#since The Artful Dodger has made me so very curious

[allisonreader]

I want to write. But I have nothing that I'm in the mood to work on. I should be going to bed besides that.

[the-fiction-witch]

She's Not Well p2

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating Flirty Af

Part One

Requested

Please tell me there is or will be a part two!? I might die if there is not. 🩵🪡🩸🏨💋🩺 Ooooh...l love it. Looking forward for p2 need a part two Part 2!! Plzzz part 2, im very curious YEASSS PLEASE I WANT TO KNOWWWW WNAT PLEASE PART TWOOOOOOOO Omg part 2 PLEASE I need to know I NEED PART TWO!!!!! Part 2 plssssssss Please I need a part two where jack breaks her out of her room This is an great book so far. I really look forward to future stories, and maybe a part 2????

I had worried about y/n ever since I had seen her last a few days ago, I had tried asking the Prof about her but he was pretty much always drunk. I stood in the stockroom making notes on everything we had and everything we needed to order. I heard a familiar little giggle and I glanced to the door of the stock room where I saw her.

"Y/n!" I smiled,

She giggled and waved as she hopped inside shutting the door today in a little red dress her hair in loose curls, I smiled so widely to see her again even if I was a little worried about her getting in trouble,

"Hello you," I cooed,

She jumped into my arms wrapping her arms around my torso and nuzzling her head into my chest,

"You are just the cutest little thing aren't you?" I chuckled wrapping my arms around her too petting her curls and kissing the top of her head, "you should be up in your room."

she whined sadly looking up at me and pouting,

"Alright, you can stay and have a cuddle with me for a little while, but then back up to your room. We don't want prof to know you're missing... Then we'd be in so much trouble,"

She smiled and nuzzled herself into my chest,

"You are so sweet, but you won't talk to me?" I asked her but she just cuddled me, "Okay, I guess you don't talk?" I asked and she shook her head, "Alright, you're a quiet little thing." I cooed playing with her hair, "Prof... Said you're not well? but you seem to be fine..." I began, "When he says not well is that physically or... mentally?" I asked a little nervous to ask her but she just pulled my neck down so our lips could meet, I happily smiled and kissed her back with equal enthusiasm, I briefly pulled back to catch my breath, "You can't just kiss me to get out of answering -" But she yanked me back into a kiss and it wasn't long before our kisses were a heavy make out my hands stroking her dress, her own on my trailing into my hair knotting her fingers in my hair, after a good while of our lustful kisses she pulls back biting her lip as she stroked the buttons on my waistcoat, "Yeah? That what you want little lady?" I smirked and she nodded with an excited giggle, "You're adorable," I cooed rubbing my nose on hers, "Come here you," I smirked pulling her back into a kiss, we kissed deeply for a good while until I picked her up sat her on the table as we heavily made out,

"Y/n!" Prof yelled down the hall,

we quickly separated and Y/n gave me one more kiss before she hopped off the table and hid in the back of the stockroom just as the door flew open to Professor looking angry, so I adjusted myself a little to try and not to look suspicious.

"Hello Professor."

"Y/n has gone missing. She is not in her room. Have you seen her Doctor Dawkins?"

"...uhhh ohh uhh No no, I can't say I have," I lied,

"Alright, if you see her tell me immediately!" He demanded before he continued on his way,

She giggled happily and jumped back into my arms for more cuddles,

"You are going to cause such big trouble for such a little lady," I teased, "...You're worth it though," I smirked pulling her back for a kiss, but she smiled and pulled back kissing my nose and heading to the door but I grabbed her hand, "Wait- Don't go. come on y/n you can't leave me hanging with only a kiss?"

She smiled and gave my lips another kiss and squeezed my hands and bolted off to go back to her room before the professor spotted her. 

[smalltownfae]

Books that Made Me

I was thinking about an idea for a video and stumbled across a “favorite books of all time” that also had books that impacted the person the most. That got me thinking about the books that were influential to me and some of them would be what I consider nostalgic, but I am not a person that values nostalgia that much. It was great at the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s a favorite now. So, I decided to make a Tumblr post about it instead since I don’t want to really recommend all of these. I just want to leave a record somewhere of the books that impacted me even though I changed my mind about some of them. I will go in order since I was a child up to now. I will tag some people at the end because I am curious, but don’t feel obligated to do it.

1. Fairy Tales

I used to read and reread a lot of fairy tales and fables as a kid. The ones I read the most were, of course, the Brothers Grimm and Andersen fairy tales. But I also used to read the fables of La Fontaine and Aesop and even bible stories adapted for kids with all of the pictures. I don’t love fairy tales as much now, but I still admire the influence they have on so many fantasy books. My favorite fairy tale was the Snow Queen and that is the reason the book “The Raven and the Reindeer” by T. Kingfisher is special to me, even though it’s not even my favorite by her. It’s weird that I haven’t found many fairy tale inspired fantasy books that I like, but I do enjoy books with a fairy tale like atmosphere and some of the elements in those stories.

