#we need to kill cameron campbell

[camphelion]

I'm still a good man's daughter

[princeloww]

rivals plot summary (including content warnings)

What to expect from the new DT show, basically. Vague spoiler warning.

Tony Baddingham, DT's character, runs a British television company in the Cotswold area. He is a lord and, as you might guess, extremely rich. He tends to manipulate people and spend their money instead of his, so that when his ventures go wrong, other people are left scrambling to pick up their losses, while he's completely fine.

He has a long-lasting rivalry with the tory minister for sport, Rupert Campbell-Black. Rupert is extremely charming and athletic, and has a new mistress every week. He is divorced and does not see his two children very often. He's an athlete at heart, and adores his horses more than people --- but politics are a lot more stable than that.

The plot follows a very large cast of characters, which can be quite confusing at first. I had to go back and work out who Beattie Johnson was, for example, because I'd completely forgotten who she was and who she was involved with. There are lots of wives and husbands and mistresses and children, so it gets a bit complicated. Most of the characters are somehow linked to Corinium, Lord B (Tony Baddingham)'s TV company.

Tony hooks up with and employs an American director/writer, Cameron Cook. She moves to England to work at Corinium. Her arrival and bad attitude forms tension in the Coriunium workspace, and the tension furthers when Declan O'Hara, an Irish TV presenter and author, arrives at Corinium. He is a leftist (in contrast to the conservatives around him) and often discriminated against for being Irish. At times he is accused of having IRA links, mostly just to make him look bad. He and Tony's personalities clash, leading to a fall out at Corinium. Declan, in a drunken rage, quits his job and falls into a bit of a bad state.

Recovering from the publicity of his departure, Declan groups up with Rupert Campbell-Black and a few others (including Tony's brother, Basil Baddingham) to create a rival television company, Venturer, to challenge Corinium and Tony for the franchise.

There is a lot of romance and a LOT of subplots. Declan's daughter, Taggie O'Hara, is a dyslexic cook who struggles to find work due to her inability to read and write. She develops a crush on Rupert, who is considerably older. If I start talking about how much I despise their relationship, I will never stop. Taggie will probably be quite a main character in the show, I'm guessing. Declan also has a wife, Maud, who is a failed actress and spends all of his money.

Tony's wife, Monica, is very charitable and employs Taggie despite Declan and Tony's rivalry. She is aware that Tony is having an affair with Cameron Cook. An affair which, while Cameron is under his employment, becomes extremely toxic and abusive.

I'm sure the show will be rounded out a bit for modern audiences, but warnings wise (at least in the book), Rivals includes themes of sexual assault (particularly groping), misogyny, domestic abuse and much more. A big majority of the characters are rich and extremely corrupt. Tony, the baddie of the story, has some of the worst moments. There is a scene where he hits and throws a woman until she is bleeding, because she's 'betrayed' him. He also threatens to kill somebody. On a separate occasion, he tells a distraught SA victim not to tell anybody, because the attacker is somebody who he needs on his side, for money. There is also, obviously, given the kind of characters we follow, a lot of classism. Valerie Jones, for example, exists as a punching bag for a middle-class Northern woman who wants to be like the rich Southerners.

Tony might be the bad guy, but Rupert, who we're supposed to like, is also awful. He's Jilly Cooper's little golden boy, despite being horrible. I hate him so much but Jilly clearly loves him. He gropes eighteen-year-old girls and objectifies every single woman he speaks to.

Again, I'm sure a lot of this will be toned down, but watch with caution. The story has light moments and lots of romance, comedy and drama --- it just occasionally dips into dark themes. There will probably be lots of dinner parties, as every other scene is a giant social gathering. As much as I have issue with Jilly Cooper, she is absolutely excellent at writing large social scenes with dozens of different subplots combining.

There's also a weird theme of characters describing 14-year-olds (specifically 14-year-olds) in weird predatory ways. It's weird though, because a strange amount of characters do it -- to the degree where I think it's just Jilly Cooper describing them weirdly. She acts as though being a teenage girl is a woman's prime and that she is wasted after that. She has also gone on the record to state that she hates feminists. I'm not a giant fan, frankly.

On a lighter note, if you want to tell who's supposed to be a good guy, just remember that the good guys always quote poetry and like animals.

Despite its many flaws and dark themes, Rivals really is an interesting read. Jilly Cooper says the weirdest, most fucked up things ("she's like a little sister", thinks Rupert, right after staring at the 18-yo's ass) but the story really supports itself. It's interesting, gossipy, raunchy and very well written. Cooper is an expert at big scenes, and works so well with the giant ensemble cast. I disagree with a lot of things she says, but I think the show will be really good. I'm super excited and can't wait to watch it. There's a particular scene with David's character that I'm looking forward to; while in the book it was a bit scary, because we know how Jilly is with teenagers, there's a scene where Tony drives Declan(his enemy)'s daughter home, and is actually very nice to her before realising who she is. I think DT will do this scene a lot better, and it might actually be a bit endearing. Idk, I don't wanna jinx it, but I think it has potential to be a sweet scene, with the charm DT typically brings to these roles.

If anyone has any plot-related questions, or about David's character or anything, please feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to ramble about this book, because I do really like it. I see and dislike its flaws, but personally I am able to look past them and appreciate the story and characters. They're all horrible people, but let's be honest. They're politicians and rich, tory lords in the 1980s. They were always going to be horrible. You can like something that contains problematic characters without necessarily, immediately condoning and agreeing with those things. People online and especially on places like TikTok seem to struggle with this concept, but I'm a firm believer in media literacy and accepting flaws. You can like something that is bad. You can like villains. It's fine.

Declan is my favourite btw. Live laugh love Declan O'Hara

[saffiroll]

CAMP CAMP REWRITTEN

EPISODE ONE: ESCAPE FROM CAMP CAMPBELL

*A shot of the camp can be seen, and we are taken inside the counselors cabin*

David: *putting his boots on* I've never been more excited in my life!

Gwen: You say that no matter what you do David.

David: This time is different Gwen. Finally after gosh knows how long we are getting new campers! Apart from the ones we had last year-

Gwen: Why are you so excited about this? It's not something to be so jumpy about.

David: You clearly just don't understand the Camp Campbell life Gwen.

Gwen: *picking up some enrollment forms* Thank god i don't.

David: This summer all these kids will learn something new and exciting

Gwen: Half of them will be dead by sundown.

David:...yeaaahh probably

Gwen: God you're unbearable sometimes

*Bus honking*

David: The bus is here!!

*David ran out...and got hit by the bus*

Gwen: Ah fuck, why does this happen every time.

David: I'm okay!

*Kids started walking out*

Gwen: New campers huh? None of them are different

David: Uuuhhh- well i guess we're out of luck then-

Gwen: I dunno, there is one extra form, could be unexpected

David: oh come on now Gwen, Nothing here ever happens unexpectedly!

*bus door opens again*

QM: Forgot one.

Max: *steps out* Prepare for hell this summer.

*Everyone stares*

David:..oh.

*Intro plays*

David: Well hello there! Welcome t-

Max: i don't want to be here camp man, don't tell me stuff i don't care abo- is that girl just consuming dirt?

Gwen: Nikki no we talked about this last summer!

Nikki: *inhuman hissing noises*

Max:.....was i just sent to an insane asylum outdoors?

David: Hey! That wasn't very nice!

Max: Shshshshshsh- nobody caaarrreeesss

Nikki: *runs towards Max* Well hello!!

Max: *steps back* Woaaah there speedy gonzalez do NOT touch me.

Nikki: *jumping around* My name is Nikki! What's yours? *points downward* I like your shoes!

Max: *looks down* Where are YOUR shoes? You're just wearing socks.

Nikki: You don't need shoes in nature! It's natural!

Max:....Ew-

Nikki: Sooo you're the newest one here no? All of us came here last Summer and we're back again! But you? You're not.

Max: Wow, no shit

Nikki: *poking around her hair* My mom forced me to cut my hair because it got dirty often and-

Max: What does that have to do with out conversation so far

Nikki: Oh! Right! Camp!

Max: What even-

Nikki: ANYWAY LET'S GO LOOK AROUND! *She pulled him by his hand and started running*

Max: FUCK-

*The scene cuts to the Mess Hall*

Nikki: Behold! *she showed it off with her hands* The place where we eat, fight and throw up!

Max:..oh i hate this place even more...

Nikki: *walks over to the door* The mashed potatoes are my favourite personally-

Max: i literally don't care.

Nikki: *she opened the doors to chaos happening* aaannndd behold, again!!

*All the kids are either throwing food at each other or slipping on it*

Max: i-

Nikki: I'm already feeling like i'm home.

Max: Well i DON'T?

Nikki: Don't worry! It's only your first day!You'll get used to it! *she sat down on a bench*

Max: What does this camp even represent?!

Nikki: look at this potato bug i found!

Max: NIKKI!!!

Nikki: Ah! Don't yell at me!

Max: Then answer m-

Gwen: *Banging on pots and pans* ALRIGHT EVERYONE SETTLE THE FUCK DOWN YOU LITTLE SHITS WE NEED TO DO SOME VIDEO SHOWING SO YOU ALL DID NOT FORGET THE REASON YOU'RE HERE!

David: Ahem! What Gwen wanted to say is..we just want to remind you all what makes this place special and fun for you all! Especially for our newest camper Max!

*Everyone just glanced at him*

Max: *whispering* ffffffucking kill meeee-

*A momemt of Cameron Campbell can be seen as he goes down the stairs and climbs up again*

Max: What the fuck?

Nikki: This is normal.

*Annndd he's back. Ew*

Cameron: Well i'm here now as well- apparently!

David: Mister Campbell! What are you doing here?

Gwen: Oh god please no.

Cameron: Well i'm not hiding from any authorities if that's what you're talking about! Haha!

David: Haha what-

Cameron: Come on now Davey! How about you show this uh-

*he looked at Max*

Cameron: New gremlin- around the camp!

David: Hey! Maybe you could do it Nikki!

Nikki: Me?

Max: HER?!

David: Well sure why not? It'll be good for you two to get to know each other better! Since you've been near each other this entire time!

Max: nononoNONONO-

Cameron: Great! It's all settled then! Haha! Off you two go! Davey go supervise them! Or else.

David: I wont disappoint you Mister Campbell!

Cameron: Yeah whatever- *closes curtains*

*After 5 minutes*

Nikki: Okay so! Here we have these uh- things! Camps! Let's see *Starts pointing at each one* there's Sports camp! Which the best girl does! Magics! Stars! Shakespeare! Art!...other magics- and other stuff i do not remember!

Max: *rolls his eyes* Wow how wonderful.

*Gwen walked over*

Gwen: David i think we need to discuss MANY things about running this at this scale with Cameron-

Nikki: Gwen?

Gwen: What is it Nikki?

Nikki: *pointing* Max ran off

Max: *Currently trying to RUN* GOTTA GET THE FUCK OIT OF HERE HOLY SHIT-

Gwen:....David can you-

David: On my way- *he ran after Max*

Max: YOU CAN'T CATCH ME YOU TWINK ASS HORROR SHOW!!

David: *he did.*

Max: SON OF A BITCH-

*10 minutes later*

Nikki: You'll get used to all of this eventually- i promise

Max: Ughh i hate this...so mu-

*he bumped into someone*

Neil: *turns around* Can i help you?

Max: PFFTT- hahaha! You look ridiculous! Is that a costume for a halloween party?

Neil: I'm a scientist.

Max:....your tone is uh- new.

Neil: Is that a problem? *He looked at him with a skeptical expression*

Max: Ye-

Nikki: *covers his mouth* No no! Not at all! We'll just be on our way! We just ran into you accidentally!

*she pushed Max away*

Max: what the hell is the problem?

Nikki: Neil...uh..intimidates me...

Max: intimidates you?

