#nottingham challenger

[stateofsport211]

Nottingham (G) Ch F: Jacob Fearnley [Q] def. Charles Broom [Q] 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

It turned out that some parts of the flow were in J. Fearnley's hands bar the ending of the first set, where C. Broom ended up taking it. The margin between them appeared to be thin in terms of their point construction, but J. Fearnley appeared more aggressive as he became more confident with his strokes since the second set onwards once he managed to score some massive holds in follow-up before trusting his ground game and intuitive volleys more. Thanks to this balance, J. Fearnley generated 11 break points compared to C. Broom's 10 despite the latter converting 20% of his break points, mostly in the first set.

Besides, there was a tiny difference between both players, but only the sharper one could get out of more troubles as the match progressed. This was the case for J. Fearnley, who had an exceptional first serve winning percentage with 73%, 3% higher than C. Broom despite the latter scoring 11 aces than J. Fearnley's 10. On the other hand, even though J. Fearnley double-faulted 8 times (twice more frequent than C. Broom's 4), he still stood out thanks to his follow-up accuracy as he won 8% more second serve points than C. Broom.

This marked J. Fearnley's maiden Challenger title after a stellar NCAA season (ended with a team title) despite having never won a Challenger-level match before in his previous 2 appearances, currently having a 15-match winning streak in total. This propelled his rank to 274 live as he debuted in the Top 300, while C. Broom has a career-high of 275 with this runner-up run. For the latter, his next tournament will be the Ilkley Challenger, where he will face Mikhail Kukushkin in the first round. It could be tough on the latter's best, but who knows.

[sopranicc]

can't believe i ever thought the banter era of going behind b4 halftime and then coming back after a team talk(tm) was over under klopp. slot just delayed the inevitable

[easterneyenews]

Sunak and Starmer launch ‘personal attacks’ in final debate

PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer went head-to-head on Wednesday (26) in their last debate before an election next week, with both launching highly personal attacks over their and their parties’ credibility.With Sunak’s Tories trailing Labour by around 20 points in the polls, the prime minister went on the attack, accusing Starmer of not being straight with the country on migration, tax and women’s rights, and urging voters not to “surrender” to the Labour.Starmer responded that Sunak was too rich to understand the concerns of most ordinary Britons. A snap YouGov poll said the debate had been a tie, with both on 50%.

[the-truest-sentence-i-know]

12 | Slap

Fandom: Robin Hood

Character(s): Marian x Robin Hood

Rating: T

Summary: as always, the sheriff is after robin, and as always, marian is there to get in his way

Wordcount: 100 | ao3

Prompt: stranded (from @whumpster-dumpster ’s 100 Drabble Challenge: Whump Edition)

The door to the chamber banged open and the Sheriff of Nottingham stalked inside.

“Where is he?” he demanded when he saw Marian with her needlework.

“Of whom do you speak, Sheriff?” Marian asked.

In three strides, he crossed the room. “You know very well of whom I speak, lady.”

She blinked up at him.

“Your erstwhile suitor?” He surveyed the room. “Your outlawed betrothed?”

“I have nothing to tell you,” Marian said.

His slap sent her crumpling back against the wall. Marian’s fingers curled around her dainty embroidery shears, blinking through tears. From behind the closet door, Robin seethed.

[footballmanageraddict]

Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge | Part 18 | Celebrating The Great Luís Pereira

#FM23 #SirAlexFergusonChallenge Part 18: Celebrating The Great Luís Pereira. With this challenge effectively finished, we decide to play out the career of Luís Pereira, arguably the greatest player in #FootballManager history. Read here:

After 15 Premier League titles in 16 seasons, the end was very much nigh in this successful Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge. However, I felt we had to conclude the career of arguably the greatest player in Football Manager history, Luís Pereira. Now 35, Pereira was only 8 away from 450 league goals for Forest since signing for £47m from Benfica in 2028. And, I presumed, probably had two more seasons…

[m-10fitness]

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[clayvedevs]

I couldn't find the original clip, but the first 5 seconds of this video is the only instance i could find of a tennis player doing a shoey

has a tennis player ever done a shoey or is tennis too highbrow for that

[queersatanic]

Animals as allegory

Zootopia has the common fallacy of animal allegory fiction that altho its message is one thing (“racism/misogyny are bad”) everything else about the universe runs contrary to that because there actually are essentialist differences between animal species.

