#lord stuart rose

[untypicable]

Draft Article: Rebutting Lord Rose’s Comments on Working from Home

Lord Stuart Rose, former CEO of Marks & Spencer and Asda, has recently reignited the debate on working from home, labelling it as “not proper work” and citing it as a key factor in declining productivity and wellbeing in the UK. Speaking to BBC Panorama and in subsequent comments, Rose argues that the shift to remote and hybrid working has set the UK back two decades in workplace efficiency and…

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

🚬🦇 Some Vampire!Price AU Lore🦇🚬

Bonus Mummy!Gaz at the end 👁️👄👁️

Wrote this from morning until night before I sleep. I've got too much brainrot to just let it stay in my head. It has around 4k words so enjoy!

---

John Cristopher Price was born a human in 1286 in England. Coming from a lord status, He was an honorable knight through and through, loved dearly by his subordinates and of course by the king himself, Edward I.

Price died in the battlefield against the Scots when an arrow pierced through his heart. A former vampire saw his fortitude throughout his life, and made him drink her blood, and he rose as a human no more, but a blood-hungry vampire.

No amount of weapons could kill him -- pierced, stabbed, crushed, he always comes back. His thirst for blood couldn't seem to be controlled. He could see the blood flowing through every human he saw until one night, he unconsciously controlled his wife's blood, stopping her heart, and drinking her dry.

Ever since then, the people saw him as a monster, a demonic being that would end humanity. They demanded his head and even tried to burn him alive, yet the sharpest swords by the finest blacksmiths couldn't cut his neck, and no hellfire could burn him.

Not being able to live past his mistake of murdering his own wife, Price eventually escaped and lived in solitary, roaming around the British isle.

He lived through generations, learning how to live like a human. He pushed through the churn in his stomach as he tried to eat animals and vegetables, drinking water and tea even though his tastebuds only knew bitterness. Eventually, Price earned total control of his body, finding the sweetness inside the bitterness, and regulating his own stomach acid so the food he consumes stays down.

He came back to society during the 1500s when England was under the rule of Elizabeth I. He became a farmer, earning connections and new friends, all the while trying to find his place in the middle of humanity.

Price couldn't seem to stay away from the battlefield though, as when he defended his lord's land from armed mercenaries who sought for his lord's demise, one of the Queen's people saw his potential to be one of her loyal knights in her conflict with Mary of Scots. He went overseas to Spain, France, and even Russia for her, personally knowing Elizabeth until her death.

As one of Elizabeth I's subordinates, He became a knight for the rest of the House of Stuart monarchs. After that though, his age became a suspicion among the knights, so he pretended to die in one of the battles and went back to live in solitude.

For hundreds of years he lived in a cycle. Showing up out of nowhere in the city, become a soldier, sneakily drinking the blood of his enemies when his friends’ eyes were averted, and when the people around him started to notice his unaging face or when they saw him not dying from swords, he’d flee the city for one or two generations, and then coming back again to become a soldier.

Centuries passed. Newer and deadlier weapons were invented. Of course he tried the weapons on himself, but none of them managed to send him to the afterlife.

The cycles kept going, but just as he thought he had conquered this vampire body of his, something dreadful happened.

During the height of World War I, he was one of the soldiers who were deployed to No Man’s Land. After spending weeks and even a month inside the trenches, his thirst for human blood became unbearable and started to take control of his consciousness. Despite trying to fight the urge, all he saw when he walked by his fellow soldiers and superiors was each and every pump of their bloods moving inside the veins.

One night, his thirst grew out of his control, and he attacked one of his own fellow soldiers in his sleep – his own best friend. His friend screamed as he sunk his fangs into his neck, unable to fight Price’s monstrous strength. The other soldiers inside the trench heard the terrifying scream and saw Price in his most horrid state – bright red eyes filled with nothing but insanity, fangs deep inside a fellow soldier’s neck with blood running down his chin.

As his friend’s body fell to the ground, his consciousness returned and he saw what he had done. The allied soldiers started to rain down bullets upon him, fearing that the devil himself had come up to earth, yet none of them managed to pierce him. No kind of bullet was able to go pass through his skin, and no matter how much he shouted, more explanations would only make them more terrified.

And so, in the middle of the chaos, Price used his power to control the flow of blood of every single soldier with a gun in their hands, rendering them immobile against their will. He couldn’t say anything at that point. No amount of apology would bring his friend back, and no amount of explanation would stop them from fearing him. In his sorrow, Price climbed the trenches, welcoming all the incoming bullets from the enemies with open arms, hoping to end this curse of his. Of course, it could not kill him, an eternal vampire.

With nowhere to go, Price stormed the Axis’ side of the trenches on his own, attacking the enemies, drinking the blood of anyone he could sink his teeth to. The more blood he consumed, the more powerful his control over the blood of the people around him. At that point, his body was the fullest he’s ever been with human blood.

In his most powerful state, Price stopped the heart of every enemy in his sight, instantly killing them. As fear and chaos wreaked around the enemies’ trench, the Allied’s forces started their march, only to find Price nowhere to be seen.

After that tragedy, Price lived in solitude for years, hiding in the woods and mountains, swearing to himself that he’d never consume human blood ever again, even if it belongs to his enemies. He lived in the moutains, away from civilizations, hunting for animals to live.

That is, until in 1940, Price met Sir David Stirling, a British Army officer from Scotland who had been searching for the legendary “Devil of The Trenches”. Price was initially extremely apprehensive of his intentions considering how he literally trailed a mountain to search for a legendary being – a dangerous one at that. However, when Stirling told him that he’s aware of his powers and that he's in need of special people for his mission in North Africa, Price finally relented and joined him to his first operation after the World War I tragedy.

Price fought in World War II with David and other soldiers under the name Special Air Service, "L" detachment. He became one of the key figures of winning countless battles in the North African Campaign without people noticing his powers, thanks to David’s clever ways of hiding his power and authorities as a military officer, even freeing David and the others when they were captured and became a prisoner of war. Price’s existence quickly turned into a legend, and as time went on, his powers and abilities became a highly classified information in an already secretive corps, securing his identity and even his livelihood.

Price joined the major battles that the SAS had involved themselves in, even becoming an instructor among the British Army, sharing his vast knowledge of warfares that he’s earned from experience. He currently lives in his own house in London, living among humans as a regular person, owning a calico cat named Greg.

After his mission in Urzikstan, Price expressed his proposition to Laswell about creating a task force consisting of people with special powers and abilities, who could easily and efficiently finish the missions with little to no complications, all from the depth of shadows.

---

You've read this far, holy shit. Have a bonus story!

BONUS : Mummy!Gaz ⚰️🧢

Throughout his career, Price had found more and more people with special powers and abilities, like the big brooding man who could travel along the darkness and disappear like a smoke, a young Scotsman who had an animalistic trait and happened to be an exhibitionist, and… A bloodless person,

Who happened to be far, far older than him.

Price found his grave, or rather, his sarcophagus in Egypt back when he fought in World War II during the North African campaign.

Price, together with David Stirling and the first members of the SAS were intercepting the Axis troops' railways and supply dumps, when he'd found an evidently colourful sarcophagus inside one of the carriages.

See, this was not a weird or odd finding, because they've received some news about the unearthing of many sarcophaguses from the Ancient Egypt throughout many parts of Africa, even the ones belonging to ancient kings and queens. With that said, this finding was not much of a surprise for Price and his teammates, it's just that they had never expected to find one themselves.

This sarcophagus, though, didn't look like it belonged to a king or a member of a noble family. Despite the eccentric colours and engravings, it's not as large and humongous like those belonging to a monarch, so the members of SAS just dismissed it as just another coffin of a civilian.

Contrary to the others, Price felt like the sarcophagus was calling to him. The feeling was similar to when he died the first time and tasted the blood of the former vampire. He was about to lift the lid and see what's inside, before he felt David's hand stopping him as another battle was about to commence.

Still, after the series of war was over and he'd settled as a human, Price visited Egypt in 1996, adamant to get some clarity about the weird feeling he got when he was near that one specific sarcophagus. He went to the research facility where the objects found were examined and preserved.

Price then went ahead and asked one of the scientists about the object, and found out that the man inside was never an Egyptian man at all, rather a young man from an Ancient African kingdom, likely the Kerma Kingdom, who traveled to Ancient Egypt as an artist. The scientist surprised Price even more when he said that the man inside likely died around 1500 BC, which was 2700 years before Price himself died.

And he thought he was old.

