#kalinda saves the day again

[djkerr]

TGW 03x13 Bitcoin for Dummies

Kalinda’s chemistry in The Good Wife “Bitcoin for Dummies”

[captainswanapproved]

An Indecent Proposal- Chapter 11

A03,Prologue, Chapter 1,Chapter 2,Chapter 3, Chapter 4,Chapter 5,Chapter 6,Interlude,Chapter 7,Chapter 8,Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Daemon x Rhaenyra Multichapter AU:

Daemon leaves Rhaenyra at her wedding feast. Rhaenyra marries Laenor. After a year of trying to do their duty and produce an heir, Rhaenyra writes to Daemon.

She needs a true Targaryen heir.

It only needs to be an arrangement of business, she says. And it would result in Daemon’s child one day taking the Iron Throne.

Daemon accepts the proposal and returns to court.

Only, ventures like these are never simple. As much as they would wish to, Daemon and Rhaenyra cannot let go of the past, or the feelings they once had for each other.

A/N: So originally, I was going to do a ten year time jump as they did in the show, (117 AC to 127 AC for this story), and only refer to events that happened during the gap. But after getting reader feedback on the Daemyra discord, I decided to write the ten years in short segments over the course of three chapters because I didn't want to skip 10 years of Daemon x Rhaenyra moments.

I outlined the bullet points of each year, sat down to write 117 AC and then I ended up adding extra scenes.

Then I decided to do each year as its own chapter. So the next 11 chapters will cover a year in Daemon & Rhaenyra's story. I hope you enjoy the shift in style for the middle part of this story.

117 AC

When Rhaenyra gave birth to her twins, the maesters had been less than helpful. So when she suspected she was once again with child, she summoned Kalinda and Merosi directly. They had helped her through nearly a day of laboring, while the Grand Maester Mellos and his lower maesters had observed and criticized the Essosi techniques of Merosi and ridiculed Kalinda for being baseborn with little education.

Rhaenyra asked them to move into a dwelling near the Red Keep and established a monthly allowance for their upkeep. With funding from the Crown, the two midwives were able to help many others in King’s Landing.

Rhaenyra was relieved that she would have her two midwives close at hand, for she wanted many more children. Partly to solidify her legacy, but mostly because there was no one she loved more than Alyssa and Jacaerys. Daemon told her one night that they could very well rival Good Queen Alysanne and Jaehaerys with their progeny.

Court was convinced that Alyssa and Jacaerys belonged to Laenor, and while Daemon did not like the fact that another man got to lay claim to his children, Rhaenyra knew he loved them fiercely, and he doted on them in the privacy of their chambers in the dark hours of the night.

Laenor upheld his role as father in public, and he loved the children as well, but he never made any decisions of significance when it came to their welfare.

It was a strange arrangement, but the three were tolerating it well.

***

Daemon and Rhaenyra were curled around each other. The full moon hung high in the sky.

Alyssa and Jace, nearly a year old, both cried at the same time, waking their parents.

Daemon held Rhaenyra back from rising. “You need sleep, love. I will see to them.”

The source of the children’s distress became clear. Their cradle mates had finally hatched.

In Alyssa’s cradle, there was a blood red dragon hatchling with ebony claws, wings, and horns. It was studying the princess with a sort of draconic wonder. Daemon smiled and took one of Alyssa’s small hands and placed it on the dragon, covering it with his own. Alyssa stopped crying and smiled.

“Rhaenyra, come and see,” Daemon said, his voice low.

Rhaenyra joined him and tears came to her eyes. “What shall we call her?”

“Meraxes, in honor of Queen Rhaenys’s fallen mount.”

“Perfect,” Rhaenyra said.

Jacaerys’s dragon coloring matched that of a sapphire, save for the smattering of silver scales. “We shall call Jace’s dragon Vermax,” Daemon said.

Vermax curled up next to Jace, and the babe settled and nuzzled against his cradle mate.

Rhaenyra’s heart clenched at the sight. “They will be phenomenal dragon riders.”

“We will teach them well. I will go summon the dragon keepers. Now that the eggs have hatched, they will need to be trained.”

“Wait,” Rhaenyra said, and she quickly wrote a message on a sheet of parchment. “The dragon keepers are loyal, but not immune to gossip amongst each other.”

Daemon kissed her. “One day, love, we will be free to wed.”

“Are you planning on killing Laenor?” Rhaenyra asked, her tone light and teasing.

Daemon shook his head. “No, but you and I are meant to burn together. The gods will intervene someday.”

***

“The small council still needs a Master of Laws,” Viserys said.

Daemon and Viserys were sharing a midday meal together as they often did since he had become Hand.

“We should write to Rhaenys. She has been passed over too often. It would tie the Velaryons closer to the Crown. And Rhaenys would agree to take the position in order to reside in the same city as her children.

“A woman on the small council? One who is not the heir?”

“It is not without precedent,” Daemon said. “And she is our favorite cousin.”

Viserys nodded. Perhaps it was time to finally mend the breach between himself and Rhaenys. “Very well. I will send a letter to Driftmark.”

Rhaenys accepted the position and within the moon, she arrived at King’s Landing. Her good-brother Vaemond would watch over Driftmark in her absence, as Corlys was still in the Stepstones. Her dragon Melys took up residence in the dragon pit. For the first time in years, the Targaryen dragons and the Velaryon dragons were all together.

***

In the sixth moon of 117, Queen Alicent gave birth to her third son. She allowed no one in her chambers but the maesters

The babe was named Daeron, and he was born without hair on his head. His features, however were distinctly angular and Dornish. His skin was not pale and milky as most Tagaryens, but darker and freckled. His brows were a dark brown.

Viserys was delighted when Alicent presented the healthy child to him. It did not bother him one jot that his son looked more Andal than Targaryen.

Rhaenyra congratulated her stepmother, as was proper, but from the moment she laid eyes on the child, she was certain it belonged to another man. Though she could not say who the father might be. Daemon’s spies still had not discovered any potential lovers that Alicent might have. They simply reported that she had not shared a bed with the king in nearly eight moons.

It was Daemon, however, that broached the matter with his brother over one of their midday meals a fortnight after Daeron was born.

“Does it not trouble you that Daeron does not share any of your features?” Daemon asked.

Viserys shrugged. “Daeron is a strong little babe. He favors his mother, who has blood of the Andals and the First Men. Nature is mysterious. We Targaryens have become so accustomed to marrying other Valyrians that it is easy to forget that Valyrian features are not always dominant. Once the boy has a dragon, his heritage will be clear. If only Syrax would produce a fresh clutch soon.”

“And what of the stolen egg,” Daemon asked. “Are you still intent on trying to recover it?” Daemon was sure the egg had turned to stone without a worthy Targaryen to claim it. Rhaenyra had long ago made her peace with the loss. Daemon and Rhaenyra were certain that Syrax and Caraxes would produce a fresh clutch in time for their third child. They were determined not to waste one on Alicent’s half-breed.

“There are gold cloaks searching each of the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent tells me that Ser Criston Cole and several of his fellows are quite determined to recover the egg for the prince. It was generous of Rhaenyra to agree to give it to Daeron should the egg be found.”

Daemon resisted the urge to smile. Rhaenyra had only done that out of certainty that the egg would never hatch for Daeron. It was enough to appease Viserys at least.

***

Rhaenyra’s labors began in the middle of the night during the eleventh moon of 117 AC

The midwives, Merosi and Kalinda, had the situation well in hand. The maesters were kept away. Viserys had to soothe the pride of Grand Maester Mellos. Laena had been called to sit at Rhaenyra’s bedside, as she had been present for the birth of the twins.

