#SkaraBrae

[whencyclopedia]

A Gallery of Standing Stones, Cairns, and Castles of Scotland

Scotland has a rich history dating back to seasonal settlements around c. 10,500 BCE and permanent residences by c. 7000 BCE. Neolithic ceremonial sites such as the Ness of Brodgar were established by c. 3500 BCE, and communities like Skara Brae by at least c. 3100 BCE. The people abandoned these sites but continued to develop others elsewhere.

Skara Brae was a residential community of hunter-gatherers as were older sites, such as the Knap of Howar on Papa Westray, Orkney, dated to c. 3700-3500 BCE. The people of this region raised ceremonial sites including the Ness of Brodgar, Ring of Brodgar, and the Standing Stones of Stenness, thought to have served as liminal places between the earthly plane and others. Further south, Clava Cairns, a Bronze Age site outside of Inverness, dated to c. 2500 BCE, seems to have been used for the same, or similar, purposes. Clava Cairns, also known as the Balnuaran of Clava, was carefully constructed to align with astronomical points and was also used for the burial of important members of the community.

By the 2nd millennium BCE, during the Early Iron Age, Castle Rock in modern-day Edinburgh was inhabited, then was used as a hillfort, and in the 11th century, it became the site of Edinburgh Castle. The site of Stirling Castle, dated to the 12th century, does not have as long a history but is thought to have been inhabited by the Picts in the 7th century and been fortified by the 9th.

These are only a few of the fascinating sites throughout Scotland. The following gallery presents an assortment of the abbeys, standing stones, cairns, and castles of the region, all with long histories. There are many more sites to see besides those featured below and readers are encouraged to go and hear the stories they have to tell.

Continue reading...

[jms-viriato]

LAS ISLAS BRITÁNICAS EN LA PREHISTORIA

Skara brae, el misterioso asentamiento neolítico de las islas orcadas

[whencyclopedfr]

Skara Brae

Skara Brae est un site du Néolithique, composé de dix structures en pierre, situé près de la baie de Skaill, dans les Orcades, en Écosse. Aujourd'hui, le village est situé sur le rivage, mais à l'époque où il était habité (vers 3100-2500 av. J.-C.), il se trouvait plus à l'intérieur des terres. L'érosion constante des terres au cours des siècles a considérablement modifié le paysage et les interprétations du site, basées sur son emplacement actuel, ont dû être réévaluées à la lumière de cette évolution. Le nom "Skara Brae" est une corruption de l'ancien nom du site, "Skerrabra" ou "Styerrabrae", qui désignait le monticule qui enterrait (et donc préservait) les bâtiments du village. Le nom donné au site par ses premiers habitants est inconnu. Skara Brae est inscrit sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO.

Lire la suite...

[cripplecharacters]

1/3 Hi, my question is about shaving as an amputee. My character is a soldier in the 1940s whose left arm was amputated. After a few months, he's learned to do most things one-handed, but I thought shaving his face might be something he'd have trouble with, since there are areas where you have to stretch the skin with the non-razor hand for a close shave. (The resources I found on shaving one-handed said to use an electric razor; my character would likely only have access to a safety razor.)

2/3 I thought it might be sweet to have his lover help him with shaving, and I wrote a scene where he reflects on how, although he prefers to be independent, he really enjoys the intimacy of having his partner do this for him, and it’s something they both look forward to. My questions are: A. Is it realistic that my character would not be able to shave his face well with a safety razor? (I mention him getting nicks and uneven spots in hard-to-get areas).

3/3 B. Does the scenario I described, with him enjoying having his partner shave him, seem unrealistic or offensive in any way? C. If it’s not realistic for him to still struggle with shaving about 4 months out from shaving, would it still make sense to have the partner shave him sometimes because they discovered how much they both liked it when he did need help? Thank you so much! I’ve learned a lot from following this blog, and I really appreciate all that you do.

As a disclaimer, currently none of us mods are amputees.

