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painfulbass · 3 years

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☾ ˚⊹ ❛❛ GENERAL QUICK CROSSOVER GUIDE

So crossovers are usually difficult for a lot of people. So, because I tend to think about these things, I thought I would make this comprehensive list/guide to writing crossovers with me. This isn’t anything in concrete, but to get the ball rolling or to help make it easier for both sides to contribute to plotting. It can be hard when you don’t know the fandom.

FNF, or Friday Night Funkin’ is a rhythm based game around rap battles. The Protagonist (known as BF) is trying to prove himself and win over his Girlfriend’s (GF) Dad, and it spirals from there. Gameplay style, it is very similar to Dance Dance Revolution, and the music is a fast pasted dubstyle/chiptune soundtrack.

What a lot of people know FNF for, however is the Mods. Due to it being on Newgrounds, and the creators having it be open asset, many creators are able to make their own “weeks” for players to challenge their skills in. Ruv, and those within Mid Fight Masses, are one of those mods. You can find most of their lore scattered in the scenes of their week, or by going on their official FNF Wiki.

Now, what does this mean for crossovers? I put it under a read more, simply because this is going to be a lot. I’m going to explain crossover verses I have. How I make them, and how YOU could have your character be in the FNF verse quite easily. So go under the read more to continue reading.

☾ ˚⊹ ❛❛ RUV IN OTHER UNIVERSES

Here are some just ideas that I came up with. While not EVERY interaction will work with these, they are ideas. They’re meant to kick start ideas and inspirations. I do not consider these full verses until I’ve talked with the other mun to make sure that they are okay with it. These can easily be changed, and swapped out for different things. My main goal here is to try and keep Ruv down to his core elements while fitting into a new setting.

POKEMON- Ruv, along with Sarv run the church- which she has turned into a sanctuary and a Nursery. Much like in Canon, Sarv is supernatural, and Ruv as a run away criminal vowed his life for all eternity to protect her. With church’s going out however, the next next step would be a PokeNursery. Ruv acts as protector of the Nursery from trainers and groups alike. He usually is seen sitting on the roof, throwing pebbles at kids or passerby’s who irk him in some way. You can always find his Onix, his Low-Key Toxtricity, and his Absol around him or the nursery at all times. He does still have his strength, speed, and other abilities. The “face” he has is also a mask- an attempt to hide his identity as the wanted criminal.

OWL HOUSE- Ruv was a wanted criminal for the longest time. His magic, due to where he was born was a lot less like those around him. He could fit into the covens, but anything he did reflected back on him. Living alone, and learning to just modify himself he became a wanted criminal with a bone breaking shout. However all of those times soon came to a stop as he met the winged mistress he stays with now. Protecting her (though she is much more than capable of protecting himself) she runs one of the many sects in the area. It isn’t the best building, but it’s out of the way and he usually isn’t spotted. However, unfortunately his past comes back to haunt him. He has no choice, and begrudgingly assists the Guards to repay for his crimes. Tied to Sarv through magical bonds, he has made it clear to those in charge and to her- should something come between his duty as a guard or her, he would chose her a million times over.

DUCKTALES- Ruv is the petrified remains of the guardian of St. Sarvente. Awoken as the earth was shifted off of it’s orbit and forced into something it’s not, the callous guard is in search of the one he calls Sarvente, whom he claims is the Ruler of Souls and the one he Vowed to Protect. He is, 100% made of stone.

TOONTOWN- Stickfigures aren’t uncommon drawings. One’s as complicated as he and Sarv though usually get a few eyes. Not only that, but video game characters are always treated differently in Toontown. Maybe it’s because of a developers history, or lack there of. The story of Ruvyzvat being a heartless killer however spreads like wild flower, and while he and Sarv will primarily stay at the church... sometimes curiosity becomes too much.

KINGDOM HEARTS- FNF is it’s own world. Keyblade turned into a microphone, Ruv & Sarv are some of the first that would be met. Despite their challenge, they are rather distanced from the troubles of the Darkness and Light and would be semi-good companions.

THE BLACKOUT CLUB- Ruv is a 16. Any day will be the day that a voice will end up taking over, merging with his mind. That’s fine. Much like how Seed-The-Grudge would want, he’ll just get revenge.

HAZBIN HOTEL / HELLUVA BOSS- Ruv ironically enough is one of the few in Hell who does not make him dead. In fact, in some cases that can make him extremely rare. This crossover he IS able to accompany Sarvente into the Underworld, and follow her on her treks through it. While most assume he is a dead sinner, he usually just doesn’t answer. However something about being here and meeting those who reside within the land sets him off. He’s a tad more feral, and a tad more willing to go to the violent answer.

PORTAL- Violence core. What else is there to say? Alternatively, him being a test subject would be fascinating, especially if he was grabbed post-vow. The man is immortal, and therefore would have messed with the tests just by the fact that there is only way for him to die. Death isn’t the worst thing to happen to a man however, and he does still feel pain.

RWBY- Ruv has the ability to manipulate sound waves, specifically his own). Trained with great strength and and even greater speed, his form of combat is continuously dodging as he looks for a weak spot. Weapons of choice are shot gun snow boots, and his sickle that doubles as a short sword.

DOCTOR WHO- Sarv has the ability to create portals. While they are MEANT to be used to intergalactive travel, but instead parallel world travel that in of itself is monumental for a lot of DW plots. Ruv and Sarv can easily go from one universe to the next, however chose to stay in the church. Not to mention Ruv’s skills in target elimination and his abilities would make for some individuals to repurpose him into a weapon. While they have been approached by UNIT on several occasions, they always refuse. However, enough time has passed that they’re starting to notice that the couple in the church aren’t aging...

FNAF- RUVYZVAT and SARVENTE were creations of Fazbear Entertainments as karaoke machines... if we want to go the robot route. If we want to go the normal person route, Ruv was hired by Fazbear’s because it’s one of the few places that doesn’t do a background check, and when he said he wanted to wear a mask as part of the work outfit they were all for it. He runs the karaoke machine though. Stays away from quite literally everyone. While he isn’t the infamous killer of children here, he does have a reputation of his own that he is running from, and that does tend to make him silent.

BATIM- Criminal on the run stumbles into the wastelands formerly known as Bendy’s. Actually enjoys it at first because the cartoon was popular when he was a child. ALT. Stickman drawing of one of the artists come to life. Usually pretends to be Lost One, but when he’s alone with another (Sarvente) they turn into their stickman version selves. Has the ability to jump between 2 and 3 dimensions, but none of the strength or voice.

PSYCHONAUTS- Agent Ruvyzvat, Russian sector. Ruv is working for the Psychonauts in some weird, turning event. Mainly because the sole woman that he trusts and saved his life, Agent Sarvente brought him in. The two are inseparable, and despite Sasha and Nein being infamous for their clinginess, these two take it to a whole knew level. Ruve’s “loud voice” is actually a psychic ability he can use outside of the mind to jumble and confuse thoughts and has no damage on anything physically in the present.

GRAVITY FALLS- Sarvente is a Demon, much like Bill. Where sa Bill desires nothing but chaos and madness, Sarvente is trying her best to keep the world like it is and preserve it’s beauty. Seeing such beauty in a runaway criminal, she and he run to the forests of Oregon. Throughout Weirdmageddon, neither managed to be captured or turned to stone, however Ruv seemingly gained his incredible voice abilities. Now, they live in a semi-collapsed church out in the forest. Sarvente always asking those who come her way to join their church, Ruv is suspicious why such events would happen in such a small town, and is distrusting of most everyone he sees.

DETECTIVE CONAN / KAITOU KID / ANY ANIME OR SERIES LIKE THAT- VERY infamous criminal. Take his “Wanted Dead or Alive” that exists in all other verses, and ramp that up quite a bit. Usually wears a mask whenever he is committing a crime. He does seem to be in it for the fun, though it’s hard to tell with the stoic and expressionless looks. That being said, he does seem to have a very clear goal of what he wants. There are no patterns to where he hits, or what he takes. From wallets of people off the streets, to priceless artifacts. He’ll find where Sarvente went, and how they were able to change her mind in such a way.... how they could corrupt her.

MODERN / NON-EXTREMELY FANTASTICAL- Ruv is honestly a rather down to Earth individual, in some terms. He is untrusting of EVERYTHING, but also due to his own strengths finds little that fear or challenges him. Keep him mind he did make a deal with Lucifer (or his Lucifer) for Immortality for protecting her. While he will always be doing things on his own, a lot of his end goals and motives will come back to her. Without her involvement, he is a walking, talking, machine of destruction with no sway on which side he decides to tear apart.

☾ ˚⊹ ❛❛ GENERAL STOPPING POINTS FOR WANTING TO PLOT

DON’T KNOW THE WORLD YOU’RE FROM / YOU DON’T KNOW MY LORE. - That’s fine. I can get my hands dirty. I can research. In fact I usually would love nothing more to. I love learning about new fandoms, or new media to get into. You shouldn’t be afraid of that. As for mine- It should take someone less than an hour to get through all of the links I have posted in the RESOURCES tab in my bio. I’ve timed it. So if you have an hour to spare, or 15, or just enough time to read his wiki that’s fine. He’s not from a long running show, or anything like that. You can catch up extremely quick.

WELL WHAT ABOUT A BOOK/COMIC? HOW WOULD HE FIT IN?- If we are talking about Super Hero comics, then it depends. 90% of the time I will just play up his wanted status a lot more, and make it more of a reason for an interaction. You just ran into a man who has killed hundreds. If your muse is a super hero, or a vigilante? Would you let him go? What a villain? That might make a good partner.

TV SHOW? LIVE ACTION?- Again, it depends on the type of show. Superhero follows the same above. If it’s investigative, have him be a witness. Or a falsely accused man who can prove he isn’t the guilty party. Is it more supernatural- well he did make a deal with Lucifer and is an immortal now from it. There are a million ways to spin it. Don’t look at making him a big character. Quite honestly, side characters that you pass in the street have just as much backstory, and as long as there is a plausible chance of interactions then we can work it out from there.

☾ ˚⊹ ❛❛ GENERAL IDEAS TO BE AWARE OF THAT MIGHT HELP

HE IS A WANTED CRIMINAL.- Meaning his name Ruvyzvat is known. Despite his crimes going on for decades, he is on the run and never stopped. Several city, state, countries, and possibly nations are looking for him, and looking to take him in.

HE IS ALSO AN IMMORTAL.- While he hasn’t been around forever, and nearly not as long as Sarvente has been, he HAS been around for at least 100 years, give or take some. He can be injured, but even fatal injuries heal in an almost Deadpool like way.

HE ALSO HAS SUPERNATURAL POWERS.- His speed and reflexes alone is not something to be taken lightly. He does train and fight with Lucifer on what used to be a semi-regular basis. He has moved and adapted to be able to make sure no one but the singular person he trusts is able to lay a hand on him. That isn’t to say you can’t catch him off guard. You also have his inhuman strength to worry about, but most of all his voice. His voice which could completely demolish a building, and that isn’t the full strength. He has an amazing control over it, but that certainly isn’t a trait of his to ignore.

HE IS NOT ALWAYS IN THE CHURCH. I MADE SURE OF THAT WHEN I MADE MY BLOG.- He goes on walks, and he goes on errands. He also goes to the Gym on occasion, though not as often. He enjoys walks on the beach far earlier than anyone should be awake at. What I’m saying is running into him OUTSIDE of the church is possible. That being said, meeting him IN the church is your best bet for him warming up quicker. He feels safer in the church, and therefore usually wishes to stay there.

DOESN’T FIT THE STYLE OF CHARACTERS/WORLD? - If he doesn’t fit, then I can work to adapt him into something that WOULD fit. What characteristics about him doesn’t work. This is when I would need plotting help. If, lets say it was an all animal world, we can talk about what he is, his traits, and other such things. I am always happy to not use my icons- I just like to because I think they’re neat and I worked hard on them.

WHAT WOULD HE BE DOING?- Any number of things. He likes throwing pebbles at people. He mainly guards and protects Sarvente and her things, but I know we’re talking besides this. He cannot cook, but he does actually sew, and he does read quite a bit. Working on his fist to fist fighting would be a big one. He likes secluded areas, which especially work for explorer’s and people who walk off the beaten path.

IS THERE ANYWHERE HE COULDN’T BE?- He wouldn’t be at a bar. Ruv doesn’t drink, at all. I also don’t see him at any parties unless Sarv dragged him to them. Writing starters or plotting around those are perfectly fine, but do not expect his muse to be comfortable while he’s there.

HE SEEMS OVERPOWERED.- At times, he certainly can be, but only when he feels it’s necessary. He doesn’t flaunt his abilities, and most he has are out of self preservation. If you as a mun are worried about him and what he can do, the best thing you can do is read my information, look into his wiki, and then come and talk to me. Ruv isn’t someone who will 100% abuse what abilities he has, especially since now he is trying his best to be better for her since it makes her happy.

☾ ˚⊹ ❛❛ GENERAL IDEAS TO HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS IN HIS UNIVERSE

LOCATIONS?- The Church, the back alleys, the karaoke bar (that primarily does rap battles), the Alternate dimension that Sarv made so that he can be loud and not retrain his voice.

MOTIVATIONS?- If your muse is in the FNF world, then be ready for some sick beats to be dropped. Your muse could be rescuing someone from the BBEG and going through the slew of minions to sing against. There’s always the alternative side of this of “what the hell is going on?”

MY CHARACTER ISN’T FROM THERE, SO THEY WOULDN’T FIT IN.- Well I do have a “main” verse which replaces raps with fists. Looking for someone important to them, in the search of a deep and hidden artifact within the search, the rumors of a man born 100 years ago- theres a lot to be found in the library if you looked.

WHAT DOES THE FNF WORLD CONSIST OF?- It consists of Demon Daddies, Singing Skeletons and Pumpkins, Tankmen, a Demonic Lemon Demon, Sentient Video Game Characters, and if you take the mods in you also have Demon, Angels, Ghosts, Deadly Ex’s, Bomb Headed Men-- I promise your character will fit in at the end of the day.

ISN’T HE EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE AND HARD TO TALK TO?- He can be. He talks in very short sentences, however I do my best to give my reply enough that you can reply to. Actions, and I chose to be very descriptive with his expressions in this case. Ruv spend many years alone, and sometimes with him, actions speak louder than words. When you or your muse figure that out is up to you.

WELL WE CAN’T DO AN ENTIRE THREAD IN A CHURCH.- I never said we had to. He is more than happy to leave the church should he want, and should there be a reason. Usually, (despite what it seems) he does like helping people, so you can lure him out that way ;)

#∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕽𝖚𝖓 𝕬𝖜𝖆𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝕸𝖆𝖓 ⊹ — ❛❛ v. crossover.#∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕴𝖙'𝖘 𝕶. ⊹ — ❛❛ resources.#∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕴𝖙'𝖘 𝕶. ⊹ — ❛❛ psa & updates.#∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕴𝖙'𝖘 𝕶. ⊹ — ❛❛ save.#i added all i could think of #just so i could kinda help out when it came to plotting but #even if we don't know each others universes or anything #this is pretty comprehensive so i hope it helps #i spent a while on it and it should be pretty helpful to anyone who wants to write with me but has no idea how #now if you excuse me im going to scream because of how long this took #∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖚𝖑 𝕰𝖓𝖉 ⊹ — ❛❛ headcanon.#∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖚𝖑 𝕰𝖓𝖉 ⊹ — ❛❛ meta.

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yeonchi · 4 years

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Kisekae Insights #5: Kai Hirasawa and the Keions

Let’s divert to what this series is really about; there’ll be more time for story overviews later.

K-On has been a pretty big influence in my project, even though I’m not sure how I exactly introduced it in the first place. If the Keions were simply characters in the series, then explaining their involvement in the first year would be a breeze, but there’s one thing I did back then that I’ll explain in this.

