#//yay yippee end of the arc!

[kayesdreamteam]

We're home.

[jellybeanium124]

but like izzy was some kind of suicidal tho. I've made a post about this before. izzy and ed's arcs both included "attempts to kill themselves" on it but that doesn't mean they're the same arc.

ed: spend whole life being told you're a monster -> get depressed -> meet a guy who changes everything -> for the first time you have a friend?? maybe you're not a monster??? -> kiss guy -> guy abandons you, seemingly because you are not presenting the level of masculinity you used to -> go home and cry about it -> get a pep talk -> decide that life moves on and it's time to clean up -> your henchman/father figure/abuser tells you if you don't man up now he's gonna kill you -> you are still in a delicate place and this is the straw the breaks the camel's back -> you are a monster and they should kill you -> try for 3 months to get someone to kill you -> give your henchman a gun so he can kill you -> he refuses to put you out of your misery and laughs about it -> sail your ship into a storm and finally get the crew to kill you -> finally... -> oops you're in purgatory now -> saved by the guy you thought abandoned you -> healing arc

izzy: work for the coolest best pirate ever -> at some point he stops being as cool and manly and powerful as he's supposed to be -> half-consciously spend years abusing him while deluding yourself into thinking that this is actually out of caring for (loving?) him -> you meet a dumb fucking guy in the woods -> boss becomes intrigued with the idiot -> capture a boat -> your boss is acting less like "himself" than ever -> call the cops to get your boss back -> he leaves you anyways for the idiot -> alright whatever you're captain now which is what you really wanted -> that doesn't last long -> boss comes back, without idiot -> well hopefully things can return to the status quo? -> they don't -> this is unacceptable -> helpfully inform your boss if he doesn't masc up and fly right you're gonna kill him -> he does what you ask for -> yay yippee! -> wait actually this is kinda bad -> this isn't what you wanted -> you refuse to take the blame -> he shoots you -> you are now missing a leg making you weak and pointless in your own worldview -> he gives you a gun so you can shoot him -> you refuse to do his dirty work anymore -> he leaves you with the gun -> you are a sick worthless dog who has failed at every turn and now cannot even do your job -> you shoot yourself -> somehow that doesn't work -> ok the idiot and his band of morons return and you're still alive for some fucking reason -> you drink to cope -> you hate your life -> still don't really wanna be around here anymore -> you have no place here -> the crew sees you struggling and reaches out to tell you that you did still have a place here -> healing arc

ok what are the overlaps here in these arcs despite obvious or unrelated shit like "they're both pirates:"

try to kill themselves

use alcohol to self medicate

get better in the end

their reasons aren't even the same!! ed feels like he is a monster who doesn't deserve to live. izzy feels devoid of value. these things are sorta similar in that they both lead to the same conclusion, but as suicidal motivations they are completely distinct and reflect the character's particular worldview.

ed's been told his whole life he doesn't deserve good things, and that he's a violent monster. we never see him be all that concerned with creating value in a protestant work ethic kind of way. he just isn't like that.

izzy's spent his whole life believing in a hierarchy and trying to grab the most power he possibly can. this worldview is sexist and ableist, and when he believes he can no longer hold a position of power, his view of himself crumbles and he has nothing to live for. izzy doesn't think of himself as a monster who doesn't deserve nice things. killing and violence just aren't issues on his radar he's getting worked up about. and he's clearly not in it for money or treasure (not that he doesn't like money), he's in it for power (which can be bought with money). power is what drives him. having nice things doesn't even occur to him as something to want. not even ostensibly masculine nice things.

canyoners absolutely do give izzy ed's character arc while villainizing ed. but being suicidal at some point is one of the few points their arcs have in common. of course, the nature of how they are suicidal is completely different. but a person who isn't suicidal does not shoot themself in the head.

[shirajellyfish]

*ahem* Err, question for the director here. How could you manage to make Lune’s “redemption” arc so slowly evolving?? It was amazing the patience you had to not jump into the “friend-shaped” zone too fast, and yet still we wound up with hugs. It made it the most delightful portrayal I’ve seen of any Moon characterization, one weighty with true danger and hard-earned love.

Awww, that makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you! There were a few factors that contributed to the way it played out, I think. Once again I'm adding a read more because I am entirely sure this one will end up far too long as well haha

I wanted to write the journey, not the destination

I think the reason a lot of Moons go friend shaped quickly is because that's what the writer wants to write. They want a Moon who is dangerous to other people maybe, but who is friend to the main character. The common DCA trope of "Watch out, it's the dangerous man-eating tiger Moon!" Y/N: "Pet pat pat, this is my cat. He literally purrs for me." This trope is lovely and absolutely one of my favorite things. If that's what a writer wants to write, then it makes sense that they'd go there as quickly as possible. I would have done the same if what I wanted to write more than anything was friend Moon.

But I wanted to write dangerous feral Moon. I was so excited for every moment where he was threatening, chasing, out of his mind and on the hunt. I cherished writing every one of those scenes, because I knew I was only going to get to write a finite amount of them. I was SO EXCITED with each and every dangerous encounter, so I did everything I could to stretch that phase of the story out as much as I could. That's why it moved slow- I was purposely slowing it down as much as I could!

The thing about writing slowburn is that it shouldn't take patience. If you have to be patient to write a slow burn, then maybe you shouldn't be writing this particular thing as a slow burn. Think of it like going down a waterslide. No one is ever on the slide like "This is such a long slide, it's a real test of my patience to get to the end of it." No, they go "YIPPEE, WATER SLIDE! YAY! YAAAAY!" A slow burn should feel like a water slide. If it doesn't, then maybe the story would be more enjoyable if the characters were just at their destination already instead of spending so much time getting there.

2. A Moon can only be scary for so long.

You know how I said I tried to slow things down on purpose? It's because even the most dangerous and most feral of Moons can only be an exciting threat so many times. The more the story deals with a dangerous character, the more known they are. Like turning on the lights in a dark room, eventually the monster under the bed will cease to be scary. You only have so many of these really thrilling moments before either things will change, or the readers end up going "Oh, it's just another Moon encounter. He'll chase them around for a while before we can get back to the actual story, I guess."

With a fic as long as I See You Sundrop, ending at hugs with Lune was inevitable. I squeezed his character for every exciting scary moment I could, but eventually that relationship was going to have to develop beyond those moments one way or another.

It's not that I don't enjoy writing a softer friend Lune as well. I absolutely loved every moment of that as well- I wouldn't have written it if I didn't love writing it! But there was no possible universe where Lune, no matter how scary at the start, wouldn't develop eventually. Because of this, I was careful with the early Lune encounters and used him as sparingly as possible.

3. I didn't plan it whatsoever.

My secret to character development is that I just. Don't plan it. At all.

Somewhere near the start of the fic, I had an idea for a scene where Riley and Lune could share music with each other without it ending in violence. This general vague concept was reworked into the Closeted chapter and expanded there. This was also the only destination of any kind for them that I had planned.

I didn't write any of Lune's moments with the intention of reaching any kind of end-of-story relationship goal. I just wrote him. While Lune becoming friendly was inevitable, how friendly or what that friendship would look like was never something I was actively working towards. I just let it go and watched what happened, nothing was set in stone.

I put some beasts in a situation. I wonder, what would they do in said situation? I have them do it. Now I wonder, how does that change things between them? Now things have changed. Now the entire course of these characters, and their relationships, and the story itself has changed. This is why I can't write scenes out of order. Every single moment, every interaction, all of it causes everything to shift. I can think of certain plot ideas or big moments in advance, but I won't know how the characters will react to that until I get there- because I won't know who they will be at that point in the story until I get there.

This applies to every single character in my fic. Riley and Sundrop's friendship, Hunter, Natalie, the glamrocks... I knew what I wanted their role to be in certain scenes or the story overall, but I had no big plan for where their development would take them. None of their development was ever set in stone.

I've mentioned before that Take-you-apart was not a planned chapter, it was the result of asking Roxy what she'd do and realizing her answer was "attempted murder." A lot of story moments happened like that. Affection Values even happened that way. I'd never planned for the story to have a scene like that, but when I got there I went "Ohh. That makes sense, doesn't it."

Even Riley's big development moments were done this way. Play nice with your hands, be a good friend, the memory trick, even their relationship with their mom all developed in ways I hadn't planned. I actually wrote their mother as distant because originally, my plan was to give myself an excuse to never write about their family at all! You can see how fast that got thrown out the window.

Speaking of things I can't do- this is also why I write my entire fic before posting anything, and can't post chapter by chapter. Sometimes writing this way leaves glaring plot holes, big themes that aren't worked into the story early enough, and foreshadowing for events that never end up actually happening. I need to know the course of the story before I can refine it, and I won't know it until I get there.

Oops! That did indeed end up getting very long. I hope you were looking for a novel length ramble, because I guess I'm not capable of anything else haha.

[borderline-culture-is]

THE CHRONICLES OF ⭐🌊🐾 FINALLY CONTINUE !!! AND WITH A GOOD ENDING TOO !!!!

BPD + POLY + OSDD CULTURE IS WE'RE IN A V-SHAPED POLYCULE W/ OUR FAV SYSTEM (we aren't dating) AND OUR PARTNER SYS WHO IS ALSO OUR FAV SYS ?!?!?!?!!?!? WE'RE SO HAPPY AAAAAAAGHH YAY YAY YAY

(i think i have officially coined the term FS to refer to fav system so if i use that acronym , just know !!!!!!)

WE WILL BE BACK SOON WITH MORE ADVENTURES but YAY YIPPEE !!!! i hope you are all so so well !!!!! BUT HELL ARC IS OVER LET'S GOOOOOOOO

—⭐🌊🐾

.

[inact-ice]

Season 2 episode 9 let’s go!

- I’m so excited to learn more about hennn

- hen wtf is on your head. Ope not the men awkwardly laughing. White people cant recognize a black queer person if said black queer person was wrapped in a rainbow flag

- hen girl I hope you have savings or a backup plan.