As they approached the sarcophagus, the scientist left Price alone with the ancient object, as he thought this visitor wouldn't be able to lift the cover which was around 500 pounds or 226 kilograms.

Obviously, it was a small feat for Price.

The vampire lifted the lid and carefully placed the massive object on the floor, and for the first time, he saw the face of the dead man.

Even though he'd long died, Price could tell of the youth in his face. The face of an artist who'd traveled a long way to neighboring kingdoms in search of beauty and inspiration, seeking to sharpen his skills and broaden his knowledge more. Alas, he died a young man.

As he thought, Price felt the calling yet again, now louder from the absence of the lid. He first contemplated about touching such an ancient, possibly fragile object, thinking that it could contain some dark magic or any supernatural powers that were beyond his already vast understanding of the world. But whatever happened to him happened, he guessed. He's virtually uninjurable, and if he somehow died, then he died. End of story.

Finally, Price made up his mind, going ahead and touched the young man's cheek.

Yellow light started to surround the mummy's body, and gradually, the embalmed parts started to change– no, regenerate, forming a bronze coloured skin. His cheeks started to become fuller and fuller each second, the bony features of his arms and legs grew larger, forming a figure of a living human.

Price felt like he was about to faint. He couldn't even remember fainting in his lifetime, but he began to understand something. This mummy - this young man - was coming alive by taking Price's own life force.

Just when Price was about to fall, he released the young man's cheek and stumbled a few steps back. He witnessed as more bright golden light surrounded his body, and how a hand that was just a rigid limb before, began to move, albeit stutteringly, and gripped the edge of his own sarcophagus.

The young man slowly sat up, twisting his neck around like he just arrived on earth, before finding Price standing a few distance away. His eyes were golden, but the parts where it's supposed to be white were coloured solid black.

The young man emerged from his own coffin, very slowly putting his legs on the cold floor. He unsurprisingly fell to the ground like a stiff baby finding ways to manage with his body, before he stood up again, looking straight at Price through half bandaged eyes.

The undead started to walk very slowly towards the vampire, stuttering his movements as one of his hand lifted like he was reaching for him. Price stood up straight and activated his blood controlling power, attempting to stop this moving corpse in its track.

The vampire thought that he'd lost his ability to control blood. He thought because he hadn't consumed any human blood in decades, his power had weakened and even disappeared for good, but that was not the case.

Price couldn't see a single drop of blood inside the young man's veins. Nor his brain, nor his lungs, liver, and intestines. His torso was empty, save for his heart that was still inside his chest, yet the organ was not beating.

After 700 years of his life, Price had found an animate object that he totally cannot control.

The wonders of the world hadn't stop surprising him, huh.

Price, starting to feel fear after so long, could only stand still and let the young man approach him.

As his face got closer and closer, Price noticed that his face was not filled with terror or any negative intentions. It was filled with… happiness?

The young man was smiling.

His hands slowly cupped Price's cheek, and just then, Price began to feel his energy depleting rapidly. He's trying to take Price's life force again!

Reflexively, the vampire swatted the mummy's hands away (which was hard and heavy as a rock).

"What the hell are you doing?!" Price shouted to the young man. The mummy was taken aback by his statements, seeming like he got confused by Price's actions. Not only that, he proceeded to look down, observing his own body and limbs, which were still wrapped with bandages in some parts.

Suddenly, the young man looked at Price and rigidly hugged Price. The vampire was startled at first, thinking that he's about to take his life force again, but nothing happened. Just a simple, warm hug.

Something Price hadn't felt for centuries.

Just then, the sound of the door opening startled the both of them. It was the scientist that had come back to check on Price, and the utter shock on the scientist's face was priceless. The sarcophagus lid was open, and the mummy that was supposed to be dead was hugging the visitor with a grin on his face.

The scientist screamed in confusion and terror in Arabic, before Price slowed the man's heartbeat, prompting him to drop down to the floor in an instant in a sleeping state. The vampire cursed under his breath upon the situation that has fallen before him, and released himself from the mummy’s hug. He then ran towards the sarcophagus and put the lid back, and then he proceeded by carrying the sleeping scientist to some unknown room where he didn’t detect any other blood pulses - the storage room. After a few minutes, Price came back to the room where the mummy was, only to see that the mummy was nowhere to be found.

Price ran out of the room in search of the young man, stopping for a moment to detect the sound of any blood pulses of the mummy, but he exclaimed because he just realized again that that young man doesn’t have any pulse at all for him to detect. So Price began to run around the corner, finally finding the young man was looking up at the other sarcophaguses on display inside the facility, seeming like he’s enamored by the intricate engravings and colours.

Price gritted his teeth in frustration and approached the bandaged man, before fireman-carrying the mummy onto his shoulders. He then ran towards the exit of the facility with the newly reanimated young man, opening his rented car and sat him down to the passenger seat, before he himself sat on the driver’s seat.

Price huffed in relief, trying to make sense of what the actual fuck just happened to him. There’s a living mummy beside him, inside this fucking rental car.

“You, listen to me.” Price began, prompting the young man to look at him.

“You were dead for 2700 fucking years. Until today, you were still dead, but it looked like I was giving you my own life force so you can walk the world of the living again. So that means you’re alive because of me, you got that?!”

The young man only tilted his head in confusion. Of fucking course. He probably only spoke the ancient African and Egyptian language. He facepalmed.

“Okay, I know what if feels like to live again after dying. It’s confusing, but shite, not for 3 and a half millenias!” He shouted before taking a deep breath. “What do I call you? What’s your name?” The 710 year old asked the 3500 year old, his finger pointing at his chest.

That last word seemed to be familiar to the mummy, so he began to mutter some vowels out of his mouth. It looked like producing voice was still extremely hard for him.

“K–ka…”

“What? Ka? Speak clearly.”

“Ke…”

Ke? Kerma? That’s the name of the kingdom he was supposedly originated from.

After a few minutes of the same vowel coming out of the mummy’s mouth, Price began, “Ka. Ka. Kal.”

“Kyle. How about that?” The young man’s black and gold eyes widen. Price swore he saw a glimmering light from his eyes like he just heard his actual name, or at least one of the vowels of his actual ancient name.

“Yeah, you like that, Kyle?” The mummy nodded slowly. “Good. I’m about to give you one hell of a ride."

"Welcome to the living world, Kyle.”

---

Woohoo!! This became too long and even became a lore for Mummy!Gaz as well! Thank you so much for reading and hope you love it! ♡⁠(⁠>⁠ ⁠ਊ⁠ ⁠<⁠)⁠♡

Leave a comment down below 👀

[roseus-eli]

Welcome to my blog!

My name's Eli! (can be pronounced as e-lie or el-ee)

Everything you need to know is under the cut. :)

@angelic-pinkheart is my 2nd blog!

The LGBTQIA+ community is welcome here. :3

I do not have a specific DNI list, I think it's unnecessary, and I just block according to my preferences.

I mostly go by the pronouns she/her and they/them (mostly femme aligned), but he/him pronouns are fine too! Mixed pronouns are not a problem for me, either.

I am an afab bisexual aceflux (leaning towards asexuality) demigirl/genderqueer :)

I'm a minor. If you do anything that makes me uncomfortable, I won't hesitate to block you.

I'm Filipino, but I mostly speak English, although I'd be glad to talk to some fellow filos!

I love reading, especially books and fanfics! I also enjoy listening to music and sleeping. I also write, but I rarely post my written works anywhere.

My super duper besties are @cheeeryisaro and @jhikebipolar! You guys should check them both out sometime. :)

My online bestie is @amy-harper!

To all my fandom friends, you guys are also my besties. :]

My favorite fandoms and ships:

Honkai: Star Rail

No specific ships.

The Big Bang Theory

Sheldon/Amy (Shamy for life!)

Leonard/Penny (Lenny, my cuties)

Howard/Bernadette

Penny/Amy, because why not

Stuart/Denise

There might be more if I'm being honest…

Death Note

Light Yagami/L Lawliet

Light Yagami/Misa Amane

Light Yagami/Misa Amane/L Lawliet (I actually don't care too much about this one)

Doctor Who

The Doctor/The Master

The Doctor/River Song

Rose Tyler/The Doctor

Thirteen/Yaz

And many more because there are way too many ships to count

Detroit: Become Human

No specific ships.

