#terrance gordon

[bitletsanddrabbles]

WIP Okay It's Wednesday Now!

Off all the short pieces I wanted to get finished this month after the novel, the 'Phillip arrives on the Island' piece I have going for @alex51324 's Island of the Gays is at the top of the list.

Hell of the Island pieces I have going, that's the one I want to finish most.

I think the boys know that, because while they will argue along nicely when I'm not in a position to write, the second I have a keyboard or a pen or anything, they clam up and sulk like the little brats that they are.

Yesterday, though, Rouse managed to coax a bit out of Thomas, so I thought I'd share...

...it actually being Wednesday and all.

-

-

“Hey Thomas, what’s going-oh.” He turned to find that Gordon had stuck his head out from the press room and was now giving Rouse dubious looks. “It’s you.”

“It’s me.” The doctor agreed.

“It’s him,” Thomas added, feeling that a moment this ridiculous called for some actual comedy. With a deep breath he said, “I’m going to go with him for a bit. He and Dr. L. want to talk to me.”

“Wot about?” the Printer’s Devil asked, scrunching his nose up as if the idea actually stank.

Thomas gave Rouse a quick side look and replied, “Just some questions I’ve had lately. It shouldn’t take too long.” He handed the oil and rag over to the younger man. “Here, put these by the press, alright? I’ll deal with it when I’m back.”

“Awright.” Taking the items in question, Gordon vanished back through the doorway.

Thomas turned to Rouse. “You win. Lead on, MacDuff.”

“Thank you.” It might have been Thomas’s imagination, but the doctor sounded almost grateful. He turned and opened the door to the Beacon, stopping and holding it for Thomas to walk through. Once they were both out of the building, he seemed in less of a hurry, stopping to fish out his cigarettes and light one. “Want one?” he asked, offering Thomas the pack.

Thomas took one without a word and lit it with his own lighter.

“By the way,” Rouse said, blowing smoke into the air. “Never say that to toffs, or the Theater crew for that matter.”

“Never say what?” Thomas asked, reviewing the conversation, trying to figure out what he could have said that would offend either party.

“Lead on, MacDuff,” the other man replied. He turned and started to walk toward the main house, although once again, he didn’t hurry. It was as if for all of his insistence, he didn’t want Thomas to talk to Phillip either. Thomas fell into step beside him. “I know it’s what most people say, but it’s wrong. It’s ‘Lay on’, because MacBeth and MacDuff are about to get into a sword fight, you see? You don’t want your enemy to have the lead there, because it gives them an edge. ‘Lay on’ is just a challenge.” He took another drag. “Those that know the right way can be supercilious arseholes about it, and I’ve enough on my plate without you and Syl going at it again.”

Thomas could only imagine what Syl would say about an error like that, and frankly, he was in no mood to stir that particular pot. “Good to know, thank you.”

[lizardwoman-from-earths-core-2]

So I was reading the Terrance Dicks novelization of some of the Second Doctor's stories to see what descriptors for him are used, and I really love in "The Web of Fear" one that Dicks gave us an actual scene where the Doctor and the the Brigadier have their meet-cute.

Because as much as I really like Web of Fear, I think one of the main problems with it (other than the fucking missing episodes) is that for such an influential character for the Doctor, they basically meet off screen. Like, this is the first time we see them together:

Which will eventually turn into this:

And since this was written in '76, there's even a little paragraph explaining that this character will eventually become a really big deal to the Doctor. Idk if Lethbridge-Stewart was originally going to be such a big character, so I just think it's kinda cool that he retroactively gives him a slightly better introduction, even if the original one is still pretty fire.

[therxtking]

"WOW! A big ratty!" Tiny little Spring staring up wide-eyed at the 'King' whilst Terrance runs up to try and scoop her up and take her away from the scene.

Gordon had been expanding his prowling to the other side of the mountains, not expecting to be jumped at by little lambs. His ears pin back and he rears slightly as he moves away... He personally wasn't a threat, but he was shocked by how completely fearless it was, bounding up to colossal strangers. Did her parents not teach her of the dangers?.. The other one- oh, he recognized him. That was terrance! Maybe he'd put some sense into the baby. "Yes, I am a big ratty!" He purrs, dipping his head to eye her more closely... She had... An extra leg. A deformity... So it probably didn't get out enough to be exposed to these sorts of things...

"Now what are you to doing out here unprotected, running up to big strangers?"

