Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 68

Favourite Characters Tag

I was kindly tagged by whimsywriter3 last week to take part in this cool tag which has us name ten of our favourite film and TV characters. Though in honesty, my answer changes all the time, I couldn’t resist getting involved. So, in no particular order, here are a selection of my favourite characters.

1. Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver

Ellen Ripley

As the heroine of the Alien franchise, Ripley smashed every trope and stereotype about female action and horror characters. What’s best about her is that she is both kick-ass and compassionate, without either ever feeling forced. I love that she is vulnerable and scared but rather than becoming a damsel in distress, this only spurs her will to survive.

2. Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson

Hermione Granger

Hermione is, as we all know, brave, intelligent and loyal, and though I love that she is more than capable of holding her own in any number of difficult situations, what I love most of all about her is that she actually managed to make it cool to be a socially awkward bookworm. Yay!

3. Chloe O’Brian, played by Mary Lynn Rajskub

Chloe O’Brian

While we’re on the subject of socially awkward, Chloe’s complete lack of filter or social awareness in 24 is nothing short of fabulous. She is a genius and damn good at her job, but won’t suffer fools (which is most people, in her opinion), though she is incredibly loyal to those she cares about. Also, her huffing and eye rolls reach epic proportions.

4. Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy

Will Graham

As the lead in the brilliant TV adaptation of Hannibal, Hugh Dancy plays Will’s genius but also his inner struggles and mental instability beautifully. He’s a fascinating character and I’m excited to see how he will continue to develop throughout the show.

5. Michonne, played by Danai Gurira

Michonne

We all love Michonne for kicking some serious walker/zombie butt in The Walking Dead, but what has made me really like her is actually that she has subsequently been given real depth since we’ve seen more and more glimpses into her emotional side and tragic past. It makes her all the more compelling and likable.

6. Claire Littleton, played by Emilie de Ravin

Claire Littleton

I could pick any number of LOST’s characters as a favourite but decided to go with Claire since she’s a slightly less obvious choice than the likes of Jack, Kate or Sawyer. She certainly went through one of the most dramatic growth arcs in the show; from a sweet, if apprehensive, young mother to a deeply damaged, mentally unstable survivor through her years of isolation and manipulation in the latter seasons. Plus, her relationship with Charlie was adorable and one of few TV romances I didn’t find irritating or in-your-face. Sadly, it didn’t end well… #NotPennysBoat

7. Darkness, played by Tim Curry

Darkness

I was obsessed with the movie, Legend, growing up and there’s nothing like it to make me feel nostalgic. Tim Curry is chillingly enigmatic and utterly unforgettable as Darkness in this enchanting, dark fairy tale. He’s one of my all-time favourite villains, for sure.

8. Selma Ježková, played by Björk

Selma Ježková

I’m not normally a lover of musicals (but Dancer in the Dark is unlike any other) and truth be told, if I weren’t a huge fan of Björk this movie would likely have flown under my radar, but my goodness is it powerful and incredibly harrowing; it will make you want to scream in defence of life’s underdogs like nothing else. Björk, who composed the film’s music and was eventually convinced to take the lead role despite not being an actress, is wonderful as Selma, an immigrant going blind but suffering in silence in order to continue working, so she can raise enough money for her son to have surgery that will spare him the same fate. She takes solace in music, something which resonates hugely with me and hence the film’s musical elements, where she escapes her painful reality by imagining the world is alive with sound. Let’s just say, if the ending doesn’t weigh heavy upon your heart, I’m not sure you had one to begin with.

(Side note: She won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival as was nominated for an Oscar for best original song, which is where the infamous swan dress made its long-remembered appearance.)

9. Éowyn, played by Miranda Otto

Éowyn

She disguises herself as a man so that she can fight alongside her people in battle, and even kills the all-powerful Witch-King. Need I say more?

10. Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero

Ofelia

Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my absolute favourite films and the fact that it manages to be both a realistic, gritty war story and a dark and whimsical fairy tale is amazing, but the fact that both narratives are successfully carried by a young girl is even more impressive. Ofelia is just the right balance of curious, brave and naïve to be believable and lovable in the lead role. You can’t help but root for her.

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Well, there you have it; a taste of some of my favourite screen characters. I’d like to tag Mel, since I know she loves her movies, and anyone else who wants to take part. If not, by all means just let me know some of your favourite characters in the comments below. Thanks for reading.

Gratitude

Thank you!

I just wanted to put up a quick post today to say a very big thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday after my last post. I’ve had a lovely few days seeing different friends and family and was spoiled with wonderful gifts (you’d better believe I got a lot of books) ;) I’m a very lucky boy.

