#Sutton-on-Sea

[medoriscare]

Dropped Head Syndrome

If you're facing challenges with #DroppedHeadSyndrome, the Medoriscare Chin Support Cushion can offer the solution you need!

[rabbitcruiser]

National Hot Tub Day

National Hot Tub Day is here, and you know what that means: you now have yet another excuse to enjoy relaxing in your hot tub.

But what if you want to do something more to celebrate? Here, we’ll show you five ways you can do just that:

Treat yourself to a new hot tub accessory.

Practice some hot tub yoga.

Indulge in aromatherapy.

Have a movie night.

Play some games with the whole family.

Ready to celebrate National Hot Tub Day the right way? Let’s dive in, first with why hot tubs are worth celebrating.

Why Hot Tubs Are Worth Celebrating

You probably know at least part of the answer to this question. After all, hot tubs have a reputation for being relaxing as well as therapeutic.

What you might not know is that hot tubs have a wealth of other benefits that make them worth celebrating:

Reduced stress: The warm water of a hot tub can help your body release feel-good stress-relieving endorphins.

Relaxation and pain relief: Whether you’re suffering from exercise-induced soreness, arthritis or another condition, hot tubs can help reduce pain, loosen muscles and take pressure off joints.

Better sleep: After taking a dip in your hot tub, you’ll likely be able to fall asleep faster and enjoy more restful sleep throughout the night.

5 Ways to Ring in National Hot Tub Day

1. Treat Yourself to a New Hot Tub Accessory

Hot tub accessories offer a fantastic way to spruce up your hot tub without breaking the bank.

For National Hot Tub Day, why not treat yourself to a hot tub accessory that can improve your overall experience in the long-run?

Here are our favorite types of hot tub accessories:

Cover lifters: No one wants to wrangle with a heavy cover when all they want to do is enjoy their hot tub. Make the process painless with a convenient cover lifter.

Steps: If you’re tired of slipping and sliding your way into your hot tub, a set of hot tub steps will be right up your alley. The right set of steps can not only make your entry and exit process much safer, but also serve as a perfect location to place your dry towel for easy access.

Pillows: If your hot tub sessions are getting dragged down by uncomfortable headrests or raggedy cushions, it’s high time you went for a new, deluxe pillow. By choosing the right size and shape for you, you can create a custom experience that’s tailored to your needs.

2. Practice Some Hot Tub Yoga

As a form of exercise that focuses on physical control as well as mental clarity and relaxation, yoga is a perfect match for your next hot tub session.

To get started, engage in some breathing exercises. Simply sit in your preferred seat and take a few deep breaths to begin. Then, focus on lengthening your spine, dropping your shoulders down and back, and noticing the sensation of the water on your skin.

If relaxation is all you’re looking for, you can simply continue that breathing exercise throughout the entirety of your session. Or, you can move onto some deeper stretches and muscle-strengthening poses. We recommend the seated spinal twist, cow face pose and boat pose.

For more info on each one, stay tuned for our Beginner’s Guide to Hot Tub Yoga.

3. Indulge in Aromatherapy

If you want to take your hot tub experience to the next level, you’d be wise to give aromatherapy a shot.

With hot tub aromatherapy, the scents of some of the world’s most prized and fragrant plants are infused in your hot tub water. You can achieve that either with the use of all-natural essential oils or pre-made bath crystals.

Traditionally, certain scents have certain benefits. For example:

Lavender relieves stress and may help you relax.

Eucalyptus

Thyme may reduce anxiety, fatigue and stress.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming post, The Secrets of Hot Tub Aromatherapy, for more information.

4. Have a Movie Night

Movie nights aren’t just for the couch. In honor of National Hot Tub Day, try watching your favorite flick in the hot tub instead.

There are a couple of easy ways you can do this:

Create a backyard movie theater with the help of a projector.

Set up a laptop or portable DVD/Blu-Ray player on a nearby table.

Plus, some of our highest-rated hot tubs, including the Dr. Wellness G-15 Tranquility Spa, come with built-in HDTVs to make your movie night even more fun.

5. Play Some Games With the Whole Family

If you’re not in the mood for a movie, trying playing some fun hot tub games for the whole family.

A few favorites include:

Waterproof cards and board games: If you have a set of waterproof cards or a waterproof board game lying around, you know what to do.

Rubber duck races: Push, blow and splash to see who’s duck can make it to the other side of the hot tub first.

Ping pong: Use plastic paddles to bounce a ping pong around. Whoever knocks the ball outside of the hot tub loses.

Hockey: Get your team’s “hockey puck” (a rubber duck or small floating ball will do just fine) to the other team’s side of the hot tub — no touching allowed.

How are you going to celebrate National Hot Tub Day?

No matter what you choose to do, you’re sure to have a fun and relaxing holiday with the help of your hot tub.

Source

[bryonyashaw]

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A post shared by Bryony | Lifestyle | family | foodie (@bryonyannie)

Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.

Forgive the past. It's over. Learn from it and let go. People are constantly changing and growing. Do not cling to a limited, disconnected, negative image of a person in the past. See the person now - your relationship is always alive and changing. We learn from failure, not from success.

We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here now with the power to shape your day and your future.

Happiness comes from within. It is not dependent on external things or on other people. You become vulnerable and can be easily hurt when your feelings of security and happiness depend on the behavior and actions of other people. Never give your power to anyone else. Be kind to yourself today.

[endless-ineffabilities]

my man of the year

Ewan Mitchell x girlfriend!reader

a/n: just a little something for the Ewan girlies, because in this GQ party, we are all fam 💙

main masterlist

You attend the GQ Men of the Year 2024 party with your boyfriend.

You watch in admiration as Davey makes the final tweaks to Ewan's outfit for the event—a suit tailored to perfection, its velvet material snug against his lean form. A classic piece, but sporting some eccentricities that have become essential in the Mitchell-Sutton style partnership.

The velvet suit, not in the usual black or blue, also has a textured high notch and lapels, making him look like some kind of an 80s-flick vampire.

Your gaze sweeps from his polished shoes up to his face, finding that he's watching you in the reflection as he stands in front of the mirror.

He tries turning around to see you better, causing Davey's hand to fall from his shoulder as he was pinning something in place. "Ewan, mate. Save the ogling for later, yeah? Let me finish this first."

Ewan sighs dramatically, like a kid who's been asked to stand in the corner. "Okay."

You giggle softly, shaking your head at the scene. "Ewan, listen to Davey now."

You share a look with Davey, knowing smiles on your lips. Ewan, am I right?

"I just want to look at my girlfriend," Ewan complains.

"Look at me?" you question. "Look at you, handsome! You're my man of the year, every damn year."

"C'mere, babe."

"Ewan, don't move until Davey—."

"I won't move. But come here and give me a kiss."

"Fine." You get up from your comfortable position on the seat. Might as well oblige your boyfriend, the GQ honouree. Just the thought of it makes you so giddy with pride.

Rising onto your tiptoes, you rest your chin gently on his shoulder, batting your eyelashes as he leans his head against yours.

"There's my girl," he purrs, wrapping his free arm around your waist and Davey works on the sleeve on the other.

Then he kisses you, mindful to stay perfectly still. Only his lips move, pillowy as they caress yours. You would have to reapply your lipstick after this.

When he cheekily snakes his tongue out, you pull back, giving him an incredulous shake of your head. "Stand down, handsome."

"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetheart," Davey reassures you. "Maybe we should let Ewan have his way. Poor guy looks like he's about to explode."

You all share a laugh.

A minute later, he's all ready. Davey snaps photos of him alone, then shifts to capture the two of you together. He even manages a few that feel like classic prom poses, with Ewan's arms around you from behind.

The rest of the night is a blur of lights and glamour, and the warmth of Ewan's hand on your back quells your nerves as you step onto the red carpet.

The cameras are everywhere, a sea of flashes and shouting for you to, look here, look here!

Ewan keeps you close the entire time, steering you through it all. You can feel that he's anxious too but he's a steady presence by your side. He used to need a crutch like cigarettes or gum to deal with the chaos of such public events, but when you're with him, the noise is silenced.

It's just you and him against the world.

When his arm tightens around you, you jokingly remark, "Didn't peg you for the clingy type, babe."

He glances down, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Just making sure you don't run off with some other dashing celebrity."

