#house hunting scotland

[househuntingscotland]

4 bedroom house for sale on Constitution Street, Dundee

Asking price: £265,000

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - April 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on here or Ko-fi, at the end of the month I’ll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn’t use each week - almost double the content! (I’m new to taking tips on here; if it doesn’t show me your username or if you have DM’s turned off, please send me a screenshot of your payment)

1. Three Endangered Asiatic Lion Cubs Born at London Zoo

“The three cubs are a huge boost to the conservation breeding programme for Asiatic lions, which are now found only in the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India.”

2. United Nations Passes Groundbreaking Intersex Rights Resolution

“The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed its first ever resolution affirming the rights of intersex people, signaling growing international resolve to address rights violations experienced by people born with variations in their sex characteristics.”

3. Proposal to delist Roanoke logperch

“Based on a review of the best available science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has determined that the Roanoke logperch, a large freshwater darter, is no longer at risk of extinction. […] When the Roanoke logperch was listed as endangered in 1989, it was found in only 14 streams. In the years since, Roanoke logperch surveys and habitat restoration have more than doubled the species range, with 31 occupied streams as of 2019.”

4. Fully-Accessible Theme Park Reopens Following Major Expansion

“Following the $6.5 million overhaul, the park now offers [among other “ultra-accessible” attractions] a first-of-its-kind 4-seat zip line that can accommodate riders in wheelchairs as well as those who need extra restraints, respiratory equipment or other special gear.”

5. ‘The Javan tiger still exists’: DNA find may herald an extinct species’ comeback

“A single strand of hair recovered from [a sighting] is a close genetic match to hair from a Javan tiger pelt from 1930 kept at a museum, [a new] study shows. “Through this research, we have determined that the Javan tiger still exists in the wild,” says Wirdateti, a government researcher and lead author of the study.”

6. Treehouse Village: Eco-housing and energy savings

““The entire place is designed and built to meet the passive house standard, which is the most energy-efficient construction standard in the world,” says resident Wayne Groszko, co-owner of one of the units at Treehouse.”

7. 50 rare crocodiles released in Cambodia's tropical Cardamom Mountains

“Cambodian conservationists have released 50 captive-bred juvenile Siamese crocodiles at a remote site in Cambodia as part of an ongoing programme to save the species from extinction.”

8. The Remarkable Growth of the Global Biochar Market: A Beacon of Environmental Progress

“Biochar, a stable carbon form derived from organic materials like agricultural residues and forestry trimmings, is a pivotal solution in the fight against global warming. By capturing carbon in a stable form during biochar production, and with high technology readiness levels, biochar offers accessible and durable carbon dioxide removal.”

9. 'Seismic' changes set for [grouse shooting] industry as new Scottish law aims to tackle raptor persecution

“Conservation scientists and campaigners believe that birds such as golden eagles and hen harriers are being killed to prevent them from preying on red grouse, the main target species of the shooting industry. […] Under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill, the Scottish grouse industry will be regulated for the first time in its history.”

10. White House Awards $20 Billion to Nation’s First ‘Green Bank’ Network

“At least 70 percent of the funds will go to disadvantaged communities, the administration said, while 20 percent will go to rural communities and more than 5 percent will go to tribal communities. […] The White House said that the new initiative will generate about $150 billion in clean energy and climate investments[…].”

March 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[dreamconsumer]

King Charles I of England in hunting pose. Unknown artist.

[the-busy-ghost]

Petty rant this morning- I can understand that somtimes even the nicest noises can be a nuisance, even painful, and believe me I have become cranky about all sorts of innocuous noises at the wrong time.

That being said, I have heard a surprising number of people complain about bellringers practising, when they moved into a house next to a mediaeval English church

[greenwitchcrafts]

January 2025 Witch Guide

New Moon: January 29th

First Quarter: January 6th

Full moon: January 13th

Last Quarter: January 21nd

Sabbats: None

January Wolf Moon

Also known as:  Bear Moon, Center Moon, Chaste Moon, Cold Moon, Disting Moon, Freeze Up Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Goose Moon, Great Moon, Greetings Moon, Hard Moon  Ice Moon,  Moon of the Little Winter, Quiet Moon, Severe Moon, Spirt Moon & Snow Moon

Element: Air

Zodiac: Capricorn & Aquarius

Nature spirts: Brownies & Gnomes

Deities: Chang'e, Freya, Hera, Inanna & Saraswati

Animals: Coyote & fox

Birds: Blue Jay & pheasant

Trees:  Birch & Hazel

Herbs: Cones, holy thistle& marjoram

Flowers: Crocus & snowdrop

Scents: Mimosa & musk

Stones:  Chrysoprase, garnet, hematite, moonstone, onyx, jet, red tourmaline rose quartz & ruby

Issues, intentions & powers: Beginnings, healing, money, protection & strength

Energy: Adventure, ambition, awareness, beauty, beginnings, business, career, conserving energy, energy below the surface, organization, potential, protection, recognition, reputation, reversing spells, sluggish & spiritual

January’s full Moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time. Though it was traditionally believed that wolves howled due to hunger during winter, we know today that isn’t accurate.

Howling & other wolf vocalizations are heard in the wintertime to locate pack members, reinforce social bonds, define territory & coordinate hunting. One study recorded spontaneous howls and responses happen most often between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. .

  • According to the Wolf Conversation Center, gray wolves “inhabited most of the available land in the Northern Hemisphere.” Habitat destruction & persecution by humans have reduced their range by about a third worldwide & 90% in the lower 48 states.

Other celebrations:

• Hogmanay: December 31st- January 1st-

Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years. So it was, right up until the 1950s that many Scots worked over Christmas & celebrated their winter solstice holiday at New Year, when family & friends would gather for a party and to exchange presents which came to be known as hogmanays.  

Customs vary throughout Scotland & usually include gift-giving & visiting the homes of friends & neighbors. Another common Hogmanay tradition is to clean the house. Some believe that beginning the New Year with an unclean house may bring bad luck. Traditionally, this would include taking out the ashes from the coal fire. 

• Particular attention is given to the first-foot(is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year bearing coal to ensure the house remains warm in the coming months  & should traditionally be a tall, dark-haired man.)

• Compitalia/ Feast of Lades: January 3-5-

Was an annual festival in honor of the Lares Compitales, household deities of the crossroads, to whom sacrifices were offered at the places where two or more ways met. Dionysius said that Servius Tullius founded the festival, which he describes as it was celebrated in his time. Dionysius relates that the sacrifices consisted of honey-cakes (Ancient Greek: πέλανοι) presented by the inhabitants of each house; & that the people who assisted as ministering servants at the festival were not free men, but slaves because the Lares took pleasure in the service of slaves. He further adds that the Compitalia were celebrated a few days after the Saturnalia with great splendor & that the slaves on this occasion had full liberty to do as they pleased.

During the celebration of the festival, each family placed the statue of the underworld goddess Mania at the door of their house. They also hung up at their doors figures of wool representing men & women, accompanying them with humble requests that the Lares & Mania would be contented with those figures, and spare the people of the house.

• Lunar New Year: January 29th-

The Lunar new year (Commonly referred as Chinese New Year) is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture marking the end of winter & the beginning of the spring season, observances traditionally take place from New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The new year starts on the new moon nearest the midpoint between the winter solstice & the spring equinox, sometime between January 21 and February 20.

• This holiday has ancient roots in China as an agricultural society. It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest & worship the gods & ask for good harvests in times to come

Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance & togetherness. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.

Some households hold rituals to offer food & paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of & inside, homes. Elders give out red envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from glutinous rice are commonly eaten, as these foods represent togetherness. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance & good luck.

