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honkifurhoary · 2 years

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Emmanuel the Emu: A Story of HPAI Mismanagement

Emmanuel, the TikTok-famous emu owned by Taylor Blake of Knuckle Bump Farms, made national news last month when Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) hit the farm. According to Blake’s initial Twitter thread, Knuckle Bump Farms lost 99% of their avian flock- over 50 individuals- in only three days. These deaths were attributed both to the disease itself and to a cull carried out by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who did so with Blake’s permission. Emmanuel and a black swan named Rico were the only two survivors, with Emmanuel left unable to stand, unwilling to eat or drink, and quickly fading. Hundreds of thousands rallied behind Emmanuel on social media as Blake documented Emmanuel’s progress, reaching out to public figures like Dr. Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol and Bindi Erwin of Crikey! It’s the Irwins for help when she failed to find any other sources for emu rehabilitation. But soon, controversy emerged.

Early on, avian influenza experts expressed concern that Blake was not wearing any PPE when interacting with a presumably HPAI-positive bird. Avian influenza is transmissible from bird to human which, combined with the virus’ ability to mix genes and rapidly change, means that PPE is universally recommended when dealing with a suspected or confirmed HPAI outbreak.

In response to concerns, Blake explained that “Emmanuel freaks out whenever we approach him wearing a mask” and that the farm is on a state-mandated quarantine for 150 days, which is the amount of time HPAI is estimated to survive in the environment under ideal conditions. This quarantine reportedly only allowed Blake, Blake’s girlfriend Kristian Haggerty, Blake’s family, and veterinary professionals to enter the property. “I have taken every precaution recommended by the FDA” Blake stated, referencing the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) rather than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Many people, including HPAI experts, found this explanation unsatisfactory and instead decided to contact the FDACS and USDA directly. Both the FDACS and USDA work collaboratively to manage avian influenza outbreaks in Florida. Dr. Danielle Stanek of the Florida Department of Health clarified that the DOH can recommend that private individuals comply with CDC guidelines, which includes wearing full PPE when interacting with HPAI-infected birds, but they cannot mandate that they do so. Therefore, Blake’s decision to forgo PPE was hers to make, even if it wasn’t in accordance with the recommendations of the FDACS, CDC, USDA, and Florida DOH.

Just as discourse between experts and Emmanuel fans reached its peak, Blake announced that Emmanuel tested negative for HPAI. Instead, Emmanuel’s sudden decline was attributed to stress. “Emus are incredibly susceptible to stress. He was incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock . . . He stopped eating the day they depopulated.” His lingering issues- the inability to stand or walk independently, twisted neck (torticollis), continued inappetence and dehydration, and lethargy- were caused by a nighttime collapse that left Emmanuel “thrashing on the ground for hours, trying to get himself up”. “He never once had a single symptom of AI, other than not eating”, Blake stated.

HPAI symptoms in birds varies depending on the species and the individual. In chickens, HPAI often presents as respiratory and digestive distress, followed quickly by death. In other poultry species, symptoms may also include the nervous system, causing “tremors, twisted necks, paralyzed wings, laying down and pedaling”. Ratites- referring to the diverse group of keel-less birds that include emus, ostriches, rheas, kiwis, and cassowaries- also tend to develop neurological symptoms. Notably, emus can present with twisted necks (torticollis), ataxia (discoordination), leg and wing paralysis, inability to stand, decreased food and water consumption, purple discoloration or swelling of the legs and head, and lethargy. This corresponds with many of the symptoms Blake has documented in Emmanuel. And it should, considering that Emmanuel did test positive for HPAI.

Test results completed on October 27th, 2022 at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories showed that Emmanuel’s serum sample, collected six days after the start of the outbreak, contained antibody levels that were consistent with recent infection.

When Blake announced Emmanuel’s stress diagnosis, she was likely relying on information provided by a rapid test, which can provide results within 48 hours. These tests detect viral proteins that indicate active infection and virus shedding. Serology tests, on the other hand, look for the presence of antibodies produced in response to infection, not necessarily active infection. For an indeterminate number of days prior to the sample collection (October 17, 2022) Emmanuel had an active HPAI infection that, rather than stress, likely led to his rapid decline.

Why, then, was Emmanuel not included in the state’s cull on Knuckle Bump Farms? An email between Dr. Michael Short, the FDACS’ Animal Industry Director, and Kassandra Curiel of the FDACS’ Office of the Commissioner, answers this question. Dr. Short states that “USDA guidance is that ratites (emus and ostriches), black swans and exotic pet birds do not have to be euthanized due to lower risk”. Blake echoes this on her Twitter, when she says that “the state only focused on the “super spreaders” which are poultry species and ducks. Ratites aren’t included because they typically aren’t as susceptible.”.

This allowed Knuckle Bump Farms’ four emus (Emily, Eliza, Elliot, and Emmanuel) and three black swans (two unnamed females and Rico), to be exempted from the cull. I cannot find any reference, either in USDA literature or anywhere else, that supports Dr. Short’s statement. In fact, all the literature that I reviewed and all the experts I talked to during my research only confirmed the devastating effects that HPAI can have on both ratites and black swans. This, coupled with the fact that three of Knuckle Bump Farms’ four emus and two of their three black swans died when “the virus hit them extremely hard and very quickly”, calls Dr. Short’s statement into question.

The USDA was also unable to substantiate Dr. Short’s statement. When asked how exemptions to culls were determined they explained that, rather than look at individual species, the USDA classifies HPAI-infected domestic birds as either commercial, backyard poultry, or backyard non-poultry. These definitions ascribe risk of potential HPAI spread by determining the level of contact a poultry premise has with other poultry premises. If a private farm or private household, where the poultry does not have any contact with poultry beyond the property, has an outbreak then they are classified as a non-poultry premises, even if they have chickens, turkeys, or other poultry birds. These non-poultry premises can thus be exempted from culling all their birds by being placed on quarantines by state officials, provided that they adhere to the quarantine and continue to not have contact with any poultry facilities. Knuckle Bump Farms does not sell poultry products; therefore, they were classified as backyard non-poultry and eligible for quarantine. The FDACS seems to have added their own interpretation onto this guidance when they specify ratites, black swans, and exotic pet birds as “lower risk”. I reached out to Dr. Short for comment but received no response.

This isn’t the only time Dr. Short and, by extension, the FDACS demonstrated faulty logic. In that same email between him and Curiel, Dr. Short used this comparison to explain why a citizen’s concern about Emmanuel’s exemption from the cull was unfounded.

“I have heard of only one report of a clinically ill human, over the past 1.5 years of a national response to the current avian flu outbreak. The risk of HPAI to the owner is much less than occurred with household pets that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). I am assuming no one would advocate to euthanize all pets testing positive for Covid (At least I have not heard of anyone asking us to euthanize pets).

The risk of avian influenza is constantly occurring with all the wild birds in South Florida. My understanding (not being a human health expert) is the risk to people, especially children and those immuno-compromised at public or private lakes, ponds and waterways from the AI being shed by water fowl is much greater than the sick emu at knuckle bump farm.”

Dr. Ben Golas, a VMD and postdoc with the USGS who is currently working on avian influenza research, weighed in. “It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges to talk about risk of transmission of COVID vs. HPAI. With COVID, our primary concern is human-to-human contact. [. . .] With HPAI, farm animals are euthanized not only because the disease spreads within the farm flock like wildfire, but also to prevent spreading infection locally to other farms, because HPAI virus can be stable in the environment.”