2. “A Floresta” (The Forest) by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Ooops a Portuguese book with no translation. This is a children’s book about a girl that finds a little dwarf (more like a gnome really) and there is this theme of saving the forest and being conscious to not harm nature. This is sort of like the Lorax for Portuguese people. I also really liked another book from this author called “A Fada Oriana”, which is about a fairy that neglects her duty of protecting the forest because she falls in love with her own reflection and then shit happens. Pretty sure you’ve also heard similar stories before.

3. “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens

I’ve read an abridged version of it as a child and I used to loved stories about thieves and orphans so of course I loved the Artful Dodger. I also watched a lot of adaptations of the book, but my favorite was the cartoon with the animals (not the Disney one). Not sure if anyone else watched that. Anyways, I loved it as a child but then I read the complete book in my early 20s and I was both bored and disappointed by it. This is also why I say if I had read “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke in 4th grade I would have loved it so much. That book has everything I used to love then.

4. Biography of Florence Nightingale

I don’t even know who wrote this particular book and I don’t know why I picked it up from the adult section of the library as a small child (and they let me). All I remember is that it was the first book that made me cry. I remember nothing else about it, but it certainly affected me. I mean, I know the basics about Florence Nightingale, but the book itself I have no clue.

5. St. Clare’s series by Enid Blyton

Oh! My first book series ahah I am pretty sure these books are very outdated now, but I want to reread them at some point. I used to reread them a lot. I even painted the black and white illustrations in my books and I kind of shipped Pat and Joana without even knowing it. These books are about two twins that go to a private school for girls and need to learn how to be less pretentious and to behave like “good girls”. I remember they did practical jokes all the time and I remember that new characters suddenly appeared in one of the books. I only found out later that it was because there were books missing in the collection because those weren’t written by Enid Blyton... It was ridiculous to sell the collection like that. Either way, my favorites were the first 3 because it focused on the twins and their class and I liked the evolution of Pat and Joana clashing with each other and then becoming best friends. Pat used to be my fav because she was outspoken, determined and a bitch. Joana was the prankster and I am not sure if that is her name in English because we used to translate everything.

6. Calvin and Hobbes series by Bill Watterson

There were little comic strips in every Portuguese school book I ever owned and I loved it. I then read the comics and those are funny, clever and adorable. It brings me good comforting memories and I used to love comic strips. This one was my favorite of the kind.

7. “Trapped in Bat Wing Hall” (Give Yourself Goosebumps) by R.L. Stine

I still remember that I only organized one birthday party in my life and that my best friend at the time was sick so she didn’t show up, but her sister brought her gift and it was this book. It’s the only goosebumps book I own and it’s falling apart because I read it so much. It’s one of those choose your own path books and it was the only one of those where I managed to get an “happy” ending on the first try. When my sister was old enough I read it with her and we had fun with it. I had to read it because child me put barbie stamps on it that showed which was the good and which was the bad option ahahah So, I read it so she couldn’t cheat.

8. Harry Potter

I would be lying if I said this series didn’t have a huge impact on me. It doesn’t anymore and I haven’t given it as much importance for some years now, but I can’t deny it was important in my teens.

9. “Petshop of Horrors” by Matsuri Akino

My favorite kind of anime is episodic ones. That means that each episode (sometimes 2 or 3 episodes) stand on it’s own, but there is always something that connects them, usually a character. Petshop of Horrors is like that. It’s about a mysterious pet shop owner called Count D that sells exotic pets that are not what they seem. There is a detective that knows something fishy is going on and it’s always trying to catch him while at the same time forming a sort of friendship with him. Count D is still one of my favorite characters ever and liking animals more than humans was relatable at the time ahah But, just like Count D, I grew and found that humans aren’t all that bad. This sort of narrative structure that is also found in “Kino’s Journey” and “Mushishi” is why I really liked “The Empress of Salt and Fortune” by Nghi Vo.

10. “Monster” by Naoki Urasawa

Psychological thrillers represent! For some time, Urasawa was my only favorite mangaka. Besides “Monster”, I read “20th Century Boys” and “Pluto” and they’re all amazing even though “20th Century Boys” extends for too long and some of it could be cut. I really like psychological thrillers even though I don’t read them much (usually is just the movies I pick) so I needed something here to show my love for it and nothing better than this guy. He also is responsible for the amazing documentary series about mangakas called Manben. The main idea of the value of a life and the responsibility of a doctor is amazingly explored here.

11. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

This was the first classic I ever read (not counting the ones for school and Oliver Twist) and I loved it. This book is at fault for my pretentious years of reading only the classics. I still love it and fortunately the pretentiousness was lost along the way. One of my friends bought me an Oscar Wilde fridge magnet. They all knew I was obsessed. I also watched an adaptation of “The Happy Prince” as a child and shamelessly ripped it off in 4th grade and made my teacher cry. But, in my story the main character was a scarecrow instead of a statue. Me unknowingly being influenced by Oscar Wilde since ever XD

12. “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

The book that got me interested in politics. So short and so powerful. I remember making fun of it because of the translated title, which is something like “Pig revolution”, but I was impressed when I read it. I read it English and it was for the best I think.