[beastbent]

Two American Sonnets Starring Octavia Butler, by Terrance Hayes (2022)

I.

In Julie Dash’s Octavia Butler the director washes Octavia’s 

Monumental feet & toenails in buckets of government water

When there are no seas or rivers handy. It takes too long 

Awaiting God’s drizzle though there are open barrels outside 

The camera’s frame in the scene where Butler lies outdoors

Letting her entire mouth fill with tap-water, then spitting the water 

Into the air as rain blessed & better after the taste of her speech.  

If you don’t see suffering’s potential as art, will it remain suffering? 

When Butler tells Dash she’s dreamed of storms all week, 

Dash asks to film the dreams. The camera watches Butler sleep 

A full moon humming something in the same baritone she uses 

When she speaks. Of course, Octavia Butler stars in Octavia Butler. 

She buys blouses with patterns of leaves & flowers in the off hours 

And listens to the young hotel desk clerk worry about precipitous weather. II.

In Gordon Parks’ lost Octavia Butler photos Parks parks Butler

In Central Park & shoots her against the stars beginning to burn 

Between the leaves & city some twilight evening in 1963. 

She’s a teen, but tall & nearly as quiet as the trees & policemen 

Hovering over the scene. Parks shoots her near the tallest tree

Leaning into its shade, then clutching a hatchet, then transformed 

Into a small black bird perched in its branches. No police dogs

Are on the attack. Rain makes the tree bark appear 

To be sweating. The surface of everything cries over the black 

Holes between capitalism & spirituality; the manholes between 

Building & property. When asked about the banter shared 

During their time together, Butler & Parks recalled different things.  

If you see suffering’s potential as art, is it art or suffering? 

If you see life’s potential as art, is it artful or artificial living?

[Published in The Believer, no. 140, Dec. 9, 2022]

[syntia13treeman]

Case files 10.01

what I think happened in:

Case 10.01, the case of "Cursed Pygmalion" or "How I stopped worrying and started fearing for my life instead"

In 1994 Channel Six hired Niger Dickerson to host night variety show, nicknamed "Nigel’s SOS," (short for "Nigel Dickerson presents Saturdays on Six,"), where Nigel was 'held prisoner' by mysterious off-screen "Mr. Six", and played pranks on his guests. The prank always concluded with the guests being informed that they "got berried" and receiving a raspberry trophy.

In 1996, as part of the prank, a character of Mr. Bonzo was created (Nigel designed the look, nobody can really remember who came up with that name*)

The first guest confronted with Mr. Bonzo, chef Gordon Ramsey Gotard Rimbaeu was so freaked out, he broke the actors arm with a frying pan (allegedly**).

After that the actors (allegedly**) wearing Bonzo's suit would change frequently. Playing the role has become sort of rite of passage for the newbies on set.

Bonzo's role also changed overtime. From a jumpscare he went to become the show's mascot, to eventually replace Mr. Six as Nigel's 'jailer'. He was a hit with target audience, the merch was selling, they even started building a themepark… and then everything changed, when Terrance Menki attacked got caught.

Who is Terrance Menki? Apparently a serial killer, whose gimmick was killing in cosplay, presumably different one each time, as he had a whole wardrobe of costumes. Just bad luck that when he got caught with his 11th victim, he was wearing a knock-off Bonzo suit. (It wasn't even a good knock-off, all the colours were backwards!)

Alas, the press immediately dubbed him the "Bonzo Butcher", the public ate it up, and Mr. Bonzo's public image was ruined. Shortly afterwards, on 3rd March 2000 the Bonzoland was closed (ARG exclusive information), "Nigel's SOS" was cancelled, and Nigel was left to deal with hate-mail and death threats, despite having nothing to do with the whole mess (allegedly).

That would be the end of the story, except… between 2016 and 2021 there were at least 3 murders where Mr. Bonzo was (allegedly) seen at the scene.

When asked about in an interview conducted by Geraldine in August 2021, Nigel Dickerson categoricity denied it refused to comment on any potential Bonzo involvement in any crime.

Considering that he'd been living in Mr. Bonzo's house for the past [number unknown] years, his claims of ignorance and innocence fall rather flat.

The most recent Bonzo sighting was not reported on Saturday night, 09th of March 2024, when Gwendolym Bouchard, acting on behalf of OIAR, handed over an envelope containing (reportedly***) a name and address. Mr. Bonzo graciously accepted and chewed said envelope in his NOT SOFT teeth and lumbered into the night.