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old & are steeped in legends. One legend is that of Nian, a hideous beast believed to feast on human flesh on New Year's day. Because Nian feared the color red, loud noises & fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were burned all night, and firecrackers were lit to frighten the beast away.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2025 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

https://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/festivals/edinburghs-hogmanay

[heythereitsace]

Jekyll & Hyde Chronological Timeline

I don't know if people even need this, but I needed it and it didn't exist. So here it is. In the book the dates are blanked because that was the convention of the time, but I've heard in earlier drafts Robert Louis Stevenson had set the story 1883-1885, so based on that, here is a rough CHRONOLOGICAL timeline of Jekyll & Hyde (rather than the order we discover things in the book)

1833: Jekyll is born.

1840-55(ish): Jekyll's youth. He becomes friends with Lanyon and Utterson at private school. He is a wild youth with unconventional tastes that he keeps secret.

1865(ish): Poole starts working for Jekyll.

1870s: Jekyll begins studying transcendental medicine. He and Lanyon fall out over this and stop talking to one another.

Sometime early-mid 1883: Jekyll discovers the formula to transform himself into Hyde. Jekyll buys a house in Soho for Hyde and writes him into his will. Hyde begins indulging in forbidden desires.

Sometime mid-late 1883: Hyde tramples a young girl. Enfield is a witness. To avoid being attacked, Hyde goes to the laboratory door and draws a cheque in Jekyll's name. The next day Jekyll sets Hyde up his own bank account.

Sometime late 1883 (A Sunday): Enfield tells Utterson about the trampling of the girl as they pass the laboratory door on their regular walk. That night, Utterson dines with Lanyon and learns he is estranged from Jekyll. Lanyon has never heard of Hyde.

Late 1883: Utterson regularly haunts the laboratory door, and eventually meets with Hyde.

Jan 1884: Utterson dines with Jekyll and talks to him about his will, expressing his concerns. Jekyll stops taking notes in his experiment book around this time.

Aug 1884: After a night of adventures as Hyde, Jekyll awakes having involuntarily transformed into Hyde. He sneaks to the lab and takes a dose to transform back into Jekyll. Frightened, he stops taking the potion.

Oct 1884: Jekyll takes the potion again and transforms into Hyde. Hyde meets and murders Sir Danvers Carew. Hyde clears out his Soho home, destroys his papers and cheque book. Jekyll destroys the lab door key.

Oct 1884 (The Next Day, 9am): Utterson identifies Carew's body and goes to Hyde's address with Scotland Yard.

Oct 1884 (Same day, Evening): Utterson visits Jekyll. Jekyll says Hyde will not be returning and show Utterson a note he claims is from Hyde. Utterson asks Poole about the messenger, but Poole claims no letter was delivered.

Oct 1884 (Same day, Night): Utterson dines with his clerk Guest. He shows Guest the note from Hyde. A dinner invitation arrives from Jekyll and Guest compares the two. He notes the handwriting is the same, but slanted in different directions.

Oct 1884-Jan 1885: Jekyll becomes more religious and conscientious. The police hunt for Hyde and uncover some of his wicked deeds in London, but can't find him.

Jan 8, 1885: Jekyll throws a big dinner party for his friends. Utterson and Lanyon are there. It seems as though Lanyon and Jekyll may be mending their friendship.

Jan 8, 1885 (Night): Jekyll indulges his desires, but as Jekyll this time.

Jan 9, 1885 (Daytime): Jekyll daydreams on a bench in Regent's Park and involuntarily transforms into Hyde. He flees to a hotel in Portland Street and writes a letter to Poole and Lanyon to arrange for his chemicals to be brought to Lanyon's house. Poole and Lanyon break into Jekyll's office and Lanyon brings the chemicals to his house.

Jan 9, 1885 (Evening): Hyde travels around in a cab waiting until midnight until the driver gets suspicious. He walks the streets and punches a woman in the face who offers him to buy some matches.

Jan 10, 1885 (Midnight): Hyde arrives at Lanyon's, drinks the potion and transforms into Jekyll in front of him. Jekyll confesses his crimes to Lanyon. Jekyll returns home and falls into a deep sleep.

Jan 10, 1885 (Daytime): Jekyll transforms spontaneously into Hyde walking to his lab. A double dose restores him to Jekyll, but 6 hours later there is another spontaneous transformation into Hyde. From now on, every time Jekyll sleeps or relaxes too much he transforms into Hyde. He needs the potion constantly to stay as Jekyll.

Jan 12, 1885: Utterson calls on Jekyll. He's told the doctor is sick.

Jan 13, 1885: Lanyon writes his testimony of Jekyll's transformation. He seals it up to be opened by Lanyon when Jekyll has died or disappeared.

Jan 14, 1885: Utterson calls on Jekyll. He is denied entry.

Jan 15, 1885: Utterson calls on Jekyll. He is denied entry.

Jan 16, 1885: Utterson dines with Guest.

Jan 17, 1885: Utterson visits Lanyon, and is shocked by his deterioration. Lanyon says he will soon be dead and can't mend his friendship with Jekyll, but won't say why. Utterson writes to Jekyll demanding an explanation.

Jan 18, 1885: Jekyll writes a cryptic and darkly-worded letter to Utterson that does not explain why he and Lanyon have fallen apart. He says he intends to lead a very secluded life going forwards.

Jan 25, 1885: Lanyon is bedridden.

Feb 8, 1885: By this time, Lanyon is dead. The day after the funeral, his sealed testimony is sent to Utterson. He puts it in his safe.

Feb 1885: Utterson keeps calling on Jekyll, but is not admitted. His visits become fewer and fewer.

Feb/Mar 1885 (A Sunday): Enfield and Utterson walk by the laboratory door again, and walk into the courtyard hoping to see Jekyll. They try to talk to Jekyll at the window, but he is seized with terror and slams the window shut.

Feb/Mar 1885: Jekyll's supply of salts is running low. He sends messages to his servants to get more from chemists across London - none can give him salts that work.

Sometime Mar 1885: Trapped in his cabinet, Hyde burns Jekyll's paintings and letters from his father. He defaces Jekyll's religious books with blasphemies. Jekyll keeps trying to make the potion with the new salts that keep arriving, but concludes his original batch must have been impure, and this unknown impurity was what made the transformation possible. The servants hear Jekyll cry out upon the name of God.

Mar 1885 (1-8 days after the cry): Poole hears Hyde weeping like a lost soul in the laboratory. Poole catches sight of a masked Hyde going through packing boxes in the laboratory.

Mar 1885 (8 days after the cry): Jekyll uses the last of the original salts to write his last will, confession, and a note to Utterson. He puts them aside and becomes Hyde, finally and forever.

Mar 1885 (8 days after the cry, 10pm): Poole visits Utterson and asks him to help, saying he thinks there's been foul play. Utterson comes to the house and hears Hyde's voice behind the cabinet door. He listens to Poole's evidence and agrees he thinks Jekyll has been murdered. Utterson confronts Hyde, and he and Poole break down the cabinet door. Hyde poisons himself with cyanide. Poole and Utterson find Jekyll's will, note and confession. They search for Jekyll's body but can't find him.

Mar 1885 (Same day, 10-11pm): Utterson goes home and reads Lanyon's testimony, followed by Jekyll's confession.

Mar 1885 (Midnight next day): This was when Utterson planned to return to Jekyll's and call the police.