- she’s at a career counsellor? This counsellor has fantastic hair, hen you should learn from her. Though this look does fit this time period.

- HEN AS BATMAN?!!

- this career counsellor is useless, im pretty sure she’s gonna have a medical emergency- oop down she goes! Ohhh so she’s a life coach. Yay hen you saved her life! I’ve been taught cpr twice and I wouldn’t have been able to save that lady

- hi hens ex girlfriend! I hate you. And right on track she’s being dismissive about hens dreams, Karen would never!!

- ooh ok they’re getting a little intersectional wit it.

- I’m pretty sure this is the episode where we meet Tommy and the severity of his bigotry will influence how I view him through the whole show, I still hate Billy from stranger things for being racist to Lukas

- hell yeah cherry bomb!

- OMG YES BURN THE HELL OUT OF YHAT UGLY WIG JESUS CHRISY THANK YOU

- cherry bomb kinda is the perfect song for this montage wow

- GO HEN GOOOOO

- WOOOOO SHE DID IT! GIRLS IN BLUE! GIRLS IN BLUE! YIPPEE

- oh I can sense the bigotry about to come. Hi Gerard. Ugh I hate him already

- TOMMY! In 5 seasons people go crazy over you and so far I cannot see why. CHIMNEY! Ugh chimney you’re constantly raising the bar, love you

- Tommy being workplace bullied for being gay… ok I’ll hold my judgements- WOAH! New York BITCHINESS… guys come on

- Gerard you are the worst and the fact that they trivialize your mess in the latest season is actually so horrific

- BOOO WHO CARES WHO THESE WHITE LOSERS SIT WITH ANYWAY! POC SOLIDARITY I KNOW THATS NOT RIGHT!!! See if Tommy could be a bit more like chimney that would go a long ways, like just a little ‘we’re in this together’… but I guess at the end of the day marginalized white people will always choose their whiteness over their marginalization, and gay white men are kinda notorious for being really bad for that. Hope he gets a good redemption arc ig

- hens gonna save the hell out of this woman!! Tommy shut the hell up, why question the paramedic oh my lord. GERARD SHUT THE FUCK UP SAME QUESTION TO YOU

- ATHENA AND HEN MEETING EEK! Omg yeah hen really is staking her whole job on this. But ofc it’s working bc she’s a genius!

- Gerard please be so fucking for real right now you useless loser trash goblin

- at least we have poc and black woman solidarity. But chimney being so nice to her really highlights how much certain other people suck… but lemme not repeat myself too much.

- hen you can’t hard work yourself into being respected by this awful bigoted man. Oh I’m so glad Buck punches this man in the face or whatever, I hate him so much… and this is the guy people were calling silly and goofy and funny? Oh I see how it is

- yay hen and Athena friendship hours! Marginalized first responders club, aw I love this for them. I like these guys, especially Casey! Hell yeah Athena, even tho your job is like inherently awful, this is valuable advice

- aw wait guys I feel so bad I already hate Tommy and his stupid face😭 I just can’t believe he called her a bitch completely unprompted like what. I was under the impression that he did all this stuff like totally prompted by Gerard

- oh hen this speech is so goooood, 10/10 monologue! And ofc chimney supports her instantly, solidarityyyyy

- will tommy be nicer to hen now that he knows they’re both gay

- hen fuck that guy, you are so right as always. CHIMNEYYYY, you are suuuuch a fave I love you! Sooooolidarity! No bc he’s like risking his JOB for her! Where’s Tommy??? Nowhere to be found. I wish I hadn’t known he was gay beforehand bc that makes it feel more like a betrayal

- oh shit I really hope this kid survives. YAY! YAY CHIMNEY AND HEN VULNERABLE CRYING BEST FRIEND SOLIDARITYYYY

- oh yay they’re giving hen her flowers! Ok! All is not forgiven bc I didn’t hear an apology, but that was pretty ok!

- YAY GERARD GOT FIRED?!! Oh the guys stepped up! Yippee, hen I���m so happy for you. Not to make this about Tommy but I hope it’s revealed that he was one of the guys to complain bc that would fix a lot for me

- chimneyyy you mischievous little MAN! I love you chimney, you’re the best!

- they did such a good job of writing hen without making her a mammy bc I can see how these writers would’ve messed that up but damn

- hen redeeming herself with her outro speeches love it

Ok that’s definitely my favourite episode so far, the writing was very good (even though they dropped and picked up some themes on intersectionality kinda abruptly) and I feel like I know hen a lot better now! Like I’ve thought before that she can be kinda snippy sometimes, not in a bad way or anything, it’s just something I’ve noticed! And this episode really showcased that it’s not that she’s snippy, but that she’s one of those people who’s really outspoken and very principled. It’s kind of refreshing to see from a show where our other main black representation is Athena…. But lemme not go on my cop rant. Yeah this episode was just great for the most part, and the emergencies were strangely more grounded than other emergencies in other shows, so I felt more anxious during them. Ig part of it was the knowledge that hen could be fired at any moment too. This whole episode has made me feel so happy for where hen is now, she has such a strong support system who’ll protect and support her against things like racism or sexism now, it makes me so happy!

I gotta say, I’ve been thinking of some posts I’ve seen regarding Tommy while I watched this episode, and while I think the posts that say he didn’t really do anything wrong of his own fruition are like lying for some reason, he’s definitely not irredeemable! I’m cautiously optimistic to see the development of his character all the way in season 7 and to see how he’s changed and stuff. I don’t get why everyone likes him so much yet, but ig this is just like the point in the character arc where he’s at his lowest and I do see potential!

[timeskip]

I know some people following me also listen to Media Club Plus so if any of you are interested here's my guesses as to what HxH episodes they'll cover per podcast episode, for the rest of HxH

Here's a link to the HxH wiki's page with short episode summaries since I'm referring to them by number and I don't expect people to know instantly what episodes I'm talking about

Comments:

The lines are there for "I'm pretty certain they'll end after 116/136." The former because 116 (Revenge x and x Recovery) is the Gon vs Pitou initial confrontation and the episode after it goes quickly back into Knuckle vs Youpi. Obviously still just a guess, but it would only make sense to end there since there's such a clear delineation of events

136 is the end of the chimera ant arc and I would be surprised if they WEREN'T going to stop at the arc end

I made this under the assumption that they won't do any more 2 episode chunks. All of them (as you can see) are 3 or 4 episodes. The only place I feel MIGHT have 2 episode chunks is the very end of CAA because frankly it's a mess that I'm not certain my episode batch prediction is correct on (hence the "if anything" re: 130/131)

130/131 are Gon's breakdown and transformation, and it would be a good stopping point (the same way Zero x and x Rose is a good stopping point, because it's so climactic) BUT there's only 5 episodes after 131 and splitting those up will be... difficult. Maybe they'll do 129/130/131 and then 132/133 and 134/135/136? Honestly I don't know how that would work with the episodes BEFORE that... But it's possible.

Election arc is 12 episodes, and every batch of 3 episodes has a pretty good stopping point. I feel fairly confident in how election arc is going to be divided :)

I was really uncertain how they'd do the upcoming episode (98/99/100) so that's why I did this now. I think it's fun to try to make predictions yippee yay

[bayleaf-2]

Hi so I didn't make any coding progress today, hence why I didn't post anything, but I did draw all day! Lotta info incoming so here! Here goes! I already did transcripts and stuff for a friend who has some but not all context and I'm. Very very tired so sorry gang but I'm not adding additional context. Also some of the tone might seem weird, cause again, directly to friend and not tumblr

That being said, big thing first! Started some design mockups for Arc 5, character notes included. Got damn the compression on this is bad sorry gang.

The first one is how Lyra looks literally the day after the campaign ends! That design's title is "The worst of it" because I don't know for sure how long that'll last, for multiple reasons (How long Lisp can fuck with Ioun's ritual until the library notices, how long Lyra's in this state of "make it to the next day" grief, etc) but I do know that this is their lowest point, so it feels best to label it as such if I don't have another reference point to label with, at least for the time being. The bullet points are as follows:

Feels dysphoric (outfit helps)

Now that they're not rushing through everything and actually have time to think about how they feel and also don't have to wear high tier armor all the time, Lyra realizes that she's not…actually happy being in such boxy clothes, among other things. I hesitate to go into any more detail cause I don't wanna trigger anyone else's dysphoria, but they change into a looser, more fem outfit. I'm realizing now that the silhouette still looks similar because I'm not as good with drawing clothes, but imagine it's like. Flowy and soft rather than boxy and thick. (Yes this is bc I wanted to give her a design changed but I also realized they'd want the same thing, it's been like. months)

"One day at a time"

Kind of explained before, but I'll elaborate a bit more just cause: They lost their entire family. They lost like 3 out of 4 of the people most important to them. He's almost 300, so he's probably lost someone before, but not like this. Not because of something so world changing, not with the world itself almost waiting for her to get over it so she can help fix everything (or at least that's how she feels.)

Feels bad seeking comfort from or being comforted by the library

The library is something that's connected very strongly to Ioun! He feels like Khunoth and Emily would be furious at him for that, Emily especially. Now does Lyra need to talk to someone? Absolutely. Is he gonna feel any less guilty? Not really.

2nd mockup: Titled "approximately winter" because iirc the campaign started at like…the tail end of summer, and it's been about 3 months (2 months of travel time and 1 month of Actual Shit happening) but don't quote me on the exact timing. Hence the approximately. It could be the beginning of winter, or the end. I also wanted to encompass the whole season to leave wiggle room time-wise for the emotional recovery aspect.

Dysphoria gone! Yay! A combination of them feeling better emotionally and the thing that was causing it being gone. She's more confident again, yippee!

Quest full-time? Maaaybe by this point, he's spending most of his time outside the library going on Kate's quest and looking for the book. Again, it's a timing thing. I imagine once they're in a good enough state for it, they go like. Full detective on it and have a notebook dedicated to their findings and stuff. Additionally, if this is the case, they probably go by Elion at this point! For the record, if any of her family members were still around, she'd probably prefer that they call her Lyra.

