Solid performances from certain Fire Pandas ensured a second victory for Tricia.
A Trade Happened!
A behind closed doors deal between Real Slim Brady and Team Sorto. Krista adds some RB depth to fill the void CMC left in the line up (not that it stopped her winning streak), and Adriana benefits from a frequently targeted tight end replacing the lack luster Logan Thomas who scored a big ol’ 0 last week…now available on waivers.
Standings After Week 4
Finally a definitive league leader, no sharing top spot for Real Slim Brady…everyone, get her!
The top half of the chart remains boringly stagnant, no place for a Seacow. They sink closer to the bottom in search of grass or garbage, whatever it is Manatees eat down there…clumps of hair and broken dreams by the looks of it.
The Chart (of Lies)
Replacements stem the bleeding rising from 8th last week to 6th.
Bad News Bears are bumped out of top spot by the Bradys, ECD also gets a slight bump up from 6th to 3rd.
In the basement the door has opened, come on down team Sorto, bring more snacks, don’t get up Fire Pandas, you’re one of us now…
Preview of This Week’s Games
Team Sorto vs Super Seacows
Well the good news for these two teams is someone has to win. Will it be the Seacows with 4 Qs on in the line up (as of writing) or will Team Sorto finally win the bench points whack-a-mole they have been playing since week one. Look for the league poll to cast your vote.
the replacements vs Bad News Bears
Bad News, Bears, the Replacements broke your top score streak and have the opportunity to break your win streak now too.
Purple Moose vs Battling Finger Puppets
The Purple reign of terror has ended, Eric will be looking to get back on track this week against the person who brought him in to the league, reigning champion Carrie and the Battling Finger Puppets. This is how I will be imaging their trash talk during this weeks game:
Beards R’ Us vs Real Slim Brady
Beards, you gonna be ok?
Fire Pandas vs Doves
The apparent ancestral enemies meet this week, this was the top search result for ‘doves and panda friends’:
This presumably shows John and Karen making off with what they think is the Fire Panda mascot in an attempt at sabotage… will it work or is it the wrong kind of Panda?
Rachel Adams (she/her) is one half of Roar Cat Reads. We’ve been creating content and community for six months now, so we figured it was time that you got to know the women behind the blog!
Rachel, you help run a website with the tagline Queer and Nerdy in Vancouver. Have you always identified as queer and nerdy?
No, I don’t think so. I have known for a very long time that I’m queer (20 years), but I’ve only really embraced my nerdiness in the last 3-4 years. I push very hard against the queer thing as I despise labels but acknowledge their usefulness. Because I have known that I’m gay and have lived openly for 20 years, I do want to wave a flag and say I’m here, but it feels weird for my sexuality to be one of the things I should introduce myself as. I’m excited for a time when that is not the case. I want to put the flag down and just be me; possibly the younger generation are getting to that point.
As much as I hate labels that are applied to me, I understand that it’s a way to identify people who are like you and into the same things. As a community-building aspect, it’s a good thing. I like being labeled a nerd more than I like being labeled queer. Being “queer” feels necessary; being a “nerd” feels like I’m going to attract more nerds, which makes me happy.
I had a significant life change a few years ago, and I became closer to more friends who were nerdy at that time. I started playing a lot of board games, and shortly after that I started playing D&D. I embraced the ability to be outside of myself for a little while (particularly with D&D though I will try to role-play literally anything). It was a sad time for me, but some of the best times I had were playing Carcassone and Castles of the Mad King Ludwig and Machi Koro with this small group of people.
Now I am a nerd and I am proud of it. I was a nerd in denial, a secret nerd, a stealth nerd. I had these interests, but I didn’t think I was allowed to be into them. The acceptable way to do that was with sports; you can be as nerdy as you want with sports, and people accept this.
Where are you from originally? When did you move to Vancouver and why did you choose to stay?
I’m from England, and I originally came to Vancouver during the financial crisis of 2008. The place I was working in Bangor, North Wales, downsized and offered voluntary redundancy. I spent the money to come to Canada for 2.5 months to visit a friend who had moved out here. I absolutely loved it and applied for a working visa to come for another year. I loved the city and was lucky to get to know locals. It felt much more like a forever place than if I’d kept my friend group with transient people. I came into my career, which has been a nice, stable influence for me as well. When I came to Vancouver, it felt like things fell into place.
When did you first start playing D&D and when did you know it was going to become a big part of your life?
I started playing about three years ago. It was something I talked about with a couple friends who were interested, but it was that conversation where they say, “We should work out how to do this!” but no one would pull the trigger on it. I got the Starter Set and read through it. Pretty soon, I was DMing for a couple of my gay friends, and at the same time, I started DMing with a nerdy ladies group that I met through Meetup.
I really enjoyed the creative aspect of putting the story together. All the enjoyment I got out of board games predisposed me to going through the rules to figure out how they allow the game to happen. The two groups were very different, which made me realize how diverse D&D can be. The gay men group was very much “kick the door down, where’s the loot,” whereas the ladies group was much more challenging to DM. They were unpredictable and would befriend things rather than kill them. I lucked out having these two really great groups of people at just the right time. It filled a creative need for me and a social need as well.
What are some of your favorite queer books?
Ash by Malinda Lo. It’s a retelling of the Cinderella story, and it’s just so cute. It’s a really nice read, and I appreciated it because I will often draw inspiration for my D&D campaigns from fairy tales or stories that I’ve read.
Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. It’s not a good book necessarily, but it was exactly the book I needed to read when I read it. It was wonderful.
Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s an absolute log of a book – easily 800 pages. It’s sci fi, and the world is slowly destroyed over a period of three years. Humanity survives by various means, but there’s a particularly awesome relationship between a Russian cosmonaut and a scientist working on the International Space Station.
You have started a new weekly series chronicling our fantasy football league. Why did you push for it to be included under the “queer and nerdy” umbrella?
It has been brought to my attention that there is a lot of crossover between nerds and sports fans. Nerds like to be the holders of all knowledge about a certain thing by sheer consumption of that thing. The same can be said about sports fans (I watched seven hours of football on Sunday). There is no difference between knowing all of the rules of D&D or where to find it in the Player’s Handbook and having an encyclopedic knowledge of the wins and losses of a football team or stats for an individual player. The more I think about it, I’d actually like you to find a difference between those groups of people.
You’re the creative heart of Roar Cat Reads. What crafting projects are you most excited about?
I’ve got a number of them on the go at the moment. One of the first things I enjoyed making was the monstrosities. I made them on a whim. I was trying to make terrarium ornaments, but I don’t actually know anything about terrariums. However, I made a little thing that I would want to exist in a terrarium if someone would like to gift me one. We have a bunch of them in our plant pots at the moment, and I think they look great. At my upcoming Eldtrich Horror birthday party, I expect one or two of them will adorn the cake. If this sounds excellent to anyone, let me know because we have a bunch cluttering our house!
I’m learning to make dice bags at the moment. It’s been a fun project, because I love collecting dice (we get a set every month through our Adventure Dice subscription). I need a place to put them, so dice bags are perfect!
I’m attempting to make my own dice with resin, which so far has been with mixed results. But it’s fun to play around with it and see what’s possible. Any time I see something artsy that I think I can work out how it’s done, I want to give it a try. That’s how I got into making maps for D&D sessions as well. It’s also cool because I can see that skill progressing. If only I would put in the boring practice to really hone that skill! It’s nice being around artistic people like Nick. He taught me how to sew. Being in a creative community is so valuable.
Is there anything else you think readers should know about you?
I’m running a charity event in 9 days. The part I have taken on is wrangling the technology. Tricia is the face because she is the greatest (editor’s note: Rachel really said this, but I (Tricia) did choose to keep it), but I’ve been learning how to use OBS and other various bits and pieces. It’s been a fun process to learn it, and I’m excited to stream more content in the future. If anyone reading wants to ask questions about that process or help me learn more about it, let me know!
Season Four, while incredibly dark and depressing, gifted us with Toby Stephens frequently saying “Yep,” and we get two of them in this episode in quick succession.
Teach! It is fitting that this pirate of pirates is only taken down once surrounded by 5+ men with guns. It is excruciating to see the pain on his face when he realizes that Jack has ruined his reputation by surrendering, but um, he more than makes up for his badass-ness by refusing to let his death bolster an Englishman’s ego.