Daria

Daria Morgendorffer/Jane Lane

I haven't really thought too much about the ships but here is another obvious one, Helen Morgendorffer/Jake Morgendorffer

Good Omens

Aziraphale/Crowley (ineffable husbands)

Archangel Gabriel/Lord Beelzebub (ineffable bureaucracy)

Again, there's probably more…

Spy × Family

Loid Forger/Yor Forger

Anya Forger/Damian Desmond

There's probably more fandoms I'm in but I lost count

(Keep in mind, I do occasionally reblog something that isn't related to my favorite fandoms :3)

My AO3 account: roseus_eli

My FF.net account: roseus-eli

also pls don't steal my pfp, I made it myself ;3

(This intro post will be updated every now and then.)

[mermaidsirennikita]

what would you call ppl who are into reylo, darklina, haladriel, etc. the enemies to lovers, light/dark, make me your dark empress ships? i've seen them referred to as the "travelling small woman/big man" fandom or dark romance lovers but that's a *very* surface level read

I definitely wouldn't call them dark romance lovers, because dark romance is hUGELY expansive these days. Like, the Kings of Italy series is a dark mafia romance series, and I wouldn't compare ANY of the ships to Reylo. Additionally, a lot of the books that are so successful because of their connections to fic don't have much in common with that fic.

I'd just say that generally, those people are into villain/heroine. However, their particular ships can grow into something else for them over time. Something like The Hurricane Wars still sticks fairly closely to its villain/heroine roots, and I think there are probably Darklina-inspired books that do. But a lot of those ships develop into something entirely fanon, which is how we get books like Not Another Love Song or The Love Hypothesis.

People are being too broad when they say big man/little woman, that's not at all what draws people into those ships initially. They're drawn in by the villain/heroine dark/light thing, which is all very classic. Everyone wants to act like this is fuckin' new, and it's the opposite of that. The appeal of this dynamic has existed since the dawn of fiction, and it will always exist, and it's only the entirely short-sighted, self-centered fandom perspective and the moral hysteria of anti-fandom that makes them act like this is ENTIRELY NEW INFORMATION WE MUST LABEL (so that we can talk down about it). (This is not about you lol.)

Ships that are also this that were popular before Reylo:

—Dracula/Mina (with the culmination being Bram Stoker's Dracula, but even in the more recent Dracula Untold we had the classic "Mina is Dracula's reincarnated wife" angle)

—Erik/Christine

—"Now my boyfriend is evil oh noes" takes like Angelus/Buffy, Tuxedo Mask/Sailor Moon in a couple arcs, on a more minor level even something like The Vampire Academy had Dimitri (Rose's boyfriend) go evil for a minute and it was THE! BEST! ARC! IN THE WHOLE SERIES!

—literally so many daytime soaps y'all... this is how they turned villains into antiheroes....... who still killed people..... General Hospital was regularly putting their little goody goodies with straight up murderers, and this is something soaps do literally GLOBALLY. Telenovelas do it, Euro soaps do it, Kdramas, Jdramas, Cdramas, the list goes on

—I'm less into anime, but yeah, I'm gonna say this was big for anime lmao

—Many many many romance novels that preceded Reylo/Darklina et. al. Whether it was the "softer" villains like Sebastian St. Vincent in Devil in Winter, who I'd still say went above typical "bad boy" grade by kidnapping the heroine's best friend with an implied rape threat in the previous novel; Lothaire in Kresley Cole's Lothaire, with Ellie; basically every Anne Stuart novel written, Lord of Danger jumps to mind; Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale.

—Generalized wicked monsters with women, like The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman

I think it's really that primal and that simple. Villain/heroine.

[scotianostra]

8th of August 1503 saw James IV marry Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England.

The marriage was known as the Union of the Thistle and the Rose and paved the way for the Union of the Crowns.

Henry VII, Margaret's dad wanted to cement his reign in England, he was having bother with a Flemish guy called Perkin Warbeck who wanted to be King down there and James IV was backing the pretender so rather than go to war he tried to appease the Scottish King with his eldest daughter's marriage.

It was thought the marriage would be good for both nations but James IV by this time was 30, and although unmarried already had five known illegitimate children, it is said he had fallen for Margaret Drummond, the daughter of a Scottish noble, indeed while the negotiations were going on for the Union of the Thistle and the Rose, Miss Drummond was giving birth to to their daughter. James moved mother and child to his palace of Linlithgow and showed them every favour, however Margaret and her sisters Eupheme and Sibylla died of food poisoning, rumour has it this was murder at the hands of either by English agents or by pro-English elements in the Scottish nobility. Some stories have even claimed that James and Margaret had already married in secret. After her death the king paid for masses to be said for her soul, and continued to support their daughter.

With Drummond out of the way the marriage went ahead unhindered

James IV was an intelligent man and saw it as way to protect his borders too, that and a large dowry of course, never underestimate the power of money! Margaret brought with her a love of the arts, she revelled in pageantry and brought a lot to the Scottish court.

There was a still birth daughter and the death of two sons in during infancy before the Queen Margaret gave birth to the future King James V in 1512, before his son reached his 2nd birthday Margaret begged James IV not to declare war on her brother Henry VIII, the armies met at near Branxton on Flodden Field on September 9th, James IV was killed, his son was crowned King of Scots on the 21st september. Much to the annoyance of some Scottish nobility who were aghast the sister of their enemy was now ruling Scotland, Margaret was declared Regent of Scotland, Queen in all but name, she brokered peace between the two countries, however she fell foul to politics by remarrying and losing the Regency, she lost her children, the young King and his brother Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross born after Flodden were taken to Stirling Castle, Margaret left to return to england, by this time pregnant to her new husband, she gave birth to a gave birth to Lady Margaret Douglas, mother of another famous name in our history, one Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Mary Queen of Scot's 2nd husband, if you are paying attention it means they shared the same Grandmother, our Margaret Tudor.

Margaret did manage to return to Scotland and after a coup regain the Regency, it's a long story but shows you that even those more simplistic times, politics played an important role, Margaret died at Methven Castle, in Perthshire on 18th October 1541 as mentioned at the top of this post, her marriage to James IV led to the Union of the Crowns when her -great-grandson James VI took the throne of England.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

TOURNAMENT MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

Death of the Doctor

Synopsis

When the Doctor is declared dead, old companions Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Grant meet for the first time and join forces to discover the truth. As an interstellar conspiracy gathers around UNIT HQ, Clyde finds he holds the fate of the Time Lord in his hand – quite literally!

Propaganda

Jo bloody Grant! (anonymous)

Father’s Day

Synopsis

Pete Alan Tyler, the father of Rose and husband of Jackie, died on 7 November 1987, the day of Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clark's wedding. Rose was just a baby at the time, Jackie told the young Rose that nobody was there for Pete when he died and that the hit-and-run driver was never found...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[dwsidecharacterpoll]

FINAL SHOWDOWN

I genuinely wouldn't have this any other way.

Rip each other to shreds, ladies.

those who fought valiantly but didn't make it under the cut:

Clive (Rose)

Raffalo from Crespellion (The End of the World)

Jabe (The End of the World)

Gwyneth (The Unquiet Dead)

Toshiko Sato (Aliens of London/World War III)

Cathica (The Long Game)

Suki (The Long Game)

Sarah Clark and Stuart Hoskins (Father’s Day)

Dr. Constantine (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances)

Nancy (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances)

Lynda Moss (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Unnamed Female Programmer (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Novice Hame (New Earth)

Mrs. Moore (The Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel)

Zachary Cross Flane (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Ida Scott (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Danny Bartock (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Scooti Manista (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Ursula Blake (Love and Monsters)

Nerys (The Runaway Bride)

Thomas Kincade Brannigan and Valerie (Gridlock)

Alice and May Cassini (Gridlock)

Tallulah (Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)

Frank (Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)

Jenny (Human Nature/The Family of Blood)

Tim Latimer (Human Nature/The Family of Blood)

Billy Shipton (Blink)

Kathy Nightingale (Blink)

Chantho (Utopia)

Morvin and Foon (Voyage of the Damned)

Bannakaffalatta (Voyage of the Damned)

Caecilius (Fires of Pompeii)

Evelina (Fires of Pompeii)

Soothsayer (Fires of Pompeii)

Ood Sigma (Planet of the Ood)

Miss Evangelista (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Proper Dave (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Anita (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Val, Biff, and Jethro Cane (Midnight)

Unnamed Hostess (Midnight)

Rocco Colasanto (Turn Left)

Capt. Erisa Magambo (Planet of the Dead)

Yuri Kerenski (The Waters of Mars)

Maggie Cain (The Waters of Mars)

Addams and Rossiter of Vinvocci (The End of Time)

The Unnamed Curator (Vincent and the Doctor)

Canton Everett Delaware III (The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon)

Lorna Bucket (A Good Man Goes To War)

Rita (The God Complex)