Nikki: It was a whole thing like last year...i don't wanna talk about it-

Max: Oh- jeez- uhm...well- that sucks. I'm sorry.

Nikki: It's fine! I mean it's not like something weird is gonna happe-

*bullets were suddenly being heard*

Max: the fuck?

Cameron: Code black! Well look at the time! i gotta go now!

David: Wait sir! Where are you going??

Cameron: International waters! Have a decent summer kids! *grabs on a helicopter ladder as agents follow him with the gunshots*

Max:...wanna run away together?

Nikki: Spy escaping let's go!

*they started running*

David: Max get back here this instant!! You're being a bad influence!

Max: don't tell me what to do!

Nikki: *she took Max's "new camper" pin and yeeted it at David*

Max: SAYONARA SUCKERS!!

*they got on the bus...annnddd immediately crashed it*

Max: Ughhh we were so clooseeee

Nikki: i cut my arm on glass.

Gwen: well honestly Max how were you expecting to drive a bus?

Max: Fair.

David: Well i think we all learned something today!

Max: No David. I think YOU learned something today. I will make this year hell and none of ypu can stop me, and i have a wild and probably traumatized sugar full gremlin to help me!

Nikki: *Jumps in joy* Yeah yeah yeah!

Max: C'mon Nikki. We're out of here.

*They walked off*

David:....can i play the song now?

Gwen: *Snatches the guitar and slams him with it*

*Outro plays*

[aro-throughyourchest]

Review (kind of) of Panicked Room

SPOILERS ALONG THE WAY (You knew that)

TIMESTAMPS ALONG THE WAY (A lot of them)

Ooh! Are we finally gonna kill Cameron- I mean nothing! :D ~ (0:43) Ah, David, still using stereotypes, I see.

~

Wait, THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THIS IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE!? We’ve never heard about this shit ever!  ~

*Trips over skip button* WHOOPS! :D *clonk* ~ (2:16) Did Penelope get a new voice actor? I feel she might’ve.

~

What. The Fuck. What the literal gosh darn, hecking fuck. 

~

(3:18) I am so surprised that Cam uses AOL as an email- Oh wait, no I’m not! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ~

I want you to all take a look at this. Thank you. Now, as we were- ~ (4:04) How is this man different from the children? He isn’t, plain and simple. ~ (4:21) This is what I mean. Exactly what I mean. ~

This woman just fucking sliced off the top of a wine bottle with the sword and is now drinking from the super sharp edges. First of all, OW! Second of all, Ms. Priss is a fucking boss. ~ Good to know Cam knows his animals.  ~ (5:38) She just said that. (⊙_⊙;) MS. FUCKING PRISS IS A SAVAGE EX I CAN’T- ~ eW, THEY’RE LIKE 80, GROSS COOTIES! (This- This was a joke. Just making sure-) ~

(6:20) Why am I not surprised? David, you sweet summer child XD ~

She looks legitimately hurt and embarrassed, why RoosterTeeth why- ~ (7:18) Ooh, he poked a bear. He’s going to get eaten alive soon. ~

(7:30) Does she regret the years spent with Cameron or does she regret the 17 years they spent feuding over their “break?” Oh, wait, she’s talking about how they’re wasting time on getting out- I’m a fucking moron, aren’t I?

~ His day calendar says 1998-2018, so that would be- about 7,669 pictures of boobs in one, little calendar. 7,669 women gave consent (I hope) to be in that book of boobs- I mean, bikini babes. *cough* ~

Cameron Campbell blushing. Just- Why...? =.= When I said he was like the kids, I didn’t mean this. =~= And I need to get this the fuck outta my screenshots as quick as possible- ~ (8:06 - 8:42) Damn. They’re just- Spilling. But they’re old now, and they can’t go back on what happened. And I feel bad. He left her, but he didn’t mean to leave her so hurt, and she took it badly, I just- ~

They’re so damn YOUNG. David and Gwen’s age, I bet. They look so happy, and what is with Campbell’s eyes? They’re so SMALL. He kinda looks like a robot- Dammit, off-topic. But anyway, they look like they could’ve worked out. I feel sad because maybe Cam wouldn’t have been such an asshole if Priss and him had talked out their problems earlier. ~

(9:56) Ooh that, why does that sting me? ~ They’re gossiping over how much their campers suck, wow. XD ~ (11:25) Oh no. OH NO OH NO OH NO HO HO NO!! ~

Max and David know what's going on in there. Neither of them look pleased. I sure as hell wouldn’t be. *shudders* ~

DAVID, NO- WHY WOULD YOU LOOK IN THERE?! ALSO, I DIDN’T MEAN “EATEN ALIVE” LIKE THAT EPISODE!!! ~

Good episode. I’m not a total fan of either of the two, for reasons, but this was a nice change of pace for them. I don’t know why they pulled that rivalry out of their ass, but I’ll let it slide. For now. David is such a nice boy, although he can still be culturally ignorant. Gwen, why are you getting excited about two old people fucking. And why would you let David watch it? Anyway, next episode is going to be a trainwreck (not saying it’ll be bad) or a godsend, and I can’t wait! Goodbye!

[twigstarpikachutroll22]

Camp Camp characters as things to google (or ecosia) search to mess with the NSA.

I made a post listing searches like that to make awhile back. Also, please note that I am EXCLUDING the three items on the list that were already things that Max searched up in the show while on David’s phone, causing actual FBI agents to show up. And also the other item on the list that was also a part of the show.

Max: Shooting firecrackers at my dad

Nikki: What is antidisestablishmentarianism and can I eat it

(Alternatives: Why does my dog’s food taste so good; Do sea serpents have buttholes; I can bleed for six days straight and not die or even feel pain or worry)

Neil: Calculators make me guilty

Preston: Can walruses sing Les Miserables

Harrison:  Aliens do not like crunchy peanut butter

Nerris: Is my neighbor an undercover superhero princess from space

Dolph: Adolf Hitler was a precious cinnamon roll

Nurf: Jesus is a gay fashion icon

Ered: Machine guns for cats

Space Kid: Is my fish psychic

David: I’d like to be a tree

Gwen: I ship my favorite book with this pickle jar 

Cameron Campbell: My principal crashed through my roof

(Alternative: FOR THE LAST TIME WHOEVER’S READING THIS GIVE ME SOME PRIVACY)

Quartermaster: How do I kill God

(Alternatives: I need a blood beverage right now; How to remove your soul; Bananas watch us while we sleep; Rosa Parks was secretly a duck with laser eyes; Aliens do not like crunchy peanut butter; My little sister is an eldritch god; Whoever is reading this: You know too much. You must die.)

Daniel: Is my pet goat possessed by an alien demon angel ghost wizard

Pikeman: Does a pillow make a good parachute 

(Alternative: Hot dog impersonator)

Snake: I love how it hurts when the rain in a rainstorm hits my face

Petrol: Does Sasquatch like fancy hats

Jermy Fartz: Why do capybaras hate my dancing

Miss Priss: 25:00 in the morning tweets

Sasha: Why is my newborn baby’s tongue covered in glitter

(Alternative: Machine guns for cats)

Tabii: Why are bugs always pregnant

Erin: Water is disgusting

Ainsley: Can frosting work as glue

[this-is-krikkit]

I want to joke more about it all, about the fact that in a small wlw community (esp when you keep killing off characters for shock value, just sayin) it kind of makes sense that you end up flirting with your ex’s ex/gf/whatever, that the writing doesn’t make any sense in this arc so why bother getting mad about this nonsense and that Alex is really a berena fan living the berena fan dream 

but 

I knew this was going to be all about the Man Pain, and still it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Serena’s own grief was completely occulted (apart from a couple of sad-ish moments, mostly she took care of Cameron and made some jokes at the eulogy like?? who are you and what’d you do with serena campbell) in favor of Cameron’s, and we didn’t really get to see a proper reaction to her finding out about Alex and Bernie. Like, I’m not saying I wanted her to lose it completely the way Cam did, but they went the exact opposite with her barely showing any emotion. I know they’ve been broken up for a while, but they went through a lot together and I just can’t fathom the “see, Serena’s fine about it” vibe I kinda got from those eps. And yeah, it could be a facade or denial, our bitch is the Type after all, but it didn’t feel like it what with the “force of nature” comment and its likes.

Now I might be blinded by my own grief rn, so I’ll need to rewatch them later (lmao no I won’t). But those are my morning after thoughts.

[cbrownjc]

GRRM and Romance

So, this isn’t something I have seen so much being said on tumblr, but I have seen it said other places, most specifically when it comes to Jon and Daenerys’ relationship, and it’s this: “George R. R. Martin doesn’t do romance!”

And when I see it said, I always do a “what?” double take. Because it’s clear people who say or think this don’t know of GRRMs writing credits outside of ASOIAF/GOT. More specifically, one credit in particular: the television show Beauty and the Beast which aired on CBS from 1987-1990. He was not only one of the main writers for the show, (penning 14 episodes out of the total 46 of the show’s run, the third most of any of the writers for the show), but was also one of the supervising producers of the show as well. And at the time, and even after it short run was over, it was considered to be one of the most romantic shows ever produced for television. 

I was around 9 or 10 when the show first came on back in the 80s, and was so not into dramatic romance shows. So I never watched it when it was in its original run. It was actually about a year after it ended when I first started watching it (having just entered my early teens). And to this day, almost 30 years later, that show still has not only left an impression on me, but is also still one of the most romantic shows I think has ever been done for television, just as was said about it when it first aired. 

The show wasn’t just a romance, it was a High Fantasy Romance. Unlike the reboot on the CW a few years back that had a pretty handsome-looking guy who would “beast” out or whatever, the Vincent of the original looked as he did in the above image from the beginning of the show until the end of it. His physical appearance never changed. And along with his otherworldly looks, he and Catherine shared what could only be described as a mystical connection between them. They could only describe it between them as a “bond” but the gist of it was, they could feel each others emotions. They could feel what the other was feeling at almost every moment. Which, on one level, help to add some “action” into the show, since Catherine was a lawyer and so would get into life-threatening situations with some of her cases. Vincent could feel when she was in trouble and rushed to save her, usually killing the people that were trying to hurt her, giving in to the more “animalistic” side of his nature (though the network kept wanted to reign that fact back).  

However, the point of their bond was more than just for that. It was to enhance the idea of the theme of the show, the theme of the beauty and the beast tale in general, of being able to see the true beauty inside someone. On the surface, Vincent and Catherine both appeared to be ugly. Whereas Vincent just had the physical ugliness, Catherine actually started out the story as a typical spoiled rich girl “yuppy” type, who’s dad would pay for anything she wanted. She’s mistaken for somebody else one night, brutally beaten and left for dead in Central Park, where Vincent finds her and saves her life. 

It is here that their bond begins to form. Vincent, who was always guarded and would hide away from people because of his looks, (except from his “family,” a society of people who lived under NYC as well like he did, and were all viewed as outcasts for various reasons), allows himself to begin to feel worthy of being loved. And Catherine, changed not only by her experience but the kindness of Vincent’s heart, starts working at the DA’s office instead of her dad’s law firm, to help people in any way she can. 

The show only ran three years because of lots of behind the scenes drama. The main one being, Linda Hamilton wasn’t fully committed to doing a tv show just in general. (Filming tv is much different than filming movies). As George himself says in this interview from the Hollywood Reporter, she wanted to go back to doing movies, plus have children. (She and director James Cameron were a couple at the time, and they did have a kid together. Her relationship with him would go on to have a lot of drama in and of itself too). So, when the time came when she could leave the show, she left. Meaning, given the premise of the show, Catherine’s character was killed off. The bond between her and Vincent got broken so he couldn’t save her when she got into a situation beyond her control with one of the most powerful men in the city. 