13. “The Illustrated Man” by Ray Bradbury

I used to think I didn’t like scifi unless it was dystopian. This book made me see that I do like it as long as it focuses on the human elements and it doesn’t look like I am reading a science textbook. I have to reread it in order to know if I still like it because I have been disappointed by this author’s works recently, but I loved it at the time and it made me question some societal issues.

14. “Solanin” by Asano Inio

This is my biggest example of right book at the right time. I read it in my early 20s when I was questioning what to do with my life and I was bored with my job and disappointed by everything and this manga is exactly about that. It follows a young adult couple trying to navigate through life and questioning if they should chase their dreams or conform. Their friends are also battling with this and everyone chooses a different path. Asano Inio is not an optimist or pessimist and that is why the ending of this manga is so comforting to me. It keeps it real and makes me see that no matter what there will always be good and bad moments and I should come to terms with it at my own pace.

15. “Murder on the Orient Express” and “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie

I read both around the same time and I didn’t guess who did it in any of them, but I loved how much heart Poirot had in the resolution of the case and I found a love for closed circle mysteries. I haven’t read that much mystery novels yet, but I do enjoy a mystery, especially when a bunch of people are trapped in one place and try to figure out which of them is the killer. Lately, I have been noticing the racism more and more in Agatha Christie’s novels though so I haven’t been wanting to read them.

16. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

I like romance? Me? I do. In small doses and it needs to have something else going on besides the romance. I found out I enjoyed Austen and tried to figure out the difference between this and other romances and it boils down to social commentary and comedy. I am not even a fan of the couples in the novels I have read by Austen, but I am a fan of the main female characters and other side characters, I am a fan of the humor and clever dialogue. I hope to find more books like this. I attempted modern romances and nothing hits the same. Those are also too focused on sex, which isn’t my favorite thing to read about.

17. Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Reading Pratchett was such a surprise. I started with “The Colour of Magic” and found the dynamic between Rincewind and Twoflower charming. Plus, the book was funny. Now, I realize that it’s not the best in the series, but I count on Discword to provide funny clever commentary about social issues when I need it. This was the first author to get close to Oscar Wilde for me. I really had a soft spot for funny authors in my early 20s. I still do, but not as much.

18. Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb

Ahah did this one impact me more than others... I was so obsessed it dethroned Oscar Wilde. Now my friends only think Fitz and the Fool because I wouldn’t shut up about it. This was the reason I found online friends because I was in so much need to talk to someone that would understand my joy and pain. It’s also part of my first real fandom experience and it’s great. I had never found characters that felt as real as this ones did and I never had a book made me cry as much as “Fool’s Fate” did. I don’t love the latest books in the series as much, but it’s still precious to me for how much of an impact these characters, themes and stories had. I read this series at a really low point in my life and it gave me a reason to keep living and to hope for a better future, which is why it’s a bit disappointing to see how “grimdark” the last trilogy is. It’s the only series I read all at once and in a short period of time despite having so many books. I am glad that by the time I finished the Rain Wild Chronicles I was in a better mental state because the darkness in the last books is really disheartening. The books always had sad, dark moments but they had happy relaxing times to balance it out too. I had an emptiness that I filled with RotE and that partially explains the obsession at the time ahah

19. The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

I put the first trilogy only because that was the one with an ending that surprised me. I also had never read grimdark before besides “A Game of Thrones” and I was pleasantly surprised. I never read anything like it in terms of characters and meandering plot that ultimately had the message of “things change but not really”. It’s not a message I want to see over and over again, but as a first time it worked brilliantly. Plus, the humor and calm times make the series not look so dark and edgy as others in the genre,

20. “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones

I am so glad I read this book even though I wasn’t much of a fan of the movie. I only did it because @monpetitrenard said she loved it and she was the biggest RotE fan I had ever met and I trusted her taste. This book made me realize that middle grade books can still be wonderful for adults and it made me appreciate the movie. I know that sometimes it is categorized as YA, but I don’t quite agree. Once again, the dynamic between Howl and Sophie is so funny it had my heart. The easiest way to make me love something is to make me laugh in moderation I guess XD

21. “The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison

If First Law made me like a mostly dark atmosphere this one did the opposite. Maia, the main character, is kind and sweet, but this isn’t portrayed in an unrealistic way. I always have trouble with characters that are just morally black or white because it doesn’t feel realistic to not have both good and bad traits and it also makes for usually boring characters (unless they are funny like Disney villains). So, this was the book that showed me a character that was very morally good while being realistic instead of a saint.

22. “Pandora Hearts” by Jun Mochizuki

This one that made me rediscover my love for manga, which I thought was dead. Turns out that I can find something that hits differently now and then. Oz is a shonen mc that acts like the usual silly one while being in fact very attentive and clever. He is not the usual super strong let’s go into battle type. This manga is a fantasy mystery with a medium moving plot that is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It has one of my favorite characters of all time and I am so glad I gave this another try after giving up on the anime in my teens. This mangaka has the gift of wonderful pacing using panels and it was a joy to see the evolution of her art style from the first volume of “Pandora Hearts” to “The Case Study of Vanitas”.  I also own the box set which is the most beautiful collection ever.

