#captain william ainsworth

[thiefbird]

"actually, we're leaving early, we have something to get to." For Diana

Thank you for this perfect prompt - and for the conversation about Diana's insecurities that helped inspire this fic! I didn't get the exact quote in, but the Vibes hopefully match! (under a cut because it got long, as usual)

On Auks and Solitaires (on ao3)

Lady Anderson’s dinner - one in a long, long series of dinners celebrating the taking of the Chesapeake - was, if nothing else, a distraction from the slowly mounting worry in Diana’s chest. She was determined to ignore it; only time would tell if it had any foundation in reality or was a mere paranoid terror that she should never be free of Johnson’s grip on her. The company was rather dull, and entirely familiar: the same group of army and naval officers, the same simpering girls and stuffy wives. It should have been entirely intolerable, but for the fact that she was seated beside Stephen Maturin, and could whisper indiscreet commentary into his ear whenever she was overcome with boredom.

With boredom, or with a strange sort of awkwardness at watching Aubrey make a fool of himself, as he did now: blatantly staring into Miss Smith’s decolletage as she simpered outrageously; she could hardly make her mind up whether she felt sorry for him, or outraged on her cousin’s behalf. Certainly, Sophie would not condone such behaviors if she knew - not sweet Sophia who hid a tremendous sort of jealousy under her gentle ways. She had fair savaged Diana, all those years ago - nearly ten, she realised with a quiet shock, ‘Could it have been so long?’ - when they had competed themselves for Jack Aubrey’s attentions, and surely she would savage Miss Smith now, were she to see how the two of them carried on. Diana, for one, would have been delighted by the spectacle: she was no particular fan of Aubrey, the overgrown puppy of rather too close to forty; she tolerated him for Stephen and for Sophie, not for himself at all.

She was preparing a comment on the absurdity - Stephen could be mortally sensitive about Aubrey, in a way he never was when she was sharp-tongued towards Stephen himself - when the man seated to Stephen’s left began to speak, drawing Stephen’s attention. “I believe, sir, I heard you introduced as Doctor Maturin - surely you are not the Doctor Maturin who wrote so well on the Rodrigues Solitaire?” He was an army captain, in an eye-catching red jacket and snow-white trousers, and Diana felt a wash of pity for Stephen’s poor rusty black coat in comparison to its neighbor’s brilliance.

Stephen confirmed he was indeed such gentleman, in his strange and awkward way whenever anyone took any notice at all of his works - ‘for such a prideful creature,’ Diana thought affectionately, ‘he does hate to be thought of as ever showing away; you should think it were a mortal sin to admit to having ever written papers at all.’ - and begged pardon for not having caught the man’s name.

“Captain William Ainsworth, of the Nova Scotia Fencibles.” Captain Ainsworth gave Stephen a courteous bow, and Diana watched him with some interest; she had seen him at various parties and dinners they had been obliged to attend before now, and he had never caught her attention before, but he was a handsome man: tall, though not quite so tall as Aubrey, and with the slim build of a man accustomed to a good deal of riding - nothing at all like the solid Navy build; his hair was just dark enough as to not be considered red and therefore a detriment, and his eyes were a rich chestnut brown that sparkled with delight at each of Stephen’s words. “And may I say, sir, it is a great pleasure - a true honour, certainly - to meet the esteemed Doctor Maturin.”

Stephen glanced back at Diana, an endearing look of confusion on his face, before returning his attention to the captain. “The honour is mine, sir; the Nova Scotia regiment has done well for itself, I find.”

Captain Ainsworth shook his head. “No, no - nothing so fine as all that - nothing so fine as your solitaire-bird. I had no idea such a bird existed in all the world.” There was a certain sort of bravado in those words, as strange as it seemed to boast about a long-dead sort of dodo-bird, and Diana had the distinct sensation that the captain did not care nearly so much about Stephen’s solitaire as he claimed; her interest was piqued by this inconsistency, and she turned her attention fully from Jack Aubrey’s indiscretions to study Stephen’s interactions with Captain Ainsworth.

“They once existed, sure - oh, to be able to handle a specimen with any sort of soft tissue remaining! But they are all long gone - hunted until they could not sustain themselves. It is the shame of the age that no natural philosopher thought to bottle one.” Stephen’s hesitancy had faded entirely, and he now spoke with a vehemence that made Diana smile with fond affection; he, unlike all other men of her acquaintance, was entirely unchanged in these last ten years, other than his poor ruined hands. “I do not think we shall ever understand what we have lost to similar incidents - the dodo, the sea-cow of Stellar’s observation only a handful of examples-”

“I should give my eye-teeth - no, my left arm! - to provide such a sample!” declared Captain Ainsworth, his colour high as he watched Stephen with a particular fervour. Diana was certain, now: the man was a sodomite, and for some reason was entirely taken with Stephen; she could hardly comment, she was sure, for she loved him more than she had loved perhaps any man, but she had always thought that such men were invariably attracted to pretty slips of things, as she had always seen in India. Stephen, though desperately slight, could never even with the most charitable of hearts be described as pretty - she had already glowered at two of the more irritating girls in Halifax that night for tittering at his admittedly dreadful wig and tinted glasses - but there was no mistaking that gleam in Captain Ainsworth’s eyes, that almost breathlessly eager note in his voice as he spoke.

Stephen was scarcely less enthusiastic in his response, leaning in towards the captain as he was encouraged to speak more on his birds, and Diana felt a strange and familiar twisting in her chest. She knew full well the rumours surrounding Stephen - it was hard not to be aware, living for all that time with Mrs Williams, of how Hampshire had seen the handsome young captain and his strange choice of companion. The rumours had not ceased in the time since: talk had followed him in India, and even that insufferable slattern Wogan had been convinced that “that dear fool Maturin” was a sodomite hopelessly obsessed with Jack Aubrey - she had even gone so far as to reassure Johnson that he had no reason to be jealous of anyone’s attentions being stolen away by him.

She had not given them much notice, at first; there was always such talk of Navy men, and Aubrey certainly was no paederast - that was obvious to speak to him. But Maturin… Oh, he had certainly paid her attentions, of course, but he spoke so strangely at times, his queer comments about not being interested in women but in persons, his careful notice of all of Aubrey’s moods and needs - that had certainly not changed in all these years, either - and she had developed doubts of his sincerity quite quickly, even when he would walk three or more miles to sneak into her rooms at Mapes and take brandy or tea and kiss her under cover of darkness.

She had needled him on the subject to no end; he had an insupportable ability to let her sharp words fall without comment and make her feel an immediate guilt for speaking so, and yet she always tried, again and again, to get him to lash out. It had been a habit started when they first met, and one reinforced by first Canning’s and then Johnson’s treatment of her, and she was only glad she had managed to keep a leash on her tongue this last week they had been in Halifax; she did not trust her ability to keep mum were she to let herself speak freely. He had never once responded with anything less than quiet and resigned acceptance when she had ridiculed his relationship with Aubrey, when she had accused them of playing at marriage in Melbury Lodge, but there had been a peculiar look in his eyes that he tried to disguise that had told her the rumours might have not been far off.

And then, in India, Aubrey had been so harsh to her - had spoken so chuff when she had fair begged him to let her nurse Stephen and return to England on his Surprise, and she had feared the worst: she would not be made a fool of, with a chaste marriage to a man too busy with his captain to pay her mind - and so she had left for America in the company of Johnson. Oh, she had been doubly the fool there, no doubt of that; Johnson had ruined her reputation far worse than any buggerer of a husband could, no matter how blatant.

