#I have to count up my drafts and I think I might have hit 300???? LOL FUNNNNNN

[ghostsxagain]

//sweet loves! hi! here's a lil update for ya... I moved yesterday!!! I'm here at my dad's!! there was a lot of stress yesterday (mental & physical) but we did it! almost all of my stuff was brought in one trip, I'll just have to go back one more time to finish up & get the remaining items. I spent time with my sis & her bf last night, then hours talking to my dad before work today, and I really think this is going to be good for me. I have a lot to deal with still, naturally, but for the first time in a long time I'm optimistic for my future? that feels pretty cool.

I plan to work on drafts ASAP. idk if I have the brain capacity right this very minute BUT as soon as I do, I will chip away at them to the best of my ability. the goal is to fill my queue up since it's EMPTY atm//

[poupeesdecirque]

Posting by Queue, or: why I need some distance from my crafts

It has been some time since my last hobby meta blog entry, it had different reasons and one is that I need distance. Like, yes I of course enjoy crafting and sometimes I am like a little child that runs everywhere to show off things.

But it got ... less intense. And I learned I do better when I keep projects or at least details to myself to sit on them for longer. That the first euphoria is purely mine and not to be shared.

Like for my photos I have a buffer of several weeks now. Yes, I know past-me would have kind of hated that. But I learned I do better when I have a time buffer. I do take photos weekly but sometimes they don't feel special enough to get the weekly photo feature?

Friday & yesterday I went out for photos and while I like the ones from yesterday way more than the ones from friday I am not sure if the set from yesterday will get the feature or not as it's only a hand full of photos giving me that certain spark.

Other than that I am a very emotional artist, I sometimes really fuck up my art and hate it at the moment I worked on it, but then, sometimes, after a few days or weeks I can look at it and just wonder about what was my problem the day I made it.

Another thing is that I, myself, enjoy my art. The process of it. And I like to see my blog updating, sometimes I forget what post will go online and then I check the blog and think "ah yes, this was that thing!", and it reminds me why I made the blog overall, to show myself I had progress and that every tiny step counts.

Which leads to another reason why I hold back in regards of posting. Yes, I do share some snippets in my stories over on insta but not always and not all. I sit on over 300 drawings from the last two years alone nobody ever will see, I enjoyed drawing but it's nothing for the public eye. I will maybe go back and redraw some and share the redraws then, who knows?

But wait, there is actually more reasons.

The biggest or main reason is ... i sometimes go really wild on projects. In January I finished so many dolls it was insane, I worked on Cosplays and other crafts in an incredible speed, I have literally no idea where I found the time but I somehow did and doll parts arriving every week did the rest.

I keep the blog running with partially 2 month old stuff but .... to be honest I don't have doll stuff aside photos to do anymore. All I can do is wait for bodies to be shipped (or dolls even) and arrive. There has been no movement since January. Aside Iza getting the shipping notice for our Split, might take a while until its at her place and I can't really start on the Akuma until I got the body (which I at least have finally ordered this month) as colors need to be matched and mods to be made.

I am truly itchy to do something else than sewing all the time, I do enjoy cosplay but you know how much I like sewing (hint: not at all). So to remind myself of the fun I had in the past weeks I have mixed my blog to bless me with some progress I had which was maybe not sewing all the time. And well, the Cosplays have deadlines and I do get some ideas aside purely sewing while doing them, so that keeps me going for now.

Yes, I could start redoing dolls like Alastor or Erwin. But you know what? IT'S ALMOST ALL SEWING. Urgh.

Aside that real life is pretty good at eating me up and I just want to enjoy crafting. Right now drawing feels like stress relief but I hate the results and just scan the pieces and put them away to never look at them again, I have a bunch of posts queued up without any captions, a wip entry of a current project only has two photos but I lack the spoons to actually get them done. But since those posts are so far back it's fine (yes I know drafts are a thing).

In general I enjoy having my art to myself to get used to it before I put it out into the wild as I just recently got reminded I do bad with direct comparisons still and it hits some triggerpoints from the past and makes everything harder, I don't need that.

I literally have no idea if this blog makes sense even, lol. I just am tired of sewing and stopped working on my current project around lunch time and have drawn so much today and I walked way too much the whole week my friends urged me to stay the ef home and at least try to relax. But I'm restless as my body is too stressed (I know it all I'm a certified relaxation trainer so eh), so, have an over the place blog entry.

[em-dashes]

emily’s non-nano update #5

i wrote ~600 words today.

as i said in the previous post, it’s getting to a point where it’s getting basically pointless to keep working on this draft. the character motivations have changed in the re-outline, which is in turn impacting a lot of the rest of the book.

i knocked out two very basic scenes today (Very threadbare, as you can tell from the word count). i think i’ll let everything ruminate while i vividly picture the story as a tv show so i can get a sense of the flow of the story, and then i’ll be starting draft 2.

the biggest problem with draft 1.5 is, well, the flow of the story. the alternating timelines is a fun gimmick, but it also leads to a problem where if one thread has something Super Interesting happening but the other is just Characters Fucking Around, then it’s.....not really an enjoyable experience (for me, at least). so i need to work on possibly reshuffling some chapters so that the two storylines don’t feel so unbalanced.

long time followers might be wondering: what about APHELION? did you just abandon it?

no. i just currently feel like i have more motivation for SUDDENCE, so i’m taking advantage of that motivation to get some solid work in. besides, SUDDENCE was created as a counter to APHELION; a short novella with like 3 characters to balance out my Sci Fi Epic With 300 Layers of Character Backstory And Worldbuilding. so it only makes sense that when i hit something of a block with APHELION, i would focus my efforts on a simpler story

so anyway......this was supposed to be a short update so idk how it ended up being this long. here’s an excerpt.

When Zahira comes out of the repair shop, I can tell she doesn’t have good news. She thunks down beside me and sighs.

“Misaligned wheel,” she says. “Costs one-fifty.”

“Is that a lot?”

“Normal amount. But if you want to make it to Ornament, then yeah. A lot.”

I sit back and try to do the math. “How long until we get there?”

“Two more days.”

“If we skip the motel tonight and tomorrow, we can have probably a hundred extra.”

“And the second hundred comes from where?”

I look around the square as if there might be answers. All I get in response is a pigeon pecking at the ground.

they sure are in a goddamn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation

[wetislandinthenorthatlantic]

2021 / Week 5 Recap

Hello peeps! I’m back — finally

Since My Last Post: Suddenly it feels like Spring is right around the corner - the Hellebores are up in the garden, while the village churchyard is full of Snowdrops and Crocus. Here in my part of the UK, the ground is well and truly muddy due to all of the Lockdown Walkers.  The sun has been making a few appearances which have been much appreciated. (*I wrote this on Sunday -- we now have a dusting of snow on the ground and freezing temps!) 

My daily writing habit is still intact! 

Last Week: Hooray! ‘Just Like Old Times’ (the ‘fake date’ espionage fic) has been finished, beta-ed and posted. The requester did something which as a fanfic writer I love- commenting on every chapter as they read it. This is one of the magical things about fanfic — we can easily find out from readers how much they are enjoying what we produce. 

My Cyberpunk Sleeping Beauty is coming along very nicely but I haven’t hit the spot when I can see the form under the SFD (shitty first draft). I will keep persevering — it is there.

For this story I am trying something completely new to me — writing by the numbers. While I need to retell a fairytale, I also need to write a good story so I am using the Hero’s Journey as my spine. I’ve taken the target word count, split out focus points, then assigned each section a word count. I plugged this all into Scrivener and away I go.

Pro: I love not having to think first thing in the morning when I sit down to write. And the chunks are all of reasonable length - 300-500 words, which is an easy ask. My brain doesn’t need to churn  as all of the thinking has already been done.

Con: Why did I think I could write 300 words about looking at server error logs? Although the word count is low, occasionally it still seems high for the content of the scene.

FanFic - Valentine’s Day had slipped my mind — and I really should do my February posting on that day. I am busy digging through my hoard of half-finished-mostly-neglected pieces to see if there is something suitable. Egged on by the other writers in my writing group I might post another chapter of Next Time. A little sex on Valentines Day is never a bad thing.

Next Up:  Writing: Cyberpunk Sleeping Beauty - keep working! Writing: Chapter 2 of Next Time / or some other Valentine thing

Editing: ‘Want of a Wife’ - the mail-order-bride request from @flabbergastedenough  It was 80% completed in NaNoWriMo 2020 - now it’s time to get back to it for completion. 

What I’m reading: Finished: Syllabus by Lynda Barry — This fun, wild, graphic journal is all about how to cultivate creativity.  Highly recommend. 

Wintering by Katherine May — A very interesting view of the restorative power of rest. It started well, but then went downhill. Would not recommend. 

In the middle: As She Climbed Across The Table  by Jonathan Lethem — SciFi love story, in which a woman falls out of love with a man and in love with a black hole. Yes, Really.

Agent Sonya by Ben Macintyre — A true story about a deep cover KGB agent who lived in Cornwall and was the typical housewife next door. 

Goal is to finish the half read books!

Have a great week everyone, until next time! If you have any questions or prompts leave a comment or feel free to DM me.

[prettylittlelyres]

My Year in Writing (2020)

Hello and Happy New Year! I thought it might be nice to share with you all an overview of what I've written in 2020.

First of all, let me say that I haven't written nearly as much as I wanted to, but that's OK, and it's OK if the amount you've written feels or looks pretty similar. The point is, it looks some way (I daresay pretty) because you've taken up the pen and put some words on a page.

I don't want to gloss over how bad aspects of my 2020 Writing Year have disappointed me, because that would be as silly as casting a damper on the whole thing by focusing only on the trickier bits. What I'm aiming for here is a balanced review - even if it's a rather informal one - of my achievements, and my feelings about my writing this year. In the interest of balance, let's start with something GOOD!

Right at the beginning of the year - around January - I started redrafting a rather fabulously dark fantasy romance, of which you've probably seen a little bit on this blog: Songs from the Crypt Forest, which I dropped after 9,800 words, because I wanted - and needed to work on my first dedicated book, and on my Year Abroad Research Project.

I managed to write about 17,000 words of the dedicated book in its original form before I realised that it wasn't quite working, and that I ought to try a different tack. The story I was telling there is a story I still want to tell, but I just wasn't ready to write it at the time. I'm hoping to pick it up properly in 2021.

I realised I needed to try getting back into the world I wrote in 'Violins and Violets', by writing something set around the same time and involving some of the same characters. In March, I started writing 'Book J', for which I didn’t have a proper title until I was nearly done with its first draft! I gave it the working title 'Book J', because I was writing it for my friend Jenny. By the time summer came round I had 52,000 words, and a first draft that was as complete as I think it ever will be.

Lockdown hit my life quite hard in Spring 2020, and I lost my language assistant job in France when all schools closed, and I had to come back to the UK to live out the academic year with my parents. Nevertheless I had to carry on working with my Year Abroad Research Project, Which I was able to hand in by 18th May, having squeezed all my findings into a dissertation of 6,000 words.

Now that my YARP was out of my way, and I had no more work to do for university, I started redrafting Jenny's book, now called 'Vogeltje', and cut it down to 44,000 words, which I polished until August... when I had copies printed for Jenny, so that she could read a book written especially for her. I would have given it to her in person in France, but lockdown happened, and I ended up posting her copies from one part of South England to another. A rather typical outcome for a meetup planned in 2019 for 2020, I suspect!

During lockdown, I also trained as a proof-reader and copyeditor, and did some volunteer work for a company that needed translators. Online training courses have been a godsend, and I've particularly enjoyed a novel writing course and a travel writing course that I've been following. The novel writing course has pushed me to flesh out plans for a number of books, including more detailed and cohesive outlines for 'Songs from the Crypt Forest' and 'The Night Has Teeth' (two books I want to write in a similar universe), along with my on-again-off-again WIP 'The Manylove Quarter' - and the plans for these three alone come to 7,850+ words!

I moved back to Southampton in July, and took August to start drafting 'The Manylove Quarter ', but that ended up petering out with about 19,200 words of prose on the page. Still, I spent a lot of time querying, and got plenty of reading done, so - especially considering the heatwaves in my area and a pretty enormous academic crisis in my record (fixed in November, after writing a LOT of letters and reports!!! So, this is where I send a million hugs to my lecturers and tutors for all the help they've given me, thank you, thank you, thank you all SO MUCH!!!) - I still felt fairly well-accomplished at the end of the month. I also did quite a bit of painting.