23. “Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler

Never have I ever read a book that included this many different perspectives on slavery even though it’s a first person narrative. It blew my mind, but it also felt very real and honest, even with the scifi element of time travel. It’s wonderful and I wish more people read books by this author because she was brilliant. I can’t really say much about it because I think the book is better enjoyed if you don’t know anything going into it. It’s one of those. “The Parable of the Sower” is also brilliant.

24. “Carmilla” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

This is here because of the audiobook version with a full cast that I love. It made me see that audiobooks can be amazing. I have trouble paying attention to audio so not all of them work for me, but this one certainly did. The performances were amazing and improved the story. I just love Rose Leslie’s voice! And David Tennant’s! They were both in it. It was so damn good! The performances were so engaging that they didn’t let me space out, but I think that the book being really short also helped.

25. “Yotsuba&!” by Kiyohiko Azuma

This is just so charming. I can’t help smiling and feeling relaxed while reading this silly manga. This is about a young girl called Yotsuba and her interactions with her father and the next door neighbours. Youtsuba’s bluntness and joy at discovering the simplest things about the world always put a smile on my face. This is a perfect comfort read for me.

I tag: @monpetitrenard @whatevsbla @alloysius-g @electropeach @vydumaj @song-of-amethyst @aseaoftomes @garnetrena @logarithmicpanda @xserpx​ @random-jot​ @pretenderoftheeast​ (only if you want to do it of course)

[margsld]

Outlander Epi 3.03 Recap

All Debts Paid like a good, Red-Coated Lannister should.

As always we salute the writer of each episode. This magical one is written by the legendary Exec Producer, Photographer, Location Scout and super fan - Matthew B Roberts. *raises glass

Boston, 1956. Claire and Frank really should have learned not to have breakfast together by now.  Sure Frank is the cook this time and damn, I can almost smell that bacon-grease fried bread but all this white fashion and happy conversation is giving me indigestion. Far from book Frank, TV Frank is a cheater! GASP But he’s discreet. Oh, that makes it better then...NOT.

Meanwhile in Sunny Northern Scotland, it’s 1755 at Ardsmuir Prison.  Harry Quarry aka Old Geezer, is giving a dashing Lord John Grey (SWOON & SQUEE for Oz actor David Berry) the 10 schilling tour of his new Govenor-ing responsibilities.  Whisky is the only hightlight of being banished to the Northern-most post. Slainte! Short of hanging Lord John, this is hell itself especially since Kilts were banished post-Culloden.  Goodbye knee-porn. *reaches for a tissue

They arrive in Ardsmuir’s happy place, the yard bursting with grinning prisoners, leaping about in the sunshine. Or not. Old Geezer points out the fully clothed (drats)  Red Jamie aka Hooligan of the Highlands, who has plagued Lord John’s conscience since their last meeting. Lord John is too swoony to speak. There he was, standing right there in the shadows of the yard looking like the artful Dodger himself.  Any shiftier looking and he’d swing out an arm, only for a ladder of fake Rolex’s to appear for a fiver each.

Harry tells Lord John that he had supper with Mr Fraser, aka Mac Dubh weekly because who wouldn’t, ye fool.  Also, the other prisoners saw him as their leader and it kept the prison pleasant. That and 400 juicy rats.  Mac Dubh was not to be trusted though and was trussed up like a xmas ham in chains. Lord John declares he’ll not dine with that....I think he’s going to say ‘Spunk Rat’ here but then realises Harry would hear him and it could get awkward.  Instead, he ops for ‘Prisoner’ and we carry on.   

When it’s time to clinker back to his luxurious cell, Jamie tinkles like xmas bell until he finds a little perch. A nasty cough is heard from behind him and then a familiar voice asks if he’s met the new governer?  For the love of all things grumpy, it’s Murtagh!  Hooray! He’s forgotten to brush his teeth since Claire left and rats are eating him alive but more concerning to Dr Jamie is his cough. 

Forget where Murtagh’s been for the last umpteen years, we want to hear all about the new fella....  Jamie says he’s young, scairce more‘n a bairn which translates to.... well.... young.  Prison obviously makes you a bit gay because Jamie then notes his carriage *cough, his square shoulders then talks about his arse.  No wait, he has a ramrod up his arse.  This translates to 'educated and posh'.

Jamie is invited to chat with Lord John in his quarters, as Hazza Quazza suggested.  A rat crawls out of the dark and Lord John is mortified.  He demands a cat chase the fat rat until it’s splat.  No time for Dr Zeuss Jamie says, the cats would stop the gourmet cooking classes in the cells. Then what would bored prisoners do? 