Old party members find her Speaking of which! If any of the people from Elion's other parties were to find him, they would've found him by this point, most likely. It's been a while since the godslaying ended and the funeral's happened so word's gotten out about who was involved. Now, based on my memory (but the last time we got recognized was a while ago) people knew the names of the godslayers, but not the faces. There are people who've been tracking the party, but that's a small group, I think. So Elion's party members miiiight not know she's a godslayer unless she tells them? Again, questionable how much the general public knows, and we've been getting adventuring parties sent after us so. It could go either way.

Sorry if this is like. Unfollowable without context, I might fix it in the morning. I also will say, the reason old party members is getting brought up at all is because a friend wanted to hug Lyra after hearing what happened to them and I said ":v she- she's been in other parties, you could have one of your characters know her iyw-" and they said yes, so I'm trying to think about it now, just for funsies XP

There's more art, but with how long this post already is I'm just gonna post em separately.

[horromcom]

elaborating on earlier when i was talking abt the wasted potential barry carried im mainly talking in regards to his redemption/post-coma writing. not saying his pre-coma portrayal was perfect by any means, i still got some problems w it, but in comparison he feels leagues more well-utilized as a character

idk how to explain it but it kinda feels like the writers dont know WHAT to do w him anymore. like a barry redemption has the potential to be so complex and dynamic and could lead to soooo many fun ideas and episodes and potential plot threads and so many new angles to explore but the writers just dont do ANYTHING INTERESTING WITH IT (avgn voice) WHAT WERE THEY THINKINGGGG??

like ok 11x4 was. fine. still has some MAJOR glaring issues that make me foam at the mouth, but on its own its alright for the most part, i still revisit it a lot and if i dont think abt it too much its fun. 12x8 on the other hand was where it all falls apart for me

like i’ll never forget how excited i was for that ep thinking it was gonna tackle at least some of the cool new potential themes and ideas his character now carries like YES ITS HAPPENING WE’RE WINNING WAHOOO YIPPEEEE .. and then they completely botched it. like i cant say they didnt try, the ep did have some good ideas but the way it was all executed was sooo :/ disappointing and boring and surface-level and tbh kinda felt shoehorned in for a quick easy source of conflict and drama rather than being naturally developed over the course of his arc to the point where it almost feels like an afterthought and its all just so FRUSTRATINGGGG. (shrek image) they didnt even follow up on the events of 11x4. sucks especially bc this episode was shaping up to be one of my favs ever and then it actually aired and it was the worst night of my entire life hate and violence on planet earth. and it honestly has me extremely worried for future seasons too bc on one hand im scared his death’s gonna stick and the end of his arc will be whatevr the hell that was,, but on the other im scared he’ll come back and the writers will continue to butcher his character the way they’re doin. idk which is scarier AAAAA. like maybe they’ll surprise me maybe they’ll fix the problems i have and do something fun and new with him im trying so hard to stay optimistic. but my hopes aren’t high at all. the bar is at the earths core. yes im sooo excited for s13 yippee yay. yes im also shaking like a wet lil dog whenever i think abt how its almost here bc my poor blorbo might get massacred further

also the ‘doesnt get enough screen time’ slot that i checked off plays into the wasted potential angle too. like i think prior to the coma seasons the amount he got was fine (i def wouldnt complain if he had more but for what he got yeah it works) but post-coma i think the whole ‘once a season’ thing doesnt work anymore now that they’ve taken him in this new direction that requires more focus and care to develop. like i said abt how 12x8 felt rly rushed with barry’s whole deal feeling like it was tossed in without much forethought, i think that wouldnt have been so much of a problem if he were allowed more episodes prior to DO ANYTHING to establish his character growth and new motives/ideals and relationships/dynamics with the rest of the team and his clear struggles with recovery and how having archer back in the picture is affecting him and MY GOD. archer fx staff give him some filler episodes RAT NAO IM SO SRS and i know im yelling at clouds here bc i doubt this is something they’re gonna work on in future seasons considering they’re prob gonna stick to the 8 ep structure forever now which means less time to build on their side characters which drives me so mad and also another thing why have him apart of the team at all if ur not gonna do ANYTHINGGGG WITH HIM WHATS THE POINT THEN like if u for some reason cant feature him in too many eps then at least make up an excuse as to where he is or SOMETHING to affirm hes an established team member like the show claims like is he apart of the agency or not HELLO IS ANYONE THERE CAN ANYONE HEAR ME ITS SO DARK AND COLD IN HERE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE HELP MEEEE

where am i going w this what am i talking abt im running on three hours of sleep here im not crazy i just want my babygirl sweet angel darling honeypie to have good writing and a meaningful well-realized arc and fun interesting relationship dynamics and character complexity/depth and actual thought and attention put into his development SO SO BAD I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE AUUUGHH AUUAHAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (DATS ME YELLIN)

[dustedmagazine]

Dust, Volume 5, No. 2

Abjects

It must have been the polar vortex, forcing Dusted writers to stay in out of sub-zero weather and coercing them to focus on records they’d been neglecting.  That’s the most plausible explanation for this especially robust edition of Dust which covers black metal from Tunisia, free jazz from Chicago, desert blues from the Sahara and a punk band from all over the place.  This edition’s contributors include Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw, Patrick Masterson, Ian Mathers, Isaac Olsen, Nate Knaebel and Bill Meyer.

Abjects—Never Give Up (Yippee Ki Yay)

Never Give Up by Abjects

Punk rock is the common language for this globe-hopping threesome, the singer/guitarist Noemi hailing from Spain, bassist Yuki from Japan and Alice, the drummer, from Spain. Their slash-and-bang aggression softens, just a bit, in tight, dizzy harmonies in cuts like the title and “Long Way to Go.” Others, including the single, “The Storm” stutter and swagger on hard staccato foundations, while sweetening the pot with all-hands vocals. This is basic stuff, executed with a certain amount of flair and skill and broken by occasional blistering, shreddy not-exactly-class-of-1979 guitar solos. All three members have spent time in the U.K. and have strong opinions on EU membership. Their “Fuck Brexit” rampages and rolls in rapid-fire repugnance, with a snarling tangle of guitars, a tom-tom fury of drums. You might hear hints of Reading Rainbow and Grass Widow in the vocal-centered cuts, but “Awake” is pure, four-slashing, garage punk, a la L7 and the Ramones, but with a tiny bit of an accent.

Jennifer Kelly

 Ayyur — The Lunatic Creature (Sentient Ruin Laboratories) 

The Lunatic Creature by Ayyur

“Lugubrious Fields” is the first and most interesting track on The Lunatic Creature, a new EP by Tunisian black metal act Ayyur. Like the other songs on the tape, “Lugubrious Fields” is driven by layered guitar riffs that crackle and buzz with anxious menace. Melody manages to cut through the guitars’ miasmatic fog, and vocals, supplied by bandleader and songwriter Angra Mainyu, growl and whither, emerging and disappearing back into the thick mix. Much of the track lingers at midtempo, held there by the riffs’ accumulated power. Don’t let the relatively exotic sound of the phrase “Tunisian black metal” fool or titillate you — this is pretty conventional stuff, evocative by turns of the USBM Cascadian movement and then of tougher, more orthodox acts like Aosoth (and it should be noted that former Deathspell Omega vocalist Shaxul provides drums on this record). But if midtempo black metal is your thing, this tape is worth a listen.  

Jonathan Shaw

 Dawn — New Breed (Local Action)

new breed by DAWN

Goldenheart was the record that put her on the map, Blackheart got all the attention and Redemption was the overly long attention-getter, but the more I listen to New Breed, the more I think this is the record Dawn Richard was meant to make. It’s not a pristinely polished pop production a la Goldenheart or anything Janelle Monáe’s done since The ArchAndroid (though it likely won’t surprise you to learn that Monáe reached out to Richard last year either because of or as an inspiration for the latter’s cover of “Pynk”), and it’s not the purely synthetic club constructions of Redemption or the Infrared EP; if anything, this is a little disjointed and sloppy – song transitions can be fairly abrupt and the sonic arc can zig and zag across R&B, funk, soul and pop with political sutures loosely keeping the theme. But it holds together just enough to be her most exciting album, and certainly the one with the most potential for a wider listenership than just futurist R&B enthusiasts. Put another way: It’ll be a travesty if you don’t hear “Dreams and Converse” playing from every bodega, bank lobby and beat-up SUV in five months.  

Patrick Masterson

DenMother — Past Life (Counting on Downstairs)

“Face,” the opening track of now-Fredericton (by way of Toronto) based DenMother’s new record both marks the end of a busy year (2018 saw releases in January, June, and here December) and exhibits a contrast that gets right to what makes Sabarah Pilon’s work under the name always compelling. The first sound you hear is a lilting melody of what sounds like a synthesizer trying to sing like a person; before too long, it’s joined and almost (but not quite) overwhelmed by a more obviously machine-based blare of sound, a thickly sliding, grinding tone. It might sound like those elements are incompatible, or that they wouldn’t mesh well with the song DenMother sings over them, but the result feels perfectly natural. And if “Face” makes for a great example of the kind of music DenMother’s been making for years now, Past Life also shows some new dynamics and approaches, whether it’s the bereft upright bass-and-voice intro to “All Black” or the more heavily textured, submerged songcraft of “Not a Likely Story.” Past Life features both, in the form of the guitar reverb and vocal refrain duo of “The Desert,” one of the starkest DenMother songs and, in the warmly embracing and emotional ambiguous “Fish Cars,” maybe the best example of her ‘classic’ sound in a year or two. Here’s hoping for a similarly active 2019 from one of Canada’s best hidden treasures.

