#John Hartwell

[frakyee]

First, Mozart dies then Jimmy Buffet and now Steve Hartwell Who's next to die John Lennon?

[jessread-s]

✩🏹❤️‍🔥Review:

How many rules do I need to break to read MacLean’s debut novel again for the first time?! 

“Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake” is the perfect regency romance that alternates between Lady Calpurnia “Callie” Hartwell’s and the Marquess of Ralston’s, points-of-view. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading from Callie’s perspective because I could see so much of myself in her. At the beginning of the novel, she views herself as too plain, too ordinary, and too curvy in comparison to the women around her. She believes that those qualities are the reason why she has been a spinster for so long. Instead of continuing to live a life dictated by society, Callie decides to let go and embrace adventure. Her newfound carefreeness paired with her natural kind and loving nature ends up ensnaring the Marquess of Ralston.

Gabriel St. John, the marquess, never planned to fall in love with Callie. In fact, he swore off love altogether the day his mother left the family and broke his father’s heart. Not wanting to experience the same pain his father felt, he chooses to live the life of a rake. But the more time he spends with Callie, the more he learns what love really is and how badly he wants to give up his lifestyle for her. He sees Callie’s beauty and is set on helping her see it too. 

As a reader, I loved Callie and Ralston’s development as characters and the little moments that they shared. Their late night adventures, dances, fencing matches, and horseback rides are swoon worthy and only grow more intimate as the novel progresses. 

➤ 4.25 stars

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[thefollyflaneuse]

The Egyptian Springs, Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire

Searching for an image of the Egyptian Spring, a garden ornament at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, the Folly Flâneuse found a picture postcard from the early years of the 20th century. But instead of the usual cheery message to a friend, the back of the card promised palatable prizes. So why was a folly being used to promote foodstuffs? Continue reading The Egyptian Springs, Hartwell…

[rockposerdotcom]

These Wicked Rivers Announce 'Force of Nature' UK Tour Dec 2023

Derby blues-rockers These Wicked Rivers have announced their biggest UK headline tour to date in conjunction with Planet Rock. The 11 date tour kicks off in Southampton on 1st December, calling in at Planet Rock’s Rockstock in Trecco Bay before heading onwards to Norwich, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, London, Chester and Newcastle. The tour winds up in Bristol on December 17th after their…

[rubberizer92]

John Doe woke up to the monotonous beep of his alarm clock, the digital display reading 05:00. He groaned and rolled over, his eyes adjusting to the dim light seeping through the blinds. The room was a study in neutral tones, from the beige carpet to the off-white walls, and the only sound was the rhythmic ticking of a clock that had been a gift from his father.

John was an average man in his late twenties, with a body that suggested more time spent in front of a computer than at the gym. His hair was a mess of dark waves, and his eyes were a tired shade of brown. He worked a desk job that paid the bills but didn't excite him, and his social life was as bland as the décor in his apartment. His mornings were a routine of the same old grind.

Today, however, was different. John had received a letter, not the usual email or bill, but an actual letter with a proper stamp and an official-looking envelope. It was from the government, but it wasn't a tax notification or a jury duty summons. It was an invitation to a place called the DRONE Center. He had heard whispers about it, a mysterious facility that promised a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Curiosity piqued, John had signed up for more information, not truly believing he would ever receive a response. Now, as he stared at the envelope, his heart thumped in his chest. The logo on the letter was a sleek black drone, the letters "DRONE" emblazoned in shiny silver beneath it. The Division for the Recalibration of Obedient Neural Enclaves, it read. What could that mean? He had read the brochure countless times, but the reality of it all was starting to sink in.

John showered and dressed in his best suit, feeling the weight of the decision he was about to make. The center promised to transform him into something greater, to serve a higher purpose. As he stepped out into the crisp morning air, the world around him looked sharper, more vivid than it ever had before. The thought of leaving his mundane life behind for something more was intoxicating.

He arrived at the center, a towering, gleaming building nestled in the heart of the city. The doors slid open with a hiss, revealing a reception area that was more like a luxury hotel lobby than a government facility. The man at the desk looked up at him, his smile as perfect as the gleaming chrome surfaces around them. "Welcome to DRONE," he said, his voice a soothing purr. "We've been expecting you."

The elevator ride to the top floor was swift and silent, the mirrored walls reflecting his slightly nervous expression. When the doors opened, he was greeted by a room that looked more like a futuristic gym than anything else. Men in tight, rubberized suits moved with mechanical grace, their bodies sculpted to perfection. The air was filled with the faint scent of antiseptic and something else, something that made John's heart race.

The man who had led him there, Dr. Hartwell, explained the process in a cool, detached tone. "You'll undergo a series of treatments and training sessions to become one of our elite drones. It's a three-year commitment, but I assure you, it's an opportunity of a lifetime."

John nodded, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He had made his choice, and there was no turning back now. As he donned the provided uniform, the smooth rubber clinging to his skin, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of life awaited him in the service of the DRONE Center.

