#the second is pepperpot

[radgalniya]

the first pillar of a guyanese christmas

[rpepperpotshipssciencebros]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last ten people who reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals & followers!! <3

Halloween. This, I am sure, comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed me for more than 2 seconds. :-)

Mr Pepperpot. Hopefully he won't be hurt by him being the second thing I thought of instead of the first. Love you sweetie!!

A well-made brownie sundae. Warm, gooey brownie topped with (preferably chocolate) ice cream, some chopped nuts, little bit of hot fudge, and a maschino cherry - best dessert on the planet.

When a craft project turns out as well as/better than I hoped it would.

Cosplaying at a convention & being asked, "Can I take your picture??"

Thank you, @bluroux for tagging me :-)

[abigailspinach]

“‘I have heard tales of how magnificently she can cook. I could relate for you a description of a morsel of her honey-almond cake, a delicacy which is light enough to melt on the tip of the tongue and yet it lingers on the palate with its subtle flavours long into the dream-filled reaches of the night. I could sing the praises, second-hand, alas, of her traveller’s soup, a concoction of smoothly blended and balanced vegetables and herbs guaranteed to put heart and strength back into the bones of the weariest voyager. I have heard of her pepperpot, wherein meat from the hunt simmers slowly all the day long in a fantastic chutney of seasonings, selected spices, peppers, and green pawpaw. And forgive my tears, but I have just this moment recalled a certain jar that sits in her kitchen, filled with dried fruit steeping in spice spirit, red wine, cinnamon, and nutmeg, patiently awaiting that day months or even years hence when it will be baked into a festival cake that will turn the head of the most seasoned toper.’

He sighed again and stopped for a moment. They both swallowed at the thought of such culinary genius.”

[paulagnewart]

Sonic the Oz-Hog Act 7/12: Rodents in Disguise!

Sonic X issue 20 AU Publication Date: 20th July 2007 Price: $4.95

That… was certainly a historical month and a half for high-speed hedgehog enthusiasts. And 20th July was an equally historical day. A sentient supercomputer utilised some information superhighway down the telephone line to build an army of rampaging war machines. A dying species of faceless ones hijacked passengers from Gatwick Airport and stole their identities. A seemingly eccentric antique dealer 100 years out of time made off with a blue police telephone box as part of an overtly complex scheme to help his associate transmogrify lead into gold, while winning back his daughter from evil space pepperpots.

But enough of 1966. Flashing forward some forty-odd years and there's still plenty tales of conquest and mayhem, particularly across this great southern land. July 2007 saw Fergie begin an unbroken 9 week streak topping the music charts. First studio album in hand, she casually pushed Rihanna and Jay-Z into the rain, stole their shared Umbrella and tauntingly declared they down a cup of cement because "Big Girls Don't Cry". Harry Potter's fifth cinematic outing brought a dramatic halt to another fantastical war's two week box office domination, only for Hogwarts' finest to also lose out a week later. Amidst Canadian ceremonial cheers, a casually racist Rob Schneider boasted "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry". An alter audience of one, but these newlywed newcomers rolled on up and hosed the Boy Who Lived down.

Having witnessed Cheez TV bite the dust years ago, its spiritual successor Toasted TV trundled along as number one in a remaining field of one for early morning children's entertainment. Any kids or tweens left to tune in 20th July watched new Pokemon: Battle Frontier, a repeat of 1967's now-infamous Spider-Man cartoon, and new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward.

A decade in power is remarkable for any leader. Since his 1996 victory, John Howard's conservative government may have skimped over the line twice after their polarising GST legislation, but lightning would fail to strike three times. Cracks in their political prowess began to appear, and after the immensely unpopular decision to follow America's own King George the Second into what looked an endless overseas war, the new WorkChoices initiative would ultimately seal his fate.

"Working families in Australia have never been better off!", Little Johnny Howard declared to the masses with ghoulish glee on 26th March. Journalists were taken aback, labeling his announcement nothing short of "Hubris!" Media conglomerates smelt political blood, and despite years of shamelessly supporting Howard and Costello's regime, shifted allegiances accordingly. Bookies already predicting his demise in the impending November federal election were thrilled. Howard's self-aggrandising sentence became a heavily replayed attack slogan for leftist opposition leaders Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. But more on their contentious relationship last month.

Those not engrossed in impending election annihilation instead skipped to their local newsagents, where Gordon & Gotch delivered a desire many had requested. Two completely unique yet intrinsically linked franchises poised, primed, ready to collide in a shameless attempt of cashing in on the winter's hottest box office hit. Or… second-biggest hit. Would you believe third?

It's ironic. For all their love and dedication from countless audiences and corporations over the decades, Sonic the Hedgehog and Transformers have never shared simultaneous peak popularity.