Claire has finally graduated from Medical school and has a party at the house.  Bree is taking photos to mark the occasion and neglects to put herself in a picture.  Good parenting.  Frank is eager for them all to leave for their dinner reservations. Not suspicious at all, Frank.  Wasn’t he M16? Oopsey, Claire finds a pretty blonde lady on the doorstep.  Double oopsey, Frank didn’t mean to have his mistress turn up early.  So busted.  Claire decides its suddenly quite normal to go to reservations an hour early and clears the party goers out toot-sweet while Frank and little Miss Early-pants stand aside pretending they are decorative palms. Oh Frank.

The hills are alive with the sound of a ranting madman in Scotland.  Red coats find a hobo wandering near the coast and take him into custody. Duncan Kerr rants about Gold and curses so of course the Red coats get excited.  Lord John, smelling his golden ticket back to civilisation, hurries to Jamie to make a deal.  He’ll lose the Emo jewellery if he translates the madman’s Gailidgh and French ramblings. It's a deal.

Frank comes home from his hot date with Candy, errh, Mandy or is it Sandy and Claire is waiting for him.  He’s visibly drunk and she’s visibly ready to insert his British-issue ramrod! Claire accuses him of humiliating her in front of her colleagues.  Frank slurs ditto and that her face is like glass; no one at his work believes in their sham marriage anyway.  Claire gets snippy about his girlfriend and Frank says Sandy is no harlot, she has a PHD in linguistics.  Who saw that coming?    PS I want that bar!  He poors another drink because we all know you win arguments when you are drunker!  She asks if they’ve done the horizontal tango in their bedroom and Frank lashes back with a stinging “I think our bedroom is too crowded already”. Ouch Claire.  That’s a fine serving of karma pie you’ve just choked on.

It’s cheery days over at Ardsmuir resort too.  Jamie is trying to work out what the near-dead Duncan is raving about.  He is very interested when Duncan mentions the McKenzie, Ellen marrying silkies and a White Witch.  I fear he’s stumbled across some cocaine hustler but he insists that the Gold is cursed and the white witch will come for Jamie.  Spooked af.  Jamie tells the eavesdropping Lord John that Duncan was not making much sense.  John smells a rat and this time its a big red, unshaven Scottish rat not telling the truth.  He threatens to get it out of Jamie but Jamie just snorts.  Umm been there, done that, bought the Black Jack Tshirt already, Lord John.

Bree turns 16 and it’s evident Claire and Frank are no longer on the same page. 

Murtagh is getting more Dr Jamie medicine.  Does anyone else think perhaps it’s Jamie’s healing skills causing them all to be sick in the first place?  Murtagh is curious about Duncan Kerr’s news and when he hears of the story including a White Witch, he launches into some purvey memory about Claire and how often he thinks of her.  It’s kinda creepy but hey, prison. What is in that tea, Jamie?

 Lord John summons Jamie for supper.  Jamie decides that’s a great time to suggest the Governor let the men roam the moors and set traps so they can catch their own meat, since the British are too stingy.  At first Lord John thinks he’s pulling his leg but then Jamie explains it's another rat under the table. The prisoners can set their traps while out Peat collecting.  Oh well that’s alright then! They have supper together and Lord John explains the lack of intelligence of a pheasant but it’s good with red wine sauce.  Jamie takes a bite and instantly has a foodgasm. 

Later, back at story time in his cell, Fraser decides sweet-talking the cellmates to sleep with his tales of buttery rolls, is a kindness.  He's gone saft in the heid. If it was me sharing a cell and missing the good food, I’d tear him limb from limb.  Or lick him. A lot.

Lord John now surely needs anxiety medication, after Jamie jumps him while out taking a leak beyond the prison walls.  Jamie had escaped from the Peat Gang a few days earlier and now had returned.  Jamie confronts Lord John about their history and tries to insight him to kill him as he promised the first time they met.  John refuses to kill an unarmed man and they share a look. It's love blossoming.

They wander the nearby field shooting the breeze, as you do. John listens carefully as Jamie reveals why he had to go see if Claire was the white witch, Duncan was raving about.  And of the gold?  Jamie says he found an empty box with one jewel remaining and hands Lord John a perfectly cut sapphire. They are now BFFs.

Quick bounce back to Bree graduating in 1966 from high school. Claire chooses to wear white again. I’m sensing a pattern here.

In Ardsmuir, Lord John refuses to deny his fave prisoner’s requests.  Who can say no to that big red lion.  Lord John gets Murtagh a proper doctor.  Jamie can stop collecting Watercress now and Murtagh is vera grateful.

Jamie is playing chess with Lord John and they bond over wicked moves and their lost loves.  John confesses to losing his boyfiend at Culloden and Jamie tells John that his wife was called something starting with C. Umm, yeah, that’s it Claire.  She loved festering boils like no other.  John is impressed and jealous all at once.  More reminiscing ensues about their first meeting.... “If you found a 16 year old shitting himself a worthy opponent Mr Fraser, then it’s no wonder the highland army was defeated”.  Nah, it was the stupid bravery that impressed him mostly.  Is John blushing?  They bond like super glue to a shoe and things are going rosy.  They talk of that fun time he thought they were raping Claire too - oh the scallywags. 