The CDC agrees. “There is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people. […] It’s important to remember that people are much more likely to get COVID-19 from other people than from animals. There is no need to euthanize or otherwise harm animals infected with SARS-CoV-2.” When it comes to HPAI, however, they emphasize that human-to-human spread is rare and often limited to only a few individuals. Bird-to-human transmission is the primary method of human infection, with each new infection increasing the risk that a new, more virulent strain will emerge. This, along with the potential for massive bird-to-bird outbreaks that could devastate both wildlife and industry, is why complete depopulation (euthanasia) is standard for HPAI and not COVID-19.

The FDACS seems to be operating on contradicting and unsubstantiated information when it comes to managing HPAI outbreaks. Unsurprisingly, the employees seem equally conflicted in their internal emails regarding Knuckle Bump Farms. One Florida USDA representative noted, while forwarding a citizen concern about Blake’s lack of PPE, that “her face is real close to a bird that has HPAI”. Another USDA employee responded “actually, in one of the pictures she appears to be kissing it on the head.”. Dr. Kendra Stauffer of the USDA wrote, “. . . part of the allowing the pet bird to live was that there were rules the owner was to follow from DOH, which clearly she is not”.

Other employees, however, were eager to show their support. Commissioner Nikki Fried of the FDACS posted a photo of her, Blake, and Haggerty, and later posted a photo of herself drinking Knuckle Bump Farms’ branded beer while wearing an Emmanuel t-shirt.

Fried’s support generated a lot of concern, particularly amongst local farmers. One Florida emu farmer stated, “my disappointment and concern is 100% with the actions of Nikki Fried as Agricultural Commissioner to allow some birds to be exempt from depopulation, including emus, for no quantifiable reason. Emus are susceptible to HPAI. Emus in other states have contracted HPAI in this current outbreak and they either died on their own or were put down. Research shows they are susceptible to HPAI, and can spread it to other birds and humans. The decision by Fried and FDACS makes no sense and it sets a dangerous precedent.”

Considering that Blake has over 847.4K followers on Twitter, 938K on Instagram, and 2.4 million on TikTok, the precedent the FDACS and USDA have set here is, indeed, dangerous. Many of Blake’s followers learned about avian influenza for the first time through her documentation of Emmanuel’s illness and the state’s response to the outbreak. “I watch for Emmanuel updates every day! This has also been a great lesson for many people in farming education.”, one follower said. Another echoed this sentiment, saying “Thank you for taking the time to let us know what’s going on, and answering questions. You truly are an educator”.

Herein lies the problem. Knuckle Bump Farms is a small, backyard operation. Through social media, however, they reach millions. This specific outbreak of HPAI and its subsequent (mis-)management by the FDACS and USDA has now set the standard for many, rather than the exception. Blake’s public failure to comply with PPE recommendations, the lack of transparency regarding Emmanuel’s true diagnosis, a similar lack of transparency within the FDACS and USDA regarding this outbreak, exemptions to cull protocols made with seemingly no supporting data, and a publicly-elected official openly (and financially) supporting Blake through this process, all pose a serious threat to public confidence in HPAI management and future public health. The concerns of farmers, virologists, public health workers and organizations, wildlife rehabilitators, and animal sanctuaries have been ignored, particularly when they asked whether Emmanuel’s fame and the risk of public backlash led to the FDACS’ decision to leave him and several other symptomatic birds alive. It seems, through this research, that there is more support for this theory than the narrative we’ve been provided until now. It is my hope that, with the publishing of this information, the very real concerns raised by people directly effected by HPAI will be given the weight they deserve.

Please take this opportunity to learn about avian influenza from reputable sources:

Protecting Birds from Avian Influenza

Avian influenza and PPE

CDC Avian Influenza

USDA HPAI Response Plan

Florida Avian Influenza Update (Oct 2022)

A huge thank you to the following experts who generously answered my questions: Dr. Ben Golas, Dr. Jim Wellehan, and Dr. Jennifer Riley.

#emmanuel the emu #hpai #avian influenza #florida #avian flu

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nansheonearth · 9 months

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A Boston shelter tried a new approach to finding women stable housing. Three years later, its success is clear.

Since launching its stabilization program in July 2020, Women’s Lunch Place says that 97 percent of women who found housing are still living in their homes.

By Alysa Guffey Globe Correspondent,Updated August 30, 2023, 5:51 a.m.

Nancy Edwards in her apartment.SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

Two years ago, Nancy Edwards fell into homelessness after being priced out of rent in Southern California. With her two dogs, Roo and Tink, in tow, she decided to drive across the country with all her belongings packed in her small sedan. Her final destination would be Boston, the home of her only child and the last place she says she received adequate mental health care.

She arrived in Boston in September 2021, and later that month met Lianne O’Reilly, a behavioral health and stabilization clinician at Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime shelter and advocacy center serving people who identify as female.

With help from O’Reilly and Women’s Lunch Place, Edwards, 65, was able to receive the mental health care she needed and took the first steps in applying for housing in the city.

“I was able to make heads or tails out of life and rescue myself from being homeless,” Edwards said.

Edwards is one of 173 clients who Women’s Lunch Place has helped to secure housing since the organization launched its housing stabilization program in July 2020. Three years later, the organizaton reports that 97 percent, or 167, of the women are still living in their new homes.

At Pine Street Inn shelter, a mother and daughter persevere and find communityNew housing strategy behind Mass. and Cass cleanup offers ‘hope, dignity’ — and may be a solution to homelessness, officials say‘Permanent supportive housing’ may be controversial to would-be neighbors, but it’s been beneficial to those who live in it

Located on Newbury Street in Back Bay, the stabilization program is designed to provide clients at Women’s Lunch Place with wraparound services before and after they receive keys for an apartment, said Doris Romero, the center’s housing and stabilization manager. Often times, women who walk through the doors have a steep learning curve when living on their own and can be evicted if they do not have continuous support.

“The last thing that I want is after getting someone into housing is for them to lose their housing,” Romero said.

Romero facilitates conversations with landlords, property managers, leasing officers, and even other tenants to ease the burden on clients. Each woman seeking housing is paired with a full-time advocate from the organization, and the team has doubled in size since its inception, she added.

For some, the housing search can take years, with some guests only moving into homes now after originally starting a housing application five years ago, said Romero. Other times, partnerships and applications with the city can speed up the process for those who really need housing. For instance, Edwards submitted an application to the Elders Living At Home Program through Boston Medical Center.

“In the application you have to explain why this person needs housing, and as soon as I met [Edwards,] I knew that housing was really key to her stability and moving forward,” O’Reilly said.

As a result, Edwards moved in to her new home about seven months after connecting with Women’s Lunch Place.

“It’s nice and quiet and I feel secure,” Edwards said on a recent Friday in her one-bedroom apartment in the South End.

Nancy Edwards in her apartment.SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF

While stabilization programs are not necessarily a new invention, Women’s Lunch Place’s method of keeping tabs on and tracking women it helps find housing is encouraging, because it shows “obvious and dramatic evidence that it works,” said Susan Sered, professor of sociology at Suffolk University.

For the past 15 years, Sered has been following a group of about 50 women in Boston who fall in and out of homelessness. In her research, she has seen women lose housing because of substandard living conditions or abusive men in their life who visit homes and cause trouble — issues that can often be prevented with robust stabilization services.

“A lot of these problems are dealt with before they get out of control,” she said of the system in place at Women’s Lunch Place. “They can provide this kind of really intensive support that can help people get through that difficult period or a difficult incident and hold on to their housing.”

Romero said she poses as many questions as possible to find a strong fit for each individual client.