However, the reason the bond got broken was revealed to be because the bond got transferred into the child she and Vincent conceived a few weeks back, when Vincent was going through a “violent madness” - basically losing his humanity to his more “animalistic” side. The bond between them is what was able to save him from the madness and, though you never see them make love (which you never did at any point during the show even before this, mostly because the network didn’t seem to want to show such a thing), they did, and conceived a child that night. 

The whole theme of this part of the story became based around the Dylan Thomas poem And Death Shall Have No Dominion. A poem I still know most of by heart because of this show. 

Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion.

The final episodes of the show closed out the story, with Vincent able to find Catherine before she died (the man who kidnapped her kept her alive when he discovered she was pregnant, then injected her with an overdose of morphine after she gave birth to her and Vincent’s son). They quoted those above lines from that Dylan Thomas poem to each other as she died in his arms. Vincent was able to find the child later and save him too, with the help of a new “beauty” in Diana Bennett. And while I personally did like her character, the whole premise of the show was the uniqueness of Vincent and Catherine’s bond. There was just no way you could take that and begin to try and transfer it to a new character being placed in the “beauty” role. As George R. R. Martin himself said about it:

Basically I look back on it now and think we were in a no-win situation. I think we did some very fine work in the third season, but the core of the show was the romance. It was Vincent and Catherine. We brought in a new Beauty in the person of Jo Anderson, who was a wonderful actress in the part of Diana Bennett. She was great to work with. But you can’t do two seasons of telling the world, “This is a love story for the ages, this is Romeo and Juliet,” and then suddenly third seasons say, “Juliet? Forget Juliet. It’s Romeo and Harriet. Here’s a different love story for the ages!” So that didn’t work. When the love story stopped, our core audience left. If Linda had not left the show we could have gone for five years at least. 

So basically once Vincent found his son, the show was over. 

And it was his experience with writing for the show, and the limits that came with writing directly for tv that he experienced while doing so, that made him leave tv writing behind and go off and begin writing A Song of Ice and Fire. Because with a book, you don’t have to worry about production budgets for creating a world (like the underground NYC world of the show), or actors wanting to leave because they don’t want to do tv anymore, which basically kills your whole show’s premise; or the network not wanting more darkly violent acts for the “beast” to commit when trying to protect his “beauty” . . . along with never being able to show them having sex, and only confirming that they ever did when a child finally comes into the story but only because said actress now wants to leave the show, and is pregnant at the time in real life anyway. 

A Song of Ice and Fire, and by extension the tv show adapted from it Game of Thrones, isn’t a High Fantasy Romance story. A love story isn’t the main driving narrative of the story. However, the idea that GRRM wouldn’t put a romance in the story, and one that is highly romantic in its nature, seems like a very bad take when it comes to his backstory as a writer. If anything, the love stories and relationships he does write about are ones that are just as unconventional as Vincent and Catherine’s was. They don’t follow the normal tropes of relationships or love stories you usually find in romance stories, even in the genre of high fantasy. GRRM himself said that his favorite part to write in Fire and Blood was the story of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne, which he himself has also called a “great romance.” 

Yet, it was straight up an incestous relationship between a brother and a sister and, in universe, they created and had people preach what more or less was a doctrine of exceptionalism in order to justify the relationship. Yet, their reign was one of the most peaceful periods in Westeros history, lasting over 50 years. And yet, their reign also help to set the stage for the Dance of the Dragons civil war just over two decades later. So even the relationship he called a “great romance” has his patented “shades of gray” to it.

Jon and Daenerys are already unconventional when it comes to romance stories in general, not just high fantasy love stories; and the incest part of it not even being the main thing with regard to that IMO. Their fates are clearly entwined, yet they never meet until what is essentially the final act of the story. Just basic and standard writing tropes would have had Jon and Daenerys meeting in act one of the story, forming a connection. And then, though circumstance, being split apart by the end of the first act, so that they would spend the majority of act two trying to get back to each other. Or with that at least being one of their goals, to reunite, along with whatever other goals they needed to accomplish in act two of the story. However, in ASOIAF/GOT, Jon and Daenerys go on their Joseph Campbell-esque Heroes Journeys separately, completely unaware of the other’s very existence until the third and final act of the story begins. That’s just not how it’s usually done, and you usually only see third-act romantic hookups in long-running tv shows after you get multiple cast change-overs. But again, this is why GRRM left writing for tv, so he could do unconventional things like this with his story. 

So this idea that some people have that George R. R. Martin doesn’t do romance is ridiculous. Not only does he do it, he clearly likes very much to do them in highly romantic ways, ways that make them great romances in his view. He just doesn’t do or write conventional romances. His great romance couples are never written in a conventional mode, or have standard conventional romantic tropes about them. And there is always a shade of gray to them. And Jon and Daenerys are no exception to all of that.                  

[thedeaditeslayer]

Bruce Campbell Calls Hosting ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’ A ‘No-Brainer,’ Pans Hollywood’s Lack Of Originality.

This interview includes a hint of more “Evil Dead” but for what we would like you to consider is to take it with a grain of salt. The interview covers various topics but mostly Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

Over the course of his storied career, actor Bruce Campbell has brought to life many memorable, colorful characters. As the definitive character-actor-trapped-in-a-leading-man’s-body, he’s portrayed Elvis in the campy Bubba Ho-Tep, Ronald Reagan in Fargo, Sam Axe in Burn Notice, and is, perhaps, best known as the Deadite-killing Ash Williams in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise.

As the Travel Channel prepares to relaunch Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, Campbell finds himself in the role of host, introducing us to a fresh round of the spectacular and amazing. Over the course of 10 episodes, he’ll invite viewers on a journey to explore the lives of people capable of incredible things.

“Shooting this iconic series in the Ripley’s warehouse was actually unbelievable,” said Campbell. “I was blown away by the treasures that unveil a fascinating time capsule into the past and present. Fans are not going to be disappointed when they see the scope of wonderful and weird stories we reveal every week.”

Bruce Campbell was groovy enough to get on the phone with me and talk about his new gig with the Ripley’s relaunch, the fates of some of his iconic characters, and the lack of originality in Hollywood — all with the grace to forgive my fanboying.

Kevin Tall: Hey Bruce! I appreciate you taking some time to talk to me.

Bruce Campbell: I happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought I’d step in.

KT: I usually make an effort to at least pretend to be professional but I’m not sure I’m going to pull it off today.

BC: That’s exactly right.

KT: I do want to say it’s an honor to talk to you and I promise I’ll do my best to keep my inner fanboy in check.

BC: Very good.

KT: Can I call you ‘El Jefe’?

BC: Whatever you’d like, sir.

KT: Groovy. Alright. So, coming soon to a cable network near you, you’re hosting the newest incarnation of ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!’ on the Travel Channel. How did you come to be attached to the project?

BC: Things come across the old desk, you know, and you evaluate them. And this was a no-brainer. I still have the Ripley’s book, the red cloth-covered book with those strange illustrations of people doing crazy stuff inside. As a kid, I had it on a shelf so I’m like, ‘Yeah I know Ripley’s.’

And I haven’t done a show like this in a while; I’ve hosted stuff. Back in Detroit, I got my Screen Actor’s Guild card doing training films for industrials, for Chrysler, and some of the other companies. Now I’m back doing it again, so here I am… I guess, showing people, in this case, it’s not about the cross-section of a Chrysler car seat but people doing extraordinary things.

KT: Ah, cool. Part of me thought this revival of Ripley’s could have just been a thinly-veiled attempt at revenge on Dean Cain for stealing the television role of Superman out from under your chin in the 90s.

BC: No, no revenge necessary on Mr. Cain. I see him at conventions all the time.

KT: While I do feel you have the superior jawline, I was a huge fan of ‘The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.’ There have been several Supermen but there was only one Brisco County. Er, two, if you count his dad.

BC: Anyone can play Superman.

KT: Would you ever consider reprising the role of Brisco?

BC: Brisco would be fine. You could do Brisco Rides Again. He started as a lawyer and then someone has to get killed. I’ll put the spurs back on, sure.

KT: So I got to see a screener of the first episode of Ripley’s. I have an idea if you’re open to suggestion.

BC: OK.

KT: Do a follow up in which you balance on a slack line while swallowing a sword and someone throws playing cards at you from a ladder balanced on someone else’s chin.

BC: [Laughs] I think you’ve got it. I think you should work for the Travel Channel.

KT: So your parts were shot on location at the Ripley’s warehouse in Orlando.

BC: Yes, yes, we shot at THE warehouse.

KT: Did you get to see anything amazing or… unbelievable?

BC: You know, the warehouse, where would you start? It is the closest we have to one of those Indiana Jones-type warehouses. It’s probably the most richly appointed warehouses in the world, I would say. They’ve collected for a hundred years. I can’t think of anyone else, maybe the Smithsonian, but Ripley’s is probably a close second. Ripley’s might have more stuff than the Smithsonian, that would be a fun one to test.

KT: Which do you think would have more body parts?

BC: Well, Ripley’s would have more body parts.

KT: OK, but the Smithsonian does have John Dillinger’s, well, you know.

BC: So the rumor goes.

KT: As they say. So, speaking of ‘Believe It or Not!,’ I still can’t believe you retired iconic character, Ash Williams. Are you sticking to that? No way I can talk you into reconsidering?

BC: Yeah, I’m sticking to that; it gets easier every year.

KT: [Laughs] Fair enough.

BC: I’m still doing video games, I’m doing voices for Ash. I’m just not going to grovel in the blood anymore.

KT: I think that’s fair. It’s not retiring the character, just a retirement plan.

BC: I’m retiring from certain types of roles, ones that require looking at tennis balls on sticks.

KT: I’m excited to see you’ve got the paperback for ‘Hail to the Chin’ coming out; I was a big fan of ‘If Chins Could Kill.’ Although when you were teasing that on social media, I think a couple of fans interpreted that as a little bit of foreshadowing of a new gig for Ash.

BC: That’s fine. Fans are always going to do that. Everyone’s a genius, everyone’s got opinions and the internet fans the flames. No, it’s all good. They’re going to see different versions, they’re going to be seeing more ‘Evil Dead,’ too. We’re not done with the ‘Evil Dead’ saga, more stories to tell.

KT: Do you think Fede Alvarez might return?

BC: I don’t know, Fede’s a big Hollywood director now. I don’t know if Fede needs this. We’ll have to see.

KT: Everyone needs a passion project.

BC: Fede had it. Fede came and pitched his version of ‘Evil Dead.’

KT: Any juicy tidbits you want to tease from the ‘Requiem For Ash’ Edition?

BC: It’s a fuller explanation of the birth, life, and death of ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ and then the ultimate retirement of that character. It’s a little more of an essay approach, it’s a little more esoteric.

KT: Psychologically, what is it about Ash Williams that inspires such devotion from fans?

BC: Because he is the fans, the fans are him. Ash has no skills, Ash doesn’t come from another planet, he comes from Michigan. He’s the guy you want in the foxhole, but he probably got low SAT scores. So people watching him, I think they root for him because they’re like, ‘Damn, that’s like my neighbor. That’s like if my neighbor decided to save the world from evil.’ Kind of like that. That’s how I look at it and that’s how we played it. That’s why it was worth bringing the guy back 48 years later to try it again… He’s the ultimate anti-hero, anti in that he can’t even get out of bed, you know?

KT: He comes across as an oafish, ill-mannered lout as well.

BC: Of course, but you know what? He was written in an ancient book, so there’s more to him than just the trailer park guy. That’s what was fun exploring.

KT: The prophecy of the ultimate average guy.

BC: Exactly.

KT: Got it. You’ve had a number of memorable, colorful roles over the years, from Ash to Brisco, Autolycus to Sam Axe, even a fictionalized version of yourself in ‘My Name Is Bruce’ (shout out to Guan Di, the patron saint of bean curd). Is there one, in particular, you’ve enjoyed playing the most, above all others?