And yet she did love Stephen, and she knew he felt some sort of strong affection for her: that was the worst of it. A husband she did not like could be given freedom to do whatever he wished. A beloved husband that preferred the company of a bumbling clod like Aubrey to her own? That was why she had left with Johnson from the Company ship, and while not the whole reason she had left with him again, the fear of Stephen renewing his offer, and not being strong enough to refuse him had certainly contributed. However much it rankled to accept being kept by a married man, she could countenance a marriage where she was not truly and devoutly wanted even less.

Despite her preoccupation with her own thoughts, Diana had kept half an eye and half an ear on Stephen’s conversation with the handsome captain; he had not in any particular way encouraged Ainsworth’s attentions - she was not altogether certain he was aware of them, so enthused over the opportunity to discuss the rarer birds of North America with an attentive audience was he - but neither had he discouraged them, and now the man’s hand was on his forearm as he gazed into Stephen’s face.

“I am afraid, my dear doctor-” how many times had she heard that exact address to Stephen from Aubrey’s lips? “-that we are at risk of neglecting our dining companions.” Ainsworth gave Stephen a pleased, secretive smile that made Diana feel a sick dread. “But I am so loathe to put a true halt to our conversation - perhaps you might accompany me to a small, private card-party being held this evening by a… particular friend of mine, if you do not have a prior engagement?”

The emphasis Ainsworth placed on ‘particular’ would have confirmed for Diana what he was about, had she not already been entirely convinced, and she felt her mood shift from blue to a deep, hot red.

“I should be pleased-” Stephen began, halting and turning to look at her in surprise when she rapped his other arm none too lightly with her fan.

She ignored his look and gave Captain Ainsworth her most simperingly insincere smile. “My fiance and I should be delighted, of course, Captain,” she said, placing a possessive hand on Stephen’s forearm - where it would certainly be sore from her fan - in a deliberate mimicry of his own posture. “But unfortunately, we had already arranged to spend the evening elsewhere. Perhaps another time?” Her words were perfectly polite, but her tone was carefully chilly, and her smile faded away into a look of pure hostility she had no interest in disguising.

Captain Ainsworth turned pale and then pink in turn, and snatched his hand away from Stephen with a betrayed glance at him. Stephen, for his part, looked tolerably confused, but nodded wisely. “Mrs Villiers is correct, of course. If you should like to give me your direction, however, I could send you a copy of some notes I have collected on the northern penguin, the great Auk - they are mere notes, of course, but they may be of interest to you.”

The captain stammered some excuse - he would be leaving Halifax shortly, he should not like to trouble the doctor, the notes would certainly be too learned for him to make heads or tails of - and turned with a miserable desperation to the man on his left. Stephen then gave Diana his full attention, rather perplexed and peevish both, and she set her jaw. “I will not be made a fool of, Maturin,” was all she said to him, in a tight whisper, until she was able to make their excuses to Lady Anderson after dessert, and he followed her out into the streets.

“I do not believe, Villiers, that I have ever seen you behave with so little in the way of social graces,” Stephen said when they had walked in silence for a few blocks. “Whatever did poor Captain Ainsworth do, to incite your fury? I must be sure to avoid such an offense.”

“He was a bore, Stephen - he did not care one whit about your solitaire, only that he should be seen talking so to you.” She, perversely, no longer wished to comment on Stephen’s predilections, or whether they might lean more towards a tall, handsome, auburn haired military captain - or a tall and brutish, blond naval one - than towards her own figure, and so she did not mention how utterly and preposterously blatant Ainsworth’s flirtations had been. It was a wonder he had not been caught and hanged, if that was how he accosted any gentleman who might share his tastes - it was a wonder more eyes had not been on him and Stephen than on Aubrey and Miss Smith. “I wonder that you should waste your time at him, and complain that I saved you the effort; he is not worth half a thought.”

“I thought him an amiable fellow - he did not know overmuch of birds, sure, but he seemed a good sort. But I am sure you have the right of it, my dear,” Stephen said, tucking her hand through his arm. “I fall to your opinion in all matters social.”

She allowed their steps to come together, and herself to enjoy the warmth that came off him, but her heart was still uneasy as she remembered the apologetic glance Stephen had given a concerned Aubrey as they left the dinner party. She would not be made a fool of - she would not let herself come under the control of another man who did not want her for anything other than a pretty distraction.

[most-hated-blorbo-bracket]

any chance of an updated list?

Of course!!

Also, this is the NEW and FUCKING IMPROVED LIST, I alphabetized it so it’s even better than before >:3

Currently, we have 340 unique characters (if I counted right) and 487 total submissions. The top three most submitted fandoms are Homestuck, Danganronpa, and One Piece, excluding submissions that were spelt wrong or spelt differently. The top three submitted characters are Haiji Towa, Vriska Serket, and Stella Goeta (stella has so many submissions it’s funny)!

Finally, this is the raw, unedited list of characters submitted so far. Just because they are here doesn’t mean they’ll be in the tournament; it just means they’ve been submitted, regardless of media or what character they are!

as always, list under the cut!

This first list is for characters with two or more submissions. Characters who have three or more submissions will get first dibs in the tournament!

Akechi Goro

Akio Ohtori / Himemiya

Anakin Skywalker

Ansem the Wise

April O’Neil (2012)

Ardyn Izunia

Ayin

Azula

Bill Cipher

Boston

Bramblestar

Buzz McCallister

Caillou

Chibiusa

Childe

Cici

Cullen Rutherford

Darkstalker

Dazai Osamu

Dio

Dio (Zero Escape)

Donald Trump

Donquixote Doflamingo

Dr. John ‘Jack’ Seward

Drannus

Eichi Tenshouin

Elias Bouchard/Jonah Magnus

Eridan Ampora

Evan Hansen

Every Genshin Impact Character Ever

Glenn Quagmire

George Wickham

Greg Heffley

Haiji Towa

Happosai

Her Imperious Condescension

Higashikata Josuke

Huey Emmerich

Ibara Saegusa

Izzy Hands

JD

Jace Herondale / Wayland / Lightwood / Morgenstern

Jin Guangyao

John Gaius

Julia Mazzone

Junko Enoshima

Jurgen Leitner

Katsuki Bakugo

Kokichi Ouma

Kristoph Gavin

Kromer

Kusaka Masato

Kylo Ren

Kyubey

Lance Dubois

Le’garde

Live Action Buggy

Makima

Mal

Marvin Falsettos

Meenah Peixes

Merlin

Micah Bell

Michael

Minoru Mineta

Mr. Bungee

Pierce Hawthorne

Pierre

Princess Daisy

Ranpo Edogawa (Beast)

Regal Farseer

Ronaldo

Rose Quartz

Santa Claus

Sasuke Uchiha

Scrappy Doo

Sentinel Prime

Shiver

Shou Tucker

Simon

Simon Laurent

Sosuke Aizen

Spamton

Stella Goetia

Teddy / Kuma

The Maverick

The Metatron 

The Once-Ler

Thistleclaw 

Tony Stark

Tsumugi Aoba

Ty Betteridge

Val Velocity

Viren

Vriska Serkat

William Afton

c!Dream

Ōchi Fukuchi

The next list is for characters only submitted once. If you want these characters to have a higher chance of being added to the tournament, feel free to submit more propaganda for them!

