#Corey Ratliff

[shellyscribbles]

Okay so, my sister in law (husband's sister), was my best friend years ago. It's how I met and got to know my husband. I stopped talking to her for years because she got on drugs and I was extremely codependent (her enabler).

She's got a miraculous recovery story and is clean and sober now for something like five years.

Fast forward to now and she comes over when my in laws watch the kids and then we hang out till dinner time.

She doesn't read. She just can't focus. She's read maybe three chapters collectively her whole life with the exception of the bible. So since I have been reading like a maniac, I have started imparting the most interesting stories to her one of them being the Elmerian Chronicles by Corey Ratliff and the stories from the Oh, Sleeper albums, especially the Titan EP.

So today I have been listening to Bloodied/Unbowed by Oh, Sleeper and it's got major Elmerian Chronicles vibes. It's got two characters that used to fight together and are kinda conflicting going down opposing paths.

It's so fun exploring stories through the different mediums.

And I forgot how brutal Micah's stories are. (Micah Kinard being the screamer/ lyricist for Oh, Sleeper.)

[jules-has-notes]

collaboration spotlight — Altar Boyz cast reunion fundraiser

When quarantine shut down the entertainment industry indefinitely, a lot of talented people found themselves with a lot of unexpected free time and a lot of fear for the future. Many of them turned to their communities to both seek and provide support. To that end, more than 30 previous cast members from the Off-Broadway and touring casts of Altar Boyz reunited to raise money for The Actors Fund.

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The world needed some hope in the face of a sudden ending. Luckily, the big finale is the most hopeful song in the show. Expanding the arrangement from just five voices to nearly three dozen gives it an even more lush and powerful sound.

Details:

title: I Believe

performers: Tommaso Antico, Corey Boardman, Matthew Buckner, Andrew Call, Danny Calvert, Michael Kadin Craig, Jim Daly, Tim Dolan, Chad Doreck, Ryan Duncan, James Royce Edwards, Carlos Encinias, Adam Fleming, Neil Haskell, Cheyenne Jackson, Jesse J.P. Johnson, David Josefsberg, Andy Karl, Kevin Kern, Joey Khoury, Lee Markham, Tyler Maynard, Dennis Moench, Travis Nesbitt, Mauricio Perez, Scott Porter, Ryan J. Ratliff, Ravi Roth, Nick Sanchez, Ryan Strand, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Daniel Torres, Nick Verina, & Adam Zelasko

original performers: Off-Broadway cast of Altar Boyz (2005)

written by: Michael Patrick Walker & Lynne Shankel

arranged by: Isaac Hayward & Michael Patrick Walker

release date: 2 July 2020

My favorite bits:

layering in the original Off-Broadway cast

adding ensembles of each character in the second verse

everyone on screen together for the second chorus

the synchronized finger waggle

those incredible belts and riffs from the Matthews

the powerful build-up, moment of silence, and dropping back to a end on a gentle chord

cover art for the Off-Broadway cast recording

original cast for the first national tour

Trivia:

The show debuted with preview performances during the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2004. The cast included Cheyenne Jackson as Matthew, Tyler Maynard as Mark, Andy Karl as Luke, Ryan Duncan as Juan, and David Josefsberg as Abraham.

Scott Porter took over the role of Matthew for the Off-Broadway production in March 2005, alongside the rest of the continuing cast. He ended his run in the show the following February to begin filming on the "Friday Night Lights" television series.

Scott and Matthew "Bucky" Buckner had met when they were both performing at the theme parks in Orlando. After Scott retired from his a cappella group 4:2:Five to take a job at Tokyo Disney in 2003, they recruited Bucky as their new member.

Bucky stepped into Matthew's shoes for the first national tour in October 2006, after he left 4:2:Five. When the tour finished in May 2007, he then joined the New York cast for the summer before passing the torch to Chad Doreck.

Oddly, both Scott and Bucky have Matthew as their actual first names, but Scott goes by his middle name, and Bucky also answers to a shortened version of his surname.

So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Neil Haskell played Luke from March 2008 to March 2009. He was then in several other shows before joining the ensemble cast of Hamilton when it moved to Broadway in the summer of 2015.

The Off-Broadway production of Altar Boyz closed in January 2010, having won several awards.

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In addition to the initial music video, producer Ken Davenport also hosted an hour-long livestreamed reunion hangout with the original Off-Broadway cast and crew members a week later. They reminisced about the origins of the show and their favorite memories from bringing it to life.

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To express their gratitude to all the donors throughout the week, a few of the former cast members recorded another song written by the show's composer.

Details:

title: Leading the Way

performers: Jim Daly, Carlos Encinias, Scott Porter, Ravi Roth, & Shaun Taylor-Corbett (vocals); Gary Adler (piano); & JJ Johnson (violin / viola)

written & arranged by: Gary Adler

video produced by: Rick Hip-Flores

release date: 9 July 2020

My favorite bits:

Scott's earnest, clear timbre on the lead vocals

such lovely harmonies from the rest of the guys

Gary and JJ's build up to the bridge

the syncopation of ♫ "in my heart" ♫

the freedom in that final descant riff

Trivia:

This song was written for the musical but didn't make the final cut. It originally debuted in October 2005 as a post-show extra for the Off-Broadway audience, as part of a fundraiser for the Red Cross benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina.

[7loveneverfails]

Figuring out what I love about different stories and writers and what makes me dislike certain writers and stories.