“Do they want to stay in Boston? Do they want roommates or their own space?”

However, even though the program is run through the shelter, women who seek the stabilization services have their own agency throughout the process, choosing where, when, and what they apply to.

“We can provide them options of different opportunities, but they get to choose where they want to apply to,” Romero said.

Most of the clients would prefer to stay in Boston, Romero said, but that doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, after looking at options in Boston, she encourages clients to look elsewhere, such as the North or South Shore, to set realistic expectations. Romero added that the center has had luck stabilizing people in Medford and Watertown homes.

The stabilization program is unique since it doesn’t end once women get the keys to their new place.

“People really assume like everything’s like sunshine and flowers once you get housed,” O’Reilly said. “And it can be, but for a lot of people it can be traumatic in many ways.”

The length of stabilization looks different for each client, Romero said. Advocates visit the homes of their clients as much as they need to help with everything from setting up cable to finding a church community nearby.

Women’s Lunch Place also assists clients facing possible eviction — a vital component of stabilization services, staff members say.

Estella Green, 55, credits the program for her finding stable housing and avoiding eviction after she had been sleeping on the streets or couch surfing for almost three years.

“I was in a place where I was about to go downhill, but I came here and I asked for help and they helped me,” Green said.

With help from her advocate, Christina Labossiere, Green has lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Brighton for more than two years. Since March, the organization has assisted Green in applying to the city’s Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program, which helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies.

Green said she loves the apartment, especially the bed to sleep in, but still comes to Women’s Lunch Place almost daily because that — not Brighton — is her community.

“You can relax, be comfortable, and you can always find someone to talk to,” Green said.

Alysa Guffey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @AlysaGuffeyNews.

Edit:

Here's a link to donate to Women's Lunch Place

Follow them on ig

If you reblogged the previous version, reblog with the donate link.

#radfem #alysa guffey #women's lunch place #boston #massachusetts #new england #housing #sisterhood #solidarity #resources #welfare #ideas #to do #o #boston globe

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rentonyourterms · 2 months

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fluorescentbalaclava · 3 months

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training season's over

chapter 1: Ground Zero

Summary:

After 5 years of service in KorTac, they consider you capable enough to hold yourself in solo missions. Money and freedom, what else could you ask for? But what feels like a good start, progressively starts to backfire.

TF141/female reader, Konig/female reader

spy reader, forced bonding, slow burn, slow build, militar inaccuracies, suggestive language, language, canon typical violence

This is an introductory chapter. Mandatory mention that English isn't my first language so apologies in advance. Hope you enjoy!

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Movies were absolutely right in one thing, one of the big parts in the life of a spy consisted in being shoved into small spaces for a bit too much time, mostly air vents. A little fact they forgot to add, is how fucking boring it could be while you waited for the for the moment to act.

They are late. You thought as you rested your head against the wall of the same air vent you’ve been in for the last forty-six minutes.

1900 – You were dropped in a nearby building by a car without a number plate, property of KorTac.

1920 - You’ve managed to catch a maintenance man smoking a cigarette on his break, successfully making him nap with an always handy syringe of tranquilizer, stealing his card, as well as his overall and cap, using it to sneak inside the building. Once you got inside, you saw the maintenance cart, and you used it to hide your tool bag. The way up wasn’t too complicated, as everyone seemed to respect the uniform, probably assuming something just needed to be fixed, and since you had the maintenance key card, you didn’t have to ask for permission to get through doors.

1945 – You were already on the roof, after what felt like a life climbing stairs to avoid most of the cameras, you discarded the uniform, and got everything needed from your bag before letting it hang from your back. You walked to the edge of the roof, big fall but not a big gap between buildings, you knew you could make the jump, but before that, you pressed the comm.

“Sage to Control, how copy?” You said quietly, while taking a moment while you wait to admire the view of the city. Perfect October day, the night already fell, the cold breeze hit your face, making you lift your face mask, only leaving your eyes uncovered. The streets beneath were full of traffic, full of lights, full of life.

“Control to Sage, send traffic.” Your station chief said through the comm, reminding you that you were here for work, not to admire the view.

“I’m in my first position, everything peachy so far. Remind me to check on the tied-up janitor in the alleyway on my way back”.

“For now, just try to get in there without a fuss. Remember---”

“I know, no execution authority, don’t get caught, recovery mission only. Get the intel without the 141 noticing, got it. I’m not a rookie anymore, remember? Playing on the big leagues now” You said with a hint of amusement, and the man behind the comm could hear the smile on your voice, which made him sigh.

“Listen, Sage, I know the first solo mission sounds exciting, but König was right to be worried when we left. The 141 is a dangerous unit, you must avoid contact by any means necessary…I don’t even know why they’re sending you alone in this, I think it’s a bit irrespon---”

“---sible to send a rookie? Don’t worry, I am not planning on getting caught. And for your information, I am being sent because all the other spies from the force are already in other missions, and I’m the only one left that fits into an air vent…but honestly, it’ll be fine, and if not, please bury me with my Sylvanian Families collection.” You said as you were eyeing the jumping distance, letting out a grunt as you throw your tool bag, which landed in the roof of the other building. “141 is supposed to be here at 2030 according to the intel, right? I should get going to get in position. I will listen but I will have to cut contact from my end, update me on the status”.

“You have a Sylvanian Families collection?” The voice now sounded confused on the other side of the frequency.

“Unimportant now. Update me on the status of the guests every 15 minutes. Over” You said before cutting communication on your side.

You took a few steps back, before running to the edge and jumping, landing on your feet in the next roof, which made you feel a small sense of pride, and it was a shame no one was there to witness your dexterity skills

The briefing for this mission made it very clear that this was a very important one, hour after hour spent studying the blueprint of the building, the map of the air system, and going through multiple contingency plans for every scenario that could happen. Alone, back in your bunk bed, you felt that the blueprint was already burned into your eyelids. Not only that, but four manila folders were often read back-to-back by you, and four names were constantly in your head.

Price.

Ghost.

Soap.

Gaz.

The folders contained multiple transcriptions of some of their communications, information of previous deployments, and some of their personal data. You also got some files on your work laptop containing security videos obtained of them. They were not only clearly bigger than you, but their form didn’t stop them from being able to be sneaky and fast. If they found you around, for sure you were dead.

From the roof, you went down an air vent with the help of a rope, until you reached a horizontal vent, which allowed you to start crawling. It was easy from here, forward, then left, then right, and straight until you reached the vent over two hallways in the shape of a T, and in the hall at the side there was a large window with view to the city, where the 141 was supposed to arrive any minute now. The hall was empty, as the armed guards were outside, protecting the three doors that connected the main building to the halls, and there it was, a heavy metal door that led to the office when the needed intel was. Some files about imports and exports, you weren’t really given much information about them, only their label to be able to identify them and the order to burn the rest of the papers.

Going down the air vent to the office wasn’t an option, as it would trigger the security system, the only way was to get in from the front with the keycard but get it from the guards directly would get the attention of the rest of them, going against the orders of being subtle. You had to wait for the 141, and use them as a distraction, knock the guard, steal the keycard, create further distractions, steal the files and leave a charge of explosives in the office. Easy-peasy.

“Control to Sage. They were dropped by a helo on the top of the building. Get ready to act. Over” The words snapped you out of your boredom, and you already felt your body pumping adrenaline to get you ready to move.

Soon enough, a loud crash of glass broke the silence, followed by three loud stomps on the floor, making the shattered glass on the floor crack underneath their boots. They seemed even bigger in person but given their entrance they were stealthier in the recorded footage.