[gimmiesophiebaek]

Season Four: What Do We Know

Returning: Luke Thompson (Benedict, lead), Claudia Jessie (Eloise), Hannah Dodd (Francesca), Will Tilston (Gregory), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth), Ruth Gemmell (Violet), Victor Alli (John), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Masali Baduza (Michaela), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Hugh Sachs (Brimsley), Emma Naomi (Alice), Martins Imhangbe (Will), Daniel Francis (Marcus), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony), Simone Ashley (Kate), Luke Newton (Colin), Nicola Coughlan (Penelope), Polly Walker (Portia), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Geraldine Alexander (Mrs. Wilson), Julie Andrews (voice of Lady Whistledown)

Status unknown: Chris Fulton (Phillip), Jessica Madsen (Cressida), Kathryn Drysdale (Genevieve)

Joining: Yerin Ha (Sophie, lead), Katie Leung (Araminta), Michelle Mao (Rosamund), Isabella Wei (Posy), Susan Brown (Mrs. Crabtree), Gracie McGonigal (maid), Summer Knox (debutant), Sachin K. Sharma (Louis), Pablo Diska (“Pretty boy”), David Anthony Barr (“Demimonde Man”)

Rumored/Unconfirmed: Elena Saurel (Miss O), Yoyo Chan (undetermined), Arthur Lee (Richard), Chloe Park (young Sophie), unnamed baby Edmund and unnamed baby Lord Featherington

Shonda Rimes: EP

Besty Beers: EP

Julie Ann Robinson: EP

Chris Van Dusen: Creator and EP emeritus

Jess Bronwell: Showrunner

Kris Bowers: Composer

Tom Verica: Director

Jaffar Mahmood: Director (rumored)

Possible flashbacks of Sophie’s childhood: There are two actors who follow each other on IG that could be playing the Penwood (Arthur Lee) and young Sophie (Chloe Park: please do not repost her social media). Rumored young Sophie also follows Shondaland and Bridgerton IGs.   

Sophie "Baek" background. Sophie has a Korean last name but we don't know if that's from her mother or something her dad made up. His last name was Gun (as far as I understand, also a Korean last name), but her stepsisters' last name is Chinese (Li).

Masquerade: Most likely in E1 because it's the season's first ball. It's the place where “attendees are encouraged to transform into whomever they choose”.

It seems that Benedict arrives late to the masquerade ball.

Benophie dance lesson is switched from the terrace to inside a gazebo. One of Sophie's gloves is *involved*. We still don't know how but probably as in the book (i.e. Cinderella's shoe). Sophie's dress is regency style. Benedict's costume is all black or dark brown.

Lake scene. Since both Yerin and Luke have already talked about this I think it's safe to say it will be the big talking point in the season's promo with the Masquerade.

There will be a Xiangqi game, a popular Chinese board game.

Benedict's bachelor place: Confirmed thanks to the designer's mood boards on Pinterest).

Kilmartin Estate in Scotland will also be featured (also from the designer's mood boards in Pinterest).

Both Li sisters will debut at the same time.

Rosamund is vain and Araminta's favorite. She tries to win Benedict, who is "the ton’s most eligible (if totally reluctant) bachelor".

Posy is kinder, chatty, overly friendly and socially embarrassing. According to Wei, Posy goes “on a nice journey” throughout the season. 

Leung: Araminta is fabulous, discerning, blunt and does "not respond well when anything -or anyone- threatens her standing in society". She is a "mother-slash-villain" and would “never call her evil because I adore her – I think she’s absolutely fabulous. She’s just heavily misunderstood”. She is also "feeling the pressure to get at least one of her girls married of" and “chemes to marry off one… to Benedict Bridgerton”.

Leung said Araminta’s costumes “are something else”.

Eloise, Francesca and John return to London, specifically to Bridgerton house.

According to Andoh, there is a garden party in E1 or E2. Not sure if Danbury is hosting that party.

The Demimonde is back. We have seen the Demimonde in Granville's parties in S1.

The story most likely begins in spring (social season's time) but there will be a time jump to autumn. There are leaked photos of the Bridgerton house with changing seasons. In an interview, Brownell mentioned how this will “open the Bridgerton world: this could mean the autumn, the countryside or the working class with a main character (or all three at the same time).”

Benedict will begin the season "aimless" and "loveless". Despite "his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, [he] is loathe to settle down"

Benedict’s fluidity will be explored.

Sophie doesn't know how to dance.

Ha: Sophie "craves and yearns for love despite all of her trauma and neglect". She is "a victim of tragic circumstances" and "has trouble trusting others". She has "been forced to work as a maid for one of the most demanding employers in the ton… [but] her resourcefulness helps her persevere".

Thompson: Benedict is "a man of many interests, and that’s great in some ways, and in some ways, though, can betray a sense of being lost or a little bit restless. And that goes quite deep… There is clearly something in him that’s not very comfortable, a bit scared or a bit worried about the idea of really committing to something. And that’s partly the struggle".

Sophie's decision to disguise herself in order to attend the masquerade will be "risky". This probably means they are following the part of the book where Araminta throws her out into the street after the ball.

We'll see a "shift" in Benedict when he meets a "mysterious lady in silver". He will "find himself on the hunt for Sophie".

Sophie is not "like the debutantes that usually populate Bridgerton". There is a "sincerity of her face".

Love at first sight trope confirmed: Sophie's decision also means that "both lives [hers and Benedicts] are forever changed" after the ball. Ha described it as "prismatic… when the light comes in and then it goes into a rainbow".

Ha: The season will be an "emotional tug of war, this kind of push and pull between what their hearts desire and what society desires for them".

Thompson: Also a "struggle between a proper old-school fairy tale -the romance of it- and the actual reality of the world… both are true. You have to hold both of them -the romance and the reality- in your hand. In its best version, 'true love' happens in the middle of that".

Sophie will struggle with her own mask because of the "battle of social status" or when she is "trying to hide her feelings from Benedict".

Upper and lower class trope: Confirmed. Ha: "It is the first time we really see the upper and lower class come together this season… My character is someone who constantly has her guard up. She… is always reminded of her place and doesn’t dream of more than her station as a maid. However, she is human after all, and craves that human-to-human love and connection. And it’s not until she meets Benedict that she slowly lets her guard down, bit by bit, and starts to create space to let love flow in for her."

Thank you to Mado_93 on Reddit for gathering all this info and allowing me to bring this over to Tumblr!

[islandtarochips]

COD x PURGE AU

John Price:

Ex-Military (Use to be the Captain and was retired due to his leg problem)

Use to live in UK and moved into the state to get away from the military memories (and he thought him getting away from killing anyone are over)

He's just a citizen man TRYING to enjoy his retirement. Until he heard about the Purge events.

Doesn't trust anyone beyond his door and always stays inside no matter what

A grumpy old (not really old but he is to me) man

Lives in New York

Has been in the Purge ever since it started (So like 7 years)

Had met Gaz when he and his little brother stumble into his home which he should've sworn that he locked everything

Decided to let them stay before meeting another new members who came into his house

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick:

A citizen man working in his father's shop. Just a regular store.

His old friend, named Soap, helped him running the shop

Lives in New York, use to live in UK

Protecting his family is his number one priority

His family and the store got attacked by the group of Shadow Company during Purge Night

As he only took his little brother from there while his parents were already killed by them

Stumbled into Price's place accidentally trying to hide from that one of the Shadows who were hunting him and his brother down

Was relieved that Price let them stay in for now until the end of Purge night as long they do as he say

Has been in the Purge for only 5 years after moving into the state until now

John "Soap" MacTavish:

Another fellow citizen men, who is just living him by himself but is working at his old friend's shop

Wanting to go back to Scotland to see his family but decided to stay and help his friend by protecting the shop and the family

Got separated from Gaz and the brother when the Shadow Company invaded the shop

Got a bullet wound on the shoulder and was hunted down by one of the Shadows

Suddenly been saved by a strange man with a skull mask who shot the Shadow down and gotten his wound patched up

Has been stuck in the Purge for 5 years

Simon "Ghost" Riley:

Ex-Military (Was a Lieutenant)

Had moved into the state after hearing about the Purge. Wanting to find that person who had killed his family.

