#Grassmarket

[scotland]

The Grassmarket, Edinburgh, circa 1865, with the majestic silhouette of Edinburgh Castle gracing the horizon. Step back in time with this captivating glimpse into the past, where history unfolds against the backdrop of an iconic Scottish landmark. 

Photo: Cornell University Library

[scotianostra]

April 14th 1736 saw the Porteous Riots in Edinburgh take place.

The riots that erupted were over the execution of a smuggler called Andrew Wilson. Andrew was one of three who were charged with smuggling and attempting to rob Collector of Excise, James Stark at the Pittenween Inn, Fife

One of the men, William Hall, turned Kings evidence and was exiled from Scotland, which left Wilson and his friend George Robertson, facing the hangman’s noose.

The pair had been locked up in the Tolbooth on the High Street and an attempt at escape had been thwarted after the rather portly Wilson got stuck in a window after managed to saw through some bars.

A few days before sentence was to be carried out, the men were taken to the Kirk to make their peace with the lord and repent for their sins, it was here Wilson caused a distraction and Robertson made off, according to tradition he made it to Holland and ran a Tavern the rest of his days.

There was a feeling of sympathy for Wilson, not just because he was the only one left to face the music, but the populace of Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole were still smarting at the higher taxes imposed through excise after the act of union, on the day of his hanging a large crowd had gathered and they were a bit unruly to say the least but the execution took place without incident, but the peace didn’t last long. Just as Wilson’s body was being cut down from the gallows, a section of the crowd began pelting the executioner with stones. Rumours had been rife that Wilson had been tortured while incarcerated and what had been a relatively calm sea of spectators quickly transformed into an angry mob.

The city guard fired into the crowd, killing a few and wounding a considerable number of persons. John Porteous, captain of the city guard, who was accused of both shooting and giving the order to fire, was brought to trial in July and sentenced to death.

Events in Scotland alarmed the government in London, and Sir Robert Walpole attempted to influence events by asking his representative in Edinburgh to become involved ordering The Captain be pardoned. He had miscalculated, underestimated the depth of feeling in Scotland.

On the eve of Porteous’ proposed execution, a 4,000 ­strong mob took to the streets of Edinburgh. A total lock­down was ordered by the City Guard and all gates, including the Netherbow Port were closed – shutting out many troops stationed outside of the town. The enraged mob made their way to the Tolbooth Prison where Porteous was being held and set the jail door alight. Porteous attempted to flee but was eventually grabbed by force and dragged up the Lawnmarket, then down along the West Bow towards the Grassmarket where Andrew Wilson had met his end. Porteous was strung up on a dyer’s pole and brutally lynched until he ceased to move. The government would later declare a reward of £200 for any information of those responsible for Captain Porteous’ murder, but none of those guilty would ever be found. Sir Walter Scott’s famous novel The Heart of Midlothian written in 1818 would later recall the events in great detail.

On the Grassmarket just past Armstrong’s Vintage shop you will see the plaque commemorating Porteous, and to your right heading east you can enter Greyfriars Kirkyard and visit his grave, as seen in pics two and three.

[timetravelphotography]

The Last Drop pub | Edinburgh, UK

August 2007

August 2010

August 2018

[mirislamh]

[billy52]

Pubs in Scotland..

The Grassmarket. A look at the Grassmarket area around 2020.

[thisisjustmehere]

Evening stroll throw Edinburg . #Grassmarket #victoriastreet #harrypottershop #rossfountain #edinburghcastle #circuslane #thedene #millerrow #deansvillage #friends #greattime #preconferencetime #Scotland #Edinburgh (at Edinburgh, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjjMycqoJCg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fotoflingscotland]

Watching Life Pass By by FotoFling Scotland Via Flickr: The Grassmarket, Edinburgh

[tgarnsl]

WIP last sentence

Share the last sentence you wrote, and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

Thank you @sanguinarysanguinity​!

