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chamomileteainabuttercup · 3 years

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Thoughts on Episode 4 of The Book of Boba Fett - "On Thin Fucking Ice"

that is not the episode title but it clearly should be

I obviously hope that last week's episode was an aberration and not representative of the series overall. For patriotic reasons, I would like to keep watching this (I mean Temuera Morrison), and for general Boba Fett-liking reasons, I would like this not to suck. So far, we have had one okay episode, one AWESOME episode, and one truly shit episode. It's not exactly encouraging to see a show run such a gamut in its first three episodes; it suggests poor planning and only erratic insight about why viewers will care to watch. I am hoping that this week will be okay. That's all I'm setting my sights on. Okay. Fingers crossed, eh.

The Disney+ blurb for this episode is just "Boba Fett partners with Fennec Shand," which might mean that we finally get some backstory/context for these two, or might alternatively mean that they will dance a fruity samba, and either is fine by me. We have a runtime of 49 minutes, in between the excellent 53 minutes of Chapter 2 and the okay/bloody awful 39 minutes of 1 and 3. I am not sure who directed this one but I hope it's not Robert bloody Rodriguez again.

* ugh taking us straight back to the worst part of the previous spisode in the "previously on"

* I really wondered if Boba's total lack of affect in the discovery and funeral parts of that sequence was some kind of actor protest by Temuera Morrison, like how when Alexander Siddig hated the genetic enhancement plot twist for Julian Bashir on Deep Space Nine (sorry about the spoilers for 1997), he would try to say any lines relating to it in the dullest way he could. The difference here is that I really liked that plot twist (and it did not do what Siddig feared, making Julian too similar to Data - they are both talkative and clever and neurodivergent in some way but have very different vibes overall) whereas this one sucked and made me feel angry and sad. To go right from an episode that was all about Boba finding a connection and a sense of belonging and purpose with these people after spending so long feeling alone, an episode to which Morrison clearly contributed a lot in terms of culture and the whole issue of indigenous rights and sovereignty which is dear to his heart, to then having it all ripped out from under Boba for cheap tragedy that dehumanised the people the previous episode did so much to humanise, surely was not very satisfying for Morrison as a performer. The man can in fact emote, and here he just didn't. So.

* remind us of the stupid briefing scene too

* Stephen Root: no one respects you

* Me: well to be fair, based on last week's shenanigans I don't either

* ugh the Mods

* ugh Krrsantan (it is not Krrsantan's fault he got put into such a stupid scene, he looks like a cool dude)

* ugh the rancor swap makes no sense, why would they give him something so expensive and fuck off without even getting their cool-looking Wookiee back

* they didn't recap the only cute and awesome part of last week, Boba "Horse Girl" Fett deciding he loves the rancor and it will be his baby

* and now... new material

* TRY NOT TO SUCK, SHOW. I AM SO READY TO BE PLEASED.

* ALREADY into the bath and a flashback? Without even a present-day prologue? Also, are they really going to keep using Boba dreaming about his past in the bacta tank every single time they want to do a flashback? Couldn't he talk to a therapist like Tony Soprano? I feel like this guy naps more than he works. Which I can sympathise with, but he could've done all this napping BEFORE trying to take over Mos Espa and started out feeling fresh.

* It was very green in the desert that day - oh wait that's a transition effect.

* okay, so Boba is apparently spying out Jabba's palace; are we actually going to start getting hints of why he decided to go back there? Is it about gaining the power to avenge the Tuskens, or what? Did his childhood experiences teach him anything about the value or likely success of trying to avenge someone you loved? Does he just think this is different because he's strong enough to do it by himself instead of being a traumatised little kid depending on adults who don't have his welfare at heart?

* "Not today, old girl" - okay, I like the continuing notes of Boba's quiet love of animals, but "not today" what. What is your objective, you potato.

* what do banthas eat? Apparently barbecue is okay. I always wondered, because they do look like ungulates, but you clearly can't graze in a desert. The food chain of Tatooine remains very fucking mysterious. I presume it involves, at some level, animals that literally eat and metabolise sand.

* nobody had better kill his fucking bantha this week

* okay, I briefly skipped to the end credits and the director this week was Kevin Tancharoen, of whom I know zip, nothing, nada. Back to five minutes in.

* it is too dark in this scene for me to have any blessed idea what is going on, and I would prefer unconvincing day-for-night to realistic can't-see-a-thing.

* So this is where he finds Fennec near death - which raises some questions for me about the passage of time. He fell into the Sarlacc's maw in 4ABY, and was presumably not in there for more than a few hours, by the state of him. The events of The Mandalorian begin in roughly 9ABY. How long did he live with the Tuskens before the cheap shitty tragedy? Clearly a while, since he learned their language, but nearly five years? How long did he wander around in between the cheap shitty tragedy and finding Fennec where Din left her in around about 9 ABY? You give a guy five years to noodle around in before he has to get back into the plot, and then you don't let him really noodle.

* there are people here with cool cyberpunk eyes - okay, so the whole cyborg body mods thing was a trend on Tatooine well before Boba met the Mods? What does it mean? Anything?

* "I found a gravely wounded woman barely clinging to life in the desert... so I brought her to a nightclub." At least that's what it sounds like.

* So wait, did Boba know that this was a place where people got cyborged up? How did he learn about that? Has he had any sort of social life in between the cheap shitty tragedy and this? Who has he talked to? Why did we skip over so much?

* Anyway I guess this is where Fennec's techno-tummy comes in.

* there were absolutely no emergency healthcare options other than this place? god Tatooine sucks

* and apparently Fennec doesn't need any anaesthetic or life support

* this just... this doesn't make sense

* I never cared that much about how the techno-tummy works, but this was just stupid-looking. There was no sign that this guy did anything about the blood loss she'd already suffered, no sign that there was any hygiene involved, working on Fennec's body this way would make sense only if she was already a cyborg or robot that just needed parts replaced.

* btw where did Boba get the money for this, what has he been doing to earn money? What have been his goals and uses for the money he earned? that seems interesting

* Like the way the Tuskens were so brutally disposed of, this rather feels like "We have to give some kind of explanation for how this character got their new accessories, let's bash it out real quick."

* "Aren't you going to close her up?" "And cover all that beautiful machinery?" SO EVIDENTLY INFECTION IS NOT A THING. PERITONITIS IS NOT A THING.

* what did the guy do with all the damaged innards he would have had to remove?

* so the poor cow wakes up on the sand in the middle of nowhere with some dude offering her a melon; I wouldn't be impressed.

* so... Boba went through her pockets and looked at her ID?

* so here's where the narration from the trailer came from

* One thing that I do find a little strange about Morrison's performance is the really different inflection he gives his voice when he says things like "I am Boba Fett, left for dead on the sands of Tatooine," kind of ponderous and artificial, and when he says things like "He's a tricky little bugger" and "What are we going to call you?" - when he actually sounds like a person. I can justify this as there being an element of Boba putting on a performance, which I think he always has been doing since he put on the helmet and started creating the character of Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter, who is clearly different from Boba Fett who just wants to pet a dog. Perhaps what he's giving Fennec here is a modified, helmetless form of that.

* Okay, Fennec introducing the possibility that at least some of the Tuskens escaped. I HOPE SO. It really didn't look as if there were as many bodies strewn about the destroyed camp as there were dancers in the bonfire scene at the end of episode 2. Fingers still crossed for Tusken Warrior and Tusken Kid.

* Right, and this settles the fact that, at least in this iteration of Star Wars canon, Boba calls his ship Firespray. I will gladly accept it as Boba changing the name of the ship when it became his; Slave One is really a bummer of a name.

* your ship is still where you parked it? are you sure?

* Boba. Baby, the worst he can say is "no, fuck off."

* I know this is turning into kind of a heist, and I've been vocal in my desire for heists, but it's not a very feisty heist.

* Fennec has a tiny baby drone! Okay, tiny baby drone is cute. I really like how it zips around.

* you're just gonna turn your bantha loose? Isn't she, like, domesticated? don't just tell her to go and get pregnant! she loves you!

* Fennec speaks for me, and for people with any common sense. Maybe hold onto your alternative means of transport just for now.

* How do you figure Bib double-crossed you, though? He kept your ship when he entirely reasonably believed you were dead. You haven't approached him to let him know you're alive because... you're afraid of what he might say? You think you're negotiating from a disadvantage? You can't even write the dude a letter to sound him out? Don't be a sook.

* tiny baby drone's back!

* so all you need to do is break into the garage and steal Fett's Vette, right?

* incidentally if Bib Fortuna kept security so tight, how were you able, not many months after this, to just walk right directly into his throne room so that he was surprised (and apparently pleased, until you shot him) to see you? And what did he think had happened to your ship in the meantime?

* it's almost lost because the lighting/colouring is so damn murky, but Fennec gives Boba an adorable smug smile about cutting through the bars to sneak in, and it immediately makes me like her more.

* "Voice of Sous-Chef Droid" would be a great credit to have on your IMDB page.

* General Grievous with cleavers - until Fennec takes his head off. I actually thought she was just going to push an off switch, which I would love even more.

* low comedy as Boba has to destroy the kitchen trying to tackle some little guy

* "Where'd you go?" - again, Boba sounds like a person when he's not sounding ponderous

* why are you telling the little droid who you are? why do you care? do you make this speech to everyone you meet?

* did that droid just do suicide

* I want - GONK DROID

* I want Boba getting back into his starship to be more of a moment, you know?

* sorry green piggy guard guy, you were certainy not paid enough for that

* of course she knows what she's doing, she's Fennec Shand

* She's in good shape - in fact, shipshape.

* and now, they are pals

* okay, so, bikies, zapping bikies

* that feel like vengeance?

* what are you going to do, shoot the sarlacc?

* are you literally going to shoot the sarlacc

* "that's where I was trapped all those years ago" - how have the years between then and now been occupied? because we really haven't seen enough!

* okay, Boba doesn't realise his armour was scavenged/salvaged

* what are you going to do, climb down in there with a rope and a torch?

* of course you can't see a thing! you're looking down an animal's throat underground! you don't even know how long its body is or how far along its gut peristalsis might have moved your armour by this time!

* that's right I said peristalsis

* I know a thing or two about guts

* not three things though, I top out at two

* this is simply silly, silly behaviour

* how is a ship that can blast off out of the atmosphere not grunty enough to escape the grip of an admittedly very large worm

* okay that was a fun sound effect, it always is

* okay, you know Fennec considers Boba her best friend now, or there's no fucking way she'd be hanging around to perform some kind of half-assed autopsy on a worm.

* okay

* okay sorry

* I know I'm starting with "okay" a lot

* but how screamingly absurd is it that Boba Fett is criticising crime lords for not taking the time to think

(and what happened to him is not because a crime lord didn't take the time to think, it's because Han Solo has the luck of the devil and also he, Boba Fett, is kind of a doofus)

* Boba "I didn't think to ask for a briefing on my new territory until like three days after I took it over" Fett

* Boba "I assumed everyone would just pay me tribute" Fett

* Boba "What's recruitment? I just hire disaffected youths I meet on the street" Fett

* Boba "I just sort of bounce around like a dumb pinball reacting to whatever people say" Fett

* Boba "I am surprised every time someone does something sneaky" Fett

* are you genuinely now trying to sell us on the idea that Boba Fett is a man with a plan

* that he's meant to be smart, smarter than the wiseguys

* Dunning-Kruger effect in action folks, except the show has Dunning-Kruger

* has anyone ever in the history of Tatooine before suggested that Tusken culture is soft

* was that literal entire episode a bacta tank flashback - oh okay, we have about a quarter of an hour still to go.

* how did he just walk in without encountering any guards that time, I ask you again

* he is completely healed? How long will that last, one wonders. He gets beaten up a lot.

* oh they're actually in canon called the Mods for goodness' sake, the silly nickname I made up for them is canon

* if Boba is completely healed (at least until his next ass-kicking) is he going to start sleeping in a big-boy bed now?

* Okay, at this point going to the pub is a reasonable decision.

* Krrsantan is not enjoying his evening. Perhaps Krrsantan should go to a movie or something instead.

* I'm complaining a lot, but Boba looks really handsome and I enjoy looking at him looking handsome.

* Garsa is gesturing a lot. Like, almost mind trick levels of gesturing.

* Okay, so I guess Krrsantan still has a bar tab.

* MAX REBO EVERYONE

* Boba, sweetie, darling, last week he (apparently) crushed your spine and bit your hand. He clearly has tremendous anger management issues. Do you really want to call him "mate" and offer him a job? Why not ask Garsa to help you, given that she is actually intelligent and knows people and also already technically works for you as your vassal?

* "when Fortuna claimed to be the heir" - "no right to the throne" - anyone remember Rotta? Jabba's little punky muffin? the actual legitimate heir?

* the idea that Boba got past "guile and treachery" to take out Bib Fortuna is just... absurd. They're having to retcon what was only written as a brief post-credits stinger in which Boba walked right in unchallenged, Bib simply appeared surprised and pleased to see him, and Boba shot him at point-blank range while his guard was down! That or Fennec is just bullshitting because it's the only way to sell this pup.

* "draining Tatooine of its wealth" - what wealth, when the most valuable commodity on the planet is water and the spice is imported? (It's a bit like how, although you can make meth pretty much anywhere with very basic kitchen/lab equipment, the cost and risk of importing the precursor chemicals to New Zealand is such that it's cheaper to just import meth ready-made these days.) Like, we know there are mines on Tatooine, Mos Pelgo is near one, but what they mine is unclear. (I'm ignoring here whether there's EU material that specifies what you mine on Tatooine, because none of that counts until we hear and see it on screen.)

* The rancor is under the table - and either that's a different droid of the same make and model, or that wasn't a suicide earlier.

* Don't just call the rancor "boy"! I demand that you give the baby a cute name!

* Okay, Matt Berry Droid is interpreting, so Matt Berry Droid is a protocol droid, right?

* Why should they join you? You're the only person the Pykes want to attack. They all probably have deals with the Pykes.