An idea pops up in your head. He makes it all too easy. You let out a shaky gasp, "Wait, is that Pedro Pascal over there?"

"Where?" he asks sharply, distracted.

"By the big GQ sign. Don't make it obvious, though!" you whisper, as if you're entirely serious.

He squints, scanning the sea of people coming through the red carpet, until he realizes… there's no Pedro. Not yet, at least.

He turns to you with a playful glare, his mouth twitching with the hint of a smile. "You think you're funny, don't you, baby?"

You give your best wide-eyed, innocent look. "Who, me?"

"You're asking for it," he whispers close to your ear so the cameras don't catch it.

You only laugh as he pulls you closer, giving your waist another possessive squeeze.

"And what exactly are you gonna do about it?" you ask.

"Guess you'll have to find out after we're done here."

When he kisses you, you both know that the resulting pictures are going to flood the gossip sites, fan pages, and everything in between as soon as the next day. But neither of you care.

He makes sure that there's no mistaking who he came with that night.

And you would never tire of showing everyone just who your boyfriend is. You could scream it from the rooftops.

He doesn't need GQ to tell him he's one of the honourees of the year.

All he needs is you by his side to feel like he's truly won.

[o-craven-canto]

Rough timeline of the discovery of genes and DNA

(mostly condensed from the first half of S. Mukherjee, The Gene: An Intimate History, 2016, and this 1974 paper)

1857-1864: Gregor Mendel experiments with breeding peas at the monastery of Brno. The results show that information about flower color, pod shape etc. is transmitted in discrete blocks that do not mix, and can persist unexpressed in a generation to manifest again in the next.

1865-1866: Mendel's results are published in a minor journal and effectively forgotten for 35 years. He corresponds with physiologist Carl von Nägeli, who dismisses them as "only empirical" (???).

1868: Unaware of Mendel's work, Darwin proposes pangenesis as mechanism of heredity: every body part produces "gemmules" that carry hereditary information and merge to form gametes. This does not explain how new traits aren't immediately diluted out of existence, or why acquired changes aren't inheritable.

1869: Friedrich Miescher extracts a mysterious substance from pus on used bandages and salmon sperm. He calls it nuclein (later: chromatin), as it seems to be concentrated in cell nuclei.

1878: Albrecht Kossel separates nuclein into protein and a non-protein component, which he calls nucleic acid, and breaks it down in five nucleotides.

1882: Darwin dies, bothered -- among other things -- by the lack of a plausible mechanism to transmit new variation. Legend has it that Mendel's paper lay on a bookshelf of his study, unread.

1883: August Weissmann, noting that mice with cut tails always give birth to fully-tailed mice, theorizes that hereditary information is contained in a "germplasm" fully isolated from the rest of the body, contra pangenesis. At each generation, only germplasm is transmitted, and gives separate rise to a somatic line, i.e. the body, which isn't.

ca. 1890: Studying sea urchin embryos in Naples, Theodor Boveri and Wilhelm von Waldeyer-Hartz notice large coiled masses of nuclein inside cell nuclei which can be dyed blue with aniline. They call them chromosomes, literally "colorful bodies". Simultaneously, Walter Sutton discovers chromosomes in grasshopper sperm.

1897: Hugo de Vries, after collecting hundreds of "monstrous" plant varieties near Amsterdam, realizes (also unaware of Mendel's work) that each trait is due to a single discrete particle of information, never mixing with the others, which he calls pangene in homage to Darwin. He also notices the appearance of completely new variants, which he calls mutants. In the same year, Carl Correns -- a former student of Nägeli, who had completely neglected to mention Mendel's work -- reproduces it exactly in Tubingen with pea and maize plants.

1900: Having finally found out about Mendel's publication, De Vries rushes to publish his model before he can be accused of plagiarism, which happens anyway. Correns does the same. Erich von Tschermak-Seysenegg also independently recreates Mendel's results with pea plants in Vienna. Come on, guys, this is embarassing.

1902: Boveri and Sutton independently propose that hereditary information is carried by chromosomes. Supporters of this hypothesis generally hold that information is carried by proteins, with the simpler nucleic acids (only 5 nucleotides vs. 20 aminoacids) serving as scaffold.

1905: William Bateson coins the word genetics to describe the field growing mostly from De Vries' work. He realizes it should be possible to deliberately select organisms for specific individual genes. Meanwhile, Boveri's student Nettie Stevens discovers in mealworms a strangely small chromosome that is found only in males -- chromosome Y. This is the first direct evidence that chromosomes do, in fact, carry genetic information.

1905-1908: Thomas Hunt Morgan and his students breed and cross thousands of fruit flies in a lab in New York. Contra Mendel, they notice that traits are not passed down in a completely independent way: for example, male sex and white eyes usually manifest together. This suggests that their information particles are attached to each other, so that the physically-closest traits are more likely (but not guaranteed!) to be transmitted together.

1909: Phoebus Levene and his coworkers break down nucleic acids by hydrolysis into sugars, phosphate, and nucleobases. They assume that nucleobases must repeat along a chain in a repetitive sequence. In a treatise on heredity, Wilhelm Johannsen shortens "pangene" to gene. It's a purely theoretical construct, with no known material basis.

1911: Using Morgan's data on trait linkage, his student Alfred Sturtevant draws the first genetic map, locating several genes along a fruit fly chromosome. Genetic information now has a physical basis, although not yet a mechanism of transmission.

1918: Statistician Ronald Fisher proposes that traits appearing in continuous gradients, such as height, can still be explained by discrete genes if multiple genes contribute to a single trait, resolving an apparent contradiction. (Six genes for height, for example, are enough to produce the smooth bell curve noticed half a century earlier by Francis Galton.)

ca. 1920: Bacteriologist Frederick Griffith is studying two forms of pneumococcus, a "smooth" strain that produces deadly pneumonia in mice (and people) and a "rough" strain that is easily dispatched by immunity. He finds out that if live "rough" pneumococci are mixed with "smooth" ones killed by heat, the "rough" can somehow acquire the deadly "smooth" coating from the dead.

1926: Hermann Muller, another student of Morgan, finds out he can produce arbitrary amounts of new mutant flies by exposing their parents to X-rays.

1928: Griffith describes the acquired "transformation" of bacteria in an extremely obscure journal.

1929: Levene identifies the sugars in "yeast nucleic acid" and "thymus nucleic acid" as ribose and deoxyribose, respectively. The two will henceforth be known as ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

ca. 1930: Theodosius Dobzhansky, who also had worked with Morgan, discovers in wild-caught fruit flies variations of wing size, eye structure etc. that are produced by genes arranged in different orders on the chromosome. This rearrangement is the first physical mechanism for mutation discovered.

1940: Oswald Avery repeats Griffith's experiments with pneumococci, looking for the "transforming principle". Filtering away the remains of the cell wall, dissolving lipids in alcohol, destroying proteins with heat and chloroform does not stop the transformation. A DNA-degrading enzyme, however, does. Therefore, it is DNA that carries genetic information.

1943: By mixing flies with different gene orders and raising the mixed populations at different temperatures, Dobzhansky shows that a particular gene order can respond to natural selection, increasing or decresing in frequency.

1944: Avery publishes his results on transforming DNA. Physicist Erwin Schrödinger writes a treatise (What Is Life?) in which he states, on purely theoretical ground, that genetic information must be carried by an "aperiodic crystal", stable enough to be transmitted, but with a sequence of sub-parts that never repeat.

1950: In Cambridge, Maurice Wilkins starts using X-ray diffraction to try and make a picture of the atomic structure of dried DNA (as Linus Pauling and Robert Corey had done earlier with proteins). He is later joined by Rosalind Franklin, who finds a way to make higher-quality pictures by keeping DNA in its hydrated state. By hydrolyzing DNA, Erwin Chargaff notes that the nucleobases A and T are always present in exactly the same amount, as if they were paired, and so are C and G -- but A/T and C/G can be different amounts.

1951: Pauling publishes a paper on the alpha-helix structure of proteins. Having attended talks by Wilkins and Franklin, James Watson and Francis Crick attempt to build a physical model of DNA, a triple helix with internal phosphate, but Franklin notes it's too unstable to survive.