More news next Thursday at 5pm. For now let's speculate a bit:

*If Nigel didn't come up with Bonzo's name, and his producer Rich didn't come up with the name… then who did? I won't say it's impossible that it was just some random intern that Nigel couldn't be bothered to remember, but… Names are important. Names have power. Maybe something was trying to manifest itself, and started with giving itself a name?

**Where there ever actually any actors inside Bonzo suit? There are a few possibilities: a) it's been all Bonzo all along – it would go well with Bonzo naming himself, but otherwise I think it's unlikely. It's possible that: b) there only ever was one, very unlucky actor. When the Britain's snootiest chef attacked him with a pan, he did more than just break the poor man's arm. The actor died in the costume, and stayed in the costume, and just… kept going in the costume. This is macabre enough origin story to be plausible, but I'm gonna say nah. I think that: c) SOS really had their little ritual, where a stream of very tired, minimal wage studio workers had to run around in the suit until the next loser was hired. This is too easily verifiable for Nigel to lie about. I bet there were little 'behind the scenes' documentaries during the show's golden era, where Jack the stagehand and Joe the janitor bitched in polite British about how much of a pain in the neck it was.

So at what point did the actors become unnecessary? When and how was current day Mr. Bonzo born? I think it was a process that started with the name, but ended shortly after his show was cancelled. Over the years of popularity, as more and more people thought of Bonzo as a character (or a person) more than a funny suit, Bonzo was becoming less and less of just a funny suit. When the costume no longer had actors to animate it, it decided to animate itself. And because at that time the Bonzo-mania turned to Bonzo-hate, instead of chaotic but largely harmless creature he could have been, he became… well. Something that a shady government organization apparently uses as a hitman.

And here I need to ask an important question: What the fuck was up with that? Joking. (Though I wish to know how do you even discover you can do that). (***and did the envelope really contain name and address? Did Gwen check? Does she remember the name?)

The question is: who is the unlucky person, about to receive a lethal blast of the 90s nostalgia? Will we ever even know? (Will we know tomorrow, 11.04.2024, when Celia clicks on the newest case and hears an emergency call from someone fleeing for their life from a 'guy in a weird costume?')

Other question: how long has Nigel been held hostage in his own house (sorry – Bonzo's house) and just how sorry should I feel for him? He seemed pretty unconcerned about the actor with broken arm, and about Bonzo running off into the night to do murder, but I imagine that living in constant shadow of Mr Bonzo is pretty stressful and doesn't leave much room for empathy, so… I don't know. I'm gonna wait and see.

[errorthedumbone]

Michael Mitch is a bat family oc (find some stuff if you want to know on @erroritserror )

Rover is @ezzyraccoon 's. Idk why I made this-

Rover: "so how many bat-family is there?"

Micheal: "a lot. But I can name everyone for you"

Rover: "....ok..."

Micheal: "there is Alfred. He is the butler, the first to know who batman was and is the best cook you will ever meet."

Rover: "Terrance would be friends with him..."

Michael: "then there is Bruce Wayne. He is a rich billionaire that adopted me and my siblings. He is in public a rich play boy but at night he is a crime fighting vigilante. He didn't plan to have any kids but here we are. Anyways Bruce is a good guy....most of the time-"

Rover: "what do you me-"

Micheal: "THEN there is Dick Grayson! Raised in a circus, first robin, saw his parents die infront of him. Sad stuff. But kind and funny goof, probably the most traumatizing past not including me! He is now Nightwing and a big loving older brother!"

Rover "...well damn-..."

Micheal: "first batgirl aka Barbara Gordon was the daughter of a cop and she is in a wheelchair because joker broke into her house and shot her. So yeah- acts like a big sister to us. Bruce basically adopted her."

Micheal: "then Jason Todd. 2nd robin now a anti hero that is a huge foodie, me and tim are cool with him. His mom was a doctor that sold drugs and his dad was a small criminal that left to get the milk. Jason was also beaten by a crowbar to death by joker"

Rover: "do you all have trauma from clowns and circuses?"

Micheal: "yeah pretty much-"

Micheal: "Tim Drake was the 3nd robin, now red Robin...Yumm, he is smartest of us, lived a good ish childhood, his parents died- he is also is coffee addict and very sleep deprived. Don't ask the last time he slept!"