Daemon resented the fact that he could not be with Rhaenyra as she gave birth. If only he and Viserys had reconciled years ago, Daemon could have been holding her hand as she was laboring. It was yet another sin to lay at Otto Hightower’s feet. Daemon was glad to be rid of the whoreson.

Daemon sat and drank wine with Viserys and Laenor as they waited for news. In one hand, he held his goblet, while the other hand fiddled with the pommel of Dark Sister.

“The gods have blessed you again, Ser Laenor,” Viserys declared, raising his cup to his good-son.

Daemon drained his cup. He was accustomed to seeing Laenor credited as the father of his children, but it still rankled. Laenor was well aware of Daemon’s ire, though they never spoke of it directly. “The gods have blessed Rhaenyra, Your Grace, for she is an excellent mother. I am a passable father, but I am grateful that the babe has a devoted grandsire and uncle to provide what I cannot.”

The words mollified Daemon, but only a little bit.

Rhaenyra was only in labor for a few hours. Just before dawn, Prince Lucerys Velaryon was born. He had silver-gold whisps of hair and Rhaenyra’s eyes, down to the exact shape and shade. Rhaenyra chose to take little Lucerys to her own breast for his first feeding, brusquely dismissing the wetnurse.

The night following his birth, Daemon and Rhaenyra celebrated together in private, with sensuous kisses and Arbor Gold.

[rpgchoices]

Final thoughts of MA: Andromed

With general spoilers under cut!

This game felt like a Disney version of Mass Effect. Plot wise, it was very much a happy ending for all. Many missions had choices that were really not that conflicting, and I think only once I found myself in doubt on what to choose (the krogans vs salarian Pathfinder choice). For the rest, all the other choices had basically little negative consequence, or sometimes you did not even have a choice but your companions decided what to choose. For example, Peebee wants to save Kalinda, and your choice is shooting at Kalinda to get her to save the Remnant tech instead. Unless you are an absolute jerk, that is not a choice at all (a choice would have been to convince Peebee to save Kalinda or the tech).

I was generally okay with it, because I want the absolute happy ending, but I also feel like there is little replayability a part from a different romance path.

The plot was generally okay, even if there were too many things in it and I found myself caring more about personal quests than the full quest. The fact that we do not get any answer about Remant tech, or a final Kett ending doesn´t help. We just- activated tech we don´t really understand and that is supposed to be a victory, not sure how. At least we could decide to elect Moshae as an ambassador, and act less like colonists and more like guests, during the game.

I like exploring the planets, the different environments were always something I missed from Mass Effect, and I enjoyed the companions more than the Mass Effect ones. Companions and crew in ME always felt like on the brink of tearing each others apart, while here everyone really felt like a family. Not to mention how much family and connection were part of the main overall plot. Loved the voice actors too, and Ryder felt to me much more like an rpg character than Shepard. 10/10 would play again in the future, and definitely romance Peebee.

About the quest, not too fond of them. Many of them required zero investigation, but only go to A, find door locked, find point B, click on console, door open. Meh. At least there was a lot of party banter on those car rides. I also was not too fond of the map, the way it selected for missions sometimes was a bit confusing, or intentionally confusing given that some terrain could not be reached through certain points.

The lore was okay, I really enjoyed the idea of ancient technology, but after playing Heaven´s Vault four times and seeing how it can be done, and how creepy and interesting it can be, I was a bit disappointed by the fact that we never got to the bottom of the Remnant technology, or even the ethics of SAM as an implant. Or who was the Benefactor. I know there will be no future game, but I wish there could be one, just to see what happens. I also feel like the crew was left that a good finishing point, so a sequel using the other twin would be interesting.

I also played this just after Outer Worlds so it was definetely interesting to compare the two. I preferred ME:A just because the end of Outer Worlds left me a bit disappointed by how little impact we had on the actual society (capitalism).

Still, definitely enjoyed Andromeda. Great characters, and I played it for free on Xbox pass, so I might one day actually buy it.

[fortysevenswrites]

📓📔📒📕📗📘📙📚📖!!!!!!!!!

Okay. 9 books, 9 fics. You're welcome.

1. Kastle/The West Wing Crossover Every time I watch TWW, I think about Karen and Donna Moss being friends, and once I thought of a fic where during the early seasons of TWW, the President and staff go to New York and Karen is moderating one of the series of town halls they're there for (specifically one where Josh Lyman is speaking). And of course that one, because reasons I had not yet come up with, gets attacked by The Hand, and Karen, Donna and Josh (who gets injured, because Josh ALWAYS gets injured) get rescued by Frank and it basically ends with the President demanding to meet Frank to thank him for saving Josh's life and everyone is like, "Mr. President do you not understand that Frank Castle is technically a MURDERER and the Secret Service will n e v e r let you in the same room with him and it's bad enough that you're currently on the same ISLAND?" So, yeah.

Here's something I wrote for it:

“Josh, did you hear?”

“I have impeccable hearing, Donna,” Josh says without looking up from the memo in his hand. “What is it that I am supposed to have heard?”

“Carol told me that she heard from Lindsay in credentialing that Karen Page has been assigned to cover the President’s town halls in New York for the New York Bulletin!”

He waits for her to keep going, but she doesn’t so, he looks up and sees her waiting expectantly, “And?”

“Karen Page? What It Means To Be A Hero Karen Page. She’s connected to half the vigilante-superheroes in Lower Manhattan. She was held hostage by ninjas. She interviewed Tony Stark about the Sokovia Accords. Last year, The Punisher himself may or may not have held her hostage after saving her from that terrorist Lewis Wilson.”

“And?”

“And, would it be inappropriate, as a member of the White House Staff, to ask her for her autograph?”

Kastle: The Big Indulgence

This is one of the first long fics I came up with for Kastle (and come hell or high water I WILL write it one day). Basically, it puts the NMCU actually IN the MCU. Post TPS1, Sarah tracks Karen down and they become friends, and at the same time, Frank becomes friends with Bucky Barnes (yes Emily, I know he's not your fav) by way of Curtis' group (Curt, of course, regrets ever letting them interact ever). Karen gets nominated for an award for her journalism work by the Maria Stark Foundation, where she meets Pepper, Natasha, and Darcy, and befriends them as well. Everything comes to a head and Karen and Frank reunite after the discovery that Sarah Lieberman is related to one of Bucky's surviving family members (the Liebermans are Jewish, Bucky's family is Jewish, it works!). Then, things related to Billy and Hydra happen, there's an incident where a few people disappear into an alternate universe for...an... amount of time, the Avengers meet the X-Men to help get them back, and Frank may or may not be a little psychic. Someone ends up coming from that alternate universe who doesn't belong here, but it's okay because she's [redacted] and also Leo's [redacted].

Leo-Centric, Kastle

Leo gets an internship as Darcy Lewis' assistant (well, technically she's working for Jane Foster, but it's basically working for Darcy), where she meets Karen, matchmakes her with Frank, and also gets a girlfriend. I think the summary says it best:

Summer 2021.

In which Leo Lieberman gets the internship of a lifetime—working for Jane!Freaking!Foster’s soon-to-be former personal assistant, Darcy Lewis—both comes out of the closet AND gets the girl, and helps her long-lost murder-uncle finally reconcile with the ace reporter of his dreams.

If Frank was actually bulletproof, it would totally be just like Superman and Lois Lane.

5 Times Seth Tells Kate He Loves Her

A five-times fic where Seth is just ass over tea kettle in love with Kate, and makes sure she knows it and doesn't care what other people (read: Richie and Scott) think about it. The first one takes place the night they get back from Matanzas, and I just love the little bit I've written so far. I know 2 that I'm going to write so far, so...3 to go.