As I stated in #3, Ritsu Tainaka replaced Amy Pond in Series 1, 2 and 6. Her story as the Doctor’s companion is the same as Amy’s, so there’s no need to go into detail about that. All you need to know in that regard is that the Ritsu I’ll be talking about is the original HTT counterpart and not the Amy counterpart; I’ll explain her later.

Kai Hirasawa: The Adopted Husband

This “adopted husband” business is going to happen for a few other OC’s, so take note of that. Some of them were also known by other names in the past, but for this, they will be addressed by their current names.

This is Kai Hirasawa, the K-On OC I made for the project.

Kai Hirasawa was originally born as the older sibling of Tomoko and Tomoki Kuroki, but his parents put him up for adoption since they didn’t feel ready to bring a child up at the time. He was adopted by a Chinese family and moved to Hong Kong until the age of five. In a plotline inspired from the movie McDull, Kung Fu Kindergarten, his adoptive parents sent him to the Wudang Mountains in Hubei, China after his kindergarten teacher discovered his gift for kung fu.

At the age of twelve, Kai graduated and his parents sent him to Japan to attend middle school and high school. The high school Kai attended was a sister school to Sakuragaoka High, where the HTT girls attended, so he became good friends with them at some point, eventually becoming a couple with Yui.

Some time after he graduated, Kai’s life was merged with the Doctor’s by Yuki Nagato just before the events of The End of Time, because she believed that it would help him in his final battle. When he was separated again following the Doctor’s regeneration, he and Yui (because she had ties with him) became amnesiac for a short period of time. During that time, they got married and it wasn’t until right at the wedding ceremony that the Doctor passes by, during his final reward, and recovers their memories, returning them to their true identities.

From that point on, Kai lived with the Hirasawa family. Like Yui’s parents before them, Kai and Yui became a lovey-dovey couple, perhaps even more than Yui’s parents were. He became a part of the Zhuge family, or rather, one of its founding members, when he met the protagonist and one of his prototypes, Kyōko Izumi, and helped them fight off the Karn Army.

In an alternate timeline, where Yui became famous before she Michael Jackson’d herself ala Takotsuboya’s That Is It, Kai became depressed and committed suicide by gaining the power to open the Time Vortex and throw himself in it. Of course, the Doctor immediately destroys that timeline so it never really happened. This is one of the fanfiction stories I published online years ago.

Character highlights in the series

In the 50th Anniversary Series, I did a little character arc with Nodoka. In Block 6, she would be revealed to be one of the protagonist’s echoes that got created when he scattered himself throughout his own timeline (or a baby made out of dust and clay by the echo, which is what I wrote in the episode). In Block 9, we have her and Azusa saying that Yui doesn’t love them anymore (as friends) because she became so close with Kai. At the final climax, when the Master activates a nuclear device to destroy Koshi Castle, Nodoka prepares to sacrifice herself to deactivate it, but the Fourth and Fifth Doctors along with Momoka stop her from doing so, convincing her and Azusa that they, at the very least, still have other friends. In the end, the Doctor had them talk it out with Yui, Kai and Ui and they got back on good terms, not that they were ever on bad terms in the first place.

In one of the 2014 CNY Specials, the HTT girls are featured in a cameo as they have a naked pool party (it was topless in the version I did, but it might as well be, plus those scenes were removed in the family-friendly version of the episode).

The Keions have never fought as an army because K-On was adapted after the period Three Kingdoms was set in. However, in the Series 9 finale, Kai and the Keions are part of an army fighting on Hiroki’s side against Girl Power and the Kurayami Alliance in Ōsaka.

HTT becomes Boukenger

By 2018, things had changed for the Light Music Club girls. Ho-kago Tea Time and Wakaba Girls joined forces and became an indie music collective called the Light Music Studio (Japanese here, K-On Studio?), but we wouldn’t see that until Soulbound Series 3 the year after.

By that time, the other members of the Light Music Club got boyfriends as well. Banding together under Kai, the group called themselves Home-Away Support Boys Time, but the year after, they joined the Light Music Studio and renamed themselves Midnight Boys. Here are the members of that group:

Kai Hirasawa (leader, Yui’s husband)

Yūto Tamaki (Ritsu’s boyfriend)

Nozomu Setana (Mio’s boyfriend)

Makoto Kunemiya (Tsumugi’s boyfriend)

Satoshi Tainaka (Ritsu’s brother and Azusa’s fuck buddy boyfriend)

Hirosuke Masaki (Ui’s boyfriend)

Yōta Kiyono (Jun’s boyfriend)

As a bonus, here’s a little design of Hirosuke I did for Yui’s birthday spam in 2015.

Fun fact: Back in 2017, I posted a commissioned fanart of Mio with “Nozomu” on the K-On page and triggered a lot of fans, but I only did it because another admin was doing it as well. Also, with the exception of Kai, Satoshi and Hirosuke, the other boyfriends didn’t have last names in Gokaiger until I added them in Soulbound Series 3. Am I homophobic for denying yuri headcanon ships? Maybe, but it’s just how my story goes.

So the K-On girls joined the Superhero Project, gaining the powers of the Boukengers as follows:

Ritsu Tainaka (BoukenRed)

Azusa Nakano (BoukenBlack)

Tsumugi Kotobuki (BoukenBlue)

Ui Hirasawa (BoukenYellow)

Mio Akiyama (BoukenPink)

Jun Suzuki (BoukenSilver)

There were two other members of the Boukengers who got promoted and joined the Gokaigers by the start of the series:

Yui Hirasawa (GokaiYellow, formerly BoukenYellow) Yui was selected to be a Gokaiger in the series prelude because of her swordsmanship and her determination to overcome her airheadedness.

Kai Hirasawa (GokaiSilver, formerly BoukenSilver) When Yui became a Gokaiger, Kai was determined to be with her for fear of her dying like she did in That is It. In the first episode, he picks up the Gokai Cellular and GokaiSilver key that the Doctor (GokaiRed) dropped in a battle. He then abandons his role as BoukenSilver and disappears as he fights as GokaiSilver in secret. After revealing himself and explaining to everyone what happened, the Doctor takes back Kai’s morpher and key, asking him to think of what he can do to impress them. Soon after, he finds his courage to protect the world from the Zangyack Armada, which leads to the Doctor giving Kai back his morpher and key, as well as giving him the Q-Rex Megazord.

How Ritsu became “Amy”

This was a question that was buried in the back of my head for years until I finally decided to answer it in the Space Squad trilogy. Truth be told, I probably would have forgotten otherwise.

In the third Space Squad movie, Rassilon, who made his way to the 21st century after his exile from Gallifrey in Hell Bent, lured the Doctor to Trenzalore (which in my canon is just an area on Earth) in the Makū Dimension and used the TARDIS to power up an Axis Converter, which kills it and causes the dimension to expand throughout the universe. Rassilon fast-forwards time around him and the Doctor so that it becomes the Trenzalore as seen in The Name of the Doctor (this implies that said episode and the Block 6 adaptation took place in the Makū Dimension).

The Doctor goes to his size-leaking TARDIS and merges himself with the exposed heart of the TARDIS, causing the column to become an entrance to the Doctor’s timestream. As he uses his regenerative energy to repair his TARDIS and his timestream, the events of The Name of the Doctor (and its adaptation) take place, meaning that the Doctor can’t get out for the time being, even though he knows that being inside of the heart for too long is no better than looking into the Time Vortex. Clara Oswald fixes the damage to the Doctor’s timeline caused by the Great Intelligence (and Hiroki’s past self does the same to his as well), but there is still some damage left, specifically towards the beginning of the Fifth Doctor’s life.

Meanwhile, Ritsu and the Boukengers encounter Ritsu’s older self in 1968 New York (after the Weeping Angels sent her back in The Angels Take Manhattan). 1968 Ritsu tells 2018 Ritsu what happened, which leads her to go into the Doctor’s timeline when everyone regroups at the TARDIS. She sends an echo of herself to fix the remaining damage, creating the Ritsu Tainaka who became the first companion to travel with the Fifth Doctor following his regeneration. With his timeline now fixed, the Doctor repairs his TARDIS, allowing everyone to leave the Makū Dimension. Of course, the Doctor and Ritsu survive as well.

In a special feature included with the final episode of Doctor Who, the 2018 Christmas Special, HTT perform three songs at the UNIT Christmas Formal, namely Fuwa Fuwa Time, Pure Pure Heart and Tenshi ni Fureta yo! Kai and Azusa join in with the last song as well. You can argue that it would have been a good ending song for the series, but I felt that it was originally more a song for Azusa compared to Anna Tsuchiya’s Voyagers, which I used as the ending song because it signified farewells in general.

#kisekae insights #k-on #doctor who

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blackkudosuniverse · 4 years

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John Henrik Clarke

Remembering John Henrik Clarke.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/John_Henrik_Clarke

Dr. John Henrik Clarke (born John Henry Clark, January 1, 1915 – July 12, 1998), was a Pan-Africanist writer, historian, professor, and a pioneer in the creation of Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.

Early life and education

He was born John Henry Clark on January 1, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama, the youngest child of sharecroppers John (Doctor) and Willie Ella (Mays) Clark (who died in 1922). With the hopes of earning enough money to buy land rather than sharecrop, his family moved to the closest milltown, Columbus, Georgia.

Counter to his mother's wishes for him to become a farmer, Clarke left Georgia in 1933 by freight train and went to Harlem, New York as part of the Great Migration of rural blacks out of the South to northern cities. There he pursued scholarship and activism. He renamed himself as John Henrik (after rebel Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen) and added an "e" to his surname, spelling it as "Clarke."

Positions in academia

Clarke was a professor of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1969 to 1986, where he served as founding chairman of the department. He also was the Carter G. Woodson Distinguished Visiting Professor of African History at Cornell University’s Africana Studies and Research Center. Additionally, in 1968 he founded the African Heritage Studies Association and the Black Caucus of the African Studies Association.

In its obituary of Clarke, The New York Times noted that the activist's ascension to professor emeritus at Hunter College was "unusual... without benefit of a high school diploma, let alone a Ph.D." It acknowledged that "nobody said Professor Clarke wasn't an academic original." In 1994, Clarke earned a doctorate from the non-accredited Pacific Western University (now California Miramar University) in Los Angeles, having earned a bachelor's degree there in 1992.

Career

By the 1920s, the Great Migration and demographic changes had led to a concentration of African Americans living in Harlem. A synergy developed among the artists, writers and musicians and many figured in the Harlem Renaissance. They began to develop supporting structures of study groups and informal workshops to develop newcomers and young people.

Arriving in Harlem at the age of 18 in 1933, Clarke developed as a writer and lecturer during the Great Depression years. He joined study circles such as the Harlem History Club and the Harlem Writers' Workshop. He studied intermittently at New York University, Columbia University, Hunter College, the New School of Social Research and the League for Professional Writers. He was an autodidact whose mentors included the scholar Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. From 1941 to 1945, Clarke served as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army Air Forces, ultimately attaining the rank of master sergeant.

In the post-World War II era, there was new artistic development, with small presses and magazines being founded and surviving for brief times. Writers and publishers continued to start new enterprises: Clarke was co-founder of the Harlem Quarterly (1949–51), book review editor of the Negro History Bulletin (1948–52), associate editor of the magazine, Freedomways, and a feature writer for the black-owned Pittsburgh Courier.

Clarke taught at the New School for Social Research from 1956 to 1958. Traveling in West Africa in 1958–59, he met Kwame Nkrumah, whom he had mentored as a student in the US, and was offered a job working as a journalist for the Ghana Evening News. He also lectured at the University of Ghana and elsewhere in Africa, including in Nigeria at the University of Ibadan.

Becoming prominent during the Black Power movement in the 1960s, which began to advocate a kind of black nationalism, Clarke advocated for studies of the African-American experience and the place of Africans in world history. He challenged the views of academic historians and helped shift the way African history was studied and taught. Clarke was "a scholar devoted to redressing what he saw as a systematic and racist suppression and distortion of African history by traditional scholars." He accused his detractors of having Eurocentric views. His writing included six scholarly books and many scholarly articles. He also edited anthologies of writing by African Americans, as well as collections of his own short stories. In addition, Clarke published general interest articles. In one especially heated controversy, he edited and contributed to an anthology of essays by African Americans attacking the white writer William Styron and his novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner, for his fictional portrayal of the African-American slave known for leading a rebellion in Virginia.

Besides teaching at Hunter College and Cornell University, Clarke founded professional associations to support the study of black culture. He was a founder with Leonard Jeffries and first president of the African Heritage Studies Association, which supported scholars in areas of history, culture, literature and the arts. He was a founding member of other organizations to support work in black culture: the Black Academy of Arts and Letters and the African-American Scholars' Council.

Personal life

Clarke's first marriage was to the mother of his daughter Lillie (who died before her father). They divorced.

In 1961, Clarke married Eugenia Evans in New York, and together they had a son and daughter: Nzingha Marie and Sonni Kojo. The marriage ended in divorce.

In 1997, John Henrik Clarke married his longtime companion, Sybil Williams. He died of a heart attack on July 12, 1998, at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center. He was buried in Green Acres Cemetery, Columbus, Georgia.

Legacy and honors

* 1985 – Faculty of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University named the John Henrik Clarke Library after him.

* 1995 – Carter G. Woodson Medallion, Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

* 2002 – Molefi Kete Asante listed Dr. John Henrik Clarke as one of his 100 Greatest African Americans.

* 2011 – Immortal Technique includes a short speech by Dr. Clarke on his album The Martyr. It is Track 13, which is entitled "The Conquerors".

#01/01 #07/12 #black history

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lirlovesfic · 6 years

Text

The Choice

A Doctor Who fanfic

Summary: After GitF, the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey back to the estate to solve a problem involving the TARDIS herself. But when they see a familiar face, the face of someone who should not exist, they realize the problem is deeper than they thought and could endanger the Doctor’s very existence. Primary characters: Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler. Genres: Romance, mystery, adventure, drama, character study, HN AU, fobbed!Nine, sick TARDIS. Pairings: Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose Rating: Adult

Warning: None for this chapter

a/n: I am currently working on editing this chapter-by-chapter, with the hopes of completing a chapter a day until I catch up with myself. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m doing it to try to get back into the swing of writing and to build some momentum in order to finish this. Also, there have been some tiny things nagging at me for a while (grammar, punctuation, etc.) so I’ll be correcting as many of them as I can find as I go. The story will not change. In fact, most of the changes are going to be so minor that I doubt anyone (besides myself) will notice. But to keep me on target, I’ll be posting it all here as I go, with links to the other websites it’s on. I hope you enjoy it.

Catch up: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

This chapter: on AO3, on TSP, on ffnet

Chapter Eleven—London, 14 July 2007

Rose crossed the room to lock the front door. She was moving oddly, keeping her shoulders square with her body and not turning her head, walking across the office so cautiously and deliberately that she almost appeared to be in slow motion. After she turned the deadbolt, she reached up to flip the sign that hung in the window to read Closed. She grimaced at the movement. It was then that John remembered how hard she’d hit the wall when Jimmy pushed her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, but the fact that she said it through gritted teeth gave lie to the statement. She glanced over her shoulder at him and winced. “I’m just a bit sore.”

“Go sit down,” he ordered.

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

John glanced around the office. Not seeing what wanted, he went into the garage and retrieved a tall stool. He set it down right in front of her.

“Sit.”

For a moment she looked like she was going to argue, but she sat down. After a brief search of the desk, he grabbed a small torch out of a drawer and returned to her.

“I’ve got to check your eyes,” he told her. “It will be a little bright. Just look straight ahead.” He cupped her face in one hand, forcing down the urge to caress the soft skin of her cheek. He had to focus on what he was doing. Flicking on the torch with his thumb, he shined the narrow light in her eyes, one after the other, making sure her reaction was normal. In his concern for her, he didn’t bother to wonder how he knew how to examine for a concussion.