I also appreciate those of you who tweeted out etc. about the sale of my poetry book. It’s actually still active until the end of today, so you can head on over to Amazon UK or Amazon US if you fancy getting a copy while it’s cheap.

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend, whatever you’ve been doing.

Birthday Book Sale

Seeking Solace

It’s my birthday this weekend, so I’ll be spending the majority of my time with friends and family. As a means of celebrating however, the Kindle version of my most recent publication, Seeking Solace, will be on sale in both the UK (found here) and the US (found here) from today until Sunday.

Seeking Solace contains a total of sixty poems that span a wide variety of different topics, ranging from love and friendship right up to war and grief. All were written with a desire to create poetry that is approachable, relatable and honest.

I’d be incredibly grateful to anyone who checks it out or spreads the word, and if you enjoy it, a quick review would make a wonderful birthday gift, wouldn’t it? ;)

You can find a few quotes below to give you a little taster. Have a lovely weekend when it comes and happy reading!

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Taken from ‘Making Memories’

Taken from ‘Grand Cosmos’

Taken from ‘In Memoriam’

Gullfoss

Gullfoss, Iceland

Flow of endless strength

Bow to Nature’s elegance

In humble respect.

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This is my fifth and final post for the 5 Days – 5 Photos challenge. Thanks again to Mel and Lisa for nominating me, I had a lot of fun indulging my current fixation with haikus. This final one is inspired by the view I captured of Gullfoss (which means Golden Falls) during my trip to Iceland earlier this year.

As with yesterday, I’m making it an open tag today so anyone who wants to take on the challenge can. The rules are simple:

Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo.  The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose.  Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.

 

Time

image source

Desperate grasps in vain

Control beyond our merits

Mistress of descent.

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This is my fourth post for the 5 days – 5 photos challenge. I’m starting to lose track of who has and hasn’t been nominated by my fellow bloggers so I’m going to cheat slightly for the last two days and make it an open tag. Write on, friends! The rules are simple:

Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo.  The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose.  Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.

Spark

image source

Brush of skin on skin

Unseen electricity

Home within the heart.

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This is my third post for the 5 days – 5 photos challenge. Today I’m tagging Kelly, if she would like to take part. The rules are simple:

Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo.  The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose.  Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.

The Human Geyser

image source

Violent eruption

Release of indignation

Essential relief.

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This is my second post for the 5 days – 5 photos challenge. Today I’m tagging Cynthia Morgan, if she would like to take part. The rules are simple:

Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo.  The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose.  Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.

Canopy

image source

Earthen Queens of life

These thrones of rooted glory

Topped by leafy crowns.

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I was tagged by both Mel and Lisa to take part in the 5 Days – 5 Photos challenge. I would like to tag Cassie, if she should so wish to get involved. The rules are simple:

Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo.  The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose.  Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.

 

Excerpt Week | Seeking Solace

callummclaughlin:

The Write Stuff is a hub for readers and writers alike. Throughout this week, Marcia is encouraging us all to get involved and share excerpts from our published works or WIPs. I chose to share a poem from my collection, Seeking Solace.

Originally posted on The Write Stuff:

Marcia has encouraged us all to share excerpts from our works and seeing as she recently posted a wonderful 5 star review of my poetry collection, Seeking Solace, it seemed entirely appropriate to share one of the poems she mentioned as a favourite, entitled ‘Rise’.

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RISE

Rise dear phoenix from the ashes

spread your wings and fly.

Wouldn’t they just love it

if you simply lay and die?

Little one, I’ll dry your tears

and bruises they shall heal.

For though they see the scars they make

they know not what we feel.

Be the light among the dark

and guide the lost ones home

to show we fight for what is right

and our hearts are ours to own.

So stand upon the rubble proud

for you are still alive.

It is not about the wounds we bear

but that we do still strive.

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Seeking Solace

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May in Books

books, books, books!

May has been a great month for reading, as I managed to finish 11 books (8 novels, 2 graphic novels and a poetry collection). This was my most productive month as yet and took my total so far this year up to 44 – which considering I set my target for the entire year at 40 was a very nice surprise! I had never actually tracked how much I manage to read before so it’s been an interesting and pleasant learning curve to discover I read more than I thought I did.

I’ve subsequently doubled my target to 80. If I can keep up the pace, I’ll hopefully manage to reach it without too much trouble.

As for this month, standout reads for me were the first 2 volumes of Saga, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey. I also read a collection of all Shakespeare’s sonnets, which was more a bucket list read than anything, so I was happy to tick that one off the list.

Here’s to more exciting reading ventures for us all in June!

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How are you getting on with your reading goals? Any standout reads so far this year?