I love Ryan Cahill's writing style (immersive, emotive, beautiful) and characters (super believable and consistent while also growing and changing in a realistic fasion) first and his story structure behind that, but not far. There are no plot lines I am disinterested in.

I love Charlie N Holmberg's relationships and characters and her magic systems just behind and I note that her writing style is simple and clear.

I like Christopher Mitchell almost exclusively for the plot and some of the characters have grown on me. Writing style is simple and easy to read.

Corey Ratliff is a master story builder with a clear and emotive writing style. His characters are believable (maybe just a step behind Ryan's) and he gets you to really love or hate characters. Big feels.

Brandon Sanderson has clear easy to read writing style, deep, fleshed out characters and worlds, interesting magic systems and big feels. I prefer Ryan because I think his prose adds so much to the other features.

I really enjoyed David Estes for the characters and plot. It was big feels with clear, often moving writing. There was a lot of mystery to Kingfall that kept me thinking about it while I wasn't reading.

I really did not like Terry Brooks cause the setting was overly detailed and kept me from getting lost in the story. I also felt nothing for the characters.

I also didn't like Jim Butcher. Despite having a really interesting concept, magic and even characters, there was just such weird moments of describing people's clothes in this almost detached, sexualized way that I couldn't really enjoy the rest of it. I finished the book, but won't read another.

I can't figure out why I keep reading Steven Erikson. I love the characters and prose, but the plot takes forever to sort out and the setting and characters all bleed together to me till like hallway through the book. But after I finish I start craving the next book. Malazan has like story Crack in it and I don't know why or what it is lol

If the prose isn't soft enough, I get distracted. If I notice the prose, it better be pretty or whimsical.

I can get through weird prose or weak prose if the characters and plot are engaging enough.

If I don't care about enough of the characters, I will stop reading.

I love getting villan backstories that make them more human.

[junker-town]

How quickly can UNC bounce back after a mulligan year?

Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels shouldn’t have to wait long to rebound after a 2017 debacle, but 13 suspensions won’t help.

[Note: Since the publication of this preview, 13 UNC players have been suspended, mostly across the season’s first four games, for selling team-issued Jordans. They include potential starting QB Chazz Surratt and top returning tackler Malik Carney, a defensive end. While nobody got suspended for more than four games and the NCAA let UNC stagger suspensions at the same position, the Heels have a lot to overcome as the season begins.]

If you’re going to get wrecked by injuries and bad bounces, you might as well do it the same year you’re undergoing a rebuild anyway. That’s just sound planning.

Larry Fedora killed two birds with one stone; he had to play a jarring amount of youth, and he unloaded a bunch of bad injury karma. The damage:

Freshman quarterback Chazz Surratt led the team in passing with 1,342 yards, a little bit ahead of sophomore Nathan Elliott (926).

Sophomore running back Jordon Brown and freshman Michael Carter combined for 1,171 rushing yards and 337 receiving yards.

With senior Austin Proehl missing half the season, sophomore receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams led with 630 receiving yards. Three freshman wideouts (Dazz Newsome, Beau Corrales, Roscoe Johnson) combined for 460 more yards.

Not a single offensive lineman started all 12 games. Three sophomores and a freshman combined for 17 of the team’s 60 starts.

Linebacker Andre Smith (84.5 tackles in 2016) missed 10 games, cornerback Corey Bell Jr. missed nine, tackle Jordon Riley missed seven, safety Donnie Miles missed six, etc. No linebacker made it all 12 games.

Nine linemen, seven linebackers, and 10 defensive backs made at least six tackles each.

The offense was already looking at a total retooling after losing quarterback Mitch Trubisky, its top two running backs, five of the top six receiving targets, and a pair of all-conference linemen. Fedora brought in a few transfers to stem the tide and set an experienced defense up to succeed. But those experienced pieces couldn’t stay on the field.

So UNC fell from 21st to 94th in S&P+ — from 26th to 83rd on offense and from 44th to 92nd on defense — and saw their win total drop from eight to three.

If there was a silver lining, it’s that the team improved at the end.

Surratt got hurt midway through, and LSU grad transfer Brandon Harris bombed, leading to a dreadful midseason funk that saw the Heels lose to Duke and Virginia at home and fall to Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech by a combined 125-24. But starting with the Miami game, Elliott took over. He torched Pitt and Western Carolina and ran well enough with Brown to scare Miami. You could see a pretty interesting team again.

It’s hard to glean anything useful from UNC’s 2017. The lineup changed weekly, the level of quality changed almost drive to drive ... the whole thing played out like a training camp for 2018.

In theory, the Heels now have a lot to work with. Fedora and coordinator Chris Kapilovic have to decide on a quarterback (neither Surratt nor Elliott separated themselves in spring ball), but they’ll have a pair of solid backs and a high-ceiling receiving corps. And the defense loses only a couple of pieces on the line and in the secondary.

UNC went 19-8 with an ACC Coastal title and back-to-back S&P+ top-30 finishes in 2015-16. Fedora was just beginning to prove this program’s upside. I can’t imagine this is a top-30 team this time around, but top-50? I could maybe talk myself into that.