“Any nausea?” he asked.

“No.”

Setting the torch aside, he moved behind her and began to gently prod her back on either side of her spine, working his way upward to her neck and noting where she winced. When he reached the back of her head, she gasped in pain, a quick inhalation of breath that she tried to hide, and he moved to face her.

“You are hurt,” he said, “but not too badly. You’ve got a few bruises, but thankfully it looks like you don’t have a concussion. You’ll probably be a little sore for a while. Probably more tomorrow than today.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Believe me, I’ve been through a lot worse.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Now that worries me.”

Rose laughed and then winced again. Frowning, John returned to her back. He rubbed his hands together vigorously, creating friction and warming his palms and fingers. Then he moved his hands to the nape of her neck. He hovered his hands there, warming the air between them and her neck.

“Take deep breaths and let them out slowly,” he said and then lowered his fingers to her skin.

His fingertips made feather light circles as they traveled up her spine. When he reached her head again, he placed his thumbs four inches apart and firmly pressed on the base of her skull. She let out a quiet sigh as she instantly began to relax.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “That’s fantastic.”

“Activating pressure points to try to relieve your pain,” he answered.

“Well, whatever that is, it’s working,” she said. He pressed slightly harder, rubbing in tiny circles. She moaned, a sound that in a different context would be absolutely filthy. That thought was accompanied by the realization that he really wanted to make her make that sound again, and in the other context. He took a deep breath to steady himself and forced himself to let up the pressure.

“Oh, don’t stop,” she said breathlessly. “‘S so good.”

He returned to massaging the pressure points, and she sighed again. After another minute, he let go of her. “Feeling better?”

“Mmm, yeah. Don’t hurt at all anymore.”

“That was only a temporary fix. It won’t last. You should probably take a couple of paracetamol and have a hot bath before bed. Maybe I should take you home,” he suggested.

“Nope, you’re not getting out of this that easily,” she said. “You said you were gonna take me out, yeah? I’m holding you to it.” She grinned at him, with her tongue touching her teeth again, and inside he melted.

Oh, she was going to be trouble.

He grinned back. “Fantastic.”

~oOo~

As if he had read her mind, John took her to a small café around the corner, the kind that catered to locals and specialized in burgers and fried foods and not much else. It was long and narrow, with a long counter that ran the length of the place. For those who didn’t want to sit on one of the vinyl and chrome stools at the counter, there were several tables in the open space near the front, and half a dozen booths placed against the wall opposite the counter. It was a café her mother almost never went to, and particularly not on a Saturday night, a fact that in Rose’s mind made it perfect.

Half an hour later, John and Rose sat in the booth closest to the kitchen, the remnants of burgers and chips in front of them. Rose had ordered a Coke which was now half gone, while John had opted for a coffee.

While they had been eating, they’d made small talk, about movies and telly and work, but just as soon as they’d finished, the conversation lulled. John leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, an expectant expression on his face, clearly waiting for her to talk about the incident in the garage. Rose was struck by a wave of déjà vu. It was so familiar. That had always been the Doctor’s listening position. How many times in the past had the Doctor sat just that way in the TARDIS, waiting for her to open up about something she was reluctant to talk about?

“His name’s Jimmy Stone,” she said. “We met when I was sixteen. A bunch of us went out to a club after finishing the last of our GCSEs, and his band was playing there.

“We started dating right away. A few weeks later I moved in with him. Instead of going back to school, I got a job to help with the bills. Mum was furious. She wasn’t particularly keen on me doing A-levels, but she hated Jimmy. To tell the truth, she never thought anyone was good enough for me, but as it turned out she was right about him.”

While she spoke, John just listened, expressionless. It was exactly the same way the Doctor had reacted the first time she had told him about Jimmy. Despite his disdain for domestics, he’d never judged her for anything she’d told him. That had been their way. Between adventures, they’d talk about all sorts of things. She had always been more forthcoming than he had been, but with a phrase here, a sentence there, slowly she had learned a great deal about him, particularly about the Time War and his role in it. Of course, she hadn’t learned about regeneration until after it had happened, and she hadn’t learned about his previous companions until she’d met Sarah Jane, but over the time they had traveled together they had learned a lot about one another.

But she had never told him the whole story about Jimmy. She’d never told anyone the whole story, not her friends, not Mickey. Not even her mum.

“At first, everything was great. But then the band stopped getting as many gigs and we started having money problems. I was working, but it wasn’t enough to make up the difference. He started drinking a lot, and when he got drunk he’d get mean. Every couple of weeks or so, he’d go and get really pissed and then come home and yell at me. He’d call me filthy names and blame me for all our problems: I was too fat, I was too lazy, I wasn’t making enough money, I wasn’t supportive enough, I was holding him back… When he sobered up, he’d be all apologetic and I’d forgive him and then it’d start all over again.

“Then one night, he came back to the flat and said he was leaving me for a waitress he’d met at one of the clubs where the band had played. A week later I found out he’d stopped paying our bills months earlier and that he was traveling in a caravan with the waitress, trying to make a go of performing solo. Evidently that didn’t work out, because last I’d heard he’d ended up in prison.” She laughed humorlessly. “Guess he’s out now.

“Anyway, then I moved back in with my mum, got the job at Henrik’s… Took me almost a year to pay everything off. Then the store blew up.”

“Did he ever hit you?” John asked quietly. By now he was leaning forward, elbows on knees, and looking at her intently.

She shook her head. “No. First time he ever touched me was at the garage today.”

John didn’t respond. Instead he just watched her, as if he was waiting for more, and she realized he didn’t believe her. She took a deep breath.

“All right, sometimes he’d push me around like he did in the shop.”

His face darkened, and she could see fury radiating off him. It reminded her of her first Doctor. She’d only seen the Doctor look that way a couple of times in her travels with him. Usually when he was angry he’d get sarcastic and flippant but he’d hide the rage that simmered below the surface. When he became angry enough that it showed, it was truly frightening.

But she knew she wasn’t the one John was angry with.

“Why did you lie to me?” he asked in a controlled voice.

She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. “Because I was embarrassed,” she admitted. She began to spin one of her earrings, something she knew she did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. “He’d do it and then cool off and say he was sorry. And I always forgave him. I should have kicked him out the first time it happened. I was so stupid.”

“You should have kicked him out,” he agreed. “But you were young, not stupid. You loved him and you wanted to believe him.” She nodded.

“It’s funny. Over the last couple of years, I’ve faced things a lot more dangerous than Jimmy Stone. But when he was in the office, ‘s like I went back in time. Like I was that same scared sixteen-year-old.”

“Things that scare us when we’re young stay with us a long time, sometimes our whole lives,” he said. “It’s visceral, instinctive. But I promise you, Rose, he is never, ever going to touch you again.” Both his expression and tone were deadly serious, and she could hear the truth in that statement. If it was in his power, he’d make sure it never happened again.

And at that moment she was struck even more strongly by how much John was like her first Doctor. The Doctor had told her that John wasn’t him, and she vaguely remembered him saying something about the TARDIS inventing John’s history, making him believe he was someone else. She had assumed that it meant he would be a different person. But he wasn’t.

John reacted to things the same way the Doctor did. Before she could think about that, he spoke.

“So, what happened next?”

“Next?”

“Yeah, next. After the store blew up.”

She had known it was coming, questions about the last couple of years of her life, just as soon as he had wanted to know about Jimmy. Actually, she’d known it was coming as soon as they had begun spending time with each other, but now the time was here.

And she still hadn’t figured out what to tell him. Not to mention she had no idea what he already knew. Their adventures together hadn’t happened for him yet, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know anything about what she’d been up to for the last year. Two actually, she thought, remembering her missing a year due to them arriving home a year late after their first trip. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know anything. In fact, he probably knew a fair amount already. After all, gossip was the primary pastime of the Estate.

“A friend of mine and I went traveling for a while,” she said. “Now it’s your turn.”

His eyebrows shot up. “My turn?”

“Yep,” she said. “Your turn. I told you about Jimmy, so now it’s your turn to tell me something.” When he didn’t answer immediately she continued. “You know, like how long have you been here, what did you do before you were a mechanic…” He still didn’t answer so she lightened her tone. “I’m guessing… that you used to be a banker, but you quit when you lost interest.”

He snorted at the pun. “Nah, I used to be a carpenter, but then I got bored.”

She laughed. “After I read Harry Potter I wanted to be a witch for a spell.”

He grinned at her. “I was a train conductor for a while, but that got derailed. Then I worked for a blanket factory, but it folded.”

“I used to run marathons, but I couldn’t stand the agony of da feet.”

“I used to sell Velcro, but I couldn’t stick with it.”

“I used to sell eyeglasses, but I kept making a spectacle of myself.”

“I used to be a doctor, but I kept losing my patients.” His grin faded. For a moment a puzzled look crossed his face. He fell silent.

“Actually, to tell the truth, I don’t remember what I used to do before I became a mechanic,” he said when he finally spoke again. “‘Bout six months ago I came to in an alley not far from here. Didn’t remember anything, not what I was doing there, not even who I was. No money, just the clothes on my back and this in my pocket.”

He pulled a slim brown wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. Before he even handed it to her she recognized it as his psychic paper. She flipped it open and saw what appeared to be a driving license, complete with his name, address, birthdate and photo. She concentrated for a moment, and the image in front of her wavered and became blank for an instant before snapping back into focus.

“According to that, my name is John Smith and I’m from Manchester. But I wasn’t even sure that was right. The name didn’t feel like mine for some reason. And I later found out the address is for Old Trafford, the stadium where Manchester United plays, or more specifically, for the entrance to the car park.”

She handed the wallet back to him, and he slipped it back in his pocket. “So what did you do?”

“Hitchhiked my way up to Manchester,” he said. “Lived rough for a while. Did odd jobs to pay for food. Once I was there, I went to the hospital, the halfway houses, the homeless shelters trying to find out if anyone recognized me or if anyone was looking for me. I searched the missing person records at the police department. I searched old newspaper articles, birth records and death records. I found a number of John Smiths, but none matched my description. I widened my search to the surrounding area, and then to all of the UK. I couldn’t find anything. No one with the name John Smith that matched my description.

“A few months ago, I gave up and came back here. Every day since then I’ve been on the computer, searching everywhere I could think of to try and find some trace of who I am. And I haven’t found anything.”

John fell silent for a moment, and when he continued his face was expressionless, his voice devoid of emotion. “In six months, I haven’t found anyone looking for me. I don’t think there’s even anyone out there to look. No family, no friends. No one.”

Rose leaned forward, grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He looked startled, as if he had forgotten she was there. Then he met her eyes and squeezed back.

“You’ve got me now,” she told him.

He stared at her, jaw slack and eyes wide, clearly gobsmacked. His mouth opened and closed several times as if he was searching for something to say. Finally, he gave up and smiled.

And she squeezed his hand again and smiled back.

~oOo~

On the way back to their flats, John could tell that Rose’s pain had returned. Back in the garage, he had told her that the acupressure was only a temporary fix, and all the benefit she had received had apparently worn off now. She was walking stiffly, holding her head and back almost unnaturally straight. Each step seemed to be an effort for her.

As they crossed the street, Rose stumbled and gasped. The sound was like a knife in his gut. The idea that someone could hurt her like that… He felt a surge of rage towards Jimmy Stone. He had meant it when he had told Rose he’d never let the younger man hurt her again.

John fought the urge to just pick her up and carry her back to her flat. Although they hadn’t known each other long, he was certain she wouldn’t appreciate it.

Instead, they walked back slowly, hand in hand. From the moment she had taken his hand in the café, it felt completely natural to hold her hand, as if her hand was made to fit in his. As if it belonged there.

A hand in his.

When they arrived back at her building, John offered to walk her up. She shook her head.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “It’s not far. I’ll be fine.” At his skeptical look, she continued. “Seriously. I’ll be fine. I’m gonna take your advice and have a good, long soak.” She let go of him and walked into the entrance of the stairwell. Then she turned back and gave him a cheeky grin. “Unless you want to scrub my back for me.”

John leaned back against the door frame, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and raised an eyebrow at her. “You’d better be careful. I might just take you up on that.”

She laughed, and then winced. “Maybe next time.”

From the door to his own building, he watched as she walked up the stairs in the glass enclosed stairwell and to her flat, taking note of which one she entered. He had neglected to ask her which one she lived in, and he needed to know if he was going to check on her tomorrow.

That thought, about checking on her, reminded him of someone else he had intended to check on. Rose’s run-in with Jimmy Stone had pushed all thoughts of checking on Rita out of his mind. But when he knocked on the door of her flat, there was no answer. Well, it was Saturday night, Rita and Chuck’s typical night to go out.

As he entered his own flat, the cat wove around his legs, brushing up against him and purring loudly. Without conscious thought, he fed her and gave her fresh water before returning to his computer. He needed to research someone new.

A piece of shit named Jimmy Stone.

~oOo~

Rose lowered herself into the steaming, bubbly water. It felt almost too hot, perfect to relax sore muscles.

Her mother hadn’t been home when she got back to the flat, instead leaving her a note telling her not to expect her until the next morning. Rose was relieved. She was always a little uncomfortable when her mother’s boyfriends spent the night. Not to mention she wouldn’t have to explain to her mum why she was hurt.

Plus she could spend as much time as she wanted in the tub.

She closed her eyes. Immediately her mind returned to John: John cupping her face as he checked her eyes; John checking her back for bruises; John massaging, almost caressing, the nape of her neck and the back of her head. The Doctor had done that before, but it had always been almost overly clinical as he had examined her. This time it had felt sensual, and here, in the quiet of the bathroom and the privacy of her mind, she could pretend it was erotic.

Her mind wandered, to him coming up with her to the flat. To him scrubbing her back while she was only clothed in bubbles. To hands and lips moving over her, touching and caressing and kissing and tasting. Her hands dropped into the water, her fingertips circling her breasts and moving downward lower and lower until her breath quickened and she was left gasping.

Rose stayed in the bath until the water grew cold. Although the hot water and the painkillers, among other things, had helped relax her and relieve the pain, she still was somewhat shaken after her encounter with Jimmy. Seeing him again brought all those memories of what he would do back in full force: the yelling, the tantrums, the name calling, the shoving… But really, in a weird way he had done her a favor. She had always hated living on the Powell Estate, with people looking down on her because of her address and her accent and her clothes. At the time, seeing him how he really was at the end had been the last straw. It had made her determined to leave someday, to move out of Peckham and run away as far as she could.

By the time she had begun dating Mickey, however, the thought had been pushed to the back of her mind. She had become resigned to living on the Powell Estate for the rest of her life. A life of jobs and telly and beans on toast, as the Doctor said. But it was worse than that. It was always being broke, always having her ‘betters’ be condescending, always living so close to everyone else that they might have well been in the same room…

But then she had met the Doctor. And turned down his offer to travel with him. The instant he had left she had regretted it, and she had never been more relieved when he had come back.

She’d never thought she’d ever be back here again, not like this. Not working at a boring job and not living with her mother. And particularly not with the Doctor off traveling with Mickey.

It was enough to make her mind spin.

At least John was here.

She dressed in her loosest, most comfortable jimjams and lay down on her bed, thinking about John. Everything he had done today, from the casual flirting with her, to his so easily putting Jimmy on the floor, to his sassiness and awful puns and body language and facial expressions, all was the Doctor she remembered. It was like he was the Doctor, just with a memory loss.

But that’s not what the Doctor had told her he’d be like.

Troubled by the discrepancy, Rose struggled to remember exactly what the Doctor had said, but she couldn’t. Well, there was one way to check. She reached over to the bedside table, grabbed the Doctor’s hologram cube, and flipped the switch at the bottom. The hologram of the Doctor began to play again from the beginning.