[handeaux]

For Cincinnati’s Dandelion Hunters, Harvesting Weeds Was Often An Adventure

It was the spring of 1913. Cincinnati Police got word a craps game was operating in the shadow of the Fairview Incline. The gamblers picked a good location, with clear views all around. They could spot any police interference with plenty of time to conceal all the evidence. The cops determined that subterfuge was necessary to put a lid on this game.

It is likely Police Lieutenant Thomas M. Hall came up with the gambit, or maybe it was Officer William B. Meyer or Office John H. Rabe Jr., the two patrolmen who assisted him, but the strategy proved flawless. The three policemen disguised themselves as dandelion hunters. The gamblers paid no attention to three men in mufti filling baskets with spring greens. They were caught red-handed and flat-footed and all five of them ended up in the hoosegow.

Dandelion hunters? Who would have thought? Today, there would hardly be any cover story more suspect. Who goes out hunting for dandelions these days? A hundred years ago, dandelion hunting was a very big thing and dandelion hunters figured into some of the biggest mysteries in Cincinnati.

In November 1904, the body of 18-year-old Alma Steinigeweg was found, brutally murdered, in the field between the foot of Winton Road and the Mill Creek. An investigation dragged on for years, but no one was ever charged with the crime. For months, investigators didn’t even have a murder weapon. Then, in April of 1905, Joseph Raison of Madisonville took a break from his job at a lumberyard on Spring Grove Avenue to pick some dandelions for dinner. He found a splintered pickaxe handle with hair matted on one end just 150 feet from where the victim’s body had been found. It matched the victim’s wounds.

Then there was the case of Edmund Grossmann of Cumminsville. He was a grocer and butcher who one day walked out of his house and never returned. Grossmann’s family scoured the area for a week with no luck. And then, according to the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [26 February 1906]:

“Saturday, while picking dandelions on the side of Roll Hill, with her two children, Mrs. Maggie Markle, 3631 Borden Street, noticed the prostrate form of a man lying in the bushes close by. She thought it was that of a sleeping man and avoided the neighborhood.”

Returning home, Mrs. Markle described the incident to a neighbor, John Pherson, who walked over to Roll Hill expecting to chase away a tramp. He found Grossmann’s body. The grocer had strangled himself with a handkerchief and his own suspenders.

Vernon Presley, of 1504 Elm Street, found a much less macabre bit of criminal evidence when he and his wife parked their car along the Mary Ingles Highway in Daytona, Kentucky. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer [13 April 1955]:

“A dandelion hunter was $100 richer yesterday because, instead of finding dandelions, he uncovered a box containing stocks and bonds valued at $62,000.”

The box was part of the loot carried off from the home of William Peebles of Silverton, who had been robbed a week earlier while the family was out of town. Peebles gave Presley $100 for his acuity.

And then there was Viola Nolan of 1578 Baymiller Street, who told the Cincinnati Post [28 September 1923]:

“While picking dandelions on Price Hill, I cut one flower and found a plain gold ring on the stalk. The stalk had grown thru the ring which had been dropped.”

But dandelion hunting had its hazards as well as its rewards. In 1907 a good-sized hog escaped from the pens of farmer Henry Brink in Hartwell. The porcine fugitive established itself in Pfau’s Woods near the city infirmary (now known as Drake Hospital) and chased away children who came to the woods to hunt dandelions. The men of the neighborhood organized a posse to capture the beast. In another case, the Enquirer [14 April 1917] reported:

“Mrs. Mary Hurst, 55 years old, Rossmoyne, Ohio, was killed yesterday by a south-bound Dayton Express on the C. L. and N. Railway near her home. Coroner Bauer was informed Mrs. Hunt was picking dandelions at the side of the tracks and she was drawn under the train by suction.”

And some folks just didn’t cotton to random trespassers picking dandelions on their property. In 1909, George Wasser sued George Weyman in Campbell County Court because, while Wasser was picking dandelions on Weyman’s farm, Weyman shot him twice – in his hip and in a foot – permanently crippling him. Similarly, Denato Mariaus of California, Ohio, sued Jack Weiner for shooting at him while he hunted dandelions on Weiner’s property near Coney Island.

In the 1920s, with Prohibition settling like a wet blanket on the land, dandelions surged in popularity because of the ease with which they could be induced to create a sort of wine. The Cincinnati Post [18 July 1923] opined that dandelion wine had replaced beer as Cincinnati’s iconic beverage:

“Some Cincinnatians suggest adoption of the dandelion as the city’s official flower. How the mighty hops have fallen! Moreover, homemade dandelion wine isn’t bad, at all.”

So popular was this concoction, that the Enquirer [24 April 1930] facetiously investigated a mystery:

“We see a lot of people picking the dandelion blossoms without trying to dig the plants themselves out of the lawn. What can it mean d’ya suppose?”