Absalom

Abyss Sibling

Adam

Agamemnon 

Airy

Akane

Akito Shinonome

Akito Sohma

Alastor

Alexander Hamilton

Ali Lectric

All For One

Aloise Trancy

Anatole Kuragin

Angel Dust

Anne Hathaway

Any Character From Welcome to Nightvale

Anyone From The Locked Tomb

Aranea Serkat

Ashfur

Astarion

Asuka

Bella Swan

Ben Jackson Walker

Betsy Wolfe

Billy

Billy Hargrove

Black Pete

Blackbeard

Blitzo Buckzo

Booker

Box

Bro-Strider

Buck Cluck

Buzz (cheerios)

Byakuya Togami

Caesar Clown

Caliborn / Lord English

Captain Kuro

Cersei Iannister

Chloe Bourgeois

Chris McClain

Chrollo Lucifer

Cicero

Clara Oswald

Coco

Cozy Glow

Cynte

Damian Wayne

Dan Moroboshi

Dean Venture

Dean Winchester

Detective Saracusa

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

Disembodied Voice

Don Flamenco

Dr. Henry Miller

Drew

Duke

Edelgard

Elias Ainsworth

Elias Ainsworth

Elon Musk

Equius Zahhak

Erebus

Eric Cartman

Erlina and Brugaves

Eugene Coli

Every Single Country In 1993

Everyone In Romeo And Juliet

Father / Dwarf In The Glass

Feferi Peixes

Five

Five Pebbles

Floch

Foreman Oyun

France (Hetalia)

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

Gamzee Makara

Georg Weissmann

God

Goeffry St. John

Gordon Blackwall

Graham Spector

Gra’ha Tia

Haiji Senri

Heath cliff

Henry Miller (OC)

Henry the Eighth

Himiko Toga

Hisoka

Hiyoko Saionji

Holly Blue Agate

House

Huey Laforet

Ianthe Tridentarius

Il Dottore

Inspector Tobias Greyson

Itsuki Shu

Izumi Sena

JJ

Jacopo Bearzatti

James T. Kirk

Jayne Cobb

Jiren

Joe Destefano

Johnny

Jonah Magnus

Jonathan Groff 

Judith Ford / Natalie Cook

Judo

Julia

Julie-Sue

Ken

Kevin

Kusunoki Muu

Kyouichi Saionji

Ladd Russo

Lady Catherine de Bourgh 

Lebreau Fermet Viralesque

Light Yagami

Liontari

Lotor

Louie

Louis

Luke

Mahiru Koizumi

Makoto Itou

Marie

Marlon

Mary Keay

Master Crown

Matou Shinji

Matpat

Me

Medusa Gorgon

Meredith Rodney McKay

Michael Scott

Miguel O’Hara

Millions Knives

Moash

Moeka Kiryuu

Monokubs (Except Monodam)

Mori Ougai

Morris

Mr. Collins

Ms. Valentine

Muu Kusunoki

Muzan Kibutsuji

Mystery Hunter (Jeremiah Hartley)

Nagito Komaeda

Nanami Kiryuu

Narumi

Natsumi Sakasaki

Nefera DeNile

Nickel

Nikola Tesla

Noor Pradesh

Ocelot

Octavian 

Ogai Mori

Orochi

Otto Apocalypse

Paul Von Oberstein

Pencil

Petyr Baelish / Littlefinger

Prince Louis

Queen Scarlet

Quiche

Quill Kipps

Rafal (FEE)

Rafal (SGE)

Rafe Cameron

Randy

Raven Queen

Rebecca Costwolds

Redd White

Riley Finn

Roger

Rohan Kishibe

Roland

Roshi

Rumpelstiltskin

Ruruka Ando

Sakazuki Akainu

Sandy

Sanji

Sebastian Mechaelis

Sheldon Cooper

Shen Jiu

Shiki Tohno/Nanaya

Shinonomes (both)

Shredder

Sigma Klim

Silver Spoon

Skizzleman

Slayer

Solf J. Kimblee

So Sejima

Splinter

Stark Sands

Steven Universe

Stormcaller

Subara Akehoshi

Tatsumi Kazehaya

Teruhashi Makoto

Teruteru

The Eleventh Doctor

The Entirety Of Homestuck

The Groke

The Little Palace Mistress

The Mage

The New Ninja

The Old Palace Master

The Operator

The Pale King

Tim Drake

Tom Wambsgans

Tomaru Sawagoe

Touichiro Suzuki

Trishna

Tumblr Staff

Valens Van Varro

Verstael Besithia

Victor Frankenstein

Vivienne Medranno’s Impsona

Voice In The Calm Ad On Spotify

Volgin

Wanderer/Scaramouche

Wen Chao

Whiteout, Clearsight, and Benjamin

Will Shuester

Willy Stampler

Woodes Rogers

Xisuma

Yoshiharu Hisomu

Yu Ziyuan

Yumichika Ayasegawa

Yuri Briar

Zeke Jaeger

Zenos Galvus

Zhou Zishu

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 10 November 1832

7 ¼

11 20

fine frosty morning but thick and hazy one can scarce see ½ dozen yards ahead – F46° at 7 20 a.m. off to Lightcliffe at 8 10 - stopt (in passing) at Lidgate 5 or 6 minutes - just ran up to Miss W- before she was up and gave her the note to herself written last night  and the case and opinion and Captain Sutherland’s letter - at Lightcliffe at the William Priestley’s at 8 55 - breakfast almost over just in time to see Mr P- for 10 minutes - from 9 ¾ for an hour while Mrs P- did her household business reading the last (no. 201 for this month Blackwards - favourable review of Gilpin’s practical hints upon landscape gardening with some remarks on domestic architecture and read a little of the article (good and favourable) on James’s history of Charlemagne - then sat talking to Mrs WP- till 1 - chit chat - her praises of Mr Ainsworth  very evident how sure she makes of the match between him and Miss W-    and without either of us being too plain spoken we laughed and gave him for it till the tenth of this month next year    saying pray remember the tenth of November  and if it prospers Mrs P- to write and tell me    she said Mrs Ainsworth was very plain and much marked with small-pox and filled up the pittings with rouge   fifteen or 20 years older than her husband who married her for money Mrs P- went with me to Lidgate and staid ¼ hour or 20 minutes - I had taken off her hands a square of Outram lama-hair shawling meaning it for Lady S- not fine morning as I went - a slight skiff of snow - at 1 10 rain came on for the rest of the afternoon and evening so staid at Lidgate - dinner at 2 - read the morning Herald and looked over the York Herald - Miss W- poorly and either in her easy chair or lying on the sofa till tea at 6 - afterwards played backgammon Miss W- won 4 hits to my one - she then wrote to Captain Sutherland and I sat talking to Miss Harriet Parkhill - I read prayers at 10 - Miss Harriet P- left us and we sat up finishing the letter till we went upstairs at 10 35 - I had joked Miss W- about going next Tuesday to Paris - she said I had teazed her  said if she had only given me a look I would not have done it   I begin she would teaze me by her foolish poorliness and listlessness whether I did her or not but I took all well and only talked love – Damp disagreeable morning and day till 1 – afterwards from 1 10 rainy afternoon and evening

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - Operation Mincemeat

For our next cinema release of 2022, we’re looking back into World War 2-based films as we check out Operation Mincemeat…

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

In 1943, the United Kingdom is entrenched in World War II. Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu, a Jewish barrister, remains in England while his wife Iris and their children travel to safety in the United States. Montagu takes a break from practising law when he is appointed to the Twenty Committee. His secretary, Hester Leggett, comes with him.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill has promised the US that the Allies will invade Sicily by July of that year in order to push further north. However, Sicily is considered an obvious target and may be defended by the Wehrmacht. Admiral Godfrey thinks that Britain must trick Nazi Germany into believing the Allies will invade Greece. Charles Cholmondeley proposes an operation from the Trout Memo, which would entail a corpse carrying false secrets washing ashore. Despite Godfrey's doubts, he gives Montagu and Cholmondeley permission to plan the operation with Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming.