Has been part of the Purging ever since it first started

Already found the murderer as he killed them until he was being attacked by the killer's partner. (Got some scars on the face because of them)

Until he was being helped by someone to be patched up and they suddenly got shot by one of the Purger (he already dealt with them) and fled off when someone else saw him with a dead body

He wore a skull mask to hide his identity while trying to survive in this chaos

Been in the Purge ever since it had started (7 years)

Kate Laswell:

Is working on finding out the truth of this "New Project". Wanting to share it to the WORLD of how it turned out to be.

Was hunted down by Shepherd and the Shadow Company when they find out about her tinkering into their systems

Got a help from Alex for protection and also a help from someone who had given her some intel about the Purge system

Was trying to look for Price since the last time they have talked was before his retirement

Wanting to team up with him to find a way to stop Shepherd and his project

Has been in the Purge for 7 years and is still being hunted down by them

Alex Keller:

An Officer assisting Laswell when he was been told by her that she's being hunted down

Will do anything to help her and stopping these Purge games

Has also been hunted by his own fellow officers who were ALSO part of the Purging (that's a BIG problem)

Also been in the Purge for 7 years

Hershel Shepherd:

Is the one who is in charge and the one who created the Purge

He created this Purge to lower down the criminal by letting them turn against each other

Shepherd even let his own Mercenary to finish the REST of the job before the Purging ENDED

Finds out about Laswell trying to stop this system so decided to order his men to hunt her down and deal with her

Have been trying to hunt down Laswell ever since but kept failing to retrieve her

Still being active on this Purge thing for 7 fucking years

Philip Graves:

Commander of the Shadow Company and is working for Shepherd

He doesn't enjoy killing to be honest (he has no choice)

Does usually hesitated when he found Soap in the scene (use to be best buddies before he joined in the Shadow Company)

Was being ordered to find Laswell and deal with her

7 years that he's been working for Shepherd when the Purge started

Alright! That's all I have for now! I shall post another one of the other COD Characters! Or reblogged when I changed it! And now, I would like to show my COD OCs info on here!

Tiala "Shark" Toa:

A regular citizen

Had gotten kidnapped by one of the crazy Purgers on her first night of Purge. Didn't end well but escaped....with a burnt mark.

Was actually searching for her older brother until she saw someone was holding her dead brother's body before they fled off from the scene

Has been having that anger inside of her for 7 years now

Has been trying to search for this man for YEARS now but have to focus on protecting her family while at it

Is part of the resistance and is in Kanoa's group

Kanoa Toa:

Ex-Military (A Captain of the Marines)

One of Tiala's older brother (not the dead one)

Was in charge of his own group of the resistance opposing these Purge event

Managing helping and saving everyone and taking them to the safe place

Wanting to protect his family

Has been in this hellhole for 7 years now

Alana Kalani:

Ex-Military (was a General before retiring)

Was called in by Shepherd asking for her expertise of helping him with this project that she was not aware of

After seeing that this project has been released, she started to back down from it but was threatened by Shepherd if she does not continue this. Her family will be in danger.

She had secretly give the intel to Laswell as careful as she can not wanting to get caught

Has been dealing with this chaos events for 7 years now and is still trying to find out of how to stop this

Aelan Kalani:

The daughter of Alana and is a nurse in this AU

She drives around in a van seeing if there's anyone that needed help and will take them back to the safe place

She stayed with her Uncle while her mother was working on that first Purge night

She worried every year for her mother's safety during Purge night hearing that she's been taken and hidden under Shepherd's eyes

She takes her job very seriously when it comes to injure or sick patience

7 years in the Purge events

Agnes "Blast" Falagi:

Just a regular citizen and a student in this AU

Had moved into the state with her parents in the 3rd year of Purge. Just trying to go to college to get her degree of learning some mechanics and other things that is related to bomb making. Unaware of the events that are going on that night.

Had lost her father by one of the Purgers but both her and her mom was saved by one of the resistance.

And started working with them ever since while still going to college.

She already graduated from College after 4 years and now she needed to find a job

Nigel "Squirrel" Harrison:

Is the member of the Shadow Company ever since the Purge had started

Joined in the team to get money for his family and want to help his dad (who is working for Shepherd as well) and want the protection for them as well

Hesitated sometimes when it comes to shooting family down

Had been working with them for 7 years now

Callie "Snipe" Graves:

The Second in Command of the Shadow Company

Had always enjoy killing people on the spot not caring of how she hurt

Got the skills of a handy sniper as she knows how to shoot a target

Was the one who killed her father who was abusively hurting her and her brother (that is when she started to enjoy hurting people)

And that's that! Thank you for reading this far and if you see anything that I did wrong. Do let me know down in the comment section! I will retype it! And I will add more info of the other COD Characters and my other OCs!

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[the-cypress-grove]

Hi hi I saw ur "So, you want to write ..." post for vamps and zombs would it be possible a werewolf one be made?

Love ur blog by the way makes my brain happy

So, You Want To Write Werewolves....

I had been planning to do werewolves next so I had already been making a list. As always, take the bits you want/need, don't feel you have to answer every question I write, and always always do what works for you and your story.

Werewolves Through History

Lots of myths around the world feature some form of werewolf, or at least people in possession of the ability to turn into animals. Sometimes they're helpful like the Wulver of Scotland who leave fish for people in front of their houses. Sometimes they're malevolent forces like the Skinwalkers of Native American legend.

In Europe, France especially, there was a fear of these creatures and many were killed because they were believed to be one. In some cases, these people were at least partially skinned as it was believed that a werewolf had fur on the inside.

If you want to research a particularly notable case of werewolves, then you should look into La Bête du Gévaudan, France. It was believed a werewolf perpetrated 210 attacks resulting in 113 deaths and 49 injuries. 98 of the attacked were partially eaten. Eye witnesses and survivors of these attacks claimed that it was a wolf the size of a donkey and then came the belief about werewolves for which some people were executed. All these attacks took place within about fifty miles of each other. These attacks were so bad it was brought to the attention of the king at the time, Louis XV, who sent people to deal with the creature.

You might want to make a note of the beliefs about werewolves i.e. their strengths, their abilities, their weaknesses, as these will be useful when you come to design your werewolves.

The Complete Book of Werewolves by Leonard R.N. might be worth reading if you find this interesting.

2. Genre Decisions

Before even beginning to design your werewolf you're going to want to decide what genre you're writing in. A werewolf in a horror story will have different qualities and weaknesses compared to, say, a werewolf of in a romance novel. There are usually fewer werewolves in a horror story and larger packs of werewolves in stories where the werewolves are more friendly.

3. Origins

In almost all stories the origins of werewolves as a species are entirely unimportant. This might be something you want to include / explore in your story so I'll touch on it briefly.

Was it a gift or a curse? Was it simply evolution? Have werewolves changed from the time of the first werewolf to the time your story is set? Were they created by a higher power? Was it magic?

4. Wolf Behaviour

Something you might want to look into is the behaviour of real wolves. If your werewolves lose their human mind / have wolf instincts do these follow the patterns of real wolves?

This will help you know how big a territory they might have, what leadership structure they might follow, what techniques they might use to hunt their prey.

Bare in mind, different types of wolves have different behaviours. Does this affect your wolves? Do different wolves of different regions behave in different ways?

5. Werewolf Design

So, now the fun bit. You get to make your werewolf.

Are they affected by the moon? When they turn, do they keep their human mind? How much like a wolf do they look? Are they wolflike or do they have wolf qualities but walk upright? Does shifting forms hurt? How long does it take?

Do you have to be born a wolf or can you be tuned? Does silver affect them? How can they be killed? Do they age? Is their aging process slowed? In some stories werewolves have soulmates, is that the case for yours? Do they live in packs?

How quickly do they heal? Are they strong and fast even in human form? What are there sense like compared to a human? If their abilities are better than that of a human, is it the same in both forms or are their abilities weaker when in human form?

Pick the qualities the suit your story / selected genre the best.

6. Themes

The beast is among us.