Rover: "should Bruce be-"

Micheal: "we all are sleep deprived Rov. Anyways there is Steph brown. Tim's ex, was the first female robin. Was second batgirl, smart gal, her dad tried to kill her many many many times, faked her death before, all that."

Rover: "im- do all of yo not have parents or have crappy parents?"

Micheal: "yep!"

Michael: "Cassandra Cain, 3nd batgirl, now is orphan (I think-) was trained without language so she doesn't talk much, she can read movements to tell what you are gonna do next. Doesnt understand everything but is badass!

Rover: "...wow-...im kind- wait is that all of the family?"

Micheal: "not even close. Anyway now their is Damian Wayne. The 4th robin, obsessed with animals, the only vegan, filled with rage pretty much, trained by the league of assassins. Mother is one of the leaders, Bruce's only biological child. And kinda a snappy kid but fun to hang with at times"

Rover: "sounds like tea and Elizabeth"

Micheal: "im not gonna ask who they are! Anyways Duke! Called The Signal, the first mutant in the family I think, the only bat person that has a good sleep schedule mostly because he works on the day. But very sweet and cheerful dude, also his mom is insane because of joker and he is trying to get her to at least remember who he is"

Rover: "their goes the joker trauma-... Holy shit your family is hu- wait what about bat woman?"

Micheal: "oh yeah she isn't important-"

Rover: "batwing?"

Micheal: "oh! He is another batman. Alfrican soldier that is another version of batman but he has a different kids suit, he is retired now but he i think had the most teched used suit then all of us"

Rover: "your family is huge, is there more?"

Micheal "yeah. Oh there is a lot!"

Rover: "cute..."

Correct me on any mistakes I made. I want to make sure I did all that right

Also the reason why I didn't do batwoman is because I dont know much about her-

This took me so fucking long-

[thequimmqueen]

🍕Updated Next-gen Character Name List🍕

Timm+Quinn:

Lynn💘

Liamm🎵

Duke gotcha+Shannon:

Raymond📰

Sarah🔎

Joy+Moe:

Jamie🐦

Maya💮

Roy+Olivia:

Rolland📋

Hollie🍍

Hank+Kayla:

Dannah🚨

Safiyah💅

Cameo+Cherissa:

Sandy🍉 (previously known as Cairo)

Cori+Robby:

Russell🎣

Coralina🎏

Ember+Hacky Zack:

Burnett🚒

Axel👔

Zack🚧

Vesta✳️ (previously known as Ambar)

~~~

Romanos🇮🇹:

Guy Mortadello+Bruna Romano:

Marianna🚔 

Gavin🍷

Clover+Carlo Romano+Koilee:

Kōi🐠

Lotta🍜

Bento🎸

Ginevra🥁

Gino Romano+Okalani:

Georgina🍳 

Kalea👑

~~~

Mindy+Whiff:

Rebecco💄(also known as Becky)

Iggy+Sasha:

Haley🔬

Taylor+Peggy:

Stella📷

Marty+Rita:

Matilda🏈

Arthur📽️

Brody+Skyler:

Brandon📚

Abel🎨

Cielo🖌️

Emmlette+Kingsley:

Anastasia🎬

Kellen📹

Sarge fan+Radlynn:

Randall🍠

Sweety🎮

Radha🌟 (Adopted,Failed Offspring Harvest Experiment of Radley Madish)

Alberto+Penny:

Pilar🏵️

Benny🎤

Houton⚽️

Noemi🌼

Scarlett+Rudy:

Adonis♦️ 

Kore♥️

Cooper+Prudence:

Carrie🐈

Brooklynn🐕

Greg+Yippy:

Courtney🌻

Lily🐞

Johnny+Boomer:

Bloom🍀

Arán🌰

Autumn🍁

Chuck+Nevada:

Helena💐

Fawn💍

Snow❄️

Utah+Gremmie:

Caspian🐚

Genaya🌠

Hugo+Janana:

Tanner🎼

Maggie+Mitch:

Magnolia💼

Gunther🌮

Mousse+Sienna:

Gelatta🍦

Syrup🍮

Julep+Deano:

Tulip🌷

Leandro💉

Willow+James:

Jhonnen🛵

Whitney👻

Jenni🔧

Kenji+Zoe:

Eijirou👾

Amanda🦋

Scooter+Austin:

Roopert🌟

Audrey🛍️ (changed from Adrianna)

Connor×Wylan B:

Iza-B🎋 (adopted)

Deckard 🎧 (adopted)

Cassidy🥇(adopted)

Whippa+Georgito

Créme🍬

Graham📋

Drakson+Kasey O:

Kate🥋

Diego💌

Pinch+Bertha:

Paula⚾️

Abraham🏋️

"Ace"⭐ (real name is Jack, changed from "Jack Derby" due to the nickname not making sense)

Rico+Rhonda:

Roberto🏺

Jazz🏆

Xolo+Sprinks the Clown:

Xefferson🤹

Xandra+Rollie:

Xanna💥

Romeo⚗️

Professor Fitz+Edna:

🍀Jerry & Betsy☘️ (Clones)

LePete+Tohru:

Petra☀️

Koko🥊 (previously known as Kumako)

Ryu🎐

Haru🕹️

Cletus🐰

Pablo🪴

Pally+Trishna🍊:

Nina🍊 (adopted)

Nick🛶

Michael💙

Wendy:

Wendyl🔩

Índigo+NuMarcus:

Magenta👗

NuMabel

Cecilia:

Josefina🎒 (surrogate kid)

Allan+Akari:

Allison💰 (In custody of Allan)

Kuro🍋 (In custody of Akari)

Allan+Ivy

Eva🛩️ (child from second marriage)

JoJo+Louie:

Johann✒️

Lauren🥘

Mayor Mallow:

Molly💎

Crystal:

Shard🃏

Fila-sophie📚

Luau Lepunch+Betty Pecan:

Toasty Coconut🍨 (Scoopian+LePunch Hybrid,Looks More like Betty)

Gala Donut🍩 (adopted Scoopian Child)

Shelly Coir🌴 (Scoopian+LePunch Hybrid, looks more like Luau)

4th of July Scoopian:

Stardust🎆

Rocky Road:

Terrance Milch🍡

Jill Berry+Chip Mcmint:

Cranberry Jelly💝

Bianco Ciocco🍫

Sue x Mary:

Susan☎️ (adopted)

Sarge×Radley Madish:

Onnelious & Brown (Adopted/Used to be Two of Sarge's youngest soldiers)

💜Pines and Payne💙 (Mutated+Adopted Pinacoolada Twins)

Annana💛(Mutated+Adopted Bananapants Daughter)

Radetta💗(Sucessful Offspring Harvest Experiment)

Mr. Sherbet

Tiger Dail🐯

Tomatoe Lady:🍅

Campari🥫

Foodini:

Gabriel🎩

Ripley+Chase

Rodrigo🤓

Stephen🐍

Sprout:

Horia🥕

Skip+Daniela:

Railey🛎️

Kahuna+Makaila:

Koa🏄‍♂️

Big Pauly:

🧂Salt & Pepper🧂

Gabitha:

Tessa🐔

Bonnie & Yalanda:

Klaus💤 (Adopted grandson/apprentice)

Liezel+Kaleb

Scoops🍦

Hector🐻

Treble+Perri:

Damon⚙️

Geezer📻

Budwin+Lisa

Bucky💭

Zandro👾

Boopsy

Barnum 🪆 (Son)

~~~~~~~~~

Possible new Nextgens:

Simone:

Shira🎥

Didar:

Noah🎙

Yuko:

Ichika

Chester

Gordon ⛺

Petrona

Roman

~~~~

Roger GearSpeed🏁 (Real Name: ???)

[officermaddie23]

For Derick: Where's the lamb S A U C E ?!?!?!?!?

But seriously, what did you do with the lamb sauce? And you better find it quickly before Gordon Ramsay enters the room

Derick (pulls the co creator out of the kitchen): I think she might have something to do with it

Me: Derick put me down right now and I saw Terrance with it

Terrance Trevor: SHITTT

[tranquildr3ams]

I Did It My Way (潜行, 2023)

I Did It My Way (潜行, 2023) #Action #Crime #Thriller #IDidItMyWay #ActionMovies #Film #HKFilm #Movie #Review @WellGoUSA

I Did It My Way (潜行 ,2023) Director: Jason Kwan Cast: Andy Lau, Gordon Lam, Eddie Peng, Yase Liu, Simon Yam, Suet Lam, Kent Cheng, Philip Keung, Hedwig Tam, Kevin Chu, Terrance Lau As the secretive, complex world of online drug trafficking increasingly targets Hong Kong, the police launch a risky, top-secret sting operation to bring down one of the most notorious drug lords in Asia. – Well Go…

[randywebsite]

In Loving Memory of Randal Terrance Reichel

October 26, 2023, marked a day of sadness as we bid farewell to Randal Terrance Reichel, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Randy passed away in Westlock, Alberta, at the age of 72, with a lifetime of cherished memories.