Interestingly, the Volstead Act that created Prohibition allowed for modest production of grape or fruit wine at home. Since dandelions were not fruit, dandelion wine was strictly prohibited. Dandelion wine was so easy to make, Cincinnati revenuers generally ignored the law and looked the other way during the springtime harvest. If you want to try dandelion wine yourself, here is a recipe from the Cincinnati Post [7 April 1913]:

“To 4 quarts flowers, take 4 quarts boiling water, cover well with water, let stand 3 days. Add peel of 3 oranges and 1 lemon, boil for 15 minutes, drain and add juice of oranges and lemons to 4 pounds of sugar and one cupful of yeast. Keep in a warm room, strain again. Let stand for 3 weeks, then bottle and serve.”

[randomfoggytiger]

"As Agent Mulder Says, There Are Many Different Kinds of Vampires"

(Fictober, Day 3)

(@wexleresque's Fictober prompt: Mulder and Scully as vampires)

He was a random man-- that was all Scully could think as she rounded the motel bed and found a jean-jacketed redhead bent above her partner, mouth attached to Mulder's neck. For a split second her mind played games, reintroduced the gasping phone call to make this a less horrifying reality; but that ended when her partner's assailant raised his head and snarled at her, eyes glowing outlandishly green as blood poured over the enhanced incisors in his mouth. As a doctor, she knew that quantity of blood likely came from the two strategic punctures on her partner's neck. As a woman, she couldn't believe in that scientific possibility for a split second.

In that moment, smalltown attacker charged.

*****

To her horror, scientific probability truly betrayed her then. Though Scully was shooting before she hit the ground, John Doe effortlessly took each bullet to the chest, jerking left and right, left and right with every hit. Finally, spitting blood all over her face, he dug his fingers into her shoulders and slammed her hard against the ground, purposefully knocking the back of her skull over and over into the carpet. Dazed, a fuzzy wave of disassociation washed over her even as Scully felt two (oddly unstable) incisors sink into her neck.

There was a wail of pain-- she thought it was her own-- before everything became a blur of motion: thuds and thrashings, a violent crack of ripping wood, and an anguished gasp for mercy before it crescendoed into a shriek of agony.

Then Mulder appeared in front of her calling "Scully, Scully" as his hands fluttered to her face before sliding down, back and forth in the blood across her neck. Scully's vision cleared enough to see Mulder's eyes glow an unnatural green.

*****

Scully listened to her partner call in the incident while trying not to think of the facts: that an impaled body was sprawled out on the motel floor, that her eyes looked sick and traumatized, and that her partner's carotid artery stopped bleeding sometime between Ronnie's second attack and his death.

A sharp, burning pain wrapped around her throat; and she dropped the wet washcloth to shakily slap around, find the source. Her necklace sizzled, twisting and crackling across her traumatized skin. Scully scrambled to unclasp it as the agony heightened-- and pulled away, horrified, when her fingertips scorched on the cross pendant.

Mulder ran in immediately to help and made flinching noises as he feverishly finished the job. With a final tormented yelp, he dropped it into the sink, both of them looking from the tiny chain halfway down the drain to the red mark blooming into a cross below her clavicles.

*****

Her tears hadn't stopped since she'd sobbed, "Am I denied my faith because of what I am?" Hours and hours later they stood in her motel room after Mulder wrapped up the witness statements with Sheriff Hartwell, Scully's necklace between layers of cheap tissue, and Scully herself in a firming embrace.

*****

Both of them rushed out before dawn when a herd of wild Texan RVs squealed out of the lot, effectively emptying the entire town in under ten minutes. With two hours to spare before the sun rose, Mulder retrieved his phone from the pocket at her side and yelled "Call Skinner!" before running out to investigate whatever was left.

Scully was thankful for the fifteen spare minutes he gave to collect herself. Five of those fifteen were spent breathing her professionalism back to life.

*****

Agent Scully could neither confirm nor deny Agent Mulder's claims that Ronnie Strickland's abhorrent actions were tied to the alleged nature of his vampirism. However, she could state for the record that perhaps his collaborators-- or Mr. Strickland himself-- would be able to explain his actions more thoroughly, as any evidence had disappeared along with his body and the vanished residents of Chaney, Texas.

*****

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

Tagging @today-in-fic and @xffictober2023 and @fictober-event

[wrestler-smash-or-pass]

Weekly Wrapup 4/7/24

This Week's Rankings:

Rhea Ripley (Papi Era) - 87.4% smash

Sami Zayn (NXT Era) - 80.3%

Edge & Christian - 78.4%

MK Ultra (Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly) - 77.7%

Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, & Orange Cassidy - 75.9%

Alex Shelley - 75.8%

Indi Hartwell - 75.6%

Hirooki Goto - 68.0%

Fandango - 67.7%

Kyle O'Reilly (Revolution 2024) - 61.7%

Shayna Wayne - 56.6%

John Silver - 52.0%

FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) - 51.2%

Walter - 41.1%

Average smash rating this week: 67.8%

More stats under the cut, along with my observations, commentary, and some of my favorite tags...