1994 saw Sonic enjoy two cartoons, two comics, multiple games and adoration from gamers and mainstream media alike. Transformers? Generation Two, and although it offered exciting new ingenuities setting up a successful future, was seen by Hasbro's bean counters as an unmitigated failure. 1997 saw Beast Wars save the franchise. It rose to 3rd highest selling boy's toyline, while all Sonic had to celebrate was the opening of short-lived SEGA World Sydney. Both Sonic Adventure games ushered a hedgehog pinnacle in 2001, compared to the dying gasp of Beast Machines. Dreamwave Productions and Transformers Armada jumpstarted the series and rode a nostalgic 2002-3 high, while SEGA and IGN's 'Year of Sonic' failed living up to its own hype.

If such a year exists, a case could be made for 2011. Transformers once again pulled spotlight, strong sales and a billion dollar box office success in Dark of the Moon, then the fourth highest grossing film ever. Sonic had plenty of love from the media and fans, yet in spite of initial hype and reviews, SEGA's 20th anniversary flagship game Sonic Generations crashed within a month. Close, but not quite.

A quote equally applied to their status as potential crossover mates. Both might've shared a swath of writers, artists, musicians, voice actors, plots and publishers, but nor have Sonic the Hedgehog and Transformers shared a proper official in-universe crossover. There have been fleeting instances like 2014's Mega Drive Megatron, or the World Bee Day promotion on Twitter, but both treat one-another as fictitious products rather than battlefield allies. At this rate the first crossover will end up being something like a fleeting glance at two characters in a Paramount+ commercial.

Archie Sonic has never been a stranger to the ever-changing world of those robots in disguise. Be it casual references in issue 21, 31, 125, 154 or 161, the antics of artist/inker Nelson Ribeiro constantly conveying 1984 supremacy, and who could possibly forget when issue 152's Sonic's Angels featured a cyber-terraforming plot lifting more than a few cues from Chris Sarracini's 2002 chart-buster Transformers: Prime Directive? With that in mind, it's arguably all the more befitting Sonic and Transformers' thus far only in-universe collision happened in the pages of Riverdale's finest.

Never let it be said Archie aren't quick to chase the latest hypes. Still locked in their DC Comics era, opening the comic reveals a full page advertisement for Teen Titans Go!. A popular all-ages spinoff alas not long for this world, cancelled exactly one year later when upper management saw no reason for a comic to continue promoting a cancelled show. Not that such ideology ever stopped local publishers Otter Press reprinting Justice League Adventures and The Batman Adventures stories as late as 2017. And speaking of the Caped Crusader, flipping to the middle offers an 8 page exclusive story featuring The Batman, baseball and chewing gum, ironically printed on paper stock glossier than the main comic itself.

So who better to lead the charge of this rodent and robot rumble than Cybertronian stalwarts James McDonough and Adam Patyk (unless asking the ever-accurate Archie Sonic Wiki's opinion)? A writing partnership of long-time fans who gnashed their teeth during the latter Dreamwave days, there's plenty to enjoy for readers young and old. Robbie Nick, the "giant floating head" gimmick's comeback, Sam Speed being Sam Speed, paraphrased yet fitting dialogue lifted from a certain 1986 animated movie, a robot design which screamed the long-lost love child of Hot Rod and Starscream, and Patrick Spaziante signing his cover in the classic Transformers font. Topping this energon goodie of a tale off? A back cover dedicated to advertising Michael Bay's impending million-dollar megahit.

Sonic X never quite managed to reach the heights of its main counterpart sales-wise, but nonetheless captured a passionate audience. Colourfully described at the time as "If comic book fandom was like a college dorm, STH would be the Emo kid who likes to act all dramatical while listening to Evanscence and My Chemical Romance, while Sonic X is the fat guy who likes to party and carries a beer keggar around.", this issue was no exception.

"I'm notone who usualy likes SX comics because I don't feel that it has the same charm the show had. But you know what I actually LOOOOOOVED this issue! It seemed to almost capture the experience of watching a SX televison show! Coloe me impressed!" fans said. "It's like reading a Sonic comic created alongside Sonic Adventure, in a way. It's a good escape for people like me, who deals with enough emotional draining in real life, that don't want to sit down and read even more drama.". Fun was order of the day, and so long as readers enjoyed what they purchased every four weeks, Archie Sonic was in good hands. With luck the series might even last about, say… ten more years to that day?

Sandwiched neatly between the unthinkable issues 175 and 176, Speed Lines! offered a breath of levity amongst the manufactured mayhem of Knothole's destruction, and the reunion of McDonough and Patyk a welcome albeit brief surprise. Neither returned to write for the comic or anything Sonic generally, but presumably they were at least promptly paid in full this time around. Then again after what Archie pulled on the likes of Dan DeCarlo and Stan Goldberg, one can never be too careful.

More Than Meets the Dime indeed.

Next Time: What makes a journey worthwhile? The self-gratification of an ending well done, or memories and friendships made along the way? For Sonic, Sally and Tails, their all-Aussie adventures were about to reach an abrupt end in a post which can only be titled… Journey's End!