1952: Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase mark the protein envelope of phage viruses with radioactive sulfur, and their DNA with radioactive phosphorus. The phosphorus, but not the sulfur, is transmitted to host bacteria and to the new generation of phages. This indicates that DNA is not just exchanged as "transforming principle", but passed down through generations.

1953: Pauling and Corey also propose a structure of DNA, but they make the same mistake as Watson and Crick. These receive from Wilkins an especially high-quality photo (taken in 1952 by either Franklin or her student Ray Gosling). Combining this picture with Chargaff's measurements, they conclude that DNA must be a double helix, with a sugar-phosphate chain outside, and nucleobases meeting in pairs on the inside (A with T, C with G). The complementary sequences of bases give a clear mechanism for the storage and replication of genetic information.

1950s: Jacques Monod and François Jacob grow the bacterium Escherichia coli alternately on glucose and lactose. While its DNA never changes, the RNA produced changes in step with the production of glucose-digesting and lactose-digesting enzymes. So DNA is not directly affected, but different sequences are copied onto RNA depending on need.

1958: Arthur Kornberg isolates DNA polymerase, the enzyme that builds new DNA strands in the correct sequence. By inserting into DNA a heavier isotope of nitrogen, Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl show that each strand remains intact, separating during replication and then serving as template for a new one.

1960: Sydney Brenner and Jacob purify messenger RNA from bacterial cells. This seems to copy the sequence of a single gene and carry it to ribosomes, where proteins are built. RNA must encode the sequence of aminoacids of a protein, presumably in sets of 3 nucleotides (the smallest that can specify 20 aminoacids).

1961-1966: Multiple labs working in parallel (Marshall Nirenberg-Heinrich Matthaei-Philip Leder, Har Khorana, Severo Ochoa) map every possible triplet of nucleotides to a corresponding aminoacid. Synthetic RNA is inserted into isolated bacterial ribosomes, and aminoacids are marked one at a time with radioactive carbon to check the sequence of the resulting proteins.

1970: Paul Berg and David Jackson manage to fuse DNA from two viruses into a single sequence ("recombinant DNA") using DNA-cutting enzymes extracted from bacteria.

1972-1973: Janet Mertz joins Berg and Jackson, and proposes inserting the recombinant DNA into the genome of E. coli, exploiting the bacterium for mass production. Herb Boyer and Stanley Cohen perform a similar experiment merging bacterial DNA, and linking it to an antibiotic-resistance gene so that the recombinant bacteria can be easily isolated.

1975-1977: Frederick Sanger isolates template strands of DNA to build new ones with DNA polymerase, but uses altered and marked nucleobases that stop polymerization. By doing so, then segregating the shortened sequences by length and recognizing their final base with fluorescence, it's possible to read the exact sequence of bases on a DNA strand.

[foldbaron]

Get ready to dive DEEP into something extraordinarily thrilling! In collaboration with 12-Sided Studios, we're beyond excited to bring you Thresher, where only one thing is certain: from the deep, power rises... Discover what magnificent creatures are lurking and what mind-blowing secrets are hidden as you join the crew of the S.S. Thresher on an adventure that'll have you clutching your seat!

What is Thresher and What the Heck is Lurking Beneath Those Waves?

Thresher is a wildly unique world created by the brilliant minds of Matt Linton and Jacqueline Emerson and homebrewed for gameplay by the incredible Jasper William Cartwright,  based on Candela Obscura, an Illuminated Worlds game from Darrington Press.  

Grab your gear, favorite snacks, and maybe some Dramamine (trust us, you'll need it!) to adventure below the surface as the Thresher crew takes on and discovers the unknown terrors that lie along the mysterious seabed.

Game Master Jasper William Cartwright leads this motley crew of troubled individuals deep into the abyss where hidden horrors and ancient creatures lurk in wait. The crew's mission? To explore the long-abandoned Rán Boer Station, a geothermal energy facility resting in the ocean's unforgiving depths—silent, decayed, and WAITING FOR YOU! Will players Jacqueline Emerson, Abubakar Salim, Mark "Sherlock" Hulmes (aka Mara), Jane Douglas, and Noshir Dalal come together as a team, or will their characters meet their doom alone on board the deep-sea submarine, the S.S. Thresher?

But, as pressure mounts both literally AND figuratively, the crew must battle the claustrophobia of a metal tube, the absolute terror of lurking behemoths, and the increasing paranoia of potentially mutinous cabin-mates. Who can you trust when the darkness closes in? 

This 2-episode series offers excitement for Critters, Darrlings, and especially you Beacon Bits! But here's the kicker - you don't have to have been a long-time fan of any of our games or content to dive headfirst into this series. There's a ton of jaw-dropping action and enticement for all those who enjoy gameplay brimming with hair-raising thrills, deep sea adventure, character challenges, and so much more than we could possibly list here!

Watch in pure suspense as Emily Wodsworth, Daemon Adams, Beatrice "Betty" Callahan, Valerie "Val" Sutton, and Hercules De Baudin venture into the aquatic unknowns where normal rules don't apply and survival is optional!

Thresher: What YOU Need to Know as a Beacon Member!

You can watch Thresher on Twitch, YouTube, and of course, Beacon! Episode 1 premieres on Thursday, April 24 at 7pm Pacific with the second and final episode streaming on Thursday, May 1.

The YouTube VOD will be available the following Monday after each episode's initial broadcast, BUT as a Beacon Member, you'll get the VOD and those exclusive Cooldown episodes right at 7pm Pacific. 

That's right - while everyone else is just watching the main show, you’ll be enjoying extra behind-the-scenes content, cast reactions, and special insights that only Beacon Members get to see!

Who Makes Up the S.S. Thresher Crew? The sharks will be swimming to hide beneath coral when they see the stellar cast aboard this vessel! This crew isn't just talented - they're about to become your new obsession:

•Jasper William Cartwright as the Game Master

•Jacqueline Emerson as Emily Wodsworth 

•Abubakar Salim as Daemon Adams 

•Mark "Sherlock" Hulmes aka Mara as Beatrice "Betty" Callahan

•Jane Douglas as Valerie "Val" Sutton

•Noshir Dalal as Hercules De Baudin 

Don't miss this chance to be part of the most exciting underwater adventure of the year - because normal is boring, and Beacon Members are anything but. Dive in, the water's terrifying!

[ltwilliammowett]

James Skyrme a Welsh pirate

One of Bartholomew Robert's captains was the Welshman James Skyrme (c. 1678-1722)

His flag, according to a description by Captain Ogle

Not much is known about him (only what Captain Ogle later reported), except that he sailed from Bristol in the summer of 1720 as first mate of the Greyhound. That October, Bartholomew Roberts captured a dozen ships off St Lucia, including the Greyhound. After her capture, Skyrme signed her articles and joined Roberts' crew while Roberts burned the Greyhound.

Two French ships attacked Roberts in April 1721, but were themselves captured by the pirates. Roberts renamed the ships, handed over command of the Ranger to Thomas Sutton and gave the Little Ranger to the Skyrme, which Roberts used as a storage ship. Sailing alongside Roberts, they captured a number of other ships and their crews. Later that year, Roberts docked at Cape Lopez to cruise, replacing Sutton with Skyrme as captain of the Ranger.

In February 1722, Captain Chaloner Ogle of HMS Swallow baited Roberts with an attack on his 50-gun warship. Mistaking it for a fleeing merchant ship, Roberts sent Skyrme with the Ranger to capture it. When the Ranger was alone, Ogle set the trap and opened fire on the pirates. After a brief skirmish, Ranger was badly damaged, several pirates had been killed, and Skyrme's leg had been severed by cannon fire. Skyrme tried to continue the fight, but the Ranger finally struck the flag and surrendered. Desperate pirates tried to blow up the Rangers by firing a pistol into a barrel of gunpowder, but they failed and were badly burned. Five days after the victory over Skyrme, Ogle returned to Cape Lopez and destroyed the rest of Roberts' fleet; Roberts died early in the battle. Swallow took the survivors and the badly wounded Skyrme to Cape Coast Castle, where they were tried and most of them, including Skyrme, were hanged in March.

Ranger herself survived the battle against Ogle's Swallow, though not much longer. She was sent back across the Atlantic as a prize ship and sank off Port Royal when a hurricane devastated the town in August 1722.