Most total votes this week (most enthusiasm)

Kyle O'Reilly (Revolution 2024) - 428 votes

FTR - 416

Sami Zayn (NXT) - 400

Rhea Ripley (Papi) - 374

Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, & Orange Cassidy - 352

And least total votes this week (least enthusiasm)

Indi Hartwell - 180 votes

Fandango - 189

Walter - 214

Hirooki Goto - 222

Shayna Wayne - 244

The closest poll was FTR, who won 213-203

Top Ten Overall

Kris Statlander - 91% smash

Athena - 90.2% smash

Hikaru Shida - 89.7% smash

Utami Hayashishita - 88.9% smash

Minoru Suzuki (Young Variant) - 88.7% smash

Swerve Strickland - 88.3% smash

Toni Storm - 88.1% smash

Hiroshi Tanahashi - 87.7% smash

Rhea Ripley (Papi Era) - 87.4% smash

Hangman Adam Page - 86.4% smash

Top Tag Teams

Kabuki Warriors - 82.4% smash

The Golden Lovers - 80.4% smash

Edge & Christian - 78.4% smash

MK Ultra - 77.7% smash

Unholy Union - 74.3% smash

Rhea Ripley returns to the top 10 overall, this time in her Papi era. The tag teams of Edge & Christian and MK Ultra made it to the top tag team rankings.

All the way back in the first week of running this blog, I posted a poll on Gunther. He received 196 total votes and a smash rating of 29.6%. We had a poll on him as Walter this past week, where he was significantly more popular. Similar number of votes (214--the single most surprising thing to me about running this blog is how stable the vote counts have remained), but he got a 41.4% smash rating.

Also, this week had the highest average smash rating so far. I forgot to mention it in the recap, but last week set a record for lowest average smash rating.

And now for some of my favorite tags and comments

@allelitesmut on Kyle O'Reilly: #I am not immune to his wet cat demeanor

@beefyandbloody on Kyle O'Reilly: #i remember someone saying he looks like he escaped someone's torture basement and i wish it was mine

@heelhausen on Chuck, Trent, and OC: #smash but Trent has to sit in the cuck chair#I cant fuck Trent bc I’m more determined to get with his mom and I’m not ruining my chances with sue

@tache-noire on Alex Shelley: #leave me alone w him i'll fix his tiny nipples

@tetsuya-naito on Hirooki Goto: #i would run a marathon barefoot on legos for the chance to smash hirooki goto

@dm-me-your-weltanschauung on FTR: #someone should walk up to them and say “Hey guys I'm The Rest”#not me because I voted to pass#but someone should

@old-no7 on John Silver: #This man would fuck you like a machine and let you have the first pull of the joint after#The only thing you'd have to put up with is the fact that Reynolds and Uno WILL be there#Providing commentary#but also snacks

[all-eyes-lead-to-the-truth]

All Eyes Lead to the Truth | Season Five Master Post

From fan-favorite monsters to big players behind the conspiracy to the people closest to Mulder and Scully, season five has been one of the most fun yet!

Check out this thread to see all the characters we got to meet this season!

Redux (5x01) | Section Chief Scott Blevins

He had no vested interest in Mulder and his quest, but he was part of the machine, the same as everyone else dressed in suits, skulking around in dark, smoke-filled rooms.

Redux II (5x02) | Dr. Zuckerman

Dr. Zuckerman recalls Dana telling him that this man, her best friend, was the first person to help her absorb cancer's painful blow. It seems fitting that he be the first to feel the relief in its aftermath alongside her.

Unusual Suspects (5x03) | Detective John Munch

“Listening to those three talk makes me feel like I need to go be strapped down to a hospital bed. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great story, but that’s all it is.” The captain was up their asses about this case, but as far as Munch knew, watching one too many science fiction movies wasn’t a crime.

Detour (5x04) | Special Agent Stonecypher

Communicating with those two was more difficult than some interrogations she’d been a part of, but she kept trying. They didn’t call her Tough as Rocks Stonecypher for nothing.

Post-Modern Prometheus (5x05) | Izzy Berkowitz

The simple folk of this rural Indiana town are no different than the man they’d called Monster and chased with pitchforks.

Maybe they’re all monsters.

Izzy kind of likes that.

Christmas Carol (5x06) | Bill Scully Jr.

Maybe that’s what pissed him off so much. Mulder does blame himself. There’s nothing Bill could ever say to that man that he hadn’t said to himself a thousand times over.

Emily (5x07) | Detective John Kresge

He recognizes her toughness, her resilience. The very thing he’d fought against at the start is exactly the thing that makes her a good agent. But in this moment he can see her humanity, something he knows makes her a good person, too. He wishes he’d had the chance to get to know her better.

Kitsunegari (5x08) | Linda Bowman

With clenched fists, Linda Bowman walks away from her dead twin, revenge stoking the hot flame of rage burning in her chest.

It’s time for this fox hunt to end.

Schizogeny (5x09) | Lisa Baiocchi

Karin continued on, seemingly oblivious to the tree limbs knocking against the window, begging to be let in. “It’s natural for kids who have been in your situation to wish that their parent was dead.”

Chinga (5x10) | Chief Jack Bonsaint

All the talk of witches around these parts has always been just that to Jack: talk. Chatter. He doesn’t pay it much mind. He lives in the real world, not the realm of fantasy and hokum.