Brian Williams (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

John Riddell (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

Emma Grayling (Hide)

Journey Blue (Into the Dalek)

Orson Pink (Listen)

Perkins (Mummy on the Orient Ecpress)

Rigsy (Flatline)

O'Donnell (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Cass (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Bennett (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Heather (The Pilot)

Jenny (The Doctor’s Daughter)

Jake Simmons (Age of Steel)

Katherine (The Girl in the Fireplace)

Ross Jenkins (The Poison Sky/The Sontaran Stratagem)

Eve Cicero (The Tsuranga Conundrum)

Daniel Llewellyn (The Christmas Invasion)

Diana Goddard (Dalek)

Rita-Ann Smith (The Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel)

Shona (Last Christmas)

Vivien Rook (the sound of drums)

Unnamed Male Programmer (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Dee Dee Blasco (Midnight)

Lee Clayton (fugitive of the Judoon)

Sabra (Time Heist)

Mr. Copper (Voyage of the Damned)

Psi (Time Heist)

Pete Tyler (age of steel)

Ohila (Hell Bent)

Professor Docherty (The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords)

Hath Peck (The Doctor’s Daughter)

[defensivelee]

Seraph of the End

The Seraph of the End verse is an AU based off of the manga of the same name (not the anime, because that is just objectively bad, unlike the manga, which is also bad but at least not boring). Here, the story begins in the year of our lord 1702, following the resurrection of William and Mary that triggered God’s wrath and the onset of the apocalypse. A virus wiped out nearly all of humanity’s adult population, countless monsters began to roam the earth and seas, and only children under the age of thirteen survived, though under the watchful care of the vampires. This ancient regime rose up to take control of the world following the apocalypse— gone is the age of humanity, thus begins the age of the undead!

I don’t know if/when I’ll start revamping this, so here are the notes that I’ve taken on everyone’s roles following my review of the approximately 20k words I wrote a few years back. No, you don’t get to see the old version..

William III: The last King of England before the apocalypse. Despite what he may have you believe, he took a great interest in matters of the occult, having been mentored by the man who pioneered cursed gear (weapons with demons bound to them by contract) when he was young. He had long been warned of the fated apocalypse, and had known too that it would be caused by a resurrection of a human, but had nonetheless worked to resurrect Mary following her death. He was also working on developing cursed gear for use in the wars waged against France, though of a new kind, known as the “Black Demon” series, which he predicted would be more powerful than any other cursed gear beforehand. After his resurrection by Bentinck, he realized immediately what had happened, that the whole world ended for his sake, but has strived to keep it from Mary. With the vampires as his hidden, longtime allies, he has declared himself the leader of the human world that remains. Perhaps his most potent secret, kept away even from him, is that he is a result of the first Seraph of the End experiment from long ago, in which an angel has been bound with a human soul. The mysterious power lay dormant in him until the end of the world, when the angel Henriquez began to emerge to sound the First Trumpet of the apocalypse. It has been stirred further by the demon sealed into what he believes is his only successful cursed weapon, the Black Demon Malheur.

Mary II: The resurrected Queen of England. As a child, she was subject to many experiments conducted by her uncle to try to bring out the inherited curse of the First Progenitor of the vampires in her, something that all Stuarts have. These experiments failed, and as they stopped when she was quite young, she has largely forgotten them, only dreaming of them on occasion. Unlike her husband, she wants little to do with this supernatural world, but supported him when he began to develop his own spin on cursed gear. She died well before she could see the worst of it, and for the last years of her husband’s reign, his only obsession was resurrecting her, no matter what it took. He had his wish granted following his death, when Bentinck resurrected them both and triggered the apocalypse. Unlike William, Mary doesn’t know that she ever died— a secret that everyone around her is determined to keep. She is perfectly content watching over all the children in the vampires’ underground kingdom, but hopes for the day when they can all come up to the surface safely again. Unbeknownst to her, a war is waged aboveground for her sake. As the first, direct child of the First Progenitor, if she were to become a demon, she would be the most powerful creature that ever lived.

Hans William Bentinck, Earl of Portland: A Seventh Progenitor vampire, and the most loyal one you’ll ever meet. He faithfully assisted William’s quest to resurrect Mary and create cursed weapons of the Black Demon rank, the second task being one he had significant influence in. He performed increasingly unethical experiments on two men, the Earls of Albemarle and Marlborough, to force demons out of them, which he would then bind to swords. Following William’s death, Bentinck at last succeeded in binding them both to his desired weapons, though not without being fatally wounded by Keppel in the process. He managed to drag himself to the ally he had in the current ruler of the vampires, the Duke of Monmouth, and was only saved by becoming a vampire himself. He lived to resurrect William and Mary, and it was he who triggered the apocalypse that had been dreaded for centuries. He took extra measures to ensure that many of the humans he knew would survive as well, either by providing them with standard, weaker cursed gear or by turning them into vampires. He currently acts as a more respected mediator between humanity and vampirekind. He has still refused to drink human blood, however, for doing so would mean losing all his human emotions and empathy, and thus lives off of his sire’s blood, that of Monmouth.

John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough: The first cursed weapon created by William and Bentinck. Once he entered the Tower, he never found his way out, for in him William saw the potential for a powerful demon and companion, of more use to England than he would be as a human. He was subsequently tortured and experimented on in various ways through the use of ancient spells and drugs supplied by the vampires. He became a demon soon enough, skipping the vampire step, as had been the original method by Johan de Witt. He lost most of his human memories and is bound to a sword known as Malheur. This sword was taken by William after the apocalypse, to serve him faithfully in his quest to rebuild humanity.

Arnold van Keppel, Earl of Albemarle: The second cursed weapon created by William and Bentinck. Unlike Marlborough, he entered these experiments willingly, wanting to serve his King in any way he could, but underestimated the agony he was to go through in the following years at Bentinck’s hands. He turned far more slowly, and thus kept many of his human memories, though not all. Though he was successfully bound to a sword named Violet, he refused to go without giving into the new demonic desires and exacting revenge on the man who caused him so much suffering for so long. He went into the sword believing he had successfully killed Bentinck. After the chaos of the apocalypse, the weapon was lost and is currently held by the Brotherhood of a Thousand Nights, or simply the Thousand Nights.

James Scott, Duke of Monmouth: A Third Progenitor vampire, king of his race, and currently the strongest vampire known. He has stirred up resentment among the vampires’ ranks due to his unprecedented meddling with humanity’s affairs. However, he has proved immensely useful to William with his willingness to form a human-vampire alliance and to back him against the Thousand Nights. What is not known is how many secrets he keeps. For most of his life, he was unaware of this other world of vampires and demons and contracts, though he had heard whispers between his father and uncle. Rather than having him executed after his rebellion in 1685, James instead revealed to him his true nature— that he was a vampire, that he was indeed the first vampire, and that he was leaving the kingdom of the vampires to Monmouth as long as he swore to obey him in all things. He then made Monmouth a Third Progenitor, and after a staged execution, he let his nephew flee from the world of humans. To his new, disordered kingdom, Monmouth was the first of the nobility that would eventually become the Progenitor Council, with the most powerful vampires being the ones with the rank closest to that of the First. He would be pleased to never again have to interfere with human affairs if it were not for James. Despite his promise, he still keeps some spirit of defiance in him, and has extended his kindness to William if only to spite his sire. On occasion, he shows himself on the surface, wearing the cursed armbands that prevent the sunlight from harming vampires.

James II/Iakovos: The First Progenitor of the vampires. Iakovos was a human active during the middle of the Hellenistic period, when he started the Brotherhood of a Thousand Nights. This was a cult revolving around his experiments both on himself and his nephew to create the Seraph of the End, in order to prepare for some perceived future apocalypse. The experiments made him incredibly powerful, with the strength of the angels running through his veins, but resulted in him only being able to survive off of human blood and having a particular vulnerability for the sun. Thus he called himself the First Progenitor and father of all vampires, or simply the First. The nephew he experimented on was called Henriquez, the first successful seraph and the only one for almost two thousand years. Iakovos then made himself a demon, the first to be created of a vampire, and sealed his curse to members of his cult, those who would eventually become the House of Stuart as well as all who shared its blood. He also killed Henriquez and turned him into a full angel, bringing this same curse with him to the bloodline. While all Stuarts carried the potential in them to harness Iakovos’ power, only one boy was prophesied to carry the seraph in him. 