To answer your questions:

A. Yes, this does seem fairly realistic. It can be pretty difficult to shave many parts of your body without a second hand to stabilize, and the face especially has a lot of different planes that can make it even more difficult. If he had a remaining stump that he could bring up to his face to stretch the skin with, it would likely make it easier. But of course this depends on where his arm was amputated and how much mobility he has remaining in it.

B. This scenario doesn't seem unrealistic or offensive to me. It seems pretty sweet – your character has a lot of independence, but needs extra help for some things, ans his partner does it because he loves him. This is pretty common when it comes to a lot of disabilities, including amputation. Sometimes the extra help comes from a person, sometimes from assistive devices.

C. Again, it can definitely be realistic, but it also can make sense to have the partner shave his face sometimes (or all the time, or almost all the time) because they have discovered they both enjoy this as a form of love, care, and/or intimacy. Helping your partner with grooming or personal care things is something even non-disabled people do for each other. My partner and I like to brush each other's hair, and neither of us have any conditions that make it hard for us to do it ourselves. It's just a nice moment of togetherness and we're helping each other.

In summary: it makes sense for your character's partner to help him with something that is more difficult for him, even if your character is capable of doing it. It can be sweet and intimate for the both of them, and it is reasonable for the partner of your disabled character to do something for him as long as they're both okay with it. It can definitely be a way of showing that they both love each other and are okay with being vulnerable with each other.

Hope this helps!

– mod sparrow

[pencap]

I'm so happy to hear that you're writing again! I know how hard it can be to get back into a creative pursuit after a while of not doing it (I had that experience with drawing), so I really applaud you for deciding to get back into it. For a prompt, how about, "leaves", "mist", and "shadow"? Good luck with your writing, and wishing you the best!

it is dawn in the forest and the whole day stretches ahead still soft-edged with morning mist and dewy with droplets of last night's dreams.

the leaves are sleep-warm and spring-soft painted in dappled gold by slanting light on the tips of delicate branches dancing carefree in the easy breeze.

but all i can see are shadows mottled dark over my bare feet and looming trees shapless in the haze endless in all directions with no paths to point my way.

the sun rises and rises and rises and— sets.

and i am still sitting here in the shadow and the haze lost and unmoving.

[kalira]

Touch, please!

Sho lifted his hand, then yanked it back, twisting his fingers together. He swallowed, taking a shaky breath. ‟You want to spend time with that monster,” Shinji turned his head, glaring at Sho sidelong, ‟go on then, cuddle up to that, just don’t-”

[lycorogue]

"seduce with caution" sounds interesting!

Ask is in reference to this WIP Title tag game. I have a whole tag just based around me gushing/raging/tearing my hair out over this project. 😅

To start, it's a fanfic within the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. For those not in the fandom, here's a quick primer: the show focuses on the teenage superhero Ladybug and her partner Chat Noir as they save Paris from supervillain Hawk Moth. Neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir knows their partner's secret identity, which makes things interesting since Ladybug is actually Marinette, classmate and friend to super model Adrien... aka Chat Noir. These secret identities have caused a bit of a complex romantic plotline the fandom has dubbed the Love Square*.

Now, the elevator pitch for Seduce With Caution is that, over the course of the 6 years since they've met, Chat Noir has developed the habit of visiting Marinette on a nearly-nightly basis. They have become best friends within these two personas - Chat Noir and Marinette - and one of their main topics of discussion is their failed love lives. One night Chat Noir proudly proclaims that he's sorted out how to get Ladybug to finally fall for him. Marinette playfully dismisses him. To prove his point, Chat Noir decides to try out his new flirting tactics on Marinette. Neither of them expected his new seduction moves to actually work. When they do, chaos ensues.