But if someone like Agent Scully can believe…

Kill Switch (5x11) | Esther Nairn (Invisigoth)

They’d thought they would change the face of technology, the world, even. She’d been young and in love. Not for a second did she think that would be the very thing that ruined all of it.

Bad Blood (5x12) | Sheriff Lucius Hartwell

His salvatory glands were working in overdrive between all this blood-talk and the assault of Agent Scully's intoxicating scent. It was taking his full concentration to keep his fangs from dropping into place.

Patient X (5x13) | Cassandra Spender

Some of the others fear the Light, dread it, but Cassandra welcomes it. To her it is no harbinger of doom; it’s a sign that she’ll be gone again soon, swept away from this place that has brought her nothing but pain.

The Red and the Black (5x14) | Special Agent Jeffrey Spender

Jeffrey hadn’t known anything about aliens until his mother had explained to him that they lived on planets far from their own. Jeffrey believed everything she told him, because why wouldn’t he? She was his mother, the center of his universe, and he’d never had any reason to doubt her before.

Travelers (5x15) | Special Agent Arthur Dales

Arthur plucks the bottle of Jim Beam from behind a container of his blood pressure pills. The fine layer of dust coating the bourbon’s glass reminds him how long it’s been since he’s drowned himself in sorrow. About as long as it’s been since he’s thought about the X-Files.

Mind's Eye (5x16) | Marty Glenn

People seem to think her lack of vision inhibits her; that without it, she’s unable to see.

But Marty sees plenty.

All Souls (5x17) | Emily Sim

Emily is lucky. She doesn’t have just one mommy, she has two. There’s the mommy who she’d known her whole life, the one who had taken care of her when she was sick and who is here with her now, and then there’s her other mommy who isn’t here yet.

Pine Bluff Variant (5x18) | August Bremer

Silence stretches for a long time. Nothing but the crinkle of med-grade wrappers and the burbling of water from what sounds like a fish tank drifts through the headphones. August may be on the outside listening in, but he can practically feel the tension from here.

Folie à Deux (5x19) | Nancy Aaronson

Gary always looked like he had an elephant sitting on his chest, and every time he heard the VinylRight rigmarole, the elephant shifted. For some reason, it felt like he thought she could help him relieve the weight.

The End (5x20) | Gibson Praise

They had no idea what it was like to realize that the manager at a grocery store was stealing money from the safe in the back room when you were all the way up at the cash registers. Or what it was like to pick out the kid in a stadium full of people who was mad at his mother for making him wear his least comfortable pants. No one needed to know those things, but he knew them.

Gibson heard all of it, whether he wanted to or not.

Stay tuned for more perspectives coming in Season Six!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

[lazywolfwiccan]

The official WWE 2k23 roster!!!! @atiny-angel @swifteforeverandalways @sargentbarxes @imswitchbabemox @the-iridescent-phoenix @ozzypawsbone-princeofbarkness @askauradonprep @retro-rezz-the-est @nonbinarylovaticesposito @ava-valerie @mrragersrevenge96

AJ Styles

Akira Tozawa

Alba Fyre

Alexa Bliss

Aliyah

André the Giant

Angel Garza

Angelo Dawkins

Apollo Crews

Asuka

Austin Theory

Axiom

Batista

Bayley

Becky Lynch

Beth Phoenix

Bianca Belair

Big Boss Man

Big E

Bobby Lashley

Boogeyman

Booker T

Braun Strowman

Bret "The Hit Man" Hart

Brie Bella

British Bulldog

Brock Lesnar

Bron Breakker

Bruno Sammartino

Brutus Creed

Butch

Cactus Jack

Cameron Grimes

Carmella

Carmelo Hayes

Cedric Alexander

Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair

Chyna

Cody Rhodes

Commander Azeez

Cora Jade

Cruz Del Toro

Dakota Kai

Damian Priest

Dana Brooke

Dexter Lumis

Diesel

DOINK

Dolph Ziggler

Dominik Mysterio

Doudrop

Drew Gulak

Drew McIntyre

Eddie Guerrero

Edge

Elias

Eric Bischoff

Erik

Ezekiel

Faarooq

Giovanni Vinci

Finn Bálor

Gigi Dolin

Goldberg

Grayson Waller

Happy Corbin

Hollywood Hogan

Hulk Hogan

Humberto Carillo

The Hurricane

Ilja Dragunov

Indi Hartwell

IYO SKY

Ivar

Jacy Jayne

Jake “The Snake” Roberts

JD McDonagh

Jerry "The King" Lawler

Jey Uso

Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

Jimmy Uso

Jinder Mahal

Joaquin Wilde

JBL

John Cena

Julius Creed

Kane

Karrion Kross

Katana Chance

Kayden Carter

Kevin Nash

Kevin Owens

Kofi Kingston

Kurt Angle

LA Knight

Lacey Evans

Liv Morgan

Lita

Logan Paul

Ludwig Kaiser

MACE

“Macho Man” Randy Savage

Madcap Moss

Mansoor

Matt Riddle

Maryse

Molly Holly

Montez Ford

Mr. McMahon

Mustafa Ali

MVP

Natalya

Nikki A.S.H.