“Bravo 0-7 to Watcher-1. We are in position, waiting for contact” A husky voice said, and you recognized the man as Ghost, which wasn’t hard considering he was wearing the same skull mask as in the files. The three men had their arms ready, and you heard the sound of the keycard granting access, soon followed by gunshots. The first ones to go down were the guards of the hall that was beneath you, the two dead bodies falling into the ground. But the group didn’t have a rest as guards started shooting from the other doors, and from the fallen guards corpses you could hear how they others were calling for back ups through the comms.

Shit. Be fast.

You opened the vent grid, the sound of shooting covering the sounds of metal, and taking advantage of the situation, you threw a smoke grenade at their feet.

“Fuck!” Another voice said as smoke starting to cloud the vision of a part of the hall. You quickly dropped from the air vent, your feet barely making any sound against the ground, and you crouched, stealing the key card from the dead guard, and quickly making your way to the office, not before throwing another smoke grenade at them to keep them busy.

The key card granted you access, deactivating the security system, and you quickly entered the empty office, hearing some coughing from the outside, and more shooting and screaming that got muffled as soon as you closed the door. You quickly put a chair on the door, in case they would try to get in, it would grant you some more minutes.

You searched through the office, not bothering to be tidy, just dropping the papers on the floor…and then you found the file, a twinkle of excitement appeared in your eyes as you put the folder in your mouth, stepping over the desk and taking from your bag a little box of tools. You took out a screwdriver, and tried to rapidly, but calmly, unscrew the grid of the air vent. Your eyes widened when you heard a loud “Clear!” from down the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps. You managed to make the grid fell, and you swiftly climbed into it. Once up there, you threw the explosives down the office with a detonator, which grant you three minutes to crawl your way out of the air vent. As you passed by, you could see the task force going through the corpses to find a keycard.

“Found one, LT” You heard underneath you, as one of them stood up, holding a key card. Mohawk = Soap, you thought to yourself.

“Wait, you hear that?” Another one says. Pretty boy = Gaz.

You stopped on your tracks, not even breathing. Before you heard a gasp for air coming from a guard, followed by a shot.

“Found it” Ghost answered.

You felt relief flooding your body, but you couldn’t enjoy your small victory properly as the sound of the explosion left your ears ringing. A heavy warmth flooded the air vent, and under you, the sound of glass, grunts and three heavy bodies falling onto the ground. Your ears were still ringing, the heat was slowly becoming unbearable, and the smell of smoke flooded the narrow space as you tried to crawl faster through it.

As you reached the vertical vent, you used your ascender and quickly got to the top. You gasped for air as you felt the cold autumn breeze on your face. As your eyes adjusted to the night, you saw the ropes and some other equipment the 141 left behind them. It wasn’t time to rest yet, as you took the file out of your mouth, saving it to your bag, before throwing it across the gap and into the roof you came from. Soon enough, you followed after, jumping across the gap between both buildings.

Your fall wasn’t as graceful as the first, accidentally missing a step and landing on your knees with a grunt. But you let yourself fall on your back against the concrete. Your face felt like it was burning, the breeze was pleasant against your flushed skin, your clothes and hair reeking of smoke, but once again oxygen was filling your lungs. As you catch your breath, you pressed your comm.

“Sage to Control. How copy?” You asked in a low voice, panting.

“Control to Sage. Are you okay?” The voice quickly answered.

“Yeah, yeah, got the intel. I’m in one piece. Ready for extraction, a shower, and a nap”

“Copy, Sage. Picking you up on the alley, remember to untie the handy man”.

Back in the base the mission was considered so successful that for the next few months your rank went from sergeant to "Task Force 141 shadow" as the first mission and your survival rate apparently meant that you were the first choice for any mission that involved them. They considered the indirect approach worked better than directly engaging in combat against them, which left casualties between the KorTac ranks in the past.

Every mission for intel they had, you were behind them, lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to just start shooting to use the confrontation as a distraction to get to the target first. It was funny to hear them frustrated and annoyed over the comms when they realized that once more, they lost the intel. And then it's fate was obvious once KorTac put it on the market, selling it to the best bidder, or sometimes even using it to complete their own missions.

"You have to be careful, maus. I know you think it's fun, but they're dangerous, like us" You found cute when König used pet names. It was truly amazing how such a unit of a man was capable of being soft at the same time, ever since you started working there under his command until now.

But lately you didn't feel like a mouse, you felt like a hyena or a vulture, just scavenging while the bigger predators weren't looking.

"It's alright, don't worry, bud. I promise you I'm being as careful as I've always been" You said in a reassuring tone, a soft smile on your lips, and you squeezed his arm as he was sitting across you on the common room, a hot tea brewing in front of you.

"That's why I'm worried" König had an unsure look, under his sniper hood, his eyes fixated on your mug, rather than you. And you could tell he was anxious by the way he was shaking his leg. "Just don't leave any tracks, ja?"

What you weren't going to admit to him, is that you were growing slightly fond of the task force you so dutifully followed around. During these months you learned plenty of things about them, just by staying hidden and listening, like Ghost's dad jokes, Gaz unluckiness with helicopters, Soap's preference to play as a goalkeeper while playing football.

You blamed the growing one-sided familiarity by the fact that your new assignments made you spend lots of hours alone, lurking, stalking, in position ready to strike the moment things unfold. Back in base, and since you started to work alone, it was only in rare occasions you were at the same time as your old unit, the opportunities to catch up with them and being social becoming scarce.

And they seemed to be so close, so used to each other, so comfortable to even use their names sometimes. You had to admit you weren't used to that. You didn't even know König actual name let alone his face, and even if other members were more open about their names, their backgrounds were still vague. Not that you were an open book, as you only went by your callsign, your real name a secret between your contractors and you. But back in KorTac the less you knew, the better. It's probably for the best, anyway. Another very possible reason for your newfound fondness was the fact that after every successful mission came a very generous check. In fact, so generous that it was enough, plus your savings, to purchase a flat. Not too fancy, but cozy and big enough for you and your things, and something to call your own as well.

Moving in was tedious, lots of boxes and newspapers wrapped around the fragile stuff, and you were too tired from work to really unpack everything, leaving only the necessary items out. You definitely needed to have dinner and have a nocturnal nap before you keep on unpacking stuff, and the other things weren't as urgent. Besides, it would be a few weeks before your next mission, so you had plenty of time to enjoy settling down in your new home and looking around the neighbourhood. For now, you could really use some food, and at this hour you certainly weren't going to cook. You grabbed your jacket and went down the street.

Thankfully, there was a Chinese place in a five-minute walk. There were lots of people around, going to pubs, as it was a bit of a commercial area. It was nice, some fairy lights, some decorations, people sharing drinks, laughing, you could get used to walking around here. You ordered a serve of chow mein and three spring rolls, got it in a bag and made your way back to your flat.

The building you lived in now was a bit old, so you had a fob for the main entrance and a key for your flat. The door creaked a bit when you opened it, and you closed it behind you, but as you turned around you bumped into something that felt almost like colliding against a brick wall, you turned around and you saw some hands inside a mailbox.

"So sorry, si---" You said looking up and as soon as your eyes focused on the figure you felt how your face went pale, and how all the blood of your body went to your legs, your mind screaming you to flee.

Black eyes stared back at you, and that was the only part you could see, as the rest of the face was covered by a balaclava with a skull print on it. Fuck...

"Staring is rude" That husky voice you were so used to hearing through a comm sounded so clear, and the grip on the takeaway bag tightened.

The fuck is Ghost doing here.