Themes of werewolf stories often depends on the genre. In a horror story the themes centre around the struggle between man and beast, humanity and the natural world, secrets, deception, and the illusion that we are in control.

7. Pack Dynamics

If your werewolf knows others amongst their kind then they will most likely be at least one pack in your story. You need to decide the size of the pack, how they function on a full moon vs when they are humans, how are they funded, their leadership structure. Are their packs strictly werewolf only, or can others be found amongst them?

8. Threats

What threats are there to your werewolves? Is it others of their kind Another species? Are there werewolf hunters? Who knows that they exist? Is it common knowledge or do they keep themselves hidden? How far are they willing to go in order to protect themselves?

[auspicioustidings]

Okay, but she needs a tail for training! First step. Her poor boyfriend is so confused! Tail’s are fun! Why crying? She has to take one of *his* tails though. Even his training tail was too big to take without tears. Cheek to the floor arse in the air as ‘Ghost’ takes no mercy in slowly sinking the toy to the hilt. Her boyfriend at her behind, licking at her skin as his dead-brained attempts at comforting her. Johnny and Gaz coo smile Price just huffs. “It’ll be over soon if you relax, pet.”

Yes, she’s the bitch for their dog. They didn’t originally want her. But, can we get to see them grow to adore having her around? They adore *them both* maybe get jealous boyfriend while broken by them, still clearly favors his girlfriend…. Subconsciously, they can’t even blame him for it.

(My *fake* boyfriend looks like Robb Stark, auburn curly hair, blue eyes, scruffy facial hair, Scottish accent. It’s how he met his fate. He met Soap in a bar in Scotland…)

In relation to this post btw. Urgh you are so correct this was what was on my mind when I suggested she doesn't get her own toys, she has to take what their good boy shares with her because it's all TOO FUCKING BIG. And they all just shrug it off and say she can take it, it's what a bitches holes are there for after all.

Ghost is the meanest to her, like he makes no secret that he did not want this bitch. But I imagine he is like one of those dads who says they don't want a pet and then a few months later they dote on the pet. He'd deny it obviously, but something about the way she resists so beautifully when her boyfriend broke so quickly just gets him. He secretly loves that she insists on barking in person talk to him, he loves that he gets to take her out of the house and she will disagree with him and fight with him and have in depth conversations with him (she can't do much about getting away, not now that she's chipped and her boyfriend is only too happy to wear a shock collar so she knows if she runs then he gets punished and she gets hunted). When none of the others are around and they are out of the house, he very much finds himself treating her more like a person than a dog.

And the first time she voluntarily goes into pup mode? She does it because Ghost's good boy is sick and in distress and won't accept any human comfort. She let's herself go fully dumb brained and animal for him. And the fact that she's going against her own wants to help the absolute apple of Ghost's eye? Yeah, he stops threatening to take her to the pound after that (the pound here is I imagine run by either Kortac or the Shadows and is where unruly mutts go to have a real bad time).

[househuntingscotland]

2 bedroom flat for sale on Albert Avenue, Glasgow

Asking price: £205,000

Sold price: £271,500

[fastcardotmp3]

stobin on the run; ronance; background steddie; 1k words

After everything, after Vecna, after the Gates close, Robin is never quite able to let go of Starcourt.

None of them are, to a certain extent, but the particular way Robin Buckley clings to Russian conspiracies and the fear of what it would mean for her and her friends if they ever decided they weren't done with those kids who knew just a little too much, is actually dangerous.

She keeps an eye on things, learns Russian for real, never really lets go of the paranoia that any drink she doesn't make herself might be spiked, might be the one that takes her down long enough for her to end up in another cell with no windows and no hope for getting out.

It's dangerous because she's smart.

It's dangerous because of how damn close she gets.

When Agent Stinson shows up on her doorstep and tells her its not safe for her to remain where she is, living the life she's leading, her initial response is to tell her to go fuck herself. Robin hasn't been safe since 1985. Robin hasn't been safe since long before then either, given Steve's stories, given El's.

But the fact of the matter is she's something of a national security risk. The binders tucked under false bottomed drawers in her and Steve's apartment are borderline treasonous.

When Agent Stinson says, "you're not safe," she means from their own government as much as an enemy one, and that?

Well, that earns a different response.

It doesn't feel obvious to her that Steve would come with her when she runs.

He's built a life here in Indianapolis, a job he likes painting houses and a burgeoning relationship with the guy they both came to adore while waiting by his hospital bedside, but when she reflects upon this out loud he gets more angry than he's ever been.

Not loud, but mad all the same, that she'd ever presume to leave him behind when her life was in danger.

So Steve comes.

They're in Scotland first, the quickest flight they were able to get seats on after driving themselves to Canada, and then Italy for a while. They jump below the equator to Argentina and then even lower to Australia.

They see the world. They leave their lives behind. They leave their people too.

And it hurts. It hurts to be hunted by the government they've covered for their entire adult lives. It hurts because of how unsurprising it is.

It hurts to be lonely for no reason other than knowing too much.

It hurts enough to, one day, embrace the danger again.

One day isn't today.

One day isn't the day Nancy Wheeler's phone call doesn't get picked up.

At twenty-seven years old, Nancy has essentially spent a decade working in journalism.

At twenty-seven years old, she's deep into burnout over the frustration of impeding bureaucracy and she's talking with Robin on the phone every other day about how she's going to come join them in Indy and learn to paint or something instead.

She's talking with Robin on the phone every other day.

And then Robin doesn't pick up one afternoon.

And then she gets a call from Eddie.

Nancy resigns from her job at the Boston Globe the same day, hangs up her credentials, and makes that trip to Indy followed immediately by a trip to Hawkins because two of their friends are missing and in their experience? That can't mean anything good.

It becomes clear within a week that this isn't going to be an easy solve. A week of sleeping in her childhood bedroom and watching Eddie spiral and listening to Dustin and Erica go on tangent after tangent about all their various theories, hiding genuine terror underneath all their bickering.

It becomes clear in a month that this is going to require different skills than any of them have, and Nancy drives her car through the night to end up crashing in a bunker where she learns all the ins and outs of private investigation from a man with about twelve different identities should he need them.

Sam Owens went off the radar years ago.

Anyone who worked at Hawkins Lab all but doesn't exist anymore.

It's a hard fucking thing to solve and all the while Nancy carries those phone calls in her back pocket, because she knows Robin wouldn't just leave, not from the way they spoke with each other.

Robin laughed with Nancy.

She was so eager to share stories about her day that she would leave lengthy messages on Nancy's machine. She was so eager to hear Nancy's own stories that she would stay on the phone while making dinner at risk of burning the house down.

She spoke quiet and earnest into the dead hours of the night, the cresting of a rising sun. She told Nancy about everything they'd do when Nancy finally took a break from the job that was making her miserable and how they would find her something fun. Something just fun, Nance, I swear, we're gonna get you hobbies.

Robin wouldn't just leave.

But if she had to? If she had no other choice? Nancy knows Steve would go with her.

It takes three years in the end, and Nancy's half convinced the two of them got sloppy on purpose, caught back in the Americas with a trip to Mexico and a reused passport, and Nancy is dragging Eddie out of his head and onto a plane before she can fully explain that it's mostly a gut thing.

The trail she's been chasing? Seeing them in it even if they're not there? It's entirely a gut thing, which is why it's only Eddie she drags with her, it's only Murray she allows to know where they're going in case it goes wrong.

It's only her head she lets believe it, because she doesn't think her heart will survive another loss like this.

She dreams sometimes at night, of an amused voice teasing in her ear, tinny over the phone lines but so vastly real.

She lets her head believe it on the plane, on the cab ride, on the bus ride, on the walk down a long rural road out to a little house in the desert with a fence and a mailbox painted yellow.

She lets her head believe it when she watches the twitch of a curtain from inside.