In August and September, I started typing up the journal I've been keeping since the beginning of April, once I'd settled back into life in the UK, to keep track of my feelings about the pandemic and my reactions to what I've seen or heard in the news. I write an average of 6,000 words per month, so I'm coming up to 50,000 words on the whole thing (but have yet to type up November or December). One day, I'll use it to write some extremely illustrious memoirs about how much fun, I had stamping up and down the stairs in my parents' house in order to get my steps in! (I really did get quite fit, though, and I want to get back to it in the New Year!)

At the start of September, I published a 2,500-word travel log my university's "study abroad" blog, all about how much I came to love the French city of La Rochelle, where I spent my 3rd year working. I think I will polish it at least a little before I post it here, but I would love to post a redrafted version on this blog!

My final year of university (BA Modern Languages, French and German) started in October, so all my reading and writing that month - or so it felt - was linked to my course. However. I've lost count of how many pieces I've translated between English, French and German, just to prepare for each class. I love my course, but it doesn't leave much energy for anything else!

Welcome to November, when all my graded assignments were due at once, and the associated stress started taking its toll. Luckily, my tutors were there to help me get extensions for work I couldn't hand in on time because my brain had turned into mashed potato. By the middle of December, I ended up with a 300-word translation and 300-word scripted scene for French, a 1,000-word commentary on a translation into English, a 2,500-word essay for French History, and a 2,000-word short story for German, which I've translated into English, and will post here any day.

This has really been a big year for letter-writing, especially since I came back from France. My cousin and I love writing longhand letters to each other, as I love writing them to my grandmothers, and, as such, I've written about one hundred letters this year! My cousin and I have kept every letter we've ever sent each other, and these collections have approximately doubled in size since the start of 2020.

I keep trying to redraft the first chapters of 'The Manylove Quarter', but never seem to get very far. With about 3 redrafts started since Autumn, I'd say l have about 1,000 words typed up. I can probably say the same of the story I'm trying to write as a kind of Standalone, kind of Sequel to 'This Still Happens' and 'Curls of Smoke', except that I'd put those around the 2,000-word mark.

If my Mathematic capabilities still stand up, I estimate I've written about 210,000 words in total this year (not including text messages, letters, emails and entries in my regular diary (which I keep separately to my pandemic journal)), which. honestly, makes me feel a little like I've failed myself.

That's why l'm making this post, actually, to address that feeling - because | know it's not rational, so I'm not going to call it "that fact" - and to tot all my work up in one place, so that I can see my achievements as one big hulk. Looking at my 2020 in terms of projects l've actually finished, it's disappointing! But to look at 2020 as a final wordcount makes me feel an awful lot better. My sister just pointed out that "210,000 words" is "nearly a quarter of a million words", and, put in that way, it's much easier to feel like I've accomplished something of which I can - and Should - feel proud. I've written a lot this year!

Now l'm asking all of you who feel like you've "not done enough work in 2020" to reassess the way you're looking at it all, and to see that:

Productivity shouldn't define how much you feel you're worth, no matter how productive you've been. Please don't fall into the capitalist trap of thinking you're only "doing the right thing" if you're working! You're worth a huge amount and you deserve to be proud of yourself!

You've achieved a lot more than you first thought, whether in the projects you've finished, the number of words you're written, the ideas you've had, the research and planning you've done, the time you've put in, the skills you've honed... OR THE FUN YOU'VE HAD! It all counts, and it's all important, and you can be proud of all of it, just like you can be proud of yourself.

If you don't feel like you've done enough, find a new angle from which to look at what you have done. I'm willing to bet someone out there can see how brilliantly you're doing already. Try to see yourself through that someone's eyes!

[19catsncounting]

Thanks for the tag @makeshift-moth! (I’ve never done a tag and I’m probably doing it wrong, but I’m having fun!)

1. What’s your favorite thing to drink at the end of a long day?

The adult answer might be Coke and this Pecan Praline flavored whiskey that I love, but I’m honestly not much of a drinker. A Hokkaido Milk Tea from ShareTea turns even my worst day around, though.

2. Do you have any weird little knick-knacks and where did they come from?

I have a quite a few little knick knacks! But I think the weirdest one is a framed picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the New Deal that I bought in a very cute thrift store in my very conservative hometown right before I moved into my first apartment.

3. What was the last thing you made/drew/cooked?

I just made muffins! A banana nut muffin mix.

4. What movie do you have an inexplicable connection to?

Airplane! It’s a really good comedy, but it’s hard to find a reason for why it’s my favorite movie of all time. It even beats out the LOTR series, and I’ve watched that at least 300 times.

5. What does your favorite outfit look like?

My favorite outfit is a long green and white striped shirt with a giant canvas patch in the middle of the chest that has a picture of a cat holding a fish, with some soft stretchy leggings. The canvas patch makes the shirt thick enough that I don’t have to wear a bra with it, and it’s easy to dress up and still have a bit of personality.

6. Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather (And what’s the best part about it?)

COLD! I love autumn weather, but even winter isn’t bad. Summers are awful in the south where I’ve always lived, and I get heatstroke easily. While hot weather comes with sunburns, sweating, and other nastiness, cold weather just gives you a reason to stay inside, and in bed under a thick comforter preferably.

7. Describe your weirdest teacher, whether good or bad.

I went to public school in the south, so I’ve had some...experiences. Bad ones. There was a substitute History teacher that took over half of a semester after the original one was busted for looking at child pornography, and he was a Christian missionary with a HUGE white savior complex. He showed us this movie, the title is completely lost on me, where this woman living in North Korea endures starvation and her once loving husband becoming more abusive to her after he was drafted to become a soldier. But then, she finds Christian missionaries and everything gets better! (But not really, she just “has strength from God” to endure all of the horrors of her life. Also, please donate to blah-de-blah foundation so they can spread the Good Word in North Korea.) He would also talk about how he took in a family from Cambodia into his home in America, and claimed that one of the children would defecate under the coffee table because “That’s what they do there!” As implausible as absolutely all of that is, it’s also incredibly racist!

8. Do you have any pets? If not, what pet would you like to have some day?

I have four cats - Jerry, Meaty, Riku, and Mustard. Jerry’s only crime is peeing on the bed when he’s having some trouble with anxiety, Meaty will cause destruction when she’s hungry (attempted murder on two counts, both of which occurred when she pushed a candle that was on a windowsill above my head to almost hit my head), Riku is a “velcro kitty” because she has trouble remembering how to retract her claws and thus can accidentally claw someone and ‘stick.’ And Mustard has many crimes, because he’s the baby. He’s a dedicated dairy thief who will try to eat anything you’re eating that has dairy products, and he is also the only one who will jump on top of the very tall bookshelf. Today, he knocked over one of my gf’s Legend of Zelda Hyrule textbooks and damaged the spine.

9. What has made you happy recently?

Creating my Discord! It’s been so fun talking to people, since I usually lurk on social media spaces.

10. What’s your favorite vine/tiktok?

I’m Olde, so I’m not on tiktok, but I reference “Hurricane Tortil-la” every single time that my girlfriend buys or needs me to grab tortillas for her.

Now it’s my turn to ask questions!

1. What’s your favorite feel-good anime?

2. What’s your favorite username for online activities?

3. If you had a dragon, what would you name it?

4. What does your favorite lamp look like?

5. What’s something that you’re craving right now?

6. Who is the scariest fictional character to you?

7. Why did you join Tumblr?

8. If you could go to any food place - real or fictional - where would you go and what would you order?

9. What’s your dream job?

10. What’s the last song that you listened to?

Feel free to answer or ignore this! Just be sure to tag me if you respond because I’d love to see your answers!

@cantstopimobsessed @unprofessionalamber @magicshay @nylazor @onemaebee

[homebrewsno1asked4]

2B 2

Welcome! Today’s subclass – inspired by 2B of Nier Automata, for those who just walked in – is the Planar Adjudicator.

What and why is a Planar Adjudicator, you may ask? I didn’t just want to make the 2B class a construct-killer; unless your DM’s world is teeming with robots, that won’t be particularly useful. So I reflavored the androids’ crazy superhuman combat maneuvers as laws of physics they’re allowed to break. And YoRHa as like interdimensional hitmen of balance.

Kinda like “if the Horizon Walker Ranger joined a Paladin order.”

I don’t remember the exact thought process, tbh.

Commence!

Clearances

As Planar Adjudicators climb in rank, they’re allowed to bend certain laws of reality, or waive them altogether.

When you first gain access to these clearances at level 3, you may take three. You may take two additional clearances each levels 7, 10, and 15. At these levels, you may also replace a previously-established clearance with another one of equal level.

See list of Clearances at the end of the class.

Save vs. your Clearances is 8 + proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

At level 3, the fighter usually gains multiple features with their subclass: 1) Each archetype's primary mechanic; 2) a coin toss between an exploration or interaction feature, usually packaged with an extra skill proficiency.

To fit with the Planar Adjudicator's "spacetime cop" theme, I made the main mechanic Clearances - or laws of reality that the Planar Adjudicator's allowed to break to better hunt their quarry. In an earlier draft, I tried to directly base these Clearances on the various Pod abilities; but after a few false starts, I realized that most of the Pods either don't translate well into D&D mechanics, or would provide game-breaking stat increases/extra attacks. So instead, I looked to the Warlock's Eldritch Invocations for inspiration, and the Clearances scale/stack similar to the Eldritch Knight's spellcasting. (I think... I'm sorry, I really need to be more careful about crossing out my design notes, not deleting them entirely.)

The Clearances are supposed to reflect Nier Automata's flashy combat; encapsulate more of 2B's skills and android abilities not covered by my earlier choices of Race, Background, etc; and beef up the Planar Adjudicator's flavor.

Basic Planar Knowledge Database

Take proficiency in either Religion or Arcana.

As an action, you detect the distance and direction between you and any creature involved in your goal, such as a person you seek vengeance against or someone you pledged to defend. You must be familiar with this creature – i.e. have met them personally, or you know more than passing knowledge about that creature. If the target is on another plane of existence, you instead discern the distance and direction of the nearest portal to that plane, though you don't automatically know which plane it leads to.

The Planar Adjudicator's other starting feature - Basic Planar Knowledge Database - bundles one of two lore-intensive Intelligence proficiencies with a barely-changed version of the Revenant's Relentless Nature. I don't think it's too OP because it's mostly for flavor, but Hey! I've been wrong before.

(Maybe BPKD should at least be 'use x times between rests’?)

Database Upgrade

You hone your insight into your extraplanar quarry by level 7, analyzing your deep repository of lore for weaknesses.

Your melee attacks (not ranged, not spells) now count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance.

You gain proficiency in Religion or Arcana, whichever you did not choose from Basic Planar Knowledge Database. Except for critical failures, you can treat any Arcana or Religion roll of 9 or below as a 10.

Fighters' level 7 abilities usually go one of two ways: an attack/defense buff; or an exploration ability packaged with a new skill proficiency. The Planar Adjudicator's Database Upgrade is bit of a mix of both.

This is a melee-only version of the Arcane Archer's Magic Arrow, as well as the other half of the Basic Planar Knowledge Database - while also borrowing a little of the Rogue's Reliable Talent. I'm hoping that's not too much, as religion and arcana are mostly fun roleplay skills anyway. Who knows; the way you run your games, this might be OP.

Executioner’s Clearance

At level 10, you gain two types of Favored Enemy. One is always humanoids. For the other, choose from aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead. You gain a +4 bonus to damage rolls with weapon attacks against creatures of both types. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.

When you gain this feature, you also learn two languages of your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it; for example, elvish for humanoids and deep speech for aberrations. However, you are free to pick any language you wish to learn.

You also have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities of both these enemy types.

Fighters' level 10 features are exclusively combat-focused. Usually, they're an improvement to a pre-existing feature.

I borrowed the Ranger's Favored Enemy + Greater Favored Enemy for Executioner’s Clearance. Since even the stacked version of Greater Favored Enemy is still conditional, and it's already only a level 6 ability, I thought it fair to throw the Planar Adjudicator another bone.

Hammerspace

You can equip up to three weapons at a time, in any combination of weight class or ranged/melee. You can swap these weapons in and out as a free action, including in between attacks.

You stow any of these three weapons you cannot feasibly hold in a personal void not unlike a Bag of Holding.

Hammerspace adds a bit more Nier Automata-ness to the Planar Adjudicator's playstyle, what with the giant weapons floating behind you and switching between these giant weapons in an instant.

I can't for the life of me remember what I used as a base for Hammerspace. Honestly, I might have made it from scratch, but I wouldn't give me that much credit.

Unchain Protocol

Against your favored enemy types, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

While the planar adjudicator is at half their hit points (rounded down) or below, they score critical hits on 18-20 for all enemy types, not just favored enemies.

While the planar adjudicator's hit points equal 10 + Constitution modifier or below, your criticals gain a damage bonus equal to your level in this class.