RIP, Edward Teach.
LOL MOMENT
Teach: Ever captained a ship of this size before? Jack: God, no. Teach: Have you captained a ship this size before? Jack: …Sure.
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
I love this show for refusing to allow viewers to make monsters out of any of our characters, despite HOW MUCH I want to villainize Berringer. First we get him looking at pictures of his wife and child, and honestly, that doesn’t move me. He could be reunited with them if he wanted. He’s only stayed in Nassau to pursue a course of revenge, committing treason even to do so.
What DOES bother me is his speech about dark men doing dark deeds, and how easily I can imagine the same words coming from Flint’s mouth.
“You’ve given me good men to lead. I’ll do my best by them.” “There isn’t a good man among them. Not anymore. Some of them may have been, before all this. Some of them may be again on the other side of it. But right now, good men are not what the moment requires. Right now, the time calls for dark men to do dark things. Do not be afraid to lead them to it.”
When Flint uses theater and leads his men into horrific atrocities, I support him because I support his end goal – overturning a corrupt empire and establishing a free world. But when Berringer uses theater and leads HIS men into horrific atrocities, I am livid. Granted, this is because he’s supporting that corrupt empire. And in some ways, the ends definitely do justify the means. But if we look beneath their political worldviews, in actuality they keep fighting because the world keeps fighting them. It’s the cycle of vengeance I’ve been talking about. The truth is, I support Flint because I like him, because I’m invested in his story. If we’d had three seasons of Berringer’s story, would I emotionally support him in this moment? Probably.
I do think the show wants us to support Flint, and I do think that Flint’s motivations are deepening beyond revenge to a more genuine desire to create something new. BUT it is unquestionable that the showrunners want us to remember the power of narrative in shaping our allegiances, and to question why we see some people as good and others as bad, when really, they might not be so different.
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
Berringer basically tells Woodes Rogers that darkness is inevitable, and we shouldn’t be afraid to use it. It is SO hard not to think Flint would agree with him.
Mrs. Hudson asks to go home after they’re done in Philadelphia. Eleanor says yes and they’re both super happy before IMMEDIATELY finding out they aren’t going to Philadelphia. This is about how everyone’s happiness goes in this show, huh?
Max is losing her power, exemplified by how men can burst into her room while she’s lounging naked in bed.
Maroon: Whatever slaves are still alive on this island will never fight alongside a pirate again. Not after last night. Madi: Last night, there were also pirates who fought alongside us, against terrible odds and at great cost. Billy and his men are our enemies now, but these men are not.
#TriumverateWatch: Madi defends Flint!! And as if the show doesn’t realize that my heart has already burst, the two proceed to have an inspiring conversation as equals and I loooooove them!!!
Madi: You truly believe it is possible? That as disadvantaged and disabled as we are, that anything we do here is going to make the least bit of difference to the men in London? Flint: Well, that’s the trick, isn’t it? If no one remembers a time before there was an England, then no one can imagine a time after it. The empire survives in part because we believe its survival to be inevitable. But it isn’t, and they know that. That’s why they’re so terrified of you and I. If we are able to take Nassau, if we are able to expose the illusion that England is not inevitable, if we are able to incite a revolt that spreads across the New World then, yeah, I imagine people are gonna notice. Madi: “Too much sanity may be madness, and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
Madi just used Don Quixote to describe Flint, AND THAT IS THE BOOK MIRANDA USED TO DESCRIBE THOMAS, byyyyyyye.
It is impossible to be reminded of the amazing partnership between James and Thomas and not see Flint and Madi having equally amazing potential.
Poor Anne. She just wants to get away from all of this and have a boring life, but she’s chosen to partner herself to a man who can’t stop following giants in hopes of influencing them and thus feeling meaningful.
I love Idelle being the level-headed one to Featherstone’s panic. She trusts in Max’s loyalty and stubbornness before saying they have to help her from the outside. Eleanor then bursts in to help Max – are we to assume that Idelle told Eleanor what was going on?
THAT REUNION THOUGH. Silver is about to die, but Flint comes to the rescue!! There is so much contained emotion going on in these two men, and I can’t even.
Jack has to watch Teach and Anne lead the vanguard onto a spookily “empty” ship. Why did no one notice that everyone hid themselves? I’m so upset about everything here, I hate it, stop please.
Max: You think you can control him. And by the time you realize he has been controlling you, it is going to be too late.
Max is talking to Eleanor about Berringer, but it’s hard not to imagine she’s also talking about Woodes Rogers.
We know Eleanor is cultured now, because she says, “I beg your pardon, but what the fuck have you got to lose?”
THAT OTHER REUNION THOUGH. Silver and Madi running to each other, kissing, staring into each other’s eyes!!
Flint is happy for them, but there’s a definite flicker of sadness in his expression. Whether he’s sad because he loves Silver or because he wishes he had someone like they have each other, I honestly don’t care. It’s compelling either way!
Eleanor now agrees with Max that the theater of power only exacerbates problems. I like this questioning whether power exists to uphold order or to boost someone’s ego.
Berringer’s power play of reading the black spot aloud is actually VERY good, and I love how he becomes an interesting villain just before dying. Because he’s too obvious. The REAL villain is revealed in this episode to be: Nice Guy Rogers.
Reader, I HATE HIM.
In flashback, he reveals his dark side to Berringer, telling the story he didn’t share in his book because he didn’t want the world to know what he is capable of.
The real evil here is not what he did in the past, because as despicable as it is, I can forgive a lot that is done in grief (see: my enduring love of James Flint). What is horrible is that he is committed, rationally, a day before it happens, to doing the exact same thing to Teach and his crew, simply to prove a point. I HATE HIM.
An admission: I’ve never actually watched the keelhauling. The first time I saw this episode, Rogers’ creepy voiceover and the music cued me in that something truly horrible was about to go down, so I Googled what happened to Teach and promptly skipped ahead. Having listened to other people’s reactions to the scene, I’m super glad I did, and so I did the same again. I’m so glad Teach stuck it to Rogers by refusing to die, but I do not need to let those images exist in my brain, thanks ever so much.
Berringer refuses to use Eleanor as an ally. He ignores her suggestion to ambush Silver, thus ensuring his own death!! What an idiot!
But also thank God.
BECAUSE HERE COME SILVER AND FLINT. I love the look Flint gives Silver when the guns come out. This is Silver’s first time fighting on the front line, and as a target, and Flint is concerned.
They seem alone in a small group, but suddenly slaves and maroons and pirates join them! And there’s a fight! And soldiers appear on the roofs but they are killed by Billy’s men! I temporarily forgive Billy, but I’m glad Flint gives him a look during the battle because this isn’t over yet!!
Israel Hands takes out Berringer, which is fitting because he doesn’t deserve a death by one of our heroes. What purpose does Hands’ long look at Silver/Flint serve? Is it like, look at me, see my value?
Our last shot is of Berringer’s wife and child, and while I don’t have empathy for HIM, I do for those two. It’s a good reminder that in all the passion and righteous anger that creates and perpetuates violence, the real victims are civilians. But…I don’t want the fighting to stop until Flint and Madi’s vision of a free Nassau is realized.
I have a type and it is: Intellectual Revolutionaries!
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
Genre | Fantasy Page #s | 544 Publishing Date | August 2018
Live fast, die young.
Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown.
When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It’s adventure she wants – and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death.
It’s time to take a walk on the wyld side.
Goodreads
Kings of the Wyld, Eames’ first book, is one of my favorites,but it’s a book about old men reliving their adventuring glory days, and I can’t really justify reviewing it for my queer blog. The sequel, though? Well, Bloody Rose has three women in the main cast of five, and two of them are queer. It’s everything I wanted from his D&D-inspired fantasy world full of humor, creativity, and heart, and it works perfectly well as a standalone story, so start reading it now!
Tam joins the legendary band (the term in Eames’ books given to adventuring parties, as they are treated like rock stars within the world) Fable as a bard to record the tales of their accomplishments. This is strange, as Fable claims to have a gig that’s in the exact opposite direction of the monstrous horde that threatens the world and has every other band eager to fight for glory. Turns out, it’s all connected, and the five members of Fable will be pushed to their limits to conquer personal demons and literal monsters with a little help from their friends. I love a story where defeating the big bad only serves to help the bigger bad.