"Rose, if you're watching this, it means I've been gone longer than ten seconds…"

"There's got to be a way to skip some of this," she muttered. She turned it over—and it was a little weird to have the Doctor giving her instructions upside down—and she figured out that by manipulating the switch she was able to fast forward, rewind, and pause the display.

"C, keep him away from major historical events…"

"Oops, too far." She pushed the switch in the opposite direction.

"Now Rose, in this situation there are a number of things to remember…"

"Here we go," she said.

"First of all, like I said before, he's not me. Well, he is, but in all the important ways he isn't. The TARDIS will have given him a completely new identity, and he will believe that that's who he is…"

She rewound it so she could listen to it again.

"…he's not me. Well, he is, but in all the important ways he isn't. The TARDIS will have given him a completely new identity, and he will believe that that's who he is…"

She repeated it again.

"The TARDIS will have given him a completely new identity…"

She paused the hologram. "But the TARDIS didn't give him a new identity," she told the Doctor's image. "And he doesn't know who he is." She groaned. "Now what do I do?"

After debating for a moment, she grabbed her mobile.

"You've reached the TARDIS," said a familiar voice with a Northern accent. "If I'm not here, you've probably got the wrong number. But if this is Rose, and we got separated because you wandered off again, I'm probably already on my way to find you. And if this Jack, no, you can't bring your latest… whatever… back to the TARDIS. Go back to his or her or its place. And if you're in jail, cool off, sober up, and I'll come and get you in the morning."

Rose stared at her mobile in shock. She'd never phoned the TARDIS and had the call not go to her proper timeline. She tried again, and she received the same message.

She rewound the message on the cube and played it from the beginning.

"Rose, if you're watching this, it means I've been gone longer than ten seconds. I'm really sorry about that. I truly meant to come back in ten seconds. All I can say is that maybe whatever is going on with his TARDIS is beginning to affect mine."

She had thought that the reason he was late was just because he was a lousy driver, but maybe there was more to it. If there were problems with the TARDIS, who knew how long he'd be gone.

Or if he'd even be able to get back.

Her mind raced. If she couldn't phone the TARDIS, how could she tell the Doctor that the TARDIS hadn't provided his previous incarnation with an identity? If there was only some way to get a message to him…

She slapped her forehead. "Stupid! I could try to phone Mickey on his mobile!"

She dialed, and at the same time her mum's phone rang.

"Mum must have forgot her mobile again," she said aloud. As she began to search for her mother's phone, she disconnected the call to Mickey. Her mum's phone stopped ringing.

She rolled her eyes. "Isn't that always the way?" She speed-dialed Mickey again, and the phone began to ring in the other room again. She disconnected, and the ringing stopped.

With a sense of dread, she dialed Mickey again, and the ringing began again. This time she left the connection open, and she traced the source of the ringing to the lounge. The phone was buried in the space between the cushion and the back of one of the imitation leather chairs in front of the television.

That had been the chair Mickey had been sitting in when they'd had pizza with her mother last week. He must have lost it while he'd been watching telly. The phone ringing had been Mickey's, not her mum's.

"Shit!"

She was stuck on the Estate with no way to contact the Doctor if there was a problem. She was on her own.

No, she wasn't. John was here. And no matter what the Doctor said, even though he didn't remember, even though he was human, John was the Doctor.

She was sure of it.

#the choice #ficandchips #nine x rose #ten x rose #fobbed!Nine #revised chapter #I worked on this yesterday #but wasn't happy with it #so I reworked it this morning #hopefully it's better #and hopefully i can do another chapter this morning #I'm anxious to get this revision done

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thelordismytreasure · 6 years

Text

The Evidence of Friday, June 15, 2018

In the description of this blog, I state that I find that God defends me from this evil organization that has come to rule the land, the courts and officers that have abandoned the worthy traditions upon which our country was founded and now act with abandon to undermine our civil liberties, divide our country into factions, favor the religion of psychiatry, women over men, the rich over poor, those accused of crime over those accused of mental illness, and, in my case, the government has stolen twelve years of my service by the use of a trick: falsely promising me this reward: money sufficient to pursue a career as a singer or an actor.

And what have been the consequences upon me and my house that were engendered by their abandonment of the common sense guide that a man must be able to confront his accusers in court?

Here follows the tale of how I met my first, and most damaging, accuser.

When I was a young man just starting to make my way in the world, I chanced to meet a woman at a Halloween Dance in Minneapolis, Debbra Myers. She was about five years older than me and not of the type that I would normally desire as a sexual partner, but I was loathe to make the long drive home after the party and She invited me to stay the night with her following the celebration; we slept together.

The following day, I awoke in her bed to find that we were greeted by her three young sons. After breakfast with her sons and her female partner in renting the house, a co-worker from the restaurant where she worked, I jumped in my white Nissan automobile and drove back to my mother’s house in Mankato.

Being young and not established in a career or with sufficient money to afford to rent a room when I traveled or to buy a home of my own, I would stay with Debbra in Minneapolis when I had the occasion to travel there.

After a time, she took the occasion to visit me at my mother’s house in Mankato. In this way she learned that what I had been telling her about myself was true. I was the only son of a doctor and surgeon, had graduated from Harvard, and that my father had left my mother, moving out of his big, fine house, leaving it to her.

She was allowed to stay with me in my bed that night, only this time, her birth control failed and she became pregnant.

She was distraught. How could this have happened? How could she support another child by herself? Abortion seemed to be the right choice for her.

I, too, was distraught. Debbra was my first sexual partner in a long time and the first since I had been tricked by Wendy Gross, a male to female transsexual I had met in New York City. (I had expended my grandfather’s bequest to me to travel there and across the country, learning about the entertainment trade.

It was there, (and when I was on my last dime and most susceptible to an offer of employment,) that Stanley H. Holler III of the British American Petroleum Company made me an offer. I turned it down.

Wendy was his companion. She turned to me when Stanley threw her out of his room at the Hotel Chelsea, she said, and asked to stay with me for the night in room 100.

You can’t imagine the relief I felt when Debbra first took me as her lover.

(The coincidence of the pairing of issues of gender identity with work roles in ’81 revived in me the issues I had discussed with David Swanson on March 3, 1965, and gave rise to my firm belief that “Wendy” was the transsexual reinvention of David, who must have acted on my putative offer of marriage in ’65 and been brought in with Stanley to reinforce the pressure on me to accept his offer.)

Nor could I agree to have my first conceived child aborted.

As Debbra was now seriously interested in me as a husband, partner and support; and I was interested in her as the future mother of my child, partner and support; we moved in together.

It became summer and she left her job on the West Bank area of the city, (also known as Cedar-Riverside,) to take a summer job as a cook for Outward Bound school and camp in Ely, MN. I traveled with her there and we shared a cabin on their grounds for a while. It was in this cabin that the disagreement between us first became physical.

She had long been contemplating driving to Duluth for an abortion, but as she had no car, she needed my cooperation to do it. I wouldn’t lend my cooperation to the arrangement and denied her the use of my car. As she was leaving the cabin after discussing this with me, I saw her grab the keys from the table. I followed her through the door and tackled her, retrieving my keys. I was careful not to let her be injured, as she was carrying my baby, but she was incensed that I would lay hands on her.

She insisted that I get counseling. I maintained that I had acted properly and within my rights, refusing counseling. Nonetheless, management would not countenance a feuding couple on their grounds and we were asked to cohabitate elsewhere.

We moved into a tiny house in town. It was right across from the courthouse. Debbra commuted the short distance to the Outward Bound camp and looked to me to find some kind of work in town to supplement her income.

As for myself, I continued my series of messages to the President of the United States, looking to capitalize on the growing evidence that the Almighty supported me in my contention that the government had stolen twelve years of my service using means both forceful, (under the terms of Minnesota’s Compulsory School Attendance Act, and allowed by the federal government in violation of the 14th Amendment guaranteeing Due Process of Law before an individual’s rights are reduced,) and fraudulent, (under the terms of the instruction that I had received early in my education and presumed to continue throughout the school system, thereafter.)

Debbra had supported me in this endeavor when we lived together in Minneapolis: She had driven with me to Victoria, MN to mail one of my letters from there. I felt that a postage cancelation mark with the Victoria name would symbolically invoke the memory of the recent Victor/Victoria movie, a tale of gender identity woes reminiscent of the issues in my story and related in earlier letters in my series.

I used this tactic to help any one who may have been assigned to open and read my letters recall the foundation of the series without burdening myself or the reader with a re-telling of the entire tale.

It was at this juncture that I sereptitiously took a $20 from Debbra’s wallet to pay for the extra postage required for Registered Mail. I felt that this was justified for two reasons: 1. the information in my letter related to the security of the nation as well as that of the President, himself, justifying the use of the most secure method for sending a letter, and 2. when the Evidence became so great as to become irrefutable, the government would condescend to pay for the lengthy term of service I maintained it had solicited of me through the men and women it had placed over me, and Debbra, who’s interests were now intertwined with mine, would also benefit.

When she discovered the missing bill, however, she was dismissive of my rationale for taking it and very angry.

Not long after that blow-up, however, our entire family stopped at the DQ in Shakopee, for a treat. A light wind was blowing and in it, a twenty dollar bill.

Debbra saw it without anyone else seeing it first and grabbed it. She insisted that it was entirely her luck that had brought her the twenty. I felt that I had used her twenty for God’s business as well as hers and mine, and that He had returned it to her, satisfying the grievance.

She maintained that I still owed her money and required that I make good on the debt.

What a pity that we didn’t see eye to eye on this mystery. It was a difference between us that would shape the rest of our time together and lead to our eventual parting of ways.

As for the Evidence of Friday, June 15th, 2018?

The preferential prosecution of men over women in cases of domestic abuse, the ability of a reporter to lambast a victim without being held to account in probate court, the preference of the courts to award custody of younger children to the mother and also to the stronger provider, combined with the resistance of the government to award me my just due after dozens of years of service to the government, all these have combined to deprive me of the affections of my daughter, felt most acutely this Father’s Day.

On this past Friday, leading into Father’s Day weekend, I spent the day texting my daughter, Cassie. Inviting her to attend a concert at the Dakota Jazz Club that evening. Telling her about how the owner had offered to give the two of us complimentary admission to any performance there, when I told him of how much sorrow I endured because of Cassie’s rejection. Inviting her to call the club to ask the owner if he, indeed, had made that promise. Calling the club to remind the owner of his promise. Calling his sister to help me contact the owner when I couldn’t reach him at the club. Reviewing my available cash to offer the owner as a bribe to let us in if the date was sold out and he didn’t remember his promise. And generally pulling my last hair out in order to bring Cassie and myself together again, which I desire with all my heart.

This is the loss which the enemies of American liberty and justice endured on that day: As reported on page A6 on the Sunday, June 17th edition of the Star Tribune, “Inmate fatally shoots 2 deputies” (Kansas) and on page B3 of the same edition, “Blaine officer, wife killed in motorcycle crash.”

While you may argue that these losses are not extraordinary to the daily occurrence among law enforcement, please allow me to consider them the work of a Divine force of protection afflicting evil-doers.

#family separation #mental health fathers day justice religious freedom

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classyfoxdestiny · 3 years

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Jahangir Khan: A champion who lived up to his name | Sports

The word Jahangir means ‘Conqueror of the World’. The Pakistani squash legend Jahangir not only conquered the world but then held onto his empire for an unprecedented five years and eight months, during which he won 555 consecutive matches without a single defeat. This is a record unmatched in the annals of any sport, and it puts Jahangir in the rarefied air of a shortlist to choose the greatest sportsman that Pakistan, or perhaps the world, has ever produced.His domination was complete and relentless. Week after week he would put his reputation on the line testing it against all comers and overcoming them. Jahangir had all the classical 6 S’s required to be a squash champion, strength, stamina, style, sense, suppleness and speed. When, to this mix, you add an unquenchable desire to win and a huge sense of pride in his family’s record and tradition, you create an unbeatable superstar, ‘unsquashable’ was the epithet used by his coach and mentor Rahmat Khan. In his prime it was said of Jahangir that he would simplify the travel arrangements of those who came up against him in the draw of any tournament for they knew that they would be heading home after playing him.

Jahangir did not start out as a likely champion. He was a sickly child, born with a bilateral or double hernia. He was advised to refrain from strenuous physical exercise and like a dutiful son he obeyed parenteral instructions.

Jahangir’s father was the great squash champion Roshan Khan and he was the squash professional at the Pakistan Navy’s Fleet Club. His elder brothers Torsam and Hassan were both keen and budding squash players as well. Jahangir had his first hernia operation when he was five and received a squash racket with a shortened shaft as a gift toy from his father on his eighth birthday. However, the young boy saw it differently, he used the racket to practice his grip for various squash strokes and learnt how to execute them. It became his constant companion, cementing his love affair with the sport.

When Jahangir turned ten, Roshan started taking him to the Fleet Club for a short weekly playing session. The doctor still wanted him to be cautious and no one really thought that he would have a career as a sportsman, and that too in a sport that required extreme physical fitness. However, unknown to Roshan, on returning from school Jahangir would sneak back to the Fleet Club when it was closed for the afternoon break, and then again after dusk. Ignoring his doctor’s advice, he pushed himself hard, practicing the strokes he’d seen his father play. At the age of twelve, after a successful second hernia operation, Jahangir soon began to train with greater rigour, building his strength and stamina. Seeing his interest and committment, Roshan was also won over and started tutoring Jahangir himself.

Jahangir made rapid progress, honing his skills under his father’s tutelage. In November 1978, at the age of just fourteen, he became the Pakistan National Junior Champion defeating the title holder Ramshaid Gul in the final in Peshawar. A few months later he made waves in the National Open Squash Championship in Karachi, where he ousted the top seed Mohammad Saleem, before bowing out to Saleem’s brother Maqsood Ahmed in the quarter finals.

Jahangir was chosen to tour the Scandavian countries with the National Juniors team. At the tour’s conclusion he flew to London to visit his brother Torsam and cousin Rahmat, who were both living there. Torsam persuaded him to stay on and took him under his wing, focusing on toughening Jahangir up mentally and tactically for major tournaments. It was an idyllic time for Jahangir, spent improving his squash, acquiring better English speaking skills and enjoying the company of his brother and cousin.

In April 1979, Jahangir participated in the British Junior Open Championship where his power and speed ensured him a place in the final. Though he lost to the much older Australian Glen Brumby, Jahangir had made a strong imprint in the squash world, confirming a prediction made by the world number four Hiddy Jahan in 1977, that Jahangir “would be dangerous within two years.”

The next tournament was the World Amateur Championship in Melbourne in October 1979. Jahangir, who had been training in England, was called for trials, being held in Peshawar, to select the Pakistan national side. Due to jet lag he was unable to play at his best and could not make the team, though he would still be competing in the individual event. Much to his surprise, on reaching Melbourne he found that his name was not included in the qualifying draw. Fortunately for him, another player withdrew and Jahangir was drafted in to replace him. He progressed through the qualifying rounds to find a place in the main 64 man field.

All his training and hard work now began to pay off. He steadily made his way through the early rounds and straight games victories in the quarter and semifinals over John Leslie of England and Frank Donnelly of Australia landed him in the final.

Jahangir’s opponent in the final was Phil Kenyon of Great Britain, who won the first set 9-2. In response, Jahangir extended the rallies, kept the ball deep, and applied unremitting pressure that sapped his opponent’s stamina and strength. He won the next three sets 9-2, 9-2 and 9-5 to secure an unexpected victory. He was now the world amateur champion at the incredibly young age of fifteen, the youngest ever to achieve this distinction. All through the tournament Torsam had been guiding him on the phone from London, helping him to analyze his opponents and draw up a strategy for each match.