The Pirate Encyclopedia: The Pirate's Way, by Arne Zuidhoek

Pirates: The Truth Behind the Robbers of the High Seas, by Nigel Cawthorne

Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All, by Terry Breverton

Daily Life of Pirates, by Marley David

[featherbow]

In collaboration with 12-Sided Studios, we are thrilled to bring you Thresher, a new actual play premiering Thursday April 24th. This two part underwater epic takes place in a unique world created by Matt Linton and Jacqueline Emerson and homebrewed for gameplay by Jasper William Cartwright, based on Candela Obscura, an Illuminated Worlds game from Darrington Press.

Tune into the premiere on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube on April 24th at 7pm Pacific, and the finale the following week on May 1st at 7pm Pacific.

Deep in the abyss, in the dark chasms where hidden horrors and ancient creatures lurk, a motley crew of troubled individuals must come together or die alone onboard the S.S. Thresher, a deep-sea submarine. Their mission: to explore the long-abandoned Rán Boer station, a geothermal energy facility resting in the ocean’s unforgiving depths—silent, decayed, and waiting.

As pressure mounts both literally and figuratively, the crew must battle the claustrophobia of a metal tube, the terror of lurking behemoths, and the increasing paranoia of mutinous cabin-mates. Only one thing is certain; from the deep, power rises...

Learn more about Thresher at http://critrole.com/thresher

Meet the Cast

Creators Matt Linton and Jacquelin Emerson Game Master Jasper William Cartwright Jacquelin Emerson as Emily Wodsworth Abubakar Salim as Daemon Adams Mark/Mara “Sherlock” Hulmes as Beatrice “Betty” Callahan Jane Douglas as Valerie “Val” Sutton Noshir Dalal as Hercules De Baudin

[pupsmailbox]

STARTING WITH S

MASCULINE︰ sacheverell. sage. saint. sal. salem. salvador. sam. samir. sammie. sammy. sampson. samson. samuel. sandford. sandy. santana. santiago. santino. santos. saul. sawyer. saxon. scot. scott. scottie. scotty. scout. sean. sebastian. sefton. selby. sergio. seth. seven. sevyn. seymour. shae. shane. shaun. shaw. shawn. shayne. shelby. sheldon. shelton. shepard. shepherd. sherman. shiloh. sid. sidney. silas. silis. silver. silvester. simon. sincere. sinclair. sinjin. sky. skylar. skyler. slade. sloan. sly. smith. solomon. sonny. soren. sparrow. spencer. spike. stafford. stan. stanford. stanley. stefan. steph. stephen. sterling. stetson. steve. steven. stevie. stewart. stone. storm. stryker. stu. stuart. sullivan. sully. sunday. sutton. syd. sydney. sylas. sylvan. sylvanus. sylvester. symon. syncere.

FEMININE︰ sabella. sable. sabrina. sabryna. sadie. saffron. sage. saige. sal. salem. salena. salina. sallie. sally. salome. sam. samantha. samara. sammi. sammie. sammy. sandie. sandra. sandy. santana. saoirse. saphire. sapphire. sara. sarah. sarai. saranna. sarina. sariyah. sasha. saundra. savanna. savannah. sawyer. saylor. scarlet. scarlett. scarlette. schuyler. scottie. scout. seanna. sela. selah. selby. selena. selma. september. sequoia. sera. serena. serenity. serina. serrena. sevan. sevyn. shae. shaelyn. shana. shanae. shanelle. shanene. shania. shanna. shannah. shannen. shannon. shanon. shantae. shantel. shantelle. sharalyn. shari. sharise. sharla. sharleen. sharlene. sharmaine. sharon. sharona. sharron. sharyl. sharyn. shauna. shavon. shavonne. shawna. shawnda. shawnee. shaye. shayla. shayley. shaylyn. sheelagh. sheena. sheila. shelagh. shelby. shelia. shell. shelley. shelly. shena. sheree. sheri. sheridan. sherie. sherill. sherilyn. sherisse. sherley. sherlyn. sherri. sherrie. sherry. sheryl. sheryll. shevaun. shevon. shilo. shiloh. shirlee. shirley. shonda. shyla. siara. sibyl. sidney. sidony. siena. sienna. sierra. silver. simone. simonette. sinclair. sindy. sky. skye. skyla. skylar. skyler. skylynn. sloan. sloane. snow. sofia. soledad. sommer. sondra. sonia. sonya. sookie. sophia. sophie. sophy. soraya. sorrel. spirit. spring. stace. stacee. stacey. staci. stacia. stacie. stacy. star. starla. starr. stefani. stella. steph. stephani. stephania. stephanie. stephany. stevie. stormi. stormy. sue. suellen. suki. sukie. summer. sunday. sunny. sunshine. susan. susanna. susanne. susie. sutton. suz. suzan. suzanna. suzanne. suzi. suzie. suzy. sybella. sybil. syd. sydne. sydneey. sydney. sydnie. sylvia. sylvie. symphony.

NEUTRAL︰ saccharine. saffron. saga. sage. saige. sailor. saint. sakae. salem. saline. sam. sami. samie. sammy. sandi. sandy. santana. sapphire. sasha. satsuki. sawyer. saxon. scape. scarlet. scorpion. scottie. scout. scribbles. sea. secret. seer. sekani. semaj. semi. september. serenity. seven. sevyn. shade. shadow. shai. shale. shalom. shan. shannon. shark. shay. shea. shelby. sheridan. shi. shia. shield. shiloh. shiro. shiver. shook. should. sid. sidney. silver. sincere. sincerity. siren. skeptic. skull. skunk. sky. skye. skyler. slate. slider. sloan. smash. sneaky. sniff. snitch. snooze. snow. soap. sock. soda. sol. solace. solo. solstice. soma. sonny. soot. sora. soren. sorrel. soul. sour. south. spark. sparrow. spear. specter. speedy. spell. spencer. spider. spiral. spirit. spot. spy. stab. stacy. stag. stall. star. stark. starling. static. stay. steady. steel. stereo. sterling. stitch. stock. stone. storm. stormi. stormy. stranger. strawberry. stray. stricken. studio. subwoofer. suede. sugar. sulfur. sullivan. summer. summit. sun. sunday. sunny. sutton. sway. swing. switch. sychophant. symphony. syncere. synth.

[lostinhistory]

Heritage News of the Week

Discoveries!

One of the biggest and most important iron age hoards ever found in the UK has been revealed, potentially altering our understanding of life in Britain 2,000 years ago.

Lost manuscript of Merlin and King Arthur legend read for the first time after centuries hidden inside another book

An intriguing sequel to the tale of Merlin has sat unseen within the bindings of an Elizabethan deeds register for nearly 400 years. Researchers have finally been able to reveal it with cutting-edge techniques.

A 3,000-year-old settlement turns up in a business park in France

Archaeologists in northern France have discovered a vast Bronze and Iron Age settlement that may once have been a regional hub and gathering place.

Ancient Egyptian pyramids, thought to contain only the elite, may also hold laborers

At the site of Tombos, archaeologists have found that less-affluent laborers may be buried with upper-class people in pyramid tombs.

Sutton Hoo helmet may actually come from Denmark, archaeologist suggests

A discovery by a metal detectorist in Denmark has raised questions about the origins of the iconic Sutton Hoo helmet, thought for decades to have links to Sweden.

Over 70 archaeological sites identified in Canada’s Chilcotin region

In the first phase of the study, a total of 70 archaeological sites were identified, including 31 pre-contact Secwépemc villages and seven sites with sacred features.

2,200-year-old mysterious pyramid structure filled with coins and weapons found near Dead Sea

The purpose of a mysterious pyramidal structure in the Judaean Desert is unknown, but excavators are finding many well-preserved artifacts there.

3,000-year-old Bronze Age daggers discovered near Kutenholz

A pair of 3,000-year-old Bronze Age daggers have been discovered by archaeologists near Kutenholz, a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Unique 6,000-year-old sacred hearths and Karaz pottery discovered at Tadım Mound in Elazığ

Archaeological excavations at Tadım Castle and Tadım Mound, located within the borders of Tadım Village in Elazığ, continue to uncover significant findings that illuminate the region’s history.

13,000-year-old Clovis stone tool found beneath Maryland churchyard

A team of volunteers and archaeologists from the Maryland Historical Trust unearthed a 13,000-year-old stone tool from a churchyard in Reisterstown.