[bostonfly]

...Traditionally served on Christmas morning. But you could make this version any time you want to celebrate. What gives it its distinct taste is cassareep, a sauce made from the cassava root. There’s no substitute, so you’ll want to plan ahead and find some online or at a Caribbean grocer. If you can’t find wiri wiri peppers, Scotch bonnets will work. Whatever you do, don’t forget to serve this braise with thick slices of white bread, roti or rice to sop up that delicious gravy. 

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 bunch thyme, stems removed

1 bunch basil, leaves and tender stems

½ bunch parsley, leaves and tender stems

10 to 12 scallions, chopped

1 head garlic, peeled

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 to 4 wiri wiri peppers or 1 whole Scotch bonnet

4 pounds bone-in stew meat (oxtail, beef chuck, goat or mutton), cut into 3-inch pieces

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, chopped, plus more to taste

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup cassareep

¼ (lightly packed) cup brown sugar (dark or light)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon whole cloves

3 medium cinnamon sticks

Peel from 1 medium orange

4 scallions, cut into 4-inch lengths

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)

Bread, roti and rice, for serving

PREPARATION

Prepare the green seasoning: Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend, adding water a few tablespoons at a time, until you get a thick purée. (You’ll have 3 cups. Keep any extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)

Season the meat with ¼ cup green seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and transfer the meat into the pot, leaving behind any excess marinade. Brown the meat in batches. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, if necessary. Add Scotch bonnets and onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds.

Add in the cassareep, brown sugar, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, scallions and bay leaf. Add back the meat and the juices from the plate, and add water to cover the meat. Let come to a boil over high heat.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook, covered, for 2 to 2½ hours, until the meat is tender. Skim as much fat as possible from the top.

Remove the meat from the pot, and, once cool enough to handle, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer set in another bowl.

Carefully add the reserved liquid back into the pot and bring to a boil.

If you'd like to quickly thicken the stew, you can add cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to a cup, and mix well. Add the slurry, if using, to the pot and mix until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. (You may have to boil a bit longer to let the liquid reduce to this consistency.) Taste and readjust your seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the meat back to the pot. (Alternatively, you can skip the cornstarch and make the soup up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to reheat and serve.)

Serve with bread, roti or rice.

[madmarkinabox]

"Life depends on change, and renewal."

- The Second Doctor, The Power of the Daleks

Season 4

The Power of the Daleks

Following the Doctor's regeneration, the TARDIS lands on Vulcan, where a capsule has been unearthed from the mercury swamp, containing a small Dalek force painting themselves as servants of humanity. Can the Doctor convince everyone of the Daleks' true nature in time? And can he convince Polly and Ben that he is still the man they knew?

How do you get a British public, unused to the idea of regeneration, quickly accustomed to a new Doctor? Pitting him against his greatest foes can't hurt, and this story has some wonderfully sinister deeds from the old pepperpots. For the first time, they have to pretend to be benevolent and want to help these colonists, and you can see that this is driving them nuts, it goes against everything they believe and want to do, at least until they're self-sufficient. Unfortunately, the story is rather slow for the first 3 episodes as we get bogged down with political malarkey within the colony and trying to get the Daleks working.

But by the time we get to episode 4, the story perks right up as the Daleks increase their numbers and finally show their true colours. This was also where the character of Lesterson became very entertaining to me as he snaps from a scientist hellbent on his work to a gibbering wreck. A bit hammy in his performance, but fun too. And of course, Patrick Troughton, even in this first story, shows off how different, kooky and strange he is compared to his predecessor. I'd forgotten he used to wear that ridiculous hat. Now as for the animation, it's OK. The humans are very basic in their motion for the most part, especially when the Doctor's playing his recorder, but the Daleks are CGI and the uncanniness of their movements and appearance only helps them to create an impact. And I know this is going to be controversial, but I have to give props to the sequence where new Daleks are being built, particularly the part where they're rolled into the space to join their fellows. Originally the room was filled with life-sized Dalek cut-outs hidden behind the working props to give the sense that there was a lot of them (a trick used from the very beginning), but with animation, the room, shot from a new angle, is crammed full of over 20 fully animated Daleks. Is this an unnecessary liberty the reconstruction team took? Some might say yes, but I think it helps showcase how much danger the colonists are now in.

All in all, do check this one out. Stick with it through the first three parts, I promise it gets good.

The next story, The Highlanders, is completely missing. A real shame too, that's where we're supposed to meet Jamie. And after that is The Underwater Menace, and half of what's available there is screencaps and audio. Not easy to watch. So we'll go straight to The Moonbase.