Iakovos, though not dead, was in a sense “reborn” as the Duke of York, revealing himself more plainly in the Stuart line for those who still looked for him, which were already very few. Iakovos and James are not interchangeable names, however, for as James he gained new perspectives and goals that he would not have dreamed of as Iakovos. This must not be mistaken for James being under the sway of Iakovos or vice versa; they are one and the same being. Nor must James be mistaken for being the name of his “human” identity. Since he was born, he’s known that he was never fully human, but never inhuman, either. From here, though, I’ll refer to him as James because it’s the name which everyone refers to him with. Iakovos is a legend unknown to most of them.

He chose to show himself in this century, for he knew that this was where the seraph would be revealed, as the son of his sister; still his nephew, after all. James was not the only one to realize this, however, for Charles was the first to make the connection between the Stuarts and the Thousand Nights, which was still active after all these centuries. Together the two brothers restarted the Seraph of the End experiments, this time focusing on another boy whom they had easy access to— Charles Talbot, the King’s godson. They succeeded in planting the Fourth Trumpet in him, and kept a wary eye on the First Trumpet across the sea, who was proving to be quite a thorn in their side rather than any protection for the future apocalypse. James had more to fear once Mary was sent off with him. As his first daughter, she carries with her the potential to be a demon greater than even himself should she ever turn. Though he knows she would never fight him herself, he also knows that William would have something to gain from such power if he were to ever find out.

James was drawn to Catholicism primarily because of the apocalypse, seeing God as his ally in bringing about the end of humanity as he saw fit, where only their true believers could survive. He was met with Monmouth’s rebellion, but rather than dealing with it like any human king, he revealed to his nephew all of his past, and then made him a Third Progenitor vampire. He was to rule over the vampires as a puppet ruler, though this was kept from the kingdom that so despised James for creating them. However, Monmouth was not the first noble vampire to appear after Iakovos, as is widely believed— that honor went to Louis XIV during James’ first exile in France. The rank of a Fifth Progenitor is the lowest a vampire can be if sired by James. Indeed, this was the rank given to the Earl of Sunderland in preparation for the apocalypse.

He only fled during the Glorious Revolution when he realized that he would be facing off against a seraph and a demon with strength that rivaled his own, even if logically both of these powers remained hidden to the hosts. He was further driven away when he saw that the Fourth Trumpet was wholeheartedly against him as well, and he sought help from the Second Progenitor he had created in France. There, he sired the only other Second Progenitor, the “Old Pretender.” He then bound himself to a dagger and offered himself up as Maria’s demon, as only humans with cursed weapons would be spared the apocalypse virus. With this, he left the leadership of the surviving members of the Thousand Nights to Louis, Maria, and his son. He is generally assumed to be dead, but he still watches from the shadows, whispering his orders in the dreams of those who are willing to listen. Having failed to control the power of the Seraph of the End, he has instead decided to destroy it.

Charles II: The Merry Monarch, far more involved with the seraph experiments than one may think. He initially had no knowledge of the First’s curse that ran in the blood of the Stuarts until his escape to France, during which he met members of the Thousand Nights that informed him of his ancestry. After the Restoration, he took an interest in the First’s blood that he and his closest family shared, and began to experiment on his young nieces to try to find a hint of Iakovos in them, as they were the youngest descendants most likely to bend to his will. Through these experiments he realized that Mary was strangely, deeply dangerous, which he then managed to trace back to her father— James, who ended up telling him that he was in fact the First Progenitor. James also told him of the upcoming apocalypse and that only a Seraph of the End would be able to help them take control of this new world. There was a seraph buried in their nephew, of course, but with little chance to experiment on him to try to force it out, Charles instead turned his attention to his virtually orphaned godson. He intended to use the seraph more as a mark of God’s approval after the apocalypse rather than any real threat, though he died before seeing this out. He would have no wish to fully discover the extent of his brother’s power, anyhow.

Louis XIV: A Second Progenitor vampire. He was sired by James during his first exile in France, when he told Louis that in order to rule the universe as he liked, he would first have to destroy it. Louis accepted this prophecy and became a vampire once he realized that ordinary humans would not survive the apocalypse. He subsequently formed an alliance with the Thousand Nights; though he had little faith in their message, he was quick to want to protect himself and his nation. He began developing cursed gear in his own army to rival William, but never succeeded in creating one of the Black Demon series. His alliance with the Thousand Nights held strong as a result of the cursed gear and lasted through the apocalypse. He took control of the surviving members of the cult, declaring that he would return order to humanity despite not being human himself. James has largely left him to his own devices, letting him wage war on William on his behalf, as went their original agreement: “Fight for me, or he’ll kill us both.” Louis has no intention of ending this war, however, nor of ever allowing James to return to rule the Thousand Nights again. He currently fights with his eye on the English Queen, wielding Violet but always wanting this illusive concept of Marie— that is, Mary as a demon fully bound to him. He remembers the promises of power from so long ago and will make sure that James keeps them.

Mary of Modena: James’ queen and second-in-command of the Thousand Nights. She is particularly admired for her closeness to Iakovos, viewed as having a proximity to an earthly savior and is thus able to forward their prayers to him. She had little to do with this world until a few days before the apocalypse, when James revealed everything he knew to her and made his son a Second Progenitor. He then ran himself through with a sword, where he bound his power to give to Maria. This made her the only other human, after William, to wield a Black Demon. She has no interest in all the fighting and prefers to run the Thousand Nights from the sidelines, where James still commands her from his place in her sword. Her current orders are to capture Mary and to place her son on his rightful throne.

Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury: The youngest and most popular of the Immortal Seven. After his father was killed in a duel, the King took in him and began the seraph experiments on him. If a human could ever become an angel, he saw it in this kind, nervous boy, who accepted what he believed to be an honor. The Fourth Trumpet seraph was successfully implanted into him, though the power lay dormant until the apocalypse. Regardless, he didn’t want James taking advantage of this power when he came to inherit the throne, so he backed William and all his efforts to create cursed gear. Shrewsbury survived the apocalypse with a cursed weapon of his own he calls Adelhida. She has tried to stir up the seraph in him, but he would prefer to simply forget his status as a volatile angel.

Robert Spencer, Earl of Sunderland: A Fifth Progenitor vampire. He was one of the few humans who knew about Iakovos, but unlike the others, he was not someone who James knew he could trust. Nonetheless, James sired him so he would be spared from the apocalypse. He came to regret this, of course, especially when Sunderland was so willing to use his new vampiric gifts to help William in his later experiments and resurrection attempts. He helped Bentinck supply cursed gear to those lucky survivors after the end of the world, as well as sired a few vampires himself, including Queen Anne and her husband. He almost obsessively protects Mary from the Thousand Nights fighting for her power on the surface.

Queen Anne: The last Queen of England before the apocalypse. She was another test subject of Charles’ when she was young, though it was much harder to get results from her as compared to Mary, being only the second child of the First. Unlike Mary, she never forgot, and took a firm stance against all matters of demons and vampires. After Mary’s death, she quickly found out that William was trying to resurrect her, and though she didn’t know that such an act would cause the apocalypse, she tried multiple times to stop him. She thought that all would continue as it always had after William’s death until Sunderland and Monmouth came to her claiming that the apocalypse drew nearer, and that she would die unless she either took on cursed gear or became a vampire. She was unwilling to sway under the influence of a demon, so she became a Ninth Progenitor beside her husband and then fled once William and Mary were resurrected. She is also a factor in the war between the Thousand Nights and the vampires, as she is much closer to becoming a demon than Mary is.