Something you notice about Robin Hood is that, for the most part, there’s no rhyme or reason to how the animal-people are distributed except for maybe “big ones tend to work for the state” (e.g. rabbits and mice are peasants while crocodiles and rhinos are guards). But even then, the Sheriff of Nottingham (a wolf) is the same size as the Little John (a bear).

Whereas in Zootopia, carnivores are supposedly unfairly discriminated against, except that there’s a good reason if you stop to think about it. For a zebra, it doesn’t matter how many good lions you’ve met in your life: they all do have the capacity and perhaps desire to eat and kill you while you have no equivalent desire or real capacity to hurt them.

In reality, a Black person is not actually essentially different from a white person.

But in the anima allegory, the fear of being eaten by larger species that apparently evolved over millions of years to hunt and kill you is being treated as equivalent and supposedly equally irrational to racism — except that at the literal level and for the prey animals, it is rational.

So if you’re going to have animals represent essentialist qualities, particularly in exploitation or harm, the allegory can’t be of the one-to-one “racism is bad” sort without implicitly making fundamental arguments for racism.

You might be able to make class-based critiques but solely because we don’t tend now to have anyone believe that being rich is an essentialist characteristic inherent to them. Instead it can be an allegory for that conflict:

A longer (better) exploration of this was done in Jack Saint’s video essay series about Zootopia and similar animal allegories, such as Beastars:

However, in this moment, it may just be enough to say that, even under the context of feudalism, protagonists who fight against law enforcement as venal enforcers of an unjust system is a much more resonant message than one where people aspire to be cops enforcing and upholding unjust systems.

Whatever criticisms there are of Robin Hood for its assumptions that “monarchy is good, actually”, it does entirely fit with the setting that Medieval peasants would reject a “bad king” in the name of a Good King Richard. And considering that character appears for all of two minutes at the end, the overall impact seems to be anti-tyranny, the necessity of wealth redistribution by any means when the alternative is people starving, and an acknowledgment that truly ethical behavior is a standard that supersedes whatever is deemed illegal by the powerful, particularly when it challenges their power.

Sometimes it’s a bigger crime to follow the law.

[leithillustration]

I’ve not done an end of year round up before, but here goes! Thank you @monbons and @iamamythologicalcreature for the tags, and @aristocratic-otter for the encouragement. Seeing everyone’s roundups has been really wholesome and enlightening. 

I often don’t give my successes much space for celebration as they tend to get drowned out by the noise of all my mental health difficulties, so this is an exercise in acknowledging the good things from 2024, as well as allowing space for the things I’ve struggled with (while trying not to sound too jaded and cynical 😅). This is a long one so everything is under the cut.

Landmarks: A few significant things

My border collie Simm turned 10

My godson turned 1

I lived with one of my best friends @hattedhedgehogfor 3 months during a time that otherwise would have been rubbish, but he made the whole summer a fun adventure

Inspired by Harry, I made a hand sewn Georgian shirt with ridiculous billowy sleeves. I’ve yet to find an occasion to wear it, but I hold out hope for 2025.

I played DragonAge for the first time (Inquisition) and was not normal about it. The above banner is my Inquisitor Dadron (named for his dad energy and likeness to Ron Swanson)

I started sharing my creative writing on Ao3 for the first time

Took more control over self care and my mental health

Achievements Unlocked: Heath Stuff

I love that some 2024 reviews share personal experiences living with health problems. It’s really validating to see that. It's so easy to forget other people struggle too, they just might not want to share that online. So before I get to the creative things I've done in 2024… watch me over share my health stuff??

Finished seeing my EMDR therapist First time in 4 years I’ve been without any kind of therapy and it’s terrifying but making me work on myself in a new way. Not sure I’m done with EMDR forever, or talking therapy, but I spent a year with a therapist I didn’t vibe with and it sort of added more issues to the pile, so I’m glad I left them.

Dumped GenderGP They replaced a load of their services (including doctors) with AI. After 2 years of treatment under them, I felt so betrayed and worthless. Thankfully I’ve still got a supply of testosterone for now.

Had a minor breakdown in July Work, house stuff, gender things and mental health all got the better of me in July. Things were incredibly bleak for a while there. Surviving is hard sometimes, but I am still here so taking that as a win.