Offense

From Bryn Renner to Marquise Williams to Trubisky, UNC was pretty solid at QB under Fedora until last season. But Trubisky’s early departure for the NFL and a transfer (Caleb Henderson left for Maryland) knocked the Heels off course.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Chazz Surratt

Surratt beat out Harris and Elliott and flashed massive potential. He completed 12 of 14 for 168 yards in a near-upset of Louisville in week two (he left early with injury), then took apart a bad Old Dominion defense. But from the moment Proehl left the Duke game with a broken collar bone, the offense disappeared. The Heels scored just 17 against Duke, then failed to top 14 in any game for a full month. Surratt’s completion rate was 70 percent after three games, then 52 percent thereafter.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Nathan Elliott

Elliott’s late-season audition went pretty well, but that made things awkward for 2018, as there is no clear-cut starter.

Elliott had the slightest of efficiency advantages, but Surratt was more explosive and less INT-prone. Surratt also had a bit more of a sample to work with and more time for opponents to adjust to him; plus, he beat out Elliott last fall, which suggests he was better in practice.

Whoever wins is going to be reasonably talented and exciting. And there’s major potential in the supporting cast.

Ratliff-Williams struggled at first in Proehl’s absence, catching just eight balls in the four games after the senior got hurt. But he caught fire with Elliott, catching 15 passes for 294 yards in his last three games. He had five for 131 against NC State.

Dazz Newsome and Beau Corrales emerged as decent options late in their freshman seasons; they combined for seven catches for 96 yards in the first seven games, then 20 for 274 in the last five. Another freshman, Rontavius Groves, wasn’t around for a breakout — the former high-three-star prospect was lost for the season in September.

Tight end Carl Tucker was on his way to a big year, catching six passes for 100 yards in the first three games, before he, too, was lost with injury. Brandon Fritts finished with 25 catches, though his didn’t really go anywhere (7.1 yards per catch).

The skill corps could be fun, but the line is facing a rebuild, as four players with 22-plus career starts each are gone. But because so many players saw action last year, the cupboard isn’t bare. Juniors Charlie Heck, William Sweet, and Nick Polino and sophomore Jay-Jay McCargo have starting experience, and all were high-three-star recruits at minimum.

The Fedora system is a pretty high-tempo, pass-first attack. That worked well when Trubisky was running the show, and Fedora and Kapilovic didn’t change too much with last year’s new QBs — UNC went from running 51.5 percent of the time on standard downs (106th in FBS) and 25.3 percent on passing downs (110th) to 54.8 percent (88th) and 29.4 percent (97th), respectively. So some combination of Surratt/Elliott, Ratliff-Williams, Newsome, Corrales, and Tucker/Fritts will drive in 2018.

The Heels will still get the backs involved, too, though, and UNC’s are pretty good. Brown proved himself to be a lovely check-down option — he averaged only 8.2 yards per catch but had a plus-12 percent marginal efficiency, which means he was great at keeping drives on schedule.

Carter averaged 1.3 more yards per carry than Brown (both of them plumped up their averages against ODU and Western Carolina), and he had breakout performances against Cal (11 carries for 84 yards) and Virginia (13 for 157). It’s easy to see this pair working, with Carter being the first- and second-down guy and Brown doing work on third.

But we haven’t yet talked about Auburn transfer Stanton Truitt or big redshirt freshman Antwuan Branch. This backfield is impressive, and I’m curious if or how they get a larger number of guys involved.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Carter

Defense

2017 was a semi-unexpected transition year. First, the Heels lost coordinator Gene Chizik in February, replacing him with former Nebraska DC John Papuchis. Then came the injuries.

Perhaps not surprisingly, they weren’t good at much. Papuchis wants to be aggressive, and UNC did allow only a 55 percent completion rate for the season (53 percent after the first two weeks) with average disruption up front (69th in Adj. Sack Rate, 67th in stuff rate). But the run defense was a sieve, and the secondary gave up quite a few big plays to go with the plays it was making.

Plus, the Heels were unlucky from a turnovers standpoint — they defensed 59 passes, and national averages would suggest that about 13 of those should be interceptions, but they reeled in only seven picks. You think an extra six takeaways might have helped a team that went 1-3 in one-possession games?

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Carney (53)

There are plenty of intriguing returnees, and outside of the line, few are seniors. The line is pretty seasoned, though. Senior end Malik Carney led the team in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (5.5), and a quartet of upperclassman tackles — seniors Jeremiah Clarke and Jalen Dalton and juniors Jason Strowbridge and Aaron Crawford — returns after combining for 23 TFLs. Dalton led the way with eight TFLs despite missing three games.

Throw in a couple of exciting sophomore ends (Tomon Fox and Tyrone Hopper combined for five sacks among their 24.5 tackles), and it seems like the line is set. I expect an increase in disruption, though that only matters so much unless they get better at standing up to run blocking. Strowbridge (235 pounds), Fox (245), Hooper (235), and Strowbridge (270) are all undersized for their positions.

Having a stable linebacking corps can make up for some run issues, but somehow, despite so many guys seeing the field, only two particularly experienced LBs return: senior and former walk-on Cole Holcomb and junior Jonathan Smith. Youngsters like sophomore Malik Robinson and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Gemmel will have to play roles sooner than later.

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

K.J. Sails

It’s easy to talk yourself into the secondary, at least. The Heels do have to replace corner M.J. Stewart (five TFLs and 12 passes defensed) and safety Donnie Miles, but safeties Myles Dorn and J.K. Britt (combined: 96 tackles, four TFLs, nine PDs) return, as do four corners who all saw a lot of the field as youngsters: juniors K.J. Sails and Patrick Rene and sophomores Myles Woolfolk and Tre Shaw. Sails got picked on quite a bit but broke up 13 passes along the way. The depth is strong, and considering the number of plays the Heels made last year with a mostly young unit, experience could look really good on this secondary.