[infinitedungas]

i have spent more of my precious time on this earth than i care to admit deciding which of the doctorwhos will say fuck

here are my findings, please enjoy

first doctor: swears once in a blue moon. always catches people off guard which he thinks is hilarious, cue much heeheehoohoo wehehehe

second doctor: a wholesome grandpa who has never said anything stronger than "fiddlesticks". gently bonks jamie on the head if he says a naughty word

third doctor: let off a litany of curses in front of the brigadier once, just to see what would happen (outcome: subject rendered puce and speechless)

fourth doctor: will let off a booming great “FUCKING HELL” when under stress but rarely in front of sarah jane. censors himself less around romana and definitely swears at K9

fifth doctor: absolutely does not swear, thinks it’s terribly bad taste and tegan swears enough for all of them anyway

sixth doctor: RIP peri and mel they put up with so much from this foul mouthed little rainbow gremlin. swearing intensifies when mel puts him on a diet

seventh doctor: swears with an impressive amount of creativity, mostly to get a laugh out of ace and usually in languages no-one else can speak

eighth doctor: swears often and with enthusiasm, prone to following with a ramble about the etymology of certain curse words

war doctor: has been through the wringer so hard that most swear words feel insufficient now, but will use a well-timed f-bomb now and then

ninth doctor: realises soon after his regeneration that northern accents were made for swearing. fookin ell rose it’s the fookin daleks

tenth doctor: keeps it extremely tame. most companions get a half-joking, half-serious “oi. language” if they swear - the exception being donna bc he quickly realises she is a lost cause

metacrisis doctor: canonically curses in the extended universe stuff and rose calls it “donna swearing”, confirming my suspicions that donna will say fuck and ten will not say fuck

eleventh doctor: absolutely does swear but people are always surprised / mildly scandalised by it because he looks about twelve

twelfth doctor: of course he fucking does, get in the fucken box clara we’re gonnae go shit up davros and his wee pepperpot cunts

thirteenth doctor: not a swear in sight. possibly got it all out of her system in the previous incarnation. yaz reacts with mock outrage if she even says “heck”

[doctornolonger]

As we all know, Gallifrey was destroyed during the War. Or course, we also all know Gallifrey was wiped from time, so it never existed. But we also all know that Gallifrey was restored. But that was a copy. Or was it the original? Or has a copy become an original? Or did the original take the place of a copy? Or maybe those pepperpots just rushed in at the last second to make it their own War. But, let’s face it, we all know Gallifrey was

All of the above!

[pl9090]

[Fanfiction] Shorts

Short canonweldy fanfiction anthology I wrote while tired. Not serious and feedback appreciated.

Robert Scarratt would like it to be known that he is no way biologically related to the... thing calling itself, "Captain Jack Hackness", regardless of what it might try to claim in order to, 'pull'. He is aware of his unfortunate reputation and while he doesn't, "give a toss" about being a gossip topic on the Homeworld there are limits.

*

Cousin Gilbert used to allow himself to privately feel a little bit of personal pride in the fact he was the only Faction member that had been able to pull off swearing a traditional flatcap with the ceremonial mask. It was a small achievement he could legitimately call his own. A melding of age old traditions. That was before that woman, that... what was the term? Fashionista? Cousin Marshall started harassing him to, 'discover his secret'.

*

She hugged him. He still wasn't used to that and probably never would be.

"Please don't do that".

"What?".

"You know damn well". Swearing on the other hand was something he'd happily gotten used to.

"You need it".

'What did that mean?', he wondered though experience told him it was probably better not to ask.

"Regardless please stop".

The hug continued.

"Please".

She removed her arms from around him and moved to one side with a stroppy facial expression.

'103's', he grumpily thought to himself.

*

"Grandfather!", exclaimed Mother Oswald.

*

The figure's attire marked them as an Earth based member of Justine's, "reborn" Faction: a resin wolf skull mask, plain black hoodie, black formal trousers, and cheap light red sash with the Faction's skull logo printed on it. It really did look like cheap cosplay, though she appreciated how comfortable and Faction like the black hoodie was.

It didn't make any sense to her, why was a Dalek cowering, (as much as once could) behind someone? Scratch that, why was a Dalek traveling with a Faction member? To those pepperpots the Faction was pretty much an irrelevance and the Faction had never been stupid enough to go anywhere near a Dalek even during it's early more daring phase before the Second Wave Crusades. What was going on?

"Human Factor Daleks are a protected species under the Shadow Proclamation", the Faction member replied. While his tone was deadpan she was sure behind the mask he was smiling matter of factly at her. "A Homeworld agent like you should know that".

'Why can't they say Gallifrey like everyone else?', she wondered irritably.

*

Men are from Gallifrey.

Women are from Karn.

Their teenage children go to the Eleven Day Empire.