"I-I..." You had to clear your throat, to manage any words out. "Sorry, I'm usually more polite, you just...caught me off guard."

"Haven't seen you here before" He lives here?! No way. This is a trap.

"Moved in this morning" You answered as flatly as you could.

"Ah" He said in an uninterested tone, as he went back to check the mail.

You couldn't help but stare up at him, completely dumbfounded. He was wearing a hoodie covering his head, blank pants, and heavy boots. Why isn't he attacking me? Does he know who I am? What the fuck is this? Jesus, I could throw up.

"Can I help you with something?" He answered in the same tone, not bothering to look back at you a second time.

"You live here?"

"Third floor" He answered plainly.

"Ah" Does he genuinely just lives here? No way, they're setting me up. "Why check the mail at night?"

"Just arrived" He answered as he broke one of the envelopes and checked it's contents. Light bill, and you heard him cursing under his breath.

He is so much taller up close.

"Right…alright, see you around…" You said before quickly going up the stairs, so taken aback that you completely forgot about the elevator.

You arrived to your flat, a bit agitated, and closed the door with the lock behind you. And added a chair under the doorknob, for good measure.

You left the food on the table, and quickly went to grab one of your guns. A SIG Sauer P320, and you checked every room, not that there were many rooms to check. The bedroom, the living-dining room, and the bathroom. Both for people and for cameras or mics, but everything looked normal, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing out of place. Lock the windows just in case.

After your thorough search, you sat at your dinner table, left the gun next to you, before beginning to unpack your food. You ate as your eyes were fixated on the door, waiting for someone to come in shooting, for a team, for a raid, anything.

0000 – No contact.

0100 – No contact.

0200 – Still no contact.

0300 – Fuck, I’m tired.

Not today, it seems...fuck, this isn't a coincidence, out of all the buildings in this fucking island he lives here? No bloody way. They know.

next: chapter two "charlie foxtrot"

if you like it leave me some kudos or suggestions on ao3! <3

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andrewmanger · 9 months

Text

Navigating the Benefits of Professional Property Management in Maine

Owning and managing a rental property in Maine can be a lucrative investment, but it also comes with its fair share of responsibilities. This is where professional property management services come into play. In this blog, we'll explore the advantages of entrusting your property to a reputable property management company in Maine and why it's a wise choice for both new and seasoned property owners.

The Role of a Property Management Company

Tenant Screening and Placement:

A property management company conducts thorough tenant screening, including background checks, credit history, and rental references. This ensures that reliable and responsible tenants are placed in your property.

2. Rent Collection and Financial Management:

Handling rent collection, late fees, and financial reporting can be time-consuming. Property managers streamline the process, ensuring that you receive your rental income consistently and on time.

3. Maintenance and Repairs:

Prompt and efficient maintenance is crucial for keeping your property in good condition and retaining tenants. Property managers have a network of trusted contractors and handle repairs on your behalf.

4. Legal Compliance:

Keeping up with ever-changing rental laws and regulations can be challenging. Property managers have a deep understanding of local and state laws, ensuring that your property remains compliant.

5. Marketing and Advertising:

Property managers have the expertise to market your rental effectively, including creating eye-catching listings, leveraging online platforms, and utilizing their network to find qualified tenants.

Advantages of Professional Property Management in Maine

Local Expertise:

Property managers are intimately familiar with the local real estate market in Maine. They understand rental trends, pricing strategies, and can provide valuable insights for maximizing your property's potential.

2. Time and Stress Savings:

Managing a rental property can be a demanding and time-consuming task. Property managers take on the day-to-day responsibilities, allowing you to focus on other priorities.

3. Tenant Retention:

A property management company works to foster positive tenant relationships. Happy tenants are more likely to stay longer, reducing turnover and vacancy rates.

4. Emergency Response:

Property managers have established protocols for handling emergencies, ensuring that issues are addressed promptly and efficiently, even outside of regular business hours.

5. Risk Mitigation:

Property managers carry out routine inspections and maintenance to identify potential issues early, reducing the risk of costly repairs in the future.

Choosing the Right Property Management Company

Reputation and Reviews:

Look for a property management company with a solid reputation and positive reviews from property owners and tenants alike.

2. Clear Communication:

Effective communication is crucial. Choose a property manager who provides regular updates and is readily accessible when you have questions or concerns.

3. Transparent Fees:

Understand the fee structure and ensure that it aligns with your budget and expectations.

4. Experience and Expertise:

Seek a property management company with a proven track record and experience in managing properties similar to yours.

Professional property management services in Maine provide property owners with peace of mind, knowing that their investments are in capable hands. With the expertise, local knowledge, and resources that a property management company offers, you can enjoy the benefits of rental property ownership without the associated stress and time commitment. If you're considering renting out your property in Maine, partnering with a reputable property management company is a smart and strategic move.

Elevate your property investment with Ascend Property Management in Maine. Experience stress-free ownership and exceptional returns. Get started today!

#maine real estate management #maine property management #property management services of maine #maine property management companies #maine real estate management reviews #me real estate property management #maine properties management #old town property management #full-service property management #property accounting services #property management newport maine #property management orono maine #property management bangor maine #bangor property management #property management bangor

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softcuddledrone · 2 months

Note

So theoretically if someone were too, I don’t know, go to the cafe and wish to become a cuddledrone, how would the process go exactly? Asking for. A friend. [the friend is me]

Apologies in advance bc this is going to be a long ramble

Initial contact with Miss Manager (the proxy), undergo an interview so management can get a feel for your intentions and desires. Hypnosis to get a deeper look at true desires is optional but ultimately an opt-in step.

A contract is drawn up to determine the duration of one's employment within the Cafe (reviewed and renewed annually; the majority of the contract is favored heavily towards the soon-to-be-cuddledrone's autonomy (should it want it returned).

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the Cuddledrone Cafe! Don't celebrate just yet though, as there is approximately one entire filing cabinet worth of paperwork to process. Don't worry, Miss Manager (and a small squad of maid-drones) will be there to explain every line as needed. Notable points in this mountain of forms includes purchasing and absolving any debts, granting temporary retainership for any associated property related contracts, arranging for movers to put any property into controlled storage, consent forms for present and future medical services (general healthcare, augmentation of any and many kinds), and general bureaucratic formalities towards never having to worry about anything and let Mistress take care of you

At this point some opt to directly proceed to augmentation! The process starts with a lengthy physical to find any and all issues to be addressed through surgery, medication, conditioning, or augmentations. Following that is the 'fun' part of the cuddledrone standard augmentation suite, which includes but is not limited to a neurological network node implant, top-grade cybernetic limbs, and anything else the new cuddledrone needs (or wants). Any augmentations post-'graduation' can either be kept or replaced free of charge for hardware of equivalent value.

Heavy augmentations over a relatively short period of time can be intensive, and requires rest, recovery, and acclimation to both the physical and cognitive aspects of new limbs and joining the sensory network. Freshly minted cuddledrones are expected and encouraged to take as much time as they need in the backrooms before assuming duties as a full-fledged cuddledrone. This also gives ample time to get to know the other drones, get used to the new diet (delicious and plentiful), pick up a hobby (enrichment is important!), get your brain rewired a few times, and so on.

Congratulations, you are now a proper cuddledrone! Enjoy your days caught in the bliss of a network feedback loop of tactile stimulation and drug-induced bliss!

#SOFTIEposting #soft dronekink #This is really long and crunchy sorry

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bcacstuff · 2 months

Text

Design of Midhope Distillery

The parts of document I'm showing in this post was presented and designed on June 26, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Design and Access Statement accompanies a Planning Applica- tion for a new Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery at Midhope Castle which lies within the Hopetoun Estate on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It is intended this is the first of a series of applications containing proposals to regenerate the Castle, the surrounding listed buildings and landscape setting.