Archaeologists may have finally discovered famous 'lost' canal built by Julius Caesar's uncle

Scientists in France may be hot on the trail of a long-lost canal that the Romans built over two millennia ago while battling the Celts.

A U.K. monolith turns out to be part of a prehistoric stone circle

For a while now, a standing stone tucked away in a Berkshire woodland was believed to be a lone monument. New findings, however, have revealed the artifact to be but one piece of an immense prehistoric complex.

Archaeological mission advances research in the “Bench of the Pharaoh”

A joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission has conducted further studies in the tomb of Shepseskaf, located in the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo.

Earliest known stone mold for coin production in Roman Hispania unearthed

Researchers from the University of Jaén have made a groundbreaking discovery at the archaeological site of Obulco, modern-day Porcuna, revealing the earliest known stone mold used for coin production in the Roman province of Hispania.

Human sacrifices found in a Bronze Age tomb in Turkey were mostly teenage girls

Five millennia ago, Bronze Age people in Mesopotamia built elaborate stone tombs full of spectacular grave goods and human sacrifices. Researchers are unsure of the meaning of this ritual, but a new study of the skeletons points to a clue: the age at which people were sacrificed and their biological sex.

110 megaliths discovered in Kerala and inscriptions revealing ancient pilgrimage center in Andhra Pradesh

The Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed a significant number of megalithic structures near the Malampuzha dam in Palakkad, Kerala.

A 'landmark finding': Homo naledi buried their dead 250,000 years ago, according to newly updated research

Controversial claim that Homo naledi buried its dead gets new proof from 2025 research study.

Archaeologists find traces of British rule in Florida

Archaeologists excavating in St. Augustine on the northeast coast of Florida have uncovered a rare remnant of British rule: a redoubt, a fortified military outpost constructed in 1781.

700-year-old Lord Vishnu sculpture washes ashore on Pedda Rushikonda beach

R. Phalguna Rao, the Assistant Director of the department, speculates that the sculpture may date back to the 13th or 14th century, although it is unlikely to have originated from North Andhra Pradesh.

Unraveling the mystery of the Nescot ritual shaft: dogs, sacrifice, and Roman Britain

In 2015, an archaeological excavation at the former Animal Husbandry Center of Nescot College in Ewell, Surrey, uncovered a remarkable and perplexing discovery. Beneath the ground lay an ancient Roman quarry pit, its layers holding a fascinating story of ritual, sacrifice, and cultural traditions in Roman Britain.

Museums

The Manhattan museum’s Gilded Age mansion reopens next month, bringing its world-famous collection of works by the likes of Vermeer and Rembrandt back on public view.

A glimpse of eternity at the Carnegie Museum’s Hall of Architecture

The assembling of these plaster casts of masterpieces more than a century ago must be understood as a work of art in its own right, a bizarre and beautiful triumph.

Los Angeles wildfires put museum-lender relationships in spotlight

As fires approached the Getty and Norton Simon Museum campuses in early January, those museums’ leaders called far-away lenders to reassure them that their art was safe

The Museum of English Rural Life, of "Look at this absolute unit" fame, now has a podcast, called (naturally) Absolute Units

Listen to this absolute unit

Repatriation

Among of the new trustees appointed to the British Museum is an academic expert opposed to the return of antiquities taken from their country of origin in colonial contexts, such as the museum’s most contested holding, the Parthenon Marbles.

Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation repatriates more than 100 cultural items from New York museum

On Tuesday, a delegation from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation in B.C. took back possession of culturally significant items from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The items from the Whalers Washing House, or shrine, are expected to arrive back in the community, about 250 kilometres northwest of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Monday.

The 30-year quest to catch a national records thief

How did thousands of historical documents that belong in Scotland's national archives end up across the Atlantic Ocean in Canada? The answer is that they were stolen. By one man. With a particular interest in stamps.

Russia seizes hoard of ancient gold coins stolen from French museum

Russian authorities announced the seizure of a collection of ancient gold coins stolen from the Saint-Remi Museum in Reims, northeastern France, after an attempt to sell them on the Moscow antiquities market, according to Le Figaro. The discovery marks a development in a case that remained unsolved for several years since the coins went missing.

US authorities return two Khmer artefacts to Cambodia

The two statues were seized during investigations into international smuggling networks including that of notorious trafficker Subhash Kapoor

Heritage at risk

President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targets funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” the latest step in a broadside against culture he deems too liberal. Trump claimed there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” adding that it casts the “founding principles” of the United States in a “negative light.” The order he signed behind closed doors puts Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents, in charge of overseeing efforts to “remove improper ideology” from all areas of the institution, including its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

You can read the order here

So anyway, this is horrifying

What Is revisionist history?

If you read history or engage with historians on social media, you may have seen the phrase “revisionist history” in replies or comments. Much of the time, this is meant as a criticism of the history being presented and the historians and organizations presenting it. But what does it mean? And is it a problem?

‘Ravaging shared heritage’: South Korea wildfires destroy ancient temple and threaten Unesco site

The Unesco-listed Hahoe Folk Village in South Korea has been evacuated and a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple burned to the ground after wildfires tore through southern parts of the country this week.

Alleged leader of Egyptian antiquities trafficking ring returns to Germany with French court summons

Serop Simonian, the alleged leader of an Egyptian antiquities trafficking ring, mysteriously left Paris for Hamburg during his jail sentence in January.

Sudan official accuses RSF of looting gold, destroying artifacts at national museum

The director of Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), Ghalia Garelnabi, said on Thursday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stole all archaeological gold from the National Museum in Khartoum amid widespread destruction.

There's a video on Bluesky showing the destruction and it's devastating

Odds and ends

Dozens of unique, centuries-old manuscripts have gone on display, showcasing medieval ideas of how to cure disease and live a healthy life. The cures include the use of crushed weasel testicles to help women conceive and mixing stewed apples with quicksilver (mercury) to rub on the body to destroy lice.

Dredging up the ghostly secrets of slave ships

A global network of maritime archaeologists is excavating slave shipwrecks - and reconnecting Black communities to the deep.

Rags-to-riches hero or villainous torturer? The truth about Henry VIII's scheming right-hand man Thomas Cromwell

With her award-winning Wolf Hall series of books, Hilary Mantel made Tudor bad guy Thomas Cromwell sympathetic. But as TV adaptation Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light premieres in the US, the question is: did she also 'sidestep crucial matters'?

Going underground: Experts clash over 'hidden city' beneath Egypt pyramids

A heated debate has erupted among Egyptologists after researchers claimed to have found an “underground city” beneath the Pyramids of Giza. Is the discovery, based on radar images, groundbreaking or exaggerated?

(it's viral poop)

John Malkovich is an ancient Roman philosopher with a death sentence in long-delayed new film

When considering who could play an ancient Roman philosopher, few great actors come to mind more quickly than John Malkovich. He has the ability to easily slide into regal, careful, sometimes pompous, sometimes painfully self-aware performances befitting of archaic geniuses. From the trailer and images, it looks like he's bringing all that to his portrayal of the eponymous stoic in the film Seneca

Window cleaner in quest to confirm priceless Shakespeare portrait

Window cleaner Steven Wadlow has spent more than a decade trying to prove he is in possession of a priceless, authentic Shakespeare portrait. His quest is now being told in a Netflix documentary. What is the story behind the find?

AAR honors pioneering women of Rome’s archaeological golden age through photographic exhibition

The American Academy in Rome, a recognized institution devoted to interdisciplinary collaboration among artists and scholars, will open an exciting exhibition. Women and Ruins: Archaeology, Photography, and Landscape, to be held from May 14 through November 9, celebrates pioneering women who, in the early 20th century, employed photography as a means to document and interpret ancient sites and landscapes.

'It didn't express the real horror': The true story of The Great Escape

On 24 March 1944, 76 allied officers broke out of a German prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag Luft III – a mission that was memorialised in a classic film, The Great Escape. In 1977, a key member of the escape team, Ley Kenyon, was interviewed on the BBC's Nationwide.