Ian Mathers

 Etran de L'Aïr — No. 1 (Sahel Sounds)

No. 1 by Etran de L'Aïr

In the decade or so since Tinariwen broke through in Europe and the US, there’s been such a glut of Saharan records that it’s easy to miss a real stunner when it comes out. Easier still when said stunner is by a budget wedding band from Agadez and released by the prolific boutique label, Sahel Sounds. If you also missed Etran de L'Aïr’s No. 1 when it came out last year, don’t wait any longer to pick up one of 2018’s most dopamine releasing LPs. Recorded live outside the band/family’s home in front of an ecstatic crowd, Etran’s music, with its flashy but oh-so-sweet interlocking guitar lines and unwillingness to let a good groove go to waste, sounds like a stripped-down, scrappy, North African garage rock version of Congolese soukous. After the throat-clearing first track, they never touch the ground. Pure pleasure. Highest recommendation.

Isaac Olson

 Ex-Display Model— Ex-Display Model (Self released)

Ex-Display Model by Ex-Display Model

The fact that Ex-Display Model, as of their debut, sound a little bit like Fujiya & Miyagi isn’t a big surprise. Plenty of listeners tend to identify bands via vocalists, for one thing, and F&M’s David Best has one of the more pleasingly indelible voices in the field. And in fact, Ex-Display Model started out as a solo project for Best, before he started working with AK/DK’s Ed Chivers, so when the opening “Immaculate Rip” channels a tinge of F&M’s cool, sardonic electro-rock it’s hard to be upset by more of a good thing. But then the song channels a malfunctioning guitar pedal for a much more abrasive chorus, and this taut, sharply formed debut is off the races. Whether it’s adding Au Revoir Simone’s Annie Hart on the reflective, melancholy “Autopilot” or going slightly glam on “Swing of Things” (or, for that matter, doing one of the best straight Motorik homages in a while on “Torschlusspanik”) Ex-Display Model wind up distinguishing themselves easily from either parent project, while offering some tantalizing glimpses of where the project could go further, starting from this basis next time around. The closing title track channels the duo’s instincts towards both dense repetition and thrilling squall into a fine climax — display-ready or not, here’s hoping for more from them.  

Ian Mathers

 Foster / Young / Zerang—Bind the Hand(s) That Feed (Relative Pitch)

Bind the Hand(s) That Feed by Michael Foster / Katherine Young / Michael Zerang

Bassoonist Katherine Young and percussionist Michael Zerang first encountered New York-based tenor / soprano saxophonist Michael Foster when the latter musician came to Chicago to participate in the 2018 Exposure Series . Originally conceived as a residency to bring an out of town composer and a group of Chicagoan improvisers, that year the event played out as a sequence of encounters between local improvising musicians/presenters and their counterparts in other cities around the USA. Coming from different aesthetic corners and generations, they build out from common commitments to improvisation and extended technique. You can hear them figure out what works as the set progresses. Things start with a scrape and a rasp; Zerang loves friction, Foster sucks and gargles, and Young magnifies and distorts her instrument’s woody timbres with electronics. After an initial fractious dust-up, they pull back to explore micro-sounds, patient gestures and complementary contours. The trio collectively realizes such a fertile environment that it’d be a shame if they didn’t re-convene to see what else they can grow in it.

Bill Meyer

 Hoover / “Hoover1” 12” (Nowt Recordings)

HOOVER1 by nOWt

No DC post-hardcore, vacuum cleaners or unloved blanket-bearing presidents need apply on René Pawlowitz’s latest alias, pardon, release as Hoover. The Frankfurt producer best known as Shed (but certainly willing to go by a number of other names — just look at that list) has recently been exploring throwback rave music as a style beyond his usual triangulation of techno, house and dubstep. Unlike the 12” he put out for XL as The Higher in November, which featured prominent vocals, brash synths and uptempo percussion experiments, the Hoover vinyl is a more restrained effort. For evidence, check the almost stripped-back feel of the a-side, which uses the common trope of a distended female vocal sample before an all-enveloping astral synth swoops in around a little before the two-minute mark. But that’s as far as he’s willing to wade into these waters – the percussion holds station and remains clipped. The half-stepping b-side, meanwhile, is a sumptuous after-hours burner that arguably does less than the a-side; it almost feels like a cut better suited for the Workshop crowd. Beautiful studies in sound design and mood both, but if you were looking for something a little, er, higher, Hoover’s probably not going to get you there.

Patrick Masterson

  The Hunches — Same New Thing (Almost Ready Records)

The popular narrative attributes the heavily scare-quoted garage rock revival of the early-2000s to bands like the Strokes, the Hives, and the White Stripes. Let me tell you something, no disrespect to Jack or Pelle, but that's just fucking dumb, and you should know that. It started right here and it pretty much ended here, too. The Hunches would get louder, artier, and weirder leading up to their demise in 2009, but these previously unreleased 2002 demos (some of which would appear later in revised form, while others are completely new to the world) find the band in a raw, feral state. Hart Gledhill sound sounds like he's about to cough up a lung and rip his heart out on every song, and guitarist Chris Gunn takes aim with rapid-fire KBD riffs, drags the listener through rusted shards of post-Stooges shrapnel skronk, and then offers the necessary first-aid in the form of chiming, downright melodic leads. Same New Thing shows that while everyone else was playing "Incense and Peppermints," the Hunches had been playing "Psycho" all along.  

Nate Knaebel 

 Jovan Karcic—2015 (Scioto)

2015 by Jovan Karcic

Jovan Karcic played guitar in the agitated pop punk band Gaunt during the 1990s, and he’s currently sitting in on drums for the raucous punk band Scrawl. You might not expect his latest solo album 2015 to be as sleek and full-throatedly synthy as it is, or to recall the lush keyboard atmospheres of the Cure or the chilled funk syncopation of smooth R&B. But there it is, Karcic’s songs are gleaming, surging masses of synthethic sound, which slip from self-searching confessionalism into ambient reveries. 2015 looms much larger than your typical bedroom-recorded autonomous songwriter project, with brighter, more polished textures in service of its down-on-its-luck narrative. “Larry’s,” for instance, visits the colorless desolation of a mid-American tavern, the kind with pinball machines and pool tables and decades-old alliances scratched in initials into table tops. And yet it’s recorded in what might be the very opposite of kitchen sink realism, with booming dance-floor rhythms and thick layers of keyboard interplay and a 1970s Dire Straits-ish guitar solo erupting out of the interstices. “Lesserman,” later on, draws a contrast between the downbeaten “Lesserman” and the more successful “Betterman” who “eats breakfast with his kids, and looks them in the eyes,” and confides that, “today brings opportunities for joy.” Yet though the track intensifies when it gets to the “Betterman” verses, with massed vocals and additional electric keyboard parts, Karcic’s heart is with “Lesserman.” Maybe 2015 is “Lesserman” imagining an impossibly happy ending, lush, sweetened with keyboards, pulsing with a positive rhythm, while outside sleet needles down on dirty streets, and tomorrow is never a better day.

Jennifer Kelly  

 Eli Keszler — Stadium (Shelter Press)

Stadium by Eli Keszler

You need people to fill up a stadium, and this record sounds like just the tool to expand Eli Keszler’s audience. His past work has included kicking out the jams with Oren Ambarchi and wiring a pumping station for sound. They’re worthy endeavors, but not ones likely to pull a stadium-sized crowd, or even an audience like his recent mates Oneohtrix Point Never and Rashad Becker might draw. So Keszler has recontextualized his extraordinary percussive technique and his abiding concern with spatial sound by pairing them with more accessible sounds. The opening track “Measurement Doesn’t Change the System at All” (a claim that physicists could dispute) combines a creeping Farfisa melody and sprinting, undeniable groove. The vibraphone and bass drum on “Flying Floor for U.S. Airways” are magnified until they are as thick and plush as sofa stuffing; the patter of dryer drum and stick sounds manifests a clear focus point in an otherwise cloudy space. And while 

“Fashion of Echo” begins with a typical Keszler gambit, using rapidly and precisely articulated shifts between the different parts of the kit to suggest a three-dimensional configuration in motion, there’s more forward momentum than in the past. Stadium sounds rather like something Aphex Twin might achieve if he took up the drums.

Bill Meyer

  Kukuruz Quartet — Julius Eastman Piano Interpretations (Intakt)

Julius Eastman Piano Interpretations by Kukuruz Quartet

George Lewis’s liner notes underscore the precariousness of Julius Eastman’s profile. From promising beginnings as a performer and a composer of avant-garde classical music in the 1970s and 1980s, he spiraled into obscurity and homelessness and was almost forgotten. If not for the luck, if you can call it that, that the current concern with elevating under-heard narratives, for which Eastman certainly qualifies — black, queer, an extraordinary singer, an acutely challenging composer in an idiom more likely to borrow from people of color than to follow their lead — follows his death by only a couple decades, would he be totally forgotten? So let’s take the emergence of an album dedicated to his work by a European piano quartet as a good sign. Bright recording and exacting performances make this an easier listen that some of Eastman’s own performances, and the density made possible by the use of four grand pianos amplifies the archness of “Evil Nigger” and the spiritual aura of “Gay Guerilla.” Two less notoriously entitled pieces, a robust exercise in overlaid patterns called “Fugue no. 7” and a long, barely there exploration of the piano’s innards named “Buddha,” round out a set well worth hearing.

Bill Meyer

 loscil – Submers (Kranky)

Submers by loscil

Kranky continues their reissue program of Scott Morgan’s earlier work as loscil, bringing his second album Submers (originally released on CD in 2002) out on vinyl. loscil records tend to operate on two levels, with the immediate/visceral impact of his richly soothing and/or foreboding music (still, at this point, fairly summed up as “ambient dub”) working hand in hand with some sort of conceptual angle for both artist and listener to meditate upon. With Submers, it was submarines, including the Russian Kursk, which had recently lost all hands after a torpedo mishap during a naval exercise. While more recent releases have shown just how well Morgan can fold in the work of collaborators, on this record he’s working strictly from sample sources and composing using a custom-built sequencer, no synthesizers or acoustic instruments involved. The result is an enveloping, suitably aquatic sound world from the shimmering, gently pulsing opening track “Argonaut I” into a solid hour of engrossing deep sound. Morgan has continued to refine his work but there’s a reason Submers brought him to wider attention at the time - it’s still one of the highlights in one of the most solid discographies in ambient music.  