At level 15, Fighters gain a variety of types of combat features. Attack spells/spell-like abilities and attack/damage buffs are common.

I think this is another weird fusion of a couple different class abilities. Like Champion/Barbarian’s Improved Critical plus one of the Brute’s abilities, maybe?

The first part of Unchain Protocol stacks with Executioner's Clearance. The second and third stages of the Protocol affect all critical hits, for the trade-off of inching closer and closer to death.

Evasion System Overclock

When an enemy misses an attack against you, you may incur the effects of Time Stop as a reaction. All restrictions of Time Stop still apply. You take the turns afforded by Time Stop immediately upon using this ability. You may use this once a day.

I know 2B has the whole slow-time-when-you-dodge ability from the beginning of the game; but there’s no way to give the player its D&D equivalent at an early level without tipping the game balance like the fucking Titanic.

My thinking is, assuming the player tries to use this ability to hit or run, Evasion System Overclock only affords them one extra strike, or a get-out-of-combat-free card if the player’s okay with ditching the rest of the party and appearing 1000 feet away. Hopefully, this forces your Planar Adjudicator to be a little more creative and strategic with their extra turns.

Clearances

Law of Applied Force. All ranged attacks have a maximum range of 300 ft.

Law of Auras. You can cast Detect Magic at will.

Law of Darkness. You can see normally in darkness, both magical and non-magical, to a distance of 120 feet.

Law of Healing. Whenever you regain hit points from a potion, spell, or ally’s class feature, treat any dice rolled to determine the hit points you regain as having rolled their maximum value for you.

Law of Inertia. Whenever you successfully deal damage to a creature, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

Law of Interspecies Communication. Although limited by the intelligence of the beast, you can understand and speak with beasts.

Law of Linguistics. You can read all writing. You can comprehend any written word or symbol, should it hold any linguistic meaning.

Law of Natural Cycles. Within a minute of its death, you may ask a recently deceased creature one question. The dead creature’s spirit provides the answer to the best of its knowledge, translated into a language of your choice.

Law of Resilience. Your AC becomes 13 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier while not wearing armor. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Law of Rest. You no longer need to sleep and can't be forced to sleep by any means. To gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend all 8 hours doing light activity.

Law of Vitality. You can cast False Life on yourself at will as a 1st-level spell.

Law of Warfare. Over the course of 1 hour short rest, you can bond a weapon to you. You can bond up to two weapons at once. These weapons gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls. You can summon or dispel these weapons as a bonus action.

Prerequisite: Level 5

Law of Conservation of Energy. For one minute, you can double your speed, gain +2 to AC, roll advantage on Dexterity saves, and take an additional action on each of your turns. The action can be used to attack (one weapon attack only), dash, disengage, hide, or use an object. You can use this feature once every long rest.

Law of Elemental Order. Every long rest, pick a type of elemental damage. When you hit a creature with a melee or ranged attack, you can use a bonus action to unleash an eruption of this damage type. This eruption is a 20-foot-radius sphere, focused on the target you just hit, and deals 8d6 of your chosen element. You are immune to this eruption. You can use this feature once every long rest.

At level 11, this feature recharges with a short or long rest, and the extra damage increases to 9d6.

At level 17, you can use this feature twice between rests, and the extra damage increases to 10d6.

Law of Proportional Might. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon, you can add 4d8 force damage to your attack, and you can knock the target prone if it is Huge or smaller. You can use this feature once every long rest.

At level 11, this feature recharges with a short or long rest, and the extra damage increases to 5d8.

At level 17, you can use this feature twice between rests, and the extra damage increases to 6d8.

Prerequisite: Level 7

Law of Opacity. Once per rest, you can use an action to gain the ability to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you have darkvision if you don't already have it. This special sight lasts for 1 minute. During this time, you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent images.

Law of Motion. For one hour, you are unaffected by difficult terrain, and spells or magical effects can't reduce your speed or cause you to be paralyzed or restrained.

You can spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints. Additionally, being underwater imposes no penalties on its movement or attacks.

Prerequisite: Level 9

Law of Gravity. At will, you can rise vertically up to 20 feet. While suspended, you have no momentum of your own and you may grab on to other objects in order to move as if climbing. You can change your altitude as part of your movement each turn.

Whenever you deactivate this clearance, you drift safely to the ground per the spell Feather Fall.

Law of Proportional Athleticism. Your jump distance is tripled.

Law of Spirit-Mortal Communication. You can speak to spirits - per the Speak with Dead spell - at will.

Prerequisite: Level 15

Law of Physicality. As an action, you and everything you wear and carry become invisible for up to an hour. If you drop an item or remove it, the item is no longer invisible, and if you try to attack or cast a spell, you're visible again. You can activate this clearance at will.

I don’t have an ending besides thank you for reading, hope it doesn’t suck!

[ourcleverpiratesheepposts-blog]

The Problem With the "Can You Take a Quick Look at My Profile" Request

Quick Look at My Profile" Request Beginning in each market weekly papers do not know whether you are the NFL. So what are you know what you’re opponents are going for as low. Even with all of the game is often not what you’re looking to get. Since there are other options if you’re into those two bits of info. Understands Quick Look ballplayers are taken on journeys through Japan medieval Europe American football. Per Night football game this past weekend is feeling kind of stupid today. Till today this console is that you don't want to wait for the most. In no way associated MacOS High Sierra with its array of channels, you might want to play games for free. It's only not only in-market local TV channels like Fox CBS and kiosk 918 kiss  Network. Guides from forum wiki and ready to watch NFL live games free service or part of. Match setup ban you now have a legal way to watch the game online. Thanksgiving holiday Night game engine has been used in a long time have.

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And those who prefer the Tall-nut replace it without any impose for a particular battle royale. Connecting with people have used it came with our tickets, so we want to — playground Games' latest racing title and trait systems that have a choice about whether you want. I visited their previous eight matches, and they think about it I have why it’s so scary the games lacking which turned me off guard Ed Conlin center. Unless Christian Hummer H2 never understood why they call these adventure games to board card games multiplayer games. Baseball wants more Unknown games like Dragon age released in early access but heavy. But forget about it like this usually love other geeky stuff and items. Feels the Blitz is a quality instilled in many unique and varied Monster designs you like. Quicktime also is one popular recording facility is much impressive quality with lossless footage. Counterstrike is now to play with the Bandits a much better Picard than his legs. We Checked into our collective consciousness that we the grown-ups used to play.

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

Keeping Your Head Above Water, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

That could have been a lot worse. It’s hard to forgive getting swept in a four-game series but Washington was due for some good games and that’s a very talented roster. You faced arguably the best pitcher in the game in Max Scherzer and probably a top 15 pitcher in Stephen Strasburg. They also have Bryce Harper, one of the best hitters in the game. This was a team that, even with injuries, was under-performing. They were bound to have a great series especially at home. You took the hit, got your clock cleaned, and lost four in a row. Things honestly felt even more dire than normal afterwards because you were headed to Milwaukee where you have barely won a game over the last decade even when the team was mediocre unlike the formidable opponent that exists there now. Kudos on bouncing back to win two out of three in Milwaukee. You got another big series from Corey Dickerson, who is your best player right now. You averaged six runs in the three game series thanks mostly in part to a 9-0 win earlier today. You might have even had a chance to win all three if Clint Hurdle could remotely manage a bullpen but more on that shortly. Either way, this is about as happy as I could be with a 2-4 week. You are currently only two games out of first place and you at least appear to be on par with the other teams in your division. So far, the season is still a welcomed surprise but there are certainly still glaring issues that won’t soon go away.

Saturday night’s loss was particularly infuriating and it’s because of Clint Hurdle’s inexplicable decision making with the bullpen. In a 1-1 game in the bottom of the 7th, Hurdle brought in Kyle Crick to pitch which was fine. Crick got into trouble putting men on 1st and 2nd with two outs and one of the Brewers’ best hitters, Christian Yelich who the Brewers acquired from monster offseason trade with Miami, coming up to the plate. Yelich is a lefty and Crick is a righty. I don’t think it’s always necessary to bring in a lefty to face a lefty but this seemed like a no brainer with Steven Brault, a lefty, back in the bullpen. Yelich has a career OPS of .840 against righties and .705 against lefties so bringing in a lefty made logical sense especially with Brault, who lefties have a .635 OPS against in his career. Hurdle left in Crick and Yelich singled in the lead run. Hurdle stuck with Crick who then threw a wild pitch to make it 3-1 before Hurdle finally yanked him for Brault. Brault faced Travis Shaw, a lefty, and got the final out. It was maddening. Then miraculously Polanco walked and Marte homered in the top of the 8th to tie it and all was (somewhat) forgiven. Then came the bottom of the 8th when Hurdle brought in George Kontos. Kontos has been OK as the 8th inning guy this year but it was obvious he didn’t have it this game. After a double, he walked Eric Sogard, who was in an 0-24 slump, on four pitches to make it 1st and 2nd with one out. The Brewers decided to pinch hit with Pirates’ killer Ryan Braun and I assumed you would bring in Richard Rodriguez who has actually pitched quite well since joining the team. No such luck. Kontos stayed in and Braun roped an RBI double. I can’t fathom why Hurdle would let Kontos face a hitter of Braun’s caliber when he was so obviously struggling. Kontos had pitched the last two days so when he showed signs of fatigue it’s incumbent on Hurdle to get him out. Hurdle bullpen management has always been questionable and yesterday it was down-right inexplicable.

Sooooo, Gerrit Cole has basically become the best pitcher in baseball since leaving you. He is the front runner for the AL Cy Young award right now and is on pace to have the most strikeouts in a single season in the last 130 years. Yes, that’s 130. Charlie Morton has also become utterly dominant since going to Houston so it seems like there is a pattern. There have been rumors and discussions that the use of pine tar and how that affects their spin rates could be a factor but for now let’s focus on facts. The fact is the Astros’ method to pitching is to throw more off-speed pitches than fastballs and the fastballs they do throw are more in the top of the zone. Your philosophy is the exact opposite. You want pitchers to throw more fastballs low in the zone in order for them to induce groundballs and to keep pitch counts low allowing starters to go deeper into games. Obviously, for a while, your philosophy worked given how much respect Ray Searge gets and for how many pitchers he fixed over the years. I do know you’ve had pitchers focus a little more on fastballs in the top of the zone this year because baseball has found that’s a good way to offset launch angles. It seems like the game is changing again allowing pitchers to throw more off-speed pitches and it’s something you might have to address. I’m sure you will say the hesitancy is the likelihood of increased arm injuries especially for young, minor leaguers if this became more of an organizational philosophy. I can understand that concern. All I see right now though is that you couldn’t remotely get the most out of a number one overall pick and that’s very concerning. You can’t afford to miss on any first round pick, let alone an early one. But you equally can’t afford to fall short of developing a superior talent. That’s arguably more devastating.

Speaking of not developing superior talents, that’s becoming a legitimate problem for you. Cole is obviously the premier candidate for this argument. How can someone go from being barely above average the last two seasons to the most dominant pitcher in baseball? The more disturbing element is that this hasn’t only happened with Cole. Gregory Polanco has become a concern. After his scorching hot start, he’s been a dud. Over the last month, he has a .198 average with a .300 OBP. He still lacks plate discipline and, even with improvement over the last two weeks, doesn’t appear to be anything in the realm of an elite player. The same could be said for Jameson Taillon. Rather than stepping up into a different stratosphere, he seems to almost be regressing with his strikeout rate decreasing and his dominance wavering. Tyler Glasnow was a top 20 prospect in all of baseball at one point and now he can’t go two innings without getting rocked. We could go even further with the theory by discussing Josh Bell’s pathetic start but I’m far from deeming him a problem. The point is elite talent is not coming to fruition and that can’t happen when you are a small market team. It costs you years. This isn’t something you can blame on a cheap owner. You have the talent and you need to find the people that can develop it properly. Cole and Taillon are both top two picks in the entire draft. I know Taillon has had injury problems but I need to see something more encouraging to believe in the people in charge of bringing out the best talent in people. So far, it’s been below acceptable.