BC: Elvis was pretty fun. I think most American males would have enjoyed playing that part. Playing President Reagan on ‘Fargo’ was fun, I used to imitate him with my buddy, John Cameron, who produced that show. In the ’80s we were both subjected to endless Reagan on television. That was fun.

KT: Have you been in that situation professionally, where you’ve gotten kind of a lousy role on a great show?

BC: Well, I’m better at saying no to stuff now, so hopefully I won’t find myself in that situation nearly as much.

KT: Circling back to Elvis, there was talk of a ‘Bubba Ho-Tep’ follow-up years ago. What are the chances of that coming together?

BC: Zero. I’ve retired that character as well. I’ve notified Don Coscarelli and Joe Lansdale. You know, it’s Don Coscarelli’s project, he’s more than welcome to forge ahead. We couldn’t crack the script the way I saw it and we were going to come to loggerheads. I didn’t want to do that, so I backed out because I know now if the script isn’t where it needs to be, the movie will not get there either.

KT: Marlon Brando advised a young(er) Johnny Depp to play Hamlet before he got too old for the role. Are there any of those iconic types of roles you’d like to tackle?

BC: Of iconic people?

KT: Yeah. Just those classic roles from that sort of timeless production, like ‘Hamlet.’

BC: No. No, I don’t, because I like original stuff. I mean, if we’re going to remake something, let’s remake our own stuff. That’s the case with ‘Bubba Ho-Tep.’ It won’t be as good and people will only remember that you blew it on the second try.

KT: So the legacy of the project would be one of failure.

BC: You have to have original stuff out there to make up for the movies that have a seven, eight, and nine after them.

KT: The old maxim is that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

BC: Yes, except ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not!’ There’s never too much of that.

KT: [Laughs] Well played, fair enough. Fan question: Who would win in a left-handed arm wrestling match, Ash Williams or Sam Axe?

BC: I don’t do those questions, because they’re hypothetical and impossible to answer.

KT: Can you hook me up with a six-pack of Ash’s favorite beer, Shemp’s?

BC: No, because it’s fake.

KT: Well, Bruce, I came here to ask questions and kick ass, and I’m all out of questions.

BC: Let’s go kick ass!

KT: Again, thanks so much for taking some time to talk with me and putting up with my silliness and unending admiration.

BC: Yeah, my friend. All good. Thank you, sir. Have a good day.

KT: Thanks, Bruce!

BC: Cheers.

[mycrazystrangeworld]

It has been a long hiatus, though to me it didn’t seem to be one. Time flies. June and July have flied by so fast, and I can’t keep up, shit things happening one after the other, and I’m still coping… But it’s a process. I’m functioning now enough to write and interact on this blog.

As I promised, this first post is a list of June releases (from June 3rd) and the reviews I found about them until now. You’re all welcome to let me know if you have a review that I forgot to add.

Since July is also over, I’m also sharing this month’s books and reviews.

As always, updating is constantly happening, if you know about a book or have a review, just let me know! 😉

Welcome back on Swift Coffee, everyone!

For the newbies (welcome 😘): if you don’t yet know what this is all about: I’m posting a list every Monday of the books that get released during the current week. I also include other people’s reviews about them! I try to do a blog hop from time to time and spread the word about this feature, but I obviously can’t find every review that’s related, so a sign that you have one would be very much appreciated! Every review is eligible that is written about a book published on the week in question, even if it was written before said week!

So… one question remains:

Would you like to join the ride?

It’s very easy!

These are the rules:

To be featured, you don’t have to do anything else, but to leave a comment below this post, or contact me by any other way, and let me know you have a review. A link to it makes it easier, but if you only say your review comes out on x day of the week, that’s okay as well, I’ll watch out for it! Following me is not a must, but I appreciate it very much, if you do! 🙂

I continuously update this post according to your infos/comments, and I share it again every time I’ve made an update.

The book you reviewed don’t have to be from the list here, if it’s not listed, but published this week, I’ll add the book, too!

You can also send me a review for next week, because these posts are scheduled! 😉

Books Published in June:

‘After the End’ by Clare Mackintosh mystery/thriller

‘All the Missing Girls’ by Megan Miranda mystery

‘A Merciful Promise’ by Kendra Elliot mystery/romantic suspense

‘A Nearly Normal Family’ by M.T. Edvardsson, Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translation) mystery/thriller

‘Ayesha at Last’ by Uzma Jalaluddin romance

‘Beyond Āsanas: The Myths and Legends behind Yogic Postures’ by Pragya Bhatt, Joel Koechlin (Photographer)

‘Bound to the Battle God’ by Ruby Dixon fantasy/romance

‘Briar and Rose and Jack’ by Katherine Coville middle grade

‘Bunny’ by Mona Awad horror

‘City of Girls’ by Elizabeth Gilbert historical fiction

‘Close to Home’ by Cate Ashwood M M romance

‘Dear Wife’ by Kimberly Belle mystery/thriller

‘Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work’ by Victoria Ortiz non-fiction/middle grade

‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’ by Taffy Brodesser-Akner contemporary

‘Five Midnights’ by Ann Dávila Cardinal horror

‘Fix Her Up’ by Tessa Bailey romance

‘Fixing the Fates: A Memoir’ by Diane Dewey non-fiction

‘Ghosts of the Shadow Market’ YA fantasy

‘Gun Island’ by Amitav Ghosh cultural/India/historical fiction

‘If Only’ by Melanie Murphy

‘Just One Bite’ by Jack Heath mystery/thriller

‘Like a Love Story’ by Abdi Nazemian YA/LGBT

‘Magic for Liars’ by Sarah Gailey fantasy/mystery

‘More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)’ by Elaine Welteroth non-fiction

‘Mrs. Everything’ by Jennifer Weiner historical fiction

‘Mostly Dead Things’ by Kristen Arnett contemporary/LGBT

‘Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune’ by Roselle Lim contemporary/romance

‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong poetry

‘Rapture’ by Lauren Kate YA fantasy

‘Recursion’ by Blake Crouch science fiction

‘Searching for Sylvie Lee’ by Jean Kwok mystery

‘Somewhere Close to Happy’ by Lia Louis romance

‘Sorcery of Thorns’ by Margaret Rogerson fantasy

‘Storm and Fury’ by Jennifer L. Armentrout fantasy

‘Summer of ’69’ by Elin Hilderbrand historical fiction

‘Sweet Tea and Secrets’ by Joy Avon cozy mystery

‘Teeth in the Mist’ by Dawn Kurtagich horror

‘The Accidental Girlfriend’ by Emma Hart romance

‘The Bookshop on the Shore’ by Jenny Colgan contemporary/women’s fiction

‘The First Mistake’ by Sandie Jones thriller

‘The Friends We Keep’ by Jane Green women’s fiction

‘The Friend Zone’ by Abby Jimenez contemporary/romance

‘The Girl in Red’ by Christina Henry fantasy/horror

‘The Haunted’ by Danielle Vega horror

‘The Holiday’ by T.M. Logan

‘The July Girls’ by Phoebe Locke mystery/thriller

‘The Last House Guest’ by Megan Miranda mystery/thriller

‘The Most Fun We Ever Had’ by Claire Lombardo contemporary/literary fiction

‘The New Achilles’ by Christian Cameron historical fiction

‘The Red Labyrinth’ by Meredith Tate fantasy

‘The Resurrectionists’ by Michael Patrick Hicks horror

‘The Rest of the Story’ by Sarah Dessen YA contemporary/romance

‘Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold’ by Lisa Schmid middle grade

‘The Space Between Time’ by Charlie Laidlaw

‘The Stationery Shop’ by Marjan Kamali historical fiction

‘The Summer Country’ by Lauren Willig historical fiction

‘They Called Me Wyatt’ by Natasha Tynes mystery

‘This Might Hurt a Bit’ by Doogie Horner YA

‘Time After Time’ by Lisa Grunwald historical/science fiction

‘Waiting for Tom Hanks’ by Kerry Winfrey contemporary/romance

‘We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir’ by Samra Habib non-fiction

‘We Were Killers Once’ by Becky Masterman mystery/thriller

‘Where The Story Starts’ by Imogen Clark women’s fiction

‘Wicked Fox’ by Kat Cho YA fantasy

‘Wild and Crooked’ by Leah Thomas YA contemporary/LGBT

‘Wolf Rain’ by Nalini Singh paranormal romance

Reviews:

‘Sorcery of Thorns’ by Stephanie at Between Folded Pages

‘The Rapture’ at Book Bound

‘The Resurrectionists’ by Jen at Shit Reviews of Books

‘The Haunted’ by Kris at Boston Book Reader

‘The Friends We Keep’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog

‘This Might Hurt a Bit’ by Amanda at Between the Shelves

‘Wild and Crooked’ by Amanda at Between the Shelves

‘The Haunted’ by Mandy at Book Princess Reviews

‘We Were Killers Once’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog

‘Five Midnights’ by Sian at Sci-fi & Scary

‘Wolf Rain’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews

‘Just One Bite’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

‘Where the Story Starts’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading

‘The Red Labyrinth’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading

‘Fixing the Fates’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading

‘Gun Island’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading

‘If Only’ by Anjana at Superfluous Reading

‘Sweet Tea and Secrets’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder

‘Storm and Fury’ by Claire at bookscoffeeandrepeat

‘The New Achilles’ by Zoé at Zooloo’s Book Diary

‘Time After Time’ by Ashley at Ashes Books and Bobs

‘Recursion’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary

‘The Space Between Time’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder

‘The Rumor’ by Vicky at Women in Trouble Book Blog

‘The Search for the Lost Gold’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary

‘They Call Me Wyatt’ by Jen at Shit Reviews of Books

‘After the End’ by Linda at Linda’s Book Bag

‘Beyond Asanas’ by Shashank at Wonder’s Book Blog

‘The July Girls’ by Nicola at Short Book and Scribes

‘We Have Always Been Here’ by Kristin at Kristin Kraves Books

‘Close to Home’ by T. J. Fox

‘Dissenter on the Bench’ by Taylor at Tays Infinite Thoughts

‘Bound to the Battle God’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews

‘Briar and Rose and Jack’ by Briana at Pages Unbound

‘Teeth in the Mist’ at Lori’s Bookshelf Reads

‘All the Missing Girls’ by Celine at Celinelingg

‘The Holiday’ by Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Diary

‘The July Girls’ by Joanna at Over the Rainbow Book Blog

‘More Than Enough’ by Jessica at Jess Just Reads

‘Somewhere Close to Happy’ at Jess Just Reads

‘The Accidental Girlfriend’ by Tijuana at Book Twins Reviews

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Books Published in July:

‘Along the Broken Bay’ by Flora J. Solomon historical fiction

‘A Stranger on the Beach’ by Michele Campbell mystery/thriller

‘A Whisker In The Dark’ by Leighann Dobbs cozy mystery

‘Dark Age’ by Pierce Brown science fiction

‘Depraved’ by Trilina Pucci romance/erotica

‘Deserve to Die’ by Miranda Rijks thriller

‘Drummer Girl’ by Ginger Scott YA romance

‘False Step’ by Victoria Helen Stone mystery/thriller

‘Girls Like Us’ by Cristina Alger mystery/thriller

‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia fantasy/historical fiction

‘Good Guy’ by Kate Meader romance

‘Gore in the Garden’ by Colleen J. Shogan cozy mystery

‘How to Hack a Heartbreak’ by Kristin Rockaway romance

‘Last Summer’ by Kerry Lonsdale contemporary

‘Life Ruins’ by Danuta Kot audiobook/mystery

‘Lock Every Door’ by Riley Sager mystery/thriller

‘Maybe This Time’ by Kasie West contemporary

‘Never Have I Ever’ by Joshilyn Jackson mystery/thriller

‘Never Look Back’ by Alison Gaylin mystery/thriller

‘Nightingale Point’ by Luan Goldie

‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jenni Fletcher historical romance