The overall project aims to create an environment to produce, share and market an exceptional whisky. Its success depends not just on the production of whisky but on the ability to invite guests to see the creative process, appreciate its origins and have the time to experi- ence the whisky and the environment. It is intended in the future that the castle will be the venue for a significant part of these activities.

Note, the clients Golden Decanters and Hopetoun estate are the original applicants. Golden Decanters changed their company name since April 2022

Design Team

Project Manager - Curries & Brown

Currie & Brown works across the public and private sectors, including commercial property, consumer goods, defence, education, funding institutions, government, healthcare, high-tech, hospitality and leisure, industrial, mixed-use developments, nuclear, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, PPP/P3, residential property, retail, trans- portation and logistics and utilities and renewables. wWith our global reach, Currie & Brown brings together a large group of talented professionals to offer our clients a comprehensive range of the services, experience and expertise, together with a significant value added offering.

Planning Consultant - Scott Hobbs Planning

Scott Hobbs Planning (SHP) is an established planning and development consul- tancy founded in 2004, servicing clients throughout the British Isles, for major mixed use, commercial, retail and residential development. The practice has wide ranging and detailed experience in all aspects of planning-related work including national policy shaping, development planning and development management; development framework and master-planning; and consultation processes.

Architect - 56three Architects

56three is a design based Practice with projects covering new build, conservation and refurbishment works throughout the UK.

We have an award winning team of architects, technicians and interior design- ers who are able to provide the full range of architectural services from feasibility through to construction.

Landscape Architect - rankin fraser landscape architects

rankinfraser landscape architecture llp was formed in January 2008. Based in Edin- burgh, Scotland the practice brings together Chris Rankin and Kenny Fraser – two Landscape Architects with over 30 years combined experience of delivering award winning projects from conception through to completion

We combine practice with research and teaching to provide our clients with a thoughtful, creative and professional approach to landscape design and place mak- ing covering public realm, landscape urbanism, housing landscapes, education and health projects in urban and rural situations.

LOCATION

The site is approximately 11.5 miles West of the City of Edinburgh, 5 miles to the North West of Edinburgh airport, 3.5 miles to the West of the South Queensferry, and a little under half a mile South of the Firth of Forth. It has an overall area of 6.9 hectares within the beautifully managed Hopetoun Estate. Hopetoun House is approximately 1 mile East of the site.

SITE

The site is located within Hopetoun Estate but outside the area of the Designated Designed Landscape that surrounds Hopetoun House and Abercorn to the east. The site for the new distillery is located to the immediate west of Midhope Castle.

The Castle is reached via an access road runs for approximately a quarter of a mile, west from the road link between the hamlet of Ab- ercorn and the A904.

The site to the east of the Midhope Burn is largely dense woodland. A Fireworks manufacturing business is currently located in a large clearing near the entrance to the site. This clearing was formerly the location of a Saw Mill.

The access road arrives at a small car park. There is a path that leads to the outer wall of the Castle courtyard.

Midhope Castle is to the north-east of the site with a courtyard and a modest walled garden to the immediate South. Behind the castle, just to the north, is a small derelict Victorian, ancillary building.

In the space to the east of the castle toward the approach road there are two Victorian cottages and a doocot.

The site for the distillery building is to the south-west of the cas- tle and in an area that is currently occupied by a number of modern agricultural sheds and some hard-standing left from recent utilitarian ancillary structures. The area is functional and has no obvious sig- nificant historic structures. It currently houses the grounds for a tree climbing and chainsaw training company which is in the process of relocating.

HERITAGE CONTEXT

The original Midhope Castle (recorded as “Medhope Castle”) was built in the late 15th century. In 1587 this castle was partially rebuilt.

The castle was extended in 1664 and reached the general arrange- ment and form that can be seen today. Further extensions and altera- tions took place in 1678.

By the early 20th century the castle was in a state of disrepair and the interior timber staircase recorded as being in poor condition.

In 1988 a programme of consolidation and partial restoration was undertaken. A new roof was formed on the West Tower and steelwork was inserted within the shell of the castle to stabilse the structure. New window frames were inserted into the existing openings. This work seems to have arrested any further significant deterioration.

Today the building is in a ruinous state internally, and most of the in- ternal features have been lost, but is generally wind and water tight.

Midhope Castle was designated as a Scheduled Monument in 1950 and was given a Category A listing in 1971 . In 2018 the Scheduled Monument status was removed and the designation was simplified to the current Category A listing.

The Roy Lowlands map of 1754 shows the castle within the wider context of the Hopetoun House Estate. To the north of the castle are a series of geometrically arranged copses either side of an axis that relates to Hopetoun House to the west. Today some of these trees are still visible.

The landscape around Midhope Castle is also visible on this plan - the series of walls that form the courtyard at the castle, and the larger open area to the west.

The 6 inch map of 1854 more shows Midhope Castle in the form that it can be seen today. The approach path from the east, the Doocot, the gamekeeper’s cottage and the walled garden to the south of the castle are visible.

This plan also shows the state of the landscape to the west of the castle. A path or track extended out from the courtyard into the land- scape and a series of gardens were enclosed to the north.

The south edge of the site was defined by a row of trees that aligned with the walled garden.

The remaining traces of these landscape structures have informed the location of the new distillery building and the landscape strategy.

MASTERPLAN APPROACH

The current application is the first in a series of planned phased pro- posals for the site that will initially improve the setting, and stabilise the fabric, of the castle, and later seek to reuse and regenerate the castle.

The construction of the distillery and the production of the whisky need to be the first steps in order to establish the business and generate income in order to progress to the next phases of the wider project.

In the medium term there are also plans to open parts of the castle to facilitate some of visitors who currently visit the site due to the castle’s association with the “Outlander” television series.

There is the ultimate aim to use the castle for visitor functions that are complimentary to the new distillery – tasting spaces, dining, and potentially overnight accommodation.

All of these future works will carefully balance the repair and refur- bishment of the existing historical fabric of the castle and surround- ing landscape features. Further refinement of the timing and content of these next phases will reviewed as the project develops.

VISION

Initial works

The current Planning Application is for the new distillery building together with the immediate landscaping, a new access road and the change of use of Midhope Castle to visitor accommodation.

An application for Listed Building Consent will follow. This will include the repair and refurbishment works to the landscape features around the castle- the reinstatement of the damaged stone piers, the re- gaining of the walled garden and cobbled castle forecourt and the potential removal of derelict outbuildings. It has not been possible to gain access to the site to carry out these surveys due to restrictions imposed by the Covid 19 crisis.

Next steps

Future Planning Applications and Listed Building Applications are planned as the business becomes established. These include plans for a Maltings Building at the former Sawmill site, work to the castle and extensions as appropriate, repurposing of the Dovecot, and other facilities in the grounds of the castle and distillery.

SCOPE OF INITIAL PHASE

It is possible to conceptually divide the site into two areas, they can broadly be described as modern farm building land and the castle grounds. It is not intended that the physical distinction between the areas be over emphasised in the finished design but it is a useful tool in describing the approaches to the specific areas. The distillery is proposed to be on the farm building land, with the main road and the access road coming across the castle grounds.

The farm building land does not have any obvious structures of histor- ic significance, whilst the castle grounds are rich with elements that are historically significant and referred to in the category A listing of the castle and the Category B listing of the Doocot.