[gstqaobc]

Our dear Queen: never alone THE MONARCHIST LEAGUE OF CANADA 🍁🇨🇦

FOR TOMORROW, OUR QUEEN'S ACTUAL BIRTHDAY,,,We invite members to respond by return email by completing one of the following sentences in no more than 25 words  of which we will publish an assortment of the most interesting tomorrow. You never know what might happen if yours is judged best.  NB: this challenge is not  the place to express condolences to The Queen or refer to her recent loss, which we each will do in our own way, with a full heart and no interest in publicity or reward. 1) I find The Queen's most endearing trait to be... 2) If I could ask HM one question, it would be... 3) If I were asked to give one piece of loyal advice to our Sovereign, I would say...   LEAGUE POETRY COMPETITION ON THE NINETY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY OF THE QUEEN THREE WINNING POEMSWe were surprised and delighted by the number of entries in this first poetry competition of the League. But then, given its subject, perhaps we should not have been taken aback. The sentiments were universally heartfelt and the loyalty clear.   We are therefore awarding three prizes. Two were written in English and one in French: naturally, we are not translating them! The first is a subtle evocation of The Queen’s sense of duty and her love of horses - the poet’s reference to giving up riding was of course an allusion to HM’s ceasing to ride at Trooping the Colour - she enjoys riding as relaxation to this day!  The second is true to the spirit of Holst’s stirring melody, known to many as “I Vow to Thee, My Country.”  And the third, the winner, explores HM’s Realms whimsically with a touch of gravity by means of their national foods.  The poems could not be more different - which is as it should be. Our thanks to all who entered the competition!  SECOND PRIZE TIED by Tom MacGregor, Ottawa ON QUEEN ELIZABETH’S 95th BIRTHDAY                On her ninety-fifth birthday,                I think of the Statue on Parliament Hill                Of her confidently seated                On a horse named Centennial                Given to her by                The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.                The small woman unveiled it                In 1991 after she had given up riding.                Still, she carried on                More than 60 years as Queen                And 95 of service.   FIRST PRIZE by an anonymous member who is donating  the value of the prize to supply a food treat to the homeless today in honour of The Queen’s birthday QUEEN OF THE SIXTEEN REALMS On the 95th birthday of Elizabeth II   PROLOGUE Elizabeth, to your Realms grandmother, sister, friend and Queen: How can we embrace you, and today let you know That we would your sorrow share, wish you could lean On our sixteen hearts, like the drums, beating slow. We look back as you must on Philip’s decades: Your strength and stay during storm and fair days. We gaze also to our future wish: grief ‘midst memories fades To joy of life full-lived, walked on the fields of praise.               So follows our birthday wish, from Realms richly diverse, Who now tune their heart-strings to the happier times Which will follow, dear Ma’am, as sure as sunrise: A great truth of life, which we need not more rehearse, But, rather, assure you: north, west, east, southern climes Gather round to uphold you, dear Queen - loving and wise!                   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~    ~ ~ ~ Elizabeth, our Queen and friend, the nations’ joy and pride, Her 95th today is hailed through Realms both far and wide; And since all share in most fond wish to serve special birthday treat - These lines some local fare suggest - loyal banquet so replete!         In ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, small islands to be sure, But big in heart and loyalty - FUNGIE ‘tis special allure: Polenta-based and spicy hot, with pepperpot ‘tis served, A treat for their beloved Queen, one surely well deserved!         Down Under,  AUSTRALIAN mates present their VEGEMITE: This brewers’ yeast extract not yet the world’s delight! But served on toast throughout the land, a tribute singular - quite - Antipodean Queen finds on Aussie plate a most distinct delight.           THE BAHAMAS offers special dish: folk there pluck CONCH from sea: And dressed with lime and vegetables - ‘tis rich in Vitamin C!  Bahamian Sovereign will enjoy devouring “Queen Conch” recipe, Dressed with fruit, offered with love and Island loyalty         BARBADOS, amidst disloyal dance, bakes up its famed RUM CAKE On which Monarch’s pain at such dalliance might well her sweet tooth slake; Since toothsome confection is topped up with frequent rum infusion: EIIR hopes (though’d never say) “Drink deep: to republican confusion!”                 BELIZE proffers its BOIL UP, reminiscent of the pie in rhyme: No blackbirds for its Queen today, but fish, eggs, veggies: good time! Tis topped with broth and dough, then baked - a treat fit for a princess, The Central American domain diverse could offer her no less!         CANADA may indeed be home to most loyal Maple Throne: Thus on this day POUTINE shall stand in prominence, alone: Like the Dominion, flavours many, with toppings beyond measure - As each in own way toasts our Queen, the True North’s splendid treasure!                     GRENADA’s OIL DOWN, savoury-sweet, a one pot dish of stew, With coconut leaching flavours out to make each casserole new To taste - and variegated ever for all this island nation. Which prospers under Reign of she whose birthday brings elation!             Next in our roll of Realms, JAMAICA, island, of many peoples, blest To keep cool ‘neath tropical sun with ACKEE AND SALTFISH zest: Its spices mirror nation’s mix, from planters to Bobsled team; And dread-locked Rasta men, who share deepest love of Queen.                 PAVLOVA is NEW ZEALAND’s gift to the arts culinary, Its Kiwi, cream, meringue mix cherished by settlers as by Maori; Whether Hobbits share such taste, brave Frodo first and foremost, We know not - but all in the island realm drink to EIIR a toast!               If MUMU you were offered while exploring  PAPUA NEW GUINEA shore, Polyglot island lines hot coals with leaves - adds meats, fruit, veg and more, To make a stew from ground oven of savour nonpareil, Thus honouring their Queen and friend with two Hemispheres’ “hooray.”         SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS to birthday brings STEWED SALTFISH, which they blend With coconut dumplings and plantains for feasting without end, As no close they ever sight in good Queen’s service to tiniest sovereign state In Hemisphere - large  they be in duty, love - thus this day they fete!       SAINT LUCIA pairs fish and fig, GREEN FIG AND SALTED COD! Antilles population takes a week to give the nod To stew that melds, as island does two seas, Atlantic and Caribbean, And mix a Bounty cocktail to raise their glass to Queen!               A BREADFRUIT ROASTED in iron pot, add fried jackfish for great repast,   Is SAINT VINCENT & THE GRENADINES’ entrée, not easily surpassed: Its thirty-two islands celebrate their Monarch’s special day, Sing “...Land, so Beautiful” to big drum, calypso, steel pan and reggae!             Now Taro roots make sticky POI, SOLOMON ISLANDS’ favorite food, The wise old King lends his name to 900-strong island brood; Thus Melanesian Queen presides, with Governor-General elected: Their birthday bouquet beauteous, as from 200 orchid strains selected!                     TUVALU brings to feast PULAKA, swamp taro cooked for hours: Raising ocean discourages cultivation - ‘tis time for Commonwealth powers To use their world wide fellowship to save this crop essential: Their Queen fears global warming looms, Polynesian threat potential.               The UNITED KINGDOM is Elizabeth’s home, of sixteen Realms The Queen: No longer a colonial power, but from Empire’s legacy yet seen: Its “national dish” CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA now claims pride of place, Transcending old-style differences of climate, Raj and race!       ~! ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~ EPILOGUESo, all hail, dear Queen, gracious Lady: your true realms lie deep within, Not geographic, to be sure, but values kingly. gracious, human; Constant Commonwealth care for its nations great and small, Reflects deep-reciprocal, hailed to your heart, one voice echoed by all!     So here’s to Elizabeth - long may she reign, long live our monarch so great! Here’s to her courage in fair weather or foul, duty done, chosen not - happy fate! Here’s to the faith ever kept, beyond clamour of sectarian creeds; Here’s to the hope she brings all, so nourishing humankind’s needs; Here’s to her ninety-fifth birthday, her years’ gift to us, thus today we proclaim:God willing, all your Realms do their duty And each subject in turn do the same! 