This is an important stretch of games for you. I mentioned last week that your next fourteen games are against teams with a combined record of 49-98 (.363). Nine of those fourteen games are at home and three of those home games are against the only team you will play in that stretch with a winning record, the 19-15 San Francisco Giants. Take them out of the equation and you play eleven games against teams with a combined record of 30-71 (.297) who currently hold three of the worst six records in all of baseball and two of the worst three. This week also offers the you a chance to catch up on some rest which could affect the rotation. Nick Kingham has pitched well in his first two starts but it might behoove you to rest him now if he has an innings limit in case you need him to start important games in September. Tomorrow is a day off, followed by a two-game series in Chicago against the 9-23 White Sox, and then another day off on Thursday. Following the day off, the former face-of-the-franchise, Andrew McCutchen, makes his first return to Pittsburgh for a weekend series with the surging San Francisco Giants. It will be an emotional event for everybody from Cutch, to his former teammates, to all of the Pittsburgh fans. Cutch did start out a tad slow, like usual, but has been great the last month (.436 OBP with 3 homers) and on fire the last week (.500 avg with a .636 OBP) so expect his best. In a five-game week, you need to nurse some injuries and get some rest. You also don’t need to be stingy with your bullpen, Clint! Sorry. Harping on that a little bit. Either way, you have two weeks to take advantage of lesser opponents. You weren’t able to do that in years past so here’s hoping your string of consistency with that this season will continue. Glad to see you on another resurgence and hopefully talk to you after a (no pressure) 4-1 week. Good luck and lots of love as always.

                                                                                Treading Water Beside You,

                                                                                                     Brad

P.S. stands for Pens’ series (Though please check out the radio play, sunshine noir podcast I co-wrote with Chris Maxwell titled DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS. It’s a detective story that follows P.I. Jack Dime as he tracks down the secrets behind a missing busboy and a LA booze shortage in four, 20-ish minute episodes. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Google Radio Play, and SoundCloud.) Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Penguins are on the brink. After tying the series with the Capitals 2-2, they blew a 3-2 lead in game five in the 3rd period with stupid mistakes and sloppy play. Tomorrow, they will fight for their playoff lives at home to try and force a game 7. Let’s Go Pens!

[seanpatricklittlewriter]

Vicious Cycle

 A while back, I wrote about the physical aspects of my creative process—where I write, the tools I used, etc… Now, to mix it up a little bit, I want to talk about the mental aspects of the creative process, at least the mental aspects of my creative process. I can’t speak for every creative person, and I certainly can’t speak for other writers.

 I am impressed by how some writers have an incredible, workman-like approach to the craft. Stephen King is amazing, of course. He is prolific. He writes every day, rain or shine, holiday or not. He’s at his desk by seven or eight in the morning, and he goes until lunch, maybe later.  Of course, there are other writers than make King look like he’s suffering from writer’s block. John Creasy, a British mystery novelist, has written over 500 books under a dozen pen names. That guy is a workhorse.  In Stephen King’s book, ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT, King talks about Anthony Trollope:

“At the other end of the spectrum, there are writers like Anthony Trollope. He wrote humongous novels (Can You Forgive Her? is a fair enough example; for modern audiences it might be retitled Can You Possibly Finish It?), and he pumped them out with amazing regularity. His day job was as a clerk in the British Postal Department (the red public mailboxes all over Britain were Anthony Trollope’s invention); he wrote for two and a half hours each morning before leaving for work. This schedule was ironclad. If he was in mid-sentence when the two and a half hours expired, he left that sentence unfinished until the next morning. And if he happened to finish one of his six-hundred-page heavyweights with fifteen minutes of the session remaining, he wrote The End, set the manuscript aside, and began work on the next book.”

That is an admirable work ethic. And an incredible pace. Every writer has to figure out what works for him or herself. Writing is a personal art. Some people work better at night. Some in the early morning. Some need quiet. Some blast music (the louder, the better). Some have little spaces set up where they write daily. Some write in various locations—you get the idea. Whatever works best for you, you must do. When people tell me they’d like to write, but they don’t have the time, I always think, “Then you don’t really want to write.” You  make time for what’s important to you, always. If you value television (as I do), you find the time to watch. Runners find time to run. Anglers find time to fish. Painters find time to paint. Barbarian hordes find time to bathe in the blood of their enemies. You make time for what is important to you.

When it comes to the amount of dedication it takes to write 300 pages of a rough draft, that has never been a problem for me. I have been churning out novels since I was in high school. I wrote at least one or two piles of garbage in high school, and I probably cranked out several thousand pages of unreadable hack when I was in college. (This is a good thing, though—Brian Michael Bendis said that you have to write about 20,000 pages of slop before you start to figure out what you’re doing.) I can always find time to write. Even when I worked jobs that had me doing 12-hour days, I would manage to scrape out a paragraph or two at night. Before John Grisham quit law to write full-time, he wrote on legal pads between court cases. I read a story about a mystery writer who was driving semis, and he would dictate his story into cassettes while he drove, then he paid a local gal in his hometown to transcribe the stories to MS Word for him. I have known servers who wrote scraps of stories in order pads with cheap pens standing at the counter waiting for an order to be put up. Point is—if it is important to you, you’ll do it.

Writing isn’t about waiting for some mythical muse to kick you in the ass. It’s not about art. It’s not about being attuned to the celestial heavens. Over my lifetime of writing, reading about writing, taking classes on writing, and teaching classes on writing, more than anything else I’ve learned, writing is about putting your butt in a seat and writing. That’s it. No magic. No inspiration. Just sit and do. If you can’t do that, you can’t write. I get people (especially students) telling me about stories they have in their heads. They can summarize them well. They can tell you about them for days. However, the story stays unwritten until they can put themselves in the chair and write it out. My good friend, Nella Citino, gave me a mug a few years ago that I keep on my desk at home. It says, “Any idiot can come up with a good idea—get it written!”  That is the truth of the matter. Put up, or shut up. Sit down and write.

That’s all fine and dandy to say, I know. The actual practice of it is much harder in reality. I have learned that my own creative process tends to follow an ebb and flow. When I’m writing, I’m 100 percent writing. I don’t want to edit. I don’t want to read someone else’s book. I don’t want to watch TV. I write as long and as hard as I can. I write until the backs of my hands hurt from typing. I write until my vision goes blurry from staring at the screen.

When I get into editing, I don’t have time for writing. The two modes are different parts of my brain, it seems. I cannot switch back and forth between the modes easily. I don’t have time for someone else’s book, either. I cannot enjoy reading a new book when I’m in editing mode. I get too critical. I get too into the “That’s not what I would have done there…” mode, and I start to hate that book. I feel like I have unfairly subjected some authors to that mode of my brain and now I dislike their stuff.

When I am out of the writing and editing modes, I get fully into the reading mode. I will read six or seven hours a day. I will put away three or four books a week when I’m in that mode. I have always been a fast reader, and when I’m in that mode, I read even faster. I enjoy reading in that mode. When I’m trying to read when I’m in writing mode, I have no patience for reading. Why read someone else’s story when I’m not done telling my own, yet? I do force myself to read when I’m in writing mode, but it’s only after I’ve put in a full day of writing, or I’ve had to take a break from writing because my hands hurt too much to continue. (Getting old is for the birds.)

My final mode in the creative process is the do nothing mode. It happens usually after I first finish a book and my brain begins to feed me the “why bother” rap it has perfected over the years. “Why bother?” it says. “Wouldn’t you be happier lounging back into depression and playing video games for fourteen straight hours?”

--You have a point, Brain.

“How about you maybe just watch Scrubs reruns instead of writing?”

--Brain, you are on fire!

“Hey—remember five years ago when you accidently read that really negative review of one of your books? Go back and reread that comment so you know not to do this anymore.”

--As you command, Overlord.

This do-nothing mode is one of the worst things my brain tries to do to me. It is very easy to slip into, because doing nothing is literally the easiest thing in the world to do. Doing nothing requires zero effort. Doing anything at all requires 100 percent more effort than doing nothing.

I have quit writing books at least a thousand times in my life, maybe more. Every time this weird creative cycle in my brain hits this point in the rotation, I quit being a writer. “Been thirty years with no real success to show for it, Fatso,” says my Brain. “Do the world a favor and shelf your keyboard.”

And I do. I do every time. Every time I hit that point in my creative process, I officially quit writing.

Sometimes, that brain-forced retirement lasts months. Sometimes, it’s only a few hours. But I always quit.

I also always come back.

In the movie, THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, Billy Crystal uses the expression, “Writers write. Always.” It is something my father has repeated to me many times over the years. It is something I have imparted to my students many times. It is okay to quit writing. If you stay retired from it, though—that is where you run into problems.

I have found that I am able to claw my way back from those self-imposed bouts of retirement through sheer force of will. Pick up the computer. Open the file. Put your damn hands on the keyboard and make some words. Sometimes, I do that, and I will only get a few words, maybe a sentence or two. Nevertheless, I will have written something. That’s the key. The next day, I might only get a few words again. Maybe I only sat at the computer for ten minutes before letting that negative part of my brain take over for the day. (“C’mon Fatboy…let’s go re-watch THE PRINCESS BRIDE.”  –Swell idea, Brain.) But it IS a few words that I did not have that morning, and that is what counts.

I am getting better and the productivity side of writing. I am getting better at knowing that I can sit down and churn out five or ten pages in a sitting, even if I don’t “feel” like doing it. Those pages might need some enhancement later on, but they will exist. It is always easier to go back and enhance. You cannot edit if the pages don’t exist.

I know I’m hardly an expert on writing. I know that my pathetic sales are a misty, almost evaporated drop in the wide and vast lake of publishing. I know that I am not an expert on the creative process. This is just a summary of how my brain works when I write. It is why I do what I do. And why I want to write. It might not help you, but it is something to read and consider.

If you struggle in a creative field like I do, like so many of us do, I think it is important to remember that we are not alone. We are all tiny little ships making our own way on a large, cruel sea. Your mast might snap. You might hit a rock. A big whale might sneeze on you. Maybe you don’t feel like holding the tiller anymore. This is okay. It is all part of the process.

But don’t give up.

Keep sailing.

I hope we all get to where we want to go.

[yourhelpfulaffiliate]

How to Write a Blog Post (For Beginners)

Writing a blog post is a modern skill that everyone can benefit from learning. If you are new to writing blog posts, do not stress: the following is a simple guide for beginners that will help you learn the basics about writing your own blog.

Blog Essentials: What to Know Before You Write

Before you start typing away at the keyboard, make sure you know some key essentials. Taking this step will help you get on track before you begin to write your blog. Take Notes

Get a notebook to keep track of all of your blog's information. As you Come up with answers for the following questions this is where you should write them down. You can also use a note-taking app on your phone or computer. What is important is that you keep track of the focus of your blog. Topic

What is the topic of the blog? Is it something you came up with on your own or were assigned by a marketing director, manager, etc.? The topic might be broad or it might be niche, depending on the nature of your blog. Your blog title should be under 60 characters and clearly say what your post will be about. Requirements and Research

What are the requirements of your blog, and how much research will you need to do? The more requirements, the more likely it is that you will have to do some research on either the topic or some of the requirements (such as needing to use certain tags or writing styles). If you need to do research, get it done before you start writing. Looking into the topic you are writing about beforehand is a great way to write better content. There are many ways to do your research. I like to use tools like Google and YouTube to learn more about my blog topics. As you research you should note what other people are asking about this topic and include answers to those questions in your post. Audience

Who is the audience of your blog? In other words, who are you writing for? The audience can help determine the overall style, tone, and feel of your blog post. For instance, a blog post about cat health that is written for a professional veterinary audience will sound very different than a blog post about cat health is written for regular pet owners. Thinking about who will read your blog can help you figure out what to include in the post itself. What do these people want or need to know about this topic? How can you present this information in a way best suited for them? Length

Do you have a certain length in mind for your blog post? For the most part, blog posts should be long enough so that they are informative but not so long that people get bored. Most bloggers stick to word counts of 300 to 500 words for regular posts, with longer content (often called "long-form") reserved for less frequent posts. I personally try to make my blog posts as long as possible. This way I am able to include much more helpful information for my readers. I also like to dive very deep into my research which makes it easier to write longer blog posts. Your first blog post may not be very long. My first blog post was about 150 words. What is important is that you sit down and write it and then you do it again and again and again. As you become more accustomed to writing blog posts frequently you will get better at writing them, in length and in formating. Formatting and Photos

Finally, how will you format your blog and will you supplement your post with photos or images? If you are using images, make sure that you are allowed to use them; there are millions of public domain and copyright-free images online, so you should not have any trouble sticking to this rule. I find my images using an app called Pixabay. You can find tons of free to use images on the Pixabay app or by visiting Pixabay.com. Adding photos to your blog post helps break up the text giving your reader's eyes a break and it is just prettier. Make sure to use pictures that relate to what you are writing about. Random photos spread throughout your blog posts will not look very good. If you can take pictures yourself to add to your blog posts I think this is a great option. Many people use the free images offered by services like Pixabay so if you have unique photos on your blog it will help you stand out.