In this world, monster hunters have transitioned from a more legitimate “saving helpless townsfolk from marauding creatures” role to a lucrative career of touring stadiums to defeat captured “monsters” – and no one wants to look too closely at whether these creatures are truly evil. It’s uncomfortable to read sometimes, which is the point. As a character says later in the story, “We are the ones going bump in the night.” We never QUITE get the Justice for Monsters storyline that I craved, but I look forward to seeing how the world has shifted in this regard in future books.
As excellent as the plot is, it is the characters that truly sell this story. Tam is great everywoman protagonist, and it’s a joy to watch her grow, both physically and emotionally. Rose and Freecloud are the stars in an epic romance that is all the more fun for seeing it from the side. Cura is a gothic bisexual inkwitch who summons terrifying beings from tattoos that she gave herself to memorialize, and relive, her trauma. I wrote her off as a stereotypical male-gazey manic pixie sex girl at first, but the arc of her story was probably the most meaningful of all to me. And Brune is a giant barbarian of a man, sweet and coarse, and with a family-based storyline that was really engaging and left me wanting more.
I was impressed by how diverse and complex the women in this book are. Whether they are going through a classic coming-of-age storyline (Tam), struggling to balance personal glory with motherhood (Rose) or healing from a traumatic past (Cura), each woman is fully realized and awesomely gifted and flawed. This is also the only fantasy book I’ve read that includes an offhanded comment about women dealing with their periods in between epic battles. I love it!
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
If you love classic fantasy with a lovingly snarky twist, Bloody Rose will delight and entertain!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
It was my absolute pleasure to interview Sarah Blake (she/her) about Naamah. This retelling of the story of Noah from his bisexual wife’s perspective became a fast favorite of mine, and I can’t seem to stop including it in my “BestOf” Lists. Please enjoy this interview with Sarah Blake:
What motivated you to retell the story of Noah?
In my poetry, I was rewriting the stories of women I’d been introduced to in my childhood. In these new stories about them, I wanted them to be women that I would have been drawn to. So many stories of women ended in heartache, sacrifice, punishment, and death. And the happy endings took place at marriage, which seemed a little early to me.
What themes were you keen to explore and make your own?
I wanted to explore hopelessness. That’s what drew me to Naamah. I felt hopeless in my life (in the face of gun violence and rising antisemitism), but her situation was hopeless to the extreme. She was stuck on the water with no end in sight, with every task at hand a difficult one, and with everyone she knew dead. I wanted to offer her things–gifts, respite, love, escape.
And I was drawn to the time period. We have so little evidence about that time, I could imagine it however I wanted. I could explore sexuality, gender, and marriage without any of the social constraints of today. In a book about God trying to get the world right, I could make something closer to the world I wanted.
Naamah is a bisexual woman whose sexuality is complicated but never apologized for. Why was it important for you to create her this way?
I thought this was important, yes, but I also thought it would be the truth! I didn’t feel like I was creating Naamah that way. Instead I felt like I was interrogating what a woman would be like in this time, given these circumstances. That she would be bisexual (or pansexual) seemed beyond question to me. If you strip back all of the terrible things we’re taught about what’s normal and what’s not, about what to have shame about, what to have guilt about, I think what’s left is people experiencing attraction all over the spectrum of sexuality.
You chose to represent Naamah’s experience, in part, through her loss of vision. To me, that evokes so much of the hopelessness you described as a theme – the literal representation of not being able to see anything, let alone something better. What does Naamah’s inability to see the animals on the ark say about her way of coping with immense tragedy?
I’ve always been fascinated with the ways our minds try to protect us–what we forget and what we remember–and how often our mind gets it wrong. Holding onto some terrible memory isn’t actually protecting us from future harm! When I thought about Naamah on the ark, after months had passed, with no end to the flood in sight, I imagined that her mind might try to protect her. And the first thing I thought it might do is strip her of her ability to see them, which, of course, puts her in more danger.
For Naamah, the unseen world (of angels, visions, and memories) becomes more real than the family and animals that are stuck on the boat with her. Why did you focus so much of Naamah’s journey on her interactions with Sarai, with the Metatron, etc.?
The children, still alive under the water, were a gift to Naamah, and to myself. It was hard to face all of the tragedy that the flood posed. Sarai, too, was a gift–a glimpse into the future, some small hope that all of Naamah’s work is not for nothing.
From the start of the book, I knew Naamah would have to talk to God the way that Noah had talked to Him. And I knew that, according to ancient Jewish texts, this would be through the Metatron. (I also love Kevin Smith’s Dogma, and Alan Rickman’s portrayal of the Metatron, so I had to include him!) Building up her encounters with the Metatron allowed me and her to have that final conversation with God.
I am also struck by how much Naamah lives in her body, in her physicality. This is especially evident in her vibrant sex life. These sorts of representations are few and far between, never mind the fact that this is a reimagining of a biblical story. Did you have any pushback when you were creating or selling the book?
This is so important to me, across all of my work. I love bodies, and my body, and I want everyone to love their body. And I especially want people to have the language and the comfort level that they need to talk about their body, be it to their partner(s) or to medical professionals.
Luckily, I didn’t have any pushback. There were many agents who only wanted to represent the book if I removed the sex or the cursing or the whathaveyou. So I waited until I found the right agent! And she knew instantly which editor would love this book and would stand behind every part of it that mattered to me. I was very lucky.
What do you hope readers take away from Naamah?
I hope at the end of the book there’s a sense of power and joy. That’s what I wanted for Naamah and for myself.
Your new book, Clean Air, comes out February 8, 2022. What can you tell Roar Cat Reads readers about it?
I’m so excited about Clean Air. It’s about Izabel, her husband, Kaito, and their daughter, Cami. They live in a future where unfiltered air is unbreathable due to pollen levels. Their lives take place in dozens of airtight domes. At the very start of the book, someone begins slashing those domes, killing the families inside by exposing them to the air. Soon Izabel and her family get tangled up with the killer in a few unpredictable ways, and it’s a pretty wild ride!
For more information on Sarah Blake and her work, please visit her website.
This was a close one, coming right down to Monday. Zeke had his first big game of the season but a late TD pass and an uncompetitive game gave the replacements their first win. Both teams are 1-2.
Euasian Collared Doves vs Real Slim Brady
This was another close game between the Real Slim Bradys and the Doves. It once again came down to Davante Adams who had 31 points on the night and a chance to win it for the ECD on the last play but it was not to be. The Real Slim Bradys are the team to beat right now at 3-0 and upcoming teams might have an easier time of it with star running back and first round pick McCaffrey out with in injury.
Bad News Bears vs Beards R’ Us
Bad News Bears with back to back top scores and this week comfortably by 25 points. No one is looking forward to seeing the bears on their schedule right now. Beards had a respectable score but couldn’t quite pull it off like an unconvincing college goatee.
Battling Finger Puppets vs Fire Pandas
It was a sad vacation day evening on Monday with both the McAdams teams having a chance in the Monday night games but falling short. I wouldn’t say the vacation was ruined but there was certainly a lot of sulking from Tricia’s end of the couch. Carrie and the Battling Finger Puppets build some momentum for a very tantalizing match up this week.
Team Sorto vs Purple Moose
It was also a disappointing Monday for Team Sorto, with a potentially game winning 37 points from Josh Allen on the bench, all hopes rested on Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders, and while Hurts was able to put up 20 point somehow by the end of the game, team Sorto was still short. The Moose march on to 3-0.
Standings After Week 3
Each division has a clear leader with the Purple Moose and Real Slim Brady having 3-0 records. With a win last week the replacements leave Team Sorto bottom of the pack. The rest battle it out in mediocrity.
The Chart (of Lies)
Two monster weeks and the Bad News Bears displace Real Slim Brady for the projected top spot. It seems the chart believes the Bradys losing CMC is going to tank their season but I’m sure at 3-0, Krista would disagree. Also at 3-0 the Purple Moose were forgiven this week and see a bump up to projected third place.
Beards have put down the xbox controller and are making their way out of the basement, but is it just a short trip to get more snacks?