* "then I'll do it alone," he said, like a big, brave, dumb, stupid idiot.

* "just pwease don't betway me!"

* BOBA YOU SUCK AT NEGOTIATING SO BAD

* again and again I keep waiting for a twist that shows you're playing dumb... but you're not playing, are you?

* are we really supposed to think Boba pulled something off here

* all he did was get a bunch of dirtbags to make a promise I am sure they feel no obligation at all to keep

* "my deal is a lot better" - what deal?

* "what I'm short on is muscle" - which I don't understand why you didn't begin recruiting much earlier on, and no, the Mods don't count!

* and Fennec... introduces to him the idea that you can, like, hire guys to fight for you? Why was that even written as an exchange between these two characters in particular? "Credits can buy muscle if you know where to look" - "bitch I know, I was muscle for like 25 years." Why would they need to say this to each other. Why. This is "As you know, your father - the king..." levels of cruddy exposition.

* Well. Okay, well. I got my wish. That episode was at the low end of the range I would call "okay." It was pretty dumb throughout but it wasn't actively offensive or distressing. I did not have to look at stupid space Vespas. Ming-Na Wen made a cute face and Temuera Morrison looked hot.

* It still felt like a half-hearted exercise in filling in gaps, moving from one already established point to another as quickly as possible, rather than anyone actually being excited to show us what Boba Fett got up to in his wilderness years (other than in episode 2 which shone precisely because it felt interested in what was going on).

* The thing is, with this show, they got the opportunity to do what fanfic writers do, but with the real actors and budget and facilities. I mean that as 100% a good thing. To flesh out an enigmatic character, to develop an interesting story that was going on in a backwater while the eyes of the galaxy were understandably turned elsewhere, so they have lots of freedom to improvise. What do they actually want to do? I get what Temuera Morrison wants to do and I'm cheering for him, but what John Favreau and Dave Filoni want to do with this is really not clear to me.

#the book of boba fett #book of boba fett #tbobf #bobf #boba fett #the book of boba fett spoilers #book of boba fett spoilers #tbobf spoilers #bobf spoilers #spoilers #there are spoilers

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scribbled-anecdotes · 4 years

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So, I was going to make this list on National Indigenous Peoples’ day but I held off for two reasons: firstly we shouldn’t have to wait for special occasions to talk about Indigenous experiences and Indigenous issues but also because Canada Day was right around the corner. Canada is a settler-colonial state and while for many non-native peoples Canada day celebrates a seemingly proud history of freedoms and equality and innovation, for many indigenous peoples across so-called-Canada it is an uncomfortable, and even painful, reminder of a violent history of oppression and a continued struggle against settler-colonialism. So instead of taking July 1st to dwell on Canada’s questionable past take the time to consider Canada’s future and how we can work to undo the settler-colonial structure currently in place. So many people really don’t know where to start with undoing this country’s colonial legacy, so I’ve compiled a list (which is by no means exhaustive) of resources to start with

So please, as Canada day does look a little different this year, maybe start a new tradition of education and/or appreciation of Indigenous Peoples’ and our history on this territory as well as are contemporary experiences here. Also if you are not Canadian you can take some time to look at these or spread these resources (colonialism is not just a Canadian issues, it is a global one).

Documentaries:

Angry Inuk (Dir. Alethena Arnaquq-Baril, 2016) - Can be found on Youtube. Examines the importance of sealing to the Inuit and their struggle to continue their ways of life against colonialism by both the Canadian state, private oil/fracking companies, and even the EU’s anti-sealing laws. Watch if you’re interested in food sovereignty and protecting traditional ways of life.

Rumble: the Indian’s Who Rocked the World (Dir. Catherine Bainbridge, 2017) - Can be rented on Prime. Examines the role of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian and American music industry between the 1950s - present and what struggles they faced. Watch if you’re interested in music history and Indigenous representation.

First Contact, S1 + 2 (Dir, Jeff Newman, 2018 - ) - Can be found on APTN and TVO. A 3 part series that asks average Canadians to confront their biases about Indigenous Peoples. This is a very important watch for non-Indigenous peoples. TW: strong anti-indigenous racism in some parts. Watch if you’re interested in how racism and settler colonialism are enacted by everyday people and where common stereotypes come from.

Canada’s Toxic Chemical Valley (Dir, Patrick Macguire, 2013) - Can be found on Youtube. Looks at the history of environmental racism in Sarnia, Ontario and its affects on the people of Aamjiwnaang Reservation. Watch if your are interested in environmental justice and land rights.

Reel Injun (Neil Diamond, 2009) - Can be found Prime. Looks at the history on Indigenous representation in old Hollywood and its evolution since then. Watch if you’re interested in Indigenous representation and film history.

Searching for Winnetou: Drew Hayden Taylor Wants to Understand the Roots of the German Obsession with Native North Americans (Drew Hayden Taylor, 2018) - Can be found on Youtube. Traces the roots of Germany’s cultural obsession with the “Indians” and looks at the modern appropriation of Indigenous culture in Germany. watch if you’re interested in Cultural Appropriation and stereotypes and Europe’s role in this.

Canada’s Darkest Secret (Rania El Rafael, 2017) - Can be found on Youtube. Looks at the long and violent history of the residential schools system in Canada which ran from the mid-1800s - 1996 and how it continues to affect Indigenous communities. TW: child abuse and sexual abuse and trauma. Watch if you’re interested in assimilation, inter-generational trauma, and the modern history of Indigenous-settler relations. residential schools are the source of so many issues within modern Indigenous communities and so understanding their history and impacts is a good way of understanding why Indigenous people have the struggles we do today.

Trick or Treaty (Alanis Obomsawin, 2014) - Can be found on Youtube. Looks at the history and mishandling of treaty relations and where that leaves modern Indigenous-settler relationships. Canada has not held up a single treaty. Watch if you’re interested in treaty rights, land rights, diplomacy, and the history of Treaties.

Seachers: Highway of Tears (Dir. Stephanie Brown, Allya Davidson, 2016). Can be found on youtube and Netflix Canada. While not entirely Indigenous-centric, this documentary looks at the 71 km stretch know as the Highway of Tears where hundreds of Indigenous women have gone missing. It is not the best documentry in my opinion but its a good start to understanding the MMIDWG mov’t and how the RCMP fails indigenous women and girls. TW: murder, sexual assault and violence, violence against women and girls. Watch if you want to understand Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Arts and Culture:

Biidaaban/ the Dawn Comes (Amanda Strong, 2018). Can be found on Youtube. A claymation short film that examines an Urban Indigenous woman’s relationship to her land.

The Mishomis Book: the Voice of the Obijway (Edward Benton-Banai, 2010). Can be bought at most book stores. An introduction to Anishinaabe culture and history on Turtle Island through stories and colouring-pages. Read if you’re trying to diversify you’re understanding of Canadian culture and history. This is also a great book for kids, especially Indigenous children.

Indian Horse (Richard wagamese) - This is both a film and a book, both of which are amazing. The story follows an Anishinaabe Residential school survive as he uses hockey to cope with his trauma. TW: Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse, Violence and Anti-Indigenous Racism.

Sgaawaay K’uuna/Edge of the Knife (Helen Haig-Brown, Gwaai Edenshaw, 2018) - The first film done entirely in Haadi-Gwaii (and I believe any Indigenous language), Sgaawaay K’uuna follows the struggle of a cursed man and his transformation into a wild man (Gaadiig). Based heavily in Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida folklore and oral history. watch if you’re interested in Historical reclamation, Indigenous oral history and Indigenous film.

Kent Monkman - A Cree painter who often inserts Indigenous bodies, culture and sexuality into traditionally European styles (ex, the History Painting).

To The Indigenous Woman (the 1491′s, 2011) - Can be found on Youtube. A spoken poem about violence against Indigenous women and the complacency of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals in this epidemic of violence. TW: Violence against women, Sexual assault, rape.

Bad Indians (Ryan red Corn, 2011) - Can be found on Youtube. A spoken word poem about the way Non-Indigenous peoples view Indigenous peoples and our work to reclaim our voice and power on this land. TW: references to racism and genocide.

This is just the tip of the Iceberg so if you do find this interesting/ eye opening and want more information, I can 100% provide more resources. But hopefully, these documentaries can help to educate non-Indigenous peoples about the history and contemporary experiences of Indigenous People’s on Turtle Island. Gii’Miigwetch (thank you).

#This may be the longest post i've ever made.#Sorry bout that #Indigenous History #Native Rights #Canada day #educational resources #anti-racism resources #Canadian history #Canadian politics

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pocfansmatter · 4 years

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Okay I said before I was going to get more in depth with blood quantum eventually so now is as better time than any I guess. Mind you I'm speaking as a Native American meaning an Indigenous person from America. Specifically from 2 southern California tribes. I cannot speak for all Native or Indigenous people. I can only speak for myself, I can’t even speak for my tribe. However most Natives tend to have the same view when it comes to the blood quantum debate. From this point on blood quantum will be shortened to BQ & Native American to Native(s).

Originally this was gonna be a reply to another comment but decided to make it it's own post so I don't associate my blog with that anti Indigenous one. Please try to read the whole post before clicking the articles. I screenshotted the main parts to keep the discussion going. Feel free to click on all the articles because they are good & most of them are from Native run news websites.

I was gonna do this with a read more tag but my laptop doesn't want to work. I'm literally getting anyther one on Thanksgiving but my old one doesn't cooperate sorry so y'all are gonna get a long post. 😕

So let's start with the basics. What is blood quantum?

"Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws in the United States and the former Thirteen colonies that define Native American identity by percentages of ancestry. ... For instance, a person who has one parent who is a full-blood Native American and one who has no Native ancestry has a blood quantum of 1/2."

In case that was confusing if one person is "full blood native" they are considered 4/4. Meaning they have no relatives who are of any other race or ethnicity. If the "full blood native" has a child with a non Native person the child would have a BQ of 1/2 Native blood. If that child has a child with a non Native that child will be considered 1/4. This will continue to get lower & lower unless the child has a baby with another Native. Then the BQ raises or stays the same depending on the other parents BQ.

Now that the definition is out of the way lets get into the issue with this.

This is a good article that narrowed down an issue with Pharrell wearing a headdress. I wanna focus on one part of the article though.

"... deeply connected to their Native culture & live it every day."

"Having Native American ancestors doesn't get you off the hook if you don't bother to do the homework."

So I mentioned before that a lot of Natives don't consider BQ as a proper way of measuring your culture. Being Native isn't something you can pull out when it's convenient like for a photoshoot. Its every single day. It's in the words we speak, in the clothes we wear & in the food we cook. Same as any other culture.

Asian people don't wake up not Asian. Black people don't wake up not Black.

So why is do some people pull out the Native card when it is convenient? Like Pharrell did or Elizabeth Warren claims.

This article sums it up well but I wanna focus on the last 2 paragraphs.

Link to the full article:

There's similarities in both articles by 2 different Native authors from 2 different news websites.

They both speak about connections to our culture. A DNA test cannot measure ones Indigenous Ancestry because being Indigenous is much more than something in your blood.

I made a post asking some questions that might help understand if one is Indigenous or not. Now I'm not saying these are all the questions nor that I'm the expert on this. These are just STARTER questions to help people understand what it means to be Native.

Does the tribe you claim, claim you?

Have you been to the reservation?

Do you participate in the community?

Have you met your family from the tribe?

Do you know your history, traditions, anything about the tribe you claim?

The big one is are you claimed. You cannot claim a tribe that doesn't claim you. Now I'm not saying the entirety of the tribe has to know you personally. I'm not even saying you have to stand in front of the tribal council & ask them if they claim you. A claim can be made as little as just your family saying "this person is one of us".

The reason I bring this up is because multiple tribes have in the past & continue the practice of "adopting" a person into their tribe. There's many examples of this. Some can be adopted because they married into a tribe. Non Natives & Natives of other tribes alike have been adopted into tribes. There can be legal adoptions like adopting a child. And countless other examples.

A lot of the time biologically those members aren't apart of the tribe & cannot be enrolled but are still viewed as a member by the community.

For personal example, my sister has been adopted by my tribe. She's actually an enrolled member from another tribe & technically my cousin but was taking away by CPS & my family took her in. She grew up & still lives on my reservation. She is from another reservation. Although her tribe still claims her as a member my tribe also does. People in my community know her as a member of my family & have grown up with her. She knows many of our traditions & practices some ceremonies with us that are specific to my tribe. No one in our tribe has expressed any issue with this so far & even if they did they would have a stern talking to. We are even in the process of organizing her to be buried on our tribal land instead of hers. Her choice & we are okay with it.

Now I want to point out another way people can be considered Native even if they aren't enrolled or cannot answer those questions properly.

Let's look at something called "reconnecting Natives".

What is a reconnecting Native?

A reconnecting Native is someone of Native Ancestry who for whatever reason has been removed from their culture, family, reservation, etc so they do not know them & are actively trying to learn those things so they can reclaim their Native roots.

So, how does this happen? This is actually a very common issue in the community.

One of the main ways a Native might become disconnected is through the process of Residential Schools or Indian Boarding Schools. What is that? Here's a snippet of an article to help explain.

Of course here is the link:

The official motto of these schools was "kill the Indian, save the man” and if you think it sounds awful I promise you, it was much worse than you could imagine.

There's a movie on Netflix called Indian Horse which I have not watched yet but is based off a novel by an Indigenous author that looks at these Boarding Schools if you wish to check that out.

The goals of these schools were to strip Indigenous children of their culture. They were beaten, starved, punished of things as simple as speaking in their languages. A lot of them didn't even speak English. It was illegal to keep your kids from this school & often times tribal children went to these schools and never returned to their family. Natives who attended these schools or are children of children who attended these schools more often than not stop practicing their culture or forget it. In that way they become "disconnected".

Those members can if chosen too began the process of reconnecting.

I found this really good article going a little more in depth on the do's & don't's of reconnecting.

But here's a screenshot of important parts.