Ian Mathers  

 Lucille Furs — Another Land (Requieum for Un Twister)

The first thing you hear is a bassline borrowed from “Come Together,” the second a hazy overtone of keyboards and guitars. Lucille Furs, out of Chicago, are deep into a 1960s psychedelic lode, with hints of Love and the Zombies wafting through their low-key lysergic tunes. Slanty, surfy-toned guitar splinter the air in “Paint Euphrosyne Blue,” chortling organics burble up through the tune. It’s more emphatic than most of these tunes a fuzz-garage raver in line with Black Angels or the Allah-Las. Elsewhere the vibe is sleepier, but still enticing. While not exactly overstuffed—there are only five of them and the most exotic instrument is a mellotron—these songs feel plush and carefully arranged. Baroque garage pop isn’t really a category, but maybe it should be.

Jennifer Kelly

 Murderer — I Did It All for You (Toxic State)

I Did It All For You by Murderer

With just an extremely short 2013 demo to their name, Murderer went recording and came back with this 15-tracker released in the dying days of December that picks at a scab of more than just straight-ahead garage vibes: There are the gentle chimes that color the margins of “Piece of Candy”; that lazy, burned-out surf riff on “Cowboy” and “Moonlight”; the creepy dreaming of “Juicy Fruit Dream”; the slightly overbearing keyboard flourish on “A Diamond Just for You”; the fact that there are four different tracks all called “Perfect” here; and so on. Featuring commanding drum work by Sam Ryser (also of Crazy Spirit and Dawn of Humans) and guitar and vocals courtesy Hank Wood of thee Hammerheads, the thing that came to my mind after a first listen was Pink Flag-era Wire, but the taut post-punk goes in enough different directions to get you racking your brain for better analogs from the turn of the ‘80s. “I need it to be perfect / I need it to be real / That’s just how I feel” each “Perfect” intones; in its own way, it certainly is that. Great album for the fuckin’ record reviewer in your life.

Patrick Masterson

 Doug Paisley — Starter Home (No Quarter)

Starter Home by Doug Paisley

The title track of Doug Paisley’s Starter Home is the sort of perfect instant classic that most songwriters on the folk/country spectrum spend an entire career hoping they’ll write. While “Starter Home” and its autopsy of middle-class aspiration, repression and stasis could have been written anytime in the last 60 years, it has particular resonance ten years into a housing crisis that only the wealthy think is over. Nothing else here is as good as “Starter Home”, but “No Way to Know,” “Mister Wrong,” “Drinking with a Friend,” and “Waiting” come close. The other four tracks are all worth hearing at least once, too. Like Paisley’s previous records, Starter Home is a better-than-average folk record with a handful of knockouts. He’s going to have an incredible Best Of collection someday.

Isaac Olson

 Manuel Troller — Vanishing Points (three:four)

Vanishing Points by Manuel Troller

Rock dynamics shape the music that Manuel Troller makes with Schnellertollermeier. In KvG’s Bottom Orchestra, he shifts nimbly from chamber music to free improvisation to shattered chanson. But when the Swiss guitarist plays solo, it’s all about the possibilities of his gear. Troller could not get the tones he gets without a plugged-in signal chain; with it, his sounds range from feathery cirrus to fractured granite. He uses delays to freeze moments of motion, sometimes to subject them to examination and other times to use chunks of digital stutter as building blocks. This description may sound a bit clinical, but Troller has a knack for turning sound into experience. Sometimes this record feels like flight, other times like you’re stumbling around in a dark and cluttered factory space, but it never feels like a guy just fiddling with his strings and boxes. 

Bill Meyer

 Jamila Woods — “Zora” single (Jagjaguwar)

LEGACY! LEGACY! by Jamila Woods

The Zora Neale Hurston quotation I keep returning to in listening to the second single from Jamila Woods’ sophomore full-length Legacy! Legacy! is, “I love myself when I am laughing … and then again when I am looking mean and impressive.” The 29-year-old Chicagoan is exuding confidence from every pore on this three-minute track, luring you from the soft power of “I tenderly fill my enemies with white light” to the leveling of “You will know never everything, everything / I will never know everything, everything” to the outright ascension of “I may be small, I may speak soft / but you can see the change in the water.” In a word: Recognize. The gorgeous harp flourishes, sparsely echoing synths and dusty groove of the beat, accompanied with backing vocals mixed to accentuate rather than overwhelm Woods’ lead, further illustrate who is running the show here. As Hurston also once said, there are years that ask questions and years that answer; for any doubters left after 2016’s Heavn (and aren’t there always a few), May’s Legacy! Legacy! should firmly weed them out. Get ready.

Patrick Masterson

[power-rings-infinity-blog]

No, I just couldn’t give up the idea that chaos emeralds are at least slightly more plentiful on Mobius. Mostly due to the logical reasoning that Sonic becoming Super Sonic needs tons of energy and would likely drain the chaos emeralds since the need for him to also have 50 power rings was retconned out at some point. So needing to scrounge and find seven more chaos emeralds for next time keeps going Super a rare occurrence. And also due to the fact that there are only seven emeralds in the first place because Sega decided to rip off Dragonball. So it makes the concept slightly more original.

And you could tell that I was feeling guilty about missing so many updates that year, because I sat my ass down and pumped out enough strips to make Power Rings daily for the two weeks before Christmas. But don’t be fooled, 2008 had a fifth less updates than 2007 and we actually have less than a hundred comics left in our archive after this arc. Yet, I still feel the quality of our strips were still going up, and we still hadn’t lost much of our readership, but it was starting to soften by the end of that year.

Additional commentary for You Call That Backup? follows:

Despite the reports that Sega is absolutely planning for a 2018/2019 release, the movie poster I mocked up for this strip still effectively communicates how the fandom should feel.

The first part of Yippee-Ki-Yay was originally published between 10-12-2007 and 16-12-2007.

[ramajmedia]

11 Things From Die Hard That Haven't Aged Well | ScreenRant

In 1988, Die Hard hit theaters and introduced audiences to the everyman hero John McClane for the first time. Not only did it turn Bruce Willis into one of the most bankable action stars of the decade, but the movie also changed the landscape of action movies forever. Modern action movies owe a lot to Die Hard, and the genre would be very different without it.

RELATED: 10 Things In Sci-Fi Movies You Didn’t Know Were CGI

But since it was release during the tail end of the ‘80s, it goes without saying that not everything about McClane’s time in The Nakatomi Plaza aged well. None of these outdated elements can reduce the movie’s status as an action-packed masterpiece, but they do offer new points of view to consider. Here are 10 things from Die Hard that did not age well.

10 The Die Hard Clones

When it first came out, there was nothing like Die Hard in cinemas. So it’s not surprising that every studio wanted its own Die Hard after seeing how much money McClane’s violent Christmas vacation pulled in. This was done by replacing the variable in the simple equation “Die Hard in an X.”

RELATED: 5 Reasons We Need To See Lethal Weapon 5 (& 5 Why We Don’t)

Some of the most noteworthy knock-offs include: Cliffhanger, Passenger 57, Sudden Death, and Under Siege. The imitation game persists even today, as seen in the disposable Lockout, Olympus has Fallen, and Skyscraper. By no fault of its own, Die Hard itself has become a cliché.

9 The Sequels

The only thing worse than the Die Hard clones are its sequels. While the first two are still enjoyable even if they somewhat diminish the original’s impact and McClane’s everyman status, the fourth and fifth movies tanked the franchise’s reputation beyond repair.

RELATED:Jack Nicholson’s 10 Most Iconic Roles, Ranked

Live Free or Die Hard was a watered down bore that misunderstood everything that made McClane and Die Hard iconic, while A Good Day to Die Hard was just a horrible waste of time. There are rumors about a sixth installment, though whatever good faith the series once had is now gone following the fifth movie’s abysmal reception.

8 The Director’s Legacy

With Die Hard being only his third movie, director John McTiernan seemed set for cinematic greatness. This would’ve been the case if not for his arrest.

When filming the Rollerball remake, McTiernan hired a private investigator to find some dirt on his producer. This landed him in court, where he was charged for invasion of privacy and perjury. He served a 12-month sentence and was released in 2014 before filing for bankruptcy. McTiernan’s legal problems derailed his career, effectively blacklisting him from Hollywood despite directing classics such as Predator and The Hunt for Red October.

7 Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf****r

Die Hard would be nothing without Willis' gloriously improvised line “Yippee-ki-yay, motherf****r.” McClane’s badass catchphrase is something that’s perfectly ‘80s, but it was an outdated reference even back in 1988.

The phrase hails from old-fashioned Western movies, where cowboys would yell it out loud or sing it over a campfire with some friends. Unless they’re directed by Quentin Tarantino, cowboy movies are generally considered passé or niche today. Most newcomers would associate the words “Yippee-ki-yay” to McClane rather than one of the many cowboys John Wayne portrayed.

6 Hans Gruber

A hallmark of American action movies from the ‘80s is the classy villain, preferably of European descent. Hans Gruber isn’t the first but he may very well be the template for the nefarious European who pulls the strings in these kinds of movies.

Cunning, cultured, and educated, Hans represents the smug elite that the blue-collar hero McClane must bring back to Earth by either punching him or dropping him off a building. Hans isn’t a bad villain by any measure, but copying his style today could date a movie by almost 40 years.

5 Argyle & Theo

There was a time when all African American characters talked in the same hyperactive and exaggerated manner, littering sentences with slang and using curses or slurs as punctuation marks. Die Hard is guilty of implementing this stereotype not once but twice, doing so through McClane’s driver Argyle and Hans’ tech wizard Theo.

RELATED: 10 Weird Secrets Behind Disney’s Peter Pan

Though both characters have their own moments beyond harmless comic relief, they share the same talkative shtick and job of annoying their bosses. If Die Hard were a radio play, the two would almost be indistinguishable from one another.