Montagu and Cholmondeley obtain the body of a vagrant named Glyndwr Michael, who died by possible suicidal poisoning. He is given the false identity of Major William Martin, Royal Marines, with a detailed backstory and ID photos. A widowed secretary in the office, Jean Leslie, offers a photo of herself to serve as Martin's fake fiancée, "Pam", in exchange for a position on the team co-ordinating the operation. The team fabricate items for Martin to carry in his pockets, including theatre tickets, personal bills and a love letter from "Pam" written by Hester. Cholmondeley is attracted to Jean, but soon comes to believe that Montagu and Jean share romantic feelings. This causes Cholmondeley to grow jealous and occasionally lash out at Montagu. Complications ensue when Michael's sister arrives to claim his body, but she is turned away by Montagu and Cholmondeley.

Godfrey suspects Montagu's brother, Ivor, is a spy for the USSR. He bribes Cholmondeley to spy on Montagu and, in return, Godfrey will locate and return the remains of Cholmondeley's brother, who was killed in action in Chittagong, Bengal. Cholmondeley reluctantly agrees.

Specialist MI5 driver St John "Jock" Horsfall transports Montagu, Cholmondeley and the corpse to the submarine base at Holy Loch. The corpse is then loaded onto the submarine HMS Seraph. On 30 April, the Seraph arrives in the Gulf of Cádiz and drops the corpse into the ocean. It is found by fishermen in Huelva, Spain. Operation Mincemeat staff attempt to get the fake documents to Madrid. However, the mission is hampered by bad luck, as the Spanish have resisted Nazi influence more than expected. Captain David Ainsworth, the British naval attaché in Madrid, meets with Colonel Cerruti of the Spanish secret police in one last attempt to get the papers to the Germans. When Martin's personal items are returned to London, a specialist works out that the documents have been tampered with. This gives Operation Mincemeat staff hope that Germany retrieved the false information.

Jean is threatened by Teddy, a waiter at a club the team has frequented, claiming to be a spy for an anti-Hitler plot within Germany. She tells him that Major Martin was travelling under an alias but the classified information was genuine. After Teddy leaves, Jean informs Montagu and Cholmondeley. They come to believe that Colonel Alexis von Roenne, who controls intelligence in the German Army High Command, sent Teddy to verify information so von Roenne could undermine Hitler. However, they have no way of being sure. Montagu takes Jean to his home for protection, but she accepts a job in Special Operations and plans to leave London. Montagu convinces her to stay at least until the operation has been completed.

On 10 July, the Allied invasion of Sicily begins. News arrives that the Allies suffered limited casualties, the enemy is retreating, and the beaches have been held. Afterwards, Cholmondeley admits he received his brother's remains in return for spying on Montagu. Feeling sympathetic and relieved that Operation Mincemeat was a success, Montagu offers to buy Cholmondeley a drink even though it is eight in the morning.

The epilogue says that Montagu reunited with Iris after the war, Jean married a soldier, Hester continued as Director of the Admiralty Secretarial Unit, and Cholmondeley remained with MI5 until 1952, later married, and travelled widely. Major William Martin's identity was revealed to be Glyndwr Michael in 1997 when an epitaph, with his real name, was added to Martin's headstone in Spain.

Review:

This is a very different variety of war film to most, as it steps away from the front-line of battle and obvious action-packed warfare to focus on intelligence work conducted to ensure the success of combat operations.  This makes Operation Mincemeat a breath of fresh air when you consider that most war films can be a long slog through action scene after action scene, focusing on little more than guns, tanks, planes and just general mindless violence.  The film also tries as much as possible to be historically accurate, again a relief for those of us who may find that film and TV can at times push drama and action over true-to-life substance too far at times.

This being said, the film does apparently fall short in places by taking artistic license in places, most notably the apparent love triangle between Montagu, Jean and Cholmondeley.  I say apparent love triangle because I’m not sure it quite qualifies.  We certainly see that Cholmondeley is attracted to Jean, and at one point Montagu also advances some affection for her, but it’s not explicitly put across as being a romantic affection, nor is any clear and obvious romantic interest shown by Jean towards either man.  Instead, we just get a bunch of ambiguous moments that are read, whether wrongly or not, as being romantic by others because they don’t know the real state of play and make assumptions.  Given that everyone involved is an intelligence operative, the idea that they would be making assumptions about anything is very concerning indeed.

This aside, the film is well-acted, with the likes of Colin Firth, Jason Isaacs and others doing a great job of making this more sedate type of war story very entertaining.  For James Bond fans, there’s also the occasional nod to that world via the presence of Ian Fleming, the intelligence agent who would go on to write Bond in the original novels.  If I have any criticism of this film beyond the insertion and handling of the love triangle, which I feel wasn’t particularly necessary, it’s the lack of proper introduction to the various characters.  I first watched this film on Blu-Ray, and I had to have the subtitles on to learn who everyone was.

Although the film does kind of make introductions as it goes along, many of these are too soft-spoken and, at times, they’re insufficiently explicit.  If you’re a very linear thinker, as I am, then you’ll often want proper introductions to characters quite soon after each appearance.  This is especially true if you’re not acquainted with the real-world events and characters that the film portrays.  This is another case of a film not taking the proper time to work the correct level of information to engage an audience, making the film tricky to follow for anyone who hasn’t studied World War II intelligence history.

Given these flaws, set against an otherwise excellent film, I would balance out the final score at 7 out of 10.

[marryat92]

Captain Marryat, Man of Fashion (and Jewellery)

In this engraving, based on his 1827 portrait by William Behnes, Frederick Marryat is a gentleman-in-waiting to the Duke of Sussex. "He had become a fashionable captain," Tom Pocock writes of this time in his biography, Captain Marryat: Seaman, Writer, and Adventurer.

Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Marryat moved in fashionable society, socialising with the luminaries of his day. At his London residence at 3 Spanish Place—which has his blue plaque today—Alan Buster notes that "he received Dickens, Forster, Ainsworth, Bulwer and other literary notables, as well as painters and navy men." (Captain Marryat: Sea-Officer Novelist Country Squire) Among his friends in the literary circle of Lady Blessington was Alfred d'Orsay: the famous dandy, man of fashion, and amateur artist (d'Orsay also sketched Marryat).

I think it goes without saying that Marryat can be regarded as something of an authority on the fashionable man of the early 19th century, even if it's not what he is primarily known for. His heroes are often fashion-conscious, like Frank Mildmay, who "perceived that the best-dressed midshipmen had always the most pleasant duties to perform."

Details on the fashionable man's attire in Marryat's novels are more scarce. An offhand reference to a watch and seals in Peter Simple was eye-opening to me, but he usually doesn't describe costume details. The most fashion-focused Marryat novel is arguably Japhet in Search of a Father. The title character moves between high society and low, in diverse groups, and along the way he needs many changes of costume. ("Costume" is a good word for Japhet, a clever schemer who pretends to be a young nobleman despite his humble origins).

Japhet has a solid grasp of style on his own, but he blossoms under the tutelage of Major Carbonnell, a notoriously well-dressed rake. Japhet describes him:

He was tall and well made, and with an air of fashion about him that was undeniable. His linen was beautifully clean and carefully arranged, and he had as many rings on his fingers, and, when he was dressed, chains and trinkets, as ever were put on by a lady.

Carbonnell hooks up Japhet with his personal tailor, and he also takes him shopping for masculine jewellery. This is particularly interesting to me, because period fashion plates do not necessarily provide much information about accessories, and I feel like the historical fashion guides I have read take pains to emphasize that 19th century men wore minimal jewellery. (The entire 19th century consists of somber late Victorians, apparently).

Carbonnell is not only loaded with jewellery, he gives specific advice on how much to buy:

"Don't you want some bijouterie? or have you any at home?"

"I may as well have a few trifles," replied I.