‘Resist’ by K. Bromberg romance

‘Salvation Day’ by Kali Wallace science fiction

‘Season of the Witch’ by Sarah Rees Brennan YA fantasy

‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Susanne O’Leary

‘Spin the Dawn’ by Elizabeth Lim fantasy

‘That Long Lost Summer’ by Minna Howard

‘The Betrayed Wife’ by Kevin O’Brien mystery/thriller

‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ by Abbi Waxman contemporary/romance

‘The Chain’ by Adrian McKinty thriller

‘The Gifted School’ by Bruce Holsinger contemporary fiction

‘The Golden Hour’ by Beatriz Williams historical fiction

‘The Guy on the Right’ by Kate Stewart NA romance

‘The Last Book Party’ by Karen Dukess historical fiction

‘The Marriage Trap’ by Sheryl Browne thriller

‘The Merciful Crow’ by Margaret Owen fantasy

‘The Miraculous’ by Jess Redman middle grade

‘The Need’ by Helen Phillips horror/thriller

‘The Nickel Boys’ by Colson Whitehead historical fiction

‘The Rogue King’ by Abigail Owen paranormal romance

‘The Seekers’ by Heather Graham mystery

‘The Silent Ones’ by K.L. Slater thriller

‘The Storm Crow’ by Kalyn Josephson fantasy

‘The Wedding Party’ by Jasmine Guillory romance

‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo non-fiction/feminism

‘To Be Devoured’ by Sara Tantlinger horror

‘Truly Madly Royally’ by Debbie Rigaud YA romance

‘Under Currents’ by Nora Roberts romance

‘War’ by Laura Thalassa fantasy/romance

‘Whisper Network’ by Chandler Baker mystery/thriller

‘Wilder Girls’ by Rory Power YA horror/mystery

A fantastic review of…

‘Reclaimed by her Rebel Knight’ by Demetra at Demi Reads

‘The Merciful Crow’ by Clarissa at Clarissa Reads It All

‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ at Flavia the Bibliophile

‘The Merciful Crow’ by Kaleena at Reader Voracious

‘The Guy On the Right’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth

‘False Step’ by Jordann at The Book Blog Life

‘The Guy On the Right’ by Angela at Reading Frenzy Book Blog

‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Joules at Northern Reader

‘Depraved’ by Demetra at Demi Reads

‘Never Have I Ever’ by Steph AT Steph’s Book Blog

‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jennifer C. Wilson

‘That Long Lost Summer’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Joanne at Portobello Book Blog

‘A Whisker in the Dark’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

‘The Rouge King’ by Ashley at Falling Down the Book Hole

‘Good Guy’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth

‘Drummer Girl’ by Astrid at The Bookish Sweet Tooth

‘The Need’ by T. J. Fox

‘The Seekers’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘The Silent Ones’ by Steph at StefLoz Book Blog

‘Resist’ by Tijuana at Book Twins Reviews

‘Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight’ by Jess Bookish Life

‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Joanna at Over the Rainbow Book Blog

‘How To Hack a Heartbreak’ by Corina at Book Twins Reviews

‘Somebody Else’s Baby’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘Life Ruins’ by Amanda at mybookishblogspot

‘The Miraculous’ by Chris at Plucked from the Stacks

‘The Betrayed Wife’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘Salvation Day’ by Lilyn G at Sci-fi & Scary

‘The Marriage Trap’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘The Chain’ at Jess Just Reads

‘To Be Devoured’ by Sam and Gracie at Sci-fi & Scary

‘Truly Madly Royally’ by Olivia at The Candid Cover

‘Season of the Witch’ by Jill at Jill’s Book Blog

‘Gore in the Garden’ by Rekha at The Book Decoder

‘Never Look Back’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

‘Wilder Girls’ by Kathy at Pages Below the Vaulted Sky

‘Deserve to Die’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Shalini at Shalini’s Books and Reviews

‘Sisters of Willow House’ by Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

‘Nightingale Point’ by Amanda at mybookishblogspot

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See these beautiful covers? *.*

Which are your favorites?

I’m so happy to be here with you bookish guys again!!

Don’t forget to let me know if you have a review!

Oh, and in the near future comes another post with the releases of the beginning of August! You can send me reviews for that post, as well.

Have a wonderful time!

Hugs 🙂

I’m back! – A Master List of Book Releases of June and July + Reviews! It has been a long hiatus, though to me it didn't seem to be one. Time flies.

[drunklander]

Drunj!Der Yells About Outlander

Thoughts on Ep. 402

It shouldn’t be surprising when I say this post is going to be less jokey than last week. If that’s not your jam, I recommend you stop reading now and maybe just sing “Everyone is Garbage” to the tune of Everything is Awesome while you instead go watch the entirety of Underground, or the Rosa Parks episode of Doctor Who.

I have to say, the producers on this show have said a lot of dumb shit in the past. From “Frank’s a good guy!” when he’s portrayed as being objectively awful on screen to “We don’t shy away from the horrors of the past because we’re so daring like that!” as a justification of their need to rape or assault everyone with a pulse. But one of the dumbest things in recent memory was at NYCC when Ron tried to claim that Outlander isn’t a political show.

Bullshit. Everything is political.

Using America the Beautiful to underscore how America didn’t, and still doesn’t, live up to the ideals we sing about in our romanticized versions of our history was political. Albeit in an overly heavy-handed way. Choosing to do an episode about slavery that focuses solely on white people and not the enslaved, who are just there as props for the white people’s moral dilemmas, is political. Choosing to show a lynching on screen in a time when Black people are still being killed in horrifying numbers at the hands of white people who are supposed to serve and protect, in a time when Black people have the police called on them while simply having a cookout in a public park, in a time when a white man can shoot an unarmed Black boy and walk away with no consequences, is political.

How we portray Black bodies on screen matters. And in this instance, a *very* white show chose to frame enslaved people as the props against which they highlight the guilt of the white protagonists.

I really do wish they included someone checking to see if Claire, who had a man killed right in front of her, was ok. But instead she just does the emotional labor of assuaging Jamie’s guilt over Bonnet’s attack. Because doing emotional labor is just what women do. *flips off the patriarchy and also the producers*

Young Ian’s awe at River Run, how it’s befitting a king, just highlights how he has no context for what the symbol of a big white plantation house means for so many people. That image is so laden with white supremacy it should immediately trigger a bad taste in any decent person’s mouth. Go ahead and @ me.

Jocasta Cameron is straight garbage, but Maria Doyle Kennedy is fucking amazing. A++ casting, show.

Not sure if the parallel of Jocasta telling Claire to call her Auntie and Claire telling Phaedre and Mary to call her Claire was intentional or not. Will have more to say about that in a second...

Honest question, if the dog who plays Rollo is so poorly trained that they have to cut him out of most scenes, why didn’t they get a different dog? Slash, I thought they’d been training this one since it was a puppy?

“Some River Run hospitality.” *feels nauseous*

I SO hope they don’t do the Jocasta and Ulysses having an affair storyline from the books. Please, show, don’t do it.

Show!Jocasta is so much more overtly garbage than book!Jocasta. This is a woman who had to flee her country after the Rising because of how horrible the English were to the Scots. Yet she doesn’t bat an eye at the concept of keeping human beings as property. Even with Jamie, she isn’t thinking of him as his own person, but rather someone she can make do her bidding and use for her own purposes. She should fucking know better, but the promise of benefiting from white supremacy is apparently more beneficial than actually having morals. Fuck you, Jocasta.

Claire’s palpable discomfort with being led around by an enslaved man juxtaposed with Jamie thinking nothing of it as he reminisces about his mother is just the start of me side-eyeing Jamie a lot this episode.

Don’t worry, I’m an equal opportunity side-eye’er. Claire’s gonna get her share of it too. Starting with her asking Phaedre and Mary to call her Claire.

Claire. You know all about chattel slavery. You know it’s wrong. You know how enslaved people are treated. Why the fuck would you ask Phaedre and Mary to put themselves in a position to potentially face serious consequences for not being “properly deferential” to a white person just to make yourself feel better about being complicit in their enslavement. She’s prioritizing making herself feel better at the expense of the potential well-being of Phaedre and Mary. JFC, Claire, do not endanger the marginalized people you claim to care about in the name of wokeness.

The skunk bit with Young Ian and John Quincy Myers is a tad off-putting tbh. I love that Ian wants to learn about Native Americans and looks to find similarities with them rather than think of them as “savages,” but like they’re having this convo while completely ignoring the fact that an enslaved boy is filling the tub and like immediately just start talking about banging Native American women. It just feels like they were stretching for some levity when the characters in this episode don’t deserve any.

Jamie: “Uncle Hector and you have achieved a great amount here, Auntie.” Me:

Jocasta: “I purchase them in lots, in order to keep those with children together.” Me:

“Over the years, I found my slaves to be more productive when treated with benevolence. You see, I don’t actually see them as people. I only treat them nicely so my property can reach its maximum potential output. I am a garbage human and the myth of the benevolent slave owner is just bullshit that white people tell themselves to absolve themselves of the fact that they benefit from white supremacy.”

That Jocasta can refer to the people she enslaves as both too expensive to be livestock and friends in almost the same breath is peak caucasity. Seriously, show!Jocasta is an irredeemably shit person.

Also Jamie being like oh well done, Auntie, you are so nice to these people makes me want to punch him in his dumbass face. Show!Jamie has been on my last nerve for a while tbh.

Like bro, you literally lived in a cave for fucking years because the English were out to fuck Scots up. You were in prison for fucking years. You served on an English estate, where you were raped, for fucking years. And now you see people who were ripped from their homes and families and brought across the sea against their will (hey remember your nephew, Ian?) and you’re like oh Auntie, you’re such a nice white lady. Go fuck yourself, Jamie.

Jocasta playing the woman card with Jamie to justify her needing him to get involved with the enslaved labor on her plantation is something Colum would be proud of.

And Jocasta being like hey, “Claire, you’ve been homeless for a hot minute, shower me in praise for how nice my slave-run house is as I ‘graciously’ let you stay here” is such a power move in the worst possible way. Colum and Dougal raise a glass from whatever afterworld they ended up in.

Claire, girl, why couch your opposition to slavery in the Quaker influence. Own your opinions on this. Take a fucking stand. There are things in life worth standing up for. This is fucking one of them.

Oh Jenny. I love that she wrote to Jocasta about Claire. But also last season still turned me the hell off from show!Jenny so really I don’t like that lady.

Fuck each and every one of these yuppie white men.

Aw, woke-ish!Ian. Yes, it was their land, but let’s please not think of the Native American women as sexual conquests like you were earlier. KThxBai.

Ok for real, after living at Leoch and scheming through Paris and then being fucked over by Bonnet, Jamie sure doesn't learn much about people being sneaky. How does he not see where Jocasta was going when she so readily positioned him in a position of authority on the plantation.

Jamie, bro, buying into the benevolent slave owner narrative is not a good look. And by not a good look, I mean you are a garbage person. I get that that’s the point, but still.

Ok so the book frames Campbell as a friend to the Frasers, and the show is trying to frame him as someone genuinely trying to look out for the Frasers’ best interest. But he has also resigned himself to the reality of his current situation with no desire to try to make things better since it would mean making a personal sacrifice. To which I say, fuck you very much, you coward.

Hi, I’m Der, and I’m of the opinion that if you are in a place of privilege and see bigotry and oppression taking place, it’s your duty to stand the fuck up and try to make a change. 

“If we take the Tryon option, we don’t need to feel bad about slavery and can just bask in our white privilege on stolen Native American land and not have to deal with the consequences of accepting free land from the English, y’know, the people we hate, for almost a decade.” Cool, Jamie. Cool cool cool. Remember last episode when you were almost woke? 