4 Richard Thornburg

In ‘80s media starring law enforcement, the press is usually more immoral than the terrorists and mass murderers. The exploitative and self-absorbed TV anchor Richard Thornburg fulfills this role in Die Hard, arguably getting worse in the sequel.

Since Die Hard was made during a culturally conservative time when the idea of law and order was put on a pedestal, it’s unsurprising that investigative journalism – which provides checks and balances – is depicted in such a negative light. Say what you will about the media, but Thornburg’s outdated characterization is both flat and mean-spirited.

3 Holly Gennero

Every ‘80s action hero needs a love interest, and McClane has his ex-wife Holly. As expected of her role, she chides the male lead for being too manly before falling for the same traits later. Long story short, she still needs a man despite her self-proclaimed independence.

While Holly’s role as the mediator between the hostages and terrorists did age well, she doesn’t do much else besides praise McClane when he’s off killing bad guys. Granted she is a hostage but this only reinforces the readings that view her as a glorified damsel in distress.

2 John McClane

Like the cowboys Hans compared him to, McClane is a hero who belongs in a bygone era. The cowboy cop is an obvious male power fantasy, but what’s more interesting are the aged conservative values McClane represents.

RELATED: Everything We Know (So Far) About A Quiet Place: Part II

McClane validates older men who refuse to get with the times, scoffing at modernity and solving problems through practical old-school know-how. Additionally, he embodies the heroic father figure who protects his defenseless flock. A patriarch who, curiously, only seems to find purpose in times of crisis. McClane’s example aged so poorly that the only innovation made was giving aggressively protective dads a beard.

1 Al Powell’s Backstory

McClane’s only ally is the unlucky but dutiful cop Al Powell, who feels guilty for shooting a kid after mistaking a toy gun for the real thing. Al’s arc concludes when he pulls the trigger again, getting over his rookie mistake instead of realizing the gravity of killing a child.

While not really Die Hard's fault, Al’s backstory aged the worst because of today's many similar shooting incidents and authorities’ inaction. The case of Tamir Rice from 2014 is the same as the kid in Al’s story but with none of the histronics, as Tamir’s death was tragically senseless.

NEXT: Die Hard: 10 Craziest Action Sequences, Ranked

source https://screenrant.com/things-die-hard-movie-havent-aged-well/

[jeckleanddean]

Stuck In The Middle (With You)

Well season 12 just serving them up and knocking them out of the park.

I mean everything about this episode for spine-chillingly excellent. As per usual the boys put in stellar performances - with a special shout out to that cute-in-death Misha Collins who brought me to tears - but I really want to take a second and talk about directing, production and writing, because for me, those were the stand out of this episode.

Directing. So Richard Speight Jnr (aka Gabriel aka King of Con) previously directed 'Just My Imagination’, the delightful, imaginary-friend-and-glitter-blood-filled romp through Sam’s beautiful backstory. And yippee ki yay was this episode in another vein. The polar opposite nature of these two episode really shows of Richard’s directing chops and his creative moxy. The Tarantino-esque style of this episode was to die for. The opening scene stunningly shot. The title cards. The music was to die for and one of my favourite parts of this episode. The multiple viewpoints for each character. (Much of this is credit ti writing as well but that’s a whole new dot point). That last scene had a shot through the window and makes you wonder who, if anyone, is watching Mary deal with the BMOL. Just real clever and stunningly shot scenes. I think Richard really upped the ante for episodes and brought a style and class to the episode, as well as a fresh concept. Obviously, this can’t be recreated every episode but it was a clever idea and not over the top. 

Writing. So writing an episode of Supernatural is not easy. Writing a mythology episode of Supernatural is even harder because there’s 12 years of mythology to understand and the fans will murder you if you mess even one this up (chill, is not a strong suit of this fandom). However, Davy Perez’s writing was like the breath of fresh air you take after being under water. You’re not dying, but you didn’t realise you needed the oxygen. The style. The multiple POVs. The subtle hints, nods and set ups. Really making you suspicious of Mary. Breaking down the reveal slowly. Reintroducing Crowley in a particularly badass and originally conniving way (although did you see him sad when Dean said they don’t need him). Giving us some particularly juicy Crowley backstory. Reintroducing Yellow Eyes. Giving us the Princes of Hell (who have been talked about in the Supernatural books) and providing us, really, with the overarching theme of the season. And finishing it all off with and “I love you” from Cas which really broke me and brought me to tears, as well as a sneaky red-eyed glow from our favourite Lucifer meatsuit. I think Perez really setup the characters so well, Mary and Crowley especially, and wove a complex and nuanced tale to interlink everyone’s past, present and future. The actual style of storytelling was a genius move, and my heart will be ever-grateful to Davy Perez for working the line “Where’s Wally?” into an actual storyline. I’m really excited to see more writing from him in the future - and that’s really exciting.

Production. So I’ve been a really big fan on Andrew Dabb at the creative helm on this season (see my #dabfordabb post). I think that the production quality of the show is at it’s utmost and that the writing and directing have been blended seamlessly, particularly int his episode. The notion that an originally MOTW episode eventually divulged into a mythology episode (and what seems to be a particularly important part of Supernatural mythology) is not original, but the way the story broke into this crazy arc that links the Winchester’s past, present and future was a real stroke of smarts. The way this season has been headed is exciting because it’s really tapping into the boy’s acting chops, and stretching them so we have these episodes that manage to balance drama and fantasy with moments of comedy and family. Personally, I think season 8 was the least-good season of Supernatural (actually it’s more like the end half of season 7 and the first half of season 8) and slowly the show has picked up. I mean, trying to get back from the crescendo that was ‘Swan Song’ was never going to easy, especially with Kripke leaving, and for me since season 10 the show has really started to hit its stride once more - reminiscent of the earliest seasons of Supernatural. I’m not saying that it needs to be a replica of itself, but what the balance between the different types of storytelling and emotions was the key to the earliest seasons being successful. Now I know the a lot of people don’t like Mary’s return, but I think it’s really facilitated the season 2 ~vibez~ that season 12 has given me. There’s such strong notions of family and trust, and with Mary and Cas we see two people - one blood and one not blood - in positions usually held by the other. It’s clear after everything they’ve been through that Cas is family for the boy’s, but Mary has not only been absent, she is currently absent as well - and for the boy’s family is about being there for each other. This isn’t a ‘Mary Is Bad Or Good Discourse’, this is a ‘Mary’s Presence Is The Vehicle This Season Has Used Very Well To Tell Stories’. I’ve personally enjoyed her presences, and even when she’s not been the best mother from the boy’s perspective, Sam has done a great job of portraying her conflict with this. (Also she consider Cas one of her boys. End me now, please). I’m well pleased with the characterisation of Mary and, as dubious as her actions were this episode, they are going to make excellent story-fodder - and isn’t that what good tv is all about?

(A quick shoutout to one of my favourite song’s ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ by Stealers Wheel. My dad and I love belting this out in the car. and surely the first two lines “Yeah, I don't know why I came here tonight/I got the feeling that something ain't right” are enough to make you smirk with knowing glee.)

TL:DR: Each paragraph became longer that the previous because I thought that this episode was stellar and I’m a happy little vegemite about it.

[jenmedsbookreviews]

This past weekend I have been on my travels again. After a fairly sedate week at work, where I spent most of if trying to work out what day it was thanks to the Bank Holiday, Mandie and I have headed oop north, very far up North as it happens, to Stirling in readiness for the launch of Bloody Scotland 2018, which takes place today at the Golden Lion Hotel. Excited muchly? Yes. Yes I am.

As if this wondrous happening wasn’t enough, we also booked out trains, hotels and accommodation for Bute Noir in August. this is the first time I have been off mainland Scotland and while it may not be the furthest away island I am still a touch excited and totally looking forward to it. Much of my holiday time is being spent exploring parts of the British Isles that I have either not experienced before or not visited in years. You would think with my job I’d be bored with travelling the UK by now but you’d be wrong. Have you actually stopped and taken time to look around you lately, or perhaps a little further afield. Our island, small, waterlogged and generally poo on the weather front as it may be. is actually a pretty bloody fantastic place to visit and there are so many parts I have yet to explore. Bring it on. Despite this being the fifth time in a smidge over two years that I have been to Stirling, this is the first time I’ve been to the Wallace Monument so there is always the chance to do something new, no matter how many times you go somewhere.

On the bookish front, it was all rather quiet again until mid week when I received a package from the lovely Karen at Orenda Books. Copies of Big Sister by Gunnar Staalesen, The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech and Overkill by Vanda Symon. I also received a copy of the next Leigh Russell Geraldine Steel title, Death Rope from publishers No Exit and How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt from Penguin. I also received a digital arc of A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni from Thomas and Mercer. Super tidy book week for me then 🙂

One Netgalley ARC this week which is one I have been looking forward to. I picked up The Thieftaker’s Trek by debut author Joan S. Sumner. I met Joan on the Crime and Publishment course in March and we had a really good talk about her writing. It turns out I have a little knowledge of the area in which Joan has set her books, if not of the era in which she has written them, but I’m really excited to read it and find out more.

So … last week I was on a bit of buying slump. Yeah … that’s over. 😀 I bought the following: The Defence, The Plea, and The Liar (also on audible) by Steve Cavanagh, The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech, After He Died by Michael J Malone, The Girl With No Name and Her Mother’s Grave by Lisa Regan. I also took the liberty of ordering the US cover of Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh as it is very pretty (Not out until 2019 but I can wait …) and Death Rope by Leigh Russell.

Normal service has resumed. Yay. (For Amazon anyway).

Books I have Read

Ultima – LS Hilton,

The shockingly audacious conclusion to the international bestselling phenomenon that began with Maestra. If you can’t beat them – kill them

First there was Maestra. Then there was Domina. Now – there is Ultima.

Glamorous international art-dealer Elizabeth Teerlinc knows a thing or two about fakes. After all, she is one herself. Her real identity, Judith Rashleigh, is buried under a layer of lies. Not to mention the corpses of the men foolish enough to get in her way. 