Possibly the most surprising move on the chart this week, Team Sorto is predicted 2nd place despite a 0-3 record, the chart believes in an epic come back, and for once I hope this is not a lie.
Preview of This Week’s Games
Real Slim Brady vs Super Seacows
Despite the CMC injury, Real Slim Brady is the favorite going in to this match up but Tom Brady is on the opposing bench and heading back to New England for one of the most anticipated games of the season. The Seacows will be hoping to ride what will hopefully be an epic performance to hand the Bradys their first loss.
Finger Puppets vs Bad News Bears
The first of the big rivalry games this season, and it comes at a great time. Bad News Bears have all the momentum going in to this game and are given a 4 point advantage over the Battling Finger Puppets.
ECD vs Team Sorto
The chart is predicting team Sorto to string some wins together and perhaps the first (of many) will come this week. The Doves have been quiet through the last two weeks, almost as if a dark cloth had been draped over their bird cage. Pull back the cover, John, and let the doves out.
Beards vs Replacements
Fresh off their first win, the replacements will be looking to cruise on up the standings if they can take down the Beards this week, both teams are 1-2 on the season. This matchup is a new household rivalry for the league and the Beards are heavy favorites (according to the app).
Fire Pandas vs Purple Moose
Can anyone stop these Moose? After trampling the replacements, Doves and team Sorto, the Purple Moose will be looking to charge down the Fire Pandas this week.
Stephanie, you’re going to GM the 1:00 p.m. PST session for our Rainbow Refugee Charity Event on October 16th. Can you tell us a little about your session?
My session takes place in a Sound of Music-esque quaint little Swiss Alps town. The characters are going to try to break into a pair of socialites’ home during a ball to steal a fabled ticket to a hidden VIP brunch location. Gay hilarity will ensue!
I’m so excited to see this play out. How would you describe your GM style in general?
My ideas always go through several stages of chaos before I know what I want to do. When I was thinking about this session, I knew I wanted to do a heist. A while ago, I ran a one shot that dug into my character’s backstory – he was a drug smuggler, and his friend got caught and ratted him out. He was led on a heist through a bunch of tunnels, and when he finally opened a hatch, it was into a police station. I thought I would reuse it, but with everything going on, I don’t want minorities like myself to feel the threat of policing. So took the heist idea and twisted it, always asking, “How can I make it more queer?” Eventually I realized that the thing we love more than anything is: Brunch.
I have always run one shots when I GM, but I like them to be deeper than just a dungeon crawl. I like there to be a story that players can discover if they so choose, otherwise they can fly by it. I made a dungeon once that had artifacts hidden around hinting at the fact that someone had once hidden their lover in the dungeon to protect them from evil forces; the players got really invested and wanting to figure out what was going on. They wound up fighting the ghost of the person hidden there, and afterwards everyone was asking, “What was this?” and “Who was that?”
When you’re making a one shot, I think they do need to be a little railroad-y with a set goal and a set end. Otherwise they grow into multiple sessions and, eventually, a campaign. But like I said, it’s railroad-y but with added flavour and depth so that it’s not just going into new rooms and killing new bad guys.
What kind of characters do you tend to play?
Character creating is my favorite thing! Every character I’ve created is my child.
The first character I created was a joke – he was meant to be the most annoying bard ever. He was a 16-year-old prince who went to a bougie music school, had a ridiculously long name, and played an otamatone. Over the two year campaign, he wrote himself. He ended up becoming a young hero of the party who was brave and heroic, when at first he was stuck up and didn’t want to help others in case he hurt himself. In general, I love creating dynamic characters that are more than just one note.
How long have you been playing D&D? What has your experience been like?
The week after New Year’s 2017, a good friend of mine and their “friend” (now wife) started playing D&D. They gathered a couple other friends (all queer), invited me, and we all gave it a try. Something that was just a fun whatever turned into a campaign that lasted two years, and then another two year campaign after that!
Like you, I’ve always played D&D with queer people, and I hear horror stories about the worst kinds of straight TTRPGS. What do you think makes a queer D&D experience so special?
There is unspoken solidarity between everyone at the table. We know where to draw the line so that we don’t touch on our collective trauma; there’s no racism, homophobia, transphobia, or sexual assault. We know what it’s like to be queer in real life – it’s cathartic to be queer in a fantasy world, to be who you want to be with freedom.
In general, I think queer people are often creative, artistic people. We’re good at coming up with stories and characters. If you put two characters in front of me, I would know which was the gay one. I don’t know why this is. It’s probably multi-factoral, but I think part of it comes from turning into yourself because of fear, and finding ways to express what you find in there.
I will say that straight people can be good players too. There’s a girl in our current campaign that I call our “token straight.” And I’ve played D&D with some good boys before; one had a friend who came out as non-binary, so he played a non-binary character to practice using they/them pronouns.
I understand that you volunteer with Rainbow Refugee. Can you tell us a little about what that looks like?
I grew up seeing and helping my mom, who was really into animal rescue. She created her own non-profit (Best Friends for Life) to collect pet food and supplies for people living in the Downtown Eastside. So fundraising and fundraising events are something I’m very familiar with.
About a year ago, I saw a post on Instagram from local trans activist Lauren Sundstrom asking if anyone could help bring an Iranian trans man and his wife fleeing persecution to Canada from Turkey. I said yes!
Our fundraising circle has ten people. We have a Canada Helps page where we raise money by doing events like silent auctions. Rainbow Refugee requires a foundation of at least $20,000 to get someone set up, and we’ve raised almost $30,000! We’re also working on the paperwork necessary to actually get them to Canada, hopefully by the new year. Once they arrive, we will be their social and emotional support. We will help them find and furnish an apartment, and support them for at least their first year here.
The most interesting part of this process has been navigating this during COVID. The easiest go-to fundraiser is a pub night, but you can’t do that now. I will say, Rainbow Refugee has been so supportive of our fundraising initiatives. They provided an immigration lawyer who briefly worked with our team to help navigate the legalities of fundraising.
If someone is interested in volunteering, can you tell us the best way to connect with Rainbow Refugee?
Go to their website and shoot them an email. They might have circles that need more volunteers, or there may be fundraisers that you can participate in.
Is there anything you would like our readers to know about?
Support our next fundraiser. The wife that we’re helping coming to Canada is sending us her art – water colours, brooches, and pins. They’re so beautiful! We’re going to sell them in a silent auction to keep raising money for her and her husband.
Also, please don’t protest in front of hospitals! I work in chemotherapy, and all of our patients were late to their appointments; some of them are disabled, and they had to walk three blocks to get to their appointments because of protesters!
Get vaccinated!
Do you have any queer nerdy recommendations for readers?
My friend has started a D&D podcast called Fey Finders (@feyfinders on Instagram and Twitter) that everyone should check out.
I also want to shout out GM Tim! He was working at Strategies and sold me my first set of dice. He’s awesome. (GM Tim is also a GM for our Rainbow Refugee Charity Event).
The last thing I want to plug is Lykopis Archery on Commercial Drive. That’s where I practice, and it’s run by a queer POC lady master archer and is super inclusive!
Thank you Stephanie! I’m so excited to watch your D&D session on October 16th.
If I thought it was fun to see Flint scream at Giant Billy in the last episode, WOW it is great to see him defeat a man seemingly three times his size in one-on-one combat.
TODAY’S RUNNER UP
Billy! I don’t actually like him in this episode, but he deserves some credit for FINALLY standing up to Flint after 30 episodes of doubt and distrust.
“I’m through following you down a path only you seem able to see towards a victory only you seem able to define.”
LOL MOMENT
Israel Hands: You talk too much. Silver: *keeps talking*
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
Anne once again shows us a way out of the cycle of revenge, and this time Jack listens and passes her wisdom on to Teach. What is especially interesting is that she articulates why choosing not to pursue vengeance is for her own good.
“I go looking for Eleanor Guthrie, you know I’m gonna find her too. Max. Said if I turned over the cache, you’d be safe. And it ain’t just the lie. She tried to take you away from me. When I left that island all I could think about was having a chance to make her pay for what she done. Now that we’re here it would be so easy. And I don’t wanna do it. Don’t wanna live with it after. The sight of her hurt in that way. Just don’t want it.”