We entered a celebrated jeweller's, and he selected for me to the amount of about forty pounds. "That will do—never buy much; for it is necessary to change every three months at least. What is the price of this chain?"

"It is only fifteen guineas, major."

"Well, I shall take it; but recollect," continued the major, "I tell you honestly I never shall pay you."

The jeweller smiled, bowed, and laughed; the major threw the chain round his neck, and we quitted the shop.

"Chains" and "bijouterie" are two distinct things. ("'You, sir,' replied the governor, surveying my fashionable exterior, my chains, and bijouterie.") The chains are presumably for pocket watches, seals, or perhaps around the neck for a quizzing-glass, like this gentleman in an 1827 fashion plate:

(Source: Metropolitan Museum of New York.)

The other bijouterie are rings, trinkets, pins, jewelled brooches and clasps. Japhet refers to his diamond solitaire ring as a piece of bijouterie.

It is difficult to find either portraits or fashion plates that display the quantity of jewellery that Marryat's Major Carbonnell recommends. Using a historical currency converter for 1836, the last year Japhet in Search of a Father was serialized, £40 is equivalent to $5287.64 current USD, and fifteen guineas is equal to $2082.01. Carbonnell advises spending a small fortune on a man's jewellery—and changing it out for new styles every three months!

I greatly appreciate this c. 1832 portrait of the fashionable José María Benítez Bragaña, by the Spanish artist Rafael Tejeo:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bragaña is in the right time period for Japhet (which is set in the "present day" i.e. early 1830s), and he even has a luxurious amount of chains! (How many trinkets does he have attached to those things?!) Sadly, his hands are tucked out of sight, so we can't assess his rings.

It's true that Carbonnell is flamboyant, and not intended to represent the average man any more that the colourful boatswain Mr. Chucks of Peter Simple, who also loves jewellery. But Marryat endorses a healthy amount of bijouterie even on his most heroic, traditionally masculine characters, like the smuggler Jack Pickersgill of The Three Cutters.

Jack Pickersgill is introduced as "remarkably handsome, very clean, and rather a dandy in his dress." He aspires to eventually quit smuggling, after he has made his fortune, and reappear in society as a gentleman. He avoids smoking and drinking and remains scrupulously clean and polite, but his men respect his competence and skill:

He keeps his hands clean, wears rings, and sports a gold snuff-box; notwithstanding which, Jack is one of the boldest and best of sailors, and the men know it. He is full of fun, and as keen as a razor.

Finally, a portrait detail of a Royal Navy officer, c. 1847-57, showing his gold rings with square-cut sapphires and an elongated baroque pearl. (Source: NMM) If the identification of the sitter as Captain Joseph Nias is correct, he is contemporary with Marryat and almost the same age.

[skgway]

1832 Nov., Sat. 10

7 1/4

11 20/..

Fine frosty morning but thick and hazy, one can scarce see 1/2 dozen yards ahead – Fahrenheit 46º at 7 20/.. a.m. Off to Lightcliffe at 8 10/.. –

Stopt (in passing) at Lidgate 5 or 6 minutes – Just ran up to Miss W– [Walker] before she was up, and gave her the note to herself written last night and the case and opinion and Captain Sutherland’s letter – 

At Ligthcliffe at the William Priestleys’ at 8 55/.. – Breakfast almost over just in time to see Mr. P– [Parker] for 10 minutes – From 9 3/4 for an hour while Mrs. P– [Priestley] did her household business reading the last (no. number 201) for this month Blackwoods – Favourable review of Gilpin’s practical hints upon landscape gardening with some remarks on domestic architecture and read a little of the article (good and favourable) on James’s history of Charlemagne –

Then sat talking to Mrs. William P– [Priestley] till 1 – Chit chat – Her praises of Mr. Ainsworth very evident. How sure she makes of the match between him and Miss W[alker] and without either of us being too plainspoken. We laughed and gave him for it till the tenth of this month next year, saying  pray remember the tenth of November, and if it prospers Mr. P [Priestley] to write and tell me. 

She said Mrs. Ainsworth was very plain and much marked with smallpox, and filled up the pittings with rouge. Fifteen or 20 years older than her husband, who married her for money. 

Mrs. P– [Priestley] went with me to Lidgate and staid 1/4 hour or 20 minutes – I had taken off her hands a square of Outram lama-hair shawling, meaning it for Lady S– [Stuart]. Not fine morning as I went – A slight skiff of snow – At 1 10/.. rain came on for the rest of the afternoon and evening so staid at Lidgate – 

Dinner at 2 – Read my morning Herald and looked over the York Herald. Miss W– [Walker] poorly and either in her easy chair or lying on the sofa till tea at 6 – Afterwards played backgammon. Miss W– [Walker] won 4 hits to my one – She then wrote to Captain Sutherland and I sat talking to Miss Harriet Parkhill –

I read prayers at 10 – Miss Harriet P– [Parkhill] left us and we sat up finishing the letter till went upstairs at 10 35/.. – I had joked Miss W– [Walker] about going next Tuesday to Paris. She said I had teazed her. Said if she had only given me a look, I would not have done it. I begin [to think] she would teaze me by her foolish poorliness and listlessness, whether I did [tease] her or not. But I took all well and only talked love –

Damp disagreeable morning and day till 1 – Afterwards from 1 10/.. rainy afternoon and evening –

not fine morning

[ao3feed-gj]

by shinyhuman

A slow-burning, forbidden romance. Ann Walker, a queen stepping into her new role while grieving the death of her parents. Anne Lister, captain of the kings guard, balances her duty to the queen with dangerous feelings and a cryptic threat.

Updated: 2020-03-04 Words: 107105, Chapter: 29/35, Language: English, Hits: 19744

Fandom: Gentleman Jack (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Relationships: Anne Lister (1791-1840)/Ann Walker (1803-1854)

Characters: Anne Lister (1791-1840), Ann Walker (1803-1854), James Mackenzie (Gentleman Jack), Mariana Lawton, Thomas Ainsworth (fl. 1830s), William Priestley (1779-1860), Isabella "Tib" Norcliffe, Christopher Rawson (1777-1849)

Additional tags: knight!Anne Lister, queen!Ann Walker, Swords, and the muscles required to wield them, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe, very slow burn but lots of romance and tenderness, Anne writes poetry, the ending will be happy!, no Game of Thrones here

[ofgraveconcern]

The year was 1816, and the ‘golden age’ of highwaymen was long surpassed, the exploits of Dick Turpin, Sixteen String Jack, Claude Du Vall, William Plunkett, James MacLaine and John Nevison, and their compatriots passing into legend and the myth of folklore from the previous century. This folkloric height would be attained in 1834, with the exploits of Dick Turpin featured in the gothic romance novel Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth, published three years after the last recorded robbery of a horse riding highwaymen. Therefore by passing into romantic myth the era of the gentleman of the road was long surpassed. With the beginnings of organized police forces in urban areas, as well as a system of manned and gated turnpikes, and toll roads across the country; highway robbery had by 1816 dwindled to a few scarce incidents. In Ireland highwaymen were considered more political than their English fellows, their acts of robbery considered a tool of resistance to the authority of British control. It is therefore in Ireland in July 1816, that we find ourselves for this historical tale. In a tavern, 20 year old Irishman Michael Martin from County Kilkenny, was drinking, although a member of the Irish nationalist militia ‘The Ribbonmen’,the group had a poor reputation, and drinking, alongside criminal activity, was one of their familiar exploits. Martin just happened to be seated near an Anglican priest, whose fine clothes, jewelry, and free use of money to spend on drink drew Martin in, until the drinks flowed freely with Martin telling the Reverend his life story. The drinking continued all night until the morning, when the priest revealed his true identity. He was in fact John Doherty, Ireland’s most notorious highwaymen, who was known by his alias Captain Thunderbolt. Impressed by Martin, Doherty took him under his guidance, discovering that Martin was a fast runner. Soon after Martin committed his first crime holding up an English aristocrat. The nobleman asking Martin if he was being robbed by the famous Thunderbolt, Martin replied “No, I am his brother, Captain Lightfoot.” (Continued in the comments) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR6rGRyFuGu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tones09]