Again, Keith was caught off guard by his beauty: his suit of amber satin that set off his powdered hair so well, his stockings which revealed the fine lines of his legs… What a thing it would be, to spread Ardroy out against a bed, to see his face in the moment of supreme pleasure.

Tagging anyone else who would like to play!

[twostepstyless]

What have I missed today besties, i am sufficiently pissed before 7:30 pm. Thank u very much Edinburgh pub crawl

[aleximedicus]

now hold the fuck up 

one of yous is lying

[teaandseats]

Grassmarket Centre

Don't serve tea or coffee after 4pm, for some daft reason.

Can't rate untill have had a chance for tea. Definitely lose at least half a star for being open but not serving tea.

[gorseflowers]

actually i will say one thing about g*mens which is that one of the demons is played by a resident actor from the theatre i work at 💖 which was nice to spot someone i know and after seeing all those familiar locations in edinburgh as well

[scotianostra]

Edinburgh Castle from the Foot of the Vennel, 1845

[mightywellfan]

Edinburgh Castle from Grassmarket 1961

[beezusvreeland]

dear reader - chapter 3

summary: Miguel took the reader’s love and friendship for granted. Something he learns reading her column, when it’s too late…Or is it?

ship: miguel o'hara x f!reader // matt murdock x reader

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

Two weeks passed, but it might as well be an entire lifetime. Edinburgh suited you very well. The cold early mornings that turned into very nice afternoons and ended with you making sure the heater was on for the night. You woke up at the dorms provided by the school, made yourself a nice Earl Grey tea, got ready and walked your way to class. 

You picked a different path every day, but there was no denying that walking by Victoria Street in the Grassmarket area was your favorite way to get to university. It was just so charming: bright colored walls, cobblestones and unique shops. You had even read somewhere that it was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. There really was something magical about that city.

A couple of mornings a week, you had a writing workshop titled “The Self and Others: translating feelings into words”, which you couldn’t even believe was a real thing. There were a few familiar faces in the class, but you were drawn to Jessica Drew, the girl you met on your first day, and a younger kid who she took under her wings called Miles Morales. The three of you would always sit next to each other. It was kind of nice.

The workshop was led by professor Otto Octavious, whose passion for writing was infectious. So much so, that your peers affectionately called him “the last romantic” behind his back. 

“Today is a beautiful day to increase your word count”, the teacher joked, making the class erupt in laughter. “Usually we start the day with a discussion, but I’d like to do something a little different today.”

“Always keeping us in our toes, huh, professor?”, Miles teased.

“You know it, mr. Morales”, professor Octavious said, a smile on his face. “Most of you have been writing for a long time, so you probably have already learned about one of the biggest challenges a non fiction writer faces: most times, what happens in real life is so unbelievable, it doesn’t translate well to the page.”

The professor gets up from his chair and writes the name “Dani Shapiro” on the chalkboard. “That’s the name of one of the most prolific non fiction writers today. She has a quote about our craft that I always carry near my heart: ‘Writers are outsiders. Even when we seem like insiders, we’re outsiders. We have to be. Our noses pressed to the glass, we notice everything. We mull and interpret. We store away clues, details that may be useful to us later’.”

The room was quiet, except for professor Octavius’ voice. You could tell, even without looking to your classmates, that what he read had resonated with all of them. It was a perfect description of a sentiment you always had, but were never able to describe. You just thought there was something wrong with you. But there wasn’t. And you were not alone. 

“Let that sink in for a moment”, the teacher smiled. He knew exactly how the students felt the quote deeply. “Today I’d like for us to do something different. For the next hour, I want you to write about a detail you kept to yourself for a long time. The idea is to describe it and explore the reason you shelved it into your minds for so long. It can be about anything, as long as it is meaningful to you and that you allow yourselves to dive into your own vulnerabilities.” 

After the hour passed, you and your peers would share what you wrote with the rest and discuss it.

You opened a new document on your laptop, taking a deep breath. Obviously you had a whole storage of small details inside your head. But you felt uneasy, something you kept shoving to the side slowly creeping back to you. Or rather, someone. 