But now, caught in the murderous crossfire between a Russian Mafia boss and a corrupt Italian police detective, Judith is forced to create an even more daring work of art – a fake masterpiece she must take to the world-famous auction house where she used to be a lowly assistant and sell for $150 million.

For Judith the prospect of putting one over her loathsome former employer and the world’s art establishment is almost as thrilling as the extreme sex she’s addicted to – especially when the price of failure is a bullet in the back of the head.

But exposing her new identity to the glare of the spotlight puts her at risk of an even greater danger. Like a beautiful painting stripped of its layers of varnish, something altogether different could be revealed. 

A truth about her past even Judith might find shocking.

Yes. I know. I surprised me too. But you know what? I actually enjoyed this. Slightly steamier than your average thriller, there was a great story and really strong characterisation behind this book and as this was the final part in the series, I’m actually looking forward to going back and reading the first two. You can read my review here and purchase a copy of the book here.

…

Follow Me Home – DK Hood

‘Don’t you agree Detective? That some people deserve to die? I’ve killed the first. I’ve killed the second. Now will you catch the others, or do I have to kill them too?’

The body of Amos Price lies in a pool of blood on the polished floor of an otherwise empty house. With no signs of a break in, and no clues left at the scene, Detective Jenna Alton is at a loss.

But as the team begins to unpick the life of the reclusive victim, they discover a disturbing link between Amos and the disappearance of several young girls in the county going back years. 

Days later, another brutally murdered body is found, in a remote motel on the outskirts of town. Ely Dorsey was killed in a frenzied attack and Jenna fears not only that the murders are connected to the missing girls, but that the killer hasn’t finished yet.

As Jenna tries to work out who will be next, the killer suddenly starts sending her deputy, David Kane, messages. Is she being taunted? Or does the murderer want to be caught? And will Jenna discover who’s behind these killings before more people die?

An absolutely nail-biting thriller with plenty of twists, Follow Me Home is perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni, Karin Slaughter and Rachel Abbott.

The third part in the Kane and Alton series sees them on the hunt for a vicious killer who seems to be extracting their own kind of justice for truly heinous crimes. The subject matter is tough to read but carefully handled. The murders are brutal and varied. You’ll be able to read my review as part of the tour and can order a copy of the book here.

…

First to Die – Alex Caan

A DARK AND EDGY CRIME THRILLER FOR FANS OF SARAH HILARY, KATERINA DIAMOND, ANGELA MARSONS AND ROBERT BRYNDZA.

SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD IS A KILLER 

Bonfire Night and St James’s Park is filled with thousands of Anonymous protesters in a stand-off with the police. When a cloaked, Guido Fawkes mask-wearing body is discovered the following morning, Kate Riley and Zain Harris from the Police Crime Commissioner’s office are called in.

The corpse has been eaten away by a potentially lethal and highly contagious virus. The autopsy reveals the victim was a senior civil servant, whose work in international development involved saving lives. Why would anyone want him dead? 

THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN 

As the research team looking into the origins of the deadly virus scramble to discover an antidote, first one, then another pharmacist goes missing. Meanwhile, a dark truth starts to emerge about the murder victim: he was an aggressive man, whose bullying behaviour resulted in the suicide attempt of one of his former staff members.

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT . . .

With thirty lives potentially at stake, Kate and Zain have their work cut out for them. Can they find the two missing pharmacists in time, or will they too end up dead?

Gah. You have no idea how long I have wanted to read this book. I have had several false starts, plus some emergency blog tour reads which demanded my attention but have finally been able to finish what I started and boy am I a happy bunny. Uncannily topical this book had me hooked from start to finish. Oh how I have missed Zain. You’ll be able to read my review around publication day (not long now – 14th June) but can preorder a copy here.

…

Three books. Not bad considering I got distracted by Bute Noir and spent half a day driving to Stirling. I am actually half way through another audio book as well so I am still being productive if not effective. Blog wise, I have no idea but here is a recap.

Ultima by LS Hilton

Guest Review: Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski

Absolution by Paul E. Hardisty

Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies

When the Waters Recede by Graham Smith

Okay. So not so busy, Well I did say i was slowing down … This week I have blog tours today for Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh and on Friday for Big Sister by Gunnar Staalesen. If you stop by on Sunday, I may have a bit of a surprise for you all too.

Funny old week this week. I’m only actually in the office for two days (yippee) because I have a two day leadership conference to attend at Alton Towers of all places (less yippee) and of course today I am in Stirling. Then I am off work for a whole week so no office for me. Cannot wait. I may even remember to put my out of office on the email this time as well. Whoops.

Have a fabulously bookish time this week folks. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again very soon as I let you know all about this year’s Bloody Scotland line up. I am so excited.

If anyone wants to know why I blog and why I travel the country so much then this … this is why. I am super privileged to be in a position where I can do this kind of thing, where I am offered the chance to be part of something really special and where I am trusted enough to help to spread the word. You can keep the free ARCs, I am lucky enough to be able to afford my own books (as this weeks purchases will confirm). I appreciate being trusted with the books, I truly do, but they are not why I do this. What drives me, what I love about blogging, is being given the opportunity to support, champion and shout out about the bookish community that I love. What a gift.

Speak soon.

Jen

Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 03/06/18 This past weekend I have been on my travels again. After a fairly sedate week at work, where I spent most of if trying to work out what day it was thanks to the Bank Holiday, Mandie and I have headed oop north, very far up North as it happens, to Stirling in readiness for the launch of Bloody Scotland 2018, which takes place today at the Golden Lion Hotel.

[claro3goesfullfandom]

On the subject of the suace fiasco, and also on the subject of the Pick Rick episode: Die Hard does not end with Holly throwing herself into John's arms and apologizing for not seeing him for the badass he is, and giving up her career to move back to New York. The emotional/character arc of the movie is quite different. It's genuinely adult, unlike Rick, or the kind of fan bullshit that's all over cons and forums and, now, McDonalds' restaurants, and gives fandom a well-deserved, totally earned bad reputation. The abusive, pseudo-macho self-indulgence of Rick's behavior and the weird, totally un-self-aware cult/mob behavior of fans over the Szechuan sauce are basically the same, and they're a microcosm of what's wrong with geek culture: people who watched Die Hard and quote "Yippee Kay Yay," but fundamentally don't understand why John apologizes to Holly at the end. I'm just gonna white-knuckle my way through Ready Player One and hope this smug, stupid, adolescent bullshit ages out of fan spaces someday. Or maybe it's a bigger culture problem? I mean, look at Congress.

[ramajmedia]

11 Things From Die Hard That Haven't Aged Well | ScreenRant

In 1988, Die Hard hit theaters and introduced audiences to the everyman hero John McClane for the first time. Not only did it turn Bruce Willis into one of the most bankable action stars of the decade, but the movie also changed the landscape of action movies forever. Modern action movies owe a lot to Die Hard, and the genre would be very different without it.

RELATED: 10 Things In Sci-Fi Movies You Didn’t Know Were CGI

But since it was release during the tail end of the ‘80s, it goes without saying that not everything about McClane’s time in The Nakatomi Plaza aged well. None of these outdated elements can reduce the movie’s status as an action-packed masterpiece, but they do offer new points of view to consider. Here are 10 things from Die Hard that did not age well.

10 The Die Hard Clones

When it first came out, there was nothing like Die Hard in cinemas. So it’s not surprising that every studio wanted its own Die Hard after seeing how much money McClane’s violent Christmas vacation pulled in. This was done by replacing the variable in the simple equation “Die Hard in an X.”

RELATED: 5 Reasons We Need To See Lethal Weapon 5 (& 5 Why We Don’t)

Some of the most noteworthy knock-offs include: Cliffhanger, Passenger 57, Sudden Death, and Under Siege. The imitation game persists even today, as seen in the disposable Lockout, Olympus has Fallen, and Skyscraper. By no fault of its own, Die Hard itself has become a cliché.

9 The Sequels

The only thing worse than the Die Hard clones are its sequels. While the first two are still enjoyable even if they somewhat diminish the original’s impact and McClane’s everyman status, the fourth and fifth movies tanked the franchise’s reputation beyond repair.

RELATED:Jack Nicholson’s 10 Most Iconic Roles, Ranked

Live Free or Die Hard was a watered down bore that misunderstood everything that made McClane and Die Hard iconic, while A Good Day to Die Hard was just a horrible waste of time. There are rumors about a sixth installment, though whatever good faith the series once had is now gone following the fifth movie’s abysmal reception.

8 The Director’s Legacy

With Die Hard being only his third movie, director John McTiernan seemed set for cinematic greatness. This would’ve been the case if not for his arrest.

When filming the Rollerball remake, McTiernan hired a private investigator to find some dirt on his producer. This landed him in court, where he was charged for invasion of privacy and perjury. He served a 12-month sentence and was released in 2014 before filing for bankruptcy. McTiernan’s legal problems derailed his career, effectively blacklisting him from Hollywood despite directing classics such as Predator and The Hunt for Red October.

7 Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf****r

Die Hard would be nothing without Willis' gloriously improvised line “Yippee-ki-yay, motherf****r.” McClane’s badass catchphrase is something that’s perfectly ‘80s, but it was an outdated reference even back in 1988.

The phrase hails from old-fashioned Western movies, where cowboys would yell it out loud or sing it over a campfire with some friends. Unless they’re directed by Quentin Tarantino, cowboy movies are generally considered passé or niche today. Most newcomers would associate the words “Yippee-ki-yay” to McClane rather than one of the many cowboys John Wayne portrayed.

6 Hans Gruber

A hallmark of American action movies from the ‘80s is the classy villain, preferably of European descent. Hans Gruber isn’t the first but he may very well be the template for the nefarious European who pulls the strings in these kinds of movies.

Cunning, cultured, and educated, Hans represents the smug elite that the blue-collar hero McClane must bring back to Earth by either punching him or dropping him off a building. Hans isn’t a bad villain by any measure, but copying his style today could date a movie by almost 40 years.