She only lets her head believe it, and that's a lie she only realizes was a lie when Robin Buckley steps out onto the porch with Steve at her shoulder and the world stops.

Nancy Wheeler's knees almost give out from under her when those freckled cheeks plump up with the hint of a smile.

When she gets her arms around her, a hand across shaved down and dark-dyed hair, a word over the top about you're okay, you're okay, you're alive--

When Nancy breathes again, it's with the beat of a heart that knows it's not this easy.

But for a moment? She's dreaming in a lonely Boston apartment all over again.

For a moment, she's making plans.

She really does intend to stick to them this time.

[scotianostra]

On January 20th Alister MacGregor, Laird of Glenstrae was hung along with eleven of his chieftains were hanged in Edinburgh.

Numbers vary on this, the dates also differ of the executions, the Clan chief's name also differs depending on the source you read.

This was all embroiled in clan warfare, most notably against the Colqhouns, the Clan MacGregor members were accused of having......

"conspired the destruction of the name of Colquhoun, its friends and allies, and the plunder of the lands of Luss; of having, on the 7th of February preceding, invaded the lands of Sir Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, with a body of four hundred men, composed partly of his own clan and of the clan of Cameron, and of lawless thieves and robbers, equipped in arms, and drawn up on the field of Lennox, in battle array; of having fought with Sir Alexander, who, being authorised by a warrant from the Privy Council, had convocated his friends and followers to resist this lawless host; of having killed about one hundred and forty of Sir Alexander's men, most of them in cold blood, after they were made their prisoners; of having carried off eighty horses, six hundred cows, and eight hundred sheep; and of burning houses, corn-yards, etc."

This was a consequence of the Battle of Glen Fruin, much has been written about this episode in the history of the Scottish Highlands, I won't go into the full story again, you can use the search option to find out more, or you can wait until the anniversary of the battle on February 7th, either way it had massive repercussions for the MacGregor Clan.

A royal warrant was signed by James VI on February 24, 1603, accusing the MacGregors of attacking members of Clan Colquhoun at Glen Fruin “without pitie or compassion” or regard for young or old. King James, eager to make an example of the most troublesome clan later also decreed on April 3rd the

".. the name of McGregor should be altogether abolished, and that (all) persons of that Clan should renounce their name and take same some other name, and that they nor none of their posterity should call themselves Gregor or McGregor thereafter under the pain of death."

In my opinion part of the motives in all this was to show the English how he dealt with those that crossed him in any way, Queen Elizabeth had died on March 24th and our erstwhile monarch had taken his place on the throne of England.

The abolition of the Macgregor name was probably better than the alternative available to King James and one which he was not squeamish of taking even against his own citizens: the actual killing of the entire Macgregor clan, women and children included although, in the result, it was no picnic to be a Macgregor in Scotland or England circa 1604 to 1660. Remember the Stuart King had already led a campaign against supposed witches sending countless women to their deaths after their confessions were obtained through torture.

Anyway back to the MacGregors, Alister Macgregor was caught and brought to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. According to the Newgate Calendar, he was unanimously convicted by jury of many crimes including the presentation of an illegal surname, that of Macgregor. But the worse charge was the allegation that he and his clan members had "killed about 140 men, mostly in cold blood, after they had been made prisoners". Apparently, even according to Macgregor historians, Alister and his Clan warriors had completely lost control of themselves, even killed a party of schoolboys who had simply stopped to watch the battle.

The long and short of it is Alister MacGregor and up to 17 of his followers were drawn and quartered at Edinburgh. His limbs were cut off and exhibited in larger cities in Scotland as, one can only suppose, some kind of macabre warning. From what I can gather 11 were killed on one date, and another six a month or so late, add to that how ever many were slain being hunted down I would go so far to say this time in our history is quite shameful, and was a form of genocide, or maybe Clanocide.

According to the Newgate Calendars, the abolition of the surname Macgregor lasted "until the Restoration" (about 1660), some 57 years later.

The Macgregor clan now flourishes in Scotland, proud of a unique Tartan, with an active clan leader and a website, and with descendants in every part of the world and under a variety of variations from the original Galeic "MacGhriogair", such as Gregor, McGregor or MacGregor.

Okay now I am going to direct you below to a link with some details on this on the previously mentioned Newgate Calendars. If I was to compare this source to anything nowadays it would be the Daily Mail or The Sun, sensationalised and to be taken with a pinch of salt, that's not to dismiss the story, just the shoddy way it has been put together, so ignore the dates on it.

To end with I have to point out that the MacGregor motto is not "Despite them" this is only a modern add on put on the most famous MacGregor's grave, Rob Roy, and only dates to 1981!

The MacGregor Clan motto is in fact "'S rioghal mo dhream" which means "My race is royal" and refers to the claim that they are descended from Griogar, a son of Alpin, king of Dalriada.

Further reading on the clan here http://mcgregorhistory.blogspot.com/.../the-mcgregor-clan...

[sgt-tombstone]

2 or 38 (or both at once!) for the kiss roulette writings! 💋

2. A kiss on the nose

38. A kiss while one party is carried

Here’s a bare-bones 5+1 idea: 5 times Johnny kissed Ghost on the nose and 1 time he couldn’t quite reach

1. The first time it happens, it’s supposed to be a joke. They’re in the mess hall, the entire 141 crowded around a table far too small for their hulking figures, and far too much money is being placed on a stupid bet. Ghost criticizes Soap’s sniper scores (“better work on your aim, sergeant”), Soap quickly defends (“Ah’ve impeccable aim, thank ye, LT”), and then pounds hit the table, which means that Soap has to prove himself. He stands up with a joking quip, leans down to press an exaggerated kiss to Ghost’s balaclava-clad nose, and marches off to the sniper range to defend his honor (he doesn’t notice Ghost’s blazing blush, nor does he beat any of Ghost’s personal records, so it’s a bust in nearly every regard)

2. The second time it happens, it’s full of uncertainty. Soap and Ghost are standing outside, just out of the light of the base flood lamps, their faces lit only by the glowing tip of their shared cigarette. Ghost is still in his hard-shell mask, droplets of blood staining the… plastic? resin? bone? Soap has never asked, and he’s not sure he wants to. The tension is thick, cloying and suffocating, and Soap takes a leap of faith. He plucks the burnt-down cigarette from between Ghost’s lips, brushes his lips against the tip of Ghost’s nose where it peeks out of the triangular cutout, and grinds the cigarette under the heel of his boot. It takes a moment for Ghost’s brain to reboot, and then Johnny finds himself pulled in for a real, proper kiss, both of them grinning so hard that they can barely manage it

3. The third time it happens, it’s full of worry. Their safe house is in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Russia and it’s fucking freezing. Ghost is bundled up as much as he can be, but he’d caught a bad chill the day before, and shivers wrack his body ceaselessly. Johnny builds the fire as best as he can, tending to it religiously, finding comfort in the knowledge that no one is actively hunting them. He strips his outer layers, those covered in snow and ice, and climbs into the cot with Ghost, wrapping them both in their emergency blanket, pressing as close as possible to fit. He wraps his arms around Ghost’s sleeping figure, trying to imbue as much warmth as he can, and he silently, softly, kisses Ghost’s chilled nose. Exfil is on its way, he knows, and they’ll both survive the night, but he’d rather them both be somewhere warm, or at least far more comfortable than this

4. The fourth time it happens, it’s a little bit sloppy. Ghost has his arm around Johnny, supporting some of his weight as they stumble out of the pub. Johnny had managed to drag the 141 out to grab a pint and watch the footie match between Scotland and… someone; none of them are really sober enough to remember who, only that Scotland had won by two goals and Soap had decided to celebrate with two more rounds of shots. Ghost has never been more aware of the gap between his short term and long term memory; he can actively feel each passing moment fall through the cracks, lost to time and drink and something akin to joy. Johnny’s still crowing about something, loud and proud and completely inintelligible, and then he surges up and presses a wet kiss to the tip of Ghost’s masked nose, grinning like a fool the whole time. When Ghost wakes up the next morning, his arms still curled around a fast-asleep Johnny, the only memory he has of the night before is the feeling of Johnny’s lips on his skin, and he’s completely okay with that