Decades-old CIA documents on Ark of the Covenant resurface amid classified group text spat

The CIA used experimental intelligence methods to attempt to locate the Ark of the Covenant, but the revelations are about 25 years old. In "recently resurfaced" documents, as reported by right-wing British outlet the Daily Mail, the CIA outlines how it used a "remote viewer" to mentally locate the site of the artifact, which has remained a mystery for centuries.

Why would you need to find it when you already know where it is?

Unique two-clawed dinosaur discovered

A rare new species of two-clawed dinosaur has been discovered by scientists in Mongolia's Gobi Desert. The species, named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, was unique within a group of dinosaurs called Therizinosaurs, which stood on their hind legs and usually had three claws. It was medium-sized, with an estimated weight of approximately 260kg.

'Inside-out, headless wonder' fossil discovered

A professor has published details of a rare "inside-out, legless, headless wonder" fossil from 444 million years ago, which belonged to a previously undiscovered species.

[oh-no-another-idea]

find the word tag

Thank you so much for the tag and words, @duckingwriting! Crawling out of the void to fill this one out today -- let's see what we find in Bent Nails.

Club:

Other than the few friends Michael did know – Carla from book club, Marina from down the street, and Judith who’d called from Switzerland tearfully to give her apologies for being unable to attend the way she wanted to – Michael truly had no idea who the people around him were that had come to mourn his mother. They were a sea of blank faces, a pool of strangers. Michael accepted their shoulder pats and kind intentions because he didn’t know what else to do with them. He knew it was what his mother would’ve wanted him to do.

Pink:

Jacob smiled, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He was wearing pink today, a faded shirt over dark jeans. Michael opened his mouth but nothing came out.

West:

The ride was over too quickly. Sutton held the door open for the Labrador to jump out on to the driveway, and got cold feet, picturing the look on Nick’s face when she opened the door and brought in a living breathing dog. Would he yell? Tell her to go back to the West Coast where she and her radical outlooks belonged? Would he divorce Mom before they could even get married? Get ahold of yourself, she scolded internally. If you’re going to be this puppy’s mother, you need to step up.

Fun:

“I’m right here,” Michael felt the need to point out. He threw down the crowbar with its usual clanging, and started wrestling with the cabinet, his shoulders straining. “Michael…” Lincoln drew his name out. Great, now there were two of them having fun toying with him. “Michael only got here a little while ago, ain’t that right?” Michael wasn’t about to help him. “And?” Sutton said eagerly.

No pressure tags for anyone who sees this, and also @sleepy-night-child @eccaiia @space-writes @halfbakedspuds @aether-wasteland-s and anyone else who wants to look for the words arrangement, volume, voice, and shape!

[rabbitcruiser]

National Hot Tub Day

National Hot Tub Day is here, and you know what that means: you now have yet another excuse to enjoy relaxing in your hot tub.

But what if you want to do something more to celebrate? Here, we’ll show you five ways you can do just that:

Treat yourself to a new hot tub accessory.

Practice some hot tub yoga.

Indulge in aromatherapy.

Have a movie night.

Play some games with the whole family.

Ready to celebrate National Hot Tub Day the right way? Let’s dive in, first with why hot tubs are worth celebrating.

Why Hot Tubs Are Worth Celebrating

You probably know at least part of the answer to this question. After all, hot tubs have a reputation for being relaxing as well as therapeutic.

What you might not know is that hot tubs have a wealth of other benefits that make them worth celebrating:

Reduced stress: The warm water of a hot tub can help your body release feel-good stress-relieving endorphins.

Relaxation and pain relief: Whether you’re suffering from exercise-induced soreness, arthritis or another condition, hot tubs can help reduce pain, loosen muscles and take pressure off joints.

Better sleep: After taking a dip in your hot tub, you’ll likely be able to fall asleep faster and enjoy more restful sleep throughout the night.

5 Ways to Ring in National Hot Tub Day

1. Treat Yourself to a New Hot Tub Accessory

Hot tub accessories offer a fantastic way to spruce up your hot tub without breaking the bank.

For National Hot Tub Day, why not treat yourself to a hot tub accessory that can improve your overall experience in the long-run?

Here are our favorite types of hot tub accessories:

Cover lifters: No one wants to wrangle with a heavy cover when all they want to do is enjoy their hot tub. Make the process painless with a convenient cover lifter.

Steps: If you’re tired of slipping and sliding your way into your hot tub, a set of hot tub steps will be right up your alley. The right set of steps can not only make your entry and exit process much safer, but also serve as a perfect location to place your dry towel for easy access.

Pillows: If your hot tub sessions are getting dragged down by uncomfortable headrests or raggedy cushions, it’s high time you went for a new, deluxe pillow. By choosing the right size and shape for you, you can create a custom experience that’s tailored to your needs.

2. Practice Some Hot Tub Yoga

As a form of exercise that focuses on physical control as well as mental clarity and relaxation, yoga is a perfect match for your next hot tub session.

To get started, engage in some breathing exercises. Simply sit in your preferred seat and take a few deep breaths to begin. Then, focus on lengthening your spine, dropping your shoulders down and back, and noticing the sensation of the water on your skin.

If relaxation is all you’re looking for, you can simply continue that breathing exercise throughout the entirety of your session. Or, you can move onto some deeper stretches and muscle-strengthening poses. We recommend the seated spinal twist, cow face pose and boat pose.

For more info on each one, stay tuned for our Beginner’s Guide to Hot Tub Yoga.

3. Indulge in Aromatherapy

If you want to take your hot tub experience to the next level, you’d be wise to give aromatherapy a shot.

With hot tub aromatherapy, the scents of some of the world’s most prized and fragrant plants are infused in your hot tub water. You can achieve that either with the use of all-natural essential oils or pre-made bath crystals.

Traditionally, certain scents have certain benefits. For example:

Lavender relieves stress and may help you relax.

Eucalyptus

Thyme may reduce anxiety, fatigue and stress.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming post, The Secrets of Hot Tub Aromatherapy, for more information.

4. Have a Movie Night

Movie nights aren’t just for the couch. In honor of National Hot Tub Day, try watching your favorite flick in the hot tub instead.

There are a couple of easy ways you can do this:

Create a backyard movie theater with the help of a projector.

Set up a laptop or portable DVD/Blu-Ray player on a nearby table.

Plus, some of our highest-rated hot tubs, including the Dr. Wellness G-15 Tranquility Spa, come with built-in HDTVs to make your movie night even more fun.

5. Play Some Games With the Whole Family

If you’re not in the mood for a movie, trying playing some fun hot tub games for the whole family.

A few favorites include:

Waterproof cards and board games: If you have a set of waterproof cards or a waterproof board game lying around, you know what to do.

Rubber duck races: Push, blow and splash to see who’s duck can make it to the other side of the hot tub first.

Ping pong: Use plastic paddles to bounce a ping pong around. Whoever knocks the ball outside of the hot tub loses.

Hockey: Get your team’s “hockey puck” (a rubber duck or small floating ball will do just fine) to the other team’s side of the hot tub — no touching allowed.

How are you going to celebrate National Hot Tub Day?

No matter what you choose to do, you’re sure to have a fun and relaxing holiday with the help of your hot tub.

Source

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott, born on October 19th 1954 in Edinburgh.

One of my favourite actors, as hard-drinking Detective hero of Ian Rankin's popular book he was Inspector John Rebus to me. Ken's Father was Scottish and a teacher, his mum a Sicilian, he went to the famous George Herriots school before going onto to Mountview Theatre School, where the distinguished actor Sir John Mills was president. Fellow Scot Douglas Henshall was also a student of the school. Before leaving Edinburgh Stott had been in a band called Keyhole some of the members of the group would later join the Bay City Rollers.

Ken went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company but the pay was poor and he subsidised his earnings by selling double glazing. His first TV role was in Secret Army for the BBC, parts in TV shows throughout his career have included, Taggart (of course) The Singing Detective, London's Burning, Your Cheatin' Heart and Silent Witness. He was insome good films too, The Debt Collector (with Billy Connolly) , Shallow Grave, (with Ewen MacGregor) and Plunkett & Macleane (with Robert Carlyle).

My favourite shows of Ken's have been the brilliant BBC Scotland series, Takin' Over the Asylum in which starred as Double Glazing salesman, but aspiring disc jockey

with David Tennant and Angus Macfadyen,The ITV series The Vice was also a cracking series where he played DI Pat Chappel and The BBC show Messiah, where again he played a cop, DCI Red Metcalfe where he learned sign language for scenes with his screen wife,and Rebus of course, when the show was resurrected in 2006, Stott was a first choice for many as D.I John Rebus, John Hannah had the role in the first incarnation, mainly due to it being made by his own production company.