Switched to a new NHS gender care waitlist Was 3 years into a possible 6-7 year wait for a London clinic. Now I am in year 1 of a possible 2-3 year wait for Nottingham. No idea if moving was a good call or not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Got on a private gender care wait list for a top surgery referral Yeah, UK trans private health care also has huge wait lists. No idea how long this one is, but I’ve been on it since August and haven’t heard anything yet

Got an ADHD diagnosis!! I am classic ADD, go figure. Had to go private for this too (who needs savings, right?) but I’m now in my 4th week of ADHD meds. It’s been A Time but it’s giving me hope (a tenuous, vulnerable thing) that maybe things won’t always be this hard.

Self Employment: Life as an illustrator in 2024

Always a mixed bag, made all the more challenging by the above health stuff, AI, and the general state of the economy, but in spite of this I have done the following:

Sold work at 6 events Norwich Queer Fest, Harrogate Airecon, UK Games Expo, Norwich Pride, Birmingham MCM, Norwich QueerFestmas. I was filled with imposter syndrome for most of these events, and I’m always very fatigued after, but I know it is good to push myself out of my comfort zone sometimes and I do enjoy meeting likeminded people and seeing people engage with my work. I had some wonderful interactions and I’m so grateful to everyone who came to say hi.

Did 2 actual IRL paintings I hadn’t painted with acrylics at all since around 2020 when I got an iPad. This year I decided to check I can still paint by hand and turns out I’m still ok at it.

Exhibited at a local gallery I also hadn’t exhibited in galleries since around 2018, so taking part in a group exhibition with my new paintings felt like a fun (and scary) opportunity this year.

Storyboarded ‘Unravelled’ graphic novella Unravelled is a horror story about knitting, written by LP Mills. Storyboarding this was a challenge since it required a level of focus I struggle to maintain, but I’m so pleased I was able to do it.  Sadly the kickstarter (that would have paid myself and Mills to fully illustrate and print it) wasn’t successful this year, but we’re holding out hope for future funding.

Illustrated ‘Football Crumpets’ play Football Crumpets is a queer audio comedy written by Lucie Isle. I made a series of character designs and spot illustrations for to advertise the Kickstarter campaign. This campaign was successful and the comedy is now in the process of being recorded by Lucie and her diverse cast of voice actors.

Experienced the worst client of my life I won’t go into detail as this broke me, I lost someone I thought was a friend, and I’ve struggled to build up confidence since. But discussing the experience with fellow creatives made me realise almost everyone has had a client from hell at one point or another. Lessons learned: Always write up a contract in advance and question anything you’re not sure about. Don’t compromise on your work boundaries for friends.

Had 3 character commissions Dramatically down from last year and I wonder how much is due to AI and no one having any money. Who knows! I love illustrating people’s OCs and Dnd characters, and the commissions I did get have been really fun. Two of them are in the banner above this section 👆

Snowbaz & Fandom Adventures

This is only the second year I’ve engaged with the lovely Snowbaz community and I am so glad I pushed myself to do it. I’ve made some wonderful friends and I’m sharing my writing publicly for the first time in years. I’ve not done much compared to most, but I’m trying to pace myself so I don’t burn out and stop enjoying it. I’m hoping to be healthier this year thanks to new meds, so with any luck I’ll be able to do a bit more than in 2024.

Snow On Ice (writer) (M, 3.8K words, chapter 1/12ish) For CORB 24 with concept and artwork by @iamamythologicalcreature is one of the first two fics I’ve ever shared on Ao3 and I’m loving every second of writing this!!

Boundless (writer) (T, 4.5K words, chapter 1/5) Also for CORB 24, this time with @cattocavo This one has taken a bit of a back seat as I’ve discovered the hard way that I can’t write two large fics at once (curse my limitations!!!) but I’m looking forward to getting back to this when I can, especially since Catto has already produced so much incredible artwork for it and it needs to be shared!!!

On Every Wall (artist) (E, 24K, chapters 2/2)written by @orange-peony for CORB 24. I love drawing these boys so much, dammit. It was so good working with Peony and seeing her story unfold based off my indulgent artwork (an edit of which is in the above banner). I wanted to draw so much more for this fic, but health and work got in the way.

Fics that have brought me comfort and joy:

I get through a lot of Ao3 fics, but wanted to give a shout out to the fics that have stayed with me long after reading them. I cannot get over the healing power of writing and how incredible it is that so many of us can find common ground in this way. 

Someone Wicked The first is @artsyunderstudy’s Someone Wicked (Snowbaz, E, Chapters). It wrecked me and then built me back up again in the best way possible. Seeing their artwork is always an inspiration too, and I have listened to their Something Wicked Playlist about a billion times. Like any well adjusted normal person, right??