Now it’s up to the front to force opponents to pass.

Special Teams

UNC’s special teams unit wasn’t quite as good as the 2016 iteration, which ranked ninth in Special Teams S&P+. But 33rd ain’t bad. Punters Tom Sheldon and Hunter Lent were both pretty awesome (UNC ranked 21st in punt efficiency), and big-legged Freeman Jones was efficient in the kickoffs department.

If Jones can make a few more of his longer kicks (he was 3-for-7 on FGs over 40 yards), this should be a top-25 unit again, especially considering Ratliff-Williams’ explosiveness in kick returns (26.3 average, two scores).

2018 outlook

2018 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 1-Sep at California 65 -0.1 50% 8-Sep at East Carolina 125 16.4 83% 15-Sep UCF 17 -7.6 33% 22-Sep Pittsburgh 45 1.7 54% 27-Sep at Miami 13 -16.1 18% 13-Oct Virginia Tech 21 -5.2 38% 20-Oct at Syracuse 71 1.9 54% 27-Oct at Virginia 73 2.1 55% 3-Nov Georgia Tech 53 2.8 56% 10-Nov at Duke 40 -4.4 40% 17-Nov Western Carolina NR 25.9 93% 24-Nov N.C. State 37 -0.9 48%

Projected S&P+ Rk 51 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 43 / 58 Projected wins 6.2 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 5.8 (40) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 25 / 26 2017 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -6 / 2.1 2017 TO Luck/Game -3.4 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 73% (77%, 70%) 2017 Second-order wins (difference) 3.7 (-0.7)

S&P+ is not designed to take injuries into account, so when you see that it’s projecting the Tar Heels 51st overall this year, after they fell to 94th last year, realize that might be a bit artificially low. With this amount of returning production and solid recent recruiting, odds are good that UNC will be decent.

The magnitude of the bounce back, though, will depend on how well they operate in close games. Because my goodness, are there a lot on the schedule. UNC is projected to dispose of ECU and WCU and is projected to lose by 16 at Miami. Every other game is projected within a touchdown. With iffy execution and some bad breaks, you could be looking at 4-8 or so. Strong execution, plus a little bit of improvement beyond the projection, could mean 8-4 or better.

If you’re a superstitious UNC fan, though, you have to feel pretty good about the karma. The Heels got a ton of bad breaks and bad bounces out of the way last year.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[movie-magic]

Sophie Turner Joins ‘The Staircase’ Series at HBO Max

Sophie Turner has joined the cast of the HBO Max series “The Staircase.”

Turner joins previously announced cast members Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Juliette Binoche, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

The eight-episode series is based on the docuseries of the same name as well as various books and reports about the case of Michael Peterson (Firth), who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen (Collette), in 2001. He claimed she died after falling down the stairs at their home, but police suspected he bludgeoned her to death and staged the scene to look like an accident.

Turner will play Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael Peterson’s adopted daughters. Turner is best known for her role as Sansa Stark in the megahit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Her time on the show earned her an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a drama. She is also know for playing Jean Grey in the latest entries in the “X-Men” film franchise, “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” Most recently, Turner starred opposite Corey Hawkins in the Quibi series “Survive,” which debuted last year.

“The Staircase” was picked up to series at HBO Max in March. It is written and executive produced by showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn. Campos will also direct six of the eight episodes. The series is a co-production between HBO Max and Annapurna Television.

The docuseries was originally released in 2004, with creator Jean-Xavier de Lestrade updating with new information years later. Netflix released it as a 13-episode series in 2018.

- Variety

[knoxvillecomedy]

Where We Laughed: Knoxville’s Comedy Scene in 2018

It’s time to draw the curtain on another year of the Knoxville comedy scene. 2018, like all years, had its ups and downs, but we hope they were measured mostly in “ups” and that there were plenty of laughs to share with your friends in 2018. If you didn’t laugh in 2018, it wasn’t our fault. We tried everything we could think of. So, in the spirit of all the other year-end countdowns and recaps out there on the internet, let’s take a look at some Knoxville Comedy trivia and news from 2018. Modern Life IS Awesome - Award Winners, Super Moments, Accolades Jeff Blank was voted by readers of Blank Newspaper as Knoxville’s favorite local comedian. Trae Crowder was named runner-up, but he had a pretty good year otherwise. He returned as a guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” in March. In November, ABC announced it was buying a pilot episode of a comedy series executive produced by Trae, starring Trae and his local comedy buddies Corey Forrester and Drew Morgan. We’ll see if the WellRed boys make it to our TV screens in 2019. In June 2018, Tyler Sonnichsen recorded his second comedy album - Modern Life is Awesome - in front of two sold out shows at the Pilot Light. The album arrived in December and Tyler has been touring the Midwest and Northeast this month in support of the record. (You can find out how to get a copy by visiting his website at tylersonic.com) In December 2018, Kris Bell also hosted a recording show at the historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. We look for his project to be released in 2019. Former members of Knoxville improv troupe Full Disclosure, Mallorie Cunningham and Kristen Ballard, earned high praise this year from publications such as Film Daily for their video series Southern Comfort, filmed in and around Knoxville.  All the World’s a Stage There was no shortage of places to find comedy being performed in the Knoxville area in 2018. A rough count of this year’s calendars shows 76 different venues hosting comedy shows, ranging from churches, library auditoriums, house shows, bars, massive arenas, and - once, memorably - at an unsuspecting Shoney’s on North Broadway.