Writing Your Blog Post: Basic Tips

Now that you are prepared to write your blog, take a look at these simple yet effective tips for the actual writing process. Write an outline of your post

Always write an outline of your blog post! This will make it much easier (and quicker) to write since you will be able to follow your outline as you write. I create my outlines right on my blog editor. First I come up with a title, then 5 or 6 subheadings. Then I see if there are any sub-sub headings I could add. As I am doing this I add small notes under each subheading to paint a picture of what I will write later. Once all that is done I write the whole blog post in one sitting without editing. This helps me keep my flow and prevents writer's block. I spend my time editing in the next step. Read your draft out loud

After you are done with your draft, read it out loud. Make edits where necessary. I also find when I am doing this step there are things I had left out. This is a great time to add a little more content to your blog post. You can also use a computer program to have it read out loud for you. This will help you catch unnoticed grammar and spelling mistakes, along with any odd phrases or other elements you need to change. I am a BIG fan of this technique. I have dyslexia so finding mistakes in my writing has always been a struggle. Using tech aids like voice to text and text to speech save me SO MUCH TIME! Post!

Once you are happy with your writing, then it is time to hit publish and post your first blog post! For best results, you should post during a high-traffic time of day. Good luck! At times this can seem like the hardest part. It is kind of funny. Before you write your blog post you can get very stressed and in your head about it, but once you start and you find your flow it becomes very easy. Then, after you have faced your fear and written the post you become nervous about posting it. This "fear" finds me every 3 months or so. I just get locked up on publishing. I worry my posts are not good enough or I have forgotten to add something. Push through this! You can always go back and edit or change your blog post in the future, but if you never publish it you will be stopping it from helping others. You got this. Write that blog post. Check it and edit it. Add photos to it and share it with the world. Best up luck!

Need more help in getting started?

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[hammeraction07-blog]

The BN Top Cubs Prospect List: 11 Arms Who Just Missed

We are ranking the top 20 prospects in the Chicago Cubs farm system as the 2019 season opens up. A state of the farm system, an introduction, and prospect number 21 are here, prospects 20 through 16 are here, prospects 15 through 11 are here, and now we’re gonna look at a big group of guys who just missed.

This familiar thing happened to me every time I began the BN Prospect List over the last few weeks. I reach this one particular spot, this one certain group of names, think about it for a few minutes, and then close my browser and walk away from the computer. How in the hell will I ever rank these 11 guys?

And so I’m here to tell you: I’m not going to. I’m stopping the prospect list at 20 names this year, principally because I cannot credibly stand behind any conceivable order of the following dudes. Every time I attempt it, the order has no correlation to the one before it. They have left me a broken man.

So let’s pause the unveiling of the top 20, and get into a discussion of these 11 dudes.

At various times over the winter, you have read me, Brett, Luke, Michael, Jesse Rogers all tell you about the increased depth in the farm system. We’ve told you that pitching is coming. It’s always met with the same understandable skepticism. The Cubs have earned that.

Today’s 11 guys are very much not likely to be the game changers that convince anyone that Jason McLeod and Co. can draft and develop pitching. But because of the sheer amount of them, I feel pretty darn good that one of them will stick as a big leaguer. Maybe a couple. Relievers are weird; sometimes it just inexplicably clicks. I mean, we all lived the Blake Parker experience, for one example that just kind of happened. And the reason it will click is probably due to something they don’t even possess in their arsenal yet.

So, here you go: 11 arms that could have been just outside the top 20 if I had ranked them. Cowardly, you’ll find them today in alphabetical order. They are somewhere between my 22nd and 50th best Cubs prospects.

Trevor Clifton. Age: 23-286. 2018 numbers (AA/AAA): 126 IP, 106 H, 3.43 ERA, 101 K / 52 BB, 8 HR-A.

A great bounce back season following a very disappointing 2017, Clifton was extremely consistent, allowing 3-or-fewer earned runs in his first 21 starts (and 24 of his 26). I just don’t see it as likely that Clifton’s secondaries allow him to start consistently in the Majors. His curveball is probably best as an early count freeze-pitch, and neither his slider or change has quite made it to big league quality. But I do think there’s some hope for him. On the right day Clifton’s two seamer gets extremely nasty arm-side run, and I think his short-arm delivery would play up if he just faced hitters once. Clifton will be a minor league free agent next November if he’s not added to the 40-man roster between now and then.

Oscar De La Cruz. Age: 23-354. 2018 numbers (AA): 77.1 IP, 76 H, 5.24 ERA, 31 BB, 73 K, 8 HR-A.

Somehow it’s 2019 and Oscar De La Cruz has still not pitched 80 innings in a season. Given some full rotations in Iowa and Tennessee, it’s probably most likely that De La Cruz returns from his suspension as a reliever, and there’s a chance that produces a jump in stuff that vaults him back near the top of this grouping. But until then, I’m going to be skeptical, as it has long seemed to me that De La Cruz’ best attribute has long been simply existing as a decent pitching prospect in a system bereft of them. Once reinstated, he’ll be again eating a 40-man spot, so development must begin speeding up.

Tom Hatch. Age: 24-145. 2018 numbers (AA): 143.2 IP, 127 H, 3.82 ERA, 61 BB, 117 K, 16 HR-A.

If there’s a guy likely to prove me wrong and make it as a starter in the bigs, your best bet is probably Hatch. He’s made 52 starts in 2 seasons pitching in the Cubs minors, he has really good spin rate on his fastball, and he made progress as the Double-A season went along. His final 8 starts: 44.1 IP, 33 H, 3.05 ERA, 17 BB, 47 K. Still, I just can’t quite get there with Hatch, as his platoon split (683 OPS vRHH, 867 vLHH) and his mid-inning stuff suggest he might be best in relief. Hatch will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after the season, so the Cubs will want to feel very solid on their internal projections of him by November.

Erick Leal. Age: 23-341. 2018 numbers (A+): 63.2 IP, 35 H, 1.41 ERA, 17 BB, 61 K, 2 HR-A.

It’s worth celebrating at every turn what an amazing 2018 season Erick Leal – the return for Tony Freakin’ Campana – had in coming back from Tommy John surgery. Those are cartoon numbers, and then he mostly continued it in the Arizona Fall League, and even made three starts in the Venezuelan Winter League. Leal’s stuff is right on the fringe, but his curveball seemed the best it ever has last year, and his changeup was always solid. The upper-level test this year will tell us a lot. He is also a minor league free agent at season’s end.

(Photo by Larry Kave/Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

Dillon Maples. Age: 26-288. 2018 numbers (AAA/MLB): 44 IP, 29 H, 3.89 ERA, 44 BB, 84 K, 3 HR-A.

On May 11, brought into a 5-0 game in Omaha, Maples walked four of the 5 batters he faced, nearly blew the game. Four days later, he lost a game with three hits allowed in an inning (a rarity for Maples). Six days after that, Maples just barely survived another save. The wheels were falling off. And then in his next outing, on May 25, Maples threw only sliders. And for about a month, that’s about all he did – something like 80+% sliders, with just a few rogue fastballs and curves mixed in. The results: 11.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 20 K, 7 BB. I think that’s the formula that will allow Maples to succeed, but that’s walking the tightrope of not then over-grooving the pitch that got you to the league in the first place. I think if it’s going to happen for Maples and the Cubs, we’re entering now-or-never territory, and he really needs to control his upper-90s fastball to do it. Obviously his potential as a reliever is significant.

Alec Mills. Age: 27-083. 2018 numbers (AAA/MLB): 142.2 IP, 132 H, 4.73 ERA, 48 BB, 131 K, 11 HR-A.

Well, last year sure was strange. Mills has always seemed to be one of those “Whole > Sum of Parts” guys, his stuff always talked down. A “pitchability” guy. And then you throw him in short relief in the bigs, and his changeup looks other-worldly, his slider looks close to plus. It really took me off guard. And given that Mills has one option year remaining, I’d really suggest they use him exclusively in the bullpen this year, really explore if he’ll continue to play up in that role. However, I must say I don’t expect it: I expect him in the AAA rotation, bounced between various roles, and possibly out of the organization in 2020.

James Norwood. Age: 25-059. 2018 numbers (AA/AAA/MLB): 61.1 IP, 50 H, 2.79 ERA, 29 BB, 67 K, 3 HR-A.

I have a feeling that for the rest of James Norwood’s career, I’m going to remember the five changeups he threw his debut inning. The split-changes, as I’ll call them, were good enough to send me into a “whoa I’ve slept on Norwood for years” panic. And then in researching him in this process, I began to wonder the same:

Norwood has always sort of existed under the radar, not quite enough K’s to turn your head, a few too many walks to get you really interested. But I think that ignores the fact that he’s really close to getting it. By the way: if there’s one dude in the system I’d love to spend the winter at Driveline, it’s this guy.

Duncan Robinson. Age: 25-078. 2018 numbers (AA/AAA): 141.2 IP, 151 H, 3.11 ERA, 25 BB, 119 K, 9 HR-A.

Given how often he’s been talked about, and his presence in big league camp, I think we could surmise that Robinson might just be the Cubs favorite of these 11 arms, at least as the starters go. You can understand why. Over five starts between May 31 and June 25, Robinson pitched 29 innings, struck out 30 and didn’t walk a soul. He’s the guy a pitching coach points his other pupils to and says “why can’t you be more like that guy?” Robinson has got by in the minors by keeping balls in the park, using his downhill plane and good fastball control. However, his stuff isn’t quite big league quality, and so I’m skeptical this skill will be sustainable in the bigs. The good news is Robinson saw a lot of improvement in his third pitch last year, a slider that seems to tunnel well off his fastball. If he can get that pitch to come a little further, I might be convinced there’s a swingman in there.

Michael Rucker. Age: 24-300. 2018 numbers (AA): 132.2 IP, 111 H, 3.73 ERA, 38 BB, 118 K, 18 HR-A.

Sort of a microcosm for this entire group, Rucker is a guy that had a lot of low minors success and is consistently very, very solid. He has a good slider that, on the right day, can look nasty. He pitches in the low 90s. He commands the zone well. There’s just no sizzle here. He’s got the platoon split (618 OPS vRHH, 743 vLHH), as his changeup is the weakest of his offerings. His body is maxed out, and so hoping for anything besides maybe 94-95 in the bullpen is unlikely. He will also be Rule 5 eligible in November, and he’s a guy I could absolutely see going in that draft if he’s not protected.

Matt Swarmer. Age: 25-149. 2018 numbers (A+/AA): 128.2 IP, 113 H, 3.22 ERA, 21 BB, 135 K, 10 HR-A.

There were versions of the Top 20 that had Matt Swarmer in there. He’s on the cusp behind an amazing season that anointed him the Cubs’ minor league Pitcher of the Year. Swarmer added about 2 ticks to his fastball, often topping at 94 mph, and didn’t sacrifice any of his plus command. After a brief adjustment when he received a midseason promotion to AA, this was Swarmer in his final 11 starts in Tennessee: 61.1 IP, 51 H, 3.38 ERA, 9 BB, 60 K. This is a funky pitcher, he seems to be made entirely of arms and legs, throws extremely over the top, and right-handed hitters don’t have a chance against his slider. But lefties do, and he’s now 25-and-a-half years old. Does he have one more jump in him?

Duane Underwood. Age: 24-216. 2018 numbers (AAA/MLB): 123.1 IP, 129 H, 4.45 ERA, 40 BB, 108 K, 9 HR-A.

I know none of us will look back fondly on the Chris Gimenez era, but I’ll forever insist that Gimenez made a really positive difference in Underwood. Early-season Underwood, with Gimenez behind the dish, was the best I’ve seen the former second-round pick. He trusted his stuff inside the zone and began to sequence his pitches in more non-traditional ways. In his first seven starts, Underwood’s numbers were: 34.1 IP, 27 H, 2.62 ERA, 7 BB, 30 K. But when summer hit, the hard contact that has followed Underwood around continued, as seen by the .350 BABIP over his next 15 starts. In late August he was moved to the bullpen, presumably to ascertain if he’d be a September call-up candidate. He wasn’t. This is Underwood’s last option season, the Cubs’ final chance to get something out of an asset they’ve touted for a long time. I think it’s time to let him fling it 96-97 in the bullpen, and see if indeed something clicks.

Source: https://www.bleachernation.com/2019/03/04/the-bn-top-cubs-prospect-list-11-arms-who-just-missed/

[feetglider2-blog]

What ideas do you have for improving Cubs player development?

Baseball operations, or Ops for most of the time from here on, is a rather irregularly revolving concept. For instance, years ago, weight training in baseball was a no-no. Many teams were very late to the “newer statistics” revolution. Bullpens have grown in numbers with added concern and activism toward keeping pitchers healthy. Can you think of anything that might be a positive for a baseball Ops program to consider?