[felassan]

Article: 'EA Sports and EA Games Splitting Apart in Internal Shakeup'

EA is undergoing a major internal reorganization, with EA Games being renamed "EA Entertainment." Electronic Arts is undergoing a major internal shakeup, announcing today in a message from CEO Andrew Wilson that it is realigning its major studios and its leadership structure in an effort to "empower our creative teams." The reorganization includes splitting EA Games and EA Sports, with the former being renamed "EA Entertainment" in a signal that EA intends to expand beyond games where possible. "We’re building the future of interactive entertainment on a foundation of legendary franchises and innovative new experiences, which represents massive opportunities for growth," Wilson wrote in a message announcing the news. Laura Miele, previously EA's Chief Operating Officer, will take over as EA President of Entertainment, Technology, and Central Development at EA Entertainment, where she will work closely with Vince Zampella and other well-known executives. Cam Weber, who rose out of EA's football games, will continue to lead EA Sports. Both will enjoy expanded control over their respective labels intended to give them more oversight over budgets and decision-making flexibility. Wilson will continue to preside over both organizations as EA's CEO. The moves coincide with news that Chief Experiences Officer Chris Bruzzo is retiring, with EA Chief Financial Officer Chris Suh also departing the company. David Tinson and Stuart Canfield respectively will take over their responsibilities. The moves are the latest in what has been a major reorganization for EA. Earlier this month, we reported that Star Wars: The Old Republic is on course to move to a third-party developer, with many of its developers being given the opportunity to move elsewhere in the company. It's unclear whether the current reorganization will result in layoffs. As before, EA Sports will continue to look after the F1 series, which just releases, as well as PGA Tour and the newly-acquired Super Mega Baseball. This is on top of traditional blockbusters including Madden, the newly-renamed EA Sports FC, NHL, and the upcoming College Football reboot. EA Entertainment, meanwhile, will encompass Respawn, DICE, Ripple Effect, Ridgeline Games (Battlefield), Full Circle (Skate), Motive Studio (Iron Man), EA's Seattle studio, BioWare, and the EA Originals label. EA also includes numerous mobile games, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and the recently-released Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. While dramatic on the face of it, much of the current structure will remain intact, with Zampella continuing to lead Respawn and Battlefield. Samantha Ryan will likewise continue to be in charge of BioWare, Maxis, Full Circle, and Motive Studios. Apart from giving studios leaders more control over their respective domains, the big change appears to be centered on separating out EA Sports, which continues to be EA's biggest profit driver. EA's soccer sims in particular continue to be major money machines for EA, with FIFA 23 pushing the publisher near $2 billion in net bookings. "Over the coming months, Stuart, Laura, Cam, and David will partner closely with studio leaders to implement these organizational changes, further embedding dedicated capabilities into franchise teams and driving operational rigor," Wilson wrote, claiming that "EA's business remains strong."

[source]

[royalty-nobility]

Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus, d. 1734. Jacobite

Artist: Richard Waitt (Scottish, 1684 - 1733)

Date: 1712

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: National Galleries Scotland, Edinburg

Description

Lord Duffus was a Scottish aristocrat who supported the Act of Union in 1707. However, during the 1715 Jacobite Rising he joined the rebels who wanted to restore the exiled Stuart dynasty. The Rising failed and Duffus’s estates were forfeited. He fled to the continent, but was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Released in 1717, he later served in the Russian Imperial Navy where he rose to the rank of admiral. This portrait was painted before Lord Duffus joined the Jacobite cause. The painting is an early and complete depiction of Highland dress. Lord Duffus is shown dressed for hunting and the image conforms to the traditional Gaelic ideal of the aristocrat as ‘the hunter of deer’.

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Traditional Scots Bonnet

I write ✍️ in response to the message.

The Blue Bonnets of 16th Century Scotland

The traditional Light Blue Scots Bonnet or Bluebonnet (originally bonaid in Gaelic) from the 16th to the 18th century was the customary working wear of Scottish labourers and farmers. Although a particularly broad and flat form was associated with the Scottish Lowlands, where it was called "scone cap". The popularity of this hat spread into the Highlands was adopted by 1700. At this time, people knew Highlanders by the thick, blue or grey, wool bonnets they wore.

This blue bonnet was also associated with Jacobitism. There is even a Jacobite song called “Blue Bonnets Over the Border”, written down by Sir Walter Scott.

It’s the period that the Outlander series is set in, so this hat likely tried to inspire the Scots bonnets worn in the series.

These hats come with the white cockade symbol. When Prince Charles Edward Stuart arrive at Glenfinnan in 1745 he picked a white rose and placed it on his hat, hence the white cockade became the sign of the Jacobite supporters of his rebellion. There are several Scottish variants of the beret, notably the Scottish bonnet or Bluebonnet, whose ribbon cockade and feathers identify the wearer’s clan and rank.

As seen above, the only Jacobite known to have worn a velvet bonnet before and during the ’45 was Prince Charles Edward. Even Lord George Murray, Prince Charles Edward’s main commander wore a woollen bonnet. Prince Charles Edward was only depicted wearing velvet blue bonnets, so it is not surprising that this bonnet was made from fabric & not knitted; this arguably was a symbol of status, something which set him apart from his men.

Scots Hat Types

Inspired by the hats traditionally worn by Scotsmen in the 16th to 18th centuries, Scots Bonnets, or Tam O’Shanters, were an integral part of a Scotsman’s attire. In the 18th century, the Scots Bonnet was the main item of clothing used to identify a Scotsman, even more so than tartan.

The Scots bonnet has been around since the early 16th century and has grown into several variations from the Balmoral bonnet, Glengarry hat, to the Tam O' Shanter cap. Being worn through wars on traditional uniforms for hundreds of years, the Scottish bonnet is a recognisable staple to most Scotsmen.

The Scottish hat, although named from Burn’s poem, existed long before. The flat bonnet was seen throughout Scotland from the late 1500s through the 1800s. It was similar to the common European hat but with a pom ( a “toorie”) on the top centre. Before the availability of synthetic dyes, the dye for wool for the hats came from plants and colors abundant in the region. The often-used indigo dye gives way to the name blue bonnet.

This hat is named after the hero in a Robert Burns poem. Robert Burns, arguably the most famous Scottish poet, often wrote about his surroundings and incorporated the elements and people into his great works. He was born near the town of Ayr and became friends with a farmer Douglas Graham of Shanter Farms, nicknamed Tam o’ Shanter. (Tam for the boy is often used and Shanter for his farm).

The 1790 Burn’s poem speaks of Tam, who, after a night of pub drinking, rides his grey mare Meg home during a frightful storm. While passing the haunted church (kirk), he encountered dancing witches and warlocks. As he stood in fear, the apparitions took notice of Tam.

An old etched illustration of a Burns Night celebration.

The Tam O’ Shanter Inn is now a museum in Ayr. Tam and Burns would spend their days and nights in the small pub room, drinking and conversing, At this Inn, a series of paintings capture Tam’s ride depicted in Burn’s poem. On Tam’s head is a Scottish lowland bonnet that is woollen, flat, round, and blue with a pom on top. The Scottish hat, in its many forms, then became known as a Tam o’ Shanter, or simply, a tam hat.

There are several Scottish variants of the beret, notably the Scottish bonnet or Bluebonnet. In later years it came to be associated with Highland dress, and in the 19th century gave rise to other types of largely military headgear such as the more elaborate Balmoral bonnet, the tam o' shanter, (with the addition of a wire cage) the military feather bonnet.

“Scottish bonnet”. This term was used by The Earl Of Galloway, The Earl Of Morley, The Duke Of Richmond and Gordon, The Marquess Of Lothian and Lord Waveny during a debate in the House Of Lords (Army-Dress Of The Army—The Ostrich Feather Head-Dress Of The Highland Regiments) February 1884.

The bluebonnet can be traced back to 15th-century Scotland. From this point on other native Scottish headwear derived from the blue bonnet. The cap is now known as a modern classic, but it's lived through hundreds of years. The three main types of traditional Scottish bonnet hats are Glengarry, Balmoral, and Tam O' Shanter.

Original & Complete WW1 Scottish Officer's 1917 9th Royal Scots kilted uniform, belonging to a Lieutenant Colonel of the 9th (kilted) Battalion, Royal Scots. The Dandy Ninth.

Today, the bonnets have been replaced in daily wear by the Balmoral, there are still some who enjoy wearing an outdated, be it their more utilitarian form, or some simply enjoy their look, take a look around next time you're at a Highland clan gathering.

The tam o' shanter is now best known as the headgear of a number of Scottish infantry regiments and those with Scottish affiliations. The Scottish regiments made the Tam o’ Shanter (ToS) part of the official military uniform during the First World War. The ToS is still worn today in the military units, not only in Scotland but also in Canada and Australia. The beret's practicality is an item part of military uniform clothing.

Traditional Scottish Bonnet

The cap is now known as a modern classic, but it's lived through hundreds of years. The three main types of traditional Scottish bonnet hats are Glengarry, Balmoral, and Tam O' Shanter.

Glengarry hat

The Glengarry bonnet is said to have first appeared as the headdress of the Glengarry Fencibles, a military regiment formed in the 1790s. The cap is traditionally made of thick-milled woollen material. It is decorated with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind.

In the 1850s, the Glengarry became a piece of uniform for Scottish Regiments of the British Army. It is now most commonly worn by pipers in the army.

Lieutenant Colonel Thompson (Equerry to HM The King) is an officer in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. In both No. 1 (Regimental Dress) and No. 2 (Service Dress), a Kilt in Government 1A tartan is the correct item of uniform with Glengarry bonnet.