Claire acting naive about what’s going to happen to Rufus should seem out of character. She went back into the past knowing full well how things were there. She knew that if she went back, she’d be in a time where this was the reality. Yes, she thought she’d be in Scotland, but that’s just another sign of her fucking privilege. She was like oh, I’ll just be in Edinburgh and not have to consider slavery. Joe Abernathy did not deserve the shaft he got in season three and he does not deserve fucking peak-white-privilege-the-past-is-fine-because-it-doesn’t-really-affect-me Claire as his friend.

Scrub Nurse!Ian is literally the only positive part of this episode.

This entire scene of a room of white guys being like “we need to uphold the law!” makes me want to kick the shit out of each and every fucker who has ever owned a confederate battle flag t-shirt or a bumper sticker. 

Also fuck each and every person who voted for the authoritarian narcissist who currently occupies the white house in 2016 or any of his fucking lackeys in the midterms. All these fuckers are straight garbage. And all the fuckers defending the authoritarian tendencies of the current administration can go fuck themselves. Go ahead and @ me.

“Don’t worry, my husband is heir to this estate.” Oh don’t fucking delude yourself, Claire. Rufus is going to die. And you are complicit in his death. Fucking own it.

*insert obligatory Joe Abernathy deserved better rant here*

I don’t like giving partial credit, but at least the show let fucking Rufus tell his own story. Just for a little bit though.

Ok I’m calling fucking bullshit that Ulysses, a man who (I don’t care what his relationship with Jocasta has been) has been enslaved for years, fucking calls Claire out and tells her she should have let Rufus die. Way to fucking try to absolve Claire by having a Black, enslaved man try to make her upcoming actions ok.

Don’t act naive, Claire. You know how this was going to end. Rufus was always going to die. You are complicit. There is no escaping that. Fucking own your part. Fucking own your privilege. And also fuck the show for centering this so much on the fucking white people.

Rufus didn't get to be an active participant in his own death. Claire should *not* have been absolved of her decision to kill him by having him ask her to do it. But by not even telling him what she's doing, she's just another white person making decisions for him without his consent. She also should have known to kill him without Jamie telling her to. *gestures at the Graham Menzies part of the books* She knows what's about to happen. She should accept that by choosing to be in the southern colonies, she's going to be complicit in slavery. She made her bed when she decided to go back into the past and now she should have to lay in it. 

Sure she may not have known that she’d end up in the colonies, but she still knew she’d be going back to a time when she’d end up being part of something that is morally abhorrent. But apparently getting that ginger dick was worth it.

It’s cute they do a parallel of her helping Rufus to die with her helping Geordie to die. But I can’t help but think this is as much for her as for him.

Every white person in this episode is trash. As they fucking should be.

Fuck everyone who defends the continued existence of confederate memorial statues tbh.

I know that’s out of left field, but yeah, fuck those people.

The fact that this shit is bringing up very real feelings about today’s political climate makes me fucking angry at the fuckers around today and also the fucking production crew for trying to cater to the meemaws by saying the show isn’t political.

Fuck Jamie for being like yeah, I can just pray this shit away. No. God is a cop out. You did this. YOU. You need to own this. Don’t you dare hide behind your faith. You will not be absolved.

Fuck this show for showing a fucking lynching and them immediately cutting to Claire’s face to make the lynching about her white guilt. Fuck them. 

If Jamie and Claire really don't want to be complicit in the atrocities of colonial America, they should move to a city where they could join in the work of starting to dismantle the things they claim to be morally opposed to. Instead they embrace their privilege of getting to ignore slavery by leaving River Run next week and go out to colonize Native American lands.

And just think. After all of this. After witnessing a lynching. In a couple episodes, Jamie’s gonna voluntarily send a guy into slavery! 

Fuck.

Please all go read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me. KThxBai.

[justablueeyedscribe]

It’s Just a Name

Summary: When Max’s home life finally comes to Camp Campbell, with the excuse that they showed up for Parents Day. But that was many weeks ago. So why are they really here?

WC: 1,804 Rating: T (Swearing, Very Mild Referenced Child Abuse/Neglect) Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chapter Eight: Lost

The sky was a dark gray now. Max continued to tap away on David’s phone. The red battery light blinked in the upper corner of the phone. “Max!” yelled Nikki as she ran up to her friend, “Come on! I’m next!” Max rolled his eyes and shoved the phone into his pocket “Why do I need to be there?” Nikki laughed and slapped his shoulder, “To witness me!” she yelled as she grabbed Max by the arm and dragged him to the other campers. Nikki pushed him to the front, right next to the fence that was keeping the horses contained. Gwen helped Nerris off of a brown horse. She turned around, “Okay, Nikki, you’re next,” she said. Nikki jumped over the fence and crawled up Gwen. Then jumped onto the horse. The horse joined the other horses and started to walk around the fenced-off area. Cameron Campbell was talking to Mr. Walter and Devi, who was sitting on her white horse, Maddox. Devi pointed toward Max and Cameron nodded and he started to walk over. Max tried to back up but the group of campers behind him didn’t let him through. Eventually, the founder of Camp Campbell got over to Max, “Alright Mack. It is your turn to go on the horse.” Max rolled his eyes, “Nah. I’ll pass.” Cameron picked up Max “No no, everyone should get a turn.” He walked around the fence and put the small boy on top of the horse, “Plus,” whispered Cameron, “your mother would like to see you have fun.” Max’s eyes grew big and looked over to Devi who had the fake smile plastered across her face that Max has grown to fear. He knew that fake smile was a threat. A warning to behave. The horse started to walk around in the pinned-up circle.

Max's horse got closer to the side that Devi was on when a flash of light and a loud bang of thunder spooked the horses. Mr. Walter, Gwen, and Cameron ran and calmed down the three other horses, Devi didn't bother getting up to help calm Max's horse. The boy's grip on the horse tightened as the horse reared up. It then ran and jumped over the fence into the forest. Max yelled as the horse ran fast through the forest. After running for a while at its top speed. It slowed down to a trot before stopping completely. The horse shook the boy off of it, then ran off. Max landed hard on the ground he stood up and dusted off himself off. He looked around and realized he had no idea where he was at or which way the horse went. “Hello?!” he yelled only hearing his own echo. Quickly, the black-haired boy pulled out David's cell phone. He tapped to bring up the phone keypad but the screen turned black almost immediately. “At least it can’t get any worse,” he said. Another flash of light happened, then a boom for thunder after a few seconds it started to downpour. Max sighed and looked at the ground, “Just. Fucking. GREAT!” he yelled. He quickly looked around to try to find some cover. Max ran around for a few minutes, feeling himself getting more lost. Finally, he found a little cliff that he could stay dry under. The boy tucked himself under the cliff and placed his back against the rock wall. ‘Someone will come for me, right? Someone has to,’ he thought to himself. Max closed his eyes as the sky lit up again and the rain got heavier. The thunder was a lot louder this time, shaking a few rocks loose from the cliff. Some small rocks on the wall behind Max shifted with the giant boom. He went to move slightly away from the wall, only to be pulled back to the wall. Max froze then pulled away again when he did the hood of his hoodie pulled back. He realized that his hood had gotten caught in the shifting rocks. Max was now lost, stuck, and had no way of contacting anyone for help. 'I'm going to be fine. Someone will find me. I'll be safe again. Right?' he said to himself. It thundered very loudly again and the sky lit up at the same time, making the young child jump. He felt his eyes start to water and his throat get tight. Max pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his head into his knees.

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“Max!” yelled Gwen after she saw Max’s horse jump the fence and ran into the forest. Devi just rolled her eyes and sighed, “Mr. Walter, I believe the storm is coming in. Can you start bringing the horses back to the bus? I’m sure Cameron will help.” Gwen turned to Devi, “Are you not concerned about Max?!” she yelled. The reality TV star waved her hand dismissing Gwen's comment, “I’m sure he’s fine. That expensive horse on the other hand-“ all of a sudden the brown horse that Max was on busted through the forest. "Ah good! He came back," she said. The camp counselor grabbed her hair as the stress and panic started to get to her, “Alright! Campers! Back to your tents for right now!” yelled Gwen, “Even you, Nikki and Neil. No arguing!” The campers grumbled but headed toward their tents. Gwen watched as Devi, Mr. Walter and Campbell walked to the bus with the horses. The sky lit up as it started to downpour. Gwen's eye twitched, “DAVID!” yelled Gwen as she ran toward the mess hall.

Once there, she threw open the doors to the mess hall and looked around but didn’t see anyone, only a phone, an old radio, and Layla-Rae's clipboard on the tale. “David!” she yelled again out of breath. David ran out from the kitchen his hair was slightly messy and he was tying his old yellow Camp Campbell t-shirt back around his neck. “What is it Gwen?” he asked slightly out of breath and a little pink tint to his cheeks. Gwen was trying to catch her breath still, “Max- Wait? Is your shirt inside out?” she asked pointing to his chest where the dark green tree was supposed to be. David looked down at his shirt, “Well-Uh- What about Max?” he asked quickly changing the subject. Her eyes grew wide and grabbed David’s shoulders, “Max’s horse jumped over the fence and ran into the forest! When it came back Max wasn’t on it! He must have gotten bucked off! And Devi doesn’t want to look for him!” Layla-Rae kicked through the kitchen door, her shoulder-length black frizzy hair was no longer up and the top few buttons on her shirt were unbuttoned and she was a little red in the face, “What?! I knew she was up to something! Which way did he go?!” yelled Layla-Rae. Gwen's mouth was hanging open as she pointed in the general direction Max went. Layla-Rae ran out of the mess hall into the rain, grabbing her clipboard and phone on the way out. Gwen coughed, “So, did you guys-?” David stuttered trying to figure out what to say, “W-Well, we just got talking about stuff and one thing led to another-“ Gwen put her hand up stopping her co-councilor from talking anymore. “Just stop, let’s help Layla fine Max,” said Gwen. They both ran out following a frantic Layla-Rae into the forest. It didn’t take long for David and Gwen to catch up with the assistant. “This way,” said Gwen leading the two other adults toward where Max’s horse went. The three took turns yelling for Max. “Let’s split up,” said David. The two women nodded. As they separated, they all continued to yell for Max.

David looked around, trying to find any tracks or clues. The rain was falling fast, covering up any tracks that might be in the ground. “Max!” he yelled. The rain was making it hard to hear anything. He walked toward a nearby cliff, “Max!” he yelled again. That time he swears he heard a little voice calling back at him. He called again, “Max! Where are you!” This time he definitely heard a voice. He started to run toward it “Max!” he yelled one last time. “David! I’m over here! Under the fucking cliff!” yelled Max. David ran toward Max's voice. He skidded to a stop when he saw the blue hoodie through the rain. David ran up to the cliff. “Max! Max! Are you alright?” David asked as kneeled down to Max's level and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Are you hurt?” Max shook his head, “I’m fine David but, um- m-my hood is stuck in the rocks.” David nodded and kneeled down and started to wriggle the hood out of the rocks. “Layla, Gwen and I were super worried. So were the other campers,” he said as he continued to get Max free. The camper perked up, “Really? How worried?” he asked with skepticism in his voice. David finally pulled Max free and they both stood up, “Super worried. I think Gwen was about to have a panic attack. And Layla was about to murder Devi.” Max looked up to David, his shoulders slumping over, “Devi didn’t want to look for me, did she?” David sighed and nodded, “I’m sorry she doesn’t care, Max.” The boy shrugged, “I don’t care about her.” David put his hand on the camper’s shoulder. “I know I told you this before, but you don’t need to pretend, Max. I know it hurts that Devi doesn’t care enough. But at least you have people who do really care for you. I care about you. Gwen does too, even if she doesn't show it so much. Your friends care, Neil and Nikki." Max shrugged, "So? You guys are here at camp." David smiled. "Layla cares. A lot," he said, "She cares about you so much. It's very clear that she loves you, so so much. And she's not just here. She'll be at home waiting for you after camp is over.” Max smiled and gave David a quick hug around his knees. Max started to rub the back of his head, “Thank you. Can you take me back now? I want to see m-uh-Layla. Before she kills someone.” David smiled, “Of course Max.” As they walked back to camp they met up with Gwen and Layla-Rae, where they originally split up. “Max!” exclaimed Layla-Rae as she ran over and picked Max up into a hug. He hesitated for a second but hugged her back. “I’m so, so glad that you’re safe! You scared me so much! I was so worried.” She said. Max didn’t say anything, just smiled and hugged Layla-Rae tighter. The assistant put Max back on the ground. Gwen smiled, “Let’s get back.”