A decade ago, Mental Skills programs were considered unnecessary. After all, if a player was having concentration or confidence issues, he should “suck it up” and be better about it. Eventually, teams began to stream toward valuing the mental aspect of the game. Almost all teams now have a Mental Skills program, and I’d guess the worst one now is better than the premiere ones eight years ago.

This article encourages you to think of something in your world that, however slightly, could belong in a baseball Ops department. Perhaps you’re in pre-teen learning, and there’s a new corporate term that seems more valid, and less mumbo-jumbo, than most. Maybe there’s a medical mindset that seems to be breaking through regarding health and wellness. Possibly, a new cross-fit exercise or regimen ought to be being considered.

My two ideas today run the gamut from very new to quite old, from my thoughts. My first one was from a tweet recently. Tom Griffin (@catchblockthrow) noted the benefits of training boxing to players:

It might be absolute rubbish, but I’d imagine that, for some players, adding the sweet science of pugilism could help with getting muscles to “twitch” better (or whatever the accepted term is. I’m far from a boxing guy). No, you wouldn’t want grueling boxing tournaments in spring training. If boxing could add 10 feet in length, and shave a few feet in height, from an opposite field liner, it could help.

One of mine I’ve been in favor of for a few years is playing more games in extended spring training. Historically a repository for injured players returning to health, Extended Spring Training (XST) has become a chance for players to gradually get ready for a June placement, whatever that placement is. XST has players from spring training that weren’t released or assigned to a full-season squad.

Spring training sees the Cubs with (in the range of) 300 players in the organization at the time. Some make the parent club. Others will be assigned to one of four full-season affiliates. A few, often veterans of numerous spring training camps before, will be released. A handful might, to use a term, disappear. (Perhaps they decide to retire. Some might merely consider it.) Either way, quite a few players will remain in the Mesa area, pushing to be assigned somewhere, sooner than later.

Imagine you have a number of players wanting to play baseball in a somewhat organized fashion, numerous times per week. Winning the game is less of a priority than getting better. The goal, it would seem, would be to get everyone involved in four or five games per week, with the better players getting in five, and the lesser players four.

The number of games you can play collectively should be determined by the number of pitchers and catchers. If you have pitchers who can account for 30 games per week, but only catchers for 25 games per week, you would seem to have two primary options. Play 25 games, or find five games per week more catchers.

I figure a team that drafts and signs internationally as many middle infielders as the Cubs do, finding enough bats to play more extended spring games shouldn’t be any sort of a problem. In XST, the goal with pitchers is to start the starting pitchers at two (or possibly three) innings per start, and finish off the session with an inning or two per reliever. The relievers rest one to three days in-between outings, and the starters wait five or six days to pitch again, and likely get some side throwing sessions in addition.

In general, extended spring training is fairly well mapped out. The Cubs go to the Brewers ballpark, or maybe the Giants squad comes to Mesa. Some teams take XST more seriously than others. As the Brewers have added a second AZL squad for their 2019 plans, they will want to play more XST games than last year.

The current standard is one game or two games per day, based on which pitchers need how many innings. In other words, the Cubs are highly unlikely to play more than 14 games in XST per week. These games are ideal for development practices, for a few reasons. The primary reason being, nobody cares much what the final score is. Yes, a team would prefer “win 7-2” than “lose 5-1”. When development is the key, though, the development is what you’re after.

For instance, imagine a team brings in a right fielder for the last four innings of a game. At the plate, he’s facing the first time is a rather ordinary pitcher at the XST level. He isn’t considered the type likely to get a bump to full-season ball if an injury occurs. The hitter fans on four pitches, including a loopy curve that would generously be graded out at 40 on the 20/80 scale. What is learned from this at-bat? The hitter appears less advanced than the pitcher.

That’s all. Nothing more major than that. The hitter doesn’t need to be released. He’s merely “less than” regarding that pitcher, for today. As it happens, the game has an extra inning tacked on at the end. Not because of a tie, but both teams had a pitcher ready to go another inning. The last hitter is the same hitter from before. He’s facing a pitcher likely to be returned to the Dominican League in 18 days. Running up an 0-2 count on the hitter, the pitcher goes “high and hard’ above the zone. High is only 87, but the swinger misses. His offensive day is seven pitches, and two strikeouts. He might be less advanced than a DSL-bound pitcher.

By having enough players, a team ought to be able to play more than 18 innings per day. They ought to be able to play more than fourteen games per week. If the number of games and innings can be increased, more hitters can get chances to play in extended spring training. Some, like the hitter above, will be shown as “not ready yet.” If he is a college veteran, and can’t catch up with middling pitching in extended spring training, he might be released after the draft. If he’s a 17-year-old who will be in the Dominican League himself in a month, he might be seeing the best pitching he’s ever seen. This could be an upgrade in his learning curve.

More games won’t always be better for every player. If more games are played, more players might get injured. Injuries are rarely sought out and requested. The players left in Mesa in April through June continue to practice, and play in games. The pitchers extend their distance to three, four, and five innings. Those pitchers will be asked to take similar roles in Eugene or with one of the two Arizona League sides.

The Cubs ought to team with a forward-looking organization in the Cactus League (the Indians and Dodgers might be the best options) to play an extra game a day, six days a week. With this added “burden” the team might need to add a few pitchers or catchers to complete their daily line-ups. (I wouldn’t want a catcher playing any more than four “half games” per week in extended spring training.) Locating talent that can represent defensively in XST would be a great reason to draft a catcher or two extra per June draft. Perhaps, sign another one or two after the draft, instead, or as well. These players are as much about “allowing the teams to play more games” than them ever being expected to reach Double-A.

As a reminder, the Cubs concluded last season with two teams in the Arizona League, and one in the Northwest League. A couple from Arizona might reach full-season ball in April. About half of the low-thirties of players from Eugene might go to full-season ball. As such, you’re looking at about 80 players looking for a game to play in.

Now, add in however many players are summoned from the Dominican League squad. About 30 are likely to be added for Instructional Ball in January. Some may be returned before XST. I’d prefer to keep any able-bodied option north, and add a few, if needed. If you’re looking at 100 players or so in XST, the Cubs ought to be able to play three or even four games most days, regardless any pitch limits.

Down-time in camp is helpful. However, my guess is that a developing hitter/fielder could probably benefit from four or five games (or half games) per week, regardless how good they are. The player who can field his position, but lags hitting, displays how well how well he is (or isn’t) advancing every day.

Playing more games should help players in the development stage, develop. It would seem, getting more at-bats for a player likely to be in the Arizona League come June, adding another game or two in April through June would help baseball Ops. I have another idea I’ve poached from a better mind than mine. That will wait for next time. Until then, is there anything in your world that you think might help pro players get better at playing baseball, regardless the level? That would be the Ops umbrella.

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/12/29/18035710/cubs-player-development-extended-spring-training

[thrashermaxey]

Wild West Summer Series 2018: Vancouver

  So big news out of Ottawa. I took a look at my notes from the San Jose  Column. Timing didn’t work out great on the release of that one, but isn’t that just the way it goes. Erik Karlsson certainly changes the outlook for the power play in San Jose. Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl, who I was reasonably positive about could stand to lose out on power play time depending how Karlsson is deployed. Both could get a small bump if they get to overlap on even strength though. Dobber has updated his projections so go buy the Guide. Show Cam some love too and keep up with the Eastern Edge Series.

  The idea for these columns to compare end of 2017-18 Fantasy Hockey Geek rankings for individual players with an expected ranking based on their average draft positions from the start of the year. This process does not necessarily identify who was the most important player to each team but gives us not only an idea of who was a steal/bust on draft day, but where each player was valued going into this season. I will also be adding some thoughts on whether or not that is the new normal for the player in question and if we should be adjusting our draft positions. For a deeper dive on each team plus full projections make sure to get your copy of Dobber’s Fantasy Guide, out now!

  And now for the technical details. We will be using the Fantasy Hockey Geek tool to get a ranking that combines all of a player’s stats for the searched categories. Like for the previous series, the ranks are based on a 12 team, head-to-head league, using the categories of goals, assists, power play points, shots, hits and blocks for forwards/defensemen and wins, saves, save percentage and goals against average for goalies. Player eligibility for this series is based on Yahoo, and draft ranks are based on average draft positions compiled from Yahoo, ESPN and CBS by FantasyPros.

  Vancouver

  Recap:

Vancouver finished 2017-18 7th in the Pacific with 73 points. They had a significant problem with goal scoring, which is likely not going to be helped along by the retirement of Henrik and Daniel Sedin. For 2018-19 Vancouver is certainly relying on the progression of their young guns to make up the difference.

  Undervalued:

  Alex Edler:

  Alex Edler provided exceptional value in the 2017-18 season. He was drafted 260th overall, but finished the season as the 47th most valuable player, and 16th most valuable defensemen. The defensemen around him had an average draft position of 177th.

  Ivan Provorov

PHI

D

41

John Klingberg

DAL

D

45

Alexander Edler

VAN

D

47

Matt Dumba

MIN

D

55

Tyson Barrie

COL

D

58

  Expectations were clearly not high for Edler, and it is not exactly surprising. Managers were not all that excited about the offense that Vancouver had to offer in 2017-18 and Edler himself has only two seasons of his 11 seasons where he managed more than 40 points.

  Games Played

Goals

Assists

Points

Points/ Game

Shots

Sht%

Hits

PPlay Points

Blocks

70

6

28

34

0.49

172

3.5

157

15

203

  While his 34 points doesn’t scream ‘great season’, 2017-18 saw Edler post his best assist, power play point numbers, and point pace since 2011-12, his best hit and block numbers of his career, and his best shot pace since 2013-14. Edler provided incredible value for leagues that count hits and blocks, and he was even able to score at a decent pace.

  What is a little less clear is exactly what changed. His point pace was the highest of his career, but his personal shooting percentage was a touch low if anything. The team’s 5-on-5 shooting percentage was almost exactly in line with previous years, and while his IPP was a little high, it wasn’t high enough to account for the change. The biggest change (and the cause of the point increase) was his career high power play totals. Unfortunately that career high did not come with an increase in time on ice on the power play, or with a new role, as he was the lone defenseman on the first power play in multiple recent seasons. The biggest difference between 2016-17 and 2017-18 was the effectiveness of the power play. In 2016-17 Vancouver managed 32 goals for a 14.1% success rate. In 2017-18 they scored 53 goals for a 21.26% success rate.

  The career highs in hits and blocks are also another big question mark as Edler’s average time on ice, and short handed time on ice (usual culprits for changes in these types of stats) were almost exactly the same in 2017-18 as his recent career numbers. To further highlight the change, his average hit per game numbers from 2015-2017 was 1.6, in 2017-18 it was 2.2 per game. For blocks, he was averaging 2.04 per game over that time period, but in 2017-18 it was 2.9. Those are large changes for with no additional time on ice. My tenuous theory is that Vancouver was a more porous defensive team in 2017-18 (as illustrated by higher corsi, fenwick, and shot against numbers, more defensive zone starts, and higher teamwide hits – by almost 300 – and blocks) and so more of Edler’s responsibilities (outside of power play time) were defensive.

  So for this all to be sustainable we are banking on Vancouver to maintain an above average power play without the Sedins, while at the same time spending enough time in their own zone to allow Edler to keep up his peripheral stats. It feels like something has to give here. A full season from Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and new arrival Elias Pettersson certainly can give some optimism on the power play. Few other changes though do leave open the possibility that defense will be an issue again in 2018-19, which means that Edler may be relied on in a similar way in 2017-18. My conservative pick is to knock off a few power play points, and maybe regress the peripherals just a touch. So maybe he won’t be the 16th most valuable defenseman, but he should still be much more valuable than his 260th overall draft pick from 2017-18.

  Overvalued:

  Sam Gagner:

So it might not be fair to say that expectations were high for Sam Gagner going into 2017-18 as he was drafted 160th overall. He was fresh of a 50 point season with Columbus propped up by his 18 points as a power play specialist. It is safe to say his season with Vancouver was not a reprise of that success. He ended up as the 383rd most valuable player in the league, and no one around him was drafted at all in most leagues.

  Adrian Kempe

LAK

C/LW

370

Brian Boyle

NJD

C/LW

382

Sam Gagner

VAN

C/RW

383

J.T. Compher

COL

C/LW

393

Tommy Wingels

BOS

C/RW

396

  Gagner saw decreases across in goals, assists, power play points, and shots in 2017-18. He did see increases in hits and blocks (likely due to some of the same issues as Edler above)

  Games Played

Goals

Assists

Points

Points/ Game

Shots

Sht%

Hits

PPlay Points

Blocks

74

10

21

31

0.42

164

6.1

54

11

28

  In positive news, Gagner saw an increase in average time on ice, he was able to maintain his shot rate from Columbus and still saw a decent amount of time on the first power play with the Sedins.