Blame it on My Youth (Andreil AFTG, E, 1.5M words, Chapters 136/?) I still owe @yourficstheyglow a lengthy Ao3 comment on how much this fic has changed my life. It’s held my hand and encouraged me to look after myself better over the past 6 months in a way therapy never has. I vibed with their depiction of Neil SO HARD. His reluctance to engage with mediation and journalling is so relatable. Along with his frustration at people forever suggesting it to him, and then his irritation that it actually helps a bit. 😂 Reading about Neil shopping around for therapists, working on his communication and downloading self care apps (even though he hates it all every step of the way) has resulted in me printing out charts to help identify my emotions, making a spreadsheet of potential therapists to approach when I’m ready, journaling for the first time in yeeeears and getting a handle on my mental health in a way I never really have before. I even downloaded the stupid Finch app (after years of people suggesting it to me) because Neil did (I named by bird Neil). When I’ve felt lonely and sad, I’ve found reassurance and safety in Neil and Andrew being soft with each other, exploring their boundaries as Andrew works through his trauma from SA, stepping outside of their comfort zones, trusting each other and respecting each other’s limitations. 

Of Cats and Closed Doors (Fitzloved Rote, E, 785K words, Chapters 77/?) I’ve been dipping in and out of this fic by @tragediegh for a good 18 months now, if not longer. I am full of love for the Farseer Trilogy books and ate them up a few years ago. The Liveship Traders came next but then I got too in my head to ready the Tawny Man trilogy, since Fitz and the Fool are so dear to me I didn’t know how to handle them going through more trauma. I just want them to hug and kiss and be loved so badly!! Ellipsis provided a monumental dose of comfort and healing in this fic. It’s become my personal canon. Last year, thanks to this fic, I finally had the courage to start reading The Tawny Man trilogy. I’m on to book 2 now and although I am terrified, I know I can come back to Of Cats and Closed Doors to remind myself in Ellipsis’ universe everything turns out ok!

I think that'll do for 2024! Tags here are to say I appreciate you and thank you for chilling with me in the tumblrverse.

@youarenevertooold @iamamythologicalcreature @alexalexinii @cattocavo @that-disabled-princess

@orange-peony @cutestkilla @rimeswithpurple @larkral @best--dress

@scribble-tier @theimpossibledemon @artsyunderstudy @raenestee @thewholelemon

@nightimedreamersworld @itriednottothinkaboutit @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @angelsfalling16

@the-beard-of-edward-teach @monbons @katatsumuli

@aristocratic-otter @snowbazdaily @argumentativeantitheticalg @lovelyladzzzz @eremeldanin

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Happy Pride 2024!

For Pride this year I thought I'd shine a spotlight on our demisexual love interest, Lord Geoffrey, aka the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Geoffrey has known that he's a little different since he was a young teenager and the scion of Woodthorpe Holding near Nottingham. The local noblemen his age were led by Robin of Locksley, a notorious flirt and later, skirt-chaser. Many of their hijinks were centered around pursuing young ladies.

Geoffrey simply wasn't interested. He felt no draw particular romantic or sexual draw toward men or women. He tended to avoid Robin's in-crowd and their antics. This didn't help his existing reputation as a cold fish, and he was sometimes mocked by the others for his disinterest.

When he came of age, Geoffrey tried for a while to be "normal" and have liaisons, but they didn't work out.

He wasn't sex-repulsed; it felt good, but he simply didn't feel attraction toward any of his partners. He decided that such volatile emotional connections were too messy for the well-ordered life he preferred, and began rejecting all suits. He knew he would have to marry eventually, but thought a political match that allowed his spouse to take lovers as she wished would be the best path forward.

By age 24, Geoffrey is quite secure in his identity. He doesn't feel broken or as though he's missing anything by lacking romantic or sexual partners. He has become the provisional Lord of Nottingham after the previous lord and all his heirs perished, a move up from the small holding of his birth. He has even secured a political match with an intelligent and practical young woman, Lady Marion of Glastonbury.

There are many challenges involved in ruling Nottingham, but Geoffrey believes that a strong hand and the rule of law will eventually bring his fractious subjects to heel. He hopes that Lady Marion will be a good partner in rulership without making demands on his heart.