So now, 19yo Marinette is trying to sort out her newfound sexual attraction for 19yo Chat Noir and what that means for both her love for Adrien and her partnership with Chat Noir as Ladybug. Meanwhile, Adrien is also trying to figure out why Marinette swooning over him is such a huge turn-on. Is it just the swooning? Is it because it's swooning over his superhero persona instead of his model status? Is it because it's a friend of his instead of a random stranger? Is it because it's Marinette specifically? Can he get her just as hot-and-bothered as just plain old Adrien? Would it be as much of a turn-on if he could? What does ANY of this mean for his friendship with Marinette (both as Chat Noir and as Adrien) or his supposed undying love for Ladybug?

The story does progress into a MariChat (Marinette and Chat Noir) romance... aaaaand there's some smutty moments spliced in there.

Honestly? The story was originally going to be this crack smut one-shot. I had read the 4th and 5th chapters of Dressed to Confess by @zenmisery back in the summer of 2020. I was caught up in the MariChat make-out session, but also the fact that the two literally couldn't do much more than heavy petting due to Chat Noir's costume being magically incapable of being removed. He has a sort of magical chastity belt that he can't get around without detransforming and revealing who he is to Marinette. Well, my pervy brain had Marinette create a work-around, and I was simply going to write that scene: the two aged up and getting their little smut on thanks to Marinette's characteristic ingenuity.

My first attempts included Chat Noir doing a pole dance strip tease to get Marinette all riled up, and then she would reveal her master plan for him to actually disrobe without revealing who he was to her. I tried writing just that scene about 4x over the course of the next year. None of them worked.

Fast forward to August 2021 and I finally wrote a more subtle flirting/seduction scene. It was more sensual. It built up the tension better. It was accidental flirting. This was the scene I have been meaning to write! Huzzah! Eeeeeexcept... the whole point of Chat Noir "accidentally" flirting with Marinette was because he was practicing for Ladybug. I couldn't just have him and Marinette shack up! I had to have him get over Ladybug first... and Marinette get over Adrien.... and THEN get to the original smut scene!

It's the transition from regular Love Square to Reverse Love Square that has been holding me up since flippin' 2021! I have the first 3 chapters of this story pretty much locked in, I have a concept for the 4th chapter that I've been tweaking, and I have a few more scenes/chapters further along the plot that I have already sorted out/written. I'm excited for the bits I have actually put to paper (as it were), but it's the bridging moments that have been eluding me. I've attempted 9 different plotting strategies, and this final one seems to be working the best (especially if used in conjunction with a few of the other plotting tactics).

One of my New Years Resolutions was to have this story ready to publish by August... but it's not looking very likely. I HAVE been steadily** working on it, though... so there's that.

If you don't mind spoilers and want more info on this story, I have my latest plot outline attempt available here. Still needs lots of tweaks, but it's a start.

*For those who might not know what I mean when I say Love Square, here's the basic breakdown: Marinette is in love with Adrien, but he doesn't see her romantically because he's in love with Ladybug (but can only get the chance to tell her so as Chat Noir). Ladybug doesn't see Chat Noir romantically because of her love for Adrien, but she can't tell Chat Noir that because she fears it will somehow reveal her civilian identity. Ladybug also can't tell Adrien she loves him because she fears putting a civilian (Adrien) in danger if the Big Bad found out she liked him (think Mary Jane being targeted to get to Spider-Man). Adrien doesn't let Marinette (or really anyone) know he's in love with Ladybug because either (a) he fears people will pick on him for having a crush on a superhero, or (b) it might give away that he's Chat Noir.

Basically, the Love Square is this (complete with the couple names):

Reverse Love Square is exactly what it says on the tin.

**By "steadily"... well... I haven't really written MUCH at all the past three years. Depression is a beautiful thing, isn't it? I have kind of poked at it about once a month though... so... I guess that's steady. Right?

[sinnabee]

Call of the Sea, please!

heehee hoohoo, as you command! this is;;; not even all of the work i got done, and deffo more than the requisite 3 sentences :D ---

You furrowed your brows and raised your free hand to your chin in thought, the other still wrapped comfortably around the mer’s shoulders. What could you do to make him feel better? 