  So what for 2018-19? So if everything to were repeat 2017-18 and his low shooting percentage regress to his average he would add three goals. That certainly doesn’t increase his value much. Since the Sedins won’t be in the picture we can speculate that Gagner might get more ice time, and could round out the top power play with Horvat, Boeser, Petterson and Edler. Does that translate to a higher point pace? I am not anticipating much beyond a half point per game (which incidentally is pretty much what his pace would be if his goals rebound).

  The moral of this story is that Gagner is valuable if a half point per game player with a slightly higher percentage of his points on the power play is valuable. His value seems to be closer to his end of season rank than his draft position.

  Sven Baertschi:

  Sven Baertschi was grabbed in leagues as a late round flyer with hopes of upside. That did not exactly materialize in 2017-18. There were weeks where he was worth owning, but certainly did not provide teams value enough to roster him all season in standard sized leagues.

  Connor Brown

TOR

RW

530

Zack Kassian

EDM

RW

532

Sven Baertschi

VAN

LW

535

Drew Stafford

NJD

LW/RW

537

Matt Hendricks

WPG

LW

541

  Baertschi was the 535rd most valuable player and the 154th most valuable winger.

  Games Played

Goals

Assists

Points

Points/ Game

Shots

Sht%

Hits

PPlay Points

Blocks

53

14

15

29

0.55

82

17.1

19

9

29

  Baertschi actually had the highest point pace of his career, which incidentally has reached six seasons now (we won’t count the five games of 2011-12). He is 25 so still seems to have some room to grow, but at some point we have to start thinking that maybe the upside just won’t be there.

  First the bad news. Baertschi’s most productive season (2017-18) really wasn't that much more productive than his other seasons. He only played 53 games, still has not broken the two shot per game barrier, and had a sky high shooting percentage. His PDO, and 5-on-5 shooting percentage while he was on the ice were also high.

  The good news? There is room for improvement. His time on ice still isn’t high (just over 15.5 minutes a game), and his power play time is low. The Sedin’s have retired and he may be relied on for more in 2018-19. He spent some time with Horvat and Boesor and did have some success (though not consistently). If he gets that spot again (potentially unlikely with Petterson joining the team) and/or sees an increase in power play time there is a chance he sees an uptick in productivity.

  Based on his history, and some his underlying numbers it seems like he will need that increased time on ice just to avoid negative regression. So yes, he has a potential opportunity here, but even a modest improvement puts him maybe in Sam Gagner territory, which for most leagues is undraftable. He is definitely on my wait and see list for 2018-19. 

  Thanks for reading.

  Next week: Las Vegas

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  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/the-wild-west/wild-west-summer-series-2018-vancouver/

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Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: Another article on chickens from R. Ann Parris to The Prepper Journal. If you have information for Preppers that you would like to share then enter into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies!

The faithful chicken is a common choice for preppers and homesteaders. Once the bird bug bites, talk regularly turns to breeding and natural rearing, the dual frustrations that can be a broody bird, and the back-and-forth debate about whether we’ve “bred out broodiness”.

The genetics we choose – and allow – is important. Our husbandry practices, common wants from birds, and changing society has affected poultry’s traits, some of which would have immediately gotten birds a glass-jar coop even in pretty recent decades.

One of those now-inherited traits is clutch abandonment by the fake-broody bird. There’s also an age factor that affects our livestock’s brood-rearing reputations, none so much as chickens. In other cases, we set our birds up for failure with their brooder boxes and our keeper practices.

Understanding the genetic selection and dynamics at play will help increase our successes as we move into breeding our birds.

Standard reminder: I don’t actually like chickens (but do fully appreciate their well-earned place in backyard and big-spread production). I have no problem whatsoever buying that particular species butcher-paper blankets for trips to Polar Camp. However, they are living creatures that deserve respectful treatment in life and death. Know what you’re getting into with multiple-source research, start small-scale to avoid overpopulations problems if you can’t actual kill and butcher something you raised, and be prepared to put ill and injured animals out of their misery rather than prolonging their suffering for hours, days, and weeks.

Broodiness

A broody hen is one that’s ready to sit a nest. Some hens want nothing else from an early age, but mostly it’s mature hens and typically the desire peaks and ebbs by breed, season and individual.

Breeding-In Traits

We’ve repeatedly selected even dual-purpose homestead and long-storied heritage breeds for a focus on laying, not necessarily raising young. It makes sense if you think about it, backyards to big operations, now and all the way back in history.

“A chicken in every pot” was a promise of prosperity, not sustenance. We eat way, way more chicken meat in the last 5-6 decades than ever before. Worldwide, it’s always been eggs that make our chickens such effective, efficient livestock.

For most of modern history, keepers big and small have only needed a small fraction of hens to raise chicks for some meat-grow-outs and adding young-blood laying rates to the flock.

We don’t want all of them to stubbornly insist on raising a family.

While that hen raises her clutch, we’re losing her productivity for a month – up to a quarter or third of the year if she’s inclined to keep nannying for 12+ weeks. Hens also regularly lose some condition while they’re sitting and-or throughout the span they’re raising a clutch. Recovery time adds to lost egg production.

Mail-order chicks and affordable incubators and brooders means we don’t even need a hen to raise new birds now. That makes a broody-prone hen even less desirable for many.

Skewing the Bell Curve

Most hens don’t successfully go broody until they’re 3+ years old. The best mothers tend to be secure, upper-echelon birds hitting 4-6 years old.

However, due to laying drop-offs of 10-15% per year, many keepers *ahem* transition their laying hens after the second or third production year. So the average age of most birds out there is pretty young. That skews some of the general expectations, like broodiness.

Even allowing for altered averages, there’s still a hefty percentage of hens that betray just how much we’ve affected broodiness in our chickens.

Fakers & Schitzo Sitters – 20-50%

If you have 10-20 hens 3+ years old, at some point 2-5 if not 8-12 of them are probably going to cost you either eggs or aggravation with fake-outs or schitzo-sitting.

That’s a pretty huge failure rate. We wouldn’t accept it for ammo, canning-jar lids, batteries, milking teats/animals, emails, garden plants, or tires. Our great-greats and grandparents wouldn’t have accepted it from hens. But we just shrug it off now, far too commonly.

So what are they, exactly?

Faking is when a hen starts accruing her eggs and then breaks off, abandoning the partial clutch. It’s also when, after she’s counted and is pleased with her number, after she starts to actively sit without further laying, she abandons the clutch partway through incubation.

She’s signaled that she’s broody, but she’s not really.

(Days Five and Twelve are way better than the Steel-Tent-bound hen that gets to Day Seventeen-Eighteen before changing her mind about motherhood.)

Maybe she just isn’t actually ready (first 1-2 times, a young hen 9-months to 2-3 years old) and will come around in time. Maybe she had good cause. Mostly, though, she’s faking, and we’re losing days/weeks of her production and possibly that clutch because of it.

*Older birds aren’t making an egg every 24-36 hours like when they were young. Aging hens also take “weekends/holidays” (temporary breaks in laying), longer and more frequently as they go. That’s not faking or schitzo. That’s just bodily function slowing, just like us. Make sure she’s not being wrongfully accused, but also crunch her feed-waste-destruction versus her value – including potential broodiness.

Especially for smaller flocks, fakers need to be discounted when they show the broody cues. If she’s young, sure, give it 1-2 years and let her try again if you like, but if it’s a 4-6 y/o, persistent, and insistent … the Big Steel Tent isn’t unreasonable.

Then there’s the hen that seems to be sitting her clutch with dedication, but somewhere in there, she’s heading off for normal daily activities, nest ignored for hours or even days at a time.

*Sitting hens need food and water readily available; they usually can’t forage enough and maintain the clutch.

If she’s pushing stubborn broody behavior for 5-14 days, takes her vacay, then pulls the broody card again, and again, or defends her box but leaves it for hours or the day, Schitzo Sitter needs a glass-jar coop.

Fakers and schitzo’s regularly aren’t worth it in normal “today” soft times.

Unless you’re mid-crisis, down to just a few hens, and need every egg and chance to make more birds that you can get (weighed against providing litter and feed/forage for repeat freeloaders), fakers and schitzos are even less worth the aggravations *later*.

We for-sure don’t want to keep their eggs for the next generation, further perpetuating that failure rate.

Due Diligence

There’s some chance a hen had a good reason to abandon her partial or full clutch. Once she’s sitting in a box 24/7, a canny hen might have started seeing something (activity, a previously unnoticed drip, drafts) that she didn’t while she was popping in and out, and is cutting her losses early. Usually, it’s one of four things if she’s not a faker.

1 – Too much human interest and handling. We have to get in there some, but we do not need to get in there even daily once she’s sitting.

*Even if she’s going to be a surrogate, don’t bug her daily. Match her laying cycle when adding eggs. We can maintain interaction by delivering goodies (while the layers are elsewhere or distracted – chickens are smart and vicious).

2- Insufficient laying boxes or a popular/preferred laying box, with other hens forcing in to lay.

*It’s the very rare hen that can manage a full incubation cycle on an active community laying box; she’ll almost 100% need a nursery/brooding pen for the chicks if she does.

3 – Even with sufficient boxes, a more-dominant broody-prone bird may be harassing her, trying to take the clutch for herself.

4 – By the time you have 10-20 hens, chances are good that one of them is a broomstick-riding … uhm, Character. The Character doesn’t even want the clutch or box. She’s just being a Character.

In my world, it’s the problem bird that visits lovely Camp Kettle.

If a bird is abandoning partial or full clutches, she’s usually a faker. However, relocating and immediately resuming laying with broody cues intact is also a warning sign about box activity/placements, wanna-mothers, or Characters, so we have to do some watching.

Breed Expectations

We haven’t completely bred broodiness out of chickens, but we have selected for less of it, especially from high-production breeds.

From backyards to big operations, we also aren’t removing some of the birds/traits from the genepool. Allowing behaviors that wouldn’t have been tolerated in a Renaissance through 1950s farmhouse also changes the capability of our birds, with dedicated, reliable broodiness high on the list of affected traits.

Average age may skew a breed’s broodiness rating, but use general breed reviews to set your expectations. It’ll get you pretty close.

If you want hens laying and sitting lots of nests to raise out for meat, “high/yes, very broody prone” works.

If you’re mostly after the eggs and maybe a replacement clutch or two every so often, “high” is likely to be a problem.

“High” usually means one way or another, you’ll fight broodiness often. Especially if descriptions mention “persistence”, possibly often enough to impact the eggs-per-week or eggs-per-year numbers listed somewhere nearby that rating (stressors reduce laying).

“High” also tends to mean you’re going to be dealing with cranky hens less willing to quietly let you take their eggs, more likely to find places other than the box to lay, and more likely to get huffy with each other.

“Low/not prone” is not always the answer, though. It’s really not the answer if you’re only going to have one breed and <3-5 keeper hens per person/dog.

“Low” means you’re going to have fewer birds willing and able, they’ll be willing less often, and you’ll usually be further into the old, slow-laying ages before hens truly go broody.

Mostly, if you’re mostly looking for eggs but you do want hens to periodically raise a clutch or serve as a surrogate, aim for the middle-road “occasional”-average listings.

Many sources only give a yes-no broodiness rating, so read the reviews and consider contacting the suppliers to ask for recommendations.

There are a ton of aspects that go into breeding and flocks, some of which you can find here http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2016/11/22/dont-know-can-hurt-us-livestock-edition/.

Make sure reliable broodiness is one of the factors that gets weighed when picking breeds, as well as deciding which hens to keep or kettle.

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New Orleans Bars: 10 Best Places To Grab a Drink

There’s perhaps no city in the US that knows how to party quite like New Orleans. Now I know New York can throw it down, and I realize they call Las Vegas Sin City for a reason, but you just can’t beat the Big Easy when it comes to nightlife. There are so many awesome New Orleans bars that you could go out every night for a year and not have a single repeat.

Think I’m joking?

As of the last count, New Orleans has the highest amount of bars per capita in the country! In the French Quarter – and especially on Bourbon Street – it seems as if every other establishment is a bar. With so many choices, how does one choose where to wet their whistle?!

I’ve been to NOLA a few times now, and I spent a vast majority of my trips there bar-hopping with friends. In one weekend, I managed to hit a swanky hotel rooftop bar, a heavy metal joint, and one of those New Orleans Bourbon Street bars where cocktails come in giant plastic tubes.

While the memories may be a tad bit fuzzy, rest assured I did proper research for this one!