What Lord Geoffrey doesn't know is that he's not incapable of feeling sexual desire. He simply needs to form a deep emotional connection with someone first, but that's difficult to do for a man who has locked himself away from nearly everyone due to anger and betrayal.

When Lady Marion flees from her pledge to him, Lord Geoffrey feels even more justified in his refusal to trust in others. But what will happen when he hires a temporary lady chamberlain, an intelligent and passionate young woman who refuses to allow him his customary emotional distance? Geoffrey liked his life before, and these new feelings are dratted inconvenient...

I decided after our Kickstarter that Lord Geoffrey was demisexual, although such terminology doesn't exist in this Medieval society so he will not be directly labelled as such in the game (no modern sexuality terms are used, instead characters think in terms of general preferences). I wanted to honor the many Made Marion fans and backers on the ace spectrum, and I'm working with my beta readers (and likely a sensitivity reader later on) to make sure that his thoughts and experiences feel authentic.

[fuzzygraphics]

Heaven’s honchos

Sera + Emily

The main issue I have with both Emily and Sera is that these characters are meant to be poc. And it doesn’t really translate in their designs. People excuse this with the unnatural colors in ALL of the Hazbin designs, so I challenged myself to translate poc features while keeping unnatural color schemes.

For sera I did a dark periwinkle skin tone, and kept her lighter hair but tied in poodle-puff braids. And Sera still keeps her true form eyes in her hair!

For Emily I went a more sapphire/cobalt blue and her hair is done up in Bantu knots. Her true form eyes can be seen in her hair as well. Emily gets a creme dress to contrast with her skin, while sera’s is more monochromatic. I wanted to illustrate Emily’s out-of-the-box thinking, and her eventual allyship with Charlie. She already stands out among angels. Not conforming.

Adam + Lute

Adam being white has got to be the biggest oversight in the history of oversights. Like I understand hazbin is not following biblical lore exactly, but Adam is from the Hebrew creation myth!! Come on now. I based his appearance on a reconstruction of his face done by Nottingham University. I upped his rocker and punk style. I like the idea of his being a rule bender and a hypocrite. So of course he’d break the dress code. As for Lute I kept her in the same blue as I did Vaggie, different for skin tone but in the same area. Her hair is cut short and her armor is all encompassing. Since she’s Adam’s second in command she gets the fancy stuff. She has a few battle scars and the bands on both her and Adam’s head are representative of Halos.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

J. Fearnley then successfully carried on his form from the second set into this deciding set, suggested that most of the flow turned out was on his racquet. He started the third set with a forehand winner to set up his one-point lead before C. Broom's unforced error widened the gap in the fourth game, where the latter's backhand error to the former's forehand generated the former's break point before its conversion (3-1). This was followed by J. Fearnley's consolidation to 4-1.

Somehow, J. Fearnley scored a massive hold to 5-2 after surviving several break points thanks to his intuitive volleys, and almost broke for the match when his forehand winner secured his fourth match point on return. However, since C. Broom held the said service game to 5-3, this meant J. Fearnley had to serve for the match, which he successfully did (6-3) to win his maiden Challenger title.

[snowblossomreads]

Day 13 - To Belong

Pairing(s)/Character(s): Sheriff of Nottingham

Summary: In where belonging was the only thing he had wanted.

Tag(s)/Warning(s): Mentions of: devil worshiping, ostracizing, murder, manipulation, non/dub con to enthusiastic consent. That's about it i think

A/N: Omg another new Alan character under my belt (i wish he was truly under my belt 💦💦😜😜🤪) Anyways please enjoy some exposition about our dear baby boi baby sheriff.

There once was a Sheriff of Nottingham.  A man misunderstood and loathed. From childhood until adulthood, those he crossed paths with seem to come to the same conclusion. It was a shame really, when truly all he wanted was to belong. 

But that was a difficult task as when he was a child, both his parents had perished in a horrible fire. His mother, with her last breath, allegedly left him in the care of the witch, Mortianna. Or so he had been told over and over.

A hag she was, yet she had ambitious plans for him. Plans that he cared not for, as all he wanted was to be a normal boy. One who got to run around and make trouble. One who got to play with all the other children, and be chided by parents for being naughty. 

Truly it was all he wanted, but it was not to be as rumors began to fly around the village the moment he had been taken in. 

"Devil worshipers the lot of them!"

"He's just a boy surely he is still innocent!"

"No no I heard that that witch bathed him in some animal blood and gave his soul to the devil!"

"That poor child. Damned to hell."