Granted this is a long process. Lifelong. Every journey to reconnect is difficult & very different from others. It depends on your tribe & community. Some of them make it easier & some make it harder. It's up to the individual to put in the work.

Now I don't want to make it like being a connected Native is easy. Yes it's easier but connected Natives also put in work to live their culture everyday.

Now what does this have to do with blood quantum? As you can see none of these articles about being Native or even a reconnecting Native mention blood quantum or DNA being a requirement.

If one is Japanese & someone asks "how are you Japanese?" What would the answer be?

"Because I just am. Because my parents are Japanese."

If someone is white & has kids those kids are white, correct?

So if it's so easy to explain for other cultures why does mine require math? Why are some of my family members not enrolled members despite having Native parents & growing up on the reservation? Why do my people have to actively think about the DNA results of our children if we choose to have them?

Because of BQ. Its a tool created by colonizers that are forced upon us. If we do not abide by the rules & requirements the government sets in place we run the very big risk of

Losing our status of a Native American tribe.

Losing our land & land rights.

Losing funding from the federal government.

Losing our housing.

Losing Healthcare.

Losing our basic citizenship rights.

The thing about BQ is it's designed so that we fail. If we fail to keep a certain amount of enrolled tribal members in a tribe then the government can break treaties & take away our land & things that are rightfully ours.

BQ is a lose/lose situation all around for us as well as extremely racist.

Because of the BQ requirements Natives actively worry about who they have children with. Some don't date outside of the their culture in fear of their children not being seen as legally Native. The problem here is a lot of the tribe is related. The issue of inbreeding increases. How do we solve that problem? Well we can have children with Natives of another tribe. But there's a problem here too. Most tribes do not allow what we call dual enrollment. Both of my tribes for example don't allow this. Which means one would have to pick which tribe to enroll their child. That means one of the tribes will lose out on a member. So that's another way identities are erased using BQ.

Okay I think I'm going to end this here. There is so much more I could've added. I also could've expanded on residential schools, what it means to be Indigenous, & reconnecting Natives but I wanted to keep it focused on BQ. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask or research on your own. We're still here. We aren't stuck in the 1800's. We weren't all killed by cowboys but the government is still actively trying to erase us.

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sylver-drawer · 3 years

Text

A prompt in class had made me realize something deep within me—my hate for physical books.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate books because they’re physical. I’d actually love it, but rather what I despise…

Is what is contained within those books.

Where I live, physical books you can only get when visiting libraries or book stores unless specially ordered online. Yet I am never satisfied with what is offered to me, simply because, I’m tired of it.

I am so absolutely tired of seeing the same exact things over and over again.

To give an example, my tastes aren’t that condensed nor diverse. I love thriller, I love Mystery, but what I find the most interest in, is Fantasy Romance.

And saying that should already tell you exactly what I’m talking about.

I am so tired of seeing the exact same tropes over and over again. This is a problem in all stories, physical or online, in general—however, it appears to me that published and physical books are almost always having these qualities. When searching online, I can always somehow find at least a handful of stories that is different from the others and gives at least a fraction of what I need. But in libraries? Book stores? I can’t do that, because they all follow the same pattern one way or another because those tropes are what people only ever seem to want, which is why a lot of authors who stray from those tropes aren’t as well known.

Frankly, I’m tired of everything being reused or rebranded.

I wouldn’t mind the wizards and demons, the werewolves and vampires, if ONLY they weren’t just there to be there.

Let me explain. Witches and Wizards tend to follow the same pattern. People who use magic, which is simple enough. But the problem is, is that it ends with just that. In most stories I come across, wizards are included in a very weak magic system in which they can use magic to do basically anything they want. Something fell and broke? Use magic to fix it. There’s a fire? Summon water to put it out.

It’s simple. But that repeated simplicity is what makes me tired.

There is never any depth. There is no expansion or lore that explains the nitty gritty details, nor makes it important. Magic in fantasy stories, is most commonly, cause and effect. Problem, and fix. Something bad, changed to good. Hurt, then to heal.

In fantasy, magic is simply one layer—magic people can use magic to do anything. There’s no limit, there’s no depth, there’s nothing that makes it unique. Magic in fantasy, all falls under the broad topic of just ‘magic’. Shooting fireballs, summoning a river, causing a storm to drive away your enemies, lightning bolts to fend them off—all can fall under just magic. Using this, it might be controversial to say, but Harry Potter is an extremely soft magic system. Wizards can cast magic through words, yes, but it’s exactly that. They can cast ‘magic’, and that magic is an umbrella term that essentially means, “With enough training, they can look up the words in a magic dictionary and use whatever magic they want to do anything they want”.

There is no depth. There is no extra layer, it’s simply ‘magic’.

And I’m not even done rambling. I haven’t even touched magical races in fantasy, which I’ll actually transition right into.

I am tired of race conflict in fantasy. Not because its bad, but because they’re more often than not, poorly written. Let’s take Twilight as an example.

Werewolves hate vampires. Vampires hate werewolves. Why? Because werewolves bad, and vampires bad. That’s literally it. No deeper meaning, no actual societal issues, just “ew, icky vampire/werewolf”. In fact, in twilight it doesn’t even appear they hate eachother. If Bella didn’t even exist, what would Edward and Jacob fight about? If you notice, they only use eachother’s race to appeal to Bella and put down the other rival. “Bella, you can’t love him because he’s a dirty vampire”, or, “Bella, you can’t love him because he’s a mangy wolf pup”. Setting aside the obvious racist undertones that’s never important nor addressed critically within the story, the only time dislike about the others’ race is talked about, is only ever addressed not because they hate that specific race, but as a petty remark to bad talk their love rival.

So, in theory, the two races aren’t even… against eachother. Thinking back, all the times it was vampire vs werewolf in twilight, it was all because of Bella wasn’t it. And not because of general dislike of the others’ race, but over a human girl…

I’ve trailed off from my original point, but basically, race vs race within fantasy plots aren’t actually because of the race. I think the only fantasy series I’ve seen that remotely does racial societal conflict well is Lord of the Rings. Elves hate dwarves because they’re greedy, crude, and brutish. Dwarves hate elves because they view them as selfish and always seemingly on their high horse. They stereotype one another, and when they look beyond those stereotypes is when they start bonding and actually forming friendships. They then realize that those stereotypes didn’t matter and were harmful.

That’s an example I would love to see more in fantasy in general. Make the magical races dislike and judge eachother because of their race, and then overcome it while addressing it. Don’t add in races that hate eachother when they’re all literally just the exact same. And also, make the races different! Even humans practice different cultures, and that’s what makes us diverse. In the LOTR franchise, racial bias and hate isn’t simply because, “they’re x race”. It’s because they stereotype people within that race, a stereotype that’s just an exaggerated version of qualities they all just happened to have. In Twilight, I’d argue that there isn’t anything that sets the werewolves and vampires apart other than their superhuman abilities. In LOTR, taking their races away the qualities the characters had were still eminent. Legolas was a bit proud and calm demeanor ed under pressure because he was naturally like that, as well as how he was raised as an elven prince. Gimley fights violently with an axe, and puts his whole body into his fighting style. His words also come off as rough and unfiltered, while Legolas’ voice is smoother and speech well spoken due to his background. The traits they found in eachother due to racial stereotypes still linger and remain. While yes, werewolves were heavily based off of indigenous people, there wasn’t any clear examples of them practicing it that was essential to the conflict and characters other than reminding the audience every once and a while. If Jacob were the only werewolf shown, the Jacob-Bella-Edward conflict could easily just be seen as two roleplaying white boys fighting over a girl. That’s how important their racial identities of vampire and werewolf mattered.

(And please!!! Remember lore. Generations and generations of racism impacts people who grew up with it. Some people change and break away from that stigma of unadultered hate, some can only partly break away even while educated with unconscious internal bias, and some continue to nurture themselves in it and even spread it. Not every person under one umbrella ends up the same, and that applies to characters too. Taking inspiration from real life, look at the time we live in now. Hundreds of years gone by, and while things are certainly better, the dark stains haven’t even gone away and most likely won’t even in the distant future. The past two years are proof of that.)

There’s no point in writing racial conflict in your story if there’s nothing that sets them apart from one another (I’m not saying people need a reason for real life racism because there are so many people who hate certain races just because they’re that race, but story wise, it’s easier to show what’s commonly hate due to stereotypes and stigma that people make for that race). It’s like the spider man pointing meme. How are you supposed to be antagonistic with someone who’s literally the same as you? “I guess you’re not like other spider men” coming from a spider man???

Prefacing, I’m not saying racism is good. I’m saying including race conflict for the sake of race conflict is very empty and purposeless, which is what I often find in fantasy or romance-fantasy. Racial conflict apparently doesn’t matter until the main character is directly involved, in which only then does it affect them that it’s brought up and only because it affects them. A similar example is including LGBTQ+ characters just for the sake of sexual diversity, in which—

That actually leads into my next topic.

Romance.

How many. How many published books must there be of romance that completely overrides the plot as well as the characters’ other relationships? How many stories must be made in which the fantasy aspect is completely pushed aside and no longer included in the plot because the story wants to entirely focus on the romance drama between the main character, love interest, and best friend? Or not even best friend, miscommunication in general!

How hard, is it to write a story where the couple is healthy, and love and don’t doubt eachother, who trust eachother entirely? Like really.

And! And!

The moment when romance is introduced, everything else doesn’t. seem. to. matter! At that point, it’s not even fantasy even more. It’s just a rom com, because watching the couple fight over nothing is hilarious because they’re in the middle of a war. And the other characters don’t seem to matter anymore either. I am so tired of plots being thrown away to focus on the drama between the two leads, and for once just want a fantasy boom of stories depicting healthy relationships with actually unique magic systems and logical well written conflicts.

And diversity! In Relationships! I am so tired of only ever seeing poorly written drama filled heterosexual relationships in romances. In fantasy romances. Give me my wlw wizards who explore their war torn world and have to defend the people they love with intricate, costly, magic systems.

Can we just have. A literary revolution, in which a rise of stories where characters can have relationships—non romantic relationships—with other characters. Can male and female characters finally love eachother to the ends of the world without romance. It’s so easy to write. Love is so easy to write between any gender or sex. So why does it seem to be there can only be one kind predominantly in media? In published media?

Occasionally I can find diverse stories like this on the internet, but never can I find these in libraries.

Like it’s. It’s so, so easy to write love and companionship between characters of diverse identities and cultures. Even in heterosexual fantasy romance stories, I want to be able to see relationships outside the romance being as strong as the main romance. Between the girls, between the boys, and those in between. Men can be in love with men, women in love with women, and men in love with women without needing to force their loves against eachother. A man and woman can be written to love eachother dearly without any romance ever between them, because that’s how it’s like in real life as well. So often do main characters in fantasy stories have some sort of dark past that rid them of any familial love, which in turn ruins them for the capacity of platonic love, which makes people believe the only way for them to find love is romantically. Even in children’s books, there’s always the princess abandoned or overly protected by her parents who eventually finds solace in the pressence of a dry, brooding knight or charming prince. They fall in love, and that’s the only thing that’s ever positively shown. The love between the main character and the love interest. Because to society, romance is seen as the strongest form of affection.

But, it isn’t.

People are different, and to a lot of people who do and don’t have romance in their lives, it doesn’t mean they can’t love anyone else. In society, the only love that seems to exist is romance. It’s the only thing people tend to promote, and yet, people forget what love is. It’s care, it’s worry. Love is painful and happy. It’s sometimes angry and frustrating, but sometimes its something you need. Love is stubborn, yet so easily broken. Love was never just romance, and it feels like the world forgets that.

It’s frustrating, because it feels like anything published at your local library follows the opposite pattern. Because it’s what people believe the public wants, and what the public will only ever accept. Sometimes, it’s all people only know how to write. Sometimes, its all editors and publishers will ever approve of. And sometimes, its all people ever look for. Because either they’re afraid, stigmatize and despise it, or just don’t care for it.

At some point, this had turned from a ramble about how physical books lack diversity, to how media in general lacks diversity.

I do believe that one day in the future, media will change. Literary media will change. But as of now? The majority of published and physical books haven’t diverted from that pattern, and most likely won’t for a long time. I know so many stories are beginning to change online now that the new generation has informed themselves and become interested in new ideas and topics, but as far as physical publication goes? The world won’t accept these changes, not for a long time.