Kate Meets Vanessa Post S3

So I started writing this around Valentine's Day this year, and I might keep it as a Valentine's Day fic no matter what, but basically, in a grand universal coincidence, Vanessa strolls into Jed's just because she's stopping for lunch on her way to...somewhere. She meets Kate, who is covering the bar for Kalinda and Greer (a culebra OC that I will one day actually formally introduce in my fics, I promise), who are downstairs "checking on inventory" read: screwing in a maintenance closet because it's Valentine's Day, and then Seth comes out and there's a little, very awkward reunion, and basically Vanessa is the MOST amused, Seth is the MOST uncomfortable and Kate's just like...okay? And? Also, Seth is still bitter about Vanessa taking the tire iron to his car back in early S1.

The SK/Detroit 187 Fusion

Seth is a detective in Houston PD, who comes into the office one day to discover they...hired an intern? Said intern is Kate Fuller, a grad student at the University of Houston, who is working on her master's thesis by studying something related to crime (duh). Seth thinks she's a Disney princess in human form and they're very antagonistic with one another, but also he likes her way more than he thinks he should (but feels a LOT better about it when he finds out she's 23, not like...barely legal to drink or anything. Angst happens when a gang (Malvado's, but Carlos' branch of it) attacks Kate's family and kills her parents, and Seth takes her to Eddie and Richie for protection while he and his partner, Ximena, and the rest of the department solve the case and put Carlos' crew away.

SK Post 2x02 AU

After Kate and Seth part ways in 2x02, Kate goes back to Bethel, but Scott isn't there (so Jessica lives). She ends up in Houston for two years, working at a gym and keeping her to the ground looking for word about her brother, until one night, she's attacked by a bunch of Culebras, and is saved by Seth, Richie, and Kisa. She finds out that Carlos and Malvado are after her because she's the key to the way to the Blood Well, and Carlos and Malvado's henchwoman, the one and only Sonja, draws them all back to Bethel by putting Jessica in danger, and...it's all going to come to a head in some way that involves them saving Jessica from Sonja and killing Malvado and stopping the events of S3 from ever having to happen.

SK Season 1 AU

I don't know if i'm ever going to go anywhere with this, but I had this thought of...what is Carlos as Kyle wasn't a dick to Kate, and he took her to Mexico instead of Kate going back with Jacob and Scott. She ends up at the Twister before Seth and Richie do, and spends time with Kisa before she goes out to perform, and somehow it ends up with Kate going through the labyrinth with the brothers? I don't know. Something like that.

The FDTD/The Punisher Crossover That Starts Off In New York

So this is one of 2 crossovers I have for SK-meets-Kastle, but I love it. This is post 2x02, and Kate ends up in New York after not being able to find Scott back in Bethel. She ends up going to work as NM&P's assistant, and befriends Karen. To get to know one another better, Karen takes Kate to Josie's, where Kate discovers that Josie is a culebra, and Josie promises to keep Kate's secret. One day, this...guy shows up at the office, asking to talk to Karen, and Karen kicks Kate out of the office while they talk, and when she comes back, the guy is gone and Karen doesn't want to talk about it. (It's Frank, of course it's Frank). Also featuring one day where Frank is on the roof, Matt gets wind of it and goes up there to confront him about seeing Karen again and comes back with a black eye, and Kate is V confused whereas Karen is 10000000% pissed off at them both. Not long after, Kate and Karen are out one night, and they're attacked by a bunch of culebras. Frank helps intervene while Kate really is the one to save the day...and then she has to explain culebras to them. Of course, Karen saw aliens fall out of a portal above Stark Tower, so...snake vampires? Whatever. Kate calls Freddie to figure out why she was attacked and it turns out Carlos and Malvado are after her (and, later found out Karen too). Kate, Karen and Frank end up in Texas and things all come to a head at the blood well, as it does, and while Carlos shoots Kate in front of Seth, Richie, and Scott (which, BAD IDEA), Kate falls into the blood well, and when she's pulled out, she's healed. But...she also has something inside her that wants to destroy the world, and everyone has to race against time to figure out how to get Amaru out of Kate before she takes over completely and destroys them all. They figure out a way, but it has an...interesting side effect for Kate and Seth. Also, this is the one where Maggie takes one look at Freddie and Ximena and shrugs and says, "You know what? Porque no los dos?"

So yeah, there you go!

(Also, I thought about also including the Amaru isn't evil, she's just cranky and wants to go home, S3 AU, but we just talked about it yesterday, so I figured it doesn't count hahaaha.)

send me a book emoji of any kind and i will tell you about a fic idea i have

[professorspork]

today in the Andromeda Galaxy: THE SKY’S AWAKE ON VOELD! all the auroras (aurorae?) that are visible now that I’ve activated the vault are incredibly pretty. you’re welcome, Voeld.

Liam and Vetra got into a pretty nasty spat in the Nomad over his judgment about her bringing Sid with her as part of the Initiative. Helen warned me that this would happen, but I’m still taken aback by it-- in many ways their personalities are so simpatico, it’s astonishing that they don’t get along.

with that done, I faced down the same decision I’ve been wrestling with for days: Havarl, or Kadara? I feel like I should do Havarl first, before I get much farther ahead of myself, but I want to go to Kadara, partly because I’m desperate to get Spender fired and mostly because I’m desperate for Jaal to talk to me again. so rather than pick between those things, I picked NEITHER and dicked around and did OTHER THINGS

mostly I did PEEBEE ha ha you see what I did there??

anyway. Helen definitely won a point for Team Entrapta now that I’ve met Emily Zap the Blasto Cosplayer Remnant drone. I love The Good Wife Kalinda seems like a real character, and maybe one day Peebee will actually answer meaningful questions about her or her life up to this point. then she got drunk in the museum on Aya and called me “understanding and attractive” and THEN i NICED MYSELF OUT OF SEX which was a MISTAKE

I’ll back up. going into Andromeda, I naturally assumed that none of the dude romances would be worth my time, and therefore my big dilemma would be between choosing a Vetra or Peebee romance. but because of the way the cards have fallen, I’ve hardly had any chances to have substantive conversations with Vetra (WHEN DOES HER LOYALTY MISSION START oh is it on Havarl because that’s where the turians are I guess that would make sense NO ONE TELL ME) and also Jaal is just, uh, as I said before, my soulmate?? like. even though he’s literally not talking to me right now the way he SAYS it (”I’m unhappy with us right now”) is just... COME ON. as I’ve said in past posts, I’m playing my Ryder as a fun-haver and an irredeemable flirt, so vibing with Peebee is easy. but like, from a roleplaying perspective and how I’m envisioning Ryder maturing, it kind of feels like Peebee is the perfect partner for who Ryder was before Alec died, but Jaal is the perfect partner for the person Ryder is becoming as Pathfinder? which is all very corny, I know.

which is all to say that when Peebee offered a FWB hookup I was like “yes! that’s perfect! let’s kick that can down the road!” only I picked the flirt option to say I might have feelings about it, only that meant we DIDN’T have sex! disappointing!

and I was ready to let that stand, but then I started Liam’s loyalty mission and realized I’d done my gear wrong and taken two assault rifles and no sniper, and I said SCREW IT and reloaded from the save so I could have the casual sex with Peebee I deserved! WE KEPT BUMPING INTO THINGS IN ZERO G. I WAS MORTIFIED TO THINK KALLO AND SUVI COULD PROBABLY HEAR US. IT WAS GREAT.

anyway.