“Oh!” You say, trying (and failing) to snap your fingers the way your dad does. The mermaid looks at your fingers quizzically, but you don’t waste time trying to explain. “I know! I’ll make you a pinky promise that I’ll come back and play with you tomorrow, see?” 

You hold up your left hand, pinky extended and in perfect pinky-promise form. Your sunshine-colored friend only tilts his head in confusion, though, but at least the fins on his head raise up this time. It made him look bald when they were all flat like that.

“Here,” you say, and you let go of him with your right hand, causing him to squeak in alarm and hold you a bit tighter to keep you both afloat. But you start kicking your legs to help and gently grab his left hand, before carefully bending down all but his pinky finger, and then locking it with yours. He looks totally enamored with your hands as you do it, but definitely seems to relax a bit more once you’re holding on to him again. 

You notice he’s got some funky webbing between his fingers, and that instead of nails, they just kind of turn into pointy tips. They aren’t sharp enough to bother you, though, and you take extra care to keep from smushing the webbing.

“Here. This is a pinky promise. It means I have to do what I say no matter what, okay?”

He looks between you and your linked hands, and chirrs in what you take to be a noise of understanding.

You squeeze your fingers together a bit, and bob your hands up and down.

“I pinky promise that I’m gonna come back and play with you tomorrow. And that I won’t tell anybody about your pretty cove. Deal?”

He looks between your hands for a bit longer before he’s satisfied. He bobs his head up and down and chirps at you cheerfully, and you feel a shiver of excitement run down your spine. You can’t keep the wide grin off your face.

[adhdavinci]

Torn's Tails, please!

thank you!! bundling this with the other requests for TT from 7/10, for @scifikimmi, @eriquin, @stonemaskedtaliesin, and @gnomer-denois.

🔞⚠️ mild NSFW, referenced interspecies

“You can't tell me what to do!” “Yes, I can. Unless you and your pet want to find another way to the Baron.” Daxter sighs, laying down on his new favorite mattress. Jak and Torn have been arguing for the past ten minutes with no signs of stopping. What about, Daxter still isn't sure. But the show is pretty fun, especially now that Torn has Jak by the shirt, their noses practically pressed together as they yell. It would be pathetically easy to just smack their heads together. Daxter rubs his cheek over the bedsheets for the fifth time in as many minutes. The scent is almost gone, but he can still pick up the hints of Eau de Torn from the puddle that had soaked the thin mattress. He hasn't been able to catch Torn alone since that first fuck, but the bunker still kinda reeks; the guy hasn't been slacking in the days since. A fresh wave of pussy smell wafts over Daxter's nose, making it twitch. His eyes flick over Torn's long, lanky bod where it's currently pressed against the table by Jak's short bulk. Holy shit, Torn's leaning into it! Maybe he's not just about tails after all? A threesome with Torn and Jak… wouldn't that be something. Daxter sighs aloud just at the thought. Then freezes under the double set of blues that snap to him.

[lizhly-writes]

fantasy dnd au, please!

“At one point, you asked me if I could bring people back from the dead.”

Gong Pildu grunts.  Kim Dokja isn’t a necromancer, but he has a strange relationship with death.  He does impossible things with barely an acknowledgement that it’s impossible at all.  If anyone could break the requirement of near-godhood, Gong Pildu would expect it to be Kim Dokja.   

“I can’t. I can prolong people’s lives, and if they’re almost dead – recently dead, even – I can do something about it.  But that window is very small.”

None of this is surprising. Gong Pildu lets his head fall back.  “What the fuck is your point.”

[schniggles]

Eclipsed Dreams, please!

[WIP Wednesday game]

It would be my pleasure!

(It has occurred to you that the lantern might not work against that all-consuming darkness. It’s still worth a try, especially when your glow cuts through just a little. If all else fails, you’ll just have to learn how to navigate with a long cane.)