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heymacy · 4 years

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what do you mean "one day" you write how mickey's the wild west outlaw archetype... write it now bitch!! (please i say this with love, i've been fascinated with that comparison- and agree with it- ever since i saw your tags!!)

bitch (affectionate) 👏🏼 and okay yes let’s get in to it! disclaimer: this is probably going to be long, i did study film in school for two and a half years before switching my major (which i deeply regret) and i study history now, so the pretentious film student vibes are probably gonna come out swinging and i apologize for that. full incoherent rambling below the cut!

so, the wild west outlaw archetype is one that most people are familiar with, since the "western” genre has existed for over a century in Hollywood. in fact, the first time someone described a film as a “western” was in 1912 in Motion Picture World Magazine, though the first acknowledged “western” film was made in 1899. these films are typically set in the late 1800s during the westward expansion in America (or as i like to call it, “white people stay displacing indigenous groups with their manifest destiny bullshit”). there are very clear and distinct archetypes present in this genre, as with most genres (one day i’ll talk about rom-com archetypes because i find them fascinating). traditionally, there are 8 archetypes aside from the “outlaw”:

The True Cowboy

The Gunslinger

The Gambler

The Preacher

The Doc

The Sheriff

The Drunk

The Tycoon

each of these character archetypes has unique characteristics and motivations. sometimes there are overlaps between archetypes, such as the The Drunk and The Gambler, or The Gunslinger and The Doc.

what’s unique about The Outlaw (we are now using capital letters, ooooo) is that they don’t fall in to any one category from the list above. rather, they embody a sense of resistance or pushback against expansion and modernization of western territories. to The Outlaw and his ragtag gang of ruffians, the west is an infinitely better place when the colonizers aren’t there (even though they themselves are colonizers - we love a solid sense of self awareness lol). because of this, they often go to great lengths to upset the balance of whatever little town they’re in, in hopes that the settlers will abandon their homesteading and return to the east, allowing for the outlaws to exist free of their inherent oppression (aka, we wanna do crime and these assholes won’t let us)

now let’s get in to shameless. at its core, it’s a show about family, poverty, struggle, and love. there are, however, MANY parallels between the running storylines in the series and the classic western film. gentrification is this century’s westward expansion, with the wealthy and the privileged moving their families to “unknown lands” (the Southside) to buy up property and transform the landscape in to something reminiscent of where they were raised. enter stage left, coffee shops and yoga studios, the modern day saloons and haberdasheries. someone is always stealing something, tagging something with spray paint, intimidating the transplants and upper middle class yuppies, all in an attempt to prevent their home (for The Outlaw, the real “wild” west is his home) from becoming a watered-down version of itself, rife with hipsters, this century’s colonizers in many ways.

using this logic, we could see the entirety of the Southside population, the locals at least, as The Outlaw, but i think that would be short-sighted, since the archetype of The Outlaw is centered around the disruption and destruction of the transforming cultural landscape (see: Mickey’s actions in season 5, his animosity towards Lip, who he saw for a long time as a fellow outlaw, for siding with the enemy and going off to college). not everyone on the Southside is going to have the same central motivation and trajectory as the TRUE outlaw. in fact, i would argue that the majority of the Southside is made up of Gunslingers, which do often overlap with The Outlaw in westerns, specifically ones from the 30s and 40s where The Outlaw is also the guy with the “fastest draw in the west”

now in western films, The Outlaw is almost always the antagonist, the character that gets in the way of the True Cowboy’s journey to self-fulfillment and happiness, and we’re supposed to hate him for it. we’re SUPPOSED to think he’s crass and violent and out of line and a stain on the fabric of society. rarely did westerns delve in to The Outlaw as a fully-fleshed out character. however, the rising popularity of “sympathetic outlaws”, aka outlaws we don’t think are entirely terrible or who have motivations behind their actions that we can empathize with (see: Bonnie and Clyde) has led Hollywood to produce films in which The Outlaw is a sympathetic character, not just a tool used to further the central character’s storyline. it’s a very similar phenomenon to the rise of villain/anti-hero popularity. i think we see this most ostentatiously in the Star Wars universe, with the “light side vs. dark side” debate and so many people meta-ing the hell out of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Ben Solo, and other characters that we’re SUPPOSED to dislike for their heinous actions but we just...don’t? at least not as much as we’re supposed to. of course there are exceptions to the rule, and people who just hate “bad” characters blindly (pea brain energy right there folks).

Mickey Milkovich is the perfect encapsulation of The Sympathetic Outlaw. he is an instantly interesting, compelling character with unique motivations. our first impression of him is when he and his brothers are on their way to the Kash and Grab to beat up Ian for “assaulting” Mandy - like our VERY FIRST impression of him is this dirty, dangerous little gremlin who steals from the shop owner and terrorizes the neighborhood. if shameless were a western, mickey and his brothers would be the “Terrifying Milkoviches”, known and feared throughout the land, riding in to town on their horses, stopping at the general store to steal bread and beer before pistol whipping the store owner (Kash) and tormenting the shop boy (Ian).

The Outlaw is, at his core, a character that is resistant to change, who uses fear and violence to get his way, and who is well-known but not well-liked. sound like anybody we know? yeah, i thought it might!

even though The Outlaw is often feared by locals, settlers, and indigenous folks alike, there is also a unique dynamic between The Outlaw and the townspeople they torment, and it usually appears in the townspeople vs. Big Oil conflict that is prevalent in MANY westerns throughout history. in comes Mr. Handlebar-Mustache-Bolo-Tie-Oil-Tycoon ready to rip his way through the little town in the west so he can build his railroad or drill for oil. the townsfolk are taught to believe that this man is doing so for the betterment of their livelihoods, allowing the town to grow and expand and be an “important spot on the map” for travelers. however, when The Tycoon’s presence disrupts their lifestyles and stability, as it always does, the townspeople very quickly become pretty okay with The Outlaw fucking up Mr. Handlebar-Mustache-Bolo-Tie-Oil-Tycoon’s day. there is this unspoken alliance between The Outlaw (Mickey) and the townspeople (the Southside), where they acknowledge the potential damage The Outlaw could rain down on their little homestead, but usually decide to risk it to prevent more significant damage from Mr. Mustache. thus, a tense but consistent alliance is often formed, giving way to the “Revisionist Western” genre, or modern westerns with primarily sympathetic outlaws.

when everything is said and done, The Outlaw is a symbol of resistance, resourcefulness, and realism. The Outlaw doesn’t like change, and he fights it at every turn. he is thrifty and skilled, which contributes to his fearsome reputation. he is highly realistic, and will often clash with more idealistic characters (see: “do you have anything resembling an imagination in that fuckin’ skull of yours?” “...no. i like facts. things that are real. shit i can hold. like a gun!” / 11x04)

ultimately, Mickey Milkovich is a modern retelling of the classic Outlaw archetype, feared by many but loved by viewers. he is highly critical of the upper classes, grounded in realism, and sympathetic in his plight. he goes up against “the man” like it’s in his fucking DNA, which is why we love him so much. we all love The Outlaw, whether we want to admit it or not. we may not condone all of their actions, but we recognize where their motivations come from and are able to empathize, which only strengthens our love of the wildly misunderstood shit-stirrer that is Outlaw Mickey.

#shameless meta #mickey meta #mickey x archetypes #mickey x the outlaw #shameless x westerns #anon #answered #mickey milkovich #shameless character analysis

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ireddeadredemption2pc-blog · 5 years

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Red Dead Redemption 2 PC

Red Dead Redemption2 PC

The old west feels brand new again.

Oh Jesus Christ, what have you done? “Thomaschen 978 wants to know why a dozen carcasses and a couple of horse corpses are placed on rail tracks bordering the early industrial city and are the New Orleans stand-in St. Denis.” You killed half. village.” PC Games For Free

We are on round two of the recurring corpse pile. My poses got the idea to jump in front of the train after a few rounds of Lose Your Friends and Toss Them in the Sea in the Couple Friendly Strangers. Like GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 has its own bowling minima, we explain to Chen in a roundabout way that provokes his fear. Die in the shared open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 and you’ll react fast enough to move your corpse around. Best RPGs games pc

The boy is in line with us. We should make it bigger. As the train comes around again, another pose tries to take us out. The chain defends us but does not bring it back to the tracks. He goes away screaming. Death of a true warrior.

Red Dead Redemption 2 could be the biggest, most humble videogame ball pit for an annoying story about impulsive children, the forced disintegration of the community, or simply a quiet and reflective hiking simulator. It’s just about what you need it to be, and it’s good at it.

Just hours before the corpse-bowling, I was alone through the icy forests, stepping into the long shadow cast across the snow by the rising moon. I heard a gunshot from a distance. The tracks of some wolves marked snow in the same direction. I saw them who won. Anytime I pay attention and look closely, RDR2 is the result of my curiosity. Best Racing games on pc

The mind-numbing expanse that makes up the vast world of RDR2 speaks to the creative force of a development team with an intense, obsessive dedication to realism (and all the money and time needed to do so). Like how my friends’ characters flare up when I fire a gun at them, how animal carcasses disintegrate over time, how NPCs react according to a sloppy or bloody outfit, how to stir through a doorway. Scares everyone everywhere.

It is hard to believe that RDR2 is so deep and wide and is also a harmonious, playable thing. I was already playing it for days worth the console version. This is why I am particularly disappointed that it ended up on the PC to some extent.

For every non-taught multiplayer adventure, disconnect or crash on the desktop, desktop. The rock star’s best storyline and character so far has been filmed through Frame Hutches’ slideshow and addressed over the launch weekend.

RDR2, one of the best Western games and one of the best open-world games I have ever released with enough stability issues, is recommended for the hard way until everything is completely smooth.

Morgan trail

EVERY PRETTY VISTA IS SOMETHING TO LOSE THROUGH ARTHUR’S EYES.

The story genre of Red Dead Redemption 2 follows the dying days of the Wild West. The sprawling industrial world faced the bandits and social downtrodden of Arthur Morgan’s small band, an imperfect but loyal, loving and self-reliant community.

Capitalism is reducing its value as resources to humans. Indigenous USA America is driven from the plains to make way for ‘civilization’ and commerce. The forests are brought down for timber, the hills are cut down for coal, and Morgan’s chosen family is caught in the middle, forced to flee, assimilate, or respond with violent protests is done. They do all three.

This is Rockstar’s most serious drama, and it’s really, really long. If you are running, the story ends after 40 to 50 hours and then continues for 10 to 15. The main story missions of Red Dead 2 feature distinctly rockstar fare: ride to a destination that is talking to everyone, tightly scripting though, entertaining things, riding, and chatting to the final destination.

Missions are often thrilling action sequences or artificially mundane pictures of wrench labor and trade, full of long-winded Bespoke animations, and outstanding performances. They are only hopelessly harsh, to the point where it feels like I am following the stage directions rather than playing the role of a vagabond in the Old West.

Step out of line in these campaigns and this is a failed situation. As opposed to Red Dead Online, there are very few of them that encourage players to think for themselves, each designed to advance the story. The RDR2 show is at least a spectacle of the slow pace of life in the Old West.

This is not the death and theatricality of a lifetime; My favorite missions include shoveling, drinking wine with a friend, proposing an old romance and riding a hot air balloon. Working through a greater rut, stricter tasks are considered meaningful in the end anyway, inspired by extraordinary, ambient world-building and characterization.

Side missions, minigames, small activities, and random world events — whether they hunt great guns, capture a play, or stumble upon a woman trapped under a horse — all set Arthur’s character and setting in subtle, rich ways. Please inform.

Nested in the third act of a fully animated and voice theatrical performance, something like 10 minutes, it is possible that the response button is pressed after an artist has included a telephone. Arthur would shout, “Hell with the telephone!” It is an optional activity, a long one, and an option is to react in that short window. I think most players will remember this, but this is Canad Response 1 through 3 because this is something Arthur would say, a rageless goofy set his way in the right way.

He would write complete, real diary entries about the 50-hour campaign, sketching memorable scenes and depicting the state of affairs of his chosen family, which people once knew changed their fortunes between hope and despair. It is meant to be a completely alternative reading, but a refreshingly intimate take on a masculine figure that unsettles many doubts and hopes as to the next person.

He sings himself on a lonely ride and lowers his old body in the mirror. He will have an exciting conversation with the horseshoe woman as he gives her a ride into town, both commenting on the troubles of working for wealthy, ungrateful men as a growing necessity. I feel it all. Best horror games on pc free

Hillbillies can capture him after making the camp, a couple may try to rob him after inviting him to dinner, a man with snakebite can come out of the forest by stumbling and tell him to suck venom is. These haphazard encounters portray brutal life on the fading frontier, as nature pushes back against inner poppers who want to change it. Arthur is the perfect vessel to see it

This is because Arthur Morgan is one of the darkest human characters I have played during a great turning point in American history, playing a playful, cruel and compassionate role according to differing theories.

The game world, beautiful as it is, is made more beautiful and tragic by how it is ready to play it on every occasion. Every beautiful vista has something to lose through Arthur’s eyes, power lines and train tracks, cut through the skies, and the rest of his life is slowly filling with factory smoke. Just about everyone sees a sad end in RDR2, too. This is a story that I might not sustain every moment, but I will not forget its brutal arc or the man in the middle of it all. God damn is it sad? An apocalypse that led to this.

Ren Der Reflection

Assuming that you are able to run it at high settings, the biggest strength of RDR2 is how it exquisitely renders the Old West setting on PC, drawing more attention to the nuanced details that make it. This is one of the best looking games I’ve seen and a rare experience that justifies a new GPU or CPU.

Better draw distance and a greater range of vegetation detail were added, making some vistas look photographic. Long shadows vary from walking or roaming between places to rides, to cute nature tours. Due to animal attacks, bullet holes, rain, mud, or rapid flow of blood, the markings on the clothes are caused by very high-resolution textures, which tell a very little story about your friends.

A new photo mode makes it easy to share those moments of amazement. The way the player rides on RDR2 for just sightseeing and sounds is an important feature. I am desperately trying to get an artistic portrait of my horse’s silhouette to sit against the moon, yet another self-proclaimed goal was tolerated by this ridiculously large complex game.

With 2080, i9-9900K and 32GB of RAM, I can run RDR2 mostly on ultra settings with some resource-intensive settings completely off or switched off. But some hardware combinations are proving troublesome for RDR2, leading to random crashes in some APIs and, more recently, to a hotfix, leading to hitching problems for some 4-core CPUs.

During the first weekend, I couldn’t spend more than an hour without crashing on the desktop, though Vulcan switched from DX12 (which gives me better framerates) back to static stuff. Sometimes the UI malfunctions and I cannot select a select or purchase option, the map fails to appear, or I get paged unexpectedly from game servers.

The graphics settings are almost too much as well, and probably confusing. In our test, only a handful of settings affected performance by more than 1-2 percent. Large residuals, the mapping between MSAA, volumetric lighting, and parallax occlusion, affect performance by 5 to 25 percent. Most of them don’t make a big visual difference anyway and are best left out.

The way the settings are presented is made to feel underdeveloped: a huge list with unclear presets that require tinkering to make RDR2 run in a satisfactory framerate. It is hard. The PC should be the best place to play, not the best place to play, after all, after a few patches. It’s a shame for a game to look good. upcoming pc games

Cowboy poetry Red Dead Redemption 2 PC

Like in singleplayer mode, in Red Dead Online I can make my goals reasonable and watch them. The problem is, it is basically hamstrung by a frustrating multiplayer leveling system that locks basic equipment and cosmetics behind long XP requirements that can meet hours, perhaps days,

The option is spending gold, premium currency, items and clothing to unlock them immediately. A fishing pole is not available until level 14. A damn fishing pole in an outdoor recreation game. This is not spectacular and is a terrible way to invest players.

out a basic suite of tools (fishing rod, bow, varmint rifle, nice hat, etc.), Red Dead Online opened up widely. I have largely ignored traditional matchmaking modes such as gunfights and horse races, cheap thrills, I will play much better versions in different games, to have fun. It led to the most inventive, serene, real, and sometimes buzzing echo I’ve ever had.