The Top Five venues hosting the most comedy performances (by our unofficial count) in 2018 were: 1. Scruffy City Hall 2. Pilot Light 3. Casual Pint-Downtown 4. LiterBoard 5. Sassy Ann’s Honored Guests Last Days of Autumn Brewing had the distinction of hosting the first and last locally-produced headliner shows of 2018. Columbia, South Carolina’s Jenn Snyder kicked off the new year headlining the Cheers and Beers show on the 1st Friday of January at Last Days. The show changed names, producers, and frequency late in 2018, when Scott Wilding of Detroit was welcomed to the stage as the headliner for the newly-christened High Grav Comedy Showcase at Last Days on the third Friday of the December. By our count, Knoxville’s independent local comedy producers brought in more than 70 regional and national touring stand-up and improv performers, running the gamut from A (Mat Alano-Martin) to Z (Brian Zeolla). And that doesn’t count an amazing year of nationally touring shows that made their way to Knoxville this year for shows at venues including the Tennessee Theatre, Thompson-Boling Arena, the Bijou Theater, and the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Audiences at this larger venues laughed along to performances from Maria Bamford, David Cross, Kevin Hart, Eddie Izzard, Steve Martin & Martin Short, and Tig Notaro, to name a few.

Changes On the Horizon Change is the theme every year and 2018 was no different. Knoxville comedian Aaron Chasteen left us for the Atlanta comedy scene and has been winning fans and friends there with the creation of his popular “Comedy Island” comedy show with co-producer Greg Behrens. Josh Lampley and Alyssa Miller took to the road as well, heading to New York City for their next steps in improv, stand-up, and acting. Carson Barnes, another local favorite in the stand-up scene announced in December that he’s relocating for new opportunities in Boston. Jeff Blank debuted a new open mic in downtown on Tuesdays at the Casual Pint-Downtown. Laughs on Tap has quickly become a popular stage for locals to try our their new material. As mentioned earlier, the monthly comedy show at Last Days of Autumn also underwent a makeover. Cheers and Beers was held on the first Friday of each month under the guidance of producer Gail Grantham. She has handed over the reins to Beth Tomkins and her True Grit Comedy production team. The show is now known as High Grav Comedy Showcase and is held on the first and third Friday of each month.

Beth also moved her bi-weekly Monday open mic to a new day and venue in September. The former Fort Sanders Yacht Club open mic is now a weekly show on Sundays at the Bearden Brickyard. The biggest news of venue changes took place over the summer when the legendary Sassy Ann’s closed its Victorian doors. The Historic 4th and Gill Neighborhood bar had been the home to a Friday weekly open mic for nearly five years. The mic most recently was produced by Tre Pack as Fourth and Gill Fridays. Previous producers had included the show’s founder Nahkt Ricks, as well as Sam Donnelly, Chase Dyer, Jay Kendrick, and Jake James. Sassy Ann’s was also the setting for the live recording of two comedy albums-- JC Ratliff and Jay Kendrick both recorded albums there in the past few years. Also in 2018, two other Knoxville comedy venues closed their doors. Sugar Mama’s (home to True Grit Comedy) and Modern Studio (home to Full Disclosure Comedy and Off Center Comedy). And, we bid goodbye to some regular showcases in 2018, including the Hex Yeah Comedy Showcase at Hexagon Brewing. Regular comedy performances on the famed Cumberland Avenue Strip next to the UT campus also came to an end in 2018. The Fort Sanders Yacht Club mic was, as mentioned earlier, moved to a new location in west Knoxville at the Bearden Brickyard. And, the Literboard ended its run of comedy in late 2018. For the past couple of years, the venue had hosted open mics produced by John Miller and Aaron Chasteen (under the venue’s original identity as Longbranch Saloon), then hosted a weekly rotation of open mics and other fun including a comedy game show, storytelling night, and sketch night under the banners of Tic Tac Toe Comedy Show, Type O Comedy, and finally, Broken Branch Comedy open mic. We’ll see if live comedy returns to the campus area in 2019. In Memoriam At the end of 2018, we offer tribute to two people who made us laugh while they were here, but left us much too soon. Ty Berry had been exploring the Knoxville Comedy scene after moving to East Tennessee from Maryland around 2015. He had frequently attended shows and was beginning to perform at open mics himself. He tragically drowned in May at the age of 33.

Also in May, we learned the sad news of the passing of Spanky Brown at the age of 56. Spanky was not originally from Knoxville, but he was well-known in the area as a performer and as a mentor to many local comedians. Spanky, whose real name was Byron Yeldell, was a favorite of many of the regular audience members (and performers) at the now-defunct Sidesplitters Comedy Club. He had performed most recently in the area in February of this year at John Upton’s comedy show at Tennessee Brewsky’s in New Tazewell. Spanky was scheduled to return to Knoxville for a show in June. To the future... And just like that 2018 is almost done. 2019 promises to have just as many- if not more- opportunities to laugh along with local favorites and touring heroes. The new year is already set to start with an album recording, the new First Friday edition of Comedy at the Grove, and promises of new open mics, showcases, and adventures yet to come.

Thank you, Knoxville, for supporting live comedy. Make it your resolution for the new year to get out there even more to discover new talent traveling through for local showcases and to watch new voices take shape on local open mics. Follow us here on Tumblr, find us on Facebook (Knox Comedy), and invite your friends to join you at a show or two in 2019. They just might thank you for the laughs.