Anne has every reason to wish pain on Max, even more than Teach or Jack with Eleanor, because her reasons are personal. But she is able to think beyond the anger to what will come after: the regret, the images she can’t forget, the knowledge of what she’s capable of.
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
The Wrecks look a million times better than in season 1.
Israel Hands’ character is a fascinating glimpse of a possible future for Silver. He is also smart and opportunistic, but as a result of being passed over by a captain he admired, he has turned bitter, hardened, and ruthless.
When Max confronts Featherstone and Idelle with their treachery, she is SO calm and powerful. Unfortunately, we just learned that she is the reason the amazing s4 opening attack failed, so I have no positive feelings for her. She is merciful to her people, but she doesn’t care about the bigger picture. I don’t find an attitude of “This will all pass soon enough if we let it” admirable at all.
Eleanor straight up says that the only difference between pirates and powerful men of civilization is time.
Holy shit, Teach’s ship of hanged men is a very effective scare tactic.
I like that in the pirate world, Eleanor is held accountable for killing Vane, when civilization’s story is that Woodes Rogers is responsible despite being unconscious.
#TriumverateWatch: Flint calls Madi out on her claiming to know the location of the cache. Madi calls Flint out on his tendency to overlook Billy. They are clearly equals at this chess match, and I love them.
Max is saddened that everyone else in Nassau won’t roll over and submit to English rule like her. Oops, is my bias showing?
Max: When you condemn a dozen men in as many hours, perhaps remorse is a bit much to ask. Berringer: You object to these trials. Max: I do not object to trials, I do not object to hangings. What I do object to, however, is spectacle, certain to increase defiance and anger rather than sooth it. We should be moving past this, not wallowing in it.
I can see the appeal of her strategy, though it is steeped in privilege. With England in control, she maintains power and influence. But people JUST LIKE HER remain slaves, and that disconnect feels awful to me.
Eleanor: We are so very close to winning this war and finally bringing Nassau out of the dark.
THIS LINE. First of all, it directly compares to Flint’s similar line in 401 about being so close. This puts the two of them as the true opposing strategists here, which I have been screaming about ever since I realized every one of Rogers’ good ideas was actually Eleanor’s. But the thing about bringing Nassau out of the dark? I’m trying to make these spoiler free, but those who have finished the series know why I am flailing with emotion.
Eleanor thinks that Nassau needs someone to be in terror of (Berringer). It strikes me that this has always been her strategy, using men like Flint and especially Vane to be big enough and bad enough to defend her plans.
Silver is so smart for figuring out who Israel Hands is, and for telling his story in such a way as to get what he wants.
Hands: Who are you that I ought to pay you any mind? Silver: I’m no one from nowhere belonging to nothing. I’m a wretch like you. And yet mountains of gold have changed hands because I chose it. Thousands of men in Nassau are living in fear of my return because I decreed it. Hundreds of dead redcoats in a forest not far from here because I made it so. I’m the reason grown men lie awake at night. I am a new beginning for Nassau.
This is a very good self-promotion, much like Flint’s “I survived everything in the world” speech in 310. But I’m struck by how many of the things he lists as his accomplishments are actually the result of Billy and Flint’s work. Silver’s tragedy is that he’s struggling to live up to the fiction other people have created for him.
I like that we see the plantation owners being tender and humorous while also very much relying upon slave labor, even in the same scene. They are humanized, which reminds us that in this show, there are no cartoonish villains.
Flint spares the mother and child, which is in direct contrast to his actions in 301. He is no longer a broken man. He’s found a purpose, and with it, his moral compass.
Woodes Rogers looking at his own book, contemplating the story he told about himself, about who he wants to be, would be really moving to a viewer who is not adamantly opposed to him. Ditto for his goodbye with Eleanor.
Although…is that the first time we’ve seen Eleanor cry? Surely not, but I can’t think of another moment.
“That fucking island. Makes you do shit you don’t wanna do.”
What is it about Nassau that makes people do “shit they don’t wanna do”? I think the stakes are so much higher there, the possibility of so much available. Whether it’s a life of freedom or a prosperous trade route, Nassau is valuable, and people will do terrible things to capture or keep something they value.
If anyone was in doubt as to the goodness of civilization, now we know that slave families have been torn apart and threatened should anyone help the revolt. Gross.
Billy wants to take the plantation despite the implications for slave families and against Madi’s wishes, which shows he values the rebellion over the partnership with the Maroons. Which is understandable, I guess, since he wasn’t there for most of the partnering. But still, it’s not a good look for him.
#TriumverateWatch: Madi is the one to call men to Flint’s defense, and I’m DYINGGGG. She thought Silver and then Billy was the one to trust, but Flint has proven that his values align with hers: this actually is a revolution to free oppressed people, and she is here for it.
Billy is not playing around when he fights Flint, even aiming a shot directly at his face. I mentioned this above, but I LOVE watching Flint take down Billy the Giant. And notably, he doesn’t kill Billy even though he could.
Love the comparison between Anne and Vane who share a “mistrust of sentimentality” to Jack and Teach, who could sit and talk about symbols and memories for days.
“He and I were somehow fated to matter to each other” is an absolutely LOVELY statement.
Jack and Teach bonding over Vane’s memory is a far healthier grieving tactic than vengeance. It’s fitting that, having let go of their anger for a moment, they are both able to see that killing Eleanor is the exact last thing Vane would have actually wanted.
Max watching Eleanor be in love with someone else is a little bit heartbreaking. I really like their relationship dynamic – I never get the feeling that they’ll wind up back together, but their past is layered into everything they do together.
Then Max slips away to meet up with Silver, and their simultaneous familiarity and unfamiliarity is gorgeous to watch. They’ve both grown so powerful since last they worked together.
God, I wish Max would join the pirate revolution and be a voice of reason for them rather than for England. She is SO great when she interrupts Silver’s intimidation tactics with a firm “no.”
Silver: No? Max: I am tired of this. This thing that perpetuates itself with anger and bluster and blood. I do not want to be your friend. What I want is for all of this to end. For it to end, you must end.
Why am I so enamored with Anne’s desire to stop the cycle of vengeance, but I can’t stand Max’s similar desire? I think it’s because Anne wants peace by escaping from the chaos, while Max wants peace by getting rid of people.
Silver and Hands make a formidable team, and Max flees from the massacre with a look of “oh shit, I just made it worse.”
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
Genre | Historical Steampunk Fiction Page #s | 346 Publishing Date | February 2015
“You ain’t gonna like what I have to tell you, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. See, my name is Karen Memery, like memory only spelt with an e, and I’m one of the girls what works in the Hôtel Mon Cherie on Amity Street. Hôtel has a little hat over the o like that. It’s French, so Beatrice tells me.”
Set in the late 19th century—when the city we now call Seattle Underground was the whole town (and still on the surface), when airships plied the trade routes, would-be gold miners were heading to the gold fields of Alaska, and steam-powered mechanicals stalked the waterfront, Karen is a young woman on her own, is making the best of her orphaned state by working in Madame Damnable’s high-quality bordello. Through Karen’s eyes we get to know the other girls in the house—a resourceful group—and the poor and the powerful of the town. Trouble erupts one night when a badly injured girl arrives at their door, begging sanctuary, followed by the man who holds her indenture, and who has a machine that can take over anyone’s mind and control their actions. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the next night brings a body dumped in their rubbish heap—a streetwalker who has been brutally murdered.
Bear brings alive this Jack-the-Ripper yarn of the old west with a light touch in Karen’s own memorable voice, and a mesmerizing evocation of classic steam-powered science.
Goodreads
Karen Memory is an action-packed adventure in a steampunk historical setting that balances “historical accuracy” with modern values with astonishing deftness. With a diverse cast of characters working in a brothel, the book is supportive of sex work while centering its plot on taking down those responsible for sexual exploitation. Additionally, our heroes are queer women, black and Native American men, and a supporting cast of transgender and multi-racial folks. It is an utter delight!
Karen is our protagonist, a spirited young woman who pushes her way through life with confidence and level-headed acceptance. She is constantly interacting with new people in a way that acknowledges the stereotypes her white world has about them but assumes that their way of doing things is different and valid. It feels effortless, and is an excellent model of how to be historically accurate without being racist. She’s also an absolute delight to “listen” to. Her fabulous Western drawl full of colorful analogies comes through strong in the writing, and even more perfectly via audiobook.