5. The fifth time it happens, it’s stark and sterile. The mission had gone badly, because they always did. The intel was fine, the target wasn’t unexpected, and there hadn’t been any outside interference, and yet… Ghost had taken a bullet to the arm, and then one to the gut, and blood had been everywhere, spilling too fast and too far, running in rivulets that Soap couldn’t stop. And now Ghost is unconscious. Wrapped in bandages, clad in a thin, stark white hospital gown, covered in a thin, stark white hospital blanket, and Johnny can’t help it. He doesn’t care that Gaz and Price are standing right there, heads bowed in a semi-private conversation of their own just two feet away. He perches on the edge of the hospital bed, Ghost’s limp hand clutched in between both of his own, and presses a gentle kiss to his nose before resting his forehead against Ghost’s. He’s not sure how long he stays like that, time measured only in the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor, but then Ghost’s eyes are blinking open, the anesthetic wearing off slowly, and Soap can only smile a tear-filled, watery smile, steeped in relief

+1: The sixth time it happens, it’s a warm day. Johnny had joked that they were lucky; Scotland only has three days of summer per year, so the weather choosing to behave for their wedding day is nothing short of a blessing. It’s a simple affair, despite the entirety of the MacTavish clan showing up for the festivities, and before Johnny knows it, the vows have been said, the rings have been exchanged, and the symbolic kiss has been delivered upon waiting lips. And it’s over. He’s officially married to the love of his life, and he couldn’t be happier. He turns to the crowd, preparing to walk back down the aisle with his new husband in tow, but instead he feels his feet leave the ground as Simon sweeps him up and into his arms. He’s grinning like an idiot; they both are, but they don’f care how they look to everyone else. They only have eyes for each other. Johnny gazes adoringly up at his husband as Simon marches them down the aisle, headed back to the house to get refreshed before the reception. He lifts a hand, wrapping it around the back of Simon’s neck, and strains up to kiss him. But he can’t reach. Instead, his lips brush the divot of Simon’s bare chin, freshly smoothed and still smelling of aftershave, and Simon grins down at him.

“Better work on your aim, sergeant,” he quips, and Johnny can only laugh, giddy in the knowledge that he’s always had impeccable aim

———

prompt from this list!

[writeforfandoms]

Waking Lions 4

Find the series masterlist 

You learn some things, do Laswell a favor, and run into Captain again. This is becoming a bad habit. 

Speech in italics is Russian, this chapter. 

Warnings: Swearing, aftermath of violence, vague threat from terrorist, MW2019 typical Russians, blood, injury (not to reader), spy shit. 

Word count: 2k

Serious slow burn John Price x f!reader

You discovered the plot on accident. Really. 

It was just… one of those things.

Sergio had invited you to stay for a few days and play with his girls, so you did. You brought them gifts from Turkey, California, and Scotland (you’d had a layover and had gotten bored in the airport). 

The girls were darling, and you’d known them both all their lives. You would never, ever marry Sergio (not least because of his obsession with the next future ex-wife) but you loved his kids. Sophia and Natalia. For a while, when you’d initially started building this relationship, you’d helped tutor Sophia. 

Now, you played with the girls and helped to keep them out of trouble and helped with their homework. You were more or less the weird aunt they saw every once in a while, and that worked for you. 

The girls were asleep, but you’d been unable to sleep yourself. So you got up, figuring you’d have a little snack or some water and wander a bit. 

Except wandering may not have been the best idea. 

Low voices from a sitting room had you on alert, and you moved as quietly as you knew how, creeping closer. 

“...perfect bait for them,” someone was saying in Russian. Not Sergio. You didn’t recognize this voice, actually. 

“Why do you want to capture one of them?” That was Sergio, sounding vaguely disgusted. “More of a risk this way, no?” 

“You are short-sighted,” the first speaker said. Well, he was definitely above Sergio, then. “Capturing an operative will give us an edge.”

There was a beat of silence. “Still sounds risky,” Sergio grumbled. “But it is your will, so we will see it done. When will you set the bait?”

“It has been set already,” the leader said, sounding smug. “I let information leak about the gas storage, so the Americans will know of it by now. We will be ready this time.”

Well. That was fucked. 

There were days when the back and forth espionage shit got on your last nerve. 

“To a successful hunt, then,” Sergio offered, the gentle clinking of glasses following his words. 

You might be able to hear more if you stayed… But you also ran the risk of discovery. And that would end poorly for you.

Bullet in the head kind of poorly.

So you snuck away back up to your room, debating the best way to alert Laswell. Text was risky, but a call would be more risky, especially here. You couldn’t wait until morning, just in case people were already en route. And since you didn’t have a location… 

You puffed out a breath, walking into the en suite and shutting the door. There was no easy way to do this, and you didn’t trust Sergio not to have bugs planted in the bathroom. So you hummed to yourself as you typed out a quick text.

Gas a trap for info. Advise abort.

There. That was… not your best work, admittedly, but you were a bit strapped for time. It got your point across. 

And, really, if someone managed to get hold of your text records, you had more things to worry about than the wording of a single text. 

She replied two minutes later. Copy. Send updates.

You puffed out a breath. She was so lucky you liked her. (And that you were indebted to her still for her help.) 

Turning the shower on, you decided maybe a bit of hot water would help you relax enough to get to sleep. 

You were very glad you had the girls as an excuse to be out of the house for the fallout of the failed mission. Sergio didn’t tell you anything, but the blooming black eye spoke for him. 

You stayed another week, mostly because the girls pleaded with you to stay. But a little bit because you were curious and wanted to see if you could hear anything else. When that ended up being futile, you booked a flight to Morocco. 

Because why not.

The plan was to touch base with someone you knew who had fingers in shipping pies. (Seriously, the woman was an absolute master. She could get anything anywhere in the world, for the right price.) And, of course, to eat some delicious food, and check on the hideaway you kept there. You had several across the globe, but it had been a while since you’d been to this one. You probably needed to change out some of the non-perishables. 

It was supposed to be a low-key, quiet trip. Relaxing. The only adventure you wanted was wandering through the city. 

It was not a low-key, quiet trip. 

Three days in, you’d restocked your hideaway, contacted your shipping master friend, and found a new place with some of the best food you’d ever had. It was shaping up to be a good trip.

And then a man dropped down in front of you, woozy, dark skin glistening with sweat. The tactical vest was a dead giveaway, but the flag was a surprise. 

You very purposely did not look for a name. But you did do a quick sweep of the rest of him. 

Blood seeped out from under the vest, staining his shirt, and you swore softly.

“You need help.” 

“I’m fine.” But the words were a little sluggish, one hand pressing over the wound at his hip. 

“You need help,” you reiterated, glancing around, suddenly wary. You did not want to be caught in the crossfire of this, and the longer you stayed out in the open, the more likely that became. “Please. I’ve got bandages back at my place.” 

His gaze held yours, suddenly hard, calculating. “I’ve got people on the way,” he said, clearly testing.

“Good, then they can pick you up.” You ducked under one of his arms, your own looping across his back. “Come on, in we go. Before whoever shot you finds us both.”

He gave in, letting you walk him down half a block and inside. He didn’t even complain going up the stairs to your hideaway, though you could see the way his jaw clenched.

“This one’s mine,” you told him, pulling your keys out of your pocket when you reached the appropriate floor. It took a moment to get the door unlocked and maneuver him inside without letting go - he was slowly leaning more on you for support. You kicked the door shut after the two of you and more or less carefully deposited him in a chair. He groaned softly, like he didn’t even mean to, and you winced in sympathy. 