Dogs get the gold in Ballarat

THE Western Bulldogs have come out on top in a closely-contested tussle with Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Suns by nine points. Despite losing gun midfielder Marcus Bontemepelli to hip soreness in the lead-up to the game, the men in red, white and blue proved to be too good for the Suns in a see-sawing affair, prevailing 11.15 (81) to 10.12 (72) at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. The result sees Luke Beveridge's troops improve to 3-4 on the season after suffering heavy losses to Greater Western Sydney and West Coast in the opening two rounds. Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts continued his strong start to 2018 with a 21-possession, 58-hit-out performance, but the Bulldogs won the clearances 52 to 32. Dogs young gun Jack Macrae was the chief destroyer with 40 possessions (24 contested), including 12 clearances, 10 score involvements and one goal.

JACK Macrae was an unstoppable force in the Western Bulldogs' hard-fought nine-point win over Gold Coast at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday afternoon. He was ably-supported by stand-in captain Lachie Hunter who racked up 34 disposals (14 contested), while Luke Dahlhaus and Toby McLean were also prolific with 31 and 30 possessions respectively. Matthew Suckling provided plenty of bounce off half-back with 24 disposals, including six rebound 50's, while Billy Gowers and Patrick Lipinski kicked two goals each. For Gold Coast, Touk Miller put in a strong shift, finishing with 26 possessions, one goal and eight tackles, but he will be lamenting the fact that he let Macrae get off the chain. David Swallow led the way at the contest for the Suns, with 17 of his 26 touches coming in contested situations, while Ben Ainsworth showed he is a star of the future with 25 possessions, including eight score involvements. Jack Martin demonstrated his class with 23 touches and two goals, while Brayden Crossley was a solid contributor on debut, tallying 13 disposals, one goal and seven hit-outs. The Western Bulldogs got off to a dream start with Josh Dunkley kicking the first major of the game in the opening minute. But, it was Gold Coast who had the better of the opening stanza, Stuart Dew's charges harder at the contest than their opponents, the visitors winning the tackle count 22 to nine and the contested possession count 45 to 35. The Dogs could count themselves lucky to be trailing by just 10 points at the first change, the Suns booting a wayward 2.6 for the term as they struggled to adapt to the windy conditions. Martin put through the first major of the second quarter before the Bulldogs stamped their authority on the contest. The Dogs lifted their intensity in the clinches and as a result were able to get their running game going, four straight goals, including two from Lipinski, their ward as they regained the ascendancy on the scoreboard. In a sign of their new-found maturity, Gold Coast controlled the tempo in the closing stages of the first half after the Bulldogs threatened to establish a handy buffer, Charlie Ballard's first goal in AFL football followed by Sam Day's second major on the stroke of half-time giving the Suns a four-point advantage. Crossley showed some great composure for a 198cm, 101kg player, goaling on the run to get Gold Coast off to a bright start in the third quarter, but with Macrae wielding his influence, the Bulldogs were able to find plenty of open space and hit back with majors from Lin Jong and Mitch Honeychurch. But, for all their dominance in general play the Dogs found themselves trailing heading into the final change with Gold Coast making the most of their forays forward, goals from Alex Sexton and Miller setting up a grandstand finish. The ball was camped in the Bulldogs' half for the first half of the last quarter and, finally, after 13 entries inside 50 they got some reward for effort, with promising youngster Tim English putting one through the big sticks. Aaron Young's second squared the ledger, but finally weight of numbers started to take its toll, with a Gowers major quickly followed by a Bailey Williams conversion, giving the Bulldogs a 12-edge, huge in the context of the game, and sending the pro-Bulldogs crowd into raptures. However a never-say-die attitude is a hallmark of this Gold Coast side and the Suns responded through Martin to ensure a tense finish. But, their Bulldogs held their nerve in the dying stages to win their first game at their home away from home. Next on the agenda for the Western Bulldogs is a meeting with lowly Brisbane at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, while Gold Coast will host Melbourne at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon. WESTERN BULLDOGS: 1.2 5.5 8.7 11.15 (81) GOLD COAST: 2.6 5.9 8.10 10.12 (72) GOALS WESTERN BULLDOGS: Lipinski 2, Gowers 2, Dunkley, Johannisen, Jong, Honeychurch, Macrae, English, Williams GOLD COAST: Day 2, Young 2, Ballard, Crossley, Sexton, Miller BEST WESTERN BULLDOGS: Macrae, Hunter, Dahlhaus, McLean, Suckling GOLD COAST: Witts, Ainsworth, Martin, Miller INJURIES WESTERN BULLDOGS: Marcus Bontempelli (hip) replaced in the selected side by Mitch Honeychurch GOLD COAST: Nil REPORTS: Nil ATTENDANCE: 6,833 at Mars Stadium Read the full article

[thiefbird]

tell us about ainsworth??? we the people are not immune to gay ass fencibles captain

SO

Poor Ainsworth was invented about 2 or 3 hours ago because I needed some guy to flirt with Stephen in Halifax in order to upset Diana. He got way too enthusiastic about birds because he saw Stephen at a previous dinner party and got a Vibe off him, asked around how best to get the weirdo short doctor with the terrible wig to talk to him, and someone mentioned the Rodrigues Solitaire and gave him a copy of Stephen's paper on it. He read it like three times, memorised all of one Bird Fact, and started blindly making things up about Strange Birds He Has Known In Nova Scotia.

Despite being just Some Guy who exists entirely to make plot happen, I am now inordinately attached to this gayass little man who knows nothing about birds except for the fact that the only new person he's seen in a year who might possibly not be straight likes them, and therefore he has to pretend he likes birds So Much. Honestly so relatable of him, I have gotten into many things because a cute person mentioned it and I wanted them to think I was cool.

I had not made up a single bit of backstory for him before I started writing this, but he's Scottish and unfortunately has terrible luck with men - hence trying so hard to win Stephen's attention. His terrible luck strikes again: Stephen IS very much bisexual, but he is also very much at this point a) in love with Jack Aubrey and b) deluding himself into thinking he is not in love with Diana Villiers (he is, very much). The only other queer men he knows in Halifax are either his ex, his ex's new guy, a lesbian teacher couple who are blatantly living together and everyone in Halifax thinks its sweet that they're such Good Friends, and now Stephen Maturin (and Diana, ofc, but he has absolutely no idea about Diana. Or about her knowing Stephen/being engaged to Stephen), and he was not at all prepared for this eventuality.

I will probably either make him the Captain of the Marines in my original novel HMS Solace, or an NPC in my Temeraire homebrew setting for the TTRPG Empire, or both! Probably both. Poor little gay guy deserves to have a dragon and more queer friends.