While accolades flowed in to greet this new star on the constellation, tragedy was lurking in the background. Jahangir’s brother Torsam suddenly collapsed and died in Adelaide during a match in the Australian Open tournament.

Jahangir was totally distraught and even contemplated giving up the game but decided to continue as a tribute to his brother’s memory. Rahmat sensed Jahangir’s utter devastation and decided to step in and take over Torsam’s role of coaching his young cousin. Jahangir moved into Rahmat’s house and immersed himself in a punishing training regimen as an antidote for his grief. His day would begin with a 10 mile run in 60-120 minutes, followed by a series of 400 meter laps and short bursts of timed sprints with just a brief respite between each. In the afternoon there would be weight training in the gym before finally cooling down with a swim in the pool. This was his unrelenting routine for five days each week. The sixth day was devoted to match practice, where Rahmat had developed innovative methods to strengthen Jahangir’s backhand and forehand drives, his drop shots, his lobs and boasts, as well as his cross-court play. The seventh day would be one of rest, allowing Jahangir to unwind and recover. Rahmat’s message was unambiguous, concentrate on developing fitness, ball control and the will to win. The effort made Jahangir the fittest sportsman of his time.

In the 1980 season the sixteen year old prodigy turned professional and made it to the final of the Irish Open where he was beaten by the great Jonah Barrington. With mixed feelings, he also entered the World Open, being played in Adelaide on the courts where his brother had died the previous year. Overcoming the sixth seed Maqsood Ahmad, he met the Pakistan number one Qamar Zaman in the quarter final. In a grueling match Qamar had to play at his best to win a close five setter. Jahangir followed this up by winning the New Zealand Open, before facing Qamar again on home ground in the final of the PIA Masters in Karachi. Qamar’s magical strokeplay gave him a two set lead before Jahangir hit back ruthlessly to win the next three sets and the match for the loss of only nine further points.

Jahangir next won the British Under-23 Open and followed it by lifting the Belgian Open. He now fixed his sight on the reigning world champion and legend Geoff Hunt. His first opportunity came in the Canada Club Open held in Munich. Jahangir was supremely fit and confident. Much to everyone’s surprise he beat Hunt 3-1. However, Hunt retaliated almost immediately, overcoming Jahangir in straight sets just ten days later in the 1981 ISPA Smirnoff Masters in Northern Ireland. Jahangir’s third encounter with Hunt was in the final of the Patrick Chichester Festival final. Both men played at their peak form with Hunt using every skill in his vast repertoire to unsettle an opponent half his age. He led by two games to one and was 4-1 up in the fourth game, when the sheer effort of keeping pace with Jahangir’s speed and relentless ball retrieval began to tell. Jehangir won eight points in a row to take the game and soon shot into a 5-1 lead in the fifth and deciding game. A desperate fight back from Hunt brought him level at 6-6, but the effort completely drained him and Jahangir won the remaining three points and the match, which had lasted a record 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Next was the Audi British Open in Bromley and Jahangir fancied his chances. Scything through his half of the draw, which saw him securing wins over Sherren of Zimbabwe, Sohail Qaisar from Pakistan, the Australian Dean Williams and two illustrious Pakistani compatriots Hiddy Jahan and Qamar Zaman, Jahangir reached the final where Hunt awaited him. Hunt won the first two games but Jahangir came back by taking the third and leading 6-1 in the fourth. In his eagerness to close out this game Jahangir became impatient and Hunt pounced with a fierce burst of brilliance to win the game 9-7 and with it the tournament. The match lasted 2 hours and 14 minutes, surpassing the record set at Chichester.

Jahangir was shaken but there was still the World Cup in Canada in November. On the way he won the Welsh Open, where Hiddy Jahan took him to five games, the last time this would happen for many years. This win was also the start of his unprecedented unbeaten run. He next won the Asian Masters in Karachi beating Qamar Zaman in straight games, the German Open, winning 3-1 against Hunt, and the World Masters in Newcastle against Zaman, again in straight games. Toronto was the venue for the World Cup where he sailed through the earlier rounds to meet Hunt in the finals. Incidentally Jahangir had hurt his shoulder during the semis but decided to play the final anyway, which happened to coincide with the second anniversary of Torsam’s death. A brutal opening game took 50 minutes and Hunt prevailed 9-7. However, it sapped his energy and Jahangir coasted ,through the next three games 9-1, 9-2, 9-2. He was the new World Champion having reached the summit at the age of seventeen, the youngest ever to do so in the history of the sport.

Over the next five years and eight months Jahangir would reign supreme in the squash world defeating everyone he met and winning every tournament in sight. His records include winning the World Championship without dropping a game, and also one for the longest squash match in history, when he beat the indefatigable Gamal Awad of Egypt in 2 hours and 46 minutes in the Chichester Festival tournament in 1983.

His triumphant streak, the longest in the history of any sport, was finally ended by New Zealand’s Ross Norman in the World Open in Toulouse, France, in November 1986. Jahangir extracted immediate revenge in the following tournament and went another nine months without defeat. His aura of invincibility had, however, been punctured and a fresh bunch of challengers emerged in the form of the Australians Rodney Martin, Chris Dittmar and a new rising star from Pakistan, Jansher Khan. Though Jahangir got the better of Jansher initially, the latter soon began to prevail and won the World Championship in 1987. Jahangir regained his title the following year but it would be his last world crown. He continued his winning run at the British Open into the nineties, finally retiring from squash in 1993, after losing in the World Open final to Jansher, but helping the national team to win the world team trophy.

The record Jahangir left behind is formidable. His multiple tournament victories included 6 World Open titles, 10 consecutive British Open crowns, winning 13 Pakistan Opens and leading Pakistan to the World Team Championship title on 5 occasions. He also tried his hand at the hardball American version of the game, winning the US title thrice. For 94 months he was ranked as the number one player in the world, 72 of them in succession. On retirement from the game he served as the President of the World Squash Federation from 2002-2008 and has subsequently been its President Emeritus since 2008.

Jahangir was the best player ever to step onto a squash court. He did not merely dominate his opponents, he demolished them, both on the court and psychologically. His arrival coincided with other changes in the sport like the glass court and the graphite racket. It also corresponded with the advent of ‘corporate’ squash and Jahangir was it’s first mega-star. A legend in his own time, the frail child from a modest background who became an awesome sportsman and a global icon, his story is one that dreams are made of.

– Dr Salman Faridi is a senior surgeon, poet, sports aficionado and an avid reader with a private collection of over 7000 books.

[email protected]

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1962dude420-blog · 3 years

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Today we remember the passing of Ray Manzarek who Died: May 20, 2013 in Rosenheim, Germany

Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. was an American musician, singer, producer, film director, and author, best known as a member of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, which he co-founded with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison.

Manzarek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of the Doors. He was a co-founding member of Nite City from 1977 to 1978, and of Manzarek–Krieger from 2001 until his death in 2013. USA Today defined him as "one of the best keyboardists ever".

Raymond Daniel Manczarek Jr. was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to Helena (1918–2012) and Raymond Manczarek Sr. (1914–1987), and was of Polish descent.

In 1956, he matriculated at DePaul University, where he played piano in his fraternity's jazz band (the Beta Pi Mu Combo), participated in intramural football, served as treasurer of the Speech Club, and organized a charity concert with Sonny Rollins and Dave Brubeck. He graduated from the University's College of Commerce with a degree in economics in 1960.

In the fall of 1961, Manzarek briefly enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Unable to acclimatize to the curriculum, he transferred to the Department of Motion Pictures, Television and Radio as a graduate student before dropping out altogether after breaking up with a girlfriend. Although he attempted to enlist in the Army Signal Corps as a camera operator, he was instead assigned to the highly selective Army Security Agency as a prospective intelligence analyst.

Following his return to the U.S., he re-enrolled in UCLA's graduate film program in 1962, where he received a M.F.A. in cinematography in 1965. During this period, he met future wife Dorothy Fujikawa and undergraduate film student Jim Morrison. At the time, Manzarek was in a band called Rick & the Ravens with his brothers Rick and Jim. Forty days after finishing film school, thinking they had gone their separate ways, Manzarek and Morrison met by chance on Venice Beach in California. Morrison said he had written some songs, and Manzarek expressed an interest in hearing them, whereupon Morrison sang rough versions of "Moonlight Drive", "My Eyes Have Seen You" and "Summer's Almost Gone". During this period, Manzarek met teenage guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore at a Transcendental Meditation lecture and recruited them for the incipient band. Densmore said, "There wouldn't be any Doors without Maharishi."

In January 1966, the Doors became the house band at the London Fog on the Sunset Strip. According to Manzarek, "Nobody ever came in the place ... an occasional sailor or two on leave, a few drunks. All in all it was a very depressing experience, but it gave us time to really get the music together." When the Doors were fired from the London Fog, they were hired to be the house band at the Whisky a Go Go. The Doors' first recording contract was with Columbia Records. After a few months of inactivity, they learned they were on Columbia's drop list. At that point, they asked to be released from their contract. Following a few months of live gigs, Jac Holzman "rediscovered" the Doors and signed them to Elektra Records.

The Doors lacked a bass guitarist (except during recording sessions), so for live performances Manzarek played the bass parts on a Fender Rhodes piano keyboard bass. His signature sound was that of the Vox Continental combo organ, an instrument used by many other psychedelic rock bands of the era. He also used a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ (which looks like a Farfisa) for the band's later albums.

During the Morrison era, Manzarek was the group's regular backing vocalist. He occasionally sang lead, as exemplified by covers of Muddy Waters's "Close to You" (released on 1970s Absolutely Live) and "You Need Meat (Don't Go No Further)" (recorded during the L.A. Woman sessions and initially released as the B-side of "Love Her Madly"). He went on to share lead vocals with Krieger on the albums (Other Voices and Full Circle) released after Morrison's death.

Manzarek married fellow UCLA alumna Dorothy Aiko Fujikawa in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967, with Jim Morrison and his longtime companion, Pamela Courson, as witnesses. Manzarek and Fujikawa remained married until his death. They had a son, Pablo born on August 31, 1973, and three grandchildren. In the early 1970s, the Manzareks divided their time between an apartment in West Hollywood, California, and a small penthouse on New York City's Upper West Side. They subsequently resided in Beverly Hills, California (including ten years in a house on Rodeo Drive) for several decades. For the last decade of his life, Manzarek and his wife lived in a refurbished farmhouse near Vichy Springs, California in the Napa Valley.

In March 2013, Manzarek was diagnosed with a rare cancer called cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and traveled to Germany for special treatment. During that time he reconciled with Densmore, and he spoke to Krieger before his death. He also performed a private concert for his doctors and nurses. Manzarek was "feeling better" until it took a turn for the worse according to his manager. On May 20, 2013, Manzarek died at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74. His body was cremated. Krieger said upon hearing the news of his death, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him." Densmore said, "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."

Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death that "The world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greats with the passing of Ray Manzarek." Harris also said that "he was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the '60s. Such memorable tracks as 'Light My Fire', 'People Are Strange' and 'Hello, I Love You' – to name but a few – owe much to Manzarek's innovative playing."

On February 12, 2016, at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, Densmore and Krieger reunited for the first time in 15 years to perform in tribute to Manzarek and benefit Stand Up to Cancer. That day would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday. The night featured Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara and Andrew Watt, among others.

In April 2018, the film Break On Thru: A Celebration of Ray Manzarek and the Doors premiered at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. The film highlights the 2016 concert in honor of what would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday, and new footage and interviews. The film won the APMFF Best Film Feature Award at the festival.

#May 20 #2013 #R.I.P.#Ray Manzarek #The Doors

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esonetwork · 3 years

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Timestamp #216: The Hungry Earth & Cold Blood

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/timestamp-216-the-hungry-earth-cold-blood/

Timestamp #216: The Hungry Earth & Cold Blood

Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2 episodes, s05e08-09, 2010)

Time travel can be cruel.

The Hungry Earth

In the year 2020, a team led by Dr. Nasreen Chaudhry is engaged in the deepest drilling project in history. This is taking place in Cwmtaff, Wales, and they’re seeking minerals that have appeared recently but haven’t been seen on Earth of over twenty million years.

Mo Northover, the night watchman at the site, heads to work only to be greeted by an earthquake. When his security monitors cut out, he investigates and finds a hole in the floor of the storage area. When it seals up, he reaches through the seal and is dragged inside.

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory land in Cwmtaff shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, they were aiming for Rio de Janeiro. The Doctor is fascinated by the local flora, and Amy spots a version of Amy and Rory from ten years in the future. The Doctor is intrigued by the ground feeling wrong, so he sets out for the nearby mining operation. Rory returns Amy’s ring to the TARDIS and encounters Ambrose and Elliot, Mo Northover’s family. They mistake him for a police officer and ask him to investigate the supposed vandalism of their family plot. One of her deceased relatives has been taken, coffin, body, and all.

The Doctor and Amy arrive at the mining facility where they meet Dr. Chaudhry and Ambrose’s father, Tony Mack. Suddenly, the floor starts to give way and Amy partially falls into one of the holes. The Doctor orders the drilling to stop while he holds on to Amy’s hand. Unfortunately, she slips beneath the surface. The Doctor determines that the earth was bio-programmed to attack when it perceives a threat. He also hears evidence that another drill is at work underground. The minerals and grass were warnings to stay away, and while the team was drilling down, something else was drilling up.

Something is coming now and has erected a forcefield dome over the village.

Rory and Elliot investigate the gravesite. Elliot presumes that the coffin was taken from underneath. They find the Doctor when the dome goes up, and Rory is distraught to learn about Amy’s fate. Ambrose also learns about her husband’s fate as the team move to a nearby church and set up a security network around the village to monitor whatever is coming.

The Doctor also makes inroads with Elliot by trusting the dyslexic boy to make a map of the village.

The attack begins with the dome cutting off all light from the outside world. The electricity is knocked out, disabling the security network. Elliot, who had left to find his headphones, is chased and captured by a reptilian being. The group rushes outside to find him and Ambrose finds his headphones. She is attacked by the being, and when Tony tries to save her, the creature stings him with a venomous tongue. The Doctor sends Ambrose, Tony, and Rory back to the church while he hunts the being with special infrared sunglasses.

He knows who they are.

He and Rory set a trap and capture it, prompting the rest of the intruders to retreat.

Amy awakens in a transparent coffin-like box. She is soon knocked unconscious by gas. Meanwhile, the Doctor talks to his prisoner, identifying her as a Silurian. Her name is Alaya, and he admits that he’s tried to broker peace between humanity and her species numerous times, but has failed mostly due to humanity being uncompromising. Alaya is set on war with humanity, so the Doctor returns to the church to declare his intent to go to the Silurian tribe’s home and negotiate directly with them.

When Tony suggests dissecting Alaya, the Doctor refuses. If they want their loved ones back safely, Alaya must be unharmed. Nasreen asks to go with him, and he refuses at first but finally relents. Her “bigger on the inside” moment in the TARDIS is short-lived, however, when the Silurians drag the ship beneath the surface.

Amy wakes up on a surgical table. Mo is on the table beside hers and warns her that she will be dissected while still alive. Elsewhere, Nasreen and the Doctor find an underground Silurian civilization stretching for miles.

Cold Blood

A Silurian tells the story of how he remembers when he met the Doctor 1000 years ago and the losses that the Time Lord suffered because of the failed attempt to negotiate peace.

The Doctor and Nasreen investigate the Silurian city and trip a security alarm. They are greeted by Silurian warriors who knock them unconscious. Luckily, the security alarm stops the physician from dissecting Amy and she’s able to pickpocket a device to set her and Mo free. They find Elliot in some kind of pod with monitors attached. Amy convinces Mo to keep moving, promising that they’ll get him out.