Fortunately, all your hideaways had first aid kits stocked, and you thumped it onto the table in front of him.

“I’ll help if you want,” you offered, taking a step back and putting your hands up, away from your body. “But you are very well armed and I am not.” 

“S’alright,” he muttered, accent effortlessly charming even as he popped open the first aid kit. “I’ve got it.” His gaze lifted to yours, a little less wary and a little more curious. “What’s your name?”

You tutted at him, amused despite yourself. “Does it matter? You need to get patched up and wait until your buddies come get you.” You put two sealed water bottles onto the table for him, already kind of mourning your decision. Dammit, you shouldn’t have brought him here. 

“Thank you.” He tugged his shirt up and out of the way to press gauze to the still-bleeding gash. 

“Don’t thank me yet,” you muttered, more to yourself than him. You stepped past him into your bedroom, taking a quick look around. Only a few things of sentimental value resided here, and you were quick to throw those and a change of clothes into a duffel bag. 

You had to burn this hideaway now. Not literally, but you’d never be able to come back here again. 

At least nothing here would give them more information on you. 

You set the duffel bag on the floor by the door, ignoring his gaze. You let yourself look around one last time. You really liked this place. Damn. 

“Where are you going?” His voice was calm, just a hint of urgency there. 

“Nowhere yet, I suspect,” you said on a sigh, turning to look. He didn’t actually have a weapon in hand, which rather surprised you. “Just getting ready to go once your friends arrive.” 

His eyes narrowed, suspicion growing. Your smile was crooked and understanding. 

“Just because I helped you doesn’t mean I want that kind of attention,” you said, hands carefully palms-out at your sides again. “Nothing personal.” 

He didn’t seem quite sure what to make of you, shoulders tense, fingers twitching. Then he blinked once and lifted his free hand to the radio on his vest. “Injured, currently patching up. Indoors, one unknown.”

Ah. You were likely the unknown. Well. Fair, honestly. You were acting pretty suspicious for anyone who didn’t know you. 

“Solid copy.” His hand left his radio, but his gaze stayed fixed on you. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“And I suppose I’m to wait here until they arrive?” You puffed out a breath. “Alright, sure.” You had contingencies, if you needed them. If you really needed to, you could call Laswell. But you hoped you didn’t have to. 

The wait was silent and felt like it dragged on forever, although in reality it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes. Two heavy knocks pulled you from your spot, and you opened the door.

And then blinked.

“Captain?” 

His expression immediately settled into a scowl. “Ace.”

“Huh.” You stepped back to let him in. “I take it this one’s yours, then?” You nodded back at the wounded man behind you. 

“Yes.” He stepped past you, momentarily dismissing you to kneel by the injured man. You could hear them speaking quietly, going over the situation. But Captain’s voice had softened a little, care clear in the way he checked his man. He did have a heart after all. 

That would be your cue to leave. 

You picked up your duffel bag and managed to take one step before a quiet, “Sir,” cut you off.

“Where are you going?” 

Captain was glaring at you now, tense, wary. Probably thinking the worst of you. Again. 

“I have to abandon this place now anyway,” you pointed out reasonably. “You might as well enjoy it, get properly patched up before you go.” 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Is it not enough to know that I’m leaving?” 

“No.” He stood, prowling over to you, using his height to loom over you. 

You debated with yourself, head tilting to one side, looking up at him. You could probably make it if you distracted him with something and ran. Then again, you might not, and you were not in the mood today to be thrown around. 

“I am planning on getting the hell out before whatever chaos you’re involved in explodes.” You kept your tone dry, chin tipping in challenge. 

His lips thinned. “No.”

“You’re not my boss,” you said quietly, stepping into him, refusing to back down. “And you can’t keep me here, not without all kinds of trouble. I’ll be on my way to another country, and you can bug out as soon as you want.” 

He was going to keep arguing with you, you could see it in the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands were ready to grab you. But something distracted the both of them, Captain turning to the injured man.

You didn’t wait. You booked it, hauling ass out of the apartment and down the stairs. You heard the yell behind you, but you didn’t acknowledge it, focused on getting out. 

And once you were outside, it was easy to find crowds and blend in, easy to get to the airport and buy a ticket to Cairo. From there, you weren’t sure, but you did know one thing. 

Captain was showing up too often in your life. He was becoming a distraction. And that? That could be a problem.

[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 20: The Old Castle's Secret

I finally got around reading The Old Castle's Secret. It was the last comic from the Club I was missing. Let's see how it went.

The story begins with good old Scrooge asking Donald and HDL to come to his house. He needs help to find a treasure.

With that hair, Scrooge looks like Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

The treasure is on Castle McDuck, located on Dismal Downs. Hey, just like in the 2017 hit Ducktales!

There's a problem tho, ghosts. An evil spectre protects the treasure. Sadly, there were no Ghostbusters to call, and Scrooge called the second best option. Is time for Donald to prove his courage.

Is worth mention that this is the second Scrooge comic, he's not the brave tomb robber… I mean, treasure hunter we know, yet.

Anyway, is time for the McDucks to go to reveal the secret(s) of Castle McDuck!

In Scotland, they were welcome by Scrooge's trusty worker, Scottie.

So, he's a scottish whose named Scottie. Ja.

The McDucks went to work right away, using Scrooge's X-Ray machine to search for the hidden treasure. They worked for hours until…

It's so funny how Scrooge walks on Donald.

They found the treasure on the walls, millions on gold and jewels. Donald is forced to take the treasure outside, but he's attacked by the ghost.

Unfortunately, the castle is full of dust, and that makes a lot of problems for Donald because of his asthma, you know it. So, he went to the yard to get some fresh air, not because he's scared, no, no, no.

Thankfully, Huey has the solution to all their problems.

Sadly, the ghost escaped. Only Scottie was left behind. Suddenly, an armor approached them, and Louie did the logical.

That's a fine armor, Donald took an axe directly to his head like it was nothing.

Scottie had enough of this madness and left the Castle. The best decision so far. On the other hand, HDL continued with their ghost hunt, only to be trapped in a battlement. Not long after, Scrooge ended in the same place.

Now, is up to Donald to rescue them. He's on his way, but first, he found out Scottie's now playing on the ghost's team.

And of course, he's trapped too.

Well, I get that it's a hard situation and they need to escape, but, I'm not sure if I would have told my ten-years-old nephew to swing into a pond.

With HDL on the ground, the babies went to find a way into the castle. They found a secret tunnel in the cemetery. Because, of course there's a secret tunnel.

Meanwhile, the adults are preoccupied about the kids. Scrooge regrets not having given them a gun.

Imagine if Scrooge had have that gun on DT17. The second Magica appeared, he could have shoot her and avoid the Shadow War.

Anyway, the ghost is attacking the babies, and Scrooge didn't hesitate.

Remember kids, next time a ghost wants to mess with you, shoot it. Kill it a second time.

The ghost tried to escape, but the McDucks caught it. And now, the plot twist, the ghost was Scottie, who actually was Diamond Dick, the guy with the best name ever.

It was all Diamond Dick's scheme to steal the treasure using an invisible spray he stole. Also, the real Scottie is dead.

Ok, forget about the invisible spray and how Dick still made a skeleton shadow. Forget about the fact that his third wife was a McDuck, technically making him a member of the clan.

How was Scottie a trusty worker if Scrooge didn't even knew how he looked. Diamond Dick said, hey guys it's-a-me, Scottie and Scrooge was like, hell yeah, that's Scottie.

Donald tried to take all the credit for solving the case, and the babies sprayed him with the invisible formula.

This was a great, fun story that I enjoyed a lot. One of the best Club readings of this year, IMO.

And with this review done, I have done all the Club comics. It has been a lot of fun, let's see what next year brings.