Things get melancholy because alcohol. These two girls can’t handle their plonk and Lord John goes in for a raunchy hand caress.  Jamie suddenly realises he’s on the menu and tells John to take his hand off him or he’ll replace his ramrod with his sword.  John realises he’s just made a mammoth mistake and things are more tense than a rat in a prison cell before lunch time.  Jamie leaves in disgust and Lord John sheds a tear, for he needed new pants again. *squelch

Frank tells Claire he wants to move to England and take Bree now that she’s 18. She could go to Oxford while he works at Cambridge and Sandy, Mandy & Candy can come be his proper wife/wives.  Claire tells him no frikkin way. Bree is hers and he can’t take her.  He reminds Claire that every time she looks at Bree she sees Jamie and he just wants to live with a wife who loves him.  Fair point.  Insert shit storm and tears here.  He storms off out the door with his keys just as the phone rings.  Claire is called to the hospital for surgery. 

Ardsmuir is closing as it’s too comfy now for prisoners and the next garrison want to move in.  They insist they have a better recipe for Rat stew.  Jamie is pulled out of a line up away from Murtagh and is told he is being moved elsewhere.  The others will be indentured and sent to the colonies (America).  It’s a hideous moment where we are all waiting for Jamie to start struggling and shouting and trying to get back to Murtagh before they are separated by a whole ocean but it doesn’t happen. They can only exchange manly looks. Snow is falling as Jamie is tied to Lord John on a horse and is forced to walk for days.  There is little chit chat during their journey.  Lord John says they’ll have to talk eventually.  Jamie is still sulking about Murtagh but Lord John says they'll only be slaves for 14 years.  No biggy.

They eventually stop on a barren hill overlooking an extremely large estate. Ok it’s more of a palace but it’s home for now.  Helwater Estate is owned by the Dunsany’s and Lord John has arranged for Jamie to live there for now.  He explains it really is the best he could do for Jamie, short of a pardon and he should be totes grateful.  They kiss and make up and stride off into the sunset. 

Claire is soothing a patient’s stressed relative when she sees Dr Joe coming with his serious face. This can’t be good.  It’s Frank!  Nooooooooooooo!   There’s been a car accident.  Well, stick a fork in me I am done as all the feels are happening on my face.  Damn onions. 

Claire races to the morgue to see that he is indeed dead. As she enters the room, my heart shatters with hers.  Frank’s face is without a scratch and so surely he’ll pop up in a minute like Jon Snow.  Give it a minute...... ok, one more minute..... Nope. *ugly crying  She finds his dead neck most magnetic and goes in for a whiff or a kiss, we aren’t sure.  It’s a bit weird.  Claire confesses to his nearby spirit that she really did love him *eyeroll and that he was her first love. Nawwww. *tears again.  Claire slowly leans in for a final kiss and a tear rolls down her face onto Frank’s nose.  Gahh!  Too blurry to type more..... 

The End.

[bulbsanta06-blog]

Was the 2018 World Series boring?

In a recent interview with WEEI.com in Boston, Fox Sports lead broadcaster Joe Buck was asked to address the poor ratings for the 2018 World Series, which were down 25 percent over 2017. This was a bit surprising since the 2018 Series involved two of the most popular teams in baseball in major media markets on both coasts. Buck explained the lower ratings by saying the games were “not that compelling.” That’s a fair opinion, but then Buck goes on to defend his broadcast partner John Smoltz and lay the blame at the feet of the analytic revolution.

In the interview, Buck said:

(John) Smoltz has gone from the darling three years ago to, ‘He hates baseball.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s that he loves the game, and he’s not that (removed) from playing, and he wants to see a certain approach that’s starting to disappear in the game. I’m not sure analytics, launch angle and all of that is producing better baseball. He has said 1 million times to me, because they’re allowing the shift, sluggers say, ‘If I hit the ball on the ground, I’m going to make an out, because everyone is on this side of the field. So I’m going to swing and try to launch the ball out of the ballpark, and we don’t care about strikeouts.’ That might be fine in the regular season, but the better at-bats belonged to the Red Sox, and to me, that’s why they won. They fought to get on base, they went deep into at-bats, and they were able to put the bat on the ball, and get runs. I think that’s always going to help a team win. It might not be the only way, but my God, if putting the bat on the ball and creating action isn’t better than swinging and missing, then I don’t understand it either.

There’s a lot to unpack here. First of all, I’ve made the argument several times that the declining ratings in baseball are as much a result of the fractured marketplace as anything and that ratings for everything on television is down. That MLB is still drawing a significant audience is evidenced by the huge new deal (with a big increase in fees) that Fox Sports signed with MLB a few weeks ago.