Balmoral hat

The Balmoral bonnet has been recorded to be worn as early as the 16th century. The hat was formerly referred to as the “Kilmarnock bonnet” or the “Kilmarnock cap”. The hat originates from the Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, which is often occupied by the British Royal Family.

Queen Victoria’s Highlanders of Scotland

The bonnet takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown. This traditional Scottish hat can be worn as part of both informal and formal Highland dresses, making it a beautifully diverse asset to your wardrobe.

Today, the Royal Regiment of Scotland continues to wear the cap. The various battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland identify themselves by wearing distinctive coloured feathers on their bonnets.

Tom O’ Shanter hat

The Tam O' Shanter cap is known best in Scottish culture by the famous 1790 Robert Burns poem, 'Tam O' Shanter'. It is sometimes known as the 'Tammie.' The Tam O' Shanter is a flat bonnet, originally made of wool hand-knitted in one piece, stretched on a wooden disc to give the distinctive flat shape.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While these hats originated in Scotland as part of the army uniform, they became part of the working class's wardrobe. Into the 19th century, the upper class embraced the bonnets for hunting and shooting all over the UK. Mass immigration of British to North America then popularised the cap in the USA, beginning the Scottish bonnet hat's worldwide journey.

Military and farmers are not the only ones in the tam game. Women adopted the fashion in the 1920s, and shorter haircuts came into style. Borrowing from men but making their own, women figured out ways to drape the hat in flatterable ways to frame their faces. The tam also saw spikes in popularity in the 1930s, with plaid and checks being fashionable and again in the 1970-1980s. Tams dominated the small hats in women’s fashion history over the years and today.

Massive fashion brands like Burberry and Vivian Westwood constantly added Scottish bonnet hats to their runway collections. Today, the Scottish bonnet hat is a globally recognisable piece of fashion.

***

Well... as you can see no such thing as an item of clothing called a Scotch bonnet but then if Diana Gabaldon did any research she’d know that. No self-respecting Scot would ever refer to themselves as Scotch.

By the way, the scotch bonnet is a variety of chilli pepper named for its supposed resemblance to a Scottish tam o' shanter bonnet. Scotland today uses the word Scotch whisky 🥃 as well as Scotch broth and Scotch mist not in another context.

***

Thank you, anon for the the discussion was a nice chat. Hope this clarifies your queries. ☕💬 😉💙

#LightBlueScotsBonnet #Bluebonnet #poem #RobertBurns #Glengarryhat #Balmoralhat #TamO'Shanterbonnet #Kilmarnockcap #Scotland

[weirdesplinder]

Cosa c'è di più adatto, visto che si avvicina il cenone di capodanno, di una lista di romance con protagonisti chef, cuochi e pasticceri?

- Tentazioni deliziose, di Sherry Thomas

Link: https://amzn.to/3TqeLyD

Trama: Famosa a Parigi per i suoi piatti indimenticabili, Verity Durant è altrettanto impopolare a Londra per la sua scandalosa vita privata. Ma questa è l’ultima delle sorprese che attendono il suo nuovo datore di lavoro... Per Stuart Somerset – astro nascente della politica londinese –, l’affascinante Verity non è altro che una donna come tante, esattamente come il cibo è nient’altro che cibo, almeno finché non assaggia uno dei suoi piatti. C’è stata solo un’occasione in cui ha provato una sensazione così dirompente: la notte in ci ha incontrato una splendida sconosciuta che gli ha lasciato solo il ricordo di un’incredibile passione, per poi sfumare nel nulla. Da allora sono passati dieci anni, e quando Stuart incontra Verity, capisce che c’è solo una cosa che potrà finalmente saziare il suo appetito. Si tratterà solo di desiderio, di sete di vendetta, o anche del più delicato dei sentimenti? Il passato di Verity cela segreti che potrebbero separarli per sempre, proprio mentre loro cercano di assaporare il frutto delizioso dell’amore.

- Il segreto di un gentiluomo, di Laura Lee Guhrke​

Link: https://amzn.to/3tfNtjL

Trama: Coronando il sogno di una vita, Maria Martingale vuole aprire a Mayfair una pasticceria con elegante sala da tè annessa. Tutto sembra filare liscio, ma l'altezzoso Phillip Hawthorne, marchese di Kayne, che abita lì accanto, cerca di metterle i bastoni fra le ruote. Così come aveva fatto dodici anni prima, impedendo che il proprio fratello minore avesse una storia d'amore con lei, figlia di un cuoco. Ora Phillip teme che la giovane cerchi di mandare a monte il matrimonio del fratello con una ricca ereditiera americana. Però le cose non stanno affatto come sembrano, e Maria non è più disposta a subire le interferenze di quell'uomo. Al quale, peraltro, sente di non essere affatto indifferente.

- Cannella e polvere da sparo, di Eli Brown

Link: https://amzn.to/3tiD0nD

Trama: Owen Wedgwood è un bravissimo cuoco, che lavora per il ricchissimo e potentissimo Lord Ramsey. Un giorno, siamo nel 1819, fa irruzione nel palazzo una banda di pirati, comandati dalla rossa Hannah Mabbot, che uccide Ramsey e tutti i suoi ospiti e rapisce il cuoco Wedgwood. Hannah, che tutti ritengono pazza e che proprio per questo ha un enorme ascendente sui suoi uomini, poche ore dopo gli propone/impone il patto: ogni domenica preparerà per lei un pranzo delizioso, in cambio resterà vivo. Owen accetta e resta quindi a bordo della Flying Rose. Accanto a lui, lo sguattero Joshua, a cui insegna a leggere e a scrivere, il gigantesco Apples, comandante in seconda e due gemelli cinesi. Mentre lotta per ricavare qualcosa di speciale dai miseri ingredienti della dispensa e dal pesce casualmente pescato dai marinai, Wedgwood impara che Hannah non è solo una spietata piratessa, capace di far divorare vivo un traditore dai gabbiani, ma una vittima dell'ipocrisia: è infatti rimasta orfana da bambina, a dieci anni è finita in un bordello, è fuggita per fare la ladra, è stata catturata e "salvata" da Ramsey, che l'ha utilizzata come concubina e le ha fatto fare un figlio. Hannah è dunque un'anticolonialista ante litteram, impegnata nella lotta contro i mercanti di oppio e di schiavi...

INEDITI IN ITALIANO:

- A Taste of Honey, di Rose Lerner

Link: https://amzn.to/4asLU2v

Trama:  Robert Moon ha rischiato tutto, compresa l'eredità conquistata a fatica da suo padre, per aprire la sua amata pasticceria Honey Moon nella strada più trafficata di Lively St. Lemeston. Ora rischia la bancarotta e la prigione per debitori. Quando arriva un grosso ordine di catering, accetta di chiudere la pasticceria per una settimana per soddisfarlo. C'è solo un problema: il suo apprendista è fuori città, quindi la sua bellissima commessa Betsy Piper deve aiutare Robert in cucina. Betsy ha trascorso l'ultimo anno cercando di convincere il suo determinato capo ad alzare lo sguardo dai suoi pasticcini e a notare che lei sarebbe una moglie perfetta. Ora i due sono soli in una cucina piena di dolci. Con solo una settimana per farlo innamorare di lei, sarebbe meglio che iniziasse questa seduzione...

- At the Sign of the Golden Pineapple, di Marion Chesney (alias M.C. Beaton)

Link: https://amzn.to/3H6N72l

Trama: Gli amici più intimi della signorina Henrietta Bascombe rimangono sconvolti nel sentire che una signora bene educata come lei intende entrare nel commercio. Ma Henrietta è determinata a trasformare la sua miseria eredità in una fortuna aprendo un negozio di dolciumi a Londra per rivaleggiare con il famoso Gunther! E sembra riuscirci quando l'intero ton sembra accorrere al suo negozio diventato subito di moda. Ma poi a metterle i bastoni tra le ruote arriva l'orgoglioso conte di Carrisdowne che non vuole che suo fratello minore e il suo migliore amico passino i pomeriggi a osservare le commesse carine dietro il bancone di Bascombe.

- Miss Delectable, di Grace Burrowes

Link: https://amzn.to/3RuPT6c

Trama: La signorina Ann Pearson ha passato anni ad apprendere la difficile arte della cuoca professionista e a proteggere gelosamente la sua posizione nella cucina dell'elegante Coventry Club. Quando il colonnello Sir Orion Goddard le chiede di assumere un giovane apprendista, Ann preferisce rifiutare. Ma Orion è rispettoso, burbero e affascinante e si prende cura di una ragazza che gli altri hanno trascurato, e questa è una combinazione a cui Ann non può resistere.