Priya is Karen’s love interest, a woman who has escaped a dangerous and exploitative brothel and wants to help her sister do the same. She’s far from a helpless damsel, though. Priya is the brains of the duo, fluent in multiple languages and quick to pick up most skills. Her relationship with Karen is sweet, supportive, and a little bit dashing.
I’ve read this book twice now, and both times when it started, I was hesitant to continue. It sets itself up as a old-fashioned story about “prostitutes with hearts of gold.” But as the story unveils itself, it’s far richer and more meaningful than any trope. I highly recommend!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
For the first time ever, I tried to acquire all the GFs during this break before the finale, and I mostly succeeded! I leveled up on the Island Closest to Hell (Squall to 100, Rinoa and Quistis to upper 80s), then crashed through finding and acquiring Tonberry, Odin, Doomtrain, Bahamut, and Cactuar. The one that I didn’t manage to get (until drawing it from a boss in Ultimecia’s Castle) was Eden. I spent over an hour making my way through the descending levels of the Underwater Research Lab to fight Ultima Weapon. I drew Eden…and then died. It was so infuriating that I refused to try again.
Lunatic Pandora
It had been awhile since I had interacted with the plot by the time I rammed into Lunatic Pandora, so I was SO HAPPY to see Raijin and Fujin, even though they were demanding that I hand over Rinoa.
When Squall refuses to do so, Rinoa does a little happy dance in the back, and it is so cute.
Biggs and Wedge are canonically gay (say I!) They quit their jobs and say, “Let’s go home and have a drink.” I love this for them.
When we finally find Seifer, he’s holding Ellone hostage with the help of Raijin and Fujin. But his buddies have had enough! Their storyline is really fulfilling; watching them grow from mindless cronies to doubting his path to rejecting it. Fujin even speaks in full sentences for the first time, which opens up SO MANY questions about why she was screaming single words for most of her life.
“You’re being manipulated. You’ve lost yourself and your dream. You’re just eating out of someone’s hand. We want the old you back.”
Seifer is the most teenager-y of everyone, insisting he’s a revolutionary. It’s sad to see him at this point as he desperately insists, “I don’t wanna stop. I’m gonna keep running!”
The boss fight with Seifer was incredibly confusing to me. Odin appeared, but Seifer cut the GF in half. This was alarming! But Odin’s sword flew into the sky and was caught by another being, who later appeared and said, “You gave me the fourth one. Dodge this,” and attacked Seifer. I looked this up later and found out it was Gilgamesh, apparently popping over from FFV. All of that is very cool, but SO RANDOM and mostly unexplained.
After being defeated, Seifer leaps to his feet very strangely, and yells, “It’s not over yet, Squall!!!” Yes, with three exclamation points. The boy is dramatic. He kidnaps Rinoa, which causes me stress because all of my other characters are horrifically under-leveled.
Seifer takes Rinoa to Adel, and this whole scene broke my heart. She insists this isn’t like him, and when he continues, she says, “Seifer. No more….please?” OUCH. They used to date!
Seifer almost gives in to Rinoa’s plea, but Squall shows up, and Seifer can’t not perform for Squall. Adel takes Rinoa and…grafts her onto her torso?? It’s incredibly creepy looking.
After defeating Adel, Laguna and Ellone appear. She magicks Rinoa back to her non-sorceress-controlled self, and at this point I just don’t understand the scope of Ellone’s powers at all.
“Time compression is about to begin. ‘Love, friendship and courage.’ Show em what you got!”
Time Compression
This whole series of scenes is done VERY well. The group falls through a sky of memory bubbles into an ocean into a sunset into a space tunnel. It is all very cool and vaguely creepy. They wind up in the Commencement Room where Rinoa once confronted Edea (remember the good old days when the plot made sense!?), and when you try to save your game, the Save Point multiples. This more than anything gave me the willies. There was something about a game mechanic being brought into the plot of the game and twisted that hit me hardest in the “ooo, this is all wrong!” feels.
The group is thrown into a series of fights against generic “Sorceresses.” The fight itself isn’t important. What is cool is that with each defeated sorceress, the scenery changes. We get to relive old locations in a nice sign off as we head into the finale.
At the end of the battle montage, the group winds up at the orphanage. It seemed very much like Rinoa was not with them, which makes sense because she was scared of being left behind, but she reappears in a later scene with no explanation. Okay.
I don’t know what’s going on. But since we’re still here, I think we still have some time to finish our job.”
Ultimecia’s Castle
Full disclosure: I did not even attempt to figure out how to get through Ultimecia’s Castle on my own. I used a walkthrough; I hate wandering through places like this and having to backtrack a million times!
Being so leveled up meant that most of the boss fights at the end were not a problem. Getting Squall’s best sword with the Lion Heart limit break was also a game changer – it’s SO powerful.
The castle itself is really cool looking, and I can’t help wondering why Ultimecia went to so much trouble to design/take over such a cool space only to want to collapse all of time and space. You clearly have an appreciation for the finer things – go out and experience more of them!
Ultimecia herself speaks with Ks instead of Cs, like, “Kurse all SeeDs!” Is it to imply a vaguely Russian accent?
It took me three times to defeat Ultimecia/Griever, and when it was done, time went wonky and Squall is thrown back into his past. It’s a nice moment to acknowledge his character arc, with Baby Squall thinking he’s alone and Adult Squall insisting he isn’t.
BUT it seems as though he IS alone, wandering through a space desert until he collapses on a space island. A feather appears, and it’s Rinoa! But he can’t hold on to her memory in one of the most genuinely emotional and distressing cut scenes of the whole game. Of course, Rinoa does end up finding Squall, and she cries over him while the song that her mom wrote about his dad is playing. This is kind of weird, but I chose to see it as a hopeful message about generational experiences.
Where did everyone end up?
Seifer is fishing, which is very weird! But he’s with Raijin and Fujin, and he’s still an asshole, so I guess it checks out.
Laguna visits Raine’s tombstone and flashes back to the moment when he gave her an engagement ring before revealing his own. It is HELLA romantic and sad. This game is the most romantic Final Fantasy game, prove me wrong!
Over the credits, we get a home video recording of Selphie filming Irvine and Quistis at a school dance/celebration. Cid is there with Edea, wearing her clothes from 15 years ago for some reason. Selphie takes Irvine’s hat in the cutest teenager move of the game. Zell is eating hot dogs like an absolute maniac, shoving them in this mouth to the point of choking…c’mon dude. Get a new gimmick!
Angelo runs by, and we see Rinoa on the balcony, pointing at the sky in the same pose as the dance where she first meets Squall. But he doesn’t seem to be here as the credits take over, and I literally yelled, “WHERE THE HELL IS SQUALL?” fearful of his having been lost to time. But no, this actually is a romantic game, and we get one last cut scene of Squall on the balcony with Rinoa as she once again points toward the sky.
Bad news, Seacows. The Bears came to play this week. Guess losing is almost inevitable when Derick Henry outscores 6 Seacows on his own. And on top of that, Aaron Rodgers hopped on the revenge train, securing the top score of the week for the Bad News Bears. Someone call the SPCA, Seacow abuse!
Beards vs Fire Pandas
The Fire Pandas were leading this one going into Monday night, hoping the Beards’ Aaron Jones would remain patchy. The Beards had narrowed the gap to only 5 points by half time and unfortunately for the Fire Pandas, Detroit had no answer for Jones either.
“If only your line up was as good as your GIFs,” said Jayse of the Beards as they racked up the win and both teams are 1-1.
Replacements vs Real Slim Brady
Everything went right for Real Slim Brady. Krista sat smugly on the end of my sofa on Sunday while Adriana, Tricia and myself watched our dreams die.
But even with a mighty haul of 159.5 points, Real Slim Brady only managed the third highest score of the week.
Rip off the band aid: Amy goes 0-2.
Purple Moose vs Eurasian Collared Doves
The other competitive game this week was fought between the Moose and Doves. The Purple Moose were ahead at the end of Sunday’s games but faced ECDs first round pick Adams. The revenge game narrative held true for the Packers, but it was Jones of the Beards, not Adams, who had the monster game, so there was no sounding of the victorious Coo. A modest performance from D Swift on the other side of the ball ensured the Doves were trampled underhoof. “What a coo-ruel result.” Quite, John, quite.