The historic influence on the farm building land is most strongly ap- parent in its relationship to the castle grounds. The land spreads in a relatively level expanse from the castle and forms the base of an approximate bowl. This reinforces the sense that the area that will house the distillery, despite being the larger area, is attendant on the castle as the most substantial historic structure on the site.

Very little work is proposed to the immediate castle grounds in this application. The client wishes to take the time to carefully consider the appropriate design and relationship with the existing buildings. The intention is to intervene in this area as little as possible at this point and only to the extent that is required to access the distillery site without negatively affecting the significant historic fabric.

The castle grounds are subject to ongoing analysis and will be the focus of future applications in subsequent phases.

DESIGN PROPOSALS

The distillery is seens as the first phase of a sequence of develop- ments on the wider site aimed at enriching the landscape and improv- ing the setting and fabric of Midhope Castle.

The aspiration is to create a unique place where the production of Whisky, the landscape it draws from and the heritage of the site can be enjoyed. The setting and location is key to the proposal.

The new distillery building will have two main functions. It will pro- duce over 500,000 litres of whisky a year from Barley grown on the Estate. It will also offer visitors the opportunity to see all aspects of the Whisky production process and to enjoy the unique historical set- ting and landscape.

The setting of the distillery is one that has many layers of history. It will be close to Midhope Castle, which is known to date from the fif- teenth century and along with the land around has been altered many times over the subsequent years. The castle was occupied until the 1920s and each periodw has resulted in change. The additions to the castle are clear to see, and there are buildings around the castle that date from the 1800s. The setting shows a timeline of agricultural use and castle shows evidence of the varied occupation that ranges from aristocracy to the workers on the land.

The castle is the embodiment of the historic significance of the site, and this position is to be carefully maintained. The orientation of the new design is lead by the influence of the existing fabric. It’s form will have a larger footprint but a lower height, it will not compete with the castle but rather work alongside it, and by looking toward the castle’s raised entrance create an exciting new dynamic.

SETTING & ACCESS

The approach to the site will be along the existing track which winds through dense woodland to a clearing that is currently used as a car park for visitors to the castle.

From here a new access route is proposed to take service traffic for the distillery to the south, away from the castle and existing cottages.

The existing footpath leads up to the castle courtyard past the listed dovecot building and existing Victorian cottage and outbuildings to the north.

The courtyard sits between the castle and the overgrown walled gar- den to the south. To the west of this enclosed outdoor space is the open area currently given over to light industrial and agricultural use. This largely flat area of land sits within a shallow depression relative to the surrounding wider agricultural landscape. This will be the site of the new distillery.

The distillery begins to be visible on moving through the courtyard. The new building will align with the traces of an route that once ran through this area out to the west.

SETTING & RESPONSE

The new building consists of three, simple shed-like forms.

The largest is a long, pitched roof building that edges the south of the site. This building will contain most of the distillery production areas and spaces for visitors – a display area containing whisky ma- turing in barrels, tasting spaces, and multi-purpose areas that can be used for exhibitions and functions.

To the north is a second smaller pitched roof form that contains the stills and shelters the worm tubs.

To the south a third pitched roof form encloses external tanks and barrel storage.

A service yard is located to the south of the distillery and sits be- tween the new building and the existing embankment. The service yard and the more industrial activity is hidden from view from the surrounding landscape and most importantly is invisible from the ap- proach road and castle. Access to the service yard will be provided by a new road formed to the south of the main site.

The public areas of the distillery will offer views back to the castle and the landscape to the north. The landscape around the distillery will reinstate paths and routes that we once on the site.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

The basic form of the new building has been influenced by common simple, robust utilitarian agricultural buildings. From a distance the distillery will appear as a grouping of simple, quiet forms in the land- scape.

The still house will be wrapped in timber giving it an abstract quality. This building will contain the stills and their copper forms will be vis- ible through the glazed gable facing the castle courtyard.

The still house sits in a cooling pond and forms a gathering place at the visitor entrance to the distillery. This entrance aligns with both the reinstated road and wall running east to west but also with the existing track that leaves the site to the north.

A large framed window on the first floor of the distillery offers pano- ramic views back to the castle, across the structured landscape close to the distillery and further to the agriculutral fields of the estate beyond. These large windows will be edged in bronze metal cladding,

The maturation display area at the east end of the building will be clad in stained or charred slatted timber that will allow in direct light into the space. On dark evenings this end of the building will glow and act as a lantern drawing visitors across the landscape from the castle.

As I showed in my previous post, these plans are now revised and filed again on 8 February 2024, awaiting a decision. This document was filed on 21 March 2024. There are some minor changes to the original plans which were already approved in 2021

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 3 months

Note

AITA for telling my mom I would blow up her entire household and myself in a gas explosion if my parents built me a house to live in?

TW for descriptions of child abuse and suicide mention

I (22NB) cut off my abusive father (mid40M) and left home when I turned 18. I'm going to call him Harry (fake name) from now on because I'm going to have to talk about him a lot. When covid lockdowns started I had to leave home because I phsyically could not be in the same room as Harry without fully disassociating and would constantly have homicidal thoughts, suicidal thoughts and panic attacks just hearing him walk around the house or talk from locked away in my bedroom. Growing up Harry would phsyically and verbally abuse me, he's thrown me out of a window and locked me outside of the house, pinned me to the ground and stabbed me in the back of the neck with a pair chopsticks, slapped me, kicked me while I was curled up on the ground and so on. My mom (mid40F) would watch all these things and never did anything to stop the abuse, his abuse started ramping down when my little brother was born (12M) so most of these things happened to me from 6 years old to being 10. Harry has never been phsyically and verbally abusive towards my mom or my siblings I was his only victim at home.

I developed a slew of mental illness traits the main of which being diagnosed cPTSD from this abusive upbringing. I also ended up developing a phsyical disability that limits my mobility when I was turning 20, I live alone and the house I live in is extremely unaccessible and even dangerous for me to live in. Because of this I am still in regular contact with my mom getting her help with things I can't manage to do on my own due to my disability. Her and Harry are planning to move out to the countryside and have a house built there so I am aware I won't be able to rely on her for too many years longer. One day she mentions to me that apparently they had been planning to build me a small house tucked away at the back of their property for me to live in so she could keep taking care of me. I'd never heard of this plan before and never asked for anything like this.

First of all I found it incredibly demeaning to build a little doghouse out of sight to keep your traumatized disabled child like an unwanted pet only kept around out of pity and some sense of responsibility, my mom comes from a culture where its the norm to treat disabled people like this and make sure they are unseen but I did not appreciate it. Second of all this would literally be the most nightmarish scenario for me to live through possible, I can't drive I don't have a car and there is no public transport or delivery services for food and grocceries at all outside of the capital of my country. My mom doesn't drive either so she would put me in a scenario where literally every single aspect of my life would become completely dependent on my transphobic abuser that I still get full blown PTSD episodes even just thinking about. My house, my food, where I can go and getting to the doctor would all become completely at the mercy of Harry in this situation. This is when I told my mom if put in this situation I would blow up all of us in a gas explosion to escape it because that's how awful living through that would be.

