Game of Thrones is back, and that means that for the duration of the season I’ll be polluting Blogtown with my opinions about swords. Last night’s episode was a season opener, so it was mostly catch-up. Characters did a lot of helpful exposition and explanation during the episode. Recappy speeches and dialogue were the order […]
Ice and/or Fire
Posted inIce and/or Fire
When You Argue About Game of Thrones, You Win or You Die
ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF VERSOI LET US DECIDE WHO SHALL LIVE AND WHO SHALL DIE. In this week’s Game of Thrones issue, Music Editor Ned Lannamann and News Reporter Dirk VanderHart locked themselves in horrible mortal combat, with Ned swinging his devastating war hammer and Dirk deftly wielding the sharpest of tridents. Look at the picture […]
Posted inIce and/or Fire
Behold! It’s Our Game of Thrones Issue!
Game of Thrones‘ fourth season starts on Sunday, which means BOOM! It’s time for our Game of Thrones issue, which features what might be my favorite Mercury cover ever, featuring design by Justin “Scrappers” Morrison and majestic art by the incomparable Boris Vallejo. The Mercury‘s Game of Thrones Issue, better known as what happens when […]
Posted inIce and/or Fire
Five Books, Only Three Seasons
This is almost certainly fake, (then again, the BBC did include it in a news quiz and it’s on this Belgian site, too) and I’m considering applying it to all aspects of life.
Posted inNews
Vindication for Dan Saltzman? Fire Bureau SUVs Helped Improve Response Times
Years after Commissioner Dan Saltzman figured Portland’s fire bureau do its business more quickly by letting fancy SUVs handle the medical calls that dominate its workload, the city finally gave the idea an earnest spin last year. Saltzman and Mayor Charlie Hales worked out a budget deal with the fire bureau and Portland Firefighters Union […]
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It’s the First Trailer for Season Four of Game of Thrones
And hey, guess what looks fucking awesome? After the events that took place in A Storm of Swords/at the end of the last season of Game of Thrones, it’s tempting to think that George R.R. Martin’s narrative has… well, “peaked” isn’t the right word, but at least as far as the books go, book four […]
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Fireworks Video Blockbuster: Boss Dance Tunes, Scorched Mannequins, a Burning Car, Sad Dogs… and a Sincere, Sober Message From Our Fire and Police Chiefs
Hey! It’s finally drunky-boomstick-meat-and-patriotism season in America! Check out the calendar! For some people (mainly hillbillies and pyromaniacs), that means it’s time for the annual pilgrimage to Vancouver and its plentiful pop-up fireworks emporiums, where arch-hillbillies huckster you to death on dirt roads and under dusty skies. For everyone else, aside from the illicit joys […]
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Game of Thrones Recap: Mopping Up the Mess Edition
Game of Throne’s big, bloody climax was last week. Last night’s season finale mopped up the mess, and assured viewers that yes, there will be consequences. The war may be over, but the conflict isn’t. Spoilers ahoy, after the jump. And then Dany high-fived each and every one of them, because she cares. Robb Stark […]
Posted inIce and/or Fire
Ain’t Going Out Like That: Ice Cream Edition
Portland is all set to get its own, brief Ben & Jerry’s flavor and, as best I can tell, the voting public is intent on screwing it up. Or maybe the ambiguous, confusing voting process—filled with bizarre false equivalencies, disgusting innuendo and arbitrary metrics—is doing the damage? I don’t actually understand how this is being […]
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Game of Thrones Recap: Throwing the Book Across the Room Edition
If you haven’t read the books and the events of last night’s Game of Thrones were a surprise to you, then you’re probably experiencing all kinds of bad feel-feels right now. Anger. Confusion. Perplexment. It’s okay. I understand. Cry if you need to. Want to hit something? Hit this pillow. C’mere. Let’s hug it out. […]
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Game of Thrones Recap: Wedding Bells Edition
When you play the Game of Thrones you win or you die. That’s not quite true, though. Some pawns don’t die. Some just suffer. Some get used and forced to play their part, some are thrown in cells, some get outmaneuvered and bitch about it at weddings, and some have leeches put on their junk. […]
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Game of Thrones Recap: Butts and Bears Edition
George R. R. Martin wrote last night’s episode of Game of Thrones. Seeing his name at the top of the show, I expected some kind of world-shaking events to take place plot-wise. That didn’t happen. Various plots certainly moved forward, but the real developments were all character-based. No cities fell or heads rolled, but we […]