I once walked into the middle of a fire in Blackwater and took the player corpses one by one to the church cemetery. Some were captured and participated in the ‘burial’ of their friends. A corpse thanked me for the gesture. Later, in an extended streak of criminal activity, my pose and I caught another player and instead of killing them on the spot, we rode into the swamp and threw them into the garter infected waters. I got the idea to act like a friend. Best pc games 2017

On a less absurd note, I set myself a constant goal of earning strictly enough money from hunting to buy cool-weather gear and a fine rifle. I am going to hike in the mountains and find the best way to hide there, a wild mountain man adorned with animal skins, which almost touches the floor.

In the meantime, I’m stopping gunmen across the city by running through the streets and calling for a parley. I am participating in an eight-player ballroom. I am living the life of a normal cowboy in the best shepherd game. I hope it clears up soon.

RDR2 PC System Requirements

OS : Windows 7 SP1 64bit

Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300

Memory: 8 GB RAM

DirectX: Version 11 Or 12 Support

Storage: 150 GB

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hiddenbysuccubi · 6 years

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My audition for Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise: “Welcome to the Jungle Cruise! Any first-timers aboard? Good for you, please tell your friends, unless you hate your ride, in which case tell your enemies!” (boarding ends, ride starts) “Welcome aboard, I’ll be your Skipper, Kyra. I haven’t lost a passenger since the last cruise. Please keep hands and feet inside the boat, there’s an extra tax for digits left along the route, believe me, the local wildlife don’t want your number.” Extra: “Remember to watch your kids! It’s... not in my job description.”

(pass by Indiana Jones line / exit) “We’re starting off on our journey. Just on your right, here you’ll see our most invasive species, the human! Wave goodbye, as you’ll hopefully never see them again.” “If you look off to the side it’s the first sign of danger! D-A-N- wait I didn’t learn how to read. Stay in school, folks! Or you’ll end up on this cruise. Again, and again, and again...” “Don’t worry though, your Skipper here knows how to interpret all signs of Danger here in the Jungle. Just like that danger there- waiting in line for 90 minutes for Indiana Jones. (I shake my head)” (head towards tiger) “And here we have the Cambodian tribe, folks. Of course we have here an indigenous Tiger - meaning for the kids, it’s here 365 - It can jump 25 feet, don’t worry though, we’re under 25 feet away. It’ll jump right over us.” (pass snakes) “And don’t worry about our snakes, folks, they’re only interested in finding Indiana Jones. He’s on the other side of the river! Of course, they can also jump 25-” “Oh the one in the water? That’s just ginger. She doesn’t snap” (pass elephants) “Now folks, we’re entering the secret elephant bathing pool. Go ahead and take a picture, they’ve all got their trunks on. Just don’t wave at them unless you want a bath. They like to wave back.” “Look at those wrinkles! Just shows if you shower too long you’ll uh, turn into an elephant.” “And this is squirt, he likes to shower anyone he thinks hasn’t bathed. Did you all take a shower yesterday? No?? Get down, get down! ...False alarm.” (goes to monkeys) “This used to be one of our safari camps... seems like its gone ape/bananas. Hey there’s my jeep! The lights are still on! That’s some battery power. We’ll never get it turned-over.” “This is the part where I like to point out my favorite plant-life. Uh, that one. And that one. Definitely that one.” “Oh look over there! Don’t make any banana sounds guys, that gorilla can jump over 25 feet!” (approaching falls) “Alright folks, we just entered the Nile river... if you don’t believe me, then you’re in.... A boat. Folks, if you were in de Nile, I’d be calling my lawyer.” (Two bull elephants) “Folks here we have two bull elephants. Can you guess their names? We wanted to call them Left and Right, but they’re Down and Up. They can’t tell direction.” (Africa) “We’re now headed into Africa, such a lovely area. Just look at all those animals gathering to watch those Lions watch over that sleepy Zebra. Ah... the circle of life. Let me just point out the animals. Furry donkey... long necked cheetah... Painted horse... Those’re lions... two sun-burned bald eagles....” “There’s some of our previous travelers, went a bit off road... just proves you never argue with a rhino, they always get their point across.” (after) “We’re headed into the Hippo-Pool folks, now Hippos are very dangerous, but like I said, I can see danger in the Jungle. Now wiggling ears and bubbles, that means danger! ....We’re in trouble.” “Now let me scare them off like I scared off my boyfriend! ‘We Need To Talk!’ and if that doesn’t work, cover your ears.” *pop gun goes off* “....Just like with my boyfriend.” (the rest) “We’re now heading into head-hunter territory, not a great place to be-headed.” “Looks like they’ve put their heads together (skulls pass on canoe) and are having a party, though, let me try to translate...” “Maca. Uh huh, Rena, uh huh. Does anyone know the Macarena?” “Look out it’s an ambush! Spear, spear. And if you look over there, a different kind of bush....” (waterfall) “Now the moment you all waited for! The backside of water! O2H! And for those of you on the other side of the boat, the frontside of rock.” “And here we have some limestone, though most people take it for granite. I’m sure you’ll appreciate the sediment.” (Piranha) “Watch out here, we’ve got man-eating piranha! Women and children, you’re safe. Just throw your loved one over-board if you need, here’s your chance. Men, don’t worry, if you survive, we’ve got something else to take the women away next.” (boa constrictor) “Just be careful, he’s suffocating.” (end) “We’re nearing the end of the tour, on your left you’ll find Trader Sam. He’s quite interesting, Sam is, in fact he can jump over 25 feet-” “And there’s the dock! You folks have just survived the world famous Jungle Cruise! If you enjoyed your tour, once again my name is Skipper Kyra! If you didn’t, I’m Kyle. I never liked him.” “Please stay put until we’ve reached a standstill. When you exit, please watch your step, and watch your head. If you happen to miss your step, and hit your head, please watch your language! ..This is Disney.

#Disneyland #Disney #Jungle Cruise #Kyra

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littleredroseonthevalley · 7 years

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Red Rose - Chapter 5

Prologue Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 CH. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16

Summary: It is finally the day of the Derby, and an unfortuitous meeting sends Riley to the edge.

Rating: T - Content not suitable for children. Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with minor suggestive adult themes.

Notes: And we’re back on track! My beta is back from their extended medical leave and we’re coming back with full force. BTW, when I was researching for stills for this cover, I saw Daniel diTommaso’s butt. I’ll leave it at that. Who’s Alexander? And his wife? Any guesses? I’d love to hear them!

Hippodrome Colline de Miel, Phoenike, Cordonia, Fall 2015

After a three-hour car trip through a sinuous, unkempt road up the mountains, the Beaumont family finally arrived to Phoenike, a town some forty kilometers off the border with Greece.

Again, Riley was impressed by the thermal shock of Cordonian weather. Halfway through the journey, while they were passing through Argyrocastron, it was snowing softly, while in the racetrack the women were fanning themselves to relieve the suffocating heat.

Over there, aside from the ruins of an ancient Epirote city, there was the biggest and most traditional race track in the country. The Colline de Miel was off an apple orchard, an Art Deco with a glistening white façade, with great glass windows and marble interior. The place was 600.000 sq. mts., and the main race was to be disputed on a two and a half kilometers sand track.

Still in the car, Maxwell was revising her etiquette. “At the cocktail,” He says. “You’ll have to eat with perfect civility.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve got this, Maxwell. I won’t stuff my mouth, pick my teeth or stab Drake with a fork.” She says. “As much as the last one might tempt me.”

“Right.” Maxwell says. “Bertrand said I should go over everything. Speaking of which, how would you address Bertrand?”

“He’s a Duke. He’s supposed to be addressed as ‘Your Grace’.”

“Right!” He celebrated. “And, just in case it comes up, his full title is Duke Bertrand Beaumont of Ramsford.”

They parked off the main building, and Bertrand, insisting on traveling alone, entered the car.

“Maxwell,” He greeted. “How’s progress?”

“As planned!” Maxwell was overjoyed. “Riley and I were just about to review her entrance to the Derby and how to get out of the car without flashing the press.”

“Adjust skirts before moving and keep your knees and feet together while swiveling out.” She recited, beaming.

Bertrand, however, is less than impressed. “Anyone who can run an internet search can spout off that kind of protocol. We’re asking you to be a lady. Maxwell, I hope you don’t mind if I take the liberty of testing Riley myself.”

“Pretty sure it doesn’t actually matter whether I mind or not…”

“Indeed.” The older gentleman smiled wolfly. As he turns to the woman. “Riley, let us pretend I’m meeting you for the first time.”

“Will you demean my profession again?” Riley asked, snarky.

“Just play along, girl!” Bertrand chastised. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Flowers.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Duke Ramsford.” She says, as she curtsies. The man takes her left hand with his right hand and kissed it.

“Now, what I did wrong?” Bertrand asks.

“You used the wrong hand.” She said, defying him. “You should have taken my hand with your left hand, otherwise it is an insult.”

“Very observant of you.” He commended.

“And there you were, thinking I wasn’t listening to you.” She says, smug.

“Don’t get too complacent.” Bertrand warns. “You’re only ever one mistake away of a scandal.”

“Gee, Your Grace, can you be a little less alarming?”

“Nothing but the truth.” He shrugged. “Now, as I’ve mentioned earlier, how you come across the Cordonian people is very important, and the press can make it or break it with you.”

“It is a sad day to western society when the future of a nation is decided on the yellow press.” Riley thought, acidic.

She tried to pay attention to the Duke. “If the people love you, then it’ll be easy to convince them you deserve their Prince.”

“So, you’ve got to impress the press!” Maxwell beamed. “You’ll be surrounded by them as soon as we pull up to the Downs.”

“All right!” Riley said, excitedly. “Let’s get the show started!”

“I hope your confidence won’t be your downfall.” Bertrand sneered.

“Well,” Maxwell tried to be supportive. “I believe in you!”

“Thanks, dearest!” She squeezed his hand, pulled the door open and gracefully got out of the car.

In the glass entrance of the downs, under a brass insignia of an Apollonian horse, the only breed indigenous to Cordonia, she remembered, and a Merovingian bee, a symbol of the Bonapartist royal rule; the social press of the realm convened, battling for a photo or a statement.

In fact, Riley barely puts her two feet on the concreted walk before a swarm of microphones and a sunshine of camera flashes hit her straight on the face.

“Over here! Donald Brine from the Cordonia Broadcasting Center! We’ve heard about the new lady on the social scene! What’s your name?”

She flashes a smile. “Lady Riley Flowers of House Beaumont.”

“Our viewers care about getting the real story. Tell us about yourself!” Another one said, in the back.

Her smile didn’t betray her thoughts. “Real story. Riiiiight.”

“I’m just that, a mystery!”

Some of the buzz dies down, in confusion. “Most of the ladies can’t wait to talk our ears off.”

“Well, I’m not like everyone else.”

The reporters seemed dazzled. “A fascinating spin…” One said.

“Lady Flowers! Lady Flowers! We heard you were Prince Liam’s favorite. What do you think makes you stand out?”

“I believe he enjoys my company because he can’t figure me out.”

“Lady Flowers, a photo, please!”

She made her best impression of Queen of England, which seemed to please the photographers. “Wonderful, wonderful! You are very photogenic.”

“Lady Flowers, Ana de Luca on behalf of Trend. Your dress is truly spectacular.”

“Thank you!” She beamed.

“Lady Flowers, as an outsider, what do you think of Cordonia?”

“It is a country full of charm and wonder.”

“Our readers will be most pleased with this! Lady Flowers, what qualities make you fit to rule Cordonia?”

“The people can trust me to look out for them and to keep a cool head in times of crisis. I also consider myself brave, caring and honest.”

“How would you handle a low crop yields from the Cordonian apple orchards?”

“I believe a statement should, hypothetically, be issued right away, as in to assure the people of the security of the country’s agrarian policies. The apples are an important part of Cordonia’s culture and economy and deserve a serious answer of the Crown. Beforehand, of course, is the job of the monarchs to charge their government the responsibility to promote actions which protect the poorer farmers and the solvency of the economy.”

The social columnist seemed baffled by the answer, not sure how to retort. In her silence, Riley could hear voices shouting in Greek from the back of the crowd.

“Madam, madam, please, for Dēmokratía!” He shouted. “What do you think of the Cabinet’s proposal to privatize the port of Avlonas?”

Riley was momentarily taken aback with the question. It was a tricky one. “The Cabinet is concerned with the improvement of the infrastructure, but there must be provisions as in to protect the jobs of the people in the capital and surrounding towns as well as the environment, especially around Sason Island.” She said in Greek, as well.

Not the best, most specific answer, but it was an answer. As not to let the reporter ask yet another question, she slipped into the venue.

Inside the opulent and air-conditioned building, the European aristocracy is convened. The Derby is part of a continental championship, and the athletes, the sponsors and wealthy fans of the sport, or of the gambling involved, were mingling amongst themselves, drinking champagne and eating fancy hors d’oeuvres. The ladies vying for the Crown also were around, scouting either support or a fallback plan, together with models, social-climbers and bookies.

As she roamed around, looking for a familiar face, she did find one, though none that she would like to meet.

“Crap.” She thought. “Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.”

Riley did not think she was seen right away, but she needed an escape plan right away. She looked around the hall and suddenly she was hit with an idea.

The black-haired walked discreetly, though hurriedly to the doors to the stands by the tracks. They were open, with only a velvet rope and a sign: “Fermé. Prochaine Course 14:00”.

Turning her head left and right, Riley tried to determine if she was being watched. As the coast seemed clear, she jumped over the sign and went down the bleachers, trying to find somewhere more out of view. As she was running down the bleachers, she heard two men talking in the distance. It was Drake and Liam.