I really enjoyed Liam’s loyalty mission-- somehow, it felt more like a DLC to me than part of regular gameplay? I think all of the gags had a lot to do with it; it was probably the outright most comedic thing I’ve seen so far (what with Ryder doing her best Han Solo over the comms, and Liam being like NOT THAT WAY when we opened a door on a cannon, and the way ominous music would stop and start as Calot spoke). but I really just found it... genuinely endearing? sometimes Liam gets a little OTT with his sorry well I’m not SORRY but i am SORRY you know?? routine, but like. what a good heart he has. His angry tirade-- “when you take a risk for the right reason, it’s supposed to work”-- really tugged at my heart. he’s a good egg. 

and then I fucked around on Eos for a while because I wanted to thank August for all his help, and tomorrow I’ll have to actually decide: HAVARL OR KADARA?

i guess I could like start one and then the other and juggle them, but. HOW? WHAT DO?

[yossariandawn]

FDTD for the fandom and Audrey/Nathan (Haven FTW) for the ship!

thanks for the ask @fortysevenswrites! I’m really glad I remembered Haven now, I just added that to the fandom list today. And this is also half of yours, @meredithharlow. 💖💖💖

FDTD Fandom:

Favorite character: TIE between Kate and Seth.

Least Favorite character: Sex Machine, no contest. I try really hard to understand even deeply unlikable characters, heck, I even actively enjoy deeply unlikable characters, BUT THIS GUY. If the show hadn’t treated him like he was some hilarious joke, while having his evil actions rooted in such a real world way, maybe I would feel differently.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): SethKate! Freddie/Margaret if they can get their shit together. Hmm after that, it’s all non-canon I guess, I do love the DRAMA of Richie/Dakota as a Dark!Ship (but probably just onesided on Richie’s end, but I could be convinced on Dakota’s end by some truly excellent writing, since we don’t know a ton about her) Scott/Kalinda sounds adorable, for two people who never even interacted. I truly believe the maid and the desk clerk at the Dew Drop Inn are the very best of crotchety old friends, so maybe that can be my fifth. You know they just sit around complaining about all the guests all day, and what more do you need out of a relationship than that 🤣

Character I find most attractive: Seth Gecko, the handsome devil.

Character I would marry: Oh my gosh lol. I’m not sure I’d want to marry anybody here, for different reasons, but I guess if I had too, I’ll go with Seth again.

Character I would be best friends with: Kate, and I would get along with Margaret and Ximena too. And Seth would be entertaining in a train wreck kind of way to have has best friend. WAIT, CAN I HANG OUT WITH UNCLE EDDIE AND DO CAPERS? Uncle Eddie it is.

a random thought: Richie didn’t get a traumatic flashback in the Labyrinth, and I’ve been thinking so much about that. I’ve basically decided it has something to do with the purity of the mind stuff that made him a good candidate for the tests, but I haven’t worked it all out in my mind yet. IT’S HIS BRAIN BARRIER, AMIRITE, @alwaysupatnight​? 😂

An unpopular opinion: Carlos seems to get a fair amount of (understandable) hate, but I really liked him as a villain! He did very villainish things, and was entertaining to watch in my opinion. And I also didn’t mind his season 3 character reboot, I enjoyed the fact that he was so changed in a mysterious way. I stll think it would be a mistake to trust him, but I liked the uneasy (and I think temporary) alliance we got at the end of the season.

my canon OTP: SethKate!

Non-canon OTP: Let’s go with Scott/Kalinda, cause I want him to get some romance at some point, and the landscape is pretty bleak for him canon wise.

most badass character: bunch of badasses in this group, so this is a tough one. I’m going to say Kate because she is the one I would least like to have to plot against. She is quite the force of nature when she needs to be.

pairing I am not a fan of: Kate/Richie, I see them as fundamentally platonic at the end of the day.

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I wish we’d seen a lot more of a lot of the characters, but I’m not sure I would count that as screwing up so much as the show prioritizing some people over others. Freddie in season 3 didn’t land right for me personally? And I would have loved to see Ximena and him teamed up nonromantically and have her stay alive.

favourite friendship: There aren’t a ton of friendships in this show, mostly family and uneasy alliances, but I would have loved Scott and Richie as frenemies. I would 100% watch them have side adventures while snarking at each other.

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: I want to adopt Scott, because I worry so much damn much about that kid. I don’t know if I could help him, but I WOULD TRY MY BEST OKAY.

Audrey/Nathan behind the cut!

Audrey/Nathan Ship:

I haven’t seen the last five episodes yet, since I fell behind ages ago, and I always mean to go back and finish the series, but the mythology is SO DENSE that I also feel like I need to rewatch it from the beginning first so I can follow it properly. So while I have a general idea of what happens, I don’t know the nitty gritty of the ending.

when of if I started shipping it: I liked them from the start, but what really pushed me over into actually shipping them together was the “Nathan can feel Audrey” reveal. HIS FACE. The way it complicated their attraction and budding friendship IN THE BEST WAY.

my thoughts: I love them separately, too. And this whole thing is my thoughts, so I don’t know what else to add.

What makes me happy about them: PARTNERS. IN LOVE. WITH SO MUCH RESPECT AND UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THEM, AND THEY BOTH JUST CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER SO DAMN MUCH. I have a type, what can I say lol.

What makes me sad about them: THE RESETS. Oh my gosh, that made me so sad. Memory loss stuff always hits me so hard.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: I never really read enough to pick up anything that annoys me about them. I’m not an OT3er with Duke, and I know that had some popularity.

things I look for in fanfic: I read like all the fic right after the touch reveal, and I loved all the different takes on how she found out about it, and what they decided to DO about it. Other than that, just general togetherness, as long as it’s well written.

My kinks: partners solving problems together, competence, lots of touching, sharing their traumas, trusting each other, Nathan being a bit crazy when it comes to saving Audrey, Audrey doing the right thing anyway.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: If Nathan flat out died, I could be convinced of Audrey/Duke in the earlier seasons (pre Jennifer) but it would have been kind of a dark ship, and Nathan would have to be permanently off the table. But I do prefer Audrey and Duke as friends. Nathan would never love again though, let’s be real.

My happily ever after for them: Together, Audrey remembers her time with him and no more resets, and they solve crimes and keep the Troubles at bay. Also BABIES, because we know how much Nathan wants babies. He would be such a great stay at home dad while they were little, too.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: they take turns, but Nathan is such an snuggler, there’s no way there isn’t constant spooning going on.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Solving crimes after eating breakfast in bed!

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 4X05 - Breaking Glass

Not super excited to GLASS-ess this episode, but let’s get a move on and see if this rewatch BREAKS my perspective!

So go under that there cut for the review!

Main Takeaways

Past

I wonder what would’ve happened if Lily had been honest from the start about where she came from. Would Emma have rejected her for leaving a family that she already had or would she have trusted Lily’s feelings of not belonging and feeling invisible?

Speaking of invisibility, I really feel like giving a tangible meaning to “invisible” would’ve made this segment better. Because we see that Lily’s not neglected. Her father personally goes searching for her and her mother is apparently “worried sick.” Are we supposed to believe that they’re putting on an act and that Lily regularly is neglected or are we supposed to think Lily’s over privileged and lying? Or is there something else going on there? I feel like just a line talking about Lily’s specific experiences at home would’ve really helped Lily be a bit more fully rounded.

Present

Okay, so I’m gonna get right to the point about why I don’t like this episode: Emma and Regina’s dynamic. I’ve said before that I don’t like their arc this season and this episode is the reason why. In every episode of it prior, while Emma truly felt bad for Regina and the consequences of her actions, she didn’t forget that that action was saving (What we all originally thought) was an innocent woman��s life, and thus didn’t show regret for the action, just remorse. Therefore, her kindness towards Regina, especially as Regina was insulting, only went so far before she bit back. There were lines that Regina would cross that Emma would say that she’s taking her anger out at the wrong person to. And Regina’s anger at Emma, while not pleasant, was in character and came from an understandable enough place. I get that and it made their dynamic something organic and interesting to follow. It was a complicated issue and they had complicated reactions to it, reactions they and the audience understood.