Team Sorto vs Battling Finger Puppets
A new logo for Team Sorto didn’t bring any luck in this match up. The Finger Puppets battled, or more accurately massacred their way to victory, and just kept going on Monday night making a push for top score of the week only to be narrowly beaten by Bad News Bears.
Standings After Week 2
Real Slim Brady might have been denied the top score of the week but they are top of the league averaging 150 points a game so far.
The Chart (of Lies)
I don’t know what the Purple Moose have done to piss off The Chart but it must have been something bad. Last week the Moose were projected to finish first, and after putting another game in the win column have somehow doomed themselves to 6th place? What did you do, Eric?
The Chart has hopped on the Real Slim Brady bandwagon and cast The Replacements down from third place to seventh, setting them up for an epic come back. You’ll show them, Replacements, you’ll show them all!
Beards and Seacows remain in the basement playing video games and eating cheetos while the ECD and Finger Puppets both get a boost.
Preview of This Week’s Games
Seacows vs Replacements
The Replacements will be looking to pick up their first win of the season against the Seacows. Both teams were badly beaten last week. Commenting on the loss, I had this to say: “Pfft, it’s water off a manatee’s back” Very inspiring, the team is sure to bounce back unless the Replacements find their beginner’s luck.
Eurasian Collared Doves vs Real Slim Brady
Chart favorites Krista and the Slim Bradys were denied a top 2 finish in points scored last week and will want to set that right. They will need every point they can get against a team that has been battling it out to the last play every game so far this season. Can the Doves pull it off this week? The Chart will be watching.
Bad News Bears vs Beards R’ Us
Beards are riding high on last week’s come from behind win, insert string of GiFs here. But bad news, Beards, the Bad News Bears are riding the beard of Derick Henry, patchy and chin-clinging as it may be.
Battling Finger Puppets vs Fire Pandas
A rematch of last year’s second round playoff game, the momentum is with the Finger Puppets but beware, Tricia is on vacation this weekend.
Team Sorto vs Purple Moose
The 0-2 Sortos go up against the 2-0 Purple Moose. The app has the moose ahead 0.1 so it’s set to be a close one. Will Team Sorto pull out a win or will the Moose go marching on?
Hello! I’m Haley Boros, my pronouns are she/her, and I’m an award winning graphic designer, illustrator, and published cartoonist. Outside of my career in the label printing and flexible packaging industry, my creative practice focuses on whimsy and fantastical creatures – think dogs doing fantasy jobs! I’ve contributed to several comic and art anthologies since 2017, most of which can be found on my website at haleyboros.com. You can also become a patron of mine at patreon.com/hihaleyboros, or follow along at @hihaleyboros on twitter and instagram!
How did you begin playing/DMing D&D? What is your favorite aspect of the game?
My first experience playing in a roleplaying game like D&D was when I was in high school and hanging out at the local game shop (Bastion Games). Chad Charest and I grew up together and we would go there on Wednesdays to hang out. We were invited to play in the attic of the store and, while that campaign didn’t last for me, I went on to play in many different groups over the years.
During my time playing tabletop games, I’ve been a player more than a DM. I have had the opportunity to run three one shot campaigns, two of which were modules and one was written by myself! That one was particularly wonderful: picture a cozy comic convention on the east coast of the US, in Bethesda, Maryland – and in a hotel room, 4 cartoonists got together to storm a library as their respective characters. Dust mephits! Lots of flying books! It was quite the adventure I planned (with help from my husband Jessy, of course!).
I’d have to say the best part about playing is getting to know my characters and their backstories. I feel like I’ve always created fun characters, most with interesting parts about themselves (I’m partial to skin and eye pigment distinguishing features like heterochromia and vitiligo)!
As a bisexual woman, have roleplaying games helped you explore or express your queer identity?
Unfortunately, I can’t say that playing roleplay games has! I’m a late queero, coming out after I married my husband in 2016, but knowing who I’ve been my whole life and kind of affirming it, I haven’t seen a shift in exploration of who I am through roleplaying games…yet! I’ve played with a few of my friends that have introduced a whole spectrum of sex and gender identities, but I’m itching for more!
You have contributed as a cartoonist and illustrator to several projects, including Faerie Fire, a 5e supplemental Anthology and Welcome to Mina’s: A Diner Comic Anthology. You are currently promoting Fantastic Frights, a comic anthology coming to Kickstarter in October 2021. How do you decide what projects you would like to participate in?
Great question! With so many things in my creative career, I’m drawn to projects that I could really see my skills lending well to. With those specific projects – I reached out to Shan Campbell, the editor of Astrolago Press and publisher of Faerie Fire, to see if they needed more artists since their stretch goals kept climbing and climbing on the kickstarter.
With Cloudscape comics, I’ve always wanted to be involved with this local society! I met a few of the collective back in 2012 at the very first VanCAF and have been following their projects ever since. Welcome to Mina’s is the first comic I’ve contributed to Cloudscape, creating the art to Dino Caruso’s lovely story about two women that fall in love over the years, connected by the warmth and atmosphere that is Mina’s diner. I’m drawn to stories with heart at their core. With Mina’s, it’s the shared love between two strangers turned friends turned partners throughout the decades. Ultimately, I leave a lot of my projects up to the decisions of editors, as many anthology projects are submission based, and their decisions are what fills my plate with projects. I just love creating stories with other people and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.
Can you tell us a little about Fantastic Frights as a whole as well as what you contributed to the anthology?
For sure! Fantastic Frights is an all-ages fantasy/horror comics anthology that will feature stories in order by least to most spooky. I’ve been told it’s a modern day love letter to those pulp horror stories of the 90s and early 2000s – but with a fantasy twist! When it comes to fantasy and horror comics, those two genres blended together have become one of my favourites.
My story is with Amy Chase, whom I’ve worked with on a couple other past comics projects (see: They Have Issues: Tales from comic book stores), and it’s about a little girl that has a plush canada goose that watches over her as she sleeps. Only, at night, our good knight goose comes to life to fend off unsightly dust bunnies and other bumps in the night. I imagine this story to be at the very beginning of the anthology, although the editors haven’t said where it will be – but given the subject matter, if it’s right at the beginning, I bet it will give this anthology a really great opener.
I have seen you selling pet portraits on Twitter – they are so cute! How did this start, and how do you capture the spirit of someone’s pet?
Thank you! I’ve been doing commissions for quite some time, but my pet portraits started at the first VanCAF I exhibited at, in 2017. It was also my first year on the board for VanCAF too, and I was excited to show off my work. It really just took off from there. Often when I’m in artist alley’s at comic conventions, I’ll offer pet portraits for a base price and scale up from there based on size, colour, that sort of thing. When I’m drawing a pet, I like to focus on areas that draw me in and I also ask the client what is one word to describe their pet. Like a little bit of tuft fur that always seems to stick up in that specific way, an ear that flops back, or even a sassy pose!
What makes my portraits stand out is that I like to mix them up with D&D classes too. You might get a roguish lizard or a lovebird that’s a wizard! Once I show the client the finished portrait and I get to see the look on their face seeing their loved one – especially if the portrait is for a pet that’s passed on…just pure happiness on their faces. I love it.
What art prompt challenges can we expect to see you participate in in the coming months?
Well, this month I’ve combined Doggust (August) and Swordtember (September) prompts! I don’t have a completed title for the series yet, I’ve been calling it Dogs with Swords (very original), but if anyone comes up with a better one, I’ll give you a copy of the completed, printed collection, on me! I may do a third volume of Three-Legged Tales in October? I have yet to decide and in typical me fashion, I leave my decisions down to the last few days before the month’s challenge starts.
Other than D&D or comics, what nerdy interests are you most excited about right now?
Two come to mind immediately: Astronomy and Video games! I’ve always said that if I wasn’t an artist, I would probably be a scientist studying astrophysics. There is always some amazing news coming out of the field of Astronomy and I just love doing science research. In regards to video games, I have my own Nintendo Switch that I pour hours of play into. Games like Animal Crossing, Cozy Grove, Spiritfarer, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokemon – all of the great chill or open world RPGs. And yes, I do have the limited edition Animal Crossing switch, ha!