Poor child indeed, as mothers and fathers forbade their children from playing with George whenever he visited the village with his 'mother'. Everyone seemed to run away from them the moment they entered the village square, and even if he was a child, George knew that he didn't belong. 

It hurt at first. Of course it did, as he was a child, and he longed for friends and to play with others. He would ask Mortianna what he had done to have all the kids and their parents hate them, but all she would say is,

"They fear you my George, fear how powerful you are. But don't worry my son, one day all those people they will come to you and bow to you."

He didn't understand that nor did he want that. All he wanted was to belong. But it never stopped, the sideways glances, the whispers of devil worshiping. And so slowly, as he grew up, ostracized, by people, that want, that longing for friends  and to belong began to become twisted.

Turning from wanting to belong, to wanting to own. Wanting to be the one who owned the people in the town. To make them bow to him, to fear him and the wrath he could bring down on them if they weren't obedient to his whims and wants. 

It was made much easier when the previous Sheriff suddenly died of a strange headache. No one knew what had happened, but with him out of the way, no one had the courage to challenge George for the title. Too afraid to be cursed by the witch Moritanna, if they went against him.

And with that he began his crusade against those who shunned him. Seizing their lands and all they owned, only allowing them to stay if they could contribute hefty amounts to his coffers, and would pledge allegiance to him and him only. 

Some did so without much force. Others, put up a fight, and were either put down and strung up in the town village for all to see, and to make sure everyone knew that what was theirs belonged to him now, or, if he was feeling less murdery that day, and the offending person happened to have a pretty daughter, he would see that she be brought to him. 

By the time he was done with them, they would be begging to stay with him, to be owned by the Sheriff. And the euphoria that filled him when they begged to belong to him, was enough to make him take them again. 

Only to toss them out when he was finished using them. Telling them, the only way they would be allowed to serve him again, was when he saw that their families were ready to give in to his demands.

Surprisingly, a lot of people came around when that happened ,which amused him to no end. Because not only would he gain more property or livestock or whatever someone owned,  he now had another pretty little whore to add to his collection of others who lived in his castle ready to pleasure him at a moment's notice.

How amusing was it, to watch how some begged and threw themselves at him to have his attention. How they debauched themselves for him all because they now belonged to him, and were aware that he held their life, and pleasure in his hands.

My had he become more perverse after that, but he did deserve it after all. What use was power if you couldn't have at least something you wanted? 

Now he wasn't all that cruel. He was ambitious, not stupid though that did fall hand in hand with some. As long as some of the towns peoples were happy, he could at least divide the townsfolk, and make sure none would ever have the man power to stand up against him and his knights, as they would be too busy squabbling amongst each other. 

To do that, he simply bribed some. Gave some power, gave some money, gave other's a taste of his whores and they were his to command and control. People were so very easy to manipulate once you knew how they ticked.

Of course some of these ideas and plans came from the witch, who had taken a more hidden role. Only beckoning him down to her damp and dark chambers when she had a vision of something that could enrich their future. 

Yet, even with all this land, and all the people  who begrudgingly began to come over to his side, because who knew being as ruthless as he was to people on the outside would bring an influx of income into the portly village? 

Even with all that it wasn't enough. 

He wanted more. More power, more wealth, more things to belong to him. And what better way to get that than to simply own everything in the kingdom?

Simply put, he would become king, and own the people who once hated him for something he had no control over. Who avoided and shunned a child who only wanted to belong with others, yet was left on the outskirts. 

Yes, that was what he would do. And all he would need to do for that was to wed someone of royal blood as the witch had said. And luckily enough he already had his eyes on the one he wanted.

What a shame. If only they had let him in and allowed him to belong. But alas. 

[foragerknits]

Knitting in Victorian England

I wrote this for a class on Victorian Literature because my professor let me research knittinf and make a cape instead of writing a literary analysis paper. The cape that is discussed from The Art of Knitting is what I created for this project, with the illustration from the book on the top right and the cape I knit on the left. The book is from 1892 and is free on Internet Archive, and Engineering Knits on YouTube made a wonderful video about it. (More photos of the cape at the end!)

Knitting experienced a surge of popularity in Victorian England, and was even a topic of discussion in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. After gaining popularity due  to industrialization, knitting became a common pastime for women. Knitting was important because it existed as a way for Victorian women of all classes to be seen as  virtuous and gave them the look of domesticity, while additionally functioning as a  means of income for working-class women by either knitting or writing about knitting.  