Having said that, it is curious that there would be such a drop off in ratings for a World Series involving the Red Sox and Dodgers. And in that sense, Buck is right. The 2018 World Series was a big letdown. The Red Sox established very early in the 2018 season that they were the team to beat and proceeded to make sure that no one did. In the World Series, the Red Sox won four of the five games pretty handily and it rarely seemed like the Dodgers posed any real threat to Boston. Game three was an exception, an 18-inning, 7-hour and 20 minute classic that was enthralling from beginning to end. It was a work of art, albeit one that wasn’t exactly easily accessible to the casual fan. It was a challenging read that required both an appreciation of the rhythms of a long extra-inning game as well as a whole ton of coffee to get through the whole thing. To put it in terms of “prestige television,“ it wasn’t the easily-digestible action between heroes and villains like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. It wasn’t the nostalgia trip of Stranger Things. No, game 3 was more the morally-ambiguous slow burn of Mad Men or The Wire combined with surrealism of Twin Peaks: The Return.

So yeah, the 2018 World Series wasn’t compelling TV. But it’s disappointing to see Buck pile on to the anti-analytics bandwagon. In one sense, he’s defending his broadcast partner. That’s understandable. If John Smoltz had said on the air that the reason the Dodgers had lost was because they’d been eaten by lizard men and replaced with a group of homunculi, then it’s Buck’s job to say that Smoltz offers a unique perspective into the game. I understand why Buck defends Smoltz.

But this focus on blaming “analytics” is getting tiring. First of all, the ratings were down from 2017’s clash with the Astros, and they’re the most analytic-based team around. Secondly, shifting doesn’t really affect the batting average on balls in play very much. In fact, teams are better off not shifting against most batters.

All this blaming of launch angles and shifting and analytics is about one thing: a scapegoat. Yes, there is less action in an MLB game and fewer balls in play than 20 years ago. It’s not MLB teams telling their hitters to strike out more and hit more home runs. No, the biggest reason that strikeouts are way up and hits are way down is that every team in baseball has at least half a dozen pitchers who can throw 95 mph. Twenty years ago, a hard thrower would regularly sit in the 92-94 mph zone. Now, that’s considered bare average. Yes, the increased use of relievers has allowed pitchers to throw harder because they don’t have to pace themselves as much. That’s an analytics thing, I guess. But it’s not because we don’t value hits as much as we used to, because we do. Hitters want to put the ball in play. It’s just not that easy anymore.

As far as Smoltz goes, you can’t say “He loves baseball but only the way he used to play it” and still be honest with your audience. It’s like a 17th Century astronomer saying “I love astronomy, but all this heliocentric stuff is ruining it. Let’s get back to the earth being the center of the universe and then we’ll all enjoy science more.” Knowledge advances and there is no going back. If you can find a new way to win baseball games, you shouldn’t not use it because it offends the aesthetic sensibilities of an old ballplayer.

Also, if the games “aren’t that compelling,” isn’t it the job of the broadcasters to make it more compelling? Sure, there are limits to what a broadcaster can accomplish. But I’m going to say that constantly tearing down the game as it is played today, as Smoltz does (and Buck apparently endorses), is not the way to make the games “more compelling.”

Is the lack of action in MLB games a problem? I’d say it is. We do need to see fewer strikeouts, fewer walks and more balls put into play. We also need to speed up the games. But the root of the problem is that the players are simply too good these days, not the analysts in the back room. (Although they’re good too.)

MLB can do a few things. A pitch clock seems inevitable and it’s a good idea. Beyond cutting down on the dead time between pitches, there is also some evidence that pitchers don’t throw as hard with less time between pitches. MLB could also lower the mound again, like they did when the faced a similar problem in 1968. MLB does need to make some changes to increase the action on the field. Telling batters to hit the ball on the ground like it was 1910 again is not the answer.

So to answer the question in the title of this article, no World Series is boring. But on the relative scale of World Series, yes, the 2018 version was a bit of a snoozer because the Red Sox were that good. I’d also argue that the Red Sox won without the recognizable stars of the past like David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Even Dustin Pedroia was only there to cheer. Mookie Betts is a superstar and is going to be a household name one day, but he’s not really all that well-known to the public at large. Yet.

But was the 2018 World Series bad because the players don’t approach the game the way some Hall-of-Famer did in his prime 20 years ago? No, it wasn’t and stop pretending that we can go back to 1998.

(h/t Hardball Talk for pointing to the WEEI piece.)

Source: https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/11/29/18115821/2018-world-series-boring-joe-buck-john-smoltz-analytics

[montrealroleplay2]

SHANE McKNIGHT

Age & Birthdate: July 25th, 1982 (34) Birthplace: Los Angeles, California Location: Saint Laurent Occupation: TV show host/ Stand-up comedian Gender: Male Sexuality: Pansexual Length of Time in Montreal: Two years Faceclaim: Chris Evans

trigger warnings: – depression , drug use

Born and raised in California, Shane had an idyllic childhood growing up in Los Angeles with barbecue on Saturdays, a loving parents, and constant visits to Baseball games, since he is the grandson of the legendary Dodgers’ narrator Vin Scully. The boy was always in the narration booth, following all games with his grandfather, and being often considered a good luck amulet of the Los Angeles team.