Here, that nuance fucking disappears and what we’re left with is more shallow than a McDonalds container of dipping sauce.

Emma spends the entire episode putting up with every mean thing Regina says. She practically begs for Regina’s forgiveness and refuses to stand up for herself. And there’s no reason for this change. Had Elsa or even Snow suggested a gentler approach to how she handles Regina, only for it not to work, that would’ve been a better handling of the story.  

And when Emma DOES stand up for herself, it’s just nothing! It’s over Regina lying about Sidney and lasts for barely a few seconds! Regina brings up everything with Marian and I’m just here wondering why they never get into it!

And Regina’s BRUTAL in her insults and goes SO far over the line compared to previous episodes (“You ruined my life” being the worst of them), and the fact that Emma doesn’t have a big snap back to these things highlights not only how harsh the lines actually are, but how practically nonchalant Emma is being towards them. It’s a sentiment that really doesn’t work in the episode’s favor.

As an Emma fan, it feels absolutely undeserved and to not see a consequence from Emma for such lines is anger inducing. As a Regina fan, her behavior here feels embarrassing!

In Emma’s final scene with Regina in the vault, the framing becomes weird. The whole episode is framed as Emma needing Regina to forgive her and then in this last scene, it’s kind of reversed. Emma talks about how she doesn’t want to make the same mistake again, but last time, she was the victim. “I don’t want to kill you.” This is the wham line of the entire final scene between them, but where does it come from? At no point in this season or episode has Regina said anything about killing Emma and it makes the final speech really weird seeing as they were just talking about being friends and forgiving each other.

“You’re trying to win me over so I can assuage your guilt, but you’re wrong.” This is the only line that has a bit of nuance to it, and it still ends up suffering. It makes sense for Regina to feel that way and if we’re to take the line “once you screw someone over, there’s no going back” line at face value, it feels for a second like a real sentiment that the episode is trying to have. I’d even say it would’ve done a better job of painting Emma’s actions as something we’re not supposed to be absolutely sympathetic towards. That said, in terms of framing, we’re supposed to take “I wasn’t looking for you to assuage my guilt” as a genuine statement and those two sentiments can’t coexist simultaneously. Are we supposed to think Regina’s taking Emma’s actions the wrong way and/or overreacting?

I do like Snow’s conflict. As I said before, I don’t think Baby Neal ever needed a huge amount of focus, but these B-plots of seeing Snow and David’s worries concerning him in Season 4 do help to not make him feel forgotten in the rest of the shuffle and help enhance Snow’s character. It also gave way to some cute silliness between her and Will Scarlet. In the grand scheme of things, that makes it a bit meaningless, but I like the cuteness.

Stream of Consciousness

-Emma, I’m with Will here. You gotta let him out. I know legality means fuck all in this town and I’m fine with that, but he’s not a super villain. He broke into a library! This is just cruel and unusual punishment! Give him a fine or something and send him on his...MERRY way! XD

-I kind of love the idea of Sidney just barely holding back giggles at the fact that he betrayed Regina. XD

-I know people don’t love Snow’s wardrobe from Season 4 onwards, and I’ll admit that there’s something of a stark change, but I like her wardrobe. For one thing, in this episode, she’s rocking that vest. For another, she just looks so cozy and warm!

-The cape is here!!! It’s so fabulous!!!

-Who took that photo of Regina and Robin? Were Henry or Snow just being sneaky af? XD

-”Leverage.” Part of me thinks that had Regina freed him, Sydney would’ve stayed loyal to her and that was one final chance on his part for Regina.

-Regina, LOVING the outfit! Everyone just looks positively BANGIN’ tonight!

-”No one was ever gonna look at me the way those parents looked at her.” I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!

-I know Regina’s mad, but why won’t she just tell Emma that Sidney’s helping her. It makes up a lot of the screen time of this episode and it makes no sense! It’s not like Emma can free him and she’d probably just ask him to help until the Snow Queen is defeated.

-“Intentionally or not, you hurt someone.” Emma would’ve hurt someone regardless if she’d done nothing!

-Watching Will dig holes trying to get back to Wonderland breaks my fucking heart! Just...OW!

-Will, you’re very out of place here, but props to you for going for the gay option! XD

-I love how baby Emma was just raring to go! “I got this” and grabs a fucking candlestick! Emma, no matter the time or place is a fucking badass!

-I like how we got to see Elsa get herself out of danger!

-”If the outcome of your escape is that you found a part of yourself again, I’d say he earned that pardon.” ...Boy can this open a big can of worms in terms of villain redemptions in this show, but at least Will just broke into a library.

-Emma, why do you keep a box from your childhood in your workplace as opposed to the loft? It’d probably be safer there!

-Who took that photo? August? XD

Favorite Dynamic

Emma and Lily. The bond between Emma and Lily is just so en pointe. Their personalities and experiences compliment each other really well and make for an initially very easy going friendship. Lily is very much the opposite side of Emma’s coin. While coming from more of a place of direct privilege, Lily feels like she doesn’t belong and that connects with Emma’s resolve following Cecilia’s adoption. They support each other, trust each other, and are kind. It does so much to make the ending of the episode a point of tragedy. I also like that while Emma is undeniably the victim here, the decision to have her fully turn her back on Lily was depicted as a touch too harsh without erasing the former point. You end up really feeling for both of these girls.

Writer

Kalinda Vazquez writes her first piece for Season 4 in today’s episode and she’s joined by newbie, Scott Nimerfro. Once again, unless I’m corrected, I’m going to attribute the past segment to Kalinda and the present to Scott due to how their names are sequenced on sources pertaining to the episode. To me, that just makes sense too given the writing job. Scott seems pretty unfamiliar with how Emma and Regina work, something that after a brief review of Kalinda’s past episodes, isn’t something she struggles with. When dealing with an episode with a storyline like this, one really has to intake the nuances of the characters and evaluate what they’re trying to accomplish. Here, I feel like Scott was just trying to start on a simpler note when this episode needed a more complicated touch to it. Simplicity will be more of a friend to him in his next episode, “Shattered Sight.”

Rating

6/10. Like with the last episode, the present segment leaves me mostly unimpressed, but the past segment is pretty good.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - CHEEK KISS! WE HAVE A CHEEK KISS! And then the office scene. After an emotionally taxing day, Emma gets to reflect on things with a nice bit of booze and her boyfriend. “May I have the honor?” May I have a fainting couch because that shit made me swoon! And I love how Emma, while nervous, trusts Killian with her box of memories. And his reactions as he takes in everything range from adorable when looking at the ring to a pained understanding of mutual grief and love when they look at the picture of Neal. And finally, the hand-arm around thing. Like, while Killian finds the old Emma video to be adorable, he knows on some level that this is hard and wants to be there for her.

Swan Star - I basically Disney ship these two here!

Snowing - I love how David makes such a big effort to make Snow feel safe as they go out on their date! David is such a good husband who really understands what his wife needs!

-----

Woohoo! I made it through the two episodes I knew I wasn’t gonna like! Now let’s get back to some good stuff!

Thanks as always to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales and to the lovely @daensarah!!!

Season 3 Total (35/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (9/60) Jane Espenson: (10/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (10/50) Andrew Chambliss: (6/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (6/40) Scott Nimerfro: (6/30)

*Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. They take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.