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[ngkiscool]

Prompt: 6. “Didn’t we already have this conversation?”

Fandom: Good Omens

Word Count: 330 words.

Summary: The aliens are confused. 

They returned to the flying saucer, bewildered, exhausted, and above everything else, just craving a hot cuppa.

“Didn’t we already have this conversation?" asked the alien that looked almost, but not exactly, like a toad.

There was something like that at Alpha Centaury also, if I recall correctly. Remember that place? It was so lovely there during that time of year." The second member of the party looked at the estimated direction of the plant with a smile on its face. The silver helmet kinda made interpreting its facial expressions harder.

The pepperpot chirped in excitement, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"Yes, for the millionth time, we know you were there too. How can we forget, when you won't stop talking about it?"

This time, the pepperpot made clicking noises that were less cheery than last time.

"It's been a long day, and I'm not sure what I'm doing here," the frog murmured. "I was minding my own business, and suddenly I found myself on an alien planet, flying around in spaceships I hadn't seen before, sending a massage of  'of universal peace and cosmic harmony an’ suchlike'  to a race I did not know about its existence until this morning. Work with me, I’m apologizing here"

The pepperpot did not respond, and that seemed to settle the matter. The toad squinted meaningfully at no one in particular: "Anyways, as I was beginning to say, it was also the same there. The natives lived a good life, and then CO2 levels rocketed, and it changed forever."

The three of them look longingly towards what they believed was the right direction but was actually the direction towards the new intergalactic bypass. Not all aliens were born equal, and those three were definitely not the first in their respective classes on the subject of navigation. Nonetheless, they set out again for their next destination, hoping that this time they will find someone who actually knows what's going on.

[ctyguidelondon]

This is the Guildhall's Great Hall. There are a few different ways of seeing inside here... the first way is just to walk in. If you stand outside the front of the Guildhall and look to your left then you'll see a little pepperpot shaped entrance with some glass doors, if you head through there and go round to the right then you can have a nose around inside. The second way is to go on a guided tour of the Guildhall, but the most interesting way is to attend the Common Council meeting once a month. That's when the LordMayor of London comes in and sits on that top table with the Aldermen to discuss the City's business.

[twistedtummies2]

Ele-May-ntary - Number 25

Welcome to Ele-May-ntary! All throughout the month of May, I’ll be counting down my Top 31 Favorite Portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, from movies, television, radio, and even video games! Earlier in the list, we mentioned how The Fourth Doctor got to play Holmes…but did you know that the Daleks played Holmes, too? Number 25 is…Nicholas Briggs.