- A Taste for Love, di Donna Bell

Link: https://amzn.to/3NKJAdu

Trama: Dopo essersi diplomata alla Fannie Farmer's School of Cookery nel 1910, Charlotte Gregory è pronta a dare una svolta alla sua vita. È entusiasta di avere l'opportunità di viaggiare, tenere conferenze e dare dimostrazioni di cucina sull'ultima rivoluzione culinaria: i fornelli a gas, e di certo non le importa che la compagnia del gas abbia assunto il bel Lewis Mathis per esibirsi alle sue lezioni. Lewis incoraggia il suo lavoro, in particolare la sua crociata per introdurre cibo fresco, appetitoso e nutriente per coloro che sono in convalescenza negli ospedali. Ma il giovane sovrintendente dell'ospedale, il dottor Joel Brooks, non è convinto che si debbano apportare dei cambiamenti. Quando Charlotte e Joel saranno costretti a organizzare un gala per la raccolta fondi per l'ospedale, questa coppia infiammabile esploderà?

 L'irreprensibile Biddy Leigh, sottocuoca nella severa Mawton Hall, non vede l'ora di sistemarsi con il suo innamorato e di aprire la sua taverna. Ma quando il suo anziano padrone sposa la giovane ed enigmatica Lady Carinna, Biddy viene involontariamente trascinata in un mondo di intrighi, segreti e bugie. Costretta ad accompagnare la sua nuova padrona in Italia, Biddy porta con sé un vecchio libro di ricette di casa, The Cook's Jewel, in cui registra le sue osservazioni. Quando si ritrova coinvolta in una cospirazione omicida, Biddy si rende conto che i segreti che custodisce potrebbero essere la chiave per la sua sopravvivenza... o per la sua rovina.

#lauraleeguhrke #romance #listadilibri

[heracliteanfire]

Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus. Richard Waitt, about 1712.

“Lord Duffus was a Scottish aristocrat who supported the Act of Union in 1707. However, during the 1715 Jacobite Rising he joined the rebels who wanted to restore the exiled Stuart dynasty. The Rising failed and Duffus’s estates were forfeited. He fled to the continent, but was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Released in 1717, he later served in the Russian Imperial Navy where he rose to the rank of admiral.” via the National Galleries of Scotland.

[mermaidsirennikita]

could you recommend some old fashioned historical romance books like bodice ripper vibes?

For sure!

I would definitely recommend trying the four J's, of course.

Johanna Lindsey—admittedly the one I'm least acquainted with even though she GOT ME INTO THIS SHIT and I own five billion of her books in paperback (and one in hardback) but she was hugely influential for a reason, so...

My favorite of the ones I read is Fires of Winter, but I admit that is extremely noncon for the first half or so. Maybe what you're looking for, then? It's a viking book in which the heroine is a Celtic woman kidnapped and enslaved in the beginning. The hero is a viking warrior/noble who does assault her, but then they fall in love. She's super defiant. There's a lot of fucking crazy shit that happens (someone might fight a bear)? Hidden pregnancy, her hating his ass until she doesn't, enemies to lovers to the maaax whole nine yards.

A softer Lindsey would be the western Angel, which is about a heroine who accidentally starts a war between feuding families and then has to have a hired gun as her bodyguard. She shoots his hat off when they first meet and owns a panther. He's all "grr I've killed five billion people" but is actually a massive softie. You could technically call their first time dubcon (it's a marriage of convenience that's supposed to be temporary but he gets horny, basically) but she's very into it.

Judith McNaught--A CLASSIQUE. Whitney, My Love is probably most iconic for being a bodice ripper, but it's VERY intense and has a true alpha alpha alpha ASSHOLE hero who horsewhips the heroine at one point and rapes her at another. There is an edited edition out there without this. WML is very influential, but it's not an easy read.

A softer one would ironically be the medieval A Kingdom of Dreams, in which the heroine is a nightmare Scottish woman kidnapped by the English hedro, who quickly realizes that she's A Lot. Forced marriage, bickering galore, it's honestly very funny and has a FABULOUS ending. Tons of chemistry.

Julie Garwood--The Bride, obviously! Scottish border marriage, the hero is an iconically hot yet somewhat socially awkward laird who takes the English heroine to his home in an arranged situation, and she's very HARUMPH about it until she adapts and exhibits her healer talents, thus winning everyone over. Also, he won't bed her until she wears his plaid!!! Has one of the greatest MINE moments every committed to text. "What do we call her?" "You call her MINE"

Jude Deveraux--This one is a time travel book, but it still counts because of how much time is spent in the medieval era, imo. A Knight in Shining Armor. The heroine is a woman in the 80s whose fiance abandons her on vacation (lol) and she sobs in a church, which brings a knight in shining armor to her rescue. Except he's kind of a ridiculous loser? She ends up back in his time due to Twists.

I would also recommend Anne Stuart books like To Love a Dark Lord, Shadowdance, and A Rose at Midnight are great, though they are pretty dark... So be careful, proceed with caution. But so good!

Laura Kinsale is great! She's a beautiful writer, and she'll give you the ASSHOLE heroes. But an incredible story, too. Try Flowers from the Storm and For My Lady's Heart, then Shadowheart.

Elizabeth Lowell's medieval trilogy is fabulous and gives full bodice ripper vibes.

[scotianostra]

December 10th 1747 saw the death of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Born at Culloden House in the Highlands, November 10th 1685, there is next to nothing written about his early life, Forbes attended the local grammar school and then matriculated at Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1699. His brother John inherited the Culloden Estate when their father died in 1704. Forbes briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in 1705, then received his law degree from Leyden University in the Netherlands. He returned to Scotland in 1707 and in married Mary Rose in 1708. They had one surviving child, John Forbes Upon his brother John’s death in 1734, Duncan inherited the Culloden Estate.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Forbes and his brother raised independent companies and fortified Culloden and Kilvarock. They joined forces with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and forced Inverness to surrender to them just before the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. As a reward, Forbes was made Depute-Advocate in March 1716. This required him to prosecute Jacobite prisoners being held in Carlisle, contrary to the accepted practice they be tried in the counties where the actions were alleged to have taken place. Forbes regarded this as unjust and apparently collected money for the support of Scottish prisoners in Carlisle.

In 1721, Forbes represented Ayr Burghs as a Member of Parliament (MP.) Then in 1722, he was elected for Inverness Burghs, a seat he held until 1737 when he resigned. Forbes was appointed as Lord President of the Court of Session, becoming the senior legal officer in Scotland. He held this position until his death in 1747.

The 1745 Jacobite Uprising began Forbes received word of the Prince and the Seven Men of Moidart landing on Eriskay and notified the British Government in London. After the Jacobite army entered Edinburgh and achieved a victory at Prestonpans in September, Forbes and John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun based themselves in Inverness with around 2,000 recruits. They were forced to retreat to the Isle of Skye when the Jacobites retreated to Inverness after abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746. Charles Stuart used the Culloden Estate as his headquarters during the preparations for the Battle of Culloden. After the British Government victory in Culloden in April, Forbes returned home to find his house looted and all his cattle stolen.

While he supported severe penalties for the leaders, Forbes counselled that 'Unnecessary Severitys create Pity.' He opposed the 1746 Dress Act banning Highland attire except when worn in military service, arguing it was unnecessary and enforcement of the 1716 Disarming Act was more important. This advice was largely ignored.

Forbes himself was financially ruined by the Rising, due to the damage done to his estate and because he was never reimbursed for the monies spent on behalf of the government.

A keen golfer, after the ‘45, he saved the life of his friend, John Rattray, Charlies personal physician, he also represented the notorious Colonel Francis Charteris who gained the unenviable nickname "The Rape-Master General" Accused of rape for the third time in 1730, he was sentenced to death but Forbes is said to have been instrumental in obtaining a pardon; Charteris left him £1000 when he died in 1732.

Duncan Forbes of Culloden died in Edinburgh on 10th December 1747 and is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near to his brother John. A statue of him by Louis-François Roubiliac was erected in the Parliament House, Edinburgh by the Faculty of Advocates in 1752.

[spider-xan]

If I was Stuart Townsend, I would be forever haunted by what happened with Lord of the Rings tbh, like, imagine being cast as Aragorn, doing all that preparation for the film, and after like, the first day of shooting, it's like, actually, you're too young for the role, so you're fired and being replaced with Viggo Mortensen, and then seeing the explosive popularity of the films and how Viggo's career took off while yours faded into obscurity just as quickly as your star initially rose.