[adondeirhoy]

Closing Geek Monday and the Comics Section, with our artist friend Carlos Gomez (@carlosgomezartist) as we celebrate International Womens Day with America Chavez: Made In The USA (2021-) No 1 (of 5) first issue being released.⁠ ⁠ Tag your friends and comment. Tell us what you want to see on @pontikmedia⁠ ⁠ SAVE this post so you can come back to the info again⁠ ⁠ Entertainment, Comics, Geek, Cosplay, VideoGames and ComicArt - Pontik®⁠ ⁠ WHO IS AMERICA? America Chavez is incredible – her origins, her strength, her dimension-shattering star portals! But when the foundation of everything she believes is shaken, America will stand up and face the parts of herself she’s been running from. ⁠ ⁠ From writer Kalinda Vazquez (Marvel’s Runaways) and artist Carlos Gomez (Amazing Mary Jane) comes an explosive, brand-new story all about what made America Chavez who she is – and what she’ll do to protect the ones she loves.⁠ ⁠ #pontik ⁠#womensday #womenempowerment #strongwomen #americachavez ⁠#justout #newrelease #getitnow #musthave #new #madeintheusa ⁠ ⁠ @geek_connection @comic_con⁠ ⁠@comicbookresources @newyorkcomiccon @comicbook @comicbookandmoviereviews @comicsverse⁠ ⁠@sanctumofheroes ⁠@geekelysium @comicbookbeauties @rogue_comics_ @comics_source⁠ — view on Instagram https://bit.ly/2OB5WTe

[actualpanda]

Aftermath (Tsuragao)

Follows events of Acquisition.

The morning after was a cool, quiet one, and as the rain settled away, the cloud serpents that had been covered by the soft windwool cloths eventually woke. But their caretaker was nowhere to be found. The giant Pandaren who gave them such kind words of waking, who would go outside and watch their antics in the small garden, was gone. It was as though he had never been there.

No sign of food, nothing suggesting a journey taken in the midst of the night – and even then, Tsuragao Oceanpaw was not the sort to leave without caring for his companions. The small tortoiseshell cat that he’d adopted pawed at the space Tsu had rested in, finding no trace, no sign, save a depression on the warm bed that Tsuragao had stepped off of. But he’d said nothing in departure – the cat knew this was wrong. Even if the great bear departed in haste, he would wake his pets to tell them.

But sometimes consideration fled out the window. Cats are forgiving, to an extent, and some would call cloud serpents dutiful, dependable cats that could fly.

One day became another. No sign, no words given, nothing at all indicated Tsu was coming back. This was enough for the tabby, that bore the name of Tsuragao’s mother. Kalinda was as clever as her namesake, and soon maneuvered one of the windows open, before padding into the garden.

Most of Tsu’s neighbors were good with cats, but the tortoiseshell named Kalinda did not go to them. Instead, she padded through half of Paw’don, one paw silently padding in front of the other, avoiding clumsy cubs and passersby. A cat is easily missed – but not Kalinda.

When she arrived, she pawed at the door of a house she knew well. Tsuragao was not averse to taking her on adventures, but this was one she hadn’t known about. Unacceptable! Her efforts at last paid off – and the door opened to reveal a dark-furred Pandaren, massive in build, so similar to her Tsuragao that she’d warmed to him immediately.

“Oh, Kally! Tsu isn’t home? Well…I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” The deep voice of the huge man was reassuring at once. “I’ll get you a snack – I think we have some leftover salmon...”

Two days became a third. On the third day, a woman who saw Tsuragao regularly for an aching gut arrived to see no lights, nothing at all inside the house. The tortoiseshell cat who normally greeted her was gone as well, but a window was open…strange. Tsuragao was not the sort of person who cancelled appointments without warning.

Something in Paw’don Village was not quite right.

FACTS:

Tsuragao was stolen away from his residence in Paw’don Village by mysterious figures. – but no one knows this.

Again, in Paw’don? No one knows this…not yet.

Tsu’s cat, after a couple days without food, left for the Cinderkeg house. (She’s being cared for there, don’t worry!)

Tao-Chong Cinderkeg, Tsu’s brother, assumes he’s out of town on an urgent errand.

The Gilded Serpent is due in the village. Tsu was waiting for someone to arrive.

Tsu simply vanished in the middle of a stormy night, with no explanation.

IF YOU’D LIKE TO INVESTIGATE OR REACT

Please do so. Tag as “Cult of the Sha”, or tag me on ActualPanda so I can find it! (or link it my way)

[bforbookslut]

ARC Review: The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have given this book ☆☆☆. 300-500 pages estimated as I read it in ebook format. It is Book 1 in the The Hundredth Queen series. It belongs to the Young Adult Fantasy genre. Skyscape published it. I would recommend it to readers who are unbothered by cultural appropriation and I would not purchase my own copy. The synopsis reads: “As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.”

I’ll say it right now that with how the relationship between men and women are portrayed in this novel, The Hundredth Queen should come with a trigger warning. While nothing is portrayed overtly, it definitely is implied and in one instance, described enough for me to be disgusted and on the verge of throwing up.

Suggested triggers for The Hundredth Queen: tw abuse, tw rape, tw prostitution, tw blood, tw gore,

[contains spoilers]

Get ready ya’ll because this is one long ass review. If you thought my 99 Days review was long, this is an academic essay.

I sit very, very heavily on the fence with The Hundredth Queen. On one hand, it has a compelling mythology behind it and the writing (although many GR readers disagree with me) is clean, beautiful and clearly edited even though it’s awkward at times with lines like;

“Sunup births a periwinkle sky without a single cloud”.

“We place our backs to the threatening storm and follow the jasmine moon across the dusty dunes”. HOW CAN A MOON BE DESCRIBED AS JASMINE??????

On the other, INDIA IS NOT A MONOLITHIC COUNTRY and neither are Indian people. The Hundredth Queen is rife with cultural appropriation and the entire time I was reading it, I kept forgetting that it’s set in India. It’s such a white-sounding novel.

Furthermore, Emily R. King missed a massive opportunity to use The Hundredth Queen to address the issues of patriarchy, male entitlement and misogyny. Instead, the novel thrives on these very qualities, exploiting it at every turn to make the story compelling.

Long story short: Kalinda (The Chosen One) is a sickly, weak and by her own accounts, ugly, orphan who lives in a sanctuary for girls raised to be pigs for slaughter and hire plucked up by powerful men when the time comes. Surprise, surprise, Kalinda gets picked by the Rajah to be his one hundredth wife/queen/rani in order to fulfill a mythology about the gods. And also, to serve a more sinister purpose. But first, she has to endure what is called rank trials where women fight each other to the literal death in order to get a chance to “promoted” from courtesan to queen. And surprise, surprise, the weakest and sickliest one is not as weak and sickly as you thought but because she has powers that were suppressed and she’s meant to save the world, therefore, fulfilling the Chosen One trope.

The Hundredth Queen is clichéd and predictable but otherwise, it didn’t bore me to tears. However, I was forcing myself to read it the further the book progressed. Let’s start with my problems with this book (I’m saving the best for last):

1. The instaromance. Only a sprinkle of banter occurs between Kalinda and Deven and they’re instantly in love, in lust, in heat, whatever you want to call it. The first time she sees him, it’s from afar.

The lead soldier is the clearest to make out; his long legs taper from narrow hips and a boxy, solid chest. He is the first man I have seen in person.

Okay, fine. Kalinda has never seen or encountered a man before. It makes sense that she’d be all “gatal/gedik” as we say colloquially or for lack of a better word, “flirtatious/forward”. But Deven who has [spoiler alert!] grown up in the palace has encountered women yet he falls head over heels for Kalinda, shirking all his sworn duties as a palace/imperial guard.

Half the time, I forget that Kalinda and Deven are supposed to be madly in love with each other. King uses the Forbidden Romance trope here but it’s unbelievable. There’s absolutely no tension, sexual or otherwise, chemistry, long-drawn out banter. It’s like the gods led them to each other say they’re there, to paraphrase the novel.