Randy leaves behind his loving wife of over 20 years, Barbara Johnson-Reichel, who he loved deeply. With her he built an amazing home that was enjoyed by his friends, family, and especially his fourteen grandchildren and one great grandchild. He is survived by his dear children, Julie (Mike) Gottselig, Jae (Faith) Reichel, Neil (Justina) Reichel, Katherine (Oliver) Reichel, Rachel (Duncan) Reichel, and his stepchildren Jesse (Elise) Coleman, and Caitlin Coleman. He is also survived by his brother Gordon (Judy) Reichel, and his sister Joan Mang. He will be joining his beloved son Colin Reichel and his father and mother, Walter, and Hedwig Reichel.

There was no one quite like Randy - he had an unparalleled charm that captivated all who had the pleasure of meeting him. He’d walk into a room and fill it with laughter and music. He could regale people with stories from his travels around the world. He could fix and build anything. He was a gifted performer and touched the hearts of many with his beautiful voice and lively karaoke performances. He was an incredible salesman, most recently for Webb’s Machinery, known for his charisma and passion which he used to tirelessly serve farmers in the area. He was a proud member of the Westlock Legion, where he found camaraderie and friendship. He was larger than life and will be missed dearly by everyone who knew him.

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Island Sandbox: Miniature Barking Whales

Another thing for @alex51324 and the Island! I now have TWO things that need editing and transferring to Ao3! Go me!

Blame for this one goes to @o-rchidae and the picture of seals in the Hebrides...

-

It had stopped raining. What’s more, it looked like it might not start up again for an hour or so. Taking advantage of the good weather, Thomas decided to take a bit of a stroll and stretch his legs. Lighting a cigarette, he thought a moment, then headed out toward the Point. There wasn’t really anything out there, except for Lord Hexham’s cottage, and he didn’t think he’d walk the entire way, but there was a bluff (at least he thought that was the proper name) falling away to the sea that provided a rather nice view. It seemed the safest way to relax without risking someone coming up and asking him questions or trying to press gang him into a community event. The worst that could happen was that he ran across someone else taking a stroll.

He wandered down the path at a leisurely pace, listening to the shore birds and absently pondering the business of the town. Hugh and James planned on getting married that weekend. He wondered if the weather would hold. Of course, they’d be married in the church, but even that was more pleasant if the weather was nice. If nothing else, the building was a bit drafty. The same could not be said of the Main House - that was just crowded. Even with his own room he was getting a bit antsy to move out. A cottage would be beyond his means, and he’d yet to settle on anyone to step out with himself (there were options, of course, but every time he tried weighing them he wound up second guessing himself), but perhaps the others wouldn’t mind if he moved into the flat above the Beacon. There would be advantages, having someone on hand all hours, surely, although he didn’t really fancy the idea of someone waking him up at midnight because they’d thought of a last minute addition to this week’s issue. He’d have to be adamant about the shop’s ‘Closed’ sign.

“Thomas! Oi, Thomas!” Gordon’s voice jarred him out of his thoughts, calling him back to reality. The younger man was standing a way’s off, waving him over excitedly. Once it was clear he’d been seen, he added, “I think there’s a group of whales down on the rocks!”

Thomas frowned at that and started walking over. Gordon was standing on the edge of the bluff, not close enough to risk a tumble down the steep rocks, but plenty close to see the shoreline. Once he was within ear shot, Thomas pointed out, “I don’t think whales lay on rocks, Gordon. Whale’s are fish.” He rethought that. Hadn’t he read some sort of argument about that when he was younger? The scientists saying they weren’t actually fish, but most people not listening? “Or, well, they’re like fish at any rate.” He certainly couldn’t see the difference.

Gordon frowned at him, then looked down the rocky face of the bluff. “What’re those then?”

Cautiously, Thomas walked up next to him and looked down. This close to the water there was a good, stiff breeze, even with the clear sky, and while he didn’t think a good gust would send them over, it wasn’t worth the risk. It took him a moment to see what the younger man was looking at, but then something caught his eye. “Oh, no, those are seals.”

