Three Rude Truths From 'Reign', Two Teeny Hacks, and One Bad Book
“I am a queen because I know how to govern myself.”
A small fact about me:
I am not a big fan of screens, and picky about what I watch. If the movie or series gets illogical or dramatic, I leave watching it in the middle of it.
Reign is the longest OTT series I have watched.
(Predictably) I left it mid-season three.
Yet its complicated storylines, intriguing characters, shocking twists, and relation to real history won me over.
As Reign follows the journey of Mary Stuart, based on the real reigning monarch, Mary, Queen of Scots (who ruled Scotland for 25 years in the mid-16th century) it has some pretty brutal (read: realistic) scenes.
Here are the rudest, most important truths I fancied.
»Nobody is your friend or enemy for life; relationships (people) change with circumstances.
In the beginning, Mary, a teenager with Scottish roots, had just entered the life of the French court, full of mendacious, clever, and experienced men and women.
The Queen of France, Catherine, was feared by many because of her sharp mind and cunning nature. She was the last person you would want to develop an animosity with.
Due to complex circumstances, Catherine and Mary found themselves standing against each other.
The ever-ambitious Catherine hatched plans after plans to send Mary home and even kill her. Mary, with luck and connections, somehow survived. Their bitter rivalry ensured nail-biting episodes.
But, a twist came.
More complexity, more circumstances.
Catherine and Mary got their interests in common now! The worst of enemies now became the best of friends! The past was forgotten. The present was filled with selfless acts for the other.
Your best friend that you love with all your heart?
You may not have this great bond a few years later.
The person your heart is intent on loathing?
You both may be eating samosas together soon. Maybe you should dislike the person less.
The person you are neutral towards?
Things may change.
As the moon seemingly changes its shape due to its distance from the earth at the night, similarly, people will also like or dislike you on basis of circumstances you don’t have control over.
»You may do everything right and still lose. That’s life.
Fate is an unpredictable entity.
Francis’ tragic end proved so.
The son of Catherine and husband of Mary, he had to give several trials and face challenging situations. His clear heart, handsomeness, and quick thinking made him popular among the people.
He did commit mistakes. Unlike most of us, he apologised and corrected them.
Yet, and yet, life wasn’t kind to him. His father went insane, his mother was a bitch (I like Catherine anyway), his wife was at odds with his mother, and he came close to losing his rule several times.
In the darkest of times, he did all the things right.
Yet, he was killed in midst of making his life rise to glory — before he could hold his new-born in his hand - in the unfairest way.
Guys and gals, that is what I call life.
»The worst thing in the world isn’t that bad and vice-versa.
Bash and Kenna, two people who knew each other barely, were compelled by the king to tie the knot. Both of them immensely regretted and loathed the decision. They couldn’t do anything to prevent the marriage except cry and have awkward moments.
However, as time passed, something nobody expected occurred.
They began falling for each other. The couple was briefly gorgeous together.
Mary and Francis, after a major conflict, had forgiven each other. To celebrate the love blossoming, they decided to go visit France’s most beautiful places.
The atmosphere, filled with joy and love, got marred by blood.
Francis got killed. A move nobody expected.
The lesson?
Nothing is purely black or white. The world’s a grey canvas.
Recap Points:
Here are all the rude truths about life you need to gulp down like bitter medicine.
It ain’t what it seems to be. Don’t lose hope or drown in overexcitement in anticipation of extreme events.
Loyalties shift, relationships turn. Almost every bond has an expiration date.
Life is unfair at times. You can do nothing. No use of fretting.
Two Beers and a Puppy Test
The world is a huge place.
Its population just crossed eight effing billion!
You are going to meet a LOT of people in your life.
Some will be kind. Some will be rude. Some will be shy. Most will feel like an enigma to decipher.
Understanding the feelings bubbling out of your heart is a complex task. They aren’t exactly lucid to figure out. I am often confused about how I feel about a particular person.
If you have been in a similar position, don’t worry!
Ross McCammon has come to our rescue by proposing the Two Beers and a Puppy test. To find out how you actually feel about someone, ask yourself these two questions:
Get Rid of Overthinking by This Zen Way
The Titanic Tragedy stole more than 1500 lives.
What makes the tale more tragic is that it could have been avoided. A theory says that Captain Smith ignored seven iceberg warnings from his crew and other ships.
If he had slowed down, the disaster might have never happened.
We are here not to debate the cause, but to see ourselves as a ship and all our obstacles as glaciers.
I got this technique from the brilliant Mark Manson.
Read this carefully:
When you think any thought, you also observe yourself thinking. Your mind watches your mind. Specifically, in Zen, the Observing Mind observes the Thinking Mind.
Confused?
The Worst Book of the Decade
Remember my previous rant about the Colleen Hoover book?
However, the book of this issue is the worst.
The Sweetest Oblivion was my first venture into the mafic-romance category.
I understand what draws people to mafia romances. It is the vibrant amalgamation of gruesome wars and the delicate proclamations of love with nothing fair or unfair.
This book was so bad that when I saw its four-star reviews I wanted to throw the phone.
Let’s start with the positives.
The prose — not so fancy, not so dry — made me read effortlessly. The fine storyline, full of violence and spice, and the building intrigues kept me reading.
And that’s about it.
Why I rated this book 1 star:
Reason #1: The male protagonist.
I have never understood why people will go crazy after mafias who are complete assholes to even those close to them.
(I’ll understand if the man is an actual softie inside and has to keep the brute side up due to the violence.)
But, if the person is being rude, a cheat and a liar to everyone repeatedly — even the female lead? How can the author expect the readers to root for him?
Nico is an over-controlling maniac of an asshole. I’d have rather liked him to evolve like Mr Darcy: realising his mistakes and trying his best to improve just for the girl who stole his heart.
Reason #2: The anti-women sentiments.
The misogyny in this book especially boggles my mind because a woman living in the States penned this damn book!
The women are only there as “pleasure objects” for the men. The blatant and unapologetic sexism practised made me want to throw up.
Women held no position of authority, had no sense of rebellion against the patriarchal traditions, propagated it rather, and were just there to cook, fuck, and be fragile.
The feminist inside me that was hoping for all this bullshit to be called out died.
Reason #3: The toxic relationship.
The basis of this relationship was unhealthier than a whopper burger.
There was lust at first sight and some tension due to unknown past lives and competition. That’s it.
The guy liked her mysterious side and fantastic looks, so he took her. No consent, no deep conversations, no common interests.
I can bet my cents that this would break apart in a few months in real life.
Here’s a poem by V. Dhamini on this very issue:
This is toxic!
When he screams, you stay quiet
When he hits, you say fine
And then he kisses to pacify
And you being a blind bird,
Just fly fly and fly
No doubt, the man is great
But the wrongs can't be made right
Why are you so quiet?