On film Ken is probably best known for his role as the Dwarf, Balin in The Hobbit trilogy. He is a popular choice for voice work, as narrator for series such as Trawlermen, a documentary following North Sea trawlers, and Send in the Dogs, following the work of Police Officers and their canine partners.

One of my favourite stories about Ken Stott echoes the no nonsense approach of Rebus, on stage during Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge, he halted the play when a group of teenage schoolkids were misbehaving and disturbing the show, switching from his stage American to his native Scots accent he told the teacher responsible for the children to remove them, or the play would not go on.

The house lights were switched on and there was then a 15-minute stand-off as discussions took place with the offending youngsters.

The audience took the side of Stott and even resorted to chanting 'out, out, out' in extraordinary scenes. Eventually the three culprits and an embarrassed teacher was forced to creep away before the play resumed at the Duke of York's Theatre.

Of his recent stuff check out The Dig,, it a decent film and based on a true story of an archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.

I can't see anything happening on Ken's IMDb page, but there is a third series of the Irvine Welsh show Crime in development, so I expect he will reappear in that.

[missameliep]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag @lorirwritesfanfic 😊🩷

I haven't participated in a WIP Wednesday in soooo long!

I actually have some snippets to share; I'm going through my drafts and planing to post all of those fics that are near ready.

Under the cut are snippets for: Bonds of Sea and Fire - Part 4 (Blades of Light and Shadow); Once Upon a Summer (Desire & Decorum AU); Second Chances - Chapter 25 (Desire & Decorum AU) and The one who got away (Ride or Die).

Bonds of Sea and Fire - Part 4 (Blades of Light and Shadow)

“You cannot...” he paused, searching for the proper word, “...charm your way out of a confrontation.”  “Do you want to bet?”  Tyril scowled at the suggestion.   “I'm in!” Mal joined the conversation, jumping from the wooden crate and landing with a loud thump on the deck. “5 golden coins you can’t!”  “Do you even have that kind of money?”  “Won’t you like to find out?” He wriggled his eyebrows and smiled at her.  With a shake of their hands, the challenge was accepted. 

2. Once upon a summer - Part 1 (Desire and Decorum AU)

Amusing some of his teammates and the group of girls, Hamid was in the middle of telling a story, when someone knocked over a heavy object near the entrance. Hamid’s eyes flicked to where the noise came from and to the influx of another group of students coming inside to fill the stands, amongst them a very beautiful girl he’s never seen in school and instantly caught his eye.   Turquoise backpack hanging on one shoulder, she moved slowly, and her long curly hair bounced around her face. It was a chocolate brown hair with golden shades that seemed like the sun itself had kissed, or maybe had just been following her for the dramatic purpose of stealing teenage boy’s breaths away. Whatever it was, her beauty was so enthralling he couldn’t look away, appreciating the long hair and shapely lips and bright eyes. If this was one of the rom-coms his sisters love, there would be a bubbly pop song playing in the background while the girl glided in slow motion, and when the camera turned in his direction to do a closeup, he would be looking dazzled with mouth slightly parted while trying to catch his breath. Nevertheless, no camera could ever capture the way his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.  “So, what happened then? Did his father notice you two were gone?” Theresa Sutton’s questions ringed after what seemed like a dramatic pause in the narrative but turned into a play’s intermission.  Stunned, Hamid blinked a few times and failed to remember what he was telling them. Offering a wide grin, he clapped his hands, “Well, this will have to wait. Now I have someplace else to go and a record to beat!”  “That’s cruel, Hamid,” Donna Bowman protested with a pout, but it didn’t deter him.   Bending, he picked up the ball at his feet, and sprinted to where Yusuf Konevi, his dearest and oldest friend in England, was doing warm-ups with some of their teammates, without tearing his gaze from the beautiful girl, who was glancing everywhere from the benches at the side of the court to the stands, possibly searching for someone, and not once looked his way. Thank goodness, he was confident enough to not let this hurt his pride, and persistent enough to change that game.  Throwing an arm over Yusuf’s shoulder, he threw himself at him in a playful way.   “Hey!”  “Glad to see our star is finally joining us!”  “We’re all stars here,” Hamid said, flashing a grin, “we shine brighter together.”  The other laughed. “Smooth. I bet they’ll make you team captain soon.”   Looking over his shoulder Hamid located his target, standing alone by the stands, and asked in a conspiratorial tone, “Who’s that girl? I haven’t seen her before...”   “Which one?” the other asked before discreetly peeking at the direction he tilted his head.   “The one who looks like an angel recently fallen from heaven…” 

3. Second Chances - Chapter 25 (Desire & Decorum AU)

While her body reluctantly woke up and her brain regained consciousness, she was confronted by confusion and immense discomfort all at once, reminders of the insane amount of alcohol she ingested last night.   Her head ached as if samba percussionists were beating repeatedly their instruments out of cadence to punish her. The parchedness in her mouth seemed like she had wandered the desert for days. Trying to alleviate it, her lips parted, but her mouth had dried out and it was difficult to swallow and get rid of the disgusting taste sitting on her tongue.   The buzzing sound echoed again, attacking her ears, and she realized it was probably the mobile vibrating with incoming messages over the nightstand. Even though she wondered what time it was, the identity of the caller or texter and their reasons to be trying to reach her in what she assumed was the middle of the night didn’t pique her interest at all, if anything it riled her up for disturbing her rest. Mustering the strength to reach the nightstand to turn off the phone, she tried to roll over, but something blocked her path and restrained her motion. Not something, but someone.  In the dark she couldn’t rely on her sight, but her other senses worked perfectly, collecting information of quiet sounds of breathing behind her, the light pressure of a body against her back, and the arm she finally noticed dangling over her waist underneath the covers. And lastly, the fragrance that reached her nostrils was unmistakable. 

4. The one who got away (Ride or Die)

Once upon a time in what seems like another life, no one would spare a second glance at the shy teenager with untamed curly hair and oversized sweatshirts walking down the fancy prep school’s hallways with the nose stuck in a book. Back then she was just Ellie, the sheltered daughter of an LAPD detective with a single goal in life: get into Langston.  But then a bad boy – that was not so bad after all – waltzed into her life and introduced her to a forbidden world of illegal races, crime and betrayal. A world she was not supposed to know about, let alone desire to take part in...   Then love was added to the equation.   She fell in love, but not with this bad boy.  The thrill made her heart race faster than all those tuned cars. Every discovery about her abilities fueled the fire within and added to her confidence.   The process of unveiling these parts of herself drew her closer and closer to another bad boy – one dangerous enough to doom her entire existence. One she’d loved wholeheartedly and would’ve followed to the ends of the world if given the choice…  

Tagging a few of you who might want to share your WIPs with us: @princess-geek @rosesnink @lilyoffandoms @aallotarenunelma @jerzwriter @peonierose

Also tagging @choicesficwriterscreations

[likeabxrdinflight]

I'm absolutely deranged over this sweeney revival and so sad it's closing because I think this might be the only iteration of the show where it's like. very obvious that this version of sweeney and mrs lovett are fucking. like that's pretty clear, right? in most renditions it's played like a largely unrequited thing, with mrs lovett attempting over the course of the show to get sweeney to love her despite the fact that he's utterly uninterested.

that was...that was not the case in this version. and the place where I think that becomes most apparent is actually in "a little priest," because I think this is where the transition takes place. prior to this the 2023 show is playing out broadly the same as usual, with mrs lovett focused primarily on getting sweeney to look at her for more than five seconds while sweeney is plotting his revenge. I'm not sure how annaleigh played it live, since I didn't get to see her take and haven't found any decent (publicly available) clips of her, but sutton made some interesting choices here where she's always got her hands hovering over sweeney but rarely does she actually touch him (this was most apparent to me during "my friends" and "wait"). it was like he was something she desperately wanted to hold but couldn't bring herself to yet. like he (or the tenuous bond between them) was made of glass and she was afraid to break him (and it).