Gordon tilted his head and frowned. “Wot’s the difference?”

“Well, seals can come up on land, for one,” Thomas pointed out. Then he had to stop and think, because honestly, he didn’t really know a lot about the subject. You might as well have asked him the difference between cats and dogs - he knew, of course, but explaining was difficult. “And seals are a lot smaller. Whales are huge, like the size of a small boat.”

“Wot, like the supply boat?” Gordon stared at him, disbelieving.

“At least. I think some of the larger ones might be bigger than that. But they aren’t as big as one of the really big ships, the ones that go across the ocean.” Thomas was fairly certain he’d gotten that right. He knew that whaling ships, for instance, were larger than the whales they caught, but they were also much larger than the supply boat. He definitely got the feeling that actual whales were in between. “And I don’t know that whales make any noise. Seals sort of bark.”

Gordon looked back down at the greyish shapes beneath them. “Like dogs?”

“Sort of like, yes.”

“What do they do?”

Thomas shrugged, dropping the fag end of his cigarette. “Not much, I don’t think. They swim and eat fish and lay about on rocks, like that.” He gestured at the base of the cliff. “And people make hats and coats out of their fur.” He frowned again, thinking. “I think people eat them, in some places.”

“They don’t look like they’d taste very good,” Gordon frowned, wrinkling his nose. “I mean, they look awful fat.”

“So do pigs. Doesn’t stop you from eating bacon.”

“No, but if they taste like bacon, wouldn’t everyone eat them?”

“I suppose,” Thomas had to concede the point.

About that time, one of the seals barked. The sound echoed up the bluff and made Gordon jump. “That’s wot they sound like?”

“It is.”

“’S like a swimming dog,” the younger man proclaimed, echoing Thomas’s earlier assessment on the sound. “It really is.”

Thomas shrugged. “I told you.”

“I know you did, I just…” Gordon rocked back on his heels a bit and cast a puzzled look down toward the water. “It’s sort of different, hearing it like that.”

A crunching noise behind them drew Thomas’s attention and he turned to find Lord Hexham walking up behind them. The aristocrat smiled in greeting. “Good afternoon. Sorry if I’m interrupting, but I couldn’t help being curious. Is there something interesting down there?”

“Just a group of seals,” Thomas replied. “Gordon hadn’t seen them before.”

“Oh, charming!” With a broad smile, Lord Hexham moved up on Thomas’s free side and peered down. Reaching into the satchel he normally carried with him, he came up with a notebook and a graphite pencil. Balancing the notebook on his arm, he started doing a very loose sketch of the scene below. “I’ve always had a fondness for seals. It was one of the few things I missed in Tangiers.”

“Don’t they have seals in Morocco then?” It was the first Thomas had heard of it, but there again he didn’t really take an interest.

“They had seals, but they were different.” The aristocrat paused, peering down at the lounging wildlife, then going back to his sketch. “They didn’t have the spots, and they just aren’t the same without them, don’t you know?”

“I suppose they wouldn’t be.” That was another thing Thomas had never spared a thought for.

“Did they have whales?” Gordon asked, with the usual lack of deference he showed everyone.

Fortunately, Lord Hexham wasn’t much of one to stand on ceremony. If having a street urchin treat him as an equal had ever bothered him (and Thomas figured it had to have, at least in the beginning), he’d done a good job of not showing it. Now he simply replied, “Oh yes. Whales, dolphins, they were common sights if you went out on the water.”

“Wot’s a dolphin?” Gordon asked, frowning down at the seals as if they could somehow tell him the difference better than the man on the shore.

After a moment’s deliberation and sketching, Lord Hexham said, “They’re like whales only smaller. They also have a sort of beaky looking snout, and they jump a lot more.”

That got Gordon’s attention. “Whales jump? ‘Ow?”

“I’m not entirely certain,” the aristocrat admitted. “That is, they don’t have legs and there’s nothing for them to push off against. But it’s sort of like salmon at a weir, don’t you know?” He looked at Gordon, then rethought that. “Or, no, I suppose you wouldn’t know.” He thought another minute, then tried again, “They sort of throw themselves out of the water in an arching motion. Whales only do it occasionally. Normally you just see their backs as they come up, blow water out of their blow holes, and go back down. Dolphins get quite active.”