However, at the age of 9, Shane had his life turned upside down as his mother landed the lead in a famous medical drama and his father took on the role of international correspondent on a major TV station. The lack of presence of his parents at home, the constant moving and the series of restrictions that got into his new life, made Shane feel lost during such chaos without having anything to support on.

It was at that time that the two greatest passions of the boy became more evident: to make people laugh and sports. The boy always did as many sports as possible, something that sooner made him the target of criticism of his peers in high school, many considered him to be average, and there was always gossip about his lack of merit in being on the team or just being there because his parents were famous. He was part of his school’s baseball team, in the position of substitute hitter, even received a scholarship to McGill University in Montreal.

To be seen as the class clown, for many times made him the target of bullying of the most popular, aggravated even more by having famous parents. It was not uncommon to hear his classmates commenting on how annoying or annoying he was. The boy eventually met two kids from the theater club that dragged him into the world of performing arts. The three had instant click, and became inseparable in a matter of time. Constant bullying caused him to struggle against depression for much of his adolescence, either because of criticism from people around him or because of excessive self-deprecation, and for a long time, the theater club was the only kind of support he had. Helped him to channel all that into more productive activities.

Switching to Montreal turned out to be important to him. In a place far from everyone who knew him, he felt freer to be himself. It was also in this period that the athlete met Ashley, a girl with whom he shared some classes. The relationship between the two was getting very close, both had much in common, and it was practically impossible to see one without another. It was not long before they started dating, Shane loved how easy it was to talk to her, and how they both seemed to understand each other. He even went so far as to buy a pair of rings and think of several ways to get her to marry him, until Ashley ended the relationship and to date another guy.

Heartbroken, as soon as he graduated, Shane returned to California and worked in various jobs in different places to keep himself busy to not fall in depression again. It ranging from frying hamburgers to tips in small low-budget productions, the boy refused to accept the help of famous parents, wishing to carve his way without having to rely on their fame. Shane did small stand-up comedy shows in a few smaller comedy houses across the LA area while sharing an apartment with friends until finally got a job at Fox Sports producing materials for the most diverse types of channel programs, and enjoying Behind the camera.

In 2010, Shane’s world turned upside down again, now with Ashley’s death in a car accident as the journalist helped cover the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He learned the news in the worst possible way, via Facebook messages, days after the funeral.

Gradually, he closed himself off to the world, abandoning everything he liked best and becoming isolated, to the point of losing his job on the station. For a long time, the only thing Shane did was sleep, smoke marijuana, and spend all day watching sports videos on YouTube, becoming completely apathetic and all around him. His friends and family eventually forced him to treat depression in an unusual way: by using his love for art and giving him camera. He began producing short videos about different sports that were both instructive and funny, which became quite popular, especially after Shane had the clever idea of using his contacts from the days of Fox Sports to bring the presence of illustrious athletes, and doing absurd things with them.

Two years ago, the videos caught the attention of ESPN Canada, who wanted to produce a show with Shane based on his YouTube channel, settled in their facilities in Montreal. He was reluctant at first, because of all the memories of his time spent with Ashley in the city, fearing it could lead his depression to relapse, but accepted it at the end, as long as he had total creative freedom over the program.

“Try this at home” (same name of his YouTube Channel) has become a success, and is currently one of the most watched sports programs in Canada. The show also helped Shane to land a space as one of the attractions of the Casino Lacroix, by performing every wednesday with a stand-up comedy show called “The King of Dirty Jokes” which makes a relative success despite being A little shocking by the amount of profanity.

❝ i lose a lot, guys. no matter what i do, i always seem to lose. but i refuse to be beaten. i get up right in life’s face and mock it into oblivion. because when i do that, i show life that it won’t beat me. ever.

Shane tend to be curious and idealistic. He seeks meaning in everything and is very interested in other people’s motives, especially when he realizes that they are sad, seeing life as a big, complex puzzle. Not surprisingly, the man is also very intuitive, empathetic and influential. On the other hand, he cares enough not to be sufficiently original or spontaneous, something that usually may decrease his self-esteem.

Moreover, he possesses are high levels of enthusiasm, especially in relation to things that arouse his imagination. Ironically, this feature may also turn against, since Shane is his worst critic, which disturbs him in his effort to be independent. Yet, He is very emotional, kind, and sensitive, although sometimes avoidant. The comedian is really good in focus too much on the motivations of others, which may lead him to make serious mistakes when trying to guess the motives behind someone else’s actions.

He also tends to have difficulties in dealing with administrative, routine issues. The man is more interested in freedom and inspiration than in security and stability - Shane prefers to have an interesting idea than dealing with simple but monotonous tasks. While He can be very serious about his work during the day, the comedian is adapt of “the work hard play harder” philosophy, something that may surprise even his closest friends.

Finally, he is non-conformist, liking to follow his own path and relying on his intuition. This trait of his personality easily turns him in impatient if they are stuck in a monotonous role, unable to express themselves freely - but when Shane is finally comfortable, their imagination, empathy and courage can produce unbelievable results.