that changes after "a little priest." because for the whole show up to that point, sweeney is, as in every production, completely uninterested in her. he seems to reject her advances, doesn't initiate much if any contact with her, and at most treats her as a business partner. but the second mrs lovett suggests her whole baking-people-into-pies scheme, that seems to change. suddenly he's holding her arms, pulling her into a dance, he grabs her face at one point- it was like this little flash of genuinely visible evil from her (which she normally tries to cover more than he does) suddenly attracts him in a way nothing she'd tried up 'til then had. and sutton as mrs lovett responds to this, and that seemed to be the motive behind her iteration of the character playing up the cannibalism humor and making all these jokes about who they could bake into pies. it's like she's suddenly gotten a dash of the affection from him she's been craving and now she's going to do everything possible to keep him laughing, to keep him focused on her and not the judge.

from that point on in this version of the show, I think they're sleeping together. do I think sweeney ever truly falls in love with her? no of course not, that's entirely against the point of his character. but I do think this version of sweeney has more affection for her than other iterations have. more than any other production I've personally seen, this one presented them as a couple, a real partnership, to the point that "by the sea" reads less as another attempt at seduction and more as a legitimate proposal made from one established sexual partner to the other. (the acting choices here also make it.......................almost impossible that they're not fucking I mean she...there's this whole thing with her feet and his suspenders and it's so funny but there's no way. there's no way they weren't sleeping together, just trust me.) and all throughout that song he reacts with the usual sort of annoyance that you'd expect for the character, but there were a few times I'm sure he smiled a little, I was close enough to see it- and whether that was aaron breaking character a bit or a legitimate acting choice I have no idea- but either way it made him seem a little bit fond of her, even when he was irritated.

some people might not like this, since it does sort of go against what was the original intention in the script, but I think it adds another layer of tragedy to the ending if they were genuinely together. because they were so close. they were so close to having some kind of life together, some kind of happiness that wouldn't ever replace the life sweeney had lost, that wouldn't ever replace lucy or johanna, but it could have been a life. maybe even a nice one (minus the whole murdering-and-baking-people-into-pies thing). but it can't ever be because it was only ever happening under false pretenses. because mrs lovett lied. she almost had everything she wanted, she almost had him, but she could only get it because of that one lie, and she loses it all because of that lie too. and that's ultimately her tragedy.

[free-queer-books]

Prism Reads Stuff Your Kindle Day -May 22nd, 2025

A book blast of free LGBTQIA+ ebooks across several genres!

Books with exact representation that I can confirm include:

Achillean books

Bidding on You by Kandyce Marie (Amazon)

Aromantic and arospec characters

Bidding on You by Kandyce Marie - aceflux demiromantic character, pan-greyrose character (Amazon)

Asexual and acespec characters

Off Script by Sarah Zane - demisexual (Amazon)

Glass and Sass by Laura Greenwood - demisexual (multiple stores)

Bridging the Gap by Jem Wendel - demisexual (Amazon)

Bidding on You by Kandyce Marie - aceflux demiromantic character, pan-greyrose character (Amazon)

Dawn of the Obsidian Sun by R.M. Barbosa - asexual romance, but can't confirm specific characters (Amazon)

Dragons & Dumplings by Laura Greenwood - asexual character (Amazon)

Bisexual characters

Off Script by Sarah Zane (Amazon)

The Seven by Erin Curran (Amazon)

Glass and Sass by Laura Greenwood (multiple stores)

When the ball drops by J C Bryer (Amazon)

Loving Lee by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Love on the Sunny Side by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Zone Entry by Maya Kinley (Amazon)

Olivia's Loving Threesome by Tamara Earthsong (multiple stores)

Rayne Check by Gabbi Grey (multiple stores)

All the Oceans by Polly Emorie (Amazon)

The Blindfold Date by K.C. Carmine (Amazon)

Blood Bound by Kayla Brooks (multiple stores)

Keep by J C Bryer (Amazon)

F/F

Bitter Winds by Marina Tempest (Amazon)

Tower of the Heart by E.K. O'Connor (Bookfunnel)

Claims by nkr (Amazon)

Just One More Day by nkr (Amazon)

All the Oceans by Polly Emorie (Amazon)

Sophie and the Sea by Cassidy Langue (Amazon)

Caught with Zeus by Arizona Tape (multiple stores)

Heart and Soul of the Wolf by Arizona Tape/Ariana Jade (multiple stores)

Under Lock and Key by Sarah Zane (Amazon)

F/M

Claims by nkr (Amazon)

Glass and Sass by Laura Greenwood (multiple stores)

Love on the Sunny Side by Cozy DuBois (multiple stores)

Dragons & Dumplings by Laura Greenwood (multiple stores)

F/NB

The Travelling City by Adrienne Miller (Amazon)

Gay characters

Loving Lee by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Love on the Sunny Side by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Wild Obsession by F.A. Ray (Amazon)

Shuttered Hearts by Trey Lari (Amazon)

A Glorious Mess by Kennedy Sutton (Amazon)

The Art by David Gray (Amazon)

Lesbian characters

Bitter Winds by Marina Tempest (Amazon)

The Curse of the Old Woods by Elizabeth Andre (Amazon)

Just One More Day by nkr (Amazon)

All the Oceans by Pollie Emorie (Amazon)

Sophie and the Sea by Cassidy Langue (Amazon)

M/M

Monday by Erin Curran (Amazon)

Immortal Bones by Margot de Klerk (Amazon)

When the ball drops by J C Bryer (Amazon)

Loving Lee by Cozy DuBois (multiple stores)

Bridging the Gap by Jem Wendel (Amazon)

Zone Entry by Maia Kinley (Amazon)

Wild Obsession by F.A. Ray (Amazon)

Crunchy Orange Chicken by Trey Lari (Amazon)

Shuttered Hearts by Trey Lari (Amazon)

Rayne Check by Gabbi Grey (multiple stores)

Moonlight by Evie McGlynn (Amazon)

Bidding on You by Kandyce Marie (Amazon)

Garrett by Shaw Montgomery (Amazon)

Where There's A Will by Anna Sparrows (Amazon)

The Blindfold Date by K.C. Carmine (Amazon)

A Glorious Mess by Kennedy Sutton (Amazon)

Under the Dragon's Spell by Ann-Katrin Byrde (Amazon)

Dad's Omega Best Friend by Anna Wineheart (Amazon)

His Alpha Unlocked by Anna Sparrows (Amazon)

Omega's Forever Home by Lacey Daize (Amazon)

His Mate by Vengeance by Mel Aitchess (Amazon)

Spell of the Werewolf by J.R. Loveless (Amazon)

Caller of Crows by Silvana Falcon (Amazon)

Blood Bound by Kayla Brooks (multiple stores)

The Art by David Gray (Amazon)

Trying to Kill the Sun by T.F. Author (multiple stores)

Pansexual characters

Loving Lee by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Love on the Sunny Side by Cozy Dubois (multiple stores)

Polyamory books

Olivia's Loving Threesome by Tamara Earthsong - FFM (multiple stores)

Santa's Elf by Lacey Daize - MMM (Amazon)

Keep by J C Bryer - why choose with primary MF and secondary MM and FF (Amazon)

Dawn of the Obsidian Sun by R.N. Barbosa - F/NB/M with F/F flashbacks (Amazon)

Indecent by Gwin Savage - FFF (multiple stores)

Sapphic books

The Curse of the Old Woods by Elizabeth Andre (Amazon)

Tower of the Heart by E.K. O'Connor (Bookfunnel)

All the Oceans by Polly Emorie (Amazon)

Sophie and the Sea by Cassidy Langue (Amazon)

Caught with Zeuz by Arizona Tape (multiple stores)

Heart and Soul of the Wolf by Arizona Tape/Ariana Jade (multiple stores)

Under Lock and Key by Sarah Zane (Amazon)

Trans and nonbinary characters

Loving Lee by Cozy Dubois - trans characters, nonbinary characters (multiple stores)

Love on the Sunny Size by Cozy Dubois - trans male character, trans female character, nonbinary character (multiple store)

Dawn of the Obsidian Sun by R.N. Barbosa - nonbinary character (Amazon)

The Travelling City by Adrienne Miller - genderqueer character (Amazon)

Trying to Kill the Sun by T.F. Author - trans romance, but can't confirm specific characters (multiple stores)