[manualstogo]

For just $3.99 Albert R.N. Released on October 1, 1953: World War II Naval Prisoners of War in a prison camp escape with the help of a dummy soldier created by a famous British artist. Produced by: Daniel M. Angel Directed by: Lewis Gilbert Written by: Edward Sammis, Guy Morgan and Vernon Harris The Actors: Anthony Steel (Lieutenant Geoffrey Ainsworth), Jack Warner (Captain Maddox), Robert Beatty (Lieutenant Jim Reed), William Sylvester (Lieutenant 'Texas' Norton), Michael Balfour (Lieutenant Henry Adams), Guy Middleton (Captain Barton), Paul Carpenter (Lieutenant Fred Erickson), Moultrie Kelsall (Commander Henry Dawson), Eddie Byrne (Commander Joe Brennan), Geoffrey Hibbert (Lieutenant Craig), Peter Jones (Lieutenant Browne), Frederick Valk (Camp Kommandant), Anton Diffring (Captain Schultz), Frederick Schiller (Hermann), Walter Gotell (Feldwebel), Peter Swanwick (German Corporal). Runtime: (hh:mm) 01:24 *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, please contact us as it is unusual for any item to take this long to be delivered. Note: All my products are either my own work, licensed to me directly or supplied to me under a GPL/GNU License. No Trademarks, copyrights or rules have been violated by this item This product complies withs rules on compilations, international media and downloadable media. All items are supplied on CD or DVD. On Nov-11-16 at 14:44:21 PST, seller added the following information:

[creepykingdom]

PRODUCTION BEGINS DISNEY+’S “FLORA & ULYSSES”

Production started this week in Vancouver on Walt Disney Pictures’ “Flora & Ulysses,” directed by Lena Khan and based on the Newberry Award–winning children’s book, “Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures” by Kate DiCamillo. The film is being produced for the upcoming streaming service Disney+, which launches in the U.S. on November 12.

Director Lena Khan made waves with her first feature film, “The Tiger Hunter,” which released in 2017 and was financed by crowdfunding. The comedy about a South Asian Muslim immigrant attempting to find his way in 1970s America garnered positive reviews for Khan, a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and spotlighted her talents as a Muslim woman behind the camera.

“Flora & Ulysses” tells the story of 10-year-old Flora, an avid comic book fan and a self-avowed cynic, who saves a squirrel she names Ulysses only to have its unique superhero powers wreak havoc in a series of humorous, antic-filled adventures that ultimately change Flora’s life—and her outlook—forever.

Matilda Lawler steps into the role of Flora, marking her film debut. She currently stars on Broadway as Honor Carney in Jez Butterworth’s Tony® Award–winning play “The Ferryman,” directed by Sam Mendes. Alyson Hannigan (“How I Met Your Mother,” “American Pie”) plays Flora’s romance-writer mother, Phyllis, and Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation,” “Modern Family”) plays the role of her world-weary, estranged father, George. Newcomer Benjamin Evans Ainsworth plays the role of William, Flora’s newfound, but annoying, friend, and Danny Pudi (“Community,” “The Tiger Hunter”) joins the cast as Miller, an overly zealous animal control officer.

“Flora & Ulysses” is produced by Academy Award®–nominated film producer Gil Netter (“Life of Pi,” “The Blind Side,” “Marley and Me”), and James Powers (“The Maze Runner” series) and Katterli Frauenfelder (“Dumbo,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”) are the executive producers. The book was adapted for the screen by Brad Copeland (“Ferdinand,” “Wild Hogs”).

Khan and the producers assembled a talented roster of filmmakers, including director of photography Andrew Dunn (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”); production designer Michael Fitzgerald (“Medal of Honor,” “The Tiger Hunter”); editor Lee Haxall (“Always Be My Maybe”); and costume designer Mona May (“Santa Clarita Diet,” “Enchanted”).

About Disney+:

Launching in the U.S. on November 12, 2019, Disney+ will be the ultimate streaming destination for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. From The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, Disney+ will offer ad-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series and short-form content including series “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” and “Encore!” and films “Lady and the Tramp” and “Noelle.” Alongside unprecedented access to Disney’s incredible library of film and television entertainment and 30 seasons of “The Simpsons,” the service will also be the exclusive streaming home for films released by The Walt Disney Studios in 2019 and beyond, including “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Aladdin,” “Toy Story 4,” “The Lion King,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Frozen 2,”and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Visit DisneyPlus.com to learn more.

[riilsports]

What’s happening in the RIIL World: December 12, 2017

COMPILED BY CAROLYN THORNTON

RIIL Director of Multimedia Content

    News and notes from around the RIIL . . .  

PHOTO/CAROLYN THORNTON, RIIL

     Cumberland wrestling coach Steve Gordon shown accepting the 2017 R.I. Interscholastic League Team of the Year award last spring, has announced that this will be his 50th and final season as the Clippers’ head coach. 

 From InterMat: The coach and his wife: Steve and Judy Gordon together have become face of Cumberland wrestling...Full Story.

"The Gordons are special people. The lessons they taught us go beyond wrestling,” former wrestler, now high school math teacher Kyle LaBranche says of Judy Gordon and her husband Steve, who has embarked on his 50th and final season as Clippers coach.

From The Call: FROM CHEERS TO LEADER: Former Patriots cheerleading captain, Woonsocket's Brittany Dickie is named dance trainer for squad...Full Story.

“If it wasn’t for the Patriots, I wouldn’t have been able to do the types of things or visit the places that I did,” Dickie told The Call. “It’s helped me grow as a woman and I guess allowed me to become a leader now.”

PHOTO CREDIT/THE CALL

 From The Call: Former New England Patriots fullback Patrick Pass enjoying role as Woonsocket High's defensive coordinator...Full Story.

     “I didn’t have this type of leadership growing up, but I know it’s important to go back in the neighborhood and give these kids love, appreciation and respect,” Pass told The Call. “It’s about getting them on the straight and narrow now because there’s a lot of distractions.”

PHOTO CREDIT/THE VALLEY BREEZE

From The Valley Breeze:  Short calls it a career at Brown...Full Story.

     Before her 25-year stint as Brown women’s volleyball coach, Diane (Garceau) Short was a four-sport star at Woonsocket High School, earning All-State in basketball and volleyball, and also spent six years as an assistant girls volleyball coach at her alma mater.

Providence Gridiron Club Hall of Fame inducts six; honors Voice of the Rams’ Norman

     The Providence Gridiron Club Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017, included six individuals with strong RIIL ties: Jack Jordan, an All-State football and baseball player at St. Raphael in the mid-1950s, who went on to play and coach at the collegiate level; Mike Salomone, a player at Central Catholic of Norwalk, Conn., then coach at Narragansett High School, North Kingstown High and Bryant College; Michael Gibbons, a two-time All-Stater at Rogers High School and now Hope High coach; Frank Iannetta, longtime football coach, as well as a high school and collegiate football and basketball official; John Abbate, a star at Woonsocket High School in the early 1970s, who has been a longtime football official in Rhode Island and is Burrillville’s athletic director, as well as an active member of several boards and commissions, including the National Federation High School Football Rules Committee and the R.I. Interscholastic Injury Fund; and, Tom Milewski, Cranston West’s defensive coordinator, as well as an active member of both the R.I. High School Football Coaches Association and the Providence Gridiron Club.

     At the induction, held last month in Quonset, the Gridiron Club also presented a Meritorious Service Award to Jim Norman. The longtime “Voice of the Rams,” Norman served as past President of the Gridiron Club four times and has been named one of the 40 "Most Influential Persons in Sports" in Rhode Island, serving as URI Sports Information Director and a high school sports columnist for the Providence Journal among his many roles in the R.I. sports community.

PHOTO COURTESY/BRUCE MASTRACCHIO

Providence Gridiron Hall of Fame Class of 2017 pictured from left to right, Mike Salomone, Mike Gibbons, Jeff Jordan, Frank Iannetta, John Abbate and Tom Milewski.

 Ponaganset Hall of Fame inductS seven

       The Ponaganset Athletic Hall of Fame inducted seven student-athletes at its seventh annual banquet this fall. Honored for their “significant contributions to athletics,” the 2017 Induction Class included: John Donovan, Jack Ferns, Jacob T. Keeling, Stephen Robin, Josh Smith, William Tenaglia and Joseph Zajac.