Industrialization shifted the view of knitting from economic necessity to a  fashionable pastime for gentry women. In 1589 the first mechanical knitting machine  was invented in Nottingham, which industrialized the knitting industry (“The History  of Hand-Knitting"). Dyed wool trade with Germany and the subsequent booming  industry of knitting pattern books turned knitting into something more accessible and artistic than solely practical (Rutt 112). Knitting became popular and fashionable for gentry women around  1835 (Rutt 111). Women of all classes have knitted long before the Victorian period, but  the industrial changes shifted knitting to a popular and fashionable pastime for gentry women, in addition to the economic necessity for working-class women. 

Knitting served as a way to keep women wholesomely busy. In The Art of  Knitting, a quote from the beginning by Richter reads “A letter or a book distracts a woman more than four pair of stockings knit by herself” (qtd in The Art of Knitting 2).  Knitting kept women busy without opening them up to new ideas that came from  letters and books. Furthermore, a writer in The Magazine of Domestic Economy writes how  useless the items (upper-class) women made were, but praises knitting in its effort “to rid of those hours which, but for their aid, might not be so innocently disposed of” (qtd  in Rutt 112). Concentrating on knitting produces something at the end of the hours of  challenging work but does not expose women to any material that the Victorians would deem dangerous or immoral. Thus, even when women made something useless, they  were keeping themselves busy in a virtuous way. 

Knitting also gave women the feminine and domestic look that was expected of  them in the Victorian era. This can be seen in Jane Eyre with Jane’s description of Mrs. Fairfax upon their meeting. Jane thinks, “[Mrs. Fairfax] was occupied in knitting; a large  cat sat demurely at her feet; nothing in short was wanting to complete the beau-ideal of  domestic comfort” (Bronte 145). This is the first time the reader sees Mrs. Fairfax,  surrounded by a warm fire, a cat and engaged in a feminine pastime. She is the image  of domesticity. Jane admires Mrs. Fairfax, in part, for the comfort her nature, including  knitting, brings. Mrs. Fairfax shows the role knitting plays into the idea of women as  domestic creatures. 

Certain forms of knitting made women appear elegant. Frances Lambert, author  of 1842 manual The Handbook of Needlework, advises women to knit using the common Dutch knitting method, in which the yarn is held over the fingers of the left hand and  the needles pointed upwards, because it was seen as a more elegant style of knitting  (Rutt 113). While Rutt notes that this method was a faster way of knitting, Lambert does  not comment on this, but instead focuses on its aesthetic qualities. This style of knitting was popular because it allowed for the look of style that was mandatory in women’s lives.  

While gentry women were often restricted to making less practical knit items,  some knitting authors disparaged this for frivolity and immorality. Working-class  women did not have this criticism as the things they made were out of practicality and  meant for regular use. In picking yarn color and material, Mlle Riego de la  Branchardiere, author of Ladies Handbook of Knitting, Netting and Crochet writes “...and  let her be careful to make all she does a sacrifice acceptable to her God” (qtd in Rutt  116). Rutt asserts that although Victorian knitting is seen as producing useless knits,  some authors disparaged this (117). They instead encouraged women to focus on what  they saw as the spiritual aspects rather than on aesthetics, as everything women did,  including knitting, should enhance their virtue. 

While knitting was popular as a pastime, it was still used out of economic need  and served as a way for working-class women to earn money. Knitting was taught in  orphanages and poor houses, with the first knitting school opened in Lincoln, Leicester, and York in the late 1500s. One school in Yorkshire was established for boys and girls  who were “not in affluence” (“The History of Hand-Knitting"). The first knitting book,  titled The National Society's Instructions on Needlework and Knitting, published in 1838, was an instructional manual for teachers to teach poor students the art of knitting and  needlework. Knitting was used as a personal hobby, but also as a way for working-class  people to support themselves.  

The importance of knitting to working-class women can be seen in Jane Eyre. St John tells Jane, “It is a village school: your scholars will be only poor girls—cottagers’  children—at the best, farmers’ daughters. Knitting, sewing, reading, writing, ciphering, will be all you will have to teach” (Bronte 541). Knitting will be a way for these young girls to get jobs and to be able to make clothes for themselves and their families. In this way, knitting was more than a fashionable and artistic hobby, but a necessity for many  working-class women. 