[shellyscribbles]

I finished Bloods of a Withering Kingdom yesterday.

That was a ride. It is going to be almost physically painful to wait for the next book after each is released. The next wont be out for a year.

I don't know how I am supposed to live with that ending for a year lol

I have a desire to inflict this series on everyone. It's really good. Fantastic story building. I was glued from the first page and felt every twist. It's intense for sure. Very well done. Corey Ratliff is a great story teller.

[roleplaytipsandadvice]

Alright so I'm extremely terrible at finding face claims and I want to make an RP account that is a personified version of life but as a male because I'm tired of all the life accounts being female and I was wondering if you could suggest anyone in the age range of like 20s-30s

Check out these guys:

Jake Edwards - Transgender

Elliot Fletcher - Transgender

Keiynan Lonsdale

Hwang Chansung

Siva Kaneswaran

Humberto Carrão

Chord Overstreet

Alden Ehrenreich

Ellington Ratliff

Taron Egerton

Keegan Allen

Nate Maloley

David Castro

Alfred Enoch

Chris Colfer

Tyler Posey

Jesse Rath

Evan Ross

Corey Cott

Cory Hong

Park Jeup

Kim Bum

[shellyscribbles]

I think my favorite thing about the Elmerian Chronicles right now is the characters' frustration. It's very human to feel that frustrated as the ground they stand on is perpetually shifting.

Especially for Aric.

There are so many times when they just stop and scream Fuck and I'm like, Yeah, that's an appropriate reaction to that little tidbit. That's what that word was made for.

My first versions of The Shadow of Vale lacked that frustration completely and it made Zuriel (or Niko as he was named at the time) feel inhuman 'cause who gets their whole life flipped upside down and is just, fine with it?

[shellyscribbles]

*Reads back the last line I wrote for a rough scribble of one of the climax scenes*

Ugh, girl that's brutal.

If I hadn't read some grim dark this year I would feel bad about writing and trying to share something like this.

But I see how it can be done and edifying.

Plus, unlike grim dark, it isn't going to stay this horrible.

[sffinsiders]

Review: Shadows of a Lost Hollow by Corey Ratliff — SFF Insiders

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2024 Reading Highlights

This year I have read more books than I have in my entire life. As of Today, I have read over 230 books.

In my efforts to stay awake while nursing a new born, I started reading Ebooks and man is it easy to sit and read while nursing and rocking a sleeping baby and I have done a lot of that this year.

Since I spent so much time reading, I found a lot of Authors, Books, Series and Characters that I adored so I thought I'd take a minute to share some of my favorites and you all can join me in adoring them or check them out if our tastes seem to match up.

200+ is a lot of books and I could probably do top 10 lists, but I have decided to limit myself to top 5 with honorable mentions.

This is very long and I hope you get something out of it. I had fun pouring over my year of reading and picking out highlights.

That said, here are my favorites from this year:

TOP 5 Authors of 2024

1. Ryan Cahill

2. Jennifer Q. Hunt

3. Corey Ratliff

4. Hannah Hood Lucero

5. Mandi Blake

Ryan Cahill got top spot as his command of language and talent for story crafting as well as character work is remarkable and he quickly replaced Brandon Sanderson as my favorite fantasy author. One note: there is a lot of swearing. Not something I am particularly bothered by, but it was a little jarring 'cause I simply don't read much of it. Corey Ratliff is the other fantasy author on my list as his series, The Elemarian Chronicles had me hooked from the first page. His command of story craft is remarkable. I was completely hooked. I think of that particular series as literary heavy metal. It's fast-paced and hits you in the feels. The end of Blood of Withering Kingdoms had me sweating.

A big discovery I made this year was the genre of Christian Romance. Despite my love of love stories, I have never really read romance because I don't have a desire to read explicit content and while it is an annoying amount of work to sort through, I have found a lot of authors and stories I love and the authors that stuck out to me most were Jennifer Q Hunt whose beautiful and complex historical romance had me hooked. One of my all time favorite characters is one of her creations and I couldn't praise her books enough. Hannah Hood Lucero was a gem I found this past October as she was donating her royalties to the hurricane relief efforts and I had her on my TBR so I decided it was a good time to dive into her books. I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed her stories and the strength of her characters. The Flynn brothers were a lot of fun to read. Mandi Blake was my first favorite, I immediately loved her characters from Remembering the Cowboy. She writes some adorable couples that I enjoyed reading immensely.

Honorable mentions:

Tessa Grace

Charlie N Holmberg

M. J. Padgett

Jennifer Rodewald

Tessa Grace wrote a fantastic book that I wasn't expecting to be as serious and funny as it was. I adored the characters and would absolutely binge read 20 of her books, but she only has one out with another being released next year. Charlie N Holmberg has really fantastic romantasy stories that I really enjoy. M. J. Padgett has some fantastic Romcom books that have gotten me through many nights up with a teething baby grinning and holding back laughs. Jennifer Rodewald wrote a book with the female MC puking on the love interest and that's how they meet, and she kinda had me hooked cause she pulled that off. Her characters have some really great spiritual habits and practices that intrigued me and I just adored how she crafted the family with each new marriage, though I did not love all of her books, the ones I did, I really loved.