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[mfmagazine]

Mukluk

Article by Nina Goad

North American aboriginal-inspired clothing has inspired a new fashion craze in Europe, spearheaded by the Mukluk boot. But amid a rage of controversy, will the rabbit fur adorned footwear survive the next season? Seen gracing the pedicured feet of the most revered stars in the fashion pages, crow-barred over the tightest jeans or teamed with a micro mini, the Canadian Mukluk boot has been declared the new Ugg, placing Canadian and North American Native clothing firmly on the style map. From beaded and tasselled suede garments to feathered hairclips, Europe has embraced the traditional clothing designs of a culture thousands of miles away. And with critics of the Australian shearling Ugg prematurely celebrating a demise of the ‘comfort boot’, the Mukluk’s sudden emergence as the Ugg’s furrier younger sister has divided women across Europe into two boot camps – those who embrace the frivolity and comfort of the Mukluk, and those who opt for the trusty knee-high stiletto. But love it or hate it, the trend is by no means confined to the hardcore fashion underworld and cannot be ignored. These latest footwear designs mimic those originally worn in Inuit and Native American cultures across the ages. However the Canadian Mukluk is now as at home pattering along the Champs Elysees on the feet of European fashionistas as ploughing through snow drifts in freezing Canadian and Alaskan climes. Over the past year, the boot has shimmied its way along many a European catwalk and created a flurry of high street alternatives. Indeed, this Native trend does not only involve boots, with the moccasin flat being exalted by comfort-lovers as the new pointed stiletto shoe. But becoming the proud owner of a pair of Mukluks comes at a cost, and this does not just refer to the hefty price tag. As the boot is traditionally fashioned from suede with a sheepskin lining and rabbit fur pompoms and trimmings, Mukluk wearers find themselves amid a new raging controversy regarding the use of fur. This debate now takes up as many column inches in European style publications as when the anti-fur movement originally came to the fore in the 1990s. The use of fur is far less commonplace in most of Western Europe than in the Mukluk’s birthplace, as a warmer climate has rarely created a need for fur clothing. Not only is it interesting to witness the spread of such a climate specific garment across the Atlantic, but also to see how differently the use of fur is viewed on the different continents. While the anti-fur lobby is certainly in existence in Canada and North America from where such footwear originated, there also exists a counter-argument that defends fur trapping as a way of life – indeed a necessity for survival – of many communities. Many cite the anti-fur impact in remote parts of Manitoba and other Canadian Provinces where fur trapping and trading was a way of life, claiming that many people were left with no source of income. And this way of life has proved hard to comprehend by nations where fur trapping has held little place in history and where the use of fur holds no practical purpose, but has simply existed for the sake of fashion. To breed and kill animals solely for the sake of style, to create a luxury item that is commonly seen as an ostentatious show of wealth with no greater purpose, has left many people considering it as barbaric. So Western European style gurus find themselves in a quandary. In the mid-1990s, the ethical debate surrounding fur suited the fashion world perfectly, as supermodels including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell joined forces with designers in the celebrated ‘rather go naked than wear fur’ campaign. But the recent rise of this Native style has led many who partook in this lobby to turn a blind eye to the basic ingredients of the clothing. Indeed, the frenzy for Mukluks commenced when Kate Moss herself purchased two of the first pairs of Mukluks to hit European boutiques last year. Jamie Cook, director of Harper Lee, the international Mukluk distributor who provided the London outlet with the Mukluks purchased by Kate Moss, recently told Britain’s The Guardian newspaper: "As soon as Kate Moss, who is probably the most stylish woman in the world, bought two pairs, we knew we were on to something.” And where Kate Moss treads, the rest of the fashion world soon follows. Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Paris Hilton and Beyonce Knowles are amongst the celebrities who have bought into the Mukluk trend. Within weeks, European boutiques were swamped with demands for the Canadian boot, with The Guardian newspaper reporting in December that amid high demand all London stockists had sold out. But with animal rights campaigners, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which itself has a substantial celebrity following, blasting the celebrity Mukluk trend and creating public disdain for the re-emergence of fur into the fashion market, faux fur alternatives have been quick to materialize and some high street stores have decided not to restock fur in 2005. Western fashion has always taken inspiration from far flung cultures around the globe, and this latest trend is no exception. Controversy aside, with or without the Mukluk, rumours abound that Cameron Diaz is to wear a Native-inspired outfit for her upcoming wedding to Justin Timberlake. If this is indeed the case, this latest celebrity following will keep the style well and truly in the public eye for at least a few more months.

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

Tim Ives Interview With Collider

(Collider) You’ve been with Stranger Things from the beginning, having shot the first two episodes. I was curious how the show was first pitched to you, and what those initial conversations were like with the Duffer Brothers about what the show would look like.

TIM IVES: Well, so first I got the outline in this little packet that they sent out. It was beautifully made, a little booklet on the films that they loved, and a lot of those references. We looked at reference films like E.T., Stand By Me, Close Encounters, and when we got together, we talked about them some more and I talked about certain lighting styles that say Allen Daviau did in E.T. for Steven Spielberg, that really contributed to that movie’s feeling and ambience. And some of those techniques I think aren’t really—if I lit something like that today on a modern show, it wouldn’t really be appropriate, but we really wanted the show to feel like it was made back then. At least in the first season we really wanted that. So we looked at a bunch of references, and I did everything I could in my power to use the techniques and what was popular, in lighting, by some of my cinematic heroes back then.

(Collider) I’m sure that was a pretty fun challenge for you then, to emulate some of these classic films.

IVES: It was a gift. It’s a gift to be able to do that, especially from my early heroes. It was my first real movie-going decade, as well. I guess it’s mostly Spielberg, including Indiana Jones as well, Temple of Doom and the first one, especially.

(Collider) Season 2 feels a bit more colorful, a little more dynamic, and certainly darker. So what did you guys discuss in terms of making Stranger Things 2 visually distinct from the first season? Were there different films that you were looking at?

IVES: It did progress. We talked about filmmakers like James Cameron and John Carpenter and it was gonna be a pretty dark season for poor little Will. But we did want more color. The guys always said that they wanted the series to be fun. When I first read it I was like, “What’s fun about a kid being kidnapped?” But the reality is, there was a great story there, obviously, and there’s a little bit of safety in the way we did it, so that it’s more geared toward families than it is towards people who just want to get the bejeezus scared out of them.

(Collider) You shared DP duties with two other cinematographers this season. So I was curious, how does that collaboration process work in terms of ensuring that the aesthetic is consistent across the board?

IVES: So the first season, I was going to be shooting all of them, and the Duffers were gonna direct all of them as well. So when they got a little behind on writing, we had Shawn Levy come in and direct episodes three and four. And I needed to keep prepping for five and six, so I called Todd Campbell, who had just been doing the first season of Mr. Robot, which I did the pilot for. I met him in Austin at the premiere of Mr. Robot at South by Southwest, and I like Todd a lot. He was an up and coming, great cinematographer, and I felt like he did such a great job on Mr. Robot, taking what I did in the pilot and moving it forward, that it just seemed like it would be a good fit if he were available and he was, luckily for us. So he came in and filled in on Seasons 1 and 2, in that same slot, which opened up our ability for the Duffers and I to really prep and get some of the other episodes done. We also had David Franco in Season 2. He did episode seven, which was sort of a bottle episode with Eleven. He was hired by the Duffers, and that episode was meant to be, as far as I believe they were concerned, a bottle episode, one that didn’t really have to have the full aesthetic of Stranger Things. They were out of town in a different environment, and so there was that. But that’s where we were at, for the first two seasons.

(Collider) In Season 2, you got to shoot two episodes with Andrew Stanton, who I’m a big fan of. I was curious what it was like working with him as a director.

IVES: Andrew is the greatest guy in the world. He is also really devoted, selfless, and he was a pleasure to work with. I think for scheduling reasons it didn’t work out that he came back this year, but ever since we started with him, we’ve remained very friendly. We both love literally the same music from a bunch of different decades. It’s uncanny how similar our tastes are. I don’t feel there’s a week that’s gone by since I filmed a year ago with him that we haven’t texted some new song, or tried to get together for breakfast, or to do something. It was a great collaboration. The Duffers were super happy with what came for episodes five and six from last year, and just to work with somebody who has done such incredible work for Pixar was pretty mind-blowing for me.

(Collider) You also shot I think the best set piece that the show has ever done, which is the Snow Ball. That was just the cherry on top of a really great season. What was it like shooting that and how did you go about planning out that aesthetic?

IVES: Really good question. There were big decisions to be made, and there were some thoughts of going very slick with it, and doing something really cool. And even though I haven’t really embraced the Stand By Me aesthetic too much in the show, it felt like that was the one point where we needed to simplify it, and not hit it over the head with too slick a thing. So we designed it with Jess Royal and Chris Trujillo, to incorporate Christmas lights into the set. And really the idea was, in 1985, if you were in charge of throwing the Snow Ball, how would you decorate it? What would you do? What would you use? So, that was the mantra for it. We also looked at a bunch of John Hughes movies too, who continues to be an influence for us. But it was really fun, because I really wanted to simplify it. We actually rigged a huge disco ball in the ceiling, off camera, and had a bunch of lights built on a truss around it, that gave us the twinkly look all the way around it. And then I actually thought it would be fun, at one moment, to have snowflakes fall, as a magical moment, not thinking that maybe it might look a little bit like the flocking we use when we’re in the Upside Down.  So we did one take, and we were getting ready to do some snow. And the one take was so amazing, and the kids were so amazing, that I ran over to the Duffers and we both shook our heads and were like, “We don’t need any snow.” It was very funny, because we were just trying to add something to it, and then at the last second we were like, the performances are so good, so rock solid. Gaten Matarazzo, as Dustin, your heart just falls for the kid. So he killed it, and so did Natalia, and all the kids did. It was so fun to shoot. It was hard, because we were up against the clock with all these kids, as we usually are, and that last shot we got of that, the big crane shot coming out, we see the Snow Ball Dance banner, we thought we weren’t gonna make it. We had 45 seconds left and we moved that crane over to the back super fast, and we just said, “Go, go, go.” The ADs were freaking out, and we were like, “Just do it, we gotta get the shot! It doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.” And it wound up, that one take, working beautifully. It’s the last take inside the Snow Ball before it goes outside. But I’m proud that we got that one.

(Collider) It’s a great shot, and I just love that sequence so much. One of the things that you do so well with the show is playing with light sources, specifically the Christmas lights, and then you had the light above Will in the shed in Season 2. I was wondering if you could talk about integrating these actual light sources into the frame, in Stranger Things, and how big of a role they play into the visual aesthetic there.