She didn't really react to me saying I would blow all of them up if this happens because I use exaggerated violent language often, she just called me ungrateful. While it was mainly to express just how bad this situation would be for me it was also somewhat meant as a threat, due to my disability I've had other family members try to get me declared legally incompetent so they could get a government caregiver from me. My parents could absolutely use the law to force me into this housing situation even as an adult, it was partially a threat because I wanted it in their heads that it a bad idea for them to do this to me, realistically I would just commit suicide to escape it instead. My cPTSD makes me incapable of having grounded thoughts and reactions to the things that trigger it, I know my mental problems make me an asshole a lot of the time but I just want to live my shitty life as painlessly as possible for however long I've got left.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole #suicide cw

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iron-rose-art · 4 months

Text

Chance Meeting

Context, Reader works at Daycare and was leaving the plex now that their shift was over. They saw a rowdy kid being too rough on a certain gator and their parents weren't around. Although the reader is tired, the reader couldn’t stand by and not say anything to the kid, especially when you know that the animatronics aren’t really programmed to tell a kid to back off. One thing led to another and it shouldn’t be a surprise that a kid that thinks he’s allowed to do anything has a parent that lets him do anything as long as it doesn’t disturb them.

Monty x Reader, no use of Y/N, reader is tired and has to go full Fazbear Inc. customer service mode on a parent

Read on Ao3 too if you wanna

---

“Ma’am, Fazbear Entertainment has full rights to escort you out of the premises for being discourteous in our plex. We ask of you and your family to be respectful to our star members.” You pointedly say with a trained smile on your face. You know the woman’s fuse was on a short timer, a few seconds away from having a meltdown over you telling her kids to act at least somewhat civil to the animatronics.

“HOW DARE YOU!” She bellowed out, her face getting red as she pointed a manicured finger at you.

Yup.

There it was.

You’d would find some humor in her overreaction if you weren’t so tired from your shift.

“You do NOT get to tell me what to do!” She aggressively poked at your chest. “I should call your manager! He’ll get you fired for talking to me like that!”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes and scowl at her, instead standing straight with your feet planted and tipping your head to the side with the same polite smile on your face. “We take customer service seriously here at our Pizzaplex. We also do not allow harassment of workers, it is a serious breach of contract of our terms of services.” You reply back with a calm voice. You can hear the murmurs of the people around you noticing the one-sided screaming match, no doubt your co-workers and managers will hear about this tomorrow. Great.

“I don’t care! I paid to be here and you were the one to ruin it for me and my family!” She jabs you again hard enough to make you take a step back. You clasps your hands in front of you, partially to keep your hands still and partially to give a bit of space between you two.

“If you are dissatisfied with our service, you are more than welcome to file a claim to our customer service office. If that claim is revised through camera footage,” you point to a nearby camera, “audio files, and witness testimony and is deemed as false, you hold a chance of being banned and blacklisted from the Plex. Permanently.” She opens her mouth to retort but you step forward and motion to a nearby Security Bot. “If that is something you wish to avoid, alongside paying for damages done to company property, I strongly advise you to leave for the day.” You watch as she narrows her eyes at you, her gaze flickered from looking at you, behind you, to the security bot and back at you. She scowls but steps back, glaring at you while the security bot starts to guide her to the entrance.

You feel bad for how tight she is holding her son’s hand as she walks away. He looks more embarrassed than her for being told to leave.

“Thank you for your patronage and we hope you have a Faz-errific Day!” You say in your best impression of the bright daycare attendant and wave with a cheery customer service smile as they leave. Once they were far away and the crowd around you lost interest, you turned around and heaved a sigh. Another day, another shitty parent like that.

You open your eyes and freeze when you see the giant animatronic you forgot had been behind you and was the whole reason you were dealing with that mom. Your eyes trail up as you take in the green scale pants, the broad yellow and green torso, the sharp teeth and finally the red eyes behind the star sunglasses.

You look up at Monty and give him an apologetic look, suddenly aware he had been quiet the whole time. “Um, sorry for uh, stepping in like that. Just y’know I’m not really a fan of uh, bratty kids and entitled parents.” You shrug and wave your hands in front of you before fiddling with the collar of your shirt to resist the urge to clear your throat and apologize more. Monty was staring at you unblinkingly, his jaw open enough for you to see a hint of tongue behind sharp teeth. There is the faint sound of a motor whirring but you figure it’s just a noise from somewhere else in the plex.

You stare at him as he stares at you.

Now you’re definitely wishing you were in your car and on your way home. “Do you um, do you need me to call Parts and Service to check if anything-”

“You were able to handle a piece of work parent and now you’re nervous?” You would be a liar if you denied jumping a bit from hearing him finally talk. You were wanting him to talk of course, but it still caught you off guard. Especially with his voice being deeper than you thought. And he has a southern tilt to his voice box, odd but it’s fitting. He had an eyebrow raised and you realize it’s better to focus on what he asked than think too hard about his voice.

You feel your face getting hot under the scrutiny. This isn’t how you thought your first meeting with any of the Glamrocks would go. “Uh, I mean I deal with shitty parents that don’t actually want to parent their kids all the time so…” You shrug and mumble before you can think better of it. You lean back when he throws his head back as he laughs out loud. It’s a nice laugh to hear; sure it’s rough and gravely, it’s loud, but contagious and so wholehearted that it has you laughing along to the situation as well.

This really is where your life led to isn’t it? You can tell a mom to back off like you’re a lawyer but as soon as you need to talk to a seven foot tall robot gator you forget how to speak. Poof. All ways of talking go out the window. It’s so ridiculous the only thing you can do is laugh. And you can’t find it in you to care if it attracts attention from the crowd this time. It takes a minute before he exhales and makes a motion of wiping away non existent tears from his eyes.

“And you’re cussin in front of me! I could tell on ya if I wanted to y’know. That ain’t very family friendly.“ He cocks his head to the side as he grins down at you, the southern drawl in his voice deepening as he speaks.

You snort as your own laughter dies down to giggle. “I doubt The Montgomery Gator would tell on me for cursing on the job.” You look up at him, his own toothy grin mirrored back by you. You don’t know when you moved closer to him over the short conversation but you’re not feeling the urge to step away just yet.

“You’re not wrong.” He snorts and nods to your shirt as best he can. Or at least you think that’s what you think he was doing. “You sure aren’t what I expected from a daycare worker, y’know?” You look down at the bright lettering of the SuperStar Daycare Staff name tag still clipped on your shirt. With all the ruckus that happened, you completely forgot to take it off once you clocked out of your shift.

"Um, thanks." You weren't quite sure how to respond to that but you figured it was a compliment. You eye up the dented casing on his lower arm. "Are you sure you don't want to call Parts and Services to get that checked out?"

“Nah, m’ handler will check that out when I go down there in a few. You look,” he tips his head to the side as he pauses for a second, “tired, you shouldn’t you be going home now?”

To prove his point, you feel a yawn crawling its way up. You instinctively raise your elbow to hide your yawn and nod at him once it passes. “Yeah, definitely should be on my way home. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with any more shitty parents today.”

“I doubt it.” He says with a chuckle.

“Good good.” You wave at him while you start walking away. “See you around then Monty, have a good night.”

“Goodnight Superstar, don’t be fighting any more parents if I’m not around, you hear?” He lowers his sunglasses to wink at you as you walk away.

You scoff and roll your eyes but still smile at that. You give him one last wave while you make your way to the entrance, fishing out your car keys from your pockets as you leave the plex for the day. You think about the times the little kids at the daycare would say that Monty was scary, but from that little interaction you had with him, you realize he might not be as bad as people make him out to be. You feel a soft smile on your face as you drive home. Hopefully you can run into him and talk to him some more tomorrow, preferably under better circumstances.

What you don’t know you missed is the same gator watching you leave with a fond and curious look on his face, also looking forward to bumping into you while you work.

#montgomery gator #monty gator x reader #reader insert #fnaf x reader #fnaf x y/n #fnaf x you #rose writes #self ship

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