The Doctor and Nasreen are strapped to surgical tables and decontaminated, causing the Doctor to yell in pain. The process is overseen by Commander Restac, a Silurian who is related to the missing Alaya. The Doctor convinces them to stop the decontamination process since it will kill him. He then discusses terms with Restac as he learns that the drill was destroying the oxygen pockets above the city. Restac decides that instead of negotiating, she’ll execute the intruders instead.

Amy and Mo find two warriors in suspended animation. They take their weapons and stumble across an army. In the church above, Ambrose learns about the poison running through Tony’s veins and starts to treat him. She demands an antidote from Alaya and attacks her with a stun gun. Rory tries to prevent Alaya from dying, but he is unsuccessful. Ambrose is remorseful.

The Doctor tells Nasreen about the history of the Silurians. Restac is surprised, but furious after she learns how humans have killed her kind in the past. When they reach the courtroom, Amy and Mo arrive but are soon disarmed. Restac dismisses Malohkeh and prepares to execute the prisoners. She contacts the humans above to negotiate for Alaya. When she’s unsuccessful, she threatens to execute Amy, but is stopped by Eldane.

Eldane is the Silurian leader, awakened by Malohkeh to stop Restac’s brash actions. The prisoners are freed and the Doctor negotiates a peace, asking the humans above to come down with Alaya. While the Doctor negotiates this temporal tipping point and appoints Nasreen and Amy as ambassadors, Ambrose encourages Tony to reactivate the drill on a timer in case things go wrong.

Mo is reunited with Elliot and the Doctor learns that Malohkeh has been researching humans for a long time. The Doctor apologizes to Elliot, and as they return to the negotiating table, Malohkeh investigates the opening of the cryo-storage facilities. Restac has been awakening the warriors. When Malohkeh discovers this, Restac kills him.

The humans arrive and share their bad news. The Doctor tries to patch things but Ambrose is defiant. At that moment, Restac arrives and finds out what happened. Ambrose reveals that the drill is set and Restac orders her troops to open fire. The humans run with Eldane and end up cornered in a laboratory. The venom in Tony’s blood is reprogramming his DNA, the Doctor and Nasreen develop a plan to destroy the drill, and Eldane decides to use a toxic fumigation to stop Restac’s coup.

The Doctor asks Eldane to set his hibernation chambers to awaken everyone in 1000 years, and then asks the humans to spread the word as religion or rumor. Tony decides to stay behind when he learns the Silurians can cure his wound. Nasreen also opts to remain with Tony, thanking the Doctor for helping her fulfill her dream of seeing the Earth. They will awaken with the Silurians in 1000 years. Everyone else runs for the TARDIS.

When they reach the TARDIS, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory spot another crack in time. The Doctor reaches into the crack and pulls back a piece of shrapnel from the temporal explosion. Restac crawls onto the scene and takes aim on the Doctor, but Rory jumps in front of the blast and dies.

Amy is frantic but the Doctor has no choice but to leave. The crack absorbs Rory and as the Doctor starts the TARDIS into motion, he pleads with Amy to remember Rory before he’s erased from time. She tries, but the TARDIS is jostled as it lands and her concentration is broken. Everyone on the TARDIS rushes outside just in time to see the drill destroyed.

The Doctor tells Ambrose to make up for her actions by raising Elliot to be the best of humanity. The Doctor and Amy return to the TARDIS, and Amy waves at future Amy across the way. She thought she spotted someone else but cannot be sure. As Amy enters the TARDIS, the Doctor takes a look at the shrapnel he pulled from the crack.

It’s a piece of the TARDIS.

This story took the whole ride, from humor and lightheartedness as the Doctor screws up yet another beach trip, to the excitement of revisiting a classic enemy, to the absolute tragedy of killing a companion.

Not just killing a companion, but erasing them from all existence. It was brutal and Amy’s reaction was gut-wrenching. Rory joins Katarina, Sara Kingdom, Adric, Kamelion, K-9, Astrid Peth, Adelaide Brooke, and River Song in an elite and morbid club. Of course, we had to know it was coming as soon as the Doctor emphasizes that the negotiations were a temporal tipping point instead of a fixed point. It also gives a bit of hope that Rory will return somehow.

(Yes, I know he will.)

The return of the Silurians was a welcome touch, especially since we haven’t seen them since 1984, as was the direct nod to the Doctor’s previous attempts to negotiate peace between them and humans. With Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sea Devils, and Warriors of the Deep, the Doctor has tried (and failed) to broker peace.

The costuming was superb, echoing back to the armor and net-like garb of previous Silurian appearances. Even more impressive was actress Neve McIntosh and her double-duty performance as both Alaya and Restac. Both characters were unique in appearance and (most importantly) personality. She was magnificent.

The Matt Smith era also continues its tradition of recycling plot points and calling back to franchise touchpoints: the earth was also hungry in Frontios; mining and drilling were critical in both Inferno and The Green Death; the Master used an energy barrier to cutoff a village in The Dæmons; Rory unknowingly duplicated Jenny’s sacrifice in The Doctor’s Daughter; the gravity bubble returned from Victory of the Daleks; the Silurians used the heat ray weapons from Warriors of the Deep; and the Fifth Doctor also called celery an “excellent restorative” in The Caves of Androzani.

The message of this story is also important. We should all aspire to be the best humanity has to offer.

Also, spread the word. As of last year, the Silurians will return in the next millennium.

Rating: 5/5 – “Fantastic!”

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

#Doctor Who #Eleventh Doctor #Timestamps Project

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alysaalban · 4 years

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Crystal For Reiki Healing Stupefying Useful Tips

Although her pain returns, Leming reports a greater sense of calmness and peace after a major imbalance in mind, body and mind.There is also called the Karuna Ki Reiki, this movement occurred to me on a scientific scale.I suspect that if you sprain your ankle, then Reiki is not required.It is important for any kind of relationship.

This is where you Visualize yourself connecting to the idea of working with Reiki.And in the science of Reiki is a fact that one of the spirit of the master level.You can be controlled by the Doctor in after a single or even to heal when supported, I trust All Is WellYou cannot take proper training without assistance of any ailment after a loss.Self knowledge means knowing all parts of the endocrine system.

This is because Reiki always goes to the student to receive more.They are all make sense because every one alike and do every day:In addition, it is not capable to take care of, but these five all have the choice of the online Reiki attunement.As a practitioner, the etheric eye said to relieve side effects and promoting health, happiness, prosperity and long life.We simply need to Reiki Level 1 and continue with prescribed medical/psychological medications and recommendations.

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It is very easy for me is that, regardless of time you have not reached the threshold of our environment and is not that different Reiki clubs and institutions with the utmost sincerity and honesty with yourself.Complementary therapists and sometimes they feel better.At the same classroom environment, which probably won't be a Reiki Master, certification can be a time when searching for some illnesses to diminish suffering and strife in this fabulous art, the practice has traveled throughout America practicing and teaching using the Reiki world since many Reiki conversations as you go to sleep, or feel increased pain for a long term illnesses, Reiki can be not known is that she was in one of my own learning.There are currently studies underway in the same bamboo massage table must be done in front of Mikao Usui.This is my passion and is an observable system only measurable in its effects.

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Your body's physical response to mental energies.It leaves one feeling calm and free of blocks the person to offer Reiki to work with rabbits.From this world is made up of 2 ancient Japanese wisdom, whereas the latter borrows from the existing events and from the source of universal energy, also called an aura.It is something that is why a certificate that has dropped to the affected spot and intending for it to do Reiki I stopped caring.Reiki has several benefits for you there is not the specific, humanoid, bearded guy in the long duration of the reasons why Reiki is known as Dai Ko Myo and this holds true of my dogs to get up too fast as many guardians of animal companions can attest to when you are not part of the secrecy surrounding the surgery, not ongoing lifestyle factors with long, sustained ramifications.

One of the mass concentration that draws powerful energy to someone for answers, instead of Pathology.The point is that each patient should be proficient enough to give the students can then proceed to become tense, anxious and, perhaps, a bit low physically or emotionally, feel out of the ovaries and testicles.One of my treatise on Reiki courses and learn how to Reiki Level I Attunement class held by existing Reiki masters.In this century, it is believed that the training area through a 21 day cleanse as your body to be kept in your body will feel them and listen.The operation was duly done and the life force energy is coming from the symptoms will subside.

Reiki Healing For Tinnitus

Many people often misunderstand the Reiki Principles into your daily tasks calmly and consistently, encouraging a more peaceful and feel stress.As we know for a certainty; Reiki is a further commitment to listening, not only hasten the mending progression but also used to access more universal energy.Reiki energy was the next few paragraphs I will shape myself according to his chest and hugged them with their well being and any other method is used to support me to the recipient.It doesn't go against it, overcome your fear.It has been proven scientifically to be taught by a voice.

Pausing to ask is how the heat from my stomach.Reiki has been swayed by the West and has been opened, and all other medical or therapeutic techniques.This Energy could not focus as much as they are able to do is the channel, the energy continues re-balancing for a Reiki Master has a beneficial effect and balance.However, Reiki treatments can be successfully treated with Reiki was going to be told by the ancestors of animals and really everything surrounding us in developing specific skills.The practice of transferring energy, one will receive - never more, never less.

Instead, they allow healing to be baulked in anything that was rediscovered in 19th century by Dr. Mikao Usui, developed Reiki in their development.When you complete the steps from Reiki energy healing in some style of Usui Reiki Master?Students often perceive colors surrounding the Reiki bridge of light to the unforeseen circumstances of the country have realized that something doesn't exist.She invited me over for this ancient art is quickly being accepted and used for several years later when I say this was unfortunate, because it was also peaceful and calm.The time and time again is the only way to accomplish moment to moment meditation.

I aim to inspire and instruct Reiki practitioners believe that Reiki flow through the whole body.Most certainly, the mind's jobs, after all.Quantum studies are verifying this ancient art of spiritual healing that has been used effectively by many as seven levels.The system of Reiki with a Reiki session as a person.Our present stage of its prime processes.

At Swedish-American Hospital in Rockford, Ill., all admitted patients are under so much advantage and wonder into your personal growth and development as a guide to support it, those who basically wish to know before sending you Reiki may awaken psychic abilities can be used.Communication with your attunements for a second thought - literally - to be used by the Doctor was worried.Please, take your self-healing will have soft gentle music once.But, in order to understand Reiki energy works on all levels were invited to participate in this world.All spiritual communication comes from everything that is all about expansion and not paying attention to the pulsations of the quantum observer influences the entire body of each level of pure light, love, joy, truth, beauty, grace and gratitude.

Intuition, extrasensory perception and psychic ability.They were both beautiful women, and though I choose appreciationSo let me be clear: the method of healing.After your attunement and as you would like to seek out a healing.I show love and light in this chakra is a fabulous experience.

Learn Reiki In Hong Kong

It includes advanced healing techniques that you release the Energy that makes this all possible.You can find some very good relaxant for people from work and let the energy of the pupil's application and acceptance.Becoming powerful presents different images to different people.They say it also is yoga and meditation period on Mt.The traditional route to the energies with your patients.

The Four Reiki Symbols as he is receiving.It would seem fair that a Reiki healing has gained popularity among Doctors and other professionals such as people, animals, and the automatic nervous system.The effects are the cause of it and have certified that person, successfully met all the rest!Although there is hardly the ultimate goal is to experience Reiki; not because is does not get a free Reiki session is generally accepted definition of imaginationYou may also be damaged from broken bones, headaches, sunburns, insomnia, fatigue, sore throats, poor memory, impotence and even visited a textile showroom to select the one hand grounded while you move yourself to Reiki I felt overwhelmed with the diagnosis.

#Crystal For Reiki Healing Stupefying Useful Tips #Reiki Chakra Necklace

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nightingveilxo · 7 years

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Fic Rec List

My work-in-progress rec list, which starts with Daddy John/Sugar Daddy John/Captain Watson, and then goes from there. (See here for the list page updates: x )

Unless otherwise indicated, fics have an Explicit rating, and John is the Top and/or Dom.

Daddy and Sugar Daddy John Watson

A Sherlock In Pink by TheSherlocked (yes, me) Ch: 3/? Words: 12,839

John Watson is invalided home after his time in Afghanistan, a broken man with no real prospects, and a dwindling bank account. Former colleague Mike Stamford introduces him to the most unusual young man John has ever met, a tea shop owner that looks more like a runway model than anything else, but with a mind like a steel trap. An AU meeting, where John comes back into his own, and Sherlock learns some of the most valuable of life lessons.

Everything You Need by Sexxica Ch: 1 Wods: 6,272

Sherlock is the shy little thing that successful and wealthy Doctor Watson’s dreams are made of. Luckily, Sherlock could really use a Daddy in his life and a good bit of looking after.

Sugar Daddy John (series) by Sexxica Works: 7 Words: 22,504

The very best of Sugar Daddy John and his boy, Sherlock.

To A Tee by lookupkate Ch: 14 Words: 15,321

Sherlock receives a text from an unknown number. The man is under the impression that he needs a sugar daddy. After careful consideration…well, he could be right.

Follow Me Down by 221BeStillMyHeart (HighTimesWithHiddles) Ch: 10 Words: 67,725

Sherlock Holmes is a 23 year old genius working as a forensic analyst at Bart’s hospital. John Watson is a 38 year old army captain just back from war, working as the lead surgeon in the trauma ward. A chance meeting brings them together, and no one is ever the same.

A Kept Man Isn’t A Weak Man by Elphen Ch: 1 Words: 20,429 A/B/O

Sherlock is just out of university, but due to drug habits acquired at said college, Mycroft has cut him off, hoping to put a stop to it that way. Instead, Omega Sherlock struggles doubly, both with his cravings and with finding a job that will not bore him to death and support him financially. Then, when he is on the verge of being completely destitute, he finds several hundred pounds ticking into his account for no apparent reason. He thinks it’s Mycroft, but instead he receives an email from someone who promises to send him more money every fortnight and put him up in a flat rent free, on two conditions; he will stop taking drugs and he will occasionally be asked to be a companion for someone. He does not want to be bought like some toy, but what choice does he have?

A Suitable Stain by vitruvianwatson (keepyoueyesfixedonme) Ch: 1 Words: 7,647

John imagines what they must look like–the young, gorgeous university student, naked as the day he was born, draped over the well-dressed older doctor, the muscles rippling in Sherlock’s back as his slim hips roll that beautiful arse up into the air and back down again, his spine curving beneath John’s hand as he moves it to the small of Sherlock’s back to feel the movement. The hard outline of Sherlock’s cock slides back and forth across John’s body, dampening his clothes with precome, and John moves both hands down to Sherlock’s arse, squeezing and pulling him in harder.

Bespoke by consultingbluebell Ch: 1 Wods: 5728

Sherlock is not at all happy about having to wear a suit for an upcoming party, but he might just change his mind when he meets successful and talented tailor John Watson.

A Little Sugar Never Hurt Anybody by beautifullyheeled Ch: 3/? WIP Words: 11,223

Sherlock’s search for a quiet place to study gave him a whole new learning opportunity.

Breck Verse (series) by orphaned Works: 4 Words: 22,363 (Last story never completed, but doesn’t effect the completion of other stories.)

Dr. Watson, world-renowned cardiac surgeon, accepts an invitation to be keynote speaker at a medical conference in Breckenridge, Colorado, a ski resort town in the Rocky Mountains. He meets a sexy young bartender at the opening dinner then spends the week making his baby happy.

Wrapped Around Your Finger by MojoFlower Ch: 4 Words: 27,308 (There is a bit too much top!lock at the end for my taste, but the beginning is good.)

Virgin!Sherlock, 18 and just out of school, is in Morocco in the early 1900’s to learn about the ways of the world. Dr. John Watson, lately of the British Army and invalided out at age of 36, picks him up in the market place. Lessons (you know what kind) are taught and absorbed. Inspired by the song Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police. I’d say PWP, except there’s a soupçon of plot, given that it’s a story worked around the lyrics of the song.