TOP 5 Series of 2024

Series-

1. The Bound and The Broken by Ryan Cahill

2. Wisteria House by Jennifer Q Hunt

3. The Elmerian Chronicles by Corey Ratliff

4. The Kingfall Histories by David Estes

5. Sons of Vigilance by Hannah Hood Lucero

Fantasy was the genre of choice when I started reading this year as I had a goal of rereading the Stormlight Archives before Wind and Truth came out. I was enthralled by those series more so than the romance series even though I read a lot more romance than fantasy. The Bound and The Broken explores some beautiful themes with rich characters that feel real. They are annoying at times because people are. They make mistakes and grow and they just feel more real than probably any other characters I have read. There are dragons and magic and friends as close as brothers and I could not recommend it highly enough. Again, lots of swearing, so if that bothers you, just be aware of that.

The Elmerian Chronicles was just so fast paced and enthralling I had to include it. Corey plays with some common fantasy tropes and has some fresh ways of using them that I loved. Lots of morally grey characters and situations. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have read it if I knew what I was getting into because I don't generally do dark fantasy, but it was so well done I will read as many books as he will write. This series also has a lot of swearing and has some pretty late fade to black scenes, but not full explicit.

The Kingfall Histories was so much fun. The first book starts out really depressing but I loved the characters and was invested in seeing what happened to them that I kept reading and I am glad I did. The dragons in this series are my favorite. There are also talking swords and a fascinating exploration of why people do what they do, good or bad. There were some really fantastic characters and definitely some plot lines that had me arguing with myself while I wasn't reading trying to figure out what had actually happened. Definitely one of my favorite series ever.

For my romance series, Wisteria House was absolutely my favorite. I have always enjoyed historical stories and this one is full of rich history, lovable characters and moving stories. There are challenges over come and some fantastic declarations of faith, something I didn't know I loved reading in a book, but I do. One of my all time favorite characters came from this series.

Sons of Vigilance was a series I did not see coming. I was sobbing at the beginning of the first book and then laughing. I enjoyed it so much. I loved the characters, the tension and suspense was great, kept me hooked.

Honorable mentions:

Blackwater Ranch by Mandi Blake

Trumph Over Adversity By Lynn Shannon

Rhythms of Redemption by Emily Conrad

Blackwater Ranch was a really enjoyable cowboy romance series. I love most of Mandi Blakes books (not her first series, she came into her own as a writer, but I found her first series unreadable), but this series stands out as her best.

Triumph over Adversity was another series I didn't see coming. I meant to read a chapter or two before bed and I ended up staying up way too late reading the first book in one sitting. There is a bit of repetition to the stories and the characters while enjoyable, weren't so remarkable that I really remember any of them. All the same, I devoured this series.

Rhythms of Redemption honestly missed my top 5 very narrowly. Gannon is one of my favorite characters, as well as John and the way the themes were handled was something that stuck with me. Plus, its around a band and music which is another passion of mine. I really enjoyed this series.

TOP 5 books of 2024

1. Purest Joys Restored by Jennifer Q Hunt

2. The Ice by Ryan Cahill

3. Bloods of a Withering Kingdom by Corey Ratliff

4. Always You by Jennifer Rodewald

5. Gucci Girls Don’t Date Cowboys by Sophia Quinn

Picking top 5 books was difficult and I basically picked the five I remember best. Purest Joys Restored was about one of my favorite characters and I loved the tropes and dialog. The Ice was a transformative book for me as an author as I realized things about what one can do with a story if language is handled well. Bloods of a Withering Kingdom still lives in my head rent free and the ending literally made me sweat. Always You started with her puking on him and I kinda love how it was handled lol. Gucci Girls had one of the sweetest descriptions of found family ever and it still lives rent free in my head.

Honorable mentions:

A Make out to Remember by Dulcie Dameron

Remembering the Cowboy by Mandi Blake

Of War and Ruin by Ryan Cahill

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N Holmberg

Dereliction of the Heart by Hannah Hood Lucero

TOP 5 Characters of 2024

1. Braxton Rutledge (Wisteria House)

2. Farda Kyrana (The Bound and The Broken)

3. Gannon Vaugn (Rhythms of Redemption)

4. Moro (The Elmerian Chronicles)

5. Andovier Helm (The Kingfall Histories)

For these, the order isn't real accurate, it's hard to rank them as I love them all for different reasons that don't compare or rank easily. Brax was a favorite for lots of reasons but I especially love his growth as a character and how he always quotes hymns in conversation. The fact that the impact of that changes over his journey is very cool. He's a new top three with Kaladin Stormblessed and Prince Myshkin.

Farda is just a great character. I hope he gets a redemption arc. He is just used brilliantly in the narrative and has some of the best lines in the entire series, but he's also a monster who does things that are not easy to forgive.

Gannon was great because he was just so calm and wise. John (from the same series) was also kinda like that, but more concise in his language where Gannon pushed in eloquently whether he was wanted or not, but did so in such as way that he was never offensive.

Moro went for a ride in the story and I think he responded in a way that was interesting and realistic, but also kinda frustrating because he didn't know things and made mistakes because he didn't know. Him and his brother having different missing pieces of information and messing up and doing their best was really fun to read. Moro ended up my favorite half of the two.

Ando was just a great character. It has been a hot minute since I read that series, but he stands out in my mind from the series. He was such a reluctant hero, but good to his core despite the mistakes he made and pushed on despite suffering horrific loss. I got invested in his storyline before any of the other ones.