Nicholas Briggs played Holmes for a series of audiobooks and radio plays for Big Finish Productions. In fact, he’s STILL playing him, as the Big Finish Holmes line is still ongoing! For those who don’t know, Big Finish is a company that primarily creates audio plays based on popular literature and various sci-fi/fantasy properties. They got their start doing audio books and radio plays for “Doctor Who,” and they still do things of that nature for the franchise to this day. However, Doctor Who is hardly the ONLY franchise or world they’ve tackled: for example, they’ve done a lot of audio plays for Sherlock Holmes, obviously! Briggs is most well-known for voicing the Daleks…ALL the Daleks…in Doctor Who. My guess is it was his alumni status for that series that helped get him the role of Holmes for Big Finish, as he’s one of the company’s major stars. Honestly, just the fact it’s the Daleks as Holmes is kind of awesome on its own terms: it really does show the range Briggs has as a vocal performer, given how far removed the two roles are from one another. He’s just as great as the Master Detective as any of the Pepperpot Space Nazis who confound the Doctor time and time again, and you would never be able to tell one was played by the other. Briggs’ Holmes has a certain strange quality; it’s difficult to describe. He is both warm and frosty at the exact same time; there’s a softness and a lightness to his voice as Holmes, yet he’s given to sarcasm and has a coolness to him that is seldom broken. It’s hard to faze him, no matter how ghastly or gruesome the situation, and much like Ian Richardson, there’s a sort of casual dismissal to his eccentricities. I also like the way his relationship with Watson – played by Richard Earl – is handled: you really do feel their friendship and care for each other, yet Holmes often feels like something of a mentor to Watson, almost as if he’s trying to teach his friend how to take over in his stead. This take on Sherlock has also faced some pretty impressive enemies: not only have several of the Holmes stories Conan Doyle wrote been adapted for the Big Finish series, but so have some contemporary tales and original pieces. Among these are stories where Briggs’ Holmes faces such figures of infamy as Jack the Ripper and Count Dracula! Leave it to a Dalek to run into so much trouble! One of the great things about Big Finish is that – like all self-respecting audio production companies should do – they’re able to create an excellent sense of atmosphere through nothing but ear candy. I’ve always found the art of audio plays and radio shows to be fascinating to me; entertaining the theatre of the mind is a difficult but very rewarding challenge, and Big Finish always steps up to it with aplomb. Still, it would be nice to have some visuals, such as through animation…(pauses…remembers the Doctor Who animated episodes)…on second thought, no, I think audio alone works well enough. Tomorrow, the countdown continues! Who will be next? Check in and find out!

[9or10allgood]

I'm indulging in the Doctor Who marathon on BBCAmerica. It's been wonderful. I'm in the middle of Twelve, now, which is - next to Ten - my happy place.

Thirteen is looming.

Now, before anyone has a knee-jerk reaction and thinks I don't like the Thirteenth Doctor, you couldn't be more wrong. I love her to bits. Jodie Whittaker is awesome. She has poured herself into being the Doctor, heart and soul. I love that she travels with an entourage - going back to the First, the best Doctors do. She's had some really good stories, courtesy of Chris Chibnall - in fact, I give her first series a B+/A-. The second series, however...

Stick with me for a bit.

I like - no, I looo-ooo-oove fan fiction. Partly because it is a fairly consistent reaffirmation of creativity and literacy (yes, I said it!) and courage and daring - because it takes guts to put yourself out there for public critique without getting paid one red cent. But mostly because it is a way of indulging in flights of fancy within a bubble. Because fan fiction is, even when it is "canon compliant", still shading or filling in the blanks or expanding on what the original author set down. And the bubble is a safe place, where everyone (mostly) respects those boundaries between source material and fan fiction.

The perfect example of this is everything that happened in Pete's World post-Canary Wharf. We assume that the Doctor was going to tell Rose he loved her before time ran out, and copious amounts of fan fiction has been written about that. We assume that TenToo rectified that issue at Bad Wolf Bay the second time around. But we don't know, and that's okay because the veil was drawn on Pete's World with the disappearance of the TARDIS, and Pete's World became a creative goldmine. Thank God.

Back in the day (and I swear I still have a point) I belonged to a fan fiction site based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. (Not "Dragonmount", thank you very much!) Between twenty and thirty writers, drawn together by our love for that amazingly complex series of books, we wrote - individually and in small groups - epic fiction based on the Age of Legends and the Trolloc Wars, because neither era was portrayed in the books, other than very brief glimpses. Even so, there was a canonical framework that we existed in, and we respected it. For example, there were hints of Aes Sedai being able to fly during the AoL, but that didn't mean that the Sisters during the TW were going to do it, because canon told us that the miracles of the Age of Legends had been lost with the Breaking and were not recovered until the timeline of the books. As long as the canon was respected, the writing flourished - for years. Eventually, though, lines were blurred and the stories suffered, and it's been years since anyone has written anything there.

And now I'll get back to my point.