Nikki Bella

Nikkita Lyons

Noam Dar

Omos

Otis

Queen Zelina

Randy Orton

Raquel Rodriguez

Razor Ramon

Reggie

Rey Mysterio

Rhea Ripley

Rick Boogs

Ricochet

Ridge Holland

Rikishi

Rob Van Dam

Robert Roode

Roman Reigns

Ronda Rousey

Rowdy Roddy Piper

Roxanne Perez

R-Truth

Sami Zayn

Santos Escobar

Scarlett

Scott Hall

Seth Rollins

Shane McMahon

Shanky

Shawn Michaels

Shayna Bazler

Sheamus

Shelton Benjamin

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shotzi

Solo Sikoa

Sonya Deville

Stacy Keibler

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Stephanie McMahon

Syxx

Tamina

T-BAR

Ted DiBiase

The Miz

The Rock

Titus O’Neil

Tommaso Ciampa

Triple H

Trish Stratus

Tyler Bate

Ultimate Warrior

Umaga

Undertaker

Vader

Veer Mahaan

GUNTHER

Wes Lee

Xavier Woods

Xia Li

X-Pac

Yokozuna

Zoey Stark

Johnny Gargano has been confirmed but was not on the roster reveal for some reason

Bad Bunny will be the pre order bonus and later his pack will be available for DLC for those who did not pre order

Bray Wyatt, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, Hit Row and many other are rumored for future DLC

[unlikelywrestlingfan]

My Tags: WWE - Main Roster

Liveblog Tags:

#elle watches raw

#elle watches smackdown

#elle watches ppv

Wrestler Tags - Raw:

Candice LeRae: tbd

Cody Rhodes: #codymania

Dexter Lumis: tbd

Dominik Mysterio: son boi dominik

Indi Hartwell: #johnny and candice's bimbo daughter

Johnny Gargano: #papa john

Kevin Owens: #fight owens fight

Kofi Kingston: #uncle kofi

Liv Morgan: #liv it up

Nikki Cross: #scottish shortie

Rhea Ripley: #this is my brutality

Sami Zayn: #the elder statesman of smackdown

Seth Rollins: #the shield member that broke them up

The Miz: #uncle miz

Xavier Woods: #king woods

Xia Lee: #the protector

Wrestler Tags - Smackdown:

AJ Styles: #uncle aj

Asuka: #empress of tomorrow

Austin Theory: #johnny and candice's himbo son

Bayley: #i'm a hugger

Bianca Belair: #the est

Butch/Pete Dunne: #the bruiserweight

Cameron Grimes: #the moon prince

Edge: #uncle edge

Iyo Sky/Io Shirai: #genius of the skies

Mia Yim/Michin: #the hbic

Pretty Deadly: #2pretty2deadly

Roman Reigns: #the shield member that never loses

Sheamus: #the one my mum knows

Street Profits: #we want the smoke

Zelina Vega: #queen zelina

Wrestler Tags - Free Agent:

Dolph Ziggler: #mr. sparkle pantz

Ezekiel Elias: #definitely not elias

Mustafa Ali: #prince ali

Other Tags:

Beth Phoenix: #auntie beth

Big E: #the biggest of e's

Kevin Patrick: #my second favorite irish person

Paul Heyman: #my name is paul heyman

R-Truth: #uncle truth

Randy Orton: #i'm a freaking snake

[glowing-disciple]

Reading List - 2023

Books Read:

Abbot & Barley: A Perfect Place by Silvia Vecchini

Abnormal Occurrences by Thomas Berger

Abstract Expressionism For Beginners by Richard Klin

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Art Styles for Kids by Various Authors

Avalanche! by Arthur Roth

Beginning x64 Assembly Programming by Jo Van Hoey

Bronze Age Swamp Thing Vol. 1

Bronze Age Swamp Thing Vol. 2

Bronze Age Swamp Thing Vol. 3

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Dada & Surrealism for Beginners by Elsa Bethanis

DCeased

DCeased: Dead Planet

DCeased: Hope at World's End

DCeased: Unkillables

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods

Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Doulgas

Doom Patrol by John Byrne

The Five Solas of the Reformation by Andy McIlree

Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real by Brian Gordon

Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting by Brian Gordon

Fowl Language: Winging It by Brian Gordon

The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The History of the Church by Eusebius Eusebius

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

How do you go to the Bathroom in Space? by William R. Pogue

Introducing Op Art by John Lancaster

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

The Martian by Andy Weir

Op Art by Cyril Barrett

Plankton by John Wood

Pond Water Zoo by H. Peter Loewer

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art Since the 1960s by David S. Rubin

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

Surrealism by Natalia Brodskaya

Swamp Thing: Tales from the Bayou

Tranny by Laura Jane Grace

Teilhardism and the New Religion by Wolfgang Smith

Venomous by Christie Wilcox

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? by Robert Bartlett

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Year's Best Fantasy by David G. Hartwell

[sarah-maclean-completist]