Honorable mentions:

Dann Prim (The Bound and The Broken)

Dragonmaster Dane (Kingfall Histories)

Therin Eiltris (The Bound and The Broken)

Asher (The Echoes Saga)

Also: If there was an Asher in any series or book I read, I liked them. (Blackwater, Even if It Hurts, Echoes, Forged Brothers). I dunno why but Ashers were my favorite.

Favorite Quotes:

(Warning there will be some spoilery things in here, as well as some language.)

(Note: I was not always able to pinpoint which book the quotes came from so I simply list it under the series name when I couldn't be more specific.)

From Of War and Ruin By Ryan Cahill (The Bound and The Broken):

"Look into my eyes." Farda's heart was beating harder than he'd felt it in centuries. She was just so gods damned stubborn. "I don't know what it is you've done to me, but when you're near, I don't feel so fucking broken. That's why I came back. That's why I'm here. And if the last thing I do is get you back to your brother, then at least I'll have done something decent in the last for hundred years that would explain why I'm still alive while Shinyara is dead. There has to be a fucking reason I'm still here. Now let me help you."

"I wish I'd died-part of me did. In the Old Tongue, they call us Rakina. It means 'one who is broken'. But when a dragon dies, you're not broken. No..." Farda shook his head, his hand closing around the coin. "You're shattered. Your soul is shredded and splintered, its many fragments thrown to the wind. You are nothing, you are nobody. All you feel is empty, and cold, and wrong. That's why I trust the coin. That's why I let fate decide. Partly because everything lost meaning after Shinyara died, but partly because the one time I didn't listen to fate, I lost the only thing left in this world that I cherished. And with her she took my pain, my love, and my happiness..."

From Kingfall Histories by David Estes: (There were a lot of great scenes, but I didn't track quotes quite as much back when I read this. If it made me laugh, I noted it)

"What? Why?" "I can't explain. Not yet. Do you trust me?" "I only just met you." Another laugh. "That's fair, though I did give you bacon on rye bread." Sampson shook his head. "I should trust you because you gave me bacon?"

from the Magelands Eternal Siege by Christopher Mitchell:

'My truth is open to interpretation.' 'Your entire relationship with the truth troubles me at times.'

'Well, I wouldn't want the boys fighting over me.' She smiled at the uncomfortable look on Quill's face. 'Actually, I would; could we arrange that? They could fight to the death, and I get to keep the winner?'

From Some Through the Fire by Jennifer Q Hunt:

"My God is Jesus Christ, who gave up His prestige and honor and health and life, for me," her voice broke here, "and the Father Who sent Him and the Spirit that He gave. The question is not what He demands of me, Harry, when He Himself met all the demands. But there is nothing I will not give 'that I may know Him'. You asked me, the night of the symphony, what did I want from life. Well, that's it. "And if I have to understand God, then it is my own mind I worship, and if I have to control Him, its my own will I worship, and if I have to feel Him, it's my emotions I worship. But if I only have to love and obey Him, then I worship Him in spirit and in truth, and in worshiping Him I have life."

"I hated myself for--for self. I saw how bankrupt, how pathetic I really was-- "And He was there, Ves. He was there. I thought He would reject me after I'd rejected His plan and His ways all those months. Instead He was there, so great I couldn't take Him in and so close I couldn't shut Him out, so mighty I couldn't look at Him, yet so gentle I couldn't look away. "So I gave up. I stopped trying to impress God and everyone else. I can't really describe it, but when it happens to you, you know. A death to all you've ever known, and yet a resurrection to all you've ever wanted. It's not that circumstances are different, or even that I'm different, but there's this calm in the depth of my soul that nothing can touch. I'm not impressed with Billy Sweet anymore, but I sure stand in awe of his God."

From The Shadow Heir by C. F. E. Black

She snorted. "Right. And that. Well, one look at the fae in this cavern, and I can tell you're all miserable. You laugh at death because you hate life, you twist your features because you can't stand your reality, you hide in caves and torture those less powerful than you. I pity you."

She was a spark, and I was a moth, drawn toward the fire that mocked my existence. But like every other spark that wandered into the darkness, she too would snuff out. Pity. For what a thing it would be to watch her spark catch fire.

"You humans think your weak hearts are the only ones that feel, but you--" "No, you listen," I cut him off. "You live forever, and yet you find no joy in life"..."You crave death because you need the reminder that some things don't last and yet it does nothing to push you toward goodness or purpose or happiness. I would be mad, too, if I had to live like this."..."If I had to live knowing my life could never have as much passion or purpose as a mortal's."

"You are the stars. Constant, fixed, and ever burning. It is by your light that I see, into your light that I am inescapably drawn. Would that I could call you down from heaven to fall on me and consume me with your light. But I am born of darkness and have no power to command the stars."

From Triumph Over Adversity by Lynn Shannon

Logan broke off the kiss, breathless, his mind muddled. He sucked in air. "I can't rescue you, woman, if you distract me with kisses that shut off my brain."

From The O'Sullivan Sisters by Sophia Quinn

"Rumor has it she's real cute." JJ wiggled his eyebrows. Nash growled. He legit growled. The sound shocked him almost as much as it seemed to surprise JJ. But then JJ's head fell back with a howl of laughter. "Oh man, you should have seen your face." He pointed a finger at Nash. "I've seen a grizzly protecting its cubs out in the wild up close and personal, and not even that was as terrifying as the look you just gave me."

Thanks so much for reading! Happy new year all!