[mad-madam-m]

Stop Blowing Holes in My Boyfriend, please!

Bunny took all the bandages and alcohol into the bathroom, and Kotetsu listened to him putting things away. He probably wouldn't be able to find half the stuff later (and in his own apartment) but since Bunny was the one keeping him bandaged up, maybe it was fine.  He scrubbed his free hand over his face. What a mess.

[dreaminghour]

A Lesson Better Earned, please!

thank you very much!

(# wip wednesday game)

Obi-Wan ground his teeth, trying to let the burst of annoyance burn itself out quickly. "I need to apologize," he said softly when he could finally speak. Anakin remained very still.

[aparticularbandit]

GO rewrite, please!

WIP Wednesday Game

can do and have done! thanks so much for asking!

Kyoko is still staring at the box when the knock suggesting Yui’s arrival comes, and she doesn’t turn to the door when she says, “It’s fine, Yui.  I’m decent.”

The door behind her slowly unlocks – Yui has her own key, particularly for days when Kyoko wouldn’t leave her apartment without some sort of intervention – and clicks shut.  “Are you in the—”  She stops just behind Kyoko’s chair.  “What’s that?”

“A present.  From Miles Bron.”

[planeoftheeclectic]

So I've seen some of the snippets you've posted from palutena trap, but I'd love to know more about what it's about/anything else you'd like to say about it!

Sure! So palutena trap has been in the works almost as long as tfp, but I'm trying to focus on one at a time, so it's not going to be published until tfp is done (I am over the halfway point though, so hopefully that won't be too long). I don't know how much you know about Kid Icarus or The Parent Trap, but I grew up with the latter and was more recently introduced to and fell in love with the former.

In particular, one of my friends is writing a Dark Pit-centric story, and I have been gleefully enabling them every step of the way. One of the things that kept sticking in my head was his relationship with Palutena, and vice-versa, because she says some really awful things about him, and while they eventually reconcile/come to some sort of understanding, it's not something they actually talk about. In fact, their reconciliation has much more to do with Palutena's treatment of Pit than anything Dark Pit does.

I had been reminded of The Parent Trap shortly before I had begun musing on this, and since Pit and Dark Pit could pretty convincingly pass for identical* twins, the initial idea isn't that surprising. Past that, I really wanted to play with the idea of Dark Pit wanting something from Palutena - maybe not even knowing what it is himself - to the point where he'd trade places with Pit to get it. It also allows for me to explore fun dynamics with Pit and Dark Pit themselves, and also to hold a light up on the relationship between Pit and Palutena - the canonical source of most of the issues Dark Pit has with his counterparts.

(I can't find them right now but if you dig around enough in brushstrokes' blog they've got some excellent meta, especially about Dark Pit, and those have been rattling around my brain as I've been working on and discussing this stuff: https://brushstrokesapocalyptic.tumblr.com/tagged/kid%20icarus/)

Once I had the initial idea, and enough of a spark that I knew it was something I actually wanted to write, the next issue was time and place. Try as I might, I couldn't think of a satisfactory way to have a godly summer camp in canon, so I opted to go with a modern au.

Now, one of my pet peeves with "modern aus" is that they frequently fail to match the stakes of the source material. Which can be fine, if you really lean into it! However I have chosen to take the alternate route in which I escalate "normal people jobs" to the fullest meaning of the word. I will elaborate in a moment because I actually got another ask about this one and I want to save some for that!

[kalira]

WIP Wednesday Sentences

From my September 11th post here, Time Paid for @eriquin and @skarabrae-stone, thanks!

Aoi took a breath, nodding, and covered his hand with her own. ‟. . .tomorrow, then?” Noboru smiled. ‟I’m at your pleasure.” he said, teasing just a little but not light, and Aoi snorted, shaking her head. ‟Tomorrow.” she said, firmer. She shook her head slightly and lifted her chin.