72 Shelton Street A Rogue By Any Other Name A Scot in the Dark Adelaide Frampton Alec Stuart, Duke of Warnick Allendale House Aloysius Kingscote, Marquess of Eversley Benedick Hartwell Bombshell Brazen and the Beast Brook's Businesses Caleb Calhoun Coleford House Daring and the Duke Devon Culm Duncan West Eben James Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart Ewan Felicity Faircloth Georgiana Pearson Grace Condry Greek Mythology Heartbreaker Hell's Belles Henrietta Sedley Henry Carrington, Duke of Clayborn Heroes Heroines Homes Jacqueline Mosby James Talbott Jane Whitacre Jasper Arlesey, Earl Harlow Juliana Fiori Lady Calpurnia (Callie) Hartwell Lady Isabel Townsend Lillian Hargrove Locations Lord Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston Lord Nicholas St. John Love By Numbers MacLeaniverse Wiki Madame Hebert Madame Hebert's Main Page Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven Mara Lowe Mariana Hartwell Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne Minerva House Nastasia Kritikos Never Judge a Lady By Her Cover Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake No Good Duke Goes Unpunished Number Two, Wesley Street One Good Earl Deserves a Lover Penelope Marbury Philippa Marbury Punch Ralston House Rules of Scoundrels Saviour Whittington Scandal & Scoundrel Seraphina Talbot Sesily Talbot Simon Pearson, Duke of Leighton Somerset House Sophie Talbot Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord The Bareknuckle Bastards The Day of the Duchess The Dog and the Dove The Duke of Christmas Present The Fallen Angel The Place The Rogue Not Taken The Singing Sparrow Theatre Royal Timeline Trevescan House Wicked and the Wallflower William Harrow, Duke of Lamont Worthington House

[elementaldoughnut12]

🍩 Doughnut Library 🍩

*The best place to find a good fic and to eat a doughnut*

*18+ NO MINORS!*

*Also my ao3 is Elementalexperimental*

*Don't repost my stuff please*

Lazy Birthday - Ambrollins

A Father's Love - Chuck Taylor & Wheeler Yuta

Little Violet - Sami Zayn/Ludwig Kaiser

Orange Cowboy - Hangman Adam Page/Orange Cassidy

Happy Birthday Dandelion - Sami Zayn/Ludwig Kaiser

Pleasure Points - MoxNick

Birthday Cowgirl - Hangman Adam Page/John Silver/Alex Reynolds

Handmade Gift - KennyNick

Laffy Matty - KennyMatt

Sharks Teeth Scavengers - Claudio Castagnoli/Eddie Kingston

Silver Knight and Little Clover - LA Knight/JD McDonagh

Sweet Birthday - Ambrollins

Comfort the Princess - Seth Rollins/Sami Zayn/Drew McIntyre

It's Not Over - KennyMatt

Diamonds and Doughnuts - Jey Uso/OC

Sweet Punishment - LA Knight/JD McDonagh/Solo Sikoa, SamiJey

Coming Home To You - LA Knight/Randy Orton

Broken But Loved - Ambrollins

Second Chance With My Universe - Jon Moxley/Max Hartwell (my oc)

Country Wife - StrickPage

Slow and Easy - Samijey

My Boyfriend Is A Cute Nerd - Punkintyre

Timeless Violence - Jon Moxley & Toni Storm

Pt 1.

Good Enough Dad - Jon Moxley & Jeff Hardy

Saturno - Ambrollins

You're My Purpose - Punkintyre

Hangman's Little Secret - Strickpage

[tapoutrp]

#𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐓 … are you looking for a discord server where you can write freely, get creative, and deep dive into character development? do you enjoy wrestling and want to connect with other creative writers who are just as passionate as you? join us at 𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐓! with the use of 𝐓𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐓 you can write multiple characters with ease!

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𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑:

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[mediaevalmusereads]

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. By Sarah MacLean. Avon, 2010.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Part of a Series? Yes, Love by Numbers #1

Summary: Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: graphic sexual content, dubious consent, blood

Overview: This book is something of a classic in the romance world, so I figured I should get around to reading it at some point. I can see why it might have made a splash; MacLean presents us with a heroine who wants to escape the confines that society puts on unmarried women, and it's easy to root for her. Overall, though, I found this book to be less than engaging, in part because the pacing wasn't quite to my liking. While I could have gotten into each of the individual narrative threads, there wasn't really a sense of urgency, and a lot of scenes felt like filler. For that reason, this book only gets a middling rating from me.

Writing: MacLean's prose is generally well crafted in that it's clear and precise, making it easy to digest and quick to get through. It's about what you would expect of the romance genre, and it has some moments of levity that will surely make a reader smile. I don't necessarily have anything negative to say about it.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this novel involves a number of narrative threads: Callie, our heroine, is tired of acting like a proper lady, and after ten years of following society's rules and still not finding a suitable husband, she decides to make a list of all the things she's always wanted to do. This list includes very scandalous, non-ladylike activities like gambling, fencing, and smoking cheroot, and as she sets out to cross everything off her list, she becomes entangled with Gabriel, the Marquess of Ralston. Ralston is in need of a lady with a sterling reputation to introduce his half sister to the ton, and Callie agrees to help in exchange for a kiss. However, Ralston soon discovers what Callie is up to and appoints himself as something of a protector and co-conspirator, at first to safeguard Callie's reputation (so that his sister's reputation is also unaffected). But as Ralston gets more and more involved with Callie, the two start to have feelings for one another, and drama ensues.