5 Argyle & Theo

There was a time when all African American characters talked in the same hyperactive and exaggerated manner, littering sentences with slang and using curses or slurs as punctuation marks. Die Hard is guilty of implementing this stereotype not once but twice, doing so through McClane’s driver Argyle and Hans’ tech wizard Theo.

RELATED: 10 Weird Secrets Behind Disney’s Peter Pan

Though both characters have their own moments beyond harmless comic relief, they share the same talkative shtick and job of annoying their bosses. If Die Hard were a radio play, the two would almost be indistinguishable from one another.

4 Richard Thornburg

In ‘80s media starring law enforcement, the press is usually more immoral than the terrorists and mass murderers. The exploitative and self-absorbed TV anchor Richard Thornburg fulfills this role in Die Hard, arguably getting worse in the sequel.

Since Die Hard was made during a culturally conservative time when the idea of law and order was put on a pedestal, it’s unsurprising that investigative journalism – which provides checks and balances – is depicted in such a negative light. Say what you will about the media, but Thornburg’s outdated characterization is both flat and mean-spirited.

3 Holly Gennero

Every ‘80s action hero needs a love interest, and McClane has his ex-wife Holly. As expected of her role, she chides the male lead for being too manly before falling for the same traits later. Long story short, she still needs a man despite her self-proclaimed independence.

While Holly’s role as the mediator between the hostages and terrorists did age well, she doesn’t do much else besides praise McClane when he’s off killing bad guys. Granted she is a hostage but this only reinforces the readings that view her as a glorified damsel in distress.

2 John McClane

Like the cowboys Hans compared him to, McClane is a hero who belongs in a bygone era. The cowboy cop is an obvious male power fantasy, but what’s more interesting are the aged conservative values McClane represents.

RELATED: Everything We Know (So Far) About A Quiet Place: Part II

McClane validates older men who refuse to get with the times, scoffing at modernity and solving problems through practical old-school know-how. Additionally, he embodies the heroic father figure who protects his defenseless flock. A patriarch who, curiously, only seems to find purpose in times of crisis. McClane’s example aged so poorly that the only innovation made was giving aggressively protective dads a beard.

1 Al Powell’s Backstory

McClane’s only ally is the unlucky but dutiful cop Al Powell, who feels guilty for shooting a kid after mistaking a toy gun for the real thing. Al’s arc concludes when he pulls the trigger again, getting over his rookie mistake instead of realizing the gravity of killing a child.

By no fault of Die Hard, Al’s backstory aged the worst because of today's many similar shooting incidents and authorities’ inaction. The case of Tamir Rice from 2014 is the same as the kid in Al’s story but with none of the histronics, as Tamir’s death was cruelly senseless.

NEXT: Die Hard: 10 Craziest Action Sequences, Ranked

source https://screenrant.com/things-die-hard-movie-havent-aged-well/

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Yes folks. Like a large proportion of the country I got snowed in on Sunday. Yippee. At least for Sunday as I could stay snuggled under a blanket reading. Less yippee if this is what I am faced with trying to get to work on Monday … by the time you read this I’ll either have made it or not. We shall see.

Better week this week. Dragged myself down to London on Monday and attended the final First Monday Crime panel of the year which was a fun and moderately festive affair. So great hear from the panel of Louise Jensen, Mel McGrath, Susi Holliday and Chris Whitaker alongside chair Claire McGowan. This was followed by some top (?) crime writers pitching their slightly unusual story ideas to the audience. It was … an experience. I’m hoping none make it into print …

It was great to be able to get to the pub afterward and catch up with a few bookish folk including Jacob, Victoria, Joy, Amer, Tracy, Gabriela, Alex, Keshini, Roz, Vaseem, Linda, Katherine, Graham, Susi and Mel, as well as Mr Whitaker who was handing out hugs left right and centre. I’m sure I’ve probably missed scores of folk for which I apologise but it was a very busy night and I had to leave in a rush to catch my train or I’d be stranded in London all night. It was a bit like Cinderella only older, fatter, no fairy support and I managed to keep hold of both of my shoes …

I did pick up a couple of books on the day. One was a purchase from Waterstones, a signed copy of Robert Bryndza’s The Girl In The Ice. Seemed rude not to as I was in London. I also couldn’t resist grabbing a copy of All The Wicked Girls while I was at the panel and forcing Mr W to sign it. Cause, ya know, he’s so backward in coming forward … 😉

Book post wise this was an epic week. First up my two outstanding purchases from Goldsboro turn up. Yay. They were the CWA Anthology (Signed) and my signed copy of Whiteout by Ragnar Jonasson. I’m even quoteed in Whiteout so this is a super smiley book for me. On top of these I received arcs of Games with the Dead by James Nally; The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor;  Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone; Blue Night by Simone Buccholz; and Kiss Me, Kill Me by James Carol.

E-book wise I was sent a new novella from Julia Roberts, Christmas at Carol’s which I’ll be reviewing this week.

I also got a couple of books on Netgalley – Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh and We Own The Sky by Luke Allnut.

Not a bad bookhaul of a week I guess. Reading wise I finished two books and two novellas so I’ll take that.

Books I have Read

My Sweet Friend by H.A. Leuschel

A stand-alone novella from the author of Manipulated Lives

A perfect friend … or a perfect impostor?

Alexa is an energetic and charismatic professional and the new member of a Parisian PR company where she quickly befriends her colleagues Rosie and Jack. She brings a much-needed breath of fresh air into the office and ambitiously throws herself into her new job and friendships. 

But is Alexa all she claims to be? 

As her life intertwines with Rosie and Jack’s, they must all decide what separates truth from fiction. Will the stories that unfold unite or divide them? Can first impressions ever be trusted?

In this original novella, H.A. Leuschel evokes the powerful hold of appearances and what a person is prepared to do to keep up the facade. If you like thought-provoking and compelling reads with intriguing characters, My Sweet Friend is for you.

A really interesting and quick read, this book looks at the power of friendship and what happens when one of a pair uses manipulation to get what they want from life. I don’t want to give away too much more about the book as it’s only around 100 pages, but you can read my full review here and buy the book here 

…

A Game Of Ghosts by John Connolly

It is deep winter. The darkness is unending.

The private detective named Jaycob Eklund has vanished, and Charlie Parker is dispatched to track him down. Parker’s employer, Edgar Ross, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has his own reasons for wanting Eklund found.

Eklund is no ordinary investigator. He is obsessively tracking a series of homicides and disappearances, each linked to reports of hauntings. Now Parker will be drawn into Eklund’s world, a realm in which the monstrous Mother rules a crumbling criminal empire, in which men strike bargains with angels, and in which the innocent and guilty alike are pawns in a game of ghosts . . .

Finally!!! I am a very bad blogger. Should have read this months and months and moths ago but I never quite made it. Would never have forgiven myself if it had come to year end and it was still outstanding. Charlie Parker back at it;s thrilling and supernatural best this has a wonderful blend of the brilliant storyline and also emotional moments which make me very very happy. My review will be posted this week but you can buy a copy of the book here.

…

Christmas at Carol’s by Julia Roberts

An uplifting tale of people’s desire to help each other in the season of goodwill – a romantic comedy with a twist in the tale.

Carol fell in love with Wisteria Cottage the moment she laid eyes on it and moved in two weeks before Christmas hoping it would be start of a new more positive period in her life. 

On her first night in her new home she discovers an old Christmas card to someone called Annie with a heart-breaking message inside from Jake. 

Although she doesn’t know them, and despite being on a self-imposed dating break herself, Carol begins planning how she can bring them together, while her new neighbour, Sally, is attempting a bit of matchmaking of her own. 

What a wonderfully uplifting novella. Very festive and very romantic I’ll be sharing my thoughts with everyone later this week. This is the perfect story of family, friendships, love lost and love found, just set to get you in the mood for Christmas. You can pre-order a copy of the book here.

…

Foul Trade by B.K.Duncan

It is March 1920. May Keaps, the Poplar Coroner’s Officer, has never failed to provide a jury with sufficient evidence to arrive at a just verdict.

The poverty, drunken fights between visiting sailors, drug trafficking, and criminal gangs, haunting the shadows of the busiest docks in the world, mean that the Coroner sees more than its fair share of sudden and unnatural deaths.

May relishes the responsibility placed upon her but there are many who believe it’s an unsuitable job for a woman. Even May begins to wonder if that is the case when the discovery of a young man’s body, in a Limehouse alley, plunges her into an underworld of opium dens, gambling, turf wars, protection rackets and murder.

As her investigations draw her into danger, it becomes increasingly clear that whoever is responsible intends to avoid the hangman’s noose by arranging to have May laid out on one of her own mortuary slabs. 

I read the prequel novella for this series a few weeks ago and I knew then that May Keaps was going to be quite an intrepid kind of gal. I wasn’t wrong. An intriguing mystery led by May who works as a Coroner’s Officer, she is quite relentless in her pursuit of the truth and a key example of an early version of girl power. My review will be up tomorrow and you can order your own copy of the book right here.

…

That was it reading wise, and to be fair I’ve not been much busier on the blog with a handful of reviews and a lot of #bookvent.

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 4

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 5

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 6

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 7

#BlogTour: Anything for Her by G.J. Minett

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 8

Review: My Sweet Friend by H.A. Leuschel

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 9

The #Bookvent Calendar 2017: Day 10

Review: Dark Skies by LJ Ross @LJRoss_author

The week ahead is equally laid back I’ve blog tour reviews today for Carol Wyer’s The Silent Children, and tomorrow for Angelina Kerner’s Follow The Snowflakes and BK Duncan’s Foul Trade, plus Rachel Sargeant’s The Perfect Neighbours this weekend. Alongside that will be the next seven days in my #bookvent countdown.

Hope you all have a warm and book filled week. I’m off to Dublin again on Wednesday for the final time this year so plenty of reading time for me. See you next time.

Jen

          Rewind, Recap: Weekly Update w/e 10/12/17 Yes folks. Like a large proportion of the country I got snowed in on Sunday. Yippee. At least for Sunday as I could stay snuggled under a blanket reading.