Thomas watched Gordon try and digest that bit of information. Then a thought occurred to him. “Is there a book in one of the libraries about sea life? There might be pictures.” Gordon’s reading skills weren’t up to snuff, although they’d gotten their hands on a couple of primers. He was more than able to look at pictures, though. And if the book explained why whales weren’t fish, then someone else could explain that to him.

Lord Hexham paused in his sketching, obviously trying to remember if he’d seen such a thing. “I’d be surprised if there weren’t. I don’t remember exactly what we’ve had sent over, but I know there were several requests for scientific volumes. Mr. Braceridge was especially keen to have books on nature available, although a lot of that was trees and birds. Still, it seems there should be something about sea life.” With a sheepish grin he added, “The closest I remember seeing, though, was a collection of folk lore. There was at least one story about selkies.”

“Wot’s a selkie?” Gordon half-demanded, his jaw starting to jut out. Apparently he’d had about as much new terminology as he could take in a day.

Figuring that even on an island like this there was only so much impudence a Marquess should be expected to stand (and allowing that Lord Hexham was rather nice, for a toff), Thomas explained that one. “They’re a sort of fairy. The stories say that they swim around all day looking like seals, but at night they take off their seal skins and turn into pretty ladies who dance around naked on shore. If you could make off with their skin, they had to marry you, but if they ever found their skin they’d leave forever.” Thomas had frequently wondered why there were never any male selkies, but he figured that had to do with who was telling the stories.

Gordon looked unimpressed. “Why would they dance around naked?”

Thomas shrugged. “Probably because the seal skins were their only clothes, and it’d hard to dance when you’re a seal? Anyway, it’s not real. It’s just a story, probably to explain why sailors came back from sea to find their wives run off.”

“I always thought it was a warning against coercing someone into marrying you,” Lord Hexham countered mildly. “After all, fisher’s wives are generally given a choice. Selkies never are.”

“I suppose you have a point.”

Gordon looked down at the seals. “So those aren’t selkies then?”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “No, they aren’t. And if they are, they’re safe dancing. No interest in making naked women marry you on this island.”

To his surprise, Lord Hexham added in, “And even if there were male selkies, I don’t see it working out. After all, the doctors would make you both go through counseling before the wedding.”

[usasportsworld]

Terrance McKinney knows UFC will probably never give him Paddy Pimblett fight: ‘I would flatline him’

Terrance McKinney knows UFC will probably never give him Paddy Pimblett fight: ‘I would flatline him’

Terrance McKinney has his sights set on his upcoming fight against Ismael Bonfim at UFC 283. But he’s also been very vocal about a future showdown with rising star Paddy Pimblett. In the aftermath of UFC 282 where Pimblett won a controversial decision over Jared Gordon, the 28-year-old lightweight from Washington wasted no time asking for the matchup on Twitter while disagreeing with the judges…

[don-dake]

《梅艷芳 ANITA》 (2021)

↑ 王丹妮 飾演 「梅姐」，梅艷芳，Louise Wong as Anita Mui.

More character reveals ↓↓↓:

↑ 古天樂 飾演 劉培基，Louis Koo as Eddie Lau, Anita's long-time fashion collaborator and good friend. He designed most of Anita's stage costumes throughout her career.

↑ 劉俊謙 飾演 「哥哥」，張國榮，Lau Chun Him as Leslie Cheung.

↑ 廖子妤 飾演 梅愛芳，Fish Liew as Ann Mui, Anita's older sister.

↑ 楊千嬅 飾演 陳淑芬, Miriam Yeung as Florence Chan, Anita's manager (also the manager of lots of other artists including Leslie).

↑ 林家棟 飾演 蘇先生，Lam Ka Tung as Mr Sou, Capital Artists' (record company) general manager.

↑↑↑ 《梅艷芳 ANITA》 (Nov. 2021) New PV

[來源：《梅艷芳 ANITA》 電影] ⇐source

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Reviewed: The Essential Terrance Dicks - Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (Target)

Reviewed: The Essential Terrance Dicks - #DoctorWho and the Auton Invasion (Target)

More often than not, when you’re a child, you don’t understand or even consider the significance of things. Take, for example, my Reception age daughter who is currently discovering the wacky madness of Sooty, Sweep, and Soo. She is aware that there was another friend of the trio before Richard Cadell, but that’s not important to her. Nor is it of any interest to her that Sooty is nearly 70 years…

[nbamayne]

[squireofgeekdom]

“He seems to make a lot of them.” 2x14 ‘Eyewitness’ (1/8)