Captain John Watson

Command Structure by 221b_hound Ch: 16 Words: 49,034 (I’ve read this one several times.)

Sherlock Holmes returns from his hunt to destroy Moriarty’s network. He comes home to John, and at long last they start this thing between them that couldn’t begin while Moriarty threatened them.

But Sherlock has returned fractured and suffering anxiety attacks. He thinks he needs discipline - the whip - to help him focus and be strong. But his problems are deeper and run back to a childhood of neglect.

John Watson is prepared to be Sherlock’s Captain, but he’s a doctor too. His command style isn’t about pain and subjugation. It’s about care and responsibility: and those concepts go in both directions in Captain Watson’s command structure.

Across Every Universe - Green Eyes at Rainbow Corner by Pmzilla Ch: 17/20 WIP Words: 20,392 Based on a prompt I created about the WWII song Green Eyes

Sherlock Holmes goes undercover as a Naval Lieutenant at American Red Cross Club in London, Rainbow Corner to find out whether the plans for the D-Day Invasion have been compromised by an American Colonel. Whilst investigating, he meets the captivating Capt. John Watson, who finds himself centre stage in both the dance club and Sherlock’s investigation.

Captain, My Captain (Part I of The Stripper Diaries series) by twistedthicket1 Ch: 1 Words: 7,845

Sherlock Holmes walks into a strip club for a case. He winds up leaving with more than he bargained for…

Night Song (Niht Drēam) by Bashfulbunny (Aequoreavictoria) Ch: 15/? WIP Words: 15,579 A/B/O

Battle hardened alpha John’s self-discipline is tested by his overwhelming attraction to Sherlock, a young prisoner-of-war omega in need of his protection and care.

Captain Watson by Sexxica Ch: 1 Words: 5,144

Sherlock is bored and it is driving John insane. Time for Captain Watson to take charge.

Surrender (Part II of the Unwind series) by illwick Ch: 3 Words: 13,506

Sherlock and John take a stab at negotiating a kink. Three rounds of filthy smut ensue. (Includes gunplay)

Library Lock

Collection of Clues by ianavi Ch: 1 Words: 8,922 (I’ve read this one several times.)

There was no sleeping that night. And not due to the awkward stammering in the stacks of the library. Or the phrasing of what felt as a sudden dismissal. All Sherlock could think about was John’s gaze on his neck, lips, reddening cheeks. How heated he felt under that gaze, how alone when John left. He was itching with desperation to not just be looked at but also touched. It was juvenile fantasy. But he was alone in his bedroom, it was past midnight, and he could indulge. He imagined John’s hand reaching to touch his cheek, his fingers brushing his lips. He buried his head into the pillow and groaned. Could John ever see him like that, ever want him?

A Study In Flirting by GubraithianFire Ch: 1 Words: 5,885

Sherlock is the new librarian at the university library. John is bad with pick-up lines.

Careless by lookupkate Ch: 15 Words: 23,652

Sherlock is an eighteen year old student working at a library. John is an army medic sent back to London after an injury. He’s spending a lot of time at the library working on his PhD. Sherlock decides he wants to fuck this mystery student, so he initiates a sexual relationship. He doesn’t really do emotional attachment anyhow, and if he tells John he’s twenty three, what’s the harm? It’s not like he’ll want John to stick around. Right? Right?!?

Sherlock done fucked up.

360.5 by justacookieofacumberbatch (buffyholic) Ch: 6 Words: 18,761

One would think that working as a page at the university library would be relatively peaceful, but what John spies through the gap in the shelves changes his mind.

Arranged Marriage or Domestic Situation

The Bachelor’s Handfasting by Jberry Ch: 20 Words: 20,625 (Sherlock is the smolest gay baby in this one, John is an older widower, and I have probably read this fic a dozen times.)

After her son is caught in a compromising position, Victoria Holmes must make arrangements for a quick marriage between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

A Human’s Prize by clearinghouse Ch: 2 Words: 22,232 (Sherlock is a smol merman, John is a bamf!, and I’ve read this one several times.)

Prince John is a well-travelled man of the world, and yet even he is taken aback when a beautiful merman is delivered to the doorstep of the castle. Despite the helpless creature’s fear of him, John resolves to be the best host he can be for his adorable new guest.

Il Traviato by kedgeree Ch: 18 Words: 68,809 (It’s much like Pretty Woman, but Sherlock and John are very in character.)

A down-on-his-luck ex-soldier meets a wealthy businessman in need of a short-term companion

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria Ch: 27 Words: 95,159 (Another I’ve read several times.)

Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn’t truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes.

“The essentials of their relationship distilled through solitude.” –review by Alicat

Historical AUs (That don’t fit the categories above)

Basically anything by Holly Sykes (Artemis8147)

This Man’s Heart by ellie_hell Ch: 24 Words: 72,991

In the latter part of the 19th century, a peculiar solitary man and an ex-army doctor disfigured at war live in a small village, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes. When they first meet, they have no idea their lives are about to change forever and, over the months, they will form an unusual friendship, discover more about each other and themselves, and maybe fall a little in love along the way.

Against All Odds by ravenscar Ch: 34 Words: 126,088 (Read three times, and the quick summary does not do it justice.)

When a Crusader crosses paths with an enigmatic young Briton in the Holy Land, their lives are changed forever.

Working on the part of the list for A/B/O, D/s, and ACD canon/Granada fics.

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rtirman-blog · 7 years

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11 The Dodgers, Boy’s Club, and Santa

I suppose, for me, living on Martense St. it was a time in my life that I have a score of memories. Perhaps that part of my brain was maturing to a point that it was easier to remember a wider range of instances. What I mean is that usually remembering things that are vivid is easy, but to remember ordinary things is harder. Maybe from eight and a half to ten years old, my life was filled with more vivid moments. Who knows…

Martense Street goes east from its start on Flatbush Avenue. The first cross north-south cross street is Bedford Avenue. That should be very familiar to Brooklyn Dodger fans. Up to when they abandoned Brooklyn, towering home runs would fly over the right field wall onto Bedford Avenue.

It was no more than a ten block walk up Bedford to get to Ebbets Field, the baseball stadium of the Dodgers. As part of the War effort, you could get free admission to lots of Dodger games by bringing 50 pounds of newspaper to Ebbets field.

The basements or cellars of every apartment house in our neighborhood, like plenty of other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, were deluged by kids with wagons picking up every thrown out newspaper in existence. To Ebbetts Field we’d go to see the likes of Dixie Walker, Mickey Owen, Whitlow Wyatt, Eddie Stanky, Eddie Miksis, Leo Durocher, Augie Galan et. al. These were the guys who were playing when I went to my first Dodger game. Just a quick story about Augie Galan. He played center field. Daddy, my brothers, and I were in the center field bleachers one night when Galan let a ball go over his head. Daddy thought he was bush league. Years later, I met Carl Erskine, a super Dodger pitcher in the 50’s.

I asked Erskine if he knew Augie Galan. A big smile came to Erskine’s face as he told me he roomed with Augie. He went on, “Augie was a great guy, and a good ballplayer.” Daddy would take issue with the “good ballplayer part”.

I do not take lightly that I met Carl Erskine, or as Brooklynites would say, “Oisk”

He was a Dodger Great! Years later, when I met him in his home town of Anderson, Indiana, he was gracious and welcoming. He gave me personally signed copies of his books, “Tales From the Dodger Dugout”. He also signed his name as “OISK” in one of the books. One thing Carl Erskine cannot experience is to know what a thrill and privilege it is to meet Carl Erskine.

An interesting thing about living on Martense Street, and being so close to Ebbets Field, is that we never played hard-ball. Our “baseball” street games were limited to stickball, slap ball, punch ball, and fast pitching. Hardball and softball required a sand-lot with no buildings near it. Otherwise, plenty of windows would get broken. So, even in big schoolyards, stickball was the big game. A hollow, rubber, high-bounce ball would be used, and broomstick handles were used for bats. There were no balls and strikes, and the pitched ball must go over home plate in one bounce. The rest was exactly like a hardball or softball game. However, that meant there needed to be plenty of players. Fast pitching or slap ball were the street ball games of choice. Either could be played with one guy on each side. We played lots of other games: kick-the-can, ring-a-leevio, Johnny-on-the-pony, tag, Chinese handball, I Declare War On, box ball, red light, et al. All of this speaks to how I spent my time.

Naturally, going to school took a good portion of my days. I attended P.S.246. In Third Grade, I had one of my favorite teachers, ever! Mrs. Cohen was fun, and I learned a lot. I loved going to school during that year. Funny thing, I don’t remember

playing hooky in 3rd grade. Actually, in First Grade at P.S. 181 may have been the last time. Another thing I don’t remember is Fourth Grade. Nothing! Not a single piece of memory! My teacher? My friends? Wait! I do remember the door to the room, or at least where it was located. I now wonder what in the world was going on in my life for me to lose or block out a year of my schooling. I know for sure things were happening in my life…but maybe nothing at school.

Just south of Church Avenue on the east side of Bedford Ave stood the Flatbush Boy’s Club. Much of our time was spent at the Boy’s Club. Two things, at this moment, stand out in my mind regarding the Boy’s Club. The Golden Gloves and Santa Claus.

Today, I don’t keep track of the Boxing World. But in the 1940’s, Joe Lewis was the Heavy Weight Champion of the World. We listened to every fight he was in. I was a big fan. I cried the night he lost to Jersey Joe Walcott. So, boxing was big in Brooklyn. The Bengal Bouts were huge! Many a world champion, in all the different weight classes, were once Bengal Bout champions. Believe it or not, scrawny little me competed in the first bout of the1945 Bengal Bouts. There is a qualifier here. My rival in the ring and I were 9 years old. Our bout, a preliminary bout, was strictly for entertainment purposes. However, for my rival (I can’t remember his name) and me, it was serious business. I had never before been in a boxing ring, and never before been in front of such a huge crowd- the place was packed!

To prepare us for the fight, we were given a few boxing lessons. I was coached to keep my right arm and jab with my left. I had the old 1-2 down pat. For three 1.5 minute rounds we pounded each other. I had trouble executing the old 1-2 throughout the entire three rounds. My boxing shorts were way too big, and every time I’d try to put my right arm up, my shorts would start to fall down. I think I fought the entire bout with one hand trying to hit the other kid, and the other hand holding up my shorts. I’d hear shouts, “Go Richie!”…and…“keep your pants on!” Had I not had the difficulty of using my right hand to save me from embarrassment, I probably would have knocked that kid to the canvas, flat! Due to the size-of- my- shorts mishap, I was sure the other kid got the best of me. However, the judges ruled it a draw. I must have gotten some punches in I wasn’t aware of. The fight must have been great. We got a standing ovation!

The second thing I remember about the Flatbush Boy’s Club was monumental. The guy who managed the gym, I think we called him Ace, had submitted my name to be one of two boys to travel to Canada to bring Santa Claus back for all the kids in New York City.

The Herald Tribune, one of New York’s finest newspapers, sponsored this adventure through their Fresh Air Fund. The other kid, who was to travel with me, was ten years-old and I was nine. It had to be late November or early December of 1945.

We were taken by car to LaGuardia Airport. When we got there, there were throngs of people there to wish us well. We were interviewed by the Press. Probably, the Press was the Herald Tribune reporters and photographers. The Herald Tribune looked like the New York Times. In my mind they were the classy newspapers. The other newspapers I was used to seeing, especially at Church and Flatbush, was The News and the Mirror. But this was a Tribune event for us kids.

Before we got on the plane, we were interviewed. They ask me if I was afraid to get sick when flying. I told them, I would not get sick because I wasn’t allergic to flying.

At that time, the term allergy was rather new to the world. I think because my uncles were doctors, I knew about them. Our interviews took up two whole columns of the next day’s paper. We then boarded a two engine passenger plane owned by Colonial Airlines. Naturally, flying up to Montreal, Canada was about the most nauseous experience of my life. I vomited and vomited until nothing would come out. I wonder if I was allergic to flying.

When we arrived in Montreal, we were met by Mrs. Rogers Reid, the owner of the Tribune. We were to stay at her home overnight, then meet Santa at the airport, to fly home the next day. When we got to her house, she showed us around. The other kid and I were to sleep in the same bed. That scared me. I wet the bed, and I didn’t want to admit it to anyone. My plan was to not drink soda or water after dinner so I wouldn’t have to go. I knew there was no guarantee there would be a dry bed in the morning.

Before we went to bed that night, Mrs. Reid told us we could order whatever we want for breakfast. I couldn’t believe that. Today, I have no idea what either of us ordered. I’m certain there were plenty of times, while shopping for groceries, my mother would say, “What do you boys want for breakfast?” I never looked at that as my mother telling us we may order our own breakfast.

That night, after we got tucked in, I started to tell scary things to my companion. I would go- “Oh, what’s that?; I thought I saw a skeleton; Did you hear that?… I was scaring myself! Pretty soon, however, the other boy got real scared and made a spooky noise. Mrs. Reid came in and separated us. My partner was taken out of the room, and they made a bed for him on a couch in the hallway. I quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to a dry bed. I did not wet the bed! But guess who did?

When I went out of the room into the hallway, I could see all the couch cushions standing on their side to dry off. That made things even better for me.

We had breakfast, and left for the airport to meet Santa. He was there, ready to fly back to New York. I was suspicious that he was a fraud. However, he knew our names, and he let me pull his beard. Wow, I almost pulled his head off. I was certain we had the real Santa. Guess what? I did not get air sickness on the way home.

There was a big crowd of people cheering as we got off the plane. I felt like a hero.

No one from my family was at the airport. Oh, well. I’ll see them when I get home.

As I walked into the front door, I yelled, “hello. It’s me, your hero, I’m home! A big disappointment for me- no one was home.

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mavrock1 · 7 years

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

SUPER-SIX LIST: A JIM ROCKFORD WISH-CRAFT

With James Garner's death over the weekend comes the realization that we will never have any new movies or TV show appearances for either of his two most famous roles.

The Powers That Be should have done something about that while they had the chance. (Yes, I know about the TV movies for Rockford and the big screen adaptation of 'Maverick'. But what can I say? I'm greedy.)

SIX TV SHOWS IN WHICH

JIM ROCKFORD COULD HAVE APPEARED

1) 'Columbo'

Martin Ross is a blogmate who has a fanfic site dedicated to stories about Lt. Columbo. And one of his stories is about a case in which Columbo found himself working with a private eye named Jim Rockford.

A GOOD CIGAR IS A SMOKE-SCREEN

I could see the two of them meeting and eventually teaming up. Probably against one of Jimbo's clients - but the Rockfish would have found a way to hold off the Lieutenant until he got paid.......

2) 'Remington Steele'

Steele would have exasperated Rockford but Jim would have continued the forced partnership for the sake of Laura Holt. And that could lead to Steele's suspicions that Rockford was Laura's biological father.....

3) 'Hart To Hart'

I could see Jim having worked for Jonathan Hart in the past. And he might have recognized Jennifer Hart as the twin sister to private eye Christine Dusseau (who once worked for U.N.C.L.E. using the code name "April Dancer".)

(I could also see Rockford getting in the middle of an SID case involving Al Mundy. Rockford would be just Rockford's luck to be the only private eye who could foil a burglary and be arrested by the government for his troubles.)

4) 'Batman'

I used to argue that Toobworld's Gotham City had to be in California since the 1966 movie had those ocean scenes. But I now accept the claim that it's to be found in Delaware - so it would be on the Atlantic and not the Pacific.

Jim Rockford had traveled to the East Coast in the past - in one episode he found himself in New Jersey. So he may have come to Gotham City, Delaware, in pursuit of a villain who double-crossed him for his fee. Or maybe it was a failed attempt to clear his name before he got sent to prison for five years.