When Russell T Davies brought Doctor Who back to television, he respected the canon that had been established. He didn't change Gallifrey, he removed it. It had given us the Doctor and the Master and the TARDIS and a running potential of planets and races affected by the Time War that could keep the Doctor occupied for a long, long time. It's purpose had been served. It's *nebulous hand waggle* demise fuelled the great engine of angst that powered the reboot. It heightened what had become a bit of a stodgy "oh, no, it's the Daleks, again" sensibility regarding a cross between a pepperpot and a wheely-bin, and gave them a renewed sense of villainy. It's what made the episode, "Dalek", such a gut-punch. It's what made seeing a mighty Dalek armada when there was only one Time Lord to stand against it so dramatically Quixotic - in an end-of-all-things sort of way.

It should have stayed that way.

I love RTD. I do. He was an awesome showrunner and he, with Julie Gardner, shepherded the reboot through possibly the greatest comeback in entertainment history. But I wasn't comfortable with the (temporary) return of Rassilon et al as his farewell to the show. And, sure 'nuff, it cracked open a door that Moffat bulldozed through with "The Day of the Doctor". And by the time he was through, the Doctor was popping "home" for soup and a bit o' sedition, and the next thing ya know, Chris Chibnall is turning the whole thing on its ear with the Timeless Children business and a convoluted plotline that would've needed an entire series to unravel and still would have read like fan fiction based on a poorly remembered fever dream.

Yes, I know that "Doctor Who" has been "fine-tuning" itself from the beginning. The First Doctor invented his time machine that his granddaughter named "TARDIS" - for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. Today's canon has TARDISes grown, sentient, and having numbered in the thousands once upon a time. But there's a difference between an adjustment, here and there, and re-inventing the Time Rotor on the fly, as it were. One is a tweak to make the whole better. The other is throwing a bucket of yellow paint across a classic portrait of the Queen just so you can paint galloping horses on it. Why would you do it?

I'm really sad that Graham and Ryan are leaving. I'm really looking forward to the return of Captain Jack. I hope that bringing back someone as integral to the days of Russell T Davies will remind Chris Chibnall that the basic story of the Doctor has always been that an ancient alien from a fabled world travels throughout space and time with a lucky human or three, faces down injustice, rescues those who need it, and dances around fixed points and moral dilemmas with (occasional) alacrity.

And if Chibnall needs inspiration, I can point him to any number of fan fiction writers that totally get it.

[nessataleweaver]

Happy International Dalek Appreciation Day!

On December 21 1963, the DALEK first appeared on the second story of Doctor Who and immediately became a sci fi legend.

(Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, and William Hartnell as the First Doctor are in there too)

Whatever your opinion of the Daleks, they’ve been an icon for 56 years... not bad for a giant tin pepperpot that originally had a whisk and a plunger for weapons! (no, seriously, that’s what they used to make the first Daleks.  The BBC didn’t have much in the way of a special effects budget)

The Daleks were the brainchild of producer Verity Lambert (who says women can’t write scary shit?? Go read Frankenstein you troglodytes!), who naturally nearly got fired over it (to be fair, the executive producer said from the start he ‘didn’t want any bug-eyed monsters in the show) but talked her way out of it.

So cheers to Verity Lambert, too!

If you’re in the mood to get seriously smashed, raise a Exterminator cocktail (or two???) to celebrate!

[potterhead-sims]

Marauder’s Map: Part 3

Ground Floor:

43. Boathouse 44. Viaduct Courtyard 45. Pepperpot/Chamber of Reception 46. Great Hall 47. Grand Staircase 48. First-Floor Girls' Toilets/Troll Bathroom 49. Broom cupboard 50. Staffroom 51. Room 234-00 (Argus Filch's bedroom) 52. Clock Tower 53. Clock Tower Courtyard 54. Wooden Bridge 55. Viaduct 56. Viaduct Entrance 57. Classroom Eleven (temporary Divination Classroom for Firenze) 58. Charms Classroom 59. Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom 60. Caretaker's filing cabinet/Argus Filch's Office 61. Gargoyle Corridor (entrance to the headmaster's office) 62. Transfiguration Classroom 63. Transfiguration Courtyard 64. Tapestry Corridor 65. Professor's Snape Potions Storeroom 66. Herbology Store

67. Greenhouse tower/Pomona Sprout's office 68. Hogwarts greenhouses 69.Training Grounds 70. Broomshed 71. Rolanda Hooch's office   * Forgot to take pics of:        Hogwarts Whomping Willow        The Quad  

First Floor

72. Trophy Room 73. Armour Gallery 74. Disused Classroom/Mirror of Erised (Magical Mirror Room) 75. Fluffy's room 76. Hogwarts Library 77. Study Hall 78. Irma Pince's bedroom

79. Restricted Section 80. Stone Bridge 81. Dark Tower topmost cell 82. Headmaster's Office 83. Suspension Bridge 84. Minerva McGonagall's office 85. Lost Wands 86. Owlery 

Second Floor

87. Divination Classroom

Third Floor

88. Astronomy Tower