In addition to manufacturing knitwear, women were able to make substantial livings writing about knitting. There was a boom in knitting and needlework  publications during the 19th century (“The History of Hand-Knitting"). Some, such as  The Art of Knitting, were published directly by publishers with no one associated author.  Others were authored by women and were immensely successful. Cornelia Mee, who  published shorter pamphlet-type knitting books, sold over 300,000 copies during their run in print (Rutt 115). Francis Lambert, author of two editions of My Knitting Book, sold a combined 65,000 copies and was translated into several languages across Europe (Rutt  113). Knitting gave working-class women opportunities to earn money, whether it was  making knitwear or writing about knitting.

Knitting manuals contained various topics, such as some focusing on the religious and virtuous aspects of knitting as discussed previously, but most, if not all, had patterns in them. Under the chapter “Hoods, Capes, Shawls, Jackets, Fascinators, Petticoats, Leggings, Slippers, etc., etc.” in The Art of Knitting there is a pattern to knit a cape. Victorian knitting patterns tended to be broad and vague. Today's patterns are quite concerned with needle size and gauge, unlike many Victorian patterns. For instance, the cape pattern instructs the reader to “use quite coarse needles and work rather loosely,” (60).

Knitting was an important skill for women in the Victorian era, and they knit for a multitude of reasons. Knitting gave women the look of virtue, elegance, and domesticity. Working-class women used their knitting skills to support themselves and their families through making knitwear or writing about knitting.  

Sources:

The Art of Knitting. The Butterick Publishing Co. 1892.   https://archive.org/details/artofknitting00butt/page/60/mode/2up?ref=ol&vi ew=theater

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Planet eBooks. 1847. 

“The History of Hand-Knitting" Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Rutt, Richard. A History of Hand Knitting. Interweave Press. 1987.  https://archive.org/details/historyofhandkni0000rutt/page/n7/mode/2up?vie w=theater

[footballmanageraddict]

Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge | Part 14 | Surpassing SAF's Trophy Haul

#FM23 #SirAlexFergusonChallenge Part 14: Surpassing SAF's Trophy Haul. A dominant league campaign sees #NFFC win an 8th successive #PremierLeague to go past SAF's haul of 38 trophies. But could we win another league & #ChampionsLeague double? Read here:

Sir Alex Ferguson’s haul of 38 trophies at Man UFC may have seemed insurmountable when we took control of struggling Nottingham Forest 16 years ago. However, it was suddenly just two successes away after a period of absolute dominance at the Brian Clough Arena. I’d also become the third greatest Football Manager ever, only behind Pep Guardiola and the great man himself. Speaking of managers,…

[aresmarked]

ena helping mizuki with an estradiol injection? is this anything?

Insert omake image of burr-me wryly sighing and holding up my phone on the open Canadian highway so I can get a signal and do some quick research on the safe ways to inject hormones. Anyway thank you, Fenway Health, for your straightforward instructions brochure. Also thank you, University of Nottingham, for elaborating on advantages and disadvantages of subcutaneous and intramuscular injections.

-0-

"So you want me to help you with your injection, when I've never done it before."

"Yup!"

"In your butt."

"Mhm~"

"'Cause the size of the needle made you queasy last time, and you want to not look at it."

"That's about the short and the long of it, yea!"

Ena clasps her hands together, praying for patience. "And you think I'll be any better about seeing it, why?"

Finally a touch of sheepishness colours Mizuki's expression. "Ah, ha, well… 'cause you're my sweet, courageous, bestest girlfriend, who can never back down from a challenge when it comes to what she can or can't do yet…?"

"…I'm your only girlfriend," is all Ena can mutter in retort. Mizuki knows her too damn well sometimes. She sighs, and heads to the sink. "Well? What do I have to know?"

"Ah! Well, I can handle getting the needle prepped and all, all you gotta do is wipe the area clean, pull the skin tight, and stick the needle in me quickly 'n firmly, straight to the muscle." Mizuki mimes sticking the needle in, complete with pressing the plunger.

"That's all?"

"Pretty much!"

"I can stick it anywhere in your butt?"

"Oh, um. No. Wanna keep it, towards the top? Of my butt. Less likely to hit the sciatic nerve and, y'know! Cause an injury that way."

Ena stops, mid-wash of her hands, droplets dripping to the floor unheeded as she gives Mizuki a slightly despairing, more-than-a-little overwhelmed look.

Mizuki meekly replies to the silent plea. "How about we ah, do it in my thigh? I have a video. And I can just ah, look away."

"Please."