As if reading your mind, a notification appeared in the corner of your screen. A new email from no one other than Miguel O’Hara. 

Hey there, how are you? How is Scotland treating you? I hope you are drinking as many pints and visiting as many castles as you can. Congrats about the scholarship, by the way. It’s a big deal and you deserve it. I’m sorry about the whole dinner thing, I really fucked up and haven’t been a good friend to you. I’m sorry about that too. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but if you do, I promise I will do better. 

Anyways, enjoy your time there as much as possible — Hobie and Pav have been complaining that you haven’t sent them pictures so far, thought you should know. 

Miguel

PS: Do you remember my roommate from college I told you about? Peter B. He’s back in town and just the other day showed me an interview you did with Mary Jane Watson. It turned out really good. You always ask very thoughtful questions. 

And just like that, the Miguel area of your heart exploded again.

***

Dear reader,

Just the other day I was talking with my girlfriends about the romantic gestures in books, TV and movies that made us create insane expectations about love. The impromptu declarations, the running in the airport, the showing up unannounced — any decent human being knows you have to at least send the other person a text saying you are coming by. 

I have always been more drawn to the caring gestures and the acts of service. Maybe because that is my own love language. There is a scene in Say Anything… (1989) where Lloyd is walking Diane, the girl he has loved throughout high school, home after a party. They are talking and he is paying so much attention to what she has to say. All of the sudden, Lloyds stops her. There were pieces of glass in her way on the floor. He kicks them to the side and keeps walking, as if it was nothing, just the way things are supposed to be. It gets me everytime. 

I love to bring my friends coffee or even bake them food when they are having really intense weeks at work, helping them out with some errand or impossible shore. Sometimes I feel really silly about it. Especially when it comes to the guy . I know I shouldn’t, but when it comes to him, I feel insane. 

I feel insane because I always have his favorite ice cream in my freezer and the drinks he likes in the refrigerator. In my love drunk brain, these can be excuses to ask him to come up to my apartment, to have him stay more, even if it is just for a few minutes. This is not a tip, by the way. If anything, it is a warning: seeing the person you love enjoying their favorite dessert can make you lose your mind. Be aware.

Once I planned a Fast and Furious marathon. But only from the 5th movie on, when things get out of hand and the franchise becomes something else entirely. It was a way to spend a rainy sunday with snacks and drinking games. I spent saturday cleaning the apartment and buying everything the two of us would need. Imagine my face when some of our other friends showed up as well, because he had invited them. And I love all my friends, but only wanted to spend time with him.

There is also another fictional gesture that has been stuck in my head since I was a pre teen. Before the show, the Gossip Girl books were a huge deal, and I read almost all of them. Each chapter was told from a different character's perspective and Blair’s were my favorite. When she is mourning her relationship with Nate, who was in love with Serena, Blair remembers what they had gone through together. Once, wanting to impress him, she sewed a heart pin inside the sleeve of a sweater she gifted him for a special occasion. It was a way to show him that he literally had her heart under sleeve. It was such a simple and meaningful gesture. Except Nate never noticed. Not while they were together, at least. Isn’t that always the way?

Maybe we were supposed to focus some of that energy on ourselves. The hours of disappointment for the retribution that never happens won’t come back to us. 

I wish I had a more uplifting message today, but this is all I could manage. I hope you understand. 

Meet you here next week. And remember: never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.

Love, 

The writer

***

Miguel felt anxious about your lack of response to his email. He kept trying to reason it in his mind: you were probably really busy…or you were still mad at him. He was sure the fact it took him so long to write to you didn’t help. But the constant checking of his emails and all social media and waiting for a life sign from you was exhausting. Is that what addiction felt like?

Miguel tried to distract himself by taking more workloads and secretly reading your columns. It was fascinating getting to know that side of you, and he wondered why it was so new to him. You were more reserved, of course, but never failed to be there or show interest in his life. He couldn’t remember the last conversation you had that wasn’t about him and his work. It felt horrible knowing that maybe there was a lot you wanted to talk about and he never gave you space to or asked questions about you. Miguel asked himself when he had become that person, or if he had always been that way. And what he could do to make things better, because an apology didn’t seem like enough. 