If they saw her, they surely would ask what she was doing, something she wasn’t willing to share. As the voices were coming from behind the wooden structure, and they seemed to be coming closer, she jumped the orlop into the tracks.

Crouched, she started run as fast as possible to the stables, where she believed to be the safest. The horses are supposed to be all in their pens, ready for the racing, so the grooms would either be at lunch or at the tracks.

A bell rung on the distance. According to her wristwatch, it was two in the afternoon, time for the races. The attendees are starting to fill up the bleachers. Riley couldn’t see the person she was running away from, so she felt more at ease.

She opened the door to one of the stables, going silently in. Most of the pens, as she expected, were empty, except for one. The occupant retreated further, as she approached.

“Hello?” Riley asked, out loud, as to check if she was actually alone.

Nothing answered her but a gust of wind. It, however, shut suddenly the door to the stables, scaring the horse.

As it was natural, it started neighing and kicking. One of its kicks blew the door to its pen off the hinges.

Seeing a way out, the horse started running to her general direction. Riley tried to calm down the horse, but, as it doesn’t know her, it only picks up speed. She started running herself, but she was too slow.

Riley tripped near the door to the stable. She screamed and closed her eyes, sure it was her end.

Theodora loved the Downs.

The horses were most beautiful, running in the tracks. They were exhilarating! And she quite enjoyed going back to the stables to pet the animals.

Between the end of the races and the time her father would take her to the stables, however, was very boring. Her parents were some feet over, talking to yet another boring adult about things she neither understand, nor care to understand.

Needless to say, she was very bored. There weren’t other children around, and her siblings were off somewhere she did not know.

Done with waiting, Theodora decided to go herself to the stalls.

A few wrong turns later, she could find her way to the stables. It was completely devoid of humans, though filled to the brim with horses. Some of them neighed happily with the company, others seemed to look suspiciously at the intruder, and the rest hadn’t acknowledged the stranger, as the day has been long and tiring.

There was one horse that was particularly likable, its stall close to the door. Theodora approached it and started talking to it, as if it was an old friend. She also managed to find the treats hidden in some armoire.

Between talking, petting and feeding the horse, Theodora hadn’t noticed how late it has gotten, nor whether her parents would worry or not.

Imagine her surprise when her mother came after her at the stables. “Theodora? Are you there? Oh, Lord, why must they like horses? Couldn’t it be cats?”

“Mother?” She responded.

“Good grief, Theodora! Can you imagine how worried I was about you?! Don’t run off like that!”

The girl looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry, mother. It’s just that I was too bored to wait for father to bring me, so I came alone, I know the way.”

Her mother sighed. “I see, sweetheart. But let’s go, your father is worried about you too.”

“Okay, mother, just let me say goodbye to the horses.”

She smiled uneasily. “I’ll be waiting outside. Be quick.”

Hippodrome Colline de Miel, Phoenike, Cordonia, Fall 2015

She screamed and closed her eyes, sure it was her end.

She waited for the impact. That never came.

Confused, Riley opened slowly one of her eyes, trying to see what happened.

“Whoa, there! Whoa!”

Her eyes widened to the sight of the person helping her. Drake tangled his fingers in the horse’s mane and gently pulls its head down, as in to see him eye to eye.

“Nothin’ to worry about, big fella.” He said, soothingly. “I’ll get this girl outta here for you.”

Drake leads the horse to a stall, and then turns to Riley.

“You okay?” He asks.

“Drake?!” She was still very shaken. “You saved me!”

“Really? I thought I was saving this horse… these Derby runners are like athletes. Can’t risk an injury tripping over a stray human.”

“Oh, charming!” She demeaned. “Did the horse knock your manners out or have you ever been this sweet?”

“Nah… I’ve got out without a scratch.”

“Shut up and give me a hand to get up.” She lifted her hand.

“Get up yourself.” He shrugged.

She moaned. “It’s hard to walk on those shoes, okay?! Please, give me a hand before I rip my skirt.”

“Why haven’t you said so?” He laughed but gave her a hand.

“Thanks.” She sneered. “Why are you even doing here?!”

He passes a hand through his hair. “Look… I…” He sighed. “The truth is, Liam told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t end up in the wrong place… Exactly like now.”

“That must what they were talking a little earlier.” She thought. “He asked you that?” Riley asked, meekly.

“Yeah, good thing I followed his instructions, huh?”

She huffed.

Drake went on: “Speaking of which, you should go back to the racetrack and your adoring fans…” He spat the last word.

“I’d love to, but I’m lost!” She moaned, trying to play the stupid girl card. “Maxwell told me to look for some tents.”

“Noble people would never sit on the grass.” Drake snorted “You’re supposed to wait at the cocktail, then go to the bleachers. How the Hell did you get here in the first place?”

“There were some stairs, I went down. I couldn’t find anyone, so I kept walking. I thought somebody was bound to be looking after the horses. I guess I was wrong.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. Anyways, the races are about to start, just walk to the bleachers, can’t miss them. Bye.” He was exceeding unpleasant, while walked to the door.

“Wait!” Riley called after him. “Aren’t you supposed to go that way too?”

“No.” He said, smugly. “I’m due to meet Liam. The royal family has their own booth at the tracks.”

“Careful, Drake, you seem to be looking forward to schmooze with royalty.”

“Har-har.” He was ironic. “But you’re right. Me and Liam usually just hang out there and get some drinks, watch the ceremonies, place our bets on the horses… It is pretty sweet.”

Riley quickly formulated a plan. “In that case, I’m going with you.”

“What?!” He exclaimed, outraged.

“It sounds more fun where you’re going.” She said, simplistic. “Take me with you.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to…”

“Boo-hoo.” Riley mocked. “What are they going to do? Throw me in Princess Jail?”

She marched to the door. As she noticed Drake wasn’t following her, she looked back and said: “Chop-chop, let’s go.”

He shook his head and went after her.

As they arrived at the entrance of the booth, a tall, strong man from the Guard motioned to her and said, “Invited only.”

“Let me handle this,” Drake said, pointedly. Then, in Greek, full of innuendo, he told the man: “Please, Prince Liam asked for her.”

The man widened his eyes and let them pass. When they were out of earshot, Riley elbowed him. “You had to tell him that?”

Drake smirked. “You’re the one who wanted to tag along.” He pointed to the refreshment table. “You go ahead, I’m going to get some beers.”

As he left, Riley calls him back. “Hey, Drake?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” She told him with a smile. “I’d be positively miserable over there with Olivia.”

“Don’t mention it.” And with that, he left.

Over at the railing, Liam was staring intently at the tracks. Riley had a wicked idea. She puts her hands over his eyes, saying softly: “Guess who?”

He tenses at the loss of his sight, but relaxes and smiles to the sound of her voice.

“There’s only one person who could sneak here and sneak up on me.”

“Which is?” She laughed.

“Riley.” He said, softly.

She took her hands from his eyes. “Correct!”

“However in the world did you manage to get in here?!” He asked her.

“Drake was kind enough to get me in.” She said, and then frowned. “Even if he might have suggested to the bouncer over there I was some kind of courtesan.”

Liam seemed extremely displeased with her statement. “Riley, as much as I am glad for you to be here, I am really sorry that you had to go through this. I’ll see to Drake doesn’t…”

She cut him off: “Would the guy let me through had Drake told him the truth?”

“No,” Liam conceded. “But…”

“But nothing, the important thing is that I got in, not how I got in.”

“I… suppose. But you shouldn’t have to go through this kind of embarrassment.”

“I was a waitress, Liam.” She laughed, dismissively. “That was nothing.”

The prince was feeling more at ease with the situation, even if it was aggressive to his morals.

“Speaking of Drake,” Riley continued. “I had a funny conversation with him about you telling him to look out for me.”

“Ah… right. I guess you caught me.” He didn’t seem much repentant. “I did say that to him.”

“Liam,” She said, rather sternly. “I understand you did this out of care, and I do appreciate it, but don’t you trust me to take care of myself?”

“Honestly, you seem the one of the most capable people I’ve ever met.” He says, with that kind of shyness reserved to the guilty. “It is only that I know these events can be chaotic, intimidating. I hate the thought of you feeling lost when I can’t be there with you. I hope you’re not terribly offended.”

“Look, Liam, I know what I’ve said at the night of the Masquerade, about me feeling overwhelmed, and I get your point of view, but if I thought it was too much for me to handle, I’d had left a long time ago.” She took his hand. “I can do this, don’t worry so much about me.”

She kissed his cheek, as in a way to put him at ease. His face, however, tinted in a deep scarlet.

As to change the subject as quickly as possible, he pointed at the gates. “Look, they’re leading the horses to the start already.” He smiled softly. “I love watching the horses.”

“They are majestic creatures, indeed.” She said. “But, especially with those race horses, I can’t shake the idea of them feeling trapped. Here we have the fastest ones in the world, but there they are, running in circles, just to return to small, uncomfortable pens at night.”

“I… never thought that way before. If it is of any consolation to you, I’ve visited where some of these horses spend their days, and the fields are magnificent.”

“That’s something, I suppose.”

“Nothing like a little gilding to make a cage bearable.” He said, with some assertiveness.

Riley rose an eyebrow and seemed ready to ask something, but just then she was interrupted by Drake letting himself into the booth, holding three glasses of beer.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Drake says, as he handles a glass to Riley.

“You were.” She said, playfully. “But I’m glad to see you anyways.”

“You are?”

“Why would I lie?” She asked.

“And you’re just in time!” Liam told Drake excitedly. “The last race is about to start! I say Twilight-Dash takes the crown.”

“That’s not a bad prediction,” Drake concedes. “But I’ve been studying the stats. My money’s on Mirabelle’s Dream.”

“Want to bet on that, Drake?” Liam challenged.

“Sure. The usual?”

“What’s the usual?” Riley pondered.

“Ever since Drake and I were kids, we’d bet each other push-ups.” Liam told her.

“Not just any push-ups.”

“Yes. Push-ups while the other person sits on your back.”

“That’s so cute!” Riley exclaimed.

“It’s not ‘cute’. It’s rugged. And manly.” Drake, revolted, retorted.

“‘Homoerotic’ might be the word you are looking for.” She showed him her tongue.

Liam laughed, and said: “So, Drake, do we have a bet?”

“You’re on.”

“Except perhaps one change to the usual.” Liam proposed. “I think we’d be incredibly rude to leave out Riley. Maybe she should be the one to sit on the loser’s back.”

“Riley Flowers, gym weight extraordinaire.” She smiled.

“There we have, then.” Liam said.

“Drake,” Riley asked. “Which horse is which?”

“The 8 is Twilight-Dash and the 12 is Mirabelle’s Dream.” He provided.

She looked at the horses and had a cold dread fall upon her stomach. “Who’s… Who’s the man riding the 12?”

“Alexander Rosenberg. He’s an Austrian rider and nobleman. If I recall correctly, he’s the Marquess of Krumau. Mirabelle’s Dream is probably his horse, he is racing this afternoon.” Liam said.

“And the woman?” Her lip trembled.

“It must be his wife. He married recently.” The blond shrugged and then wondered: “Why do you ask?”

“No…” She said. “Nothing important. I just thought I knew him. It must be a mistake.”

Riley receded into her thoughts, coming back to reality when the shot signaling the opening of the gates. The two men leaned forward in anticipation to the winner.

Despite of herself, Riley was rooting for the midnight-black horse. And, as a prophecy, Mirabelle’s Dream, despite tough competition, wins the race and is taken to the side and covered in roses.

“Liam,” Said Drake, smugly. “I believe you’re up.”

“Well, here we go…” He said. “If you excuse me, I can’t get those clothes dirty and sweaty.”

As he takes off his shirt and blazer, Riley takes off her hat and her heels, as in not to lose balance.

“Riley,” The prince called. “I believe I need your assistance here.”

“I’m on it.” She smiled and propped herself down.

“Is that all?” He said. “I barely feel a thing.”

“Keep telling girls that and they’ll line up to date you.” Riley said. “On a second thought, haven’t they done such thing already?”

As soon as she finished talking, Liam started his push-ups.

“Oof!” Riley almost, comically, fell from his back with the first sudden upward movement.

“Too easy!” Drake mocked.

“Thank you, Drake. That’s the kindest thing you told me this week.” Riley said.

“…And ten.” Liam laid on the floor. “Done.”

Riley gets off him and he stands up. Already dressed, he said: “And it shall never be said I back off bets.”

“And you lose all the time, so that’s really saying something.” Drake teased.

“I must’ve done something very wrong at some point for you to be my best friend.” Liam teased.

“Amen to that.” Riley agreed.

“I think it’s part of my job to keep you humble. Hard to do that with all those gorgeous women chasing after you.”

“Speaking of which, now that the races are over, it’s probably time to go back to the social barrage. I should go down and congratulate the winner of the Derby.”

At the mention of the marquess, she felt her face go blank. She should get out of there as fast as she could.

Luckily, her appearance played right into her hand when Drake looked at her and said: “Hey, are you alright? You seem awfully pale.”

“No, I feel a little dizzy…” She said.

Liam tensed at that. “What happened?” He asked, in half desperation.

“I don’t know!” Drake exclaimed. “She just got white suddenly.”

“Go fetch Maxwell!” The blond commanded, and the brunet disappeared through the door.

“I really shouldn’t, but it has to be done.” She thought. “Okay. One, two, three, now!”

She faked a faint.

Palace of the Brigades, Avlona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

After Riley faked her fainting, Maxwell came running with the car to take them back to the Palace. Lucky for her, Phoenike wasn’t much of a big city and they couldn’t find a trustful doctor who could attend to her right away.

Halfway there, she ‘woke up’ from her faint, faking confusion. Maxwell was alone with her in the car. She was informed Drake went on ahead to alert the royal physician, while Liam was kept behind by protocol.

As they arrived at her room, the doctor examined her and said her ‘fainting spell’ was more likely a result of exhaustion, bad nourishment and a climate which she was not used to. She was prescribed bedrest for a few days.