Do you have any recommendations of queer nerdy content that you would like people to know about?
Oh you bet I do! I’m currently reading Tillie Walden’s On A Sunbeam, a queer space graphic novel set in a world with mystical space creatures and there are even some fun little LARPing happening in panels too. It’s been on my to-read list for awhile and I’m just adoring it. Also set in space is Becky Chamber’s A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet, another sci fi story that has queer characters and just lovely character building. I wish I could say I’ve been watching more TV and movies than I am, but Jessy and I LOVE watching The Circle (a new season just dropped) and that show is one great human experiment, mixing different identities, politics, gender, all sorts of human interactions – without ever seeing the person on the other side of the screen. It’s just so fun.
Thank you again for having me as part of Roar Cat Reads!
Flint prepares for battle by ruminating on Scripture and the nature of man. Reader, I LOVE HIM.
TODAY’S RUNNER UP
Anne! She is the voice of reason in an increasingly emotional cast, standing up to both Teach and Jack when she thinks they’re acting irrationally. She is just astoundingly grounded in this episode, confident in who she is and what she should do, and she seems flabbergasted that no one else is as evolved as she is.
LOL MOMENT
There are two excellent moments at the beginning of the episode before all hell breaks loose, and I refuse to choose just one.
Flint: Here I sit at the head of an army of men, each of whom, present company included, has probably at some point considered killing the man he now fights alongside. Each of whom, present company included, has certainly considered killing me. Silver: If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t considered killing you in months. Flint: A little bit.
AND the tiny moment after Jack goes on and on when Teach looks back at Anne and says, “It’s no wonder you don’t say much.”
WILL WE EVER LAUGH AGAIN??
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
If season three was about leadership and darkness, season four is about friendship and revenge.
Flint and Silver (and Madi) will be the main friendship pairing to watch this season, as already a lot happened that we didn’t see. Post-coitus, Madi tries to remind Silver that he once feared being close to Flint, but Silver is unconcerned now, insisting things are different. They are now secure in their friendship and the power they wield together, no matter Madi’s warning, “When a man first needs you and thereafter calls you a friend, a little suspicion is a healthy thing.”
Silver is presumed dead, but we must wait and see whether or not the “loss” of their friendship will compel Flint toward revenge, which is what we see literally everyone else doing.
Jack and Teach are making rash decisions (personally, for Jack, and communally, for Teach) to seek vengeance for Vane’s death. Berringer commits treason to stay in Nassau and kill pirates to seek vengeance for the death of his comrades at arms. It would seem that intimate relationships would equal a thirst for vengeance…were it not for Anne, who calls bullshit on the whole thing.
“Fuck Charles Vane. I know how you felt about him. I felt the same way, and you know it. But he’s dead, and I can’t see what fucking sense it makes to keep trying to make him happy. All it’s actually gonna lead to is you joining him.”
She sees past the cycle of vengeance, giving us a glimpse of a friendship that can end with grief but not violence.
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
Flint quoting the Genesis passage about warring twins, the younger of which will defeat the older, seems to be about his hope of a new pirate nation conquering the English empire. But he’s talking to Silver, and it’s hard not to remember Silver’s speech about successors from the season 3 finale.
Flint: We’re so close. So very close. If we can just hold this alliance together just a little longer, if we can just will it forward just a little more… Silver: Nothing will ever be the same for anyone ever again. You and I have willed our men through unthinkable things to get this far. Why not one more? To call Nassau home again.
Silver saying, “our men” is ruining my heart.
Silver has convinced Flint and, more importantly, himselfthat they share the same goal. But when has Silver ever called Nassau home?
Jack understands the power of speeches: “We are emotional beings, after all, and rhetoric is the fuel that feeds the fire.”
Flint has A+ instincts, but the glorious assault ends before it can begin. I seriously hate England being smart, but I love Flint being smarter. When he orders the sails moved so that the ship can tilt at just the right angle to fire at the fort, providing enough cover for some of them to escape?? SO GOOD.
#TriumverateWatch: It is no coincidence that when Silver falls in the water, we cut between Madi and Flint’s horrified faces and helpless reactions.
Eleanor: The world is changing so rapidly and we with it. Max: We are who we are. Nothing so important changes so quickly.
Eleanor is moving up in the world now that she’s married to Woodes Rogers, but “moving up” means that she’s hidden from battle, embroidering. When she reunites with Rogers, I got the feeling that the underwater barricade was her idea, but she is willing to give up her power and status in order to boost Rogers’. It is VERY disheartening, but she says “fuck” a couple times, so I know her ferocity is still in there somewhere.
Flint: Here I must be careful. I have well over two hundred men unaccounted for. Those who remain, it will be very hard to explain to them why, with all I have to attend to, I choose to stand here hanging onto the fate of just one of them. I know that you and he had been working closely together of late, become friends even. I don’t know what I’m trying to say. Perhaps just that he is my friend, too.
#TriumverateWatch: Flint and Madi bond, both over their love for Silver and, more importantly, over their shared understanding of the heavy crowns they wear that prevent them from mourning the man they love in the way they would prefer.
The RAGE with which Flint greets Billy is 100% more vicious because he thinks Silver is dead.
Billy has spent his time on New Providence Island perfecting a wardrobe that shows off his arms to best effect.
Now that Billy must wrestle with the fact that the pirate king he created to supplant Flint is seemingly dead, we flashback to Silver learning of his new role, worrying how it will affect his relationship with Flint.
Despite that, Silver is VERY turned on by Madi calling him a pirate king.
Anne: It ain’t fear to want to do a hard thing smart.
Even though we later find out Jack’s motivation, in the moment of his fighting and looking to Teach for guidance/approval, it definitely feels like he’s just discovered a male role model and realized that men can be good fighters too.
A small hope: no one in Nassau is willing to help England any more.
Rogers understands that this is a war against civilization itself. He will later insist that civilization is courts and fair trials, but right now, civilization is a ruthless monster who, when its power is threatened, will abandon all morals and values. Rogers won’t directly approve of Berringer cutting off DeGroot’s ear (RIP DeGroot’s ear), but he’s definitely not stopping it. THE TWO WORST SIDES OF CIVILIZATION, I see you, overwhelming force and silent complicity.
Flint seems perturbed by Billy going dark and hanging traitors, and honestly, if you make FLINT uncomfortable? Yikes.
Miranda’s house is a war room, and my heart is soooooo sad.
Flint started his journey hoping for domesticity for all where shovels replace oars. As he picks up a shattered teacup, you can see him wondering if he has destroyed the thing he sought in a vain effort to attain it.
Max is both pissed and scared when she realizes that the English are just as ruthless as the pirates. I would feel bad except I’m still mad that she sided with them in the first place. (I GET IT, but I’m still mad.)
In Silver’s absence, Billy is making a play for power. Madi is having none of his pissing contest with Flint, insisting that there will be no pirate king (without Silver).
Flint is not power hungry. He doesn’t care about power in its own right. But he IS control hungry. He doesn’t trust anyone else to accomplish his goal.
Anne: I came here cause we all agreed we had a chance to take Nassau back, have a place of our own. I ain’t here to prove anything! I ain’t here to figure out who I am. And I sure as shit ain’t here to pretend a dead man might think better of me for it.
Anne is on another level from literally every other character. Flint almost matches her in those first two assertions, but he is DEFINITELY trying to get a dead man’s approval. Anne is the queen, all hail the queen. Speaking of queens, maybe Madi matches her? No, even if it’s healthy, Madi is trying to prove she can be the leader her people need.
IN VERY MUCH CONTRAST:
Eleanor: I did all of it, contorted myself into the role, mutilated myself so that it would fit because I believed as long as you believed I was your partner, it didn’t matter what anyone else believed.
Um, Eleanor? I’m worried about you.
“You are not a compromise to me.” UGH, please stop making me like Eleanor/Rogers. I DON’T WANT TO.
Poor Silver. He escapes the ladder and finds air in the ship. Then the ship sinks and he has to struggle to find another pocket of air. Then he crawls onto shore only to find someone rummaging through the bodies to kill any survivors! A literal nightmare.
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
If season three was about leadership and darkness, season four is about friendship and revenge.
Roar Cat Reads 