He took a break from his spreadsheets to check his email inbox and social media. Nothing. So he went back to Bliss ’ archive and read another one of your older columns, the one where you wrote about romantic gestures. That last part had him so confused, he decided to ask for help. Miguel was that desperate.

“Lyla”, he called on his office phone.

“Yes, boss.”

“What is Gossip Girl?”

Lyla remained silent. Miguel was about to call the thing of, saying it was a joke, when she answered, her excited and teasing tone coming through:

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s classified.”

Lyla chuckled. She had noticed her boss had been acting weird lately, but couldn’t quite point her finger at why. 

“Is it for an Alchemax project?”, the assistant tried to keep her language professional. 

“It’s for…a personal one”, Miguel regretted everything, his eyes closed in embarrassment, even though Lyla was in another room.

“Okay…What exactly do you want to know about Gossip Girl?”

“Who are these people, Blair, Nate and Serena? What’s the story?”

She laughed. He should’ve known his assistant would have too much fun with it.

“Lyla…”, Miguel complained.

“Okay okay, sorry, boss, it’s just these are names I never thought I’d hear you say.”

“Just tell me the story.”

“It’s a big one, actually. The show has six seasons.”

“Does Blair end up with Nate?”

“Hell no”, Lyla scoffed. “She marries Chuck.”

“Who the hell is Chuck?”

“Nate’s best friend who, in his own twisted way, actually gave a shit about her.”

______________________________________________________________

<< chapter 2

>> chapter 4

all chapters

______________________________________________________________

dear reader playlist

[calamitys-child]

any queer bars/clubs you'd recommend in edinburgh? we've not been able to find anything satisfactory unfortunately

Depends on the vibes you're after!

Specifically queer venues:

Planet: never been except after pride one time like 6 years ago, so unable to really review personally, but my pals have given me middling to low reviews of the vibes tbh. The queer rugby team often host events there though

CC Blooms: a club, usually fun tunes but can have a slightly "cishets on stags/hens" crowd occasionally. Would recommend going for their drag shows though, they're always super fun

The Street: good food good drink, also host regular drag shows and club nights and I've loved all the ones I've been to

The Regent: a regular ass pub that is just pretty much exclusively for queer people who want to do a crossword and start weird arguments about board games

Other drag shows/queer events spaces:

Kandy Store at Frankensteins: all seated but Is downstairs so ymmv access wise, usually not super busy which is a tragedy because it fucking rules. They also host a yearly competition for new and upcoming drag artists which is always so special

Queer as Punk at Wee Red Bar or Leith Depot: cool as fuck group that puts on punk gigs and drag shows and spoken word nights and short film screenings, it's never the same twice so I recommend following them on Instagram to see the specific shows they do

Leith Arches: events space that hosts a variety of shows including a regular drag king night and other clubs or performances

Dog House: very fun bar hosting drag bingo or other performances. A little out of the way for me but every time ive been it's been fun!

Paradise Palms: foremost a smashing veggie food and drink place, but also regularly has queer performance nights

I know there's also regular drag shows at Subway, Three Sisters, and Casablanca in grassmarket, but I have not personally been

Fun places that are queer friendly but not explicitly doing events or anything, or aren't bars but worth knowing:

Kafe Kweer: queer-owned cafe that hosts craft fairs and galleries and suchlike

Lighthouse Books: radical leftist bookshop and love of my life

Banshee Labyrinth: spooky pub with cinema room and weekly karaoke

Mortal Kocktail: weird little alt bar full of old arcade machines

Argonaut Books: independent bookshop and community space with book group meetings including im pretty sure a queer themed book club

There's definitely more that I've missed, the queer scene in Edinburgh is so wonderful and vibrant and there's space for everybody if you know where to look!!