IVES: Well I’m a big fan of lighting with practicals anyway. You walk into someone’s home, or any interior place, there’s always gonna be a light source, whether it’s artificial or whether it’s a big window light that comes in. You need to at least suggest that there is something lighting this house, that’s either natural or artificial. I not only like to see lights in the shot, but I like them to actually have some use, and work in the set. As far as the shed in Season 2 goes, it was an interrogation scene, and I also like pushing—when we used to shoot film, I liked pushing film to the extremes, and I don’t mind doing it on the digital cinema as well. So those lights that you see, in the interrogation of Will, those are the same lights we used on reverses. I cleaned them up a little bit so it looked a little bit nicer on their skin, with some diffusion. But there was just a little bounce in the ceiling and that. I wanted it to be super hot, because he’s supposed to be under the lights. And it actually served us very well, because what I did when we were looking back at Clay and Winona, and that light is hitting Will, and it’s pointed right at the camera, Will is there, Noah Schnapp is the actor, he’s actually got a little piece of white fabric on his shirt, off camera, that’s bouncing back into Winona’s face, to light her. So literally the light is bouncing off the actor, and I think he just kept his eyes closed or we may have given him sunglasses or something But I think a lot of the aesthetics that I tend to like tend to be simple. If I can do it with one light or so, I try to, or at least try to make it feel like it’s not a lot of too complicated sources

(Collider) I think you just wrapped the first block of Stranger Things 3, and I know you can’t say anything specific about it, but I was wondering if you could tease aesthetically what fans can expect, this season? I know the Duffers like to look at them as sequels, so I imagine things will change up a bit this year.

IVES: Yeah. They do change up, there’s some new cast members that have been published as well, and we just finished up the first two episodes. I think the show is more fun and more thrilling than it’s ever been, right off the bat. It’s super, super fun, and funny, and scary at the same time, which is probably my favorite combination of things. So, I know the Duffers want to surprise the fans, and give them things that they didn’t expect and such. But I can say the production design as well has been remarkable. So it’s super exciting. We’ve had more fun than we’ve ever had in the last two months making the first block. And everybody that’s been part of Stranger Things in the production process agree that it’s gonna translate well to the episodes. So, we couldn’t be having more fun, and working harder, and really having a blast with the season. It feels really fresh and fun.

(Collider) Were there any specific films you guys talked about influencing Season 3?

IVES: We’re not gonna change our look so drastically that the show looks like a different show. I think that it just is evolving. I’m as proud as I’ve ever been of the show as far as my contributions to it, but no, I think we’re still taking about that James Cameron thing, and that John Carpenter thing, and moving it forward. And really, we found our own thing now, and we always laughed at it when we reference ourselves, as just, “Oh, who do we think we are?” But we’re having fun, and if it feels right, we do it.

(Collider) Has filming during the spring and summer months changed the look and feel of it at all?

IVES: We have more green trees (laughs)

(Collider) That’s fair.

IVES: We have a lot more green trees, and the weather is less cooperative. But as far as the look of it goes, no. We’re uncompromising with that, so we’re not gonna be affected by anything, except what we want it to look like.

[astro-b-o-y-d]

Some RT Animated Villains and Their Rankings (in my opinion):

RvB:

O'Malley: The original Bad Boy™, every RT Villain's grandfather, and deserves all of our respect and appreciation. Or maybe not, but I'm giving it to him anyway. 12/10

Dr. Leonard Church: Sadman Deadwife. Handsome silver fox, but also cliche as Hell and I'd fight him in a parking lot. After kissing him. Also I'm avoiding putting Freelancers on the list just because they were all working for him, so I'm counting everything they did as his fault (also the list already has enough RvB villains). 8/10

Malcolm Hargrove: Rich white asshole who has too much time and money on his hands. 4/10

Aiden Price: Smart, puts up with too much bullshit while also providing too much bullshit of his own. Has very pretty eyes. 8/10

Felix McScouty/Isaac Gates/Garbage Weasel Boy/Tangerine Waffleiron: Wonderful trash boy. Stabs a lot. Looks like a fucking ferret and is the absolute worst. 10/10 but don't tell him, he doesn't need the ego boost.

Locus/Samuel Ortez: Handsome bug man. The writing with him isn't perfect, but I still enjoy seeing him every time he's on screen. Also his appearances in s15 and interactions with Grif were great. 10/10

Terrence Ephemera Sharkface: A good shark boy. Was killed too soon and I'm bitter. 9/10

Mark Temple: Wishes he was as cool as Felix, but the super cliched parts of his character are fun. Also the murder fridge thing was...horrifying. 6/10

RWBY:

Roman Torchwick: A fun garbage candle boy. Loved his design and character. Apparently tasty to griffons. 9/10

Neo: Wicked little ice cream girl. I'm so fucking WEAK for that color scheme and I'd let her murder me. SHE'S SO CUTE !!!!! 13/10

Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black: GARBAGE KIDS !! I LOVE THE GARBAGE KIDS !! 10/10 for both of them

Adam Taurus: Friendzoned meninist and a fucking garbage asshole (not even in a fun way). Can someone just KILL HIM ALREADY??? 1/10

Cinder Fall: The worst.....but also the best.....Love that garbage fire girl. Even if she did THAT THING WE ALL HATED. FUCK HER FOR THAT. 8/10 which would have been a perfect score if it hadn't been for THAT THING. THAT FUCKING THING.

Salem: Big n' Scary witch wife. Love it. 9/10

Salem's Team: Don't care that much about Watts or Tyrian. Hazel is big n' buff and I like that. 7/10 with Hazel getting at least five of those points.

Cardin Winchester: Oh, right, he existed. 1/10

Jacques Schnee: Horrible. 0/10

Xray and Vav:

The Corpirate: One big pun and I love it. Only wish the show could have lasted longer so we could have seen him become the Yarrrgarita. 10/10

The Mad King: Perfect, wonderful, evil, attractive. Everything about him was amazing. He puts cows in holes. He's based on Ryan. I'd let him kill me. 20/10.

Camp Camp:

Cameron Campbell: Also another rich, old asshole with too much time and money on his hands. At least he has hair and a sweet mustache. I'd still kick his ass. 4/10

Daniel: Just a cult joke. No real personality that hasn't already been done by the other villains listed above. Though he does have an amazing villain song, and animation within the song to match, and is actually pretty terrifying. Also kills kids, which is VERY villainous. 5/10

Jen: Had one line and she already stole my heart. I'd actually let her steal my heart literally if she wanted to. 30/10 because I'm love girls

The Woodscouts: Bunch of losers who take selling popcorn too seriously. 3/10

The Flowerscouts: Also a bunch of losers but they're funnier. Also cookies are better than popcorn. 4/10

Sex Swing:

I completely forgot about that show and its villain. He had a twin I think? I don't know, XaV was better. 0/10

[miso-vicious]

Just a thought...

So one of the things that I love about this season of Camp Camp, is that while it's still pretty whimsical and hilarious, it's shown some real character development in Max and David.

MAX:

Let's face it, this kid was a die hard troublemaker and a fucking asshole all stuffed inside a tiny ten year old's body.

Before now, you couldn't pay him enough to enjoy anything, especially any of David's crazy camp activities. Hell, he spent a majority of the first season either trying to escape, or trying to figure out how to destroy the camp from the inside. And he got close sometimes, it all could've been over when the FBI tried to arrest David for the stuff Max was looking up on his phone. But the small part of him that said what he was doing was going too far made him speak up and exonerate David. And when he thought he had gone to far in his mischievous act that David actually wanted to kill him, he was legitimately afraid and wanted to take back his actions, unlike when he was in the forest with the Quartermaster where it was more likely for him to be murdered and just accepted his fate.

And more importantly, Max was unwilling to accept that people like David existed anymore, and was willing to go to great lengths to break him. And he did. It took twelve episodes but in the end, Max won. David was utterly defeated.

And then Max had to learn the harsh lesson that sure, while life can sometimes be a piece of shit, people can choose too not look past it, but to live with it and still find the good in what's left. Max was just too jaded by things we know not of, and so was David, and he still found the strength to be himself every day because if he didn't, Camp Campbell would be even more miserable than Max already thought it was. And because of that, Max decided to help him just for the sake of preserving this optimism.

And now, Max has learned to kind of go with the flow. He's no longer trying to escape or sabotage David's every action, he's just kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying the show.

More so, when Daniel invaded the camp, Max actually sought out David's help rather than trying to figure out how to get rid of him on his own. And when nothing he did convinced David of Daniel's murderous intentions, he entered the Purification Sauna, knowing full well he'd be hypnotized into loving Daniel, but had enough faith in David to remove his rose tinted glasses, finally see the truth, and save all the campers from certain death.

And when David got his heart broken by Bonquisha, he and the rest of the children went to great lengths to try and get them back together so he would stop being so depressed all the time.

That's a lot of character development for a kid.

DAVID:

As for David, his transition has been a lot more subtle.

This happy go-lucky camp counselor is still pretty much the same, while at the same time completely different. The David of first season was optimistic to a fault. He out right refused to see the bad in people, especially Cameron Campbell, got bullied by the kids into leaving the camp for a day, had no clue how to discipline children, and had an unhealthy obsession with being the best camp counselor. And it killed him every day when he couldn't figure out why none of the kids loved Camp Camp(bell) as much as he did.

There were even some points in the show where his mask slipped and he looked actually angry for once before going back to Happy David.

Until he was pushed to the edge by Max in the season finale of season one and he finally laid all of his cards on the table. He knew perfectly well that not everything was sunshine and roses all the time, but he had a choice. He could be like Max, pessimistic and down right bitter about the world, or he could try to see the good in the world every day and be the best version of himself he could be.

But he also learned a valuable lesson that day. It was okay to not be himself all the time. Sure, he could still be overly enthusiastic about everything, but he could still let go every now and again. Be it wanting to kick out the psycho cult leader you almost hired and may or may not have been after your job-

or sometimes fucking up and saying the wrong thing-

or being openly disappointed in the decisions other people make-

or admitting that you made a mistake that started off with good intentions-

or getting your heart broken-

needing to cry for days on end (even when it's super awkward)-

and beating the shit out of some guy for something that wasn't really their fault but only because you're insanely jealous because they're banging your babe now.

FINAL POINT:

So in the end, sure, they're still pretty similar to how they started off in the show.

But the two of them have grown so much, I can't wait to see where this show is going to take us next.

[cartoonfan7]

I just got done watching Stranger Things 2 and I have this to say!

Why is there no Camp Camp/Stranger Things AU yet? I’ve seen bits of fanart here or there, but I mean a full-on AU. And if there aren’t enough Camp Camp chracters to go around, include a few from some of Rooster Teeth’s other productions, like Red vs. Blue (I still need to watch this BTW, but from what I’ve heard about Felix, he could make for Dr. Brenner, which adds parallels to David because Miles Luna), Ten/Eleven Little Roosters (for potentially spoiler-y reasons), I guess The Strangerhood (which I only know about thanks to TV Tropes), hell even X-Ray and Vav, maybe. I even have a basic character layout, undercut because of spoilers:

And yes, it still takes place in the 80s.

Max - Eleven/Jane Ives-Hopper

Neil - Mike Wheeler

Nikki - Dustin Henderson (especially in ST2)

Nerris and Harrison - Lucas Sinclair and Will Byers (This one is a little harder to figure out. If you haven’t guessed by now, the Stranger Things party is based on Quest for Sleepy Peak Peak. Harrison and his yet-to-be-named younger brother have some parallels to The Vanishing of Will Byers that sets the entire show into motion, but Lucas is the only Party Member with a younger sibling. Someone help me figure this out.)

Jasper - Barb Holland (dies early on to give motivation to a major character, we absolutely loved them nonetheless)

Felix (from RvB) - Dr. Martin Brenner (Again, I actually don’t know a lot about RvB, but I will watch it soon. Until then, someone tell me if him or Cameron Campbell [or Daniel, but Daniel wants to serve the evil, Brenner wanted to kill it, I think] would be a better choice)

Xemug - The Mind Flayer

Ered - Max (maybe)

Snake - Troy

I need more help figuring this out. Like what role will David, Gwen, Daniel, and Jen play? In the meantime, I’m gonna keep listening to “When it’s cold, I’d like to die” and continue to contemplate if I’ll watch RvB before or after christmas.)