Whatever's reviews: Despondent correspondents

[Hector]

inducks.org/story.php?c=W+DG+++39-07

Minnie and Clarabelle, who work together as journalists (at least in this story's universe), travel to a small, fictional country governed

by a young queen, who will soon celebrate her birthday and this is seemingly an important event. The two heroines' mission is to

manage to interview her majesty on behalf of the newspaper they work at.

They're allowed into the palace, where they see an enormous birthday cake, but the queen does not want to see anyone. The two

female journalists won't give up so easily, though.  Disguised as servants, they search for her majesty, until they find out she's

missing. Her escort assumes she's been kidnapped, because she left all her possessions behind. However, after searching in the

royal bag and finding out the lipstick and handheld mirror are missing, Minnie figures out the young sovereign has left on her own

will; yes, a random journalist who just showed up solved, in less than one minute, the mystery so many people in charge of protecting

the queen could not!

Minnie and Clarabelle keep investigating and, with the help of the royal wizard (though, in action, he doesn't seem much of a wizard),

find out the queen is currently in water. Plot convieniently, all it takes for the two heroines to finally spot her majesty is a walk in a

beach nearby!

The queen tells them she left because, every year, on her birthday, she has to eat a giant piece from her birthday cake, which makes

her fat and then she has to go on a diet and workout regime in order to regain her former figure. When Minnie asks the logical question:

'Who forces you to eat the whole piece,' the queen answers, 'It's an old tradition.' Personally, though, I still don't see why she couldn't

just refuse to eat it; I mean, it's not like they would shove a funnel tip in her mouth and force the cake down her throat. Or is it?

In any case, the royal escort, who, as it turned out, secretly followed the two girls, shows up and takes the queen back to the castle.

Minnie and Clarabelle formulate a plan to help her majesty. During the big moment, the queen asks the royal wizard to entertain the

guests with his tricks while she's eating. Thus, with everybody's attention elsewhere, the mouse and cow formed friends of her majesty

hide the cake piece in Clarabelle's bag. Nobody suspected anything; they just assumed the queen ate the piece really fast! Are all

people that stupid in that country? And is that queen so powerless as to be unable to impose herself even on such stupid people, to the

extent that she has to resort to shenanigans in order to avoid being force fed a piece of cake?

The story ends with the queen and her two new friends delighted that their plan worked. Why they are delighted, I don't know. I mean,

they didn't really solve the problem. Minne and Clara will go back home and the queen still has to eat a giant piece of cake against her

will, every year on her birthday, for the rest of her life. But, hey, if those three ladies feel they've reached their 'happily ever after'

ending, who am I to disagree?

Rating: 7/10

[Matilda]

I've actually read this one, and as a feminist, I found it extremely annoying. I had hopes: Minnie and Clarabelle have a significant assignment as journalists, on their own, no guys! And they're to interview a queen, a *governing* queen, a woman with actual political power! Something cool could happen! And then it was about, um, keeping your weight down. I suppose there could be purportedly lighthearted plotlines that would be more annoying from a feminist POV, but geez, this one was awful. And as you point out, it doesn't even make sense in-story that the queen wouldn't be able to find some way out of actually eating all that cake. Many young children I've known have come up with quite clever ways of feigning to have eaten their vegetables!

[Hector]

May 16, 2019 22:23:13 GMT Matilda said:

I've actually read this one, and as a feminist, I found it extremely annoying.

So, if it was a young king instead, it would be okay to you? Didn't expect better of feminism...

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Sounds like a pretty awful story overall, but the idea that one piece of cake once a year, no matter how "giant", can cause you to gain so much weight that you need to starve yourself and beef up your workout regimen for weeks is probably the most insulting. I mean, haven't they heard of cheat days?

[Pan Maciej]

May 16, 2019 22:23:13 GMT Matilda said:

I've actually read this one, and as a feminist, I found it extremely annoying. I had hopes: Minnie and Clarabelle have a significant assignment as journalists, on their own, no guys! And they're to interview a queen, a *governing* queen, a woman with actual political power! Something cool could happen! And then it was about, um, keeping your weight down. 

Sounds like this story was product of it's unfortunete times, as in - "Well, it's a story about girls so it must be something female-point of view centric" (in the most stereotypical fashion)

I'm a guy but this train of thinking usualy bugs me as well.