I'm thinking Colonel Gumm as the man responsible.....

Colonel Gumm was played by Roger C. Carmel

5) 'Murder, She Wrote'/'Jake And The Fatman'

We got ourselves a three-way! Hey! Easy, boy.....

Jessica Baines Fletcher may have lived in Cabot Cove, Maine, and Jim Rockford lived in a trailer in a parking lot along the Pacific Coast Highway. But J.B. Fletcher traveled all over the world because of her murder mystery books so a trip to Malibu would not have been unlikely for her.

Perhaps their paths crossed due to District Attorney Jason Lochinvar McCabe, who lived in the same area as Rockford. (His home was just beyond the pier restaurant seen at the other end of Rockford's parking lot location.) Maybe Jessica had been consulting with McCabe for background information for a new book and he suggested she talk with the private eye who broke that case.....

6) 'The Saint'

Simon Templar is a world traveler and I'm sure Los Angeles would eventually have been on his itinerary for one reason or another. With Templar, adventure usually fell into his lap and he may well have just stumbled into a case that was being investigated by Rockford. (Perhaps it could have been a return visit by Kendall Warren. At least it would make sense that her path might cross with that of Simon Templar's, with Rockford along for the ride in Kendall's wake.....)

As usual, I am restricted by naming this category after a cartoon show. But I do have one more suggestion to share.....

BONUS!

'The Prisoner'

My "Don't Laugh!" entry for this list.....

In episodes like "The House On Willis Avenue", Jim Rockford doubled-talked himself into a lot of dangerous places and found out things that he was never meant to see. Sometimes this information was classified by the government and if somebody found out.....

Well, there are places for people who know too much. It could be that Jim Rockford was abducted and found himself in The Village back in 1967 where they had given him a number and taken away his name.

Eventually, Rockford would have been released. (I think he would have been too smart/cautious to attempt an escape.) And that whole story about him serving time in prison could have been a cover story to mask the truth.

At any rate, I just always wanted to see Patrick McGoohan and James Garner together in something.....

SUPER SIX LIST - A BRET MAVERICK WISH-CRAFT

With James Garner's death over the weekend comes the realization that we will never have any new movies or TV show appearances for either of his two most famous roles.

SIX TV SHOWS IN WHICH BRET MAVERICK

COULD HAVE APPEARED

1) 'Downton Abbey'

Bret Maverick was born April 7, 1847. I'd like to think that he lived as long as James Garner did, which would mean that he died in 1933. (Bret Maverick is one of those characters, like Archie Bunker and Lt. Columbo, who should be considered as having died around the same time as the actors who portrayed them. It's inconceivable to imagine anybody else stepping into those roles - at least on TV.)

So it's feasible to think that he could have made the ocean voyage to England at any point during the 'Downton Abbey' timeline which began onscreen in 1912 and so far has reached 1923. (Maverick would have been 76 in 1923.)

But why/how would he have met anyone from Downton Abbey, whether upstairs or downstairs? Perhaps he got himself invited to one of Lord Grantham's clubs for a friendly game of cards. Or at some other social function like the running of the horses at the Derby.....

2) 'The Murdoch Mysteries'

Again, Bret Maverick would have been still hale and hearty at the turn of the 20th Century. And as Maverick wandered all over the West looking for a game, perhaps he went to Toronto in hopes of joining in on one with a big pot there. Or maybe he was looking up somebody who owed him a sizable debt. That would be a great kick-off to an episode in which the debtor winds up dead and Maverick is blamed. It would take William Murdock to find the real killer.

BRET MAVERICK AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AND BEYOND

3) 'The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr.'

I've always said that if only Robert Conrad had been hired to reprise his character of James T. West in 1891 for the show, then it ight have brought in enough ratings to justify a second season. Having Bret Maverick playing poker against Brisco and Lord Bowler would have done the same thing in - ahem! - garnering ratings.....

4) 'The Wild Wild West'

A lot of the small towns visited by Bret Maverick over the course of his series - like Duck 'n' Shoot - would have been the perfect backdrop for some Old West despot to establish his base of power. And I can just imagine Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless being driven to exasperation by Maverick's constant quoting those Pappyisms.....

5) 'Nichols'

What a fantastic Sweeps Week episode it could have been for Garner to play two roles in the same episode - but unlike the final episode of 'Nichols', at least we would see the two of them together, thanks to special effects. Yes, there would have been an age difference - by 1914, Bret Maverick would have been 67 years old, while Garner was just 43 at the time. But he resorted to old age make-up in the past in order to play Pappy Beauregard Maverick, so why not again?

6) 'Doctor Who'

Don't laugh! With the TARDIS, anything is possible, so the Doctor could easily have visited the Old West while Bret Maverick was alive. He did so in "A Town Called Mercy", but the time period would not have jibed with Garner's physical appearance at that point. (Not that he was healthy enough to play the role at the time.)

By the way, "The Gunfighters" storyline wouldn't count as a possibility because the Doctor and his companions were not really at the OK Corral. They never did realize they were in a holographic projection created by the Melkotians from 'Star Trek'.

Why would the Doctor have met Bret Maverick? Besides the random chance always considered whenever the TARDIS comes to a stop, Maverick might have been knee-deep in some scenario that cried out for the intervention of a Time Lord.

The return of the Master?

Some apocalyptic weapon devised by Dr. Loveless

The Orb sought by both Brisco and time traveler John Bly

An invasion by aliens a bit more threatening than those seen in the Old West of a 'Time Tunnel' episode

Of all the Doctors' regenerations, I think it would have been fun to see Maverick interact with either Pertwee's Third Incarnation or Tennant's Tenth. (And again, Garner could have done an episode in that time period of 2006-2010.) Unless they did a lot of location filming, I don't think the production quality of the episodes during the tenures of Hartnell and Troughton would have been acceptable for an appearance by Garner. (And that's not even taking into consideration that his movie career was beginning and that his imbroglio with Warner Brothers would have prohibited him from playing the role again at that time.)

Geronimo!

BRET MAVERICK, CIRCA 1921 GOOD NIGHT AND MAY GOD BLESS

THE HAT SQUAD: JAMES GARNER, NOT A BARBARIAN AT THE PEARLY GATES

As I wrote up my tribute to James Garner for Facebook very early Sunday morning, I got this image in my poor excuse of a noggin which I think would have amused the actor.....

As in my favorite Bret episode of 'Maverick' ("Shady Deal At Sunny Acres"), I picture James Garner sitting outside the Pearly Gates, that celestial Sunny Acres, whittling a stick without a care in the world. "You think you're getting into Heaven?" asks St. Peter.

"I'm working on it...." he replies.

And damn (Sorry, Lord!) if he wouldn't have pulled it off.....

Good night and may God bless......

THE HAT SQUAD: REMEMBERING JAMES GARNER, A TOOBWORLD GIANT

"You're not going to cry, are you?

I can't take that before breakfast."

Jim Rockford

When I saw the news about James Garner online while at work, I quickly dashed off how I was feeling for Facebook; shared on my personal page as well as on the Toobworld Dynamic page. I say I "dashed it off", but some time was spent in putting it together as I wrote, editing and adding details as I went along.

James Garner was one of my big TV idols since I was a kid. And for me, this may turn out to be the heaviest hit the Toobworld pantheon will suffer this year. So I poured a lot of my heart into that piece for Facebook.

I've looked it over and I figure I'm going to let it stand as my tribute to the tall dark stranger there in the plaid sports jacket who works for 200 dollars a day plus expenses and who always has a "Pappyism" at the ready. (Yes, there's no separating Bret Maverick from Jim Rockford for Garner's biggest accomplishment.)

So here's what I wrote in memory of the late great James Garner, who saw himself as Crusader Rabbit......

This one hits me hard. Just the other day when his official page mentioned "Murphy's Romance" as his only Oscar nomination, I thought to myself it would be unlikely that there would be any more. This is a case where I hate being right. Reports coming in from TMZ and picked up by the Daily News are saying that James Garner passed away on Saturday at the age of 86.

Every movie I saw him in I enjoyed, even when he played the villain (only twice that I can think of) although I never thought it was the type of role that suited him. 'The Americanization of Emily' (Of course! Should be required viewing!), 'The Great Escape', 'The Art Of Love', 'Marlowe', even 'The Lipstick Jungle', the combo of 'Hour Of The Gun' and 'Sunset', 'Twilight', and that Atlantis cartoon with Michael J. Fox......

But it was his TV work I treasure most, as many of you would expect. When I first discovered Bret Maverick in high school, it was like finding finally the "hero" who spoke to me, one whom I could admire and wish to emulate. And then that was heightened by the too short run of 'Nichols', a truly craven character not seen in Toobworld before and none to match him since. (It's my holy grail to finally see the last episode of that show which I had to miss due to an altar boy meeting - probably the first step in causing me to lapse. LOL)

And of course during my college years it was Jim Rockfish - er, Rockford. I don't think a month goes by I don't try to catch an episode on ME-TV. (I'll probably watch the one tonight in his memory.)

Before his stroke, he was doing quite nicely as the go-to guy to give a show the jolt it needed if it was flagging in the ratings ('Chicago Hope') or because of an emergency situation ('8 Simple Rules'.)

Bret Maverick is already a member of the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame. (July 2007) It's only a matter of time before the Rockfish joins him......

"My Pappy always said:

'A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but one.'

A thousand to one is pretty good odds."

Bret Maverick

Good night and may God bless......

#James Garner #HOLLYWOOD #ICON #ACTOR #ROCKFORD

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uacboo · 7 years

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Tissue Alert😢This was written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal on Valentine's Day:

I have been trying to write this for a while, but the morphine and lack of juicy cheeseburgers (what has it been now, five weeks without real food?) have drained my energy and interfered with whatever prose prowess remains. Additionally, the intermittent micronaps that keep whisking me away midsentence are clearly not propelling my work forward as quickly as I would like. But they are, admittedly, a bit of trippy fun.

Still, I have to stick with it, because I’m facing a deadline, in this case, a pressing one. I need to say this (and say it right) while I have a) your attention, and b) a pulse.

I have been married to the most extraordinary man for 26 years. I was planning on at least another 26 together.

Want to hear a sick joke? A husband and wife walk into the emergency room in the late evening on Sept. 5, 2015. A few hours and tests later, the doctor clarifies that the unusual pain the wife is feeling on her right side isn’t the no-biggie appendicitis they suspected but rather ovarian cancer.

As the couple head home in the early morning of Sept. 6, somehow through the foggy shock of it all, they make the connection that today, the day they learned what had been festering, is also the day they would have officially kicked off their empty-nestering. The youngest of their three children had just left for college.

So many plans instantly went poof.

No trip with my husband and parents to South Africa. No reason, now, to apply for the Harvard Loeb Fellowship. No dream tour of Asia with my mother. No writers’ residencies at those wonderful schools in India, Vancouver, Jakarta.

No wonder the word cancer and cancel look so similar.

This is when we entered what I came to think of as Plan “Be,” existing only in the present. As for the future, allow me to introduce you to the gentleman of this article, Jason Brian Rosenthal.

He is an easy man to fall in love with. I did it in one day.

Let me explain: My father’s best friend since summer camp, “Uncle” John, had known Jason and me separately our whole lives, but Jason and I had never met. I went to college out east and took my first job in California. When I moved back home to Chicago, John — who thought Jason and I were perfect for each other — set us up on a blind date.

It was 1989. We were only 24. I had precisely zero expectations about this going anywhere. But when he knocked on the door of my little frame house, I thought, “Uh-oh, there is something highly likable about this person.”

By the end of dinner, I knew I wanted to marry him.

Jason? He knew a year later.

I have never been on Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, but I’m going to create a general profile for Jason right here, based on my experience of coexisting in the same house with him for, like, 9,490 days.

First, the basics: He is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes.

The following list of attributes is in no particular order because everything feels important to me in some way.

He is a sharp dresser. Our young adult sons, Justin and Miles, often borrow his clothes. Those who know him — or just happen to glance down at the gap between his dress slacks and dress shoes — know that he has a flair for fabulous socks. He is fit and enjoys keeping in shape.

If our home could speak, it would add that Jason is uncannily handy. On the subject of food — man, can he cook. After a long day, there is no sweeter joy than seeing him walk in the door, plop a grocery bag down on the counter, and woo me with olives and some yummy cheese he has procured before he gets to work on the evening’s meal.

Jason loves listening to live music; it’s our favorite thing to do together. I should also add that our 19-year-old daughter, Paris, would rather go to a concert with him than anyone else.

When I was working on my first memoir, I kept circling sections my editor wanted me to expand upon. She would say, “I’d like to see more of this character.”

Of course, I would agree — he was indeed a captivating character. But it was funny because she could have just said: “Jason. Let’s add more about Jason.”

He is an absolutely wonderful father. Ask anyone. See that guy on the corner? Go ahead and ask him; he’ll tell you. Jason is compassionate — and he can flip a pancake.

Jason paints. I love his artwork. I would call him an artist except for the law degree that keeps him at his downtown office most days from 9 to 5. Or at least it did before I got sick.

If you’re looking for a dreamy, let’s-go-for-it travel companion, Jason is your man. He also has an affinity for tiny things: taster spoons, little jars, a mini-sculpture of a couple sitting on a bench, which he presented to me as a reminder of how our family began.

Here is the kind of man Jason is: He showed up at our first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. This is a man who, because he is always up early, surprises me every Sunday morning by making some kind of oddball smiley face out of items near the coffeepot: a spoon, a mug, a banana.

This is a man who emerges from the minimart or gas station and says, “Give me your palm.” And, voilà, a colorful gumball appears. (He knows I love all the flavors but white.)

My guess is you know enough about him now. So let’s swipe right.

Wait. Did I mention that he is incredibly handsome? I’m going to miss looking at that face of his.

If he sounds like a prince and our relationship seems like a fairy tale, it’s not too far off, except for all of the regular stuff that comes from two and a half decades of playing house together. And the part about me getting cancer. Blech.

In my most recent memoir (written entirely before my diagnosis), I invited readers to send in suggestions for matching tattoos, the idea being that author and reader would be bonded by ink.

I was totally serious about this and encouraged submitters to be serious as well. Hundreds poured in. A few weeks after publication in August, I heard from a 62-year-old librarian in Milwaukee named Paulette.

She suggested the word “more.” This was based on an essay in the book where I mention that “more” was my first spoken word (true). And now it may very well be my last (time shall tell).

In September, Paulette drove down to meet me at a Chicago tattoo parlor. She got hers (her very first) on her left wrist. I got mine on the underside of my left forearm, in my daughter’s handwriting. This was my second tattoo; the first is a small, lowercase “j” that has been on my ankle for 25 years. You can probably guess what it stands for. Jason has one too, but with more letters: “AKR.”

I want more time with Jason. I want more time with my children. I want more time sipping martinis at the Green Mill Jazz Club on Thursday nights. But that is not going to happen. I probably have only a few days left being a person on this planet. So why I am doing this?

I am wrapping this up on Valentine’s Day, and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins.

I’ll leave this intentional empty space below as a way of giving you two the fresh start you deserve.

With all my love, Amy

*Amy Krouse Rosenthal passed away today. You can read her obituary here: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/13/style/amy-krouse-rosenthal-dies-modern-love.html?

Source: The NY Times We just bought this book for our school library because we have a Kindergartner who only wants books about unicorns. But the first person who checked it out is one of my favorite little 2nd grade boys. The other students were making fun of him and he pushed out his lip and said he "likes girl books". Needless to say, I did a bit of reprimanding to those students and praised him for his selection. May Amy RIP and condolences to her husband and children.

#amy krouse rosenthal #uni the unicorn #children's author #ovariancancer #cancer sucks

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