This plot on its face was a fairly good one in that all characters had something they were striving for. Callie longed for adventure, and Ralston was determined that his sister have a good chance at being socially accepted. However, any excitement I had for the plot was dampened by the slow pace of the novel. MacLean infuses the plot with no sense of urgency, meaning that a lot of scenes (such as going shopping) feel like filler and don't necessarily build on one another. Long periods of time would pass before Callie got to items in her list, and some of them were over and done with so fast that it felt a little cheap. I think this book would have been more successful if more emphasis was placed on the symbolic nature of Callie's list items; for example, fencing could have allowed Callie to express anger, which ladies are supposed to suppress. Maybe drinking scotch could be symbolic of rebelling against the ways women are told what to eat and drink. There's a little of that from time to time, but MacLean seems less interested in delving into what emotional satisfaction Callie gets from the items on her list than she is in setting up situations to throw Callie and Ralston together.

Romance: The romance between Callie and Ralston was... OK. There wasn't a whole lot that was wrong with it, but I also wouldn't call it very memorable. The biggest issue I had with it was that Callie seems to lose all sense of self-confidence or self-determination whenever Ralston is in the picture. She would often be well on her way to doing something for herself, but her feelings for Ralston would get her sidetracked to the point where accomplishing the tasks on her list felt cheap. For example, Callie disguises herself as a man to go gambling, but she lets Ralston take her to a private room in the men's club where they gamble just with each other and then have sex. It didn't feel like Callie was really seeking out adventure to fulfill her desires outside of Ralston, so Ralston felt like her whole world. While I understand that this is a romance, I do like my characters to be mutually supportive of the other and for them to have goals aside from boinking one another.

Characters: Callie, our heroine, is easy to root for in that she has a worthy goal. I personally like heroines that struggle against society's expectations, and it was fun seeing her take charge. However, Callie was also something of a naive pushover; while she could be determined and headstrong, she usually caved when Ralston got involved, and after a while, the items on her list felt like chores rather than things she actually wanted to do. Callie also seems to waver back and forth between wanting to escape society and wanting to conform to it; though she longs for adventure, she constantly corrects Ralston's sister on how proper ladies should act, and there wasn't really a sense that the two were putting on an act so that they could get what they wanted from society. It made for some confusing motivations.

Ralston, our hero, isn't by far the worst I've ever read, but there's not a whole lot to him that makes him memorable. He's a Rake of the highest order, but he also cares deeply for his siblings and never actually mistreats anyone - including his former mistress. That's all well and good, but some of his kindness is overshadowed by his overbearing nature. He has a tendency to be quite bossy, and I didn't especially like the way he tried to almost bully Callie into marriage.

Juliana, Ralston's half sister, is sympathetic in that she's in a new country with a family she's always wanted, so it's easy to want to see her happy. I loved that she formed friendships with both Callie and Callie's sister, Mariana, so the three of them had some comraderie that felt natural and easy. The only thing I didn't quite like was that MacLean wrote Juliana as not understanding English idioms (because Juliana's first language is Italian). While I think it was meant to be charming or funny, it instead painted Juliana as somewhat childish or unintelligent.

Mariana, Callie's younger sister, is wonderful for supporting her sister and keeping her secrets. I liked that Mariana and Callie had what truly felt like a co-conspirator relationship, and the esteem Mariana has for Callie is touching. Benedick, their older brother, is similarly admirable and I liked that he was also sympathetic; he seemed to want what was best for Callie, though he doesn't quite understand the limits placed on women. It's forgivable, though, because Benedick very obviously tries his best.

The only characters that I felt were underutilized were Nastasia and Oxford. Nastasia is Ralston's most recent ex-mistress, and at first, I thought MacLean was setting up some kind of rivalry subplot. I was glad that that didn't happen, but as a result, Nastasia felt rather hollow. She does give Callie some parting advice about love, but it doesn't seem to be relevant for long, so as a character, Nastasia feels like filler. Oxford, for his part, is actually there to drive some drama; Ralston makes a bet with him early in the novel that the latter wouldn't be able to win Callie's hand. Oxford, you see, is deeply in debt and would benefit from Callie's dowry, and he suspects Callie is desperate enough to accept him. While I didn't quite mind the bet as a source of drama, it was in and out of focus, which made it feel thrown in at the last minute for some last minute angst. Oxford himself serves his purpose well, but again, he didn't feel much like a real threat or real source of pressure on the plot.

TL;DR: While Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a classic in the historical romance world, there's not a lot to set it apart today, more than a decade after its publication. Though I appreciated following a heroine who struggled against society's stupid rules for women, the pacing of this book left a lot to be desired, and the fixation on the love interest made the heroine's desires feel unconsequential.