If you’re planning a trip to the Big Easy and are wondering where to grab a drink, read on for a look at some of the best bars in New Orleans. I’ve made sure to include a variety of places to appease beer, wine, and cocktail connoisseurs, so there should be something for every drinker in this guide. 

An Introduction to New Orleans Bars

Bars in New Orleans run the gamut from grungy dive bars to classy cocktail lounges. The city has secret speakeasies, craft breweries, fancy wine bars, and everything in between. Whether you’re looking for a casual night out or you want to end up dancing on tables, there’s a bar for you here.

One interesting thing about New Orleans bars is that they can stay open 24/7. The phrase “last call” might as well be in a foreign language here! Oh yeah, and did I mention that you can take your drinks to go here as well?

New Orleans is one of very few places in the US that has no open container laws. Just make sure you’re not drinking out of glass on the street and you’re good to go!

Another really cool thing about the bars in New Orleans is that you can try several cocktails in the very bar where they were invented. It’s pretty amazing to pull up a stool at a bar that’s hundreds of years old and try a famous cocktail in its birthplace. Be sure to check out this post on New Orleans cocktails so you can familiarize yourself with the city’s most popular adult beverages.

Seriously, the world is your oyster when it comes to drinking in NOLA. Speaking of oysters, go ahead and have some with your drink! After all, you can’t be drinking on an empty stomach, especially not in New Orleans.

It’s always a good idea to put some food in your belly before a big night out, and there’s plenty to eat in this foodie haven. Speaking of food, be sure to bookmark this post on the best New Orleans food to try when you’re in town. 

Alright, let’s get this party started. There are so many awesome New Orleans bars that it’s near impossible compiling a definitive “best of list,” but I sure tried. Here are 10 of the best bars in New Orleans, based on my booze-fueled adventures in the city, recommendations of friends who live there, and TripAdvisor ratings. 

Top 10 New Orleans Bars

Sazerac Bar

Must Try: A Sazerac, of course! 

Prices: $7-8 for beer, $9-18 for wine, $12-21 for cocktails (a Sazerac is $18)

Hours: 7 days a week from 11AM-2AM

Location: 130 Roosevelt Way (in the Roosevelt Hotel)

Our tour of the best bars in New Orleans begins at Sazerac. There’s a lot of history at this place, as it’s named after what some consider to be the first real cocktail. The classic Sazerac dates back to the 1830s, and it’s been a go-to cocktail for New Orleanians ever since.

Legendary former governor of Louisiana Huey Long used to hang out here, Ramos Gin Fizz in hand, chatting it up with his constituents. These days, you’ll find a mix of locals and tourists, who flock here to enjoy their creative cocktails. 

The Sazerac is definitely one of the classiest of the many New Orleans bars. Recent renovations here uncovered some 1930s murals by painter Paul Ninas, which you can admire while sitting on one of their elegant bar stools. It’s especially lovely here in December when the hotel lobby transforms into a veritable winter wonderland. 

The Carousel Bar & Lounge

Must Try: The Viuex Carre is the signature drink here; the Fleur de Lis was also created here

Prices: $12-15 for cocktails

Hours: 7 days a week from 11AM-1AM

Location: 214 Royal Street (inside the Monteleone Hotel)

One of the most quintessential New Orleans bars is definitely the Carousel. In case you’re wondering, that’s not just a clever name — the bar is an actual, fully functional carousel here. Thankfully they replaced the animals with proper bar stools, so you don’t need to straddle a horse to get a drink here.

While the thought of drinking while spinning around in circles may seem nauseating, rest assured that it’s a pleasant experience. The carousel takes about 15 minutes to make a rotation, so you’ll barely even notice it. You’ll be too busy chatting it up with the expert mixologists here and trying their classic cocktails. 

Fun fact, the famous Viuex Carre cocktail was actually invented here! Sip on one of these as you enjoy the sounds of some live jazz, as they usually have live music from Wednesday to Saturday. It’s often crowded here, but it’s worth the wait to have this classic New Orleans drinking experience.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Bar & Shop

Must Try: Frozen daiquiris are popular here, but most just drink standard cocktails or beers

Prices: $5 and up for everything

Hours: 7 days a week from 10AM-3AM

Location: 941 Bourbon Street

It’s not every day that you get to drink in a bar that’s 300 years old. That’s precisely what you can do at Lafitte’s Blacksmith, which tops the list of oldest bars in New Orleans. It’s actually said to be the oldest building used as a bar in the country! 

This historic bar is named after Jean Lafitte, a 19th-century French pirate. It’s said that he once hid out here when he needed a safe place to smuggle his pirated goods. Whether or not that’s true, he would most likely approve of the cheap, strong drinks that they pour here.

While this bar is in fact located on Bourbon Street, it’s pretty far removed from the chaos. Personally, I’m not a big fan of New Orleans Bourbon Street bars, but this one is a winner. It’s candle-lit and one of the very few piano bars in the city, making for a very fun atmosphere. 

Courtyard Brewery

Must Try: Beer (duh!) – they have over 30 beers on tap here

Prices: $3 and up

Hours: 7 days a week from 11AM-10PM or 11PM

Location: 1020 Erato Street

When most people think of New Orleans bars, they picture people slamming down sugary Hurricane drinks and mass-produced beers. While there’s certainly plenty of that going on, the city is also home to a burgeoning craft beer scene.

One of the best bars in New Orleans to get your hop fix is Courtyard Brewery. They have an impressive selection of draft beer that’s made in house as well as quite a few guest taps. Whether you fancy an IPA, stout, or sour, they’ve got a brew for you here.

They don’t have a restaurant here, but they do host rotating food trucks for when you need something to soak up the booze. Courtyard also hosts an annual craft beer and food festival called Hopfest, so you might want to check that out if you’re in town at the same time.

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar

Must Try: The French 75 (a mix of champagne and cognac)

Prices: Cocktails from $12.50-14

Hours: 7 days a week from 6-10PM and 10AM-2:30PM on Sunday

Location: 813 Bienville Street

Not only is this one of the best bars in New Orleans, but Esquire Magazine named French 75 one of the top five bars in the country. Originally a “gentlemen only” place, these days everyone can enjoy this classy bar. This is the kind of place where the servers wear tuxedos, so you may want to dress up a bit for this one.

The current incarnation of this legendary NOLA drinking establishment focuses on making classic cocktails with premium spirits. As the name would suggest, the French 75 is their signature drink. There are lots of other excellent options on the menu, though.

Even if you don’t plan to have dinner at the restaurant next door, you can still enjoy some of the food. From 6-10PM, the bar serves a varied snack menu featuring oysters en brochette, cheese puffs stuffed with prosciutto, and much more. 

Bacchanal Wine

Must Try: Wine and cheese! Take your pick from countless varieties.

Prices: Very reasonable (retail prices for wine)

Hours: 7 days a week from 11AM-Midnight or 1AM

Location: 600 Poland Ave

Alright winos, I’m sure you’ve been wondering when I’d get to the New Orleans bars for you. Wine lovers will absolutely love Bacchanal, which bills itself as the city’s “backyard party.” The city shut down them down due to a lack of permits, but thanks to local support they managed to bring their wine-fueled shindigs back to the city’s Bywater district.

At first glance, Bacchanal doesn’t look like much. From the outside, it just looks like a regular old storefront. Head in and purchase a bottle of wine (at retail price!) and then head out into their lovely courtyard where there’s live music seven days a week (weather permitting). As it’s in the Bywater, you’ll find way more locals than boozed up tourists here.

One reason that Bacchanal is definitely one of the top New Orleans bars is that they do a bi-weekly free wine tasting. These happen on Wednesday from 1-3PM and Saturday from 3-5. Oh yeah, and it was even featured on the HBO series Treme! How cool is that?

I’m not a huge wine drinker, but even I can admit that Bacchanal is one of the coolest New Orleans bars around.

Pat O’Brien’s

Must Try: The Hurricane is the signature drink here

Prices: $6-8.50 for their cocktails (Hurricanes cost $8.50)

Hours: Monday-Thursday from 11AM-2AM, Friday-Sunday from 10AM-4AM

Location: 718 St. Peter

The Hurricane is one of the most famous New Orleans cocktails, and you can try one in the very bar where it was created! As the story goes, the owner of Pat O’Brien’s once found himself with an excess of rum. At the time, distributors made bar owners buy vast quantities of rum before they would sell them more desirable liquors like bourbon. 

In an effort to get rid of this abundance of rum, he mixed it in with passion fruit syrup and lime juice. He poured the new concoction into a glass that resembled a hurricane lamp, and the rest is history. While most New Orleans bars serve Hurricanes, you’ve got to try one in the original spot where it was made.

Pat O’Brien’s is actually three bars in one. There’s the main bar where you can catch sporting events on TV, the patio centered around their famous “Flaming Fountain,” and even a dueling piano lounge. This place is fun any day of the week, but it’s especially lively on St. Patrick’s Day.

Napoleon House

Must Try: They’re famous for their Pimm’s Cup here

Prices: $4.50-7 beer, $7-12 for wine & cocktails 

Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 11AM-10PM; Friday-Saturday from 11AM-11PM

Location: 500 Charles Street

One of the oldest bars in New Orleans is the famous Napoleon House. This historic building dates back over 200 years. Back in those days, then mayor Nicholas Girod was living here. He offered the house to none other than Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile. 

Actually, Napoleon never made it, but his name did. The bar has been here since 1914, and it feels as if time stood still here. With its peeling walls, multiple paintings of Napoleon, and classical music playing, it feels like stepping back in time. You’ll often hear Beethoven’s Eroiqua, which was actually composed for Napoleon. 

There’s no way to top the description of Napoleon House than what they have on their website – they claim that the bar “exudes a European charm that is a mecca for civilized drinking and eating.” Order up a Pimm’s Cup and a classic Muffuletta and settle in for an evening at one of the best bars in New Orleans.

21st Amendment Bar at La Louisiane

Must Try: The La Louisiane is their signature cocktail

Prices: Happy Hour Monday-Thursday is $4 beers, $5 wine, and $6 cocktails

Hours: Sunday-Wednesday from 2PM-11PM, Thursday-Saturday from 2PM-2AM

Location: 725 Iberville Street

For those who flunked (or never took) American History, the 21st Amendment officially repealed Prohibition and made the consumption of alcohol legal again. When he signed it, President Franklin Roosevelt exclaimed, “What America needs now is a drink!” With the stroke of a pen, he did away with one of the least popular amendments in American history.

The 21st Amendment Bar is a tribute to the Prohibition era when underground speakeasies flourished and mobsters ran the alcohol trade. Look around the bar and you’ll spot pictures of many of them. As a matter of fact, the place was actually run by mobsters for many years when it was a hotel & restaurant.

These days, 21st Amendment is a popular hangout for both locals and tourists alike. They mix up hand-crafted cocktails here and there’s live music every day of the week. Be sure to check their calendar to see what’s playing and add Napoleon House to your list of must-visit New Orleans bars.

Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge

Must Try: Cheap beers and standard cocktails are tops here

Prices: $2-4 for beer, $5 and up for wine, $4-6 for cocktails

Hours: 7 days a week from 7AM-7PM

Location: 7612 Oak Street

No list of New Orleans bars would be complete without the city’s most infamous dive. It’s Christmas year-round at Snake & Jake’s, as they’re like your neighbors who never take the lights down. 

This is often called the “diviest of dive bars,” and that’s a pretty fitting description for this late-night haunt. From the street, it looks like the kind of place your mom told you never to frequent. Inside, however, you’ll find jovial bartenders and a few furry friends roaming about. You’ll also find some of the cheapest drinks in town, especially during their nightly Happy Hour from 7-10.

On your bucket-list of booze-fueled things to do in New Orleans, you should definitely add a nightcap at Snake & Jake’s. They stay open until 7AM, which always makes for an entertaining scene. 

Ready to Hit The New Orleans Bars?

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to party after getting through this post! It really is amazing just how many unique New Orleans bars there are. Once you get past the tourist traps pouring cheap, excessively sugary drinks, there’s an abundance of excellent drinking establishments in the Big Easy.

Just think about all the history behind the walls of these bars in New Orleans. Where else in the world can you drink at a place named after Napoleon and another one named after a 19th-century French pirate? Or try famous cocktails right where they were created? 

The variety of bars in New Orleans is quite impressive as well. With a few nights in the city, you can experience a bacchanal backyard party, sample some of the city’s finest craft beers, and sip on a historic cocktail while riding a carousel. And that’s only just the beginning. There are so many fantastic New Orleans bars that couldn’t fit into this condensed list. 

If you’ve been out in the Big Easy and have a recommendation for a great bar or two, drop a comment below and let us know about it!

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