As Maxwell lead the doctor away, Drake kept her company for a few more moments.

“Hey, Drake.” She called.

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For the books, for the booth, for getting me a doctor and for the horse.”

“I know I’m a jerk, but I’d have to be a really low-life to let a horse trample a girl.”

“Either way, thanks.” She said, sincere.

Maxwell let himself in again. “Okay, Riley. You heard the doctor. Try to have a good night’s sleep.”

“If only that was the answer to all there’s wrong with the world!” She exclaimed, teasingly. “Good night, Maxwell, Drake.”

“’Night, Flowers.” Drake said as they left the room and closed the door.

As soon as she was alone, she jumped out of the bed and went to her trunk.

Behind her, a voice tutted: “Leaving so soon? After so much they’ve done for you? How nasty!”

Riley froze at the sound.

“No greetings? Well, I suppose we are past that, though I would like at least a hello. After all, we’ve been apart for so long, and we were so close.” They teased.

“Wh-what are you doing in here?!” Riley stuttered.

“No clue?” They smiled, wickedly. “I’ve come to fetch you! They’ll be so happy to see you again!”

Red Rose - Masterlist

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#red rose #the royal romance

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worldtravelingsisters · 7 years

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MEXICO

Happy New Year! On January 1, 2018, after a 1200+ nautical-mile sail from Guatemala, we arrived this morning in Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The tender taking us to our tour arrived at a special dock just for cruise-ship tenders, and once again there was no immigration process at all. The guide led us along a crowded promenade flanked by a marina with rank upon rank of vessels from rowboats to yachts on one side and restaurants, bars like the famous Senor Frog's, and permanent vendor stands on the other. Behind this busy tourist area was a lot for parking buses. It worked very efficiently so my first Cabo impression was that they are well prepared for large numbers of tourists. I was also impressed with how clean the streets and sidewalks were and with how few run-down or primitive houses or shops stood along the streets our bus traveled. I'm sure Cabo has its poor, but overall the city is in much better condition than I expected.

The other surprise was the desert landscape. I knew Baja wasn't jungle but did not expect it to look so like Arizona. We drove on the major highway that extends the length of the peninsula for almost an hour, then turned onto a much smaller, older road. In a very short distance we turned again onto a dirt road. The transition from four new, smooth freeway lanes to dirt and sand in such a short time was jarring. We stopped soon at a headquarters building with a parking lot full of UTV's to take us to the camels we would be riding. We climbed up ladders to board the vehicles, 16 of us seated in each on long benches along the sides. Fortunately, the bed was covered so we had time in the shade because there would be little of that ahead of us! We met our guide, Hector the Protector, a charming and knowledgeable young man with 9 years experience at the preserve and an impressive commitment to the animals from the camels to the sea turtles. Our ride through the desert was jolting and jarring and up-and-down and really fun. The setting was beautiful with all kinds of cacti and desert flora in rocky and sandy terrain leading gradually down to a beautiful white beach and the blue Pacific. I'm glad we chose the morning session because even with a reasonable temperature in the low 80s, the sun was intense. Obviously, the afternoon session would be less comfortable!

After arriving at another complex of buildings, we walked to the stable where the camels live. There were 15 of them, 8 originals from a circus in Oklahoma and 7 rescues from miserable conditions in zoos and circuses in Mexico. They seem to have a good life with their keepers. They are well fed and groomed and live in groups in large corrals. They work every other day with one day a week off when they are turned loose to wander around as they please. We found one later on lying down among the UTV's watching all the activity and another wandering along the beach. The entire four-kilometer beach of the property is a sanctuary for four species of sea turtles. Scientists come every year to live here while the turtles are laying their eggs in the sand. They collect the eggs and take them to a safe place until hatching and then return the baby turtles to the sea. Last year 150,000 were released. That sounds like many but the survival rate is only 1 in 100.

Near the stable, four camels awaited us at a mounting platform. First, however, each of us was fitted with a helmet covered with a shoulder-length white cloth, and our pictures were taken. If a person actually fell from one of these very tall animals, I doubt that little loose helmet would do much good. Nonetheless, we climbed the steps onto the platform in pairs to mount our camels.The camels do not kneel to take on riders because it's hard on camel knees and the lurch when they stand is dangerous for inexperienced riders. Polly and I were assigned to ride Powder. He was fitted with a metal frame, padded on both sides to protect both camel and riders. Riders must swing their right legs up and over the frame and then kind of hop onto the camel's wide back. Polly and some of the others really had a hard time doing this.

We moved out in a line of four camels, the first led by a keeper. The other three simply followed along. Since camels are so long-legged, the ride is hardly smooth. I did decide after a bit that it's similar to riding a horse, just with more exaggerated movements to react to. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, first through the desert and then onto the beach, even though it was an odd combination of an alien animal and a familiar landscape. Along the way, both photographers and drones took pictures, which we would of course be able to buy. Dismounting was another struggle for Polly and others but they finally all managed with the assistance of the guides and staff.

Next we went to meet Louis the kissing camel. This was a silly, hilarious treat! We were not allowed to use our cameras but staff took lots of pictures of us. Hector and Francisco presented Louis and showed us how to get him to kiss our cheeks and take slices of apple and jicama from our mouths. I took the first turn of our group. First I petted his neck and he leaned down and nuzzled my cheek, knowing that he had to do his part to get the treats. Then I held the food between my teeth and he neatly took it in his big teeth, barely touching my mouth. The others asked me if he slobbered, and no, he did not. As I told them, I'd kissed men who were sloppier. After we all took our turns and the next group wasn't ready for Louis, Hector and Francisco let us continue to pet Louis and answered our questions about him. They said that Louis was one of the chatty camels and demonstrated it by talking to him in a certain tone of voice so he responded with lots of grunts and groans. One lady wanted to see the underside of his hoof, and Francisco tried to get him to lift his foot. No way! He bared his teeth and grumbled and complained loudly.

Our next adventure was a walk through the desert to learn about some amazing desert plants. Cristian joined Hector to guide this part of our morning. First he showed us a 250-year-old Cardon cactus, a relative of the saguaro with a more tree-like shape of huge trunk and many equally sized branches. Cristian then showed us several plants that have been used since the indigenous peoples and are still used in folk medicine. Finally he explained how barrel cactus can provide liquid to save one's life and even be used as a stove or oven.

At the end of our walk, we arrived at a vine-covered outdoor kitchen completed with long picnic tables. Here we would have lunch. The buffet included three different salads, especially one with fresh ripe tomatoes and chunks of excellent Mexican cheese, a tasty rice and vegetable dish, black beans, and a delicious chicken mole. The stars of the line were two ladies making fresh tortillas from scratch and frying them into quesadillas. They brought them to us as they finished them. Beer, wine, and fruit drinks were included. It was by far the best tour lunch of the cruise. After lunch, Cristian presented a tortilla-making demonstration on an old metate. He started with maiz, or corn, and showed us the entire process. Hector finished with tequila tasting in tiny terra cotta cups. I don't care for tequila, even the premium kind, but I did discover a tequila liqueur called Damiana that was good. Finally we reboarded our UTV's and retraced our route back to Cabo.

In the afternoon we boarded another bus to drive to the neighboring old city of San Jose del Cabo, about a 45-minute trip along the beautiful ocean, past gorgeous hotels and resorts. On the way our very informative guide Libby told us of the history of the area and the two cities. We parked near the city square and walked there. Libby gave us some basic information about what was available and turned us loose. The old church is lovely, and we enjoyed the art in several shops. I bought a Day-of-the-Dead Talavera figurine and Guatemalan tourmaline jewelry and a turtle charm. This was definitely a place to return to with time to explore.

We returned to the ship in time to enjoy a gorgeous sunset before we departed for Los Angeles.

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lynchgirl90 · 7 years

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#TwinPeaks: How Michael Horse Learned to Embrace David Lynch's Mysterious World

The actor best known as Deputy Hawk tells THR why he initially had "mixed feelings" about the revival and the show's unique legacy.

Six hours into the new Twin Peaks, there's still no clear indication of why Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is now inhabiting the life of a doppelgänger named Dougie Jones. There's no telling what that ethereal purple ocean was all about. We still don't know why William Hastings (Matthew Lillard) can't remember murdering his lover. Really, we're no closer to comprehending virtually any of the mysterious happenings the David Lynch and Mark Frost series has lobbed in the air thus far — but at least one question can be answered definitively: it's not about the bunny.

Or is it about the bunny?

Don't ask Michael Horse, the actor who plays Deputy Tommy "Hawk" Hill, one of several familiar faces from the original Twin Peaks who returned for the Showtime revival.

"I don't have any idea," he tells The Hollywood Reporter with a big laugh, recalling the fourth episode's scene in which Hawk openly wonders whether a chocolate bunny is the key to unraveling the show's mysteries. "When we shot that, I thought, 'No way. They're going to cut this out.' Well, they didn't!"

Bunnies aside, Deputy Hawk stands right at the center of the Twin Peaks puzzle, tasked with tracking down Dale Cooper more than two decades after the soulful agent went missing. Hawk receives his marching orders from the Log Lady, played by the late Catherine E. Coulson, who offers only the most enigmatic of clues: "It has something to do with your heritage."

Hawk followed that thread to a bathroom stall in the sixth hour of the series, discovering a cache of letters hidden behind a restroom door that was marked with an image from his heritage. What's contained in the letters, and where will the information lead Hawk next in the Cooper investigation? It's impossible to say at this stage, but at the very least, it's leading to more for Hawk. "I've got some stuff coming up that's going to be pretty cool," says Horse.

Here's what else the actor tells THR about the new Twin Peaks, why he was initially reluctant about returning to this world, working with David Lynch, the key to understanding the show's mysteries, and more.

What's your approach to Twin Peaks? As Hawk, you're playing someone who is very plugged into the mysteries of the show and the world it inhabits. What's your entry point into the series?

You know, it's so interesting. People used to ask me if it's going to come back. Part of me hoped it wasn't. It's kind of like James Dean died and left a legend out there. I had mixed feelings. There are so many wonderful shows out there now that are so outside of the box — some of the greatest TV that I have ever seen. I thought maybe it won't be a big deal anymore. And then I came back, and two days into it, I went, "Oh, I forgot. There's nobody like David. There's just nobody like him." I had kind of forgot. Everything that's out there that I like — American Gods and Taboo and Fargo — they all have Twin Peaks' DNA all over 'em. You know, I've known David for a long time. Both of us were painters, before I even got in the business [as an actor]. I'm an artist. You don't get that many opportunities in television to do art and that's what David does, you know.

A lot of people will say about the show, "I don't get it and I don't understand it." And I tell them it's like a dream. A lot of indigenous cultures, we believe that the dream world is just as real as the physical world. And a lot of Twin Peaks is like a dream. Sometimes when you're dreaming, it doesn't move at the same pace as the real world. Sometimes when you wake up, you go, "What does that mean?" Watching Twin Peaks sometimes is liking watching somebody else's dream. It can be very uncomfortable. But it's extremely fascinating. A lot of answers to questions are revealed to us in the dream world. I think that's what Twin Peaks does.

How does that apply to the making of this series? For example, cast members only received portions of the script that involved their characters. Did it ever feel like you were participating in a waking dream, while working on Twin Peaks?

It's like being in one of David's paintings. It's like being in a living painting. There's still parts of it that I don't get. The Hawk gets all of it. Hawk understands all of it. I wish I was as intuitive as that character. And [series co-creator Mark Frost] understands it. Mark is very in tune to my culture. We've had long discussions about what native people believe, especially up in that area. We believe in the power of nature. There are sacred holy places up in that area.

After the first new episodes aired, some fans online pointed out a moment from the show's original run, where Cooper tells Hawk, "If I ever get lost, I hope you're the man they send to find me." It's pretty amazing that this exact scenario is playing out on the show now.

I hadn't watched the [original series] in years, and I sat and watched it with my wife. There's things I didn't remember. This whole thing about when Cooper told Hawk, "I hope it's you." I had forgotten all about that, but it makes sense to me. The Hawk is kind of the rock of this whole thing. The Hawk is the one person that really got his feet in both worlds.

What does a scene like that say about how David and Mark write this series? Do you think they intentionally planted these seeds all the way back in the original show, or do you think their approach is more that they look back and see what was planted, intentionally or otherwise, and they go in the direction of where that's grown?

Well, I can't speak for them. I really can't. And I'm not being coy. I don't know what those two discuss. But I think so. I was having a discussion with a friend of mine — a very, very clever friend of mine — who would say, "Look, Michael, I don't understand this [show]." And I said that there's so much going on there. There's so much. If it was anybody else other than David, I might go, well, they're just sticking things in here. But everything, everything, makes sense in David's world. I said sometimes you have to meet him. You have to know David to understand what he does.

How exciting was it when you realized Hawk would be such a central character in the revival? So far, most of the action in Twin Peaks proper threads through Hawk.

I was thrilled to death. You know, everybody kept asking me when it was going to come back if I was going to be in it, and nobody had called me yet. Then David called me and said, "Hey buddy, we're getting the gang back together." He's such a sweet guy. It's like talking to somebody out of a '50s sitcom, you know? (Laughs.) Well, I said, "You got something for me?" He goes, "Yeah, I got something for you." I would have been thrilled to have a cameo, pal. And so far? I mean, I got to say goodbye to the Log Lady, you know? I mean, that alone. I'm a piece of television history. I've done everything from Walker, Texas Ranger to Malcolm in the Middle, but something like Twin Peaks doesn't come around often. And it was a really, really good native character. It held some mirrors up to some stereotypes about native people and did away with some of them, so I'm really proud of it.

One of the strongest elements of the series so far is things feeling familiar but different at the same time. Take Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), for instance, who is so memorable as a rebellious teen, and now works as a member of the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department. Was there a similar sense on set, this combination of old and new ideas?