PHOTO COURTESY/PONAGANSET HALL OF FAME FACEBOOK PAGE 

Portsmouth inducts inaugural Hall of Fame Class

      Portsmouth’s first class of inductees into the PHS Athletic Hall of Fame featured the following individuals and teams: Ray Sullivan (posthumous), Jimmy Martin (posthumous), Dick Thibault (posthumous), Pete O'Hara (posthumous), Richard Heisler (posthumous), Ray Ainsworth, Richard Travers, Ray Sabourin, Joe Narcizo, George McGaw, Joseph Flood, Maureen Ford, Roger Vierra, Ed Akucewich, Peggy Matteson, Sandy Reynolds, Del Martin, 1968 Golf Team and 1968 Football Team.

From The Newport Daily News: TRUE PATRIOTS Portsmouth High School announces inaugural class of athletic hall of fame

Several individuals, 1991 football team inducted into Johnston Hall of Fame

    Former Johnston football coach Tony Centore and his 1991 Class B Super Bowl Champion team were among those inducted into the Johnston High School Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. The Class of 2017 also included: Patrick Ryan, William Pike, Michael Morsilli, Brittany Valentine, and Victoria St. Angelo.  Michael Crawley and Matthew DiIorio were presented with the inaugural Gary V. Mazzie Lifetime Achievement Award.

From the Johnston Sun Rise:  JHS Athletics Hall of Fame 2017 induction class announced

Eight individuals, ’01 girls soccer team inducted into Cumberland Hall of Fame

        The Cumberland High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 featured the following standout athletes and coaches: 2001 Division II Champion Clippers girls soccer team, All-State swimmer and soccer player Valerie Grow, All-State field hockey standout Michaela Murray, All-State track and field athlete Dana Skorupa, All-State baseball player David Rodrigues, longtime coach Varnam Elliott, All-State soccer and track and field star Stephanie Ferreira, All-American hammer thrower Matt Campanelli and All-State basketball player Sandy Perry.

 EG Wall of Honor’s Class of 2018 announced

    The East Greenwich High School Wall of Honor Committee has announced its selections for the Class of 2018: John Chandler (Class of 1966), Diane McDonald (Class of 1969), Dr. Bernice Pescosolido (Class of 1970), Guy Asadorian (Class of 1982) and Matt Plain (Class of 1994).

      The Wall of Honor ceremony will be held at East Greenwich High School in April at a date to be announced. For more information or to recommend someone to be considered for "The Wall,” contact Committee Chairman Bob Houghtaling at (401) 230-2246 or Bruce Mastracchio at thebrooker23@yahoo.com.

[footyplusau]

Match report: Suns sizzle in Gaz’s 300th

GOLD Coast has celebrated Gary Ablett’s 300th match with a 19-point victory over North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium.

Led by five goals from co-captain Tom Lynch on Saturday night, the Suns overcame a Kangaroos comeback in the second half to post an 18.10 (118) to 14.15 (99) win.

Full match coverage and stats

The Suns’ sixth victory of the season keeps their faint finals hopes alive as dual Brownlow medallist Ablett marked his milestone match in style.

Lynch, who hadn’t kicked a goal in his past two matches, was the star of the night including a classy left-foot finish in the final term just when the visitors were threatening to rein in the Suns.

Five talking points: Gold Coast v North Melbourne

Ablett finished the night with 37 disposals and narrowly missed a set shot from 50m in the final term which would have capped the evening for the 12,779 fans.

Steven May, also celebrating a milestone in his 100th match, was solid in the backline for the Suns while Ben Ainsworth was impressive with a career-high four-goal haul.

The Suns overcame a slow start where the Kangaroos kicked two early goals, with Lynch booting two majors at the end of the opening quarter to give the hosts a 10-point lead.

A run of five unanswered goals in the second term blew that lead to 40 points, including Jack Martin’s second classy right-foot snap from the left pocket of the match and a sensational soccer effort by Ainsworth.

North responded after the main break, reducing the 33-point half-time gap to 23 at the final turn before Jarrad Waite’s fourth of the night brought the game within three goals.

Ben Brown picked up three majors while Luke McDonald was a ball magnet for the visitors with 31 disposals.

Quickfire goals to Brayden Fiorini and Lynch settled the home team’s nerves and the Suns held their opponents at arm’s length to secure the points.

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade was impressed with his side’s ability to fight back when North Melbourne was threatening.

“They had all the momentum and we made a couple of| silly errors, like usual, and it cost us, and then to kick those two, maybe three goals in the last six minutes, I think it showed the fight in the group,” he said.

“We’ve spoken about the resilience.

“We’ve been exposed in that a few games this year where we’ve fallen away.

“It’s the last seven or eight (games) we’ve had this fight, which is pleasing, it’s something we’re developing.”

Pearce Hanley’s troublesome hamstring meant the Irishman didn’t return for the second half and he’ll be in doubt for next weekend’s trip to Sydney to face the Swans, while Callum Ah Chee also had work done in the final term on a shoulder.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott lamented his side’s finishing, particularly in a disastrous second quarter.

“We just lacked a bit of polish tonight,” Scott said.

“I thought our second quarter was just a bit of a dog’s breakfast.

“I thought about going next door to the timekeepers to see if we could try and bring half time forward because we just couldn’t arrest some of the errors we were making in the second quarter and Gold Coast, to their credit, really looked to attack the game.”

WATCH: Lynch leads the way with a bag

MEDICAL ROOM Gold Coast: After sustaining a hamstring niggle against the Saints last week, Pearce Hanley twinged it again. After a scything second quarter run off half-back, the Irishman pulled up a short before leaving the field. He returned to finish the half but did come out again after the main break. “He hasn’t strained it,” coach Rodney Eade said. “He didn’t do it, but it feels the same as what it did last week. We’ll just wait and see (if he plays next week).” Callum Ah Chee played the final quarter with a sore shoulder and Eade said the small forward would have it assessed in the next few days. 

North Melbourne: After an exciting four-goal outing, Jarrad Waite was taken from the field in the final quarter with a calf problem. He had it iced and missed the final 20 minutes of the match. Brad Scott said he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury. “Fingers crossed he comes up OK but we can’t give a definitive diagnosis just yet.”

NEXT UP Gold Coast might have kept its flickering finals hopes alive, but will face the competition’s in-form team next Saturday when it travels to Sydney to play the Swans. North Melbourne hosts Fremantle next Sunday at Etihad Stadium.

GOLD COAST                 6.3   11.5   13.6   18.10   (118) NORTH MELBOURNE    4.5    5.8    8.13   14.15    (99) 

GOALS Gold Coast: Lynch 5, Ainsworth 4, Sexton 2, Martin 2, Swallow 2, Miller, Wright, Fiorini North Melbourne: Waite 4, Brown 3, Daw, Clarke, Hrovat, Wood, Atley, Higgins, Mullett 

BEST  Gold Coast: Lyons, Martin, Lynch, Swallow, Ablett, Ainsworth North Melbourne: Waite, McDonald, Higgins, Swallow 

INJURIES  Gold Coast: Hanley (hamstring) North Melbourne: Williams (back) replaced in selection side by Thomas, Waite (calf) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Haussen, Hay, Ryan

Official crowd: 12,779 at Metricon Stadium

Superstar Sun Gary Ablett is chaired off the ground following his 300th game. Picture: AFL Photos

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[thiefbird]

the best part of writing fanfic is when you have to create a character to fill a specific purpose and then all of a sudden you have created A Guy and now you're attached

[thiefbird]

people should ask me about my early 1800s ocs