2. But fine, lousy romance aside, the utter misogyny and sexism that peppers the book is nauseating. Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale where the audience is aware that Osfrid’s world is a result of shitty decisions made by men to give them dominion over everything, including women, The Hundredth Queen is as it is.

Right from the get-go, the girls of the Samiya sanctuary are paraded for the men like fucking animals on a show. In summary, the girls are groped, poked and prodded while naked with a blindfold to “protect their modesty” by lecherous men who come to these sanctuaries to recruit women for servants, courtesans or wives, yes wives. The men are given such authority because they’re benefactors of these sanctuaries and therefore, they’re essentially buying the women.

WHAT FUCKING PLACE SETS UP A SANCTUARY TO PROTECT UNDERPRIVILEGED WOMEN AND THEN FUCKING SELLS THEM OFF TO THE MEN????????

Not to mention, Rajah Tarek, the man who “Claims” Kalinda is described as:

[he’s] a strict man with an appetite for women and power. But they also said that he is generous and judicious, a man of faith

Even Deven says that ever since he met Kalinda in the hallways of Samiya, he’s wanted to have her to himself (I can’t find the quote. I forgot to highlight it).

Although, courtesans, especially those belonging to the king, live in the palace and enjoy a modicum of status are basically one giant fucking harem to be shared amongst the king’s men from generals to foot soldiers. THESE WOMEN ARE BASICALLY PROSTITUTES. They cannot say no or they risk punishment!

Not to mention, the rank trials are one giant battle of women fighting over a lousy, sleazy man in order to give themselves a better chance at life. Frankly, death would have been better than being a courtesan or rani. It’s 2017! We should be done with women fighting over men!

And to add on to that, the jealousy, the bitchiness and the general cattiness of women in The Hundredth Queen also contribute to the overall misogyny of the novel. The girls in the sanctuaries are bitchy, beauty is their ultimate commodity (along with their fighting skills but pooh, pooh what are fighting skills when you’re beautiful), the women in the palace are even bitchier. It’s one bitch fest. Over men.

It’s 2017. Move on.

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again: Emily R. King misses out on a valuable opportunity to discuss patriarchy and misogyny. Instead, her novel thrives on this patriarchal world and nothing creates a discussion. While the women are oppressed, none of them have ever spoken out. Even with lines like

“Ki believed the virtue of sisterhood to be the solution. She organized the Sisterhood, built temples, and instituted a whole line of women to teach the following generations. These ideals have been forgotten, but they are not lost.”

“I would rather stay in Samiya and serve the gods than leave and serve a man” (Kalinda)

Instead, Kalinda’s efforts are on preserving Sisterhood and her own life. And not to mention, Deven’s life. In the end, she rides off into the sunset with none other than, Deven. (And his mom and his brother. Basically, fucking Deven).

3. Which leads me to my third point. Fucking cultural appropriation. I said it above and I’ll say it again, India is not a monolithic country. It’s diverse and filled with a multitude of cultures, languages and stories.

While I am not Indian and have no right to speak for them, I do live in Malaysia, a multi-racial country with a prominent Indian population and have many Indian friends and am familiar with Indian culture as it is practiced here and to see it boiled down to saris, veils, turbans (which is Punjabi/Sikh, by the way), bejewelled palaces and a rajah. Hello, this isn’t Aladdin.

I was asking myself the entire time: Would the novel have been better had it been set in a separate, fictional, fantasy world where Emily R. King can play with the world-building as much as she liked? Or was using a fictional India a lazy cop out?

Furthermore, what makes The Hundredth Queen a product of cultural appropriation is that throughout the novel, we are hardly reminded that it’s set in India which also brings me to another point: shitty world-building. Other than the mythology surrounding the relationship between men and women, deserts, the City of Gems, we know nothing of the world the THQ is set in. But saris are so native to the Indian culture that if it’s not set in India, I’d say you were lying.

A quick Google of the god Anu revealed a lovely listing of Mesopotamian gods where Anu is the god of heaven, Enlil is the god of air and also creator of humans, Enki is the god of freshwater. I hardly doubt it is coincidental that the gods and goddesses in THQ are also Anu, the god of fire, Enlil, the god of water (I think) and Ki, the goddess of earth.

Although the origins of Kalinda’s name have not been brought up, Kali, in the Hindu religion, is the goddess and destroyer of evil forces, sometimes referred to as Kali the Destroyer. She’s also seen as divine protector and Mother of the Universe. This information is available on Wikipedia. I do not think it’s coincidence that Kalinda’s name happens to make a reference to the goddess Kali.

Which brings me to my next point. The buthas in THQ are a race of people blessed with magical powers of the elements, fire, wind, water and earth. Kind of like in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra. This is the description/explanation given for buthas:

“Sky in our lungs, land beneath our feet, fire in our souls, and water in our blood. When the first four mortals achieved the highest form of reincarnation, Anu gave them dominion over these powers.”

It’s perfectly fine for King to bestow magic upon her characters but to say that they received their powers AFTER ACHIVEING THE HIGHEST FORM OF REINCARNATION??? I’m a Buddhist, please and this is fucked up. Bitch please, only Lord Buddha has ever achieved Nirvana and he didn’t go around blasting fire, wind, water and air from the palms of his hands. In Buddhism, it’s almost impossible for laymen/humans to achieve Nirvana because of our obsession with everything worldly from possessions to emotions. But this race of people apparently can reincarnate until they’ve reached Nirvana? They’ve got to be bloody gods by then.

AND BHUTA SOUNDS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE BUDDHA.

And the only reference to bhuta I can find on the internet is in relation to spiritual yoga and has to also do with the elements. Again, another form of appropriation.

Frankly, at this point, it’s not even worth talking about any of the good points. There are few and far in between.

Firstly, it’s the writing. THQ tells a good story, albeit clichéd and introduces interesting villains and motives. But, I suppose, we also have good editors and proof-readers to thank for this.

Secondly, it’s all the instances of Sisterhood that just make me wanna know more about Kalinda and make me want to strangle THQ so it dictates more about Kalinda growing into her Sisterhood roots and bonds and just be a badass woman.

I’m exhausted. A quick glance at Emily R. King’s author page and the synopsis for the second instalment of the series, released later in September 2017, also features Kalinda submitting to the demands of a man (Prince Ashwin) and there’s a tug of her heart between Ashwin and Deven which I’m not looking forward too.

The Hundredth Queen was a great ride while it lasted and it had its fun parts but I’ll have to say goodbye to the series lest I burn more of it. I wanted to like it. I really did.

Did you find any many problems as I did? Or did you enjoy it and think I’m an absolute asshole? I get that a lot. I don’t even have reader questions. Come into my inbox~!

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X08 - Think Lovely Thoughts

We’re nearing the end of the arc and it’s just utter PANdemonium!

Shut up, Rumple! That was funny!

Anyway, to find out why, venture below the cut!

Press Release

Pan leads Henry to a secret cave, where he has convinced the boy that he alone can save magic and Neverland itself. But a showdown between good and evil is about to go down as Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, Mr. Gold and Hook find themselves directly on a path to Pan in an effort to save Henry. Meanwhile, back in the Fairy Tale Land that was, young Rumplestiltskin is given a magical item that could help him make a fresh start with his father – who has been anything but a good dad.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

This flashback may have one of OUAT’s most mature messages: Sometimes, family can be bad and they need to be cut away from you. There’s no hope of reconciliation and not even a removed heart to blame for it all. Sometimes, they’re just garbage people and trying to keep them in your life will only hurt you.

Malcolm’s abandonemt is one of the most malicious abandonments ever shown on the show. Like, had it not been for Gothel, it would probably be number 1. Malcolm sneers as he tells Rumple he’s the only thing holding him back and then just throws him to the metaphorical wolves. It’s the meanest kind of break up and making it familial just makes it so much sadder.

Present

Our present segment is kind of like “Into the Deep.” Like that episode, its character work is expressed not through more open-and-shut story, but through character interactions in the midst of plot progression. For a series like OUAT, I think these episodes are important because there’s always so much going on and this style keeps up the momentum of the season and of the two I’ve seen, I’ve liked them both!

It’s fantastic seeing everyone come together, flaws and and anger and all. We haven’t reached the “look how far we’ve come moment” yet, but the payoff is starting to emerge. We see bits of hope of reconciliation between Rumple and Neal, Neal forcing Rumple to do right by David, Neal and Killian working together better...yeah, there’s a lot of Neal, and I like that! Neal’s becoming a real favorite of mine and I’m really sad we’re gonna lose him soon.

But honestly, Pan is the true star of this episode again. What makes Pan such a good villain is how well he exploits tropes. He knows what buttons to press to make heroes do what he wants them to. “All heroes are tested.” He knew Henry would go tip over to his side with a line like that. Because Henry loves these tropes so well, Pan has been able to play him like a fiddle and that bit of manipulation is terrifying and fascinating.

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-”Follow the lead, gents.” Not even being subtle (And I use subtle loosely), are we? XD

-”You’d be better off without him [Rumple’s Papa].” Fuck yeah, he would be!

-Wow, watching this again shows me just how much “The Black Fairy’s” flashback fucked us over. Like, here, Malcolm doesn’t outright detest Rumple, there are just a million things he’d rather do than take care of Rumple. In “The Black Fairy’s” flashback, well, he outright hates Rumple from the second he learns of Fiona’s fate.

-Pan’s influence and manipulation, not over just Henry, but all of the Lost Boys, is incredible!

-I fucking love the Spinsters. They are such sweet old ladies! They offer to teach Rumple and they’re so friendly! Rumple, stay with them forever. Tell Malcolm to fuck off!

-”Names always make things better.” FUCK. YOU.

-”I didn’t think I had any talent.” Damn! That is so sad! Baby Rumple went through a good chunk of his childhood without any real positive reinforcement. Like, I want to say what that does to a person, but we already know and...DAMNN.

-”Your father will always be your burden, Rumplestiltskin.” Honey, you don’t know the half of it.

-OMG! Malcolm did the Rumple laugh! I love this show!

-”But you trust me. Don’t you son?” “I want to.” Holy shit. That line could’ve come JUST AS EASILY out of Rumple and Bae’s mouths.

-Rumple’s family is so freakin’ ass-y with fathers and sons! Gideon, either don’t have kids or have those Belle genes kick themselves into high gear!

-”You suddenly interesting in what I have to say? Thought I wasn’t to be trusted.” Rumple, shut up. Your karma evaporated for a damn good reason! Don’t act hoity toity!

-”No deals, no favors, understand?” YESS KING! This is what I’m talking about with Neal. He’s not giving Rumple a fucking INCH and why should he? I said this before and I’ll say it again. Neal’s death had nothing to do with Emma but EVERYTHING to do with Rumple because Rumple would never be allowed to be sleazy again had Neal stayed alive.

-*Rumple grabs Killian’s sword right from his waist* *Jenna grins like a fucking idiot*

-”Thanks mate.” *A bro nod is exchanged* *Jenna grins harder*

-”You did that for me?” Let’s talk about this line. This fucking line! Neal never had anyone try to save him like this as a kid and now he learns that the Darling family was even more amazing than he ever thought! I love this show!

-”You told her I was dead?” NOT NOW, RUMPLE!

-”It was easier than telling the truth -- my own father abandoned me.” *Jenna cries like a little bitch*

-*Malcom falls* KARMA, BITCH!

-God, Malcolm is creepy as fuck as he remembers Neverland. He looks like he belongs in an asylum.

-”Well apparently, that’s the only thanks I need these days.” *sighs* You don’t get it now, Rumple, but you will in about four seasons.

-”You promise not to be long?” More like, “You promise not to BELONG?”

-“Because you don’t belong.” Holy crap! I wasn’t wrong!

-”Are you okay?” Neal, Emma just did a fucking back flip! You tell me!

-Blocking the moon out to get rid of shadows? Emma, you are a fucking genius! <3

-Is it any coincidence that I’m fucking humming “Brandy” while watching this episode? Damn, Guardians 2 hit me.

-”Oh, it’s for the best, Rumple.” Part of me isn’t sure if that’s the best bedside manner or not. On one hand, Fuck Malcolm with a rusty nail-covered bat. On the other hand, he’s an emotionally distraught child.

-”Pleasure to see you too, Baelfire.” Pan is such a little shit!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Mission to Save Henry - “We’re all going back. Together.” I love how everyone is together for the crescendo of the arc’s “climax” (Or one of like, three of them)! As I said before, it really delivers on the payoff promised at the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3.

Emma Accepting Your Parents - “Maybe it’s just you rubbing off on me, but I refuse to believe that.” Until that line was said, to be honest, I was torn between being cynical of Emma for her rigid thoughts on family and her inability to understand the nuance of the situation and prideful in the character development she showed by fighting for her family. But once that line was said, I was on the latter side HARD! Also, this follows Emma’s line of thinking throughout the rest of the episode! She really wants to keep her parents!

Regina’s Redemption - Another small, yet big sign of Regina’s redemption is Regina apologizing for insinuating that Emma shouldn’t have rescued Neal right to Rumple’s face. Good job!!!

Killian’s Redemption - If my arch enemy called me a “cowardly pirate,” I wouldn’t smile. I’d gut him. I’m gonna give Killian points for being better than me in that regard!

Rumple’s Redemption - Rumple’s redemption is handled so well here! He’s still an asshole, almost charging David for the Dreamshade cure, but he’s really cooperating with the group because he knows he’s the center of a lot of bad blood. He’s trying to earn their trust because he knows Henry’s life means more than him being the top dog. And seeing him overcome his internal issues with Pan only to still lose hurts so much as a result!

Favorite Dynamic

The Nevengers and Rumple. Oh My Stars! The group teamup against Rumple was dramatic in the best way EVER. Just...everyone slowly making these points against Rumple as he weakly tries to throw a case for himself together was dramatic, tense, and incredible. All of Rumple’s bad karma comes to a head at the worst possible time and it is GLORIOUS! And the tense peace they reach is just as great! All of that distrust still remains, threatening to shake things up going forward. ”You life so much as a finger to perform magic, you’re gonna spend eternity in this box.” YESSS, Neal! And eventually, Rumple’s honorable decisions are recognized by Emma, Neal, and Regina!

Writer

David Goodman and Robert Hull are today’s writers and after their stellar start this season with “Nasty Habits,” I had high hopes for them. And they did a fantastic job here! Everything comes together very naturally, the dialogue is super en pointe, and the pacing for the packed story is just amazing!

Rating

Golden Apple. What an awesome episode. It’s a great rush seeing the final pieces come together for the grand Neverland rescue, seeing everyone work together as a team and sniping at each other while cooperating, and getting a great and comprehensive flashback at the same time! Also, everyone feels really intelligent and earnest to who they are and want to be, making this episode feel more real. It’s honestly such a great time watching it!

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Thank you for reading and sorry again for the smaller review. I got caught up by my backlog after coming home from the con and losing two of my review days, so it looks like you’ll probably be getting four reviews next week. Still, I promise I’ll make something a lot better for next time to redeem myself! In the meantime, I really appreciate your patience with me! <3

Also, thanks as always to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales for putting this project together!

Season 3 Total (76/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (19/60) Kalinda Vazquez (17/40) Andrew Chambliss (17/50) Jane Espenson (10/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (20/40) Christine Boylan (10/20) Daniel Thomsen (10/30)

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