You know, I hate to be corny, but it was like we never left. And the new people were so excited, like [Robert Forster, who plays Frank Truman]. Getting a chance to work with a legend? He's the real deal. Everything you've seen in every movie, he's that guy. He was so sweet. He kind of went, "Hey, Michael, I don't get this." And I would go, "I was in it, and I don't get it either!" (Laughs.) He had so much fun. You know he was having a ball just doing it, once he settled into it. But I've got some stuff coming up that's going to be pretty cool too. You know, I'm just pleased to be in it as much as I have been. I would've been pleased with a cameo. They were very generous and very, very kind.

link (TP)

#Twin Peaks #Michael Horse #Deputy Hawk #The Hollywood Reporter #David Lynch

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cannibalcountry-blog · 7 years

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‘My country-raised ass’: class consciousness right of the dial

by Erin Goudreau

In the early hours of November 9th, 2016, I received an email from a family friend, a weather-worn, red state progressive who had been predicting Donald Trump’s win since the day he announced his candidacy.

“Find a rich man’s house and burn it down,” the email read. He was quoting the song “Everything’s Gone” by Lydia Loveless, Columbus, Ohio’s alt-country darling and expert wielder of a kind of dirty, down-home country class consciousness.

“I invite anyone who calls my irreverent country raised ass a ‘snowflake’ to meet my fucking fist. So over this shit,” Loveless recently tweeted after speaking out about the election at a show.

As I surveyed the final electoral college map on election night, a sea of red with a bit of blue on the coasts, I starting making a list of my favorite country songwriters and musicians from each of those red states: Lydia from Ohio, Drive By Truckers from Georgia, John Moreland from Oklahoma, Sunny Sweeney from Texas, Derrell Scott from Kentucky. I knew that in the coming weeks, a narrative about the presumed cruelty and naivete of those of us who live in “flyover country” would inevitably resurface, and I was crafting a personal arsenal to push back against such generalizations. Although my friend’s email was intended as a reminder to reserve my contempt for the powerful and my empathy for the vulnerable, it also got me thinking about the relationship between country music and the rural and small town communities the genre purports to represent.

The most recent iteration of mainstream country music, often described as “bro-country” or “suburban mom country,” is escapist, aspirational materialism. It is $40,000 pickup trucks and ice cold beers, women in bikinis whose sole function is to entertain the songs’ male protagonists, parties on beaches, parties on boats, lifelong brotherhoods formed around the keg and under the stars of a Southern sky.

It’s worth noting that the terms “bro-country” and “suburban mom country” describe not only the music’s subject matter, but also its target audiences. Since the mid-80’s, the music coming out of Nashville’s Music Row, dominating country radio, and receiving the majority of awards at events like the Country Music Awards, has been dedicated to the experiences and desires of the rural and suburban upper middle class. The slate of artists featured on national country radio stations is also noticeably male-dominated; when the demand is for songs about camaraderies formed around heavy drinking, pursuing unnamed women, and the importance of unquestioned patriotism, this is to be expected. Today’s mainstream country music represents a particular kind of conservative, white affluence, that lethal combination of privilege and grievance. In many ways, it is the music of Trump voters, a group whose average salary, despite the media’s obsessive focus on the white working class, is $70,000 a year.

There has always been another world of country music, one that lives not on Music Row but on the other side of the Cumberland River in east Nashville and the mountains of east Tennessee, on the plains of Oklahoma and Kansas, the desert of Texas and Arizona, the swamps of the Louisiana bayou and the Carolina hills. And much like the rarely recognized progressive activism in red states, there is a tradition of class consciousness and anti-elitism that runs through this music.

While introducing her song “In My Tennessee Mountain Home,” Dolly Parton told an audience “I was very lucky, even though we were brought up very, very poor, I grew up on a farm and we had a great love for our land and we had a great love for each other.” No one expresses love for the rural poor quite like Dolly Parton, a woman whose compassion and enduring joyfulness provide the foundation for songs such as “In My Tennessee Mountain Home” and “Coat of Many Colors.”

And in “Country Boy,” Johnny Cash offers a lesson on freedom from materialism (“country boy, ain’t got no shoes; country boy, ain’t got no blues”) In his album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, he compels his audience to consider the atrocities historically and currently experienced by North America’s indigenous peoples. Phil Ochs made a career singing about his opposition to war, the public’s tendency to deify heroes, and the dangers of social apathy. In “Red Dirt Girl,” Emmylou Harris gives voice to the particular gendered experiences of domestic abuse and social isolation faced by poor, young women in rural Alabama. In a nation which views poverty as a shameful personal failing, instead of an axis around which to build solidarity, to sing about the humanity of the poor and working class is to stake out a space that is to the left of much of the country.

Country music’s history of providing meaningful commentary on the lives of rural folks is perhaps most acute in its depiction of coal country, managing to be more wise and nuanced about the region than both Donald Trump and the New York Times. In a recent West Virginia town hall meeting with Bernie Sanders, a room full of miners and their relatives agreed that the United States should adopt a single payer health care system. The punditry class might have been less surprised by this if they had been listening to more country music. Darrell Scott, Kentucky singer songwriter and son of a coal miner, sings about the monotony and dreariness of mining in “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”:

Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin’

And the sun goes down about three in the day

And you’ll fill you cup with whatever bitter brew you’re drinkin’

And you’ll spend your life digging coal from the bottom of your grave.

In “Keep Your Dirty Lights On,” Scott is frank about the role of dishonest politicians in the maintenance of the coal industry:

Every time they have elections

They talk about how coal is clean

Well coal is cheap but coal’s still black

It ain’t never turnin’ green.

Steve Earle considers the effects of the mining industry from the perspective of a boy who loses his beloved home in “The Mountain”:

I was born on this mountain a long time ago

Before they knocked down the timber and strip-mined the coal

Well they took everything that she gave, now they’re gone

But I’ll die on this mountain, this mountain’s my home.

The idea that coal country is naive about the future of coal or the degree to which their physical bodies have been harmed as a result of their loyalty to the industry is a fiction perpetuated by those who don’t have roots in the community. However, as this myth was being sold, country artists were doing the work of authentic and empathetic storytelling.

Today, a new crop of country musicians are reimagining what it means to give voice to the most marginalized people in our society. In “Everything’s Gone,” Lydia Loveless sings of her own family’s desperate, ultimately unsuccessful attempt to save their farm:

‘Cause my daddy built the deck with his own two hands

I guess you didn’t really know

There wasn’t anywhere else for us to go

Now where the horses used to run there ain’t nothing left but Amish corn

Oh, the place where I grew up and my little brother was born

And if I strike it rich again, I’ll go and buy it all back

Well I’ll drop a bomb on that bitch and watch it turn to ash.

Oklahoma’s Parker Millsap provides a devastating account of life as the gay son of an Evangelical preacher in “Heaven Sent,” with a chorus that begins “Papa I don’t need no preacher / I ain’t some kind of creature / From some old double feature.” Drive by Truckers’ recent album American Band features a song dedicated to the white public’s acceptance of rampant police brutality against Black men: “I mean Barack Obama won / And you can chose where to eat / But you don’t see too many white kids lying / Bleeding on the street.” Brandi Clark’s “Take a Little Pill” articulates the prevalence and destructiveness of the opioid epidemic: Lay on your tongue / Ain't a nerve that can't be numb / Ain't a buzz that you can't buy / Ain't a low you can't make high.” Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra initially wrote the song “The Body Electric” as a response to the extensive catalogue of murder ballads that always end with an anonymous maimed women. Her version of the murder ballad features a female protagonist questioning the violent men in her life: “Tell me what’s a man with a rifle in his hand gonna do for a world that’s just dying slow / Tell me what’s a man with a rifle in his hand gonna do for his daughter when it’s her turn to go.” She now dedicates the song to Tamir Rice at every show.

We are experiencing a moment of resurgence for honest storytelling and leftist politics in country music, and not a moment too soon. The dire, inhumane conditions of the poor and working class have been ignored by the Democrats and cynically exploited by the Republicans. The current violence perpetuated by the state against black and indigenous peoples is receiving no attention from the government, so it is essential that it be given voice through music. We are living in a time in which doing the work of solidarity in our communities is vital, and one cannot underestimate the value of music that provides recognition, context, and meaning to the struggles taking place in “Trump country.” It is no coincidence that “Everything’s Gone” features these two lines: “Lord please don’t take all the land away ‘cause I need that now / And please stop telling me to turn it down ‘cause it ain’t that loud.”

@ErinGoudreau

#Erin Goudreau #culture

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archipelagolago · 3 years

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Ah shit I was venting with my sisters about mixed kid shit and microagressions and now I'm all blown up and going to rant, so if you don't want to listen to a European American/Ecuadorian mixed kid's rant, please keep scrolling💗!!

My older sister is working on a farm in Georgia right now. She is in a small town with only 2 Latinos total. 3, now that she's there, 5, when my little sister and I come to visit (we are more than doubling the population🙃) And almost everybody she works with is white. And apparently stupid, because they keep saying weird fucking racist and homophobic shit and not realizing how fucked up it is.

So, my sister's boss is pregnant. And this lady was visiting who is trained as a doula. So they were talking about pregnancy complications and stuff. And this one person, a fellow apprentice like my sister, who's said shitty things in the past, said something about how 'And you have to be careful if you're having a mixed baby (which pregnant boss lady isn't?!) sometimes, for example, if you're a small Asian woman who's having the child of a tall Norwegian man, you can have a lot of complications and the baby will hurt the mom. Like, Hmong people have a really high fertility rate because they reproduce almost entirely within their ethic group.' Which!????? Bitch??? What the fuck are you trying to say? Are you advocating for ethnic cleansing??? Why the fuck do you think that's an okay thing to say???? And then it gets worse. Pregnant boss lady goes, "yeah, it's like when you breed a donkey with a horse. You always have to make sure the mother is the horse." WHICH. IS SO DEEPLY FUCKED UP. NOT ONLY ARE YOU COMPARING MIXED PEOPLE TO MULES! YOU'RE FUCKING DOING THAT WHILE THERE'S AN ENTIRE HISTORY OF PEOPLE REFERRING TO MIXED PEOPLE AS MULES IN A DEROGATORY WAY! and these motherfuckers said this directly in front of my sister. A mixed kid. Who they know is mixed. And they saw nothing wrong with that shit. I genuinely do not understand. Where the fuck they keep all that damn audacity.

Next. I hate so much when I tell people I'm Ecuadorian. And they go, "oh. Is that in Mexico?" NO IT'S NOT IN FUCKING MEXICO! I get that Mexicans are the primary group of Latinos who Americans interact with. But. Surprisingly. THAT DOES NOT MEAN MEXICO IS THE ONLY LATINO COUNTRY. You don't gotta know geography. I don't expect you to know where Ecuador is. Literally. All you have to say is, "Where is that?" Your assumptions get you nowhere but closer to the point of my knife 😊

Next. Also. My name is Isa. Pronounced Ee-sah. Like "Lisa" without the "L". I know bitches can say Lisa. I've fucking heard them. So. When you ask me my name and I say Isa, correctly, why the fuck?? Do you turn around and immediately fuck it up???????? Like. Is a? Is a fucking what??? Is a what motherfuckers??? Iza????? Eza??? I don't fucking get it. How can you pronounce Lisa with no issues but suddenly get so stupid the second the L is gone???

Next. !!!!!!???? When people ask "what are you?" Jesus. Tired of your bullshit is what I fucking am. Seriously. 'What are you?' why the fuck. are you talking like I'm a collectable figurine. And. When I tell people I'm Latin American and they ask, "What kind of Latino are you?" Why bro!? You sound like you're talking about ice cream flavors. I'm not a fucking ice cream flavor. It is !not hard! to ask, "What country does your Latino heritage come from?" It's not fucking hard!!!!

Next. My fucking parents. Jesus fucking fuck. Why must they make such a point about me not being the same as either of them. I know I'm fucking different than you. You don't have to shove it in my face like I'm some freak of nature. I am your literal child. You fucking knew I was going to come out mixed when you fucked me into existence. Why do you act like my reality is some unnatural phenomenon?!

+ my mom is white (as in, European American) and she doesn't get a lot of the shit that is different for me bc of my Latino heritage. There was this one time, she was talking about this article she read. Written by a light skinned mixed black woman. That talked about how uncomfortable the author felt about the history of her light skin. Because of it being a result of colonizers & slave owners raping her african ancestors. And my mom was telling me about, how she never thought of that. And how hard and painful that must be. And I said something like, "I mean yeah. I think about that literally all the time." And she replied, "What? What do you mean? Our ancestors are white people." And I stared at her all, "Did you forget that my Papi is mestizo." And then she realized. Because somehow she did forget. That she had married an Ecuadorian man and given birth to 3 mixed kids. And I couldn't help but be thinking. How motherfucking convenient for her. That she can just forget the painful complexity of my identity on a whim. And I never can. Because I do think about my mestizo heritage. Literally. All the time. How could I manage to fucking forget. That my Spanish ancestors came as colonizers to Ecuador and raped and enslaved and murdered my Indigenous Ecuadorian ancestors. How could I ever live a moment in peace without my brain reminding me over and over and over again about how. I am a product of rape. Please tell me, how the fuck I ever could?

Oh shit that part got heavy, huh?

Anyway. Next. When motherfucking white people come up to me and my pale ass with their new beach tan and go, "oh wow haha I'm darker than you!" Congratulations?? Happy I could be some sort of fucked up mile marker?? Eat my Latin American shit???

Next. My Mexican friend. Who called me a "guera". For looking more like my mother. Less like my father. We both know you wouldn't have said that to my sister. With her darker skin and darker hair and darker eyes and tighter curls and bigger ass. Eat my Ecuadorian shit.

(Edit: the part about people automatically assuming I'm Mexican bc i tell them I'm Latin American is not at all meant to be angry towards Mexicans! It is not their fault that non-latinos in America, where I live, have met almost no South Americans and therefore assume Mexico is the only Latino reality! It is the fault of the people doing the assuming for never taking the time to consider countries outside of their realm of knowledge! ++ The part about my Mexican friend is about me fitting neither with white people nor Latino people. The fact that he's Mexican is